Murong Xu had crouched down and hadn’t even noticed Ah Wu standing behind him.
He turned his head, looking at the little one who was clinging to Ah Wu, and jealousy filled his eyes.
“Little Seven, uncle feels a little hurt right now.”
Murong Xu sighed, “Are you sure you don’t want to come and comfort your uncle?”
Murong Xu’s voice wasn’t loud, but as soon as he spoke, Ah Wu, who was facing him, covered the little one’s ears.
Murong Xu: “…”
Murong Xu was about to explode with frustration.
The little one, oblivious to having his ears covered, continued snuggling into Ah Wu and talking sweetly: “Ah Wu, when did you get here?”
“Did you miss Zai Zai?”
“Zai Zai missed you so, so much!”
The little one had endless things to say to Ah Wu.
Ah Wu patiently listened and, after a while, picked him up and carried him away.
Murong Xu, still without a hug: “!”
Give the little one back to me!
Murong Xu strode after them, following them all the way into the house.
Inside, Ah Wu was responding to the little one’s questions, “I was watching you from outside when you were being treated.”
“Mm, I missed you.”
“Are you still feeling unwell?”
After answering, Ah Wu also asked the little one a question.
The little one, who probably missed Ah Wu terribly, held onto him tightly, unwilling to let go.
“Shui Shui is amazing. He cured me.”
After this experience, Shui Shui had risen in the little one’s esteem. He was even starting to idolize Shui Shui.
They were both just children, but Shui Shui was so skilled he could surpass adults!
“That’s good.”
As Ah Wu spoke, he touched his forehead to the little one’s. The little one wasn’t feverish, and his temperature was normal.
Still, Ah Wu wasn’t entirely reassured and pulled back slightly, saying, “Turn back into your original form so I can check you properly.”
The little one glanced at the closed door and, without hesitation, turned back into a small fluffy creature with a pop.
Once the little one transformed, Ah Wu also reverted to his original form.
Ah Wu opened his mouth and carefully held the fluffy white little creature in his mouth to examine him.
Meanwhile, Murong Xu, who had remained in the room, was completely stunned.
He stood there, watching the large creature licking the small one, and couldn’t hold back anymore, blurting out, “Hey, aren’t you two being a bit too brazen? Transforming like this in front of me—aren’t you worried about scaring me?”
As soon as Murong Xu finished speaking, the little fluffy creature turned its wet, wide eyes toward him.
“Chirp?”
Is uncle scared of me?
Although Murong Xu couldn’t understand the little one’s chirping, he could read the expression in its eyes and knew exactly what it was asking.
“Little Seven, uncle didn’t mean you. Our precious Little Seven is the cutest. Uncle isn’t scared of you.”
Even though he said the little one wasn’t scary, he didn’t say the same about the larger creature.
After speaking, he only glanced at the larger creature, who sensed his gaze but completely ignored him.
After a while, Ah Wu finished examining the little one. Seeing his neglected uncle, the little one chirped and flung himself into Murong Xu’s arms.
The uncle, who had been feeling quite neglected, suddenly smiled as the little fluffy one jumped into his embrace.
“Our Little Seven’s fur looks warmer again.”
“Oh, and these little paws are even better for squeezing.”
“Come, let uncle give your belly a little cuddle.”
Murong Xu spent quite some time snuggling the little fluffy one, who squealed and wriggled away from his ticklish belly being cuddled.
After Murong Xu had his fill of cuddling the fluffy one, quite some time had passed.
The little one transformed back, placing his small hands on his uncle’s handsome face, and sweetly pleaded, “Uncle, let’s go outside and play. I want to go out.”
Shikong was supposed to be paraded through the streets today, but by the time the little one arrived at the Murong residence, he hadn’t seen him yet.
“You’ve just recovered. Can you really go running around?”
“I can, I can!”
After being cooped up in the palace for so long, the little one was eager to go out. He clung tightly to his uncle’s neck, urging him to take him outside.
As for Ah Wu, the little one peeked over his uncle’s shoulder and called out, “Ah Wu, let’s go! Let’s go shopping!”
He hadn’t been out to the streets in ages!
Ah Wu got up and followed them outside.
As they walked out, Murong Xu, carrying the little one, laid down some ground rules. “Second Sister already sent people to remind me. Today, when we go out to play, you can’t have any street food. You’ve just recovered and can’t eat random things.”
“And, you have to stay with uncle the whole time—no running off by yourself.”
“We’ll stroll around for a bit and then head back, no throwing a fit about not coming home.”
Murong Xu laid out his three rules, and though the little one nodded in agreement for now, whether he would still listen once they were out on the streets was uncertain.
The capital’s marketplace was bustling, open every day.
Being in the emperor’s city, it was lively all year round.
Murong Xu walked outside, holding the little one in his arms, with another figure following behind.
“Ah Wu, if you see something you’d like to buy, just let me know,” Murong Xu said.
Even though Ah Wu had a bad temper and often made Murong Xu angry, when he thought about Ah Wu’s young age, Murong Xu reminded himself not to be petty. After all, he was an elder and should not be too sensitive.
However, when the eager uncle saw what Ah Wu had picked up, his smile froze.
“Put it down, put it down. I can’t afford that inkstone.”
That inkstone was priced at over a hundred taels of silver.
Murong Xu’s savings were limited, and such a luxurious item was something he usually avoided at all costs.
Ah Wu glanced at him, then looked back at the inkstone.
Just moments earlier, Murong Xu had boasted about buying Ah Wu whatever he wanted, but now he felt like he had just slapped himself in the face.
Blushing, he lowered his voice and cleared his throat: “Pick something else. I’ll definitely buy it for you.”
In response, Ah Wu picked up a simple-looking brush.
This brush was only two taels cheaper than the inkstone.
Murong Xu: “…”
Murong Xu’s face turned green. “Are you doing this on purpose to make me look bad?”
What was the difference between this brush and the inkstone?
Ah Wu picked out two things in a row that Murong Xu couldn’t afford.
Eventually, unable to maintain his dignity, Murong Xu gritted his teeth, took the money pouch from his waist, and handed it to Ah Wu.
“Here, take the pouch. Just don’t spend it all.”
Ah Wu, of course, didn’t refuse the offered pouch.
He continued shopping, buying toy after toy for the little one but refraining from purchasing any food for him.
If there had been more money in the pouch, Ah Wu would have even wanted to exchange it for gold and have a few custom toys made for the little one.
As they strolled around the marketplace, they soon encountered the public humiliation of Shikong.
Once so high and mighty, Shikong was now utterly disgraced.
The compassionate look he used to wear had vanished completely. Locked in a cage, dressed in a prisoner’s uniform, his body bore the marks of his suffering.
Citizens carrying baskets watched as his cart approached, hurling rotten vegetables and eggs at him.
The people, who once believed in Shikong so devoutly, now cursed him with gritted teeth.
“I was blind to trust you back then! I actually thought you were some enlightened monk!”
“You scum! It’s a crime that you’re still alive!”
“Rot in h*ll, you wretched animal!”
The crowd, incensed, hurled insults and garbage at Shikong.
The little one, sitting in his uncle’s arms, had no rotten vegetables or eggs of his own to throw, and even if he had, he couldn’t reach.
Though the little one couldn’t participate in the throwing, he pouted and scolded, “Bad monk!”
The sooner this evil monk died, the sooner everyone would be safe.
The little one’s voice wasn’t the loudest in the crowd, but inside the cage, Shikong suddenly raised his head, locking his gaze directly on the little one.
He saw him.
Their eyes met, and the hatred in Shikong’s eyes made the little one shiver.
“Uncle, he’s glaring at me,” The little one said, shrinking into Murong Xu’s neck and quietly complaining.
Murong Xu quickly held him close, gently patting his back. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. Our Little Seven doesn’t need to be afraid. He’ll be executed soon. Glaring at you won’t help him.”
Murong Xu reassured the little one in his arms, while Ah Wu also reached out to squeeze the little one’s hand.
Though startled by the glare, the little one was quickly comforted by his uncle and Ah Wu.
The main street had been cleared in advance to prevent anyone from blocking the procession.
Ah Wu, holding onto the little one, kept scanning the crowd, noticing a few suspicious figures.
He nudged Murong Xu and, after a few whispered words, Murong Xu approached a nearby soldier. Before the soldier could draw his sword defensively, Murong Xu flashed his identification badge and relayed Ah Wu’s concerns.
The soldier’s face turned serious, and after thanking Murong Xu, he dispatched some men to monitor the crowd.
Meanwhile, Shikong seemed oblivious to the actions of the soldiers or Murong Xu. His eyes remained fixed on the little one.
“I am guilty,” Shikong suddenly said in a raspy voice, unexpected amidst the crowd’s jeers.
Raising his hand, he pointed directly at the little one.
“But there is one truth I have not lied about.”
“In the Seventh Prince of Qi Dynasty, there are signs of demonic possession! If any of you doubt it, have His Majesty hold a sacrificial ceremony and place the Seventh Prince on the altar. Within half an hour, the prince’s demonic nature will surely reveal itself to the world!”
Shikong’s hoarse voice, though dry from thirst, rang out loud and clear.
Everyone heard him, and for a moment, the square fell silent.
The crowd, who had just been throwing things at Shikong, suddenly turned their attention to the little one.
The little one froze under their gaze.
Murong Xu reacted first, sneering. “You bald donkey, spouting nonsense!”
“Even on the brink of death, you try to slander the Seventh Prince? You held a grudge after trying to extort money from the palace, and now this? Ever since, you’ve spread one malicious rumor after another!”
“Old bald monk, open your eyes wide and take a good look. The seventh prince is innocent and adorable. How could he possibly look like a demon?!”
Murong Xu’s words came out in rapid succession like a string of firecrackers.
Since the little one was already exposed to the crowd, he simply lifted him up for everyone to see.
“Fathers, mothers, and elders, take a look. Does the seventh prince look like a demon?”
The little one, being held up, had tears welling up in his beautiful eyes. He pouted as he gazed at the crowd.
His pitiful look softened the hearts of many mothers who were watching.
“I’m not a bad demon,” the little one defended himself. He opened his mouth, showing his teeth to everyone. “I don’t bite people. My teeth are bad from eating too much candy. Now I can only eat soft things.”
His earnest explanation and the sight of his little teeth softened the hearts of the onlookers, many of whom nodded their heads.
“The seventh prince doesn’t look like a demon… No, wait, the seventh prince isn’t a demon at all.”
“Your Highness, I have a home remedy for tooth pain. Would you like to try it?”
“Your Highness, don’t cry. We don’t believe in what Shikong says.”
The commoners, faced with Shikong’s gloomy expression and the soft, innocent appearance of the little prince, quickly chose to believe in the prince.
As for Shikong, when he was executed, he was filled with frustration, unable to find peace even in death.
He had told many lies throughout his life, but the one truth he spoke before his death went unbelieved!
Unfortunately for him, people had believed his lies for half his life, but no one believed the one truth he told.
