The man leapt down from the tree and stepped into the patch of grass with a puzzled look, wanting to see what had been bold enough to crash into the tree where he slept. The forests stretching for dozens of li in every direction were his territory. Everyone knew that this particular tree was not to be touched. Could it have been an outsider? And an outsider actually dared to trespass here?
Pushing aside the grass, the man found a small figure curled up inside. He turned the body over, and his eyes immediately lit up. It was the look of a starving wolf that had suddenly found prey delivered straight to its doorstep.
Unable to resist, he pinched Mu Xueshi’s cheek. It felt smooth and soft beneath his fingers, like touching a piece of tender fermented bean curd. His mood instantly brightened. Scooping Mu Xueshi into his arms, he carried him back toward his mountain stronghold.
The stronghold consisted of the simplest bamboo houses imaginable. Everything inside was made of bamboo as well. Upon entering, all one could see was green, making the place feel cool and refreshing. Dozens of burly men sat, stood, or sprawled across stone stools and bamboo benches. They wore the most primitive clothing possible. Some merely wrapped a ring of leaves around their waists, while the more modest among them draped themselves in a thin layer of animal hide.
When they saw the Mountain King return, everyone was puzzled. It was already evening. Wasn’t their Mountain King supposed to be sleeping by now? Otherwise, how would he have the energy to lead the brothers out at night to raid nearby villages and snatch away young women?
As the Mountain King drew closer and they saw someone cradled in his arms, the crowd immediately erupted into cheers. They had not yet gotten a clear look at the person, but judging from the Mountain King’s expression, it had to be a great beauty. Shouting excitedly, they surrounded him and followed him into the largest house. Before long, the room was packed so tightly that not even water could trickle through.
This was the largest bandit stronghold in the area, housing several thousand bandits. Though their appearance was primitive, they were anything but foolish. During the day they lounged around the mountains, only venturing out at night. Hunting and killing were their specialties. Originally, these bandits had been scattered across different mountain peaks, but one by one they had all been conquered. Now every one of them belonged to this mountain and this bandit chief.
“Mountain King” was the title the bandits used for their leader. They liked calling him King because, in their eyes, he was a god among men. No one could surpass him in horsemanship or hunting, and his courage and charisma were unmatched. They willingly raided villages to steal beauties for him to enjoy.
Recently, the Mountain King’s appetite had only grown larger. Ordinary beauties no longer seemed enough to satisfy him. In the past, he would change companions every three days. Once he grew tired of one, he would toss the person to his subordinates. After the brothers had all had their fill, the person would be thrown into a pot and boiled. The resulting soup was distributed among the bandits, who believed it could prolong life.
Now he changed companions every day. If none of the captives pleased him, he would order them thrown straight into the pot. Sometimes he even had the bandit responsible for choosing them tossed in as well for having poor judgment.
The bandits tasked with kidnapping beauties had been breathing easier these past few days. Judging from the Mountain King’s expression now, this new acquisition would probably keep him entertained for at least three days. That meant they had plenty of time to search for someone even better.
…
When Mu Xueshi opened his eyes, he felt as though his head was buzzing with flies. Looking more closely, however, he realized it was actually a sea of heads packed together. At first he thought his dizziness was making him see double, but then he noticed that every face was different.
Mu Xueshi shot upright.
“Where is this place?”
The room was full of people. Every one of them had bare arms, broad bodies, and gleaming skin. At first glance, it looked like a boxing training camp. Looking closer, however, he realized it resembled a primitive tribe instead.
Are these all savages? Why are they wearing nothing but a few leaves?
Mu Xueshi stared at them in shock for quite a while. The sight was both absurd and hilarious, though he did not dare laugh.
Then he looked down and discovered that several rings of leaves had been wrapped around his own waist as well. Everything else was bare and uncovered.
“Oh my God!”
Mu Xueshi was so startled that he immediately snapped his legs together, tugged the leaves lower, and stared warily at the crowd before him.
“Boss, he’s shy. That’s adorable,” a bald bandit said with a grin.
“I really want to touch his butt. It must be so smooth.”
“Yeah, yeah… It’s not every day you get to see a beauty like this…”
A chorus of eager muttering, knuckle-cracking, and swallowing sounds rose from the crowd.
Blood rushed to Mu Xueshi’s head until it felt ready to explode. Only then did he realize that he had fallen straight into a bandits’ den.
Hearing all the praise, the Mountain King could not help revealing a smug expression. He threw back his head and laughed loudly before declaring to the bandits around him, “None of you are allowed to touch him. From now on, he’s my stronghold lady.”
“What?! The King is taking a wife?”
“Heavens! Didn’t the King say he’d never marry?”
“The King is truly blessed!”
“Then us brothers won’t get to share in the good fortune anymore!”
…
Mu Xueshi shuddered several times.
The Mountain King let out a thunderous roar.
“Enough noise! You’re frightening my beauty.”
The room instantly fell silent.
Turning his head, the Mountain King looked at Mu Xueshi, his eyes shining with excitement. Unable to resist, he grabbed Mu Xueshi’s hand and squeezed it affectionately.
The grip made Mu Xueshi’s teeth chatter. It felt as though his bones were about to be crushed. This Mountain King was like a giant. Mu Xueshi’s hand was barely as large as the man’s palm. Sitting beside him felt like a little monkey perched next to a giant lion.
“Boss, he’s a man. How can he be the stronghold lady?”
One particularly bold bandit suddenly voiced the question.
The Mountain King glared at the man, his eyes seeming ready to spit fire.
“What’s wrong with a man? No woman is this beautiful! I’m definitely marrying this one. If anyone says another unpleasant word, I’ll chop off your mouths. All of you get out. Stop getting in the way. I want to have a few private words with my beauty first.”
At first, the men shrank their necks and widened their eyes in fear. But after hearing the latter half of the Mountain King’s words and seeing the look in his eyes, they immediately knew that their king was happier than he had ever been.
“King, what private words are you going to say? We brothers want to hear them too…”
“No, it should be that we brothers want to say some too…”
“That’s right! We brothers want to say some too…”
Hearing their teasing, the Mountain King threw back his head and laughed loudly.
“That I definitely can’t let you do!”
“Then let us touch him!”
“You definitely can’t touch him either.” With that, the Mountain King pulled Mu Xueshi into his arms, encircling his entire body with a single arm.
“If the King won’t let us touch him, then we’re not leaving today!”
“That’s right! That’s right!”
The cheering inside and outside the house rose wave after wave, nearly shaking the entire mountain. The Mountain King’s expression became more and more excited. Finally, he waved his hand, signaling for the bandits to quiet down, and said boldly, “Stop arguing. After I wash my beauty clean tonight, every one of you brothers can touch him once. But you can’t touch below the waist. That belongs to me alone.”
The crowd immediately erupted into commotion.
“The King is really stingy this time. If we can’t touch below the waist, our hands will be itching for days.”
“Exactly. Since the King is already letting us touch him, why not let us enjoy it properly? Besides, in the end, the one eating him is still you, King.”
The Mountain King widened his eyes, and the surrounding voices immediately quieted.
Another bandit, somewhat shorter and leaning against the doorway, had been squinting at Mu Xueshi for quite some time. Upon hearing that touching was forbidden, he looked thoroughly distressed. Finally, he asked in a pleading tone, “King, if we can’t touch him, can we at least look?”
Mu Xueshi was being squeezed so tightly in the Mountain King’s embrace that he could barely breathe. Hearing that man’s words, he immediately clamped his legs shut and stared at the bandits with a face full of alarm.
The Mountain King slid his large hand between Mu Xueshi’s legs and instantly grabbed the one thing there that was not covered. Mu Xueshi’s throat tightened, and his heart turned cold.
This time, I’m really finished! If they actually do what that man suggested, I’d rather die here than suffer that kind of humiliation.
Just as everyone was staring with reddened eyes and pounding hearts, watching the Mountain King expectantly, the Mountain King’s hand suddenly stopped moving. He yawned and said to the crowd, “Don’t push your luck. My stronghold lady isn’t someone you can tease however you please. Aside from his hands and face, you’d better not touch anywhere else. Alright, I’m tired. Everyone rest tonight.”
The bandits all looked disappointed, but hearing that they would at least be allowed to touch him provided some consolation. Their king had truly struck fortune this time. Finding a beauty that appeared only once in a hundred years meant that even they could share in some of the benefits.
When the Mountain King saw that the bandits were still lingering and refusing to leave, he became furious and roared at the crowd, “Get the hell out! Didn’t you hear what I said? If you don’t leave now, I won’t even let you touch him!”
The moment those words left his mouth, not a single person remained in the room.
Pitifully trapped in the Mountain King’s embrace, Mu Xueshi looked like a little bird with broken wings, his face filled with misery. He had rolled through the weeds earlier and then fallen from a horse, leaving bruises and scrapes all over his face. Otherwise, had he appeared before those bandits with his original appearance intact, the place would probably have descended into complete chaos.
The Mountain King’s hand still lingered unwillingly between Mu Xueshi’s legs. Grabbing the man’s arm, Mu Xueshi discovered that even using both hands, it was difficult to wrap them around it. He knew brute force was no longer a realistic option, so he could only plead miserably, “Can you let me go?”
To his surprise, the Mountain King obediently withdrew his hand from between Mu Xueshi’s legs. Still wearing an excited expression, he stared at Mu Xueshi as though he could never look enough. Earlier, while Mu Xueshi had been unconscious, he had already spent a long time admiring him. Now that Mu Xueshi was awake, he found the face even more beautiful. Especially those eyes—sparkling with intelligence and life. Not even the most beautiful bird possessed irises as colorful as those.
“Little beauty! My wife!” The Mountain King burst into loud laughter again and pulled Mu Xueshi tightly into his arms.
Struggling desperately for breath, Mu Xueshi forced a few words out.
“I’m… not… I’m a… court… official… a high official…”
The Mountain King loosened his hold. Placing both hands on Mu Xueshi’s waist, he asked gently, “What did you say?”
Mu Xueshi hurried to explain, “I’m a high-ranking official. I belong to the Imperial Court. His Majesty personally appointed me. I’m a third-rank official.”
Rather than being intimidated, the Mountain King immediately lifted Mu Xueshi into the air and spun him around twice, praising loudly, “My beauty is truly capable! Hahaha!”
The spinning left Mu Xueshi dizzy and disoriented. When the Mountain King finally pulled him back into his arms, their eyes ended up level. One of the Mountain King’s hands supported Mu Xueshi’s butt, while the other wrapped around his waist, making it look exactly as though he were carrying a child.
“No, what I mean is… you can’t marry me… If you do, His Majesty won’t let you off.”
Hearing those words, the Mountain King’s gaze suddenly turned cold. His enlarged face looked even more terrifying from Mu Xueshi’s perspective.
“What does the Emperor amount to? Even if the Jade Emperor himself came here demanding someone from me, I still wouldn’t hand him over!”
Mu Xueshi’s hands and feet instantly turned cold.
I’m really finished. This man doesn’t put the Imperial Court in his eyes at all. And judging by the way he acts, he’s afraid of absolutely nothing.
What do I do now? From all that shouting earlier, there have to be at least several hundred people outside. This entire mountain range is probably his territory. Can I even escape? Poison them? There are so many people that I probably wouldn’t have enough poison. Disguise myself? Even the monkeys on this mountain are probably more robust than I am…
Wait for someone to rescue me? Who would come? Even if someone wanted to save me, finding this place would be difficult. And even if they did find it, by then I’d probably have been eaten clean, leaving nothing behind…
Mu Xueshi wanted to cry but had no tears.
At that moment, his mind was filled entirely with the Third Prince. Every time something went wrong, the Third Prince would appear and save him when he was in danger. But the last time, he had already done something wrong, and the fact that the Third Prince had come to save him then was difficult enough to believe. This time, after all the harsh words he had spoken…
Would he still come?
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