“Beauty, what’s wrong?”
Sensing that something was off with Mu Xueshi, the Mountain King set him down on his lap and examined him from head to toe. When he saw the injuries on Mu Xueshi’s body, a pained expression appeared on his face. “Your wounds hurt, don’t they?”
Mu Xueshi nodded numbly, then immediately shook his head again, afraid the Mountain King might do something shocking.
The Mountain King stared at Mu Xueshi for a while longer before roaring toward the outside, “Bring me the best medicinal herbs here! I’m going to apply medicine to my beauty’s wounds.”
“Yes, King, I’ll go right away…”
“I’ll go! I’ll go!”
“Don’t fight me for it…”
“…”
Mu Xueshi’s ears buzzed as he was once again cradled sideways in the Mountain King’s arms and gently comforted.
“Don’t be afraid, beauty. Once the medicine is applied, get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow morning I’ll have the brothers deliver the betrothal gifts, hahaha…”
Mu Xueshi’s body stiffened. Trembling, he said, “No… you…”
“What? You’re unwilling?” The Mountain King suddenly tightened the arm wrapped around him.
Seeing the uncomfortable look on Mu Xueshi’s face, the Mountain King quickly loosened his grip a little and asked earnestly, “Then that means you’re willing?”
Looking at the Mountain King’s face and the muscles covering his entire body, Mu Xueshi felt that if he said he was unwilling, the man could crush him to death with his bare hands. So he lowered his head and said nothing, allowing the Mountain King to imagine whatever he pleased.
Before long, a hearty laugh sounded beside his ear. Mu Xueshi looked up, only to be pulled into the Mountain King’s embrace again. The Mountain King affectionately turned Mu Xueshi’s head toward him and planted several kisses on his soft, delicate cheeks. “I knew you’d be willing. Every beauty I’ve ever brought back here has eventually been willing to marry me, the Mountain King…”
Mu Xueshi understood those people very well, because he knew exactly how that willingness had been obtained.
“And when they were finally boiled, they were still crying out for the King. They looked pitiful. But I’m no longer interested in that, because I’ll have something even better.”
“Boiled?” Mu Xueshi stared at the Mountain King with wide eyes.
The Mountain King replied as if it were nothing unusual, “That’s right. If someone is no longer useful, what’s the point of keeping them around instead of boiling them? Whenever I find someone better, I have the old ones cooked and use them to reward my brothers.”
Mu Xueshi nearly lost his breath.
At that moment, someone from outside brought in the medicinal herbs. For once, the Mountain King personally got up to take them. But when he turned around, Mu Xueshi had disappeared. Panic immediately seized him, and he searched everywhere before finally finding Mu Xueshi curled up beneath the bed.
“Beauty, what’s wrong? Why are you hiding under there?” the Mountain King asked anxiously.
Hearing his voice, Mu Xueshi instinctively shrank farther inward. He felt that only beneath the bed was safe, because with the Mountain King’s enormous size, there was no way he could crawl underneath.
In the next instant, however, a tremendous crack rang out. The space above Mu Xueshi’s head suddenly opened up. The Mountain King had lifted the entire bed and thrown it aside.
Mu Xueshi trembled in fright and shouted, “Don’t boil me! I’m not Tang Sanzang! Eating me won’t make you immortal!”
As he spoke, tears welled up in his heart. Is this some demon king? Why does he eat people? Could it be that after crashing into that tree, I somehow transmigrated into Journey to the West?
The Mountain King sighed, walked over, gently dusted the dirt from Mu Xueshi’s body, then carefully picked him up. Stroking his hair, he comforted him softly, “Don’t be afraid. I won’t boil you. They were playthings. You’re my wife. Besides, you’re so beautiful that I’ll never find anyone better. What are you worried about?”
Mu Xueshi wanted to tell him that he absolutely could not marry him, but although his mouth opened and closed countless times, he could not manage to say a complete sentence.
“Beauty!” Seeing that Mu Xueshi still seemed hesitant, the Mountain King carried him to a bamboo chair, then dropped to one knee before him. Pressing a fist against his chest, he declared heroically, “If you’re still afraid, then I’ll swear before the Mountain God right here. Once I’m married, I’ll never let my brothers go out and steal other beauties again. From now on, I’ll only cherish you.”
Looking at the Mountain King’s utterly serious expression, Mu Xueshi finally could not keep his thoughts to himself any longer. In as tactful a manner as possible, he said, “That won’t work. I’m a man. How can a man marry another man?”
The Mountain King suddenly stood up, a fierce look appearing on his face as he shouted, “I make the rules here. If I say it works, then it works. Who cares whether you’re a man or a woman? If I like you, then you’ll be my stronghold lady.”
Mu Xueshi swallowed hard and said timidly, “But you’re a king. When you get married, there’ll definitely be many important and influential people coming to congratulate you. You might not care, but they will. Aren’t you afraid they’ll slander you behind your back?”
After hearing Mu Xueshi’s words, the Mountain King felt that they made some sense. He furrowed his brows and thought for a while. Then his eyes suddenly lit up.
“What’s so difficult about that? On the wedding day, I’ll have the brothers dress you up as a woman. Those people will only take one look anyway. Once they leave, who’s going to care whether you’re a man or a woman?”
“But…”
“No more ‘buts.’”
The Mountain King cut Mu Xueshi off, pulled him back into his arms, and carefully examined the wounds on his body. He fetched the medicinal herbs and applied them cautiously to the injured areas. Whenever he saw Mu Xueshi frown, he would immediately rub and coax him, being unbelievably attentive.
Mu Xueshi gritted his teeth and endured it. There had to be a way to escape. He had always been someone blessed with good fortune. Every time he encountered danger, he managed to survive it. This time would be no different.
As the Mountain King’s hands moved, they gradually became less well-behaved. He seemed particularly fond of touching Mu Xueshi’s buttocks, kneading them for quite some time before finally stopping only after Mu Xueshi begged for mercy.
Mu Xueshi discovered that although the Mountain King looked fierce, he was actually fairly reasonable. Mu Xueshi had rejected him twice already, yet he had restrained himself and not acted recklessly. From that alone, it was clear he was much more self-controlled than Hao Lin.
Thinking this way brought Mu Xueshi a small measure of comfort.
…
“Beauty, go to sleep early.”
Looking at the enlarged face beside him, Mu Xueshi felt like crying, yet no tears would come. How could he possibly fall asleep with the Mountain King staring at him like that? Keeping his eyes open was manageable, but the moment he closed them, he worried the man beside him would pounce on him.
The Mountain King gazed at Mu Xueshi with tenderness, as though he were looking at a priceless treasure. He seemed reluctant even to touch him, afraid of damaging him. At this hour on any ordinary night, he would already have tormented the person beside him until they were half-dead. But because he feared Mu Xueshi could not endure it, because he feared ruining someone so beautiful even slightly, he restrained himself. The mere thought of harming him made his heart ache.
Mu Xueshi was probably truly exhausted. As he lay there, his consciousness gradually became blurry. He felt someone gently stroking his cheek, and subconsciously called out the Third Prince’s name. After all, when he slept at night, only the Third Prince had ever caressed him like that. Out of habit, he reached out and grasped the person’s hand, only to find the fingers seemed several times thicker than usual…
Mu Xueshi’s eyes snapped open.
The eyes staring back at him belonged to a stranger.
The Mountain King’s expression did not change in the slightest. His shining eyes greedily drank in Mu Xueshi’s appearance while his large hand continued to stroke Mu Xueshi’s face again and again. Seeing Mu Xueshi recoil, the Mountain King smiled. Even that smile carried the fierce aura of a predator claiming its prey.
Mu Xueshi secretly edged backward again, only for his back to press against the Mountain King’s other hand. He immediately realized he had nowhere left to run.
The Mountain King’s hand slid from Mu Xueshi’s face down to his chest. At the slightest touch, Mu Xueshi immediately cried out in panic.
“Don’t… you can’t…”
Sensing Mu Xueshi’s attempt to flee, the Mountain King possessively pulled him into his arms, his hands roaming freely over Mu Xueshi’s body.
Having run out of options, Mu Xueshi burst into tears.
The Mountain King, a man who could kill without blinking, actually panicked at the sound of Mu Xueshi crying. He hurriedly stopped what he was doing and carefully tried to comfort him.
“Don’t cry, beauty. I won’t bully you anymore. I promise that before we’re married, I’ll leave your body untouched, and I absolutely won’t let any of my brothers touch you. Alright?”
As he spoke, he reached out to wipe away Mu Xueshi’s tears. When Mu Xueshi still shrank away, the Mountain King sighed, stood up, and said, “Fine. I’ll go outside for now. Once you’ve fallen asleep, I’ll come back in. That way you won’t have to worry.”
Mu Xueshi stopped crying.
The Mountain King really did leave, though not without obvious reluctance.
For reasons even he did not understand, before the Mountain King left, Mu Xueshi glanced downward. Those few thin leaves covered almost nothing. Even seeing only the outline beneath them made him suck in a sharp breath.
Then he immediately resumed bawling his eyes out.
Futile Devices Scans 
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