Translator: ChiFu
With the birth of animals came the keen awareness of danger.
While Wen Mingyu was not a bona-fide animal, Omegas had few animal features due to their intrinsic animal form.
Lop-eared rabbits were extremely shy and would be startled by any activity, no matter how small.
Let alone the fact that he was confronted by a man who emanated a threatening bearing. Wen Mingyu was taut from head to toe, as though he had encountered a natural foe. He desperately ached to tumble to the dry ground and imitate a cadaver.
In the past few days, Wen Mingyu hadn’t merely honored himself by becoming a salted fish. He’d been covertly probed for information from the palace servants, but despite this, they were all so unforthcoming that he had to depend on part of what he had caught wind from the marquis and drill deep into his own memory to recall.
The olden days were too far-flung for many old manuscripts to exist, but in spite of that, some records were still preserved.
When the tyrant was tending his court, it was recounted that a minister disrespected him and uttered something mindless, aggravating him. One second, the tyrant was staring down on the Minister of Civil and Military Affairs in a reposeful and serene manner, and the next second his eyes were red, as if he had morphed into a new persona. His face was distorted by lunacy, and his hostility was appalling. He took the guard’s sword at once, and his hand rose and fell, slaughtering him on the spot, spilling blood on the ground. The hall was deadly quiet. The courtiers were frightened and did not dare to utter anything further for fear of becoming the next corpse.
On account of this event, the tyrant’s reputation as an erratic and ruthless murderer, with minimal regard for human life as if it were weeds, was entrenched; all the more for the courtiers, who had nothing to fear.
The air seemed to stagnate.
Wen Mingyu became so agitated that he forgot to breathe, and his hand resting on the edge of the door clenched subconsciously; his fingers curled up, and his phalanges were protruding and slightly white.
His legs were wobbly from being scrutinized by this tyrant, who had the ability to kill him at any time…
It was not that he hadn’t imagined how he’d react if he ran into the tyrant before, but when the time came, his thoughts were thrown out somewhere and he stood dazed, on the edge of exposing his animal form and shrinking into a hunched up ball of fur.
All he could think of was his severed head sliding off, which was so tragic that he wanted to weep with a headache. A new life had been granted to him, and now it was coming to an abrupt end?
The man clad in arcane basaltic garb was lofty, upright, and astoundingly intimidating. As he ambled over, with each stride, his momentum was overwhelmingly threatening.
Wen Mingyu shivered uncontrollably and tried to hide, but his feeble feet turned into deaf ears. The small space he withdrew from was nearly nonexistent.
Mu Zhan was already in front of him, leaving only a short distance between them. He quietly stared down at him.
“This is the one sent by the Wens? Who taught him the rules, can’t even salute?”
When Wen Mingyu heard this, he recalled having to salute the emperor in the olden days. What exactly was the pay-your-respects gesture? I surreptitiously practiced two days ago, but I can’t remember what I did!
He instinctively looked around for palace servants to follow, but was hindered from doing so by the person in front of him.
Fuck.
In other words, he knew firsthand that he couldn’t solve a single question in the examination room, so he snuck a peek at someone else’s exam paper. However, the invigilator was right next to him, apparently having sensed his despair. Furthermore, the general exam ordinarily fails you for the exam, but if he didn’t get this one right, he would flunk his life!
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
It was truly awful beyond words.
Pa vlvc’a ajxf ibcu obg atf asgjca ab yfmbwf lgglajafv, jcv tf rjlv mbivis, “Ktf Zjgdelr bo Xejcusjcu tjr rfca j obbi bnfg ab atlr bcf? Lbk jevjmlber.”
Wen Mingyu’s heartbeat unexpectedly stopped. The following line is unlikely to be: I’m not happy, therefore I’ll execute your entire family, right?
Qtlif tf vfrqlrfv atf Zjgdelr bo Xejcusjcu, tf vlvc’a kjca tlw ab yf j vfjv wjc sfa—jcv lo tf kjr ab yf byilafgjafv, tf kbeiv yf lcmievfv.
Wen Mingyu didn’t even have time to think about what to say before blurting out, “I can speak.”
Mu Zha’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Why not speak up immediately?”
How dare Wen Mingyu say he was scared silly and failed to respond. He could only hope that his face didn’t require him to put out his hand in order to grin adequately. Everyone enjoys rainbow farts—so he curled the ends of his lips and smiled naively. “The first time I met Your Majesty, I was taken aback by Your Majesty’s attractive and unequaled beauty, as well as your matchless honorable air, that I forgot to speak, as I was lost in thought for a moment.”
That, and it wasn’t all gibberish and lies. After all, when he first heard the appalling rumors, he imagined the tyrant as a guy as powerful as a bear in the hips and as supple as a tiger’s back, like a nasty looking fiend. But when he met him in person, he discovered a remarkably youthful and good-looking man who looked more like a jade-like Gongzi who would be a delight to toss fruits around in a car—if it weren’t for the dreadful aura around his entire body.
The horrified and tearful gasps of the palace servants broke out around them as soon as his sentences faded from his lips, as though what Wen Mingyu stated was too horrible for them to stomach.
Wen Mingyu was caught off guard, knowing that he had taken the incorrect route and was going to tread on a minefield and be killed.
His smile had stiffened and he was going to hang on for dear life.
Mu Zhan, however, peered at him for many seconds before chuckling, unsure if it was a sneer or not.
Then he turned around and walked away, saying merely, “Bring him over.”
Wen Mingyu was speechless, uncertain of what the tyrant meant. A white-faced eunuch then approached him with a horsetail whisk in his hand and smiled. “Wen-gongzi, His Majesty has ordered you to come over, please come with this servant.”
Wen Mingyu: “…Oh.”
On the surface, he was still smiling, but his heart was already filled with gushing tears. Was his rainbow fart approach successful or unsuccessful? Why did the tyrant order him to come over if he hadn’t said anything about torturing him. Had he devised a method to torment him, or would he use him as a toy to satisfy his boredom on a whim? He’d rather have the latter.
As he was ready to depart, San Xi cried out to him from the rear. Wen Mingyu looked back and met his concerned gaze. Despite the fact that they hadn’t spent much time together, he believed San Xi was a pleasant person with whom he had a nice relationship. So, even though both of his legs trembled slightly, he smiled reassuringly and assured him, “Don’t worry, I will be fine.”
… It’s alright, my ass. He’ll probably never resurface once he leaves.
Wen Mingyu trailed after the eunuch. After being at the Imperial Palace for several days, this was his first time leaving his dwelling. The palace was grand and majestic, but he had no time to admire it as his life was at stake. He tried to learn anything from the eunuch, but the man merely grinned at him. He appeared to be quite chatty, but when he spoke, there was no leakage in his words. He was like a seasoned tai chi practitioner.
Wen Mingyu could only quit speaking and trudge silently to a spectacular gold and jade-encrusted palace. He’d barely come in when the door slammed shut behind him with a quiet thud, sending shivers up his spine as if it had also smashed into his heart.
Mu Zhan sat in the middle of the table. The table in front of him was piled high with delectable and sumptuous delicacies, their rich aroma drifting forth.
Wen Mingyu became hungry right away. It was nearly time for lunch too.
Mu Zhan sat unmoved, one palm on his cheek, a frigid look on his face. He turned a blind eye to all that tantalizing food and exhibited minimal interest.
Wen Mingyu couldn’t help but sneak a gulp and glance twice.
He had no idea what the tyrant had summoned him for. As a result, once he entered the hall, he stood motionless.
Mu Zhan raised his eyes and sent a fleeting glance towards him. “Come and take a seat.”
Wen Mingyu was a bit startled, but obediently marched up and glanced at the stools, wondering where to sit.
Mu Zhan tapped on the spot next to him.
Wen Mingyu sat down as quickly as possible, moving so swiftly that he appeared disrespectful. Of course, he was not. He was only concerned that if he took too long, the tyrant might become upset and bring him a decapitation service package.
Mu Zhan rested his chin on his hand and said serenely, “What is your name?”
“Wen Mingyu.”
He replied reflexively. Wen Mingyu pondered for a second, but fortunately the original owner’s name was pronounced the same as his, so it wasn’t a misspoken mistake.
And yet, no longer had he finished speaking when he felt a ghostly stare dart over his head and a chilly sensation go down his spine as his heart stopped beating.
What’s going on? The tyrant doesn’t like his name?
“Which characters?”
Mu Zhan inquired once more.
Without worrying about it this time, Wen Mingyu explained the original owner’s name’s characters as Wen MingYu.
Mu Zhan’s visage turned harsher once he finished explaining.
Wen Mingyu’s countenance became empty as he grew terrified and baffled. The name has a lovely ring to it. How did it even piss you off. You are really…Is changing it out of the question?!
His disgruntled thinking was immediately thawed when he was cupped by a pale, slender hand.
Wen Mingyu felt forced to raise his head and look Mu Zhan in the eyes. His jaw, which was softly pinched, was squeezed before the hand slid down the edge of his face, then was slowly rubbed upwards. The fingers were a little cool, like a viper gently creeping over them, causing the hair on the body to stand on end and the heart to beat rapidly.
After a lengthy, careful scratching, his fingertips brushed over his ears, then they stroked the earlobes a little bit.
The unprecedented intimate contact he had never experienced before made Wen Mingyu highly nervous. He couldn’t help but twitch a little. He tried to retreat, but he was firmly chained and couldn’t break free.
Wen Mingyu was perplexed, unsure what this tyrant was trying to accomplish by suddenly going nuts. His jaw was suddenly squeezed and his face was stroked. It didn’t hurt, but he was afraid enough to pass away. He was like a pond frog being dissected on a laboratory tray. The other party’s eyes were peering through his body, seeing everything beneath, and the areas where he had been touched felt strangely and dimly hot and numb.
Mu Zhan seemed to lose interest again after stroking in a loop. He averted his gaze slightly, withdrew his hand, and leaned back in his chair, his face somber.
So… what does all of this mean?
Wen Mingyu’s face was filled with questions. Nonetheless, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He’d nearly assumed the tyrant had a penchant for flaying skins, which would have been terrifying.
There was an eerie silence.
Wen Mingyu couldn’t help but steal a few glimpses of the food on the table. He didn’t want to, but it smelled too good.
“Want to eat?”
A low-pitched voice spoke out coldly. Wen Mingyu jerked his head up to stare at Mu Zhan, his eyes curling wide and his fur flaring up like a little animal that had been frightened. However, he quickly recovered his composure, smiled, shook his head, and answered innocently, “Not at all.”
This is the food of the Emperor. The emperor has not touched it. How could he think about it. Isn’t this courting death?
Mu Zhan smiled as the corner of his lips lifted in a tiny arc. His smile, however, was not as broad as his eyes; it was devoid of positive sentiments or joy. He instead said emotionlessly, “Because you don’t want to eat it… Someone, come. Who prepared these meals?”
Wait, what are you saying?
Wen Mingyu was a little puzzled, but Mu Zhan quickly cleared his doubts by saying, “The food served is unappealing; what’s the use of keeping them.”
Damn, totally deserves to be a tyrant. Wanting to kill people all of a sudden.
Wen Mingyu, of course, did not want anyone to perish because of him. He quickly picked up his chopsticks and put a piece of meat into his lips. “It’s delicious~,” he exclaimed, surprised.
He didn’t wear any masks this time. The food in the Imperial Palace served to the emperor was of the finest quality and had first-rate flavor—both of his eyes shone brightly.
Mu Zhan waved his hand at the Chief Steward who had just been summoned in and motioned him to retreat. He looked at Wen Mingyu with a smirk-like expression and said, “Weren’t you just saying that you didn’t want to eat?”
Wen Mingyu arched his eyebrows. “It’s because they all look so tasty.”
Mu Zhan: “Then eat them all.”
Oh, this threat he is quite capable of.
With a well-behaved face, Wen Mingyu responded and buried his head in his food, concentrating on his meal.
The crispy and tender roasted duck skin, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, and fresh and creamy flavor of steamed sea bass, refreshing shrimp with Q tip and crunchy texture, and white jade bean curd that melts in your mouth…
The imperial cuisine was magnificent, except that there was constantly an intense and difficult-to-ignore stare on the top of his head. His scalp was numb from being gazed at. There was too much mental stress. The food was not even properly savored and a bit indigestible.
ChiFu: Yummy 😀
His bunny ears and tail, so cute and fluffy (≧∀≦) poor Wen Mingyu, fighting! :’)
Thank you for the chapter! ^o^
Why does it seem like Mu Zhan was looking for the original Wen Mingyu’s name? Or maybe he just could tell it was a lie, hm
Thank you for translating! <3
Thank you for the update ❤️💯
Thanks for the chapter ~
I’m loving this already 😄
Bullying the bunny… Thanks for the chapter 🤣❤️
I’m already member @ the discord but i still didn’t found the password lock help!! 😭😭😭
Theres a password room or such but its really easy to find, but you have to download the app or use the laptop, if you just use google from phone, you cant really find the room, hope this clears it up but if it didn’t just ask me again~~
Aww Mingyu is so adorable XD
It’d be more fun if he was scared into his form..😁😁.. it’s a good one …
Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
❤❤❤
cant get into discordd screamsssssss
Aww. Mingyu is adorable~
Thanks for the chapter!
Thanks for the chapter ❤️❤️
Oops I comment twice 😂
Thanks for the update ❤️❤️
Kinda reminds me of WMMAP 😅
If the emperor saw his ears and tail, would he pet him or send him to the kitchens?
75% del capítulo sudaba frío por el pobre shou
I am quite surprised he wasn’t held at fault for not kowdowing to the king.