Le Premier ministre stupéfiant

Chapitre 8

"Young Master Mo, it's Lianyun's fault." Murong Lianyun then said in a small voice, "I didn't expect it to turn out this way. I really just wanted to tease you."

"Why are you playing tricks on us?" Mo Xibei asked, puzzled.

“Because my father suddenly wants me to get married and is holding a martial arts tournament. I don’t want to marry a brute who only knows how to wield swords and spears. But my father usually listens to me in everything, except for this. No matter how much I cry or beg, he won’t agree. He just holds a broken sword all day, looking at it from left to right and muttering to himself.” Murong Lianyun said, while secretly glancing at Mo Xibei. “I heard my father say that among the young heroes of today, only… only Young Master Chu is outstanding. So he specifically inquired about his route to Henan Prefecture, hoping to tease him and scare him away.”

So it was all because of you. Mo Xibei glared fiercely at Chu Junfeng, who was sitting to the side, calculating the losses this time. But he saw that Chu Junfeng looked thoughtful. Just as he was about to say something sarcastic, Chu Junfeng said, "You bribed the boatmen and then used singing as a signal to make them pretend to be possessed and jump into the river to scare us. But why did those boatmen die?"

"You all say they're dead, how could they be dead?" Murong Lianyun also looked puzzled. "They're all very good swimmers. We agreed that they could swim a little longer and then get ashore. Why are you all saying they're dead?"

"I told him but I didn't see it; it was his page who saw it." Mo Xibei pointed at Chu Junfeng, putting on an air of indifference.

“Tian Xin did see it that way; he wouldn’t lie,” Chu Junfeng said. “I think Miss Murong wasn’t lying either; there’s actually another group lurking nearby, waiting to ambush us.”

"You've said both the good and the bad things all by yourself," Mo Xibei said, pursing his lips. "But I wonder who these people are, and what they want?"

“I don’t know who they are, but I do know who taught me to sing,” Murong Lianyun suddenly said. “At the time, I just wanted to play a trick on you and hadn’t thought of any way to do it. As a result, I was taking a walk outside the city to clear my mind when a young Taoist nun said she could read faces and could tell at a glance that I had something on my mind. She even gave me this idea.”

A Taoist nun? Mo Xibei and Chu Junfeng exchanged glances, both agreeing that this Miss Murong was truly adept at creating trouble. What was already a perplexing situation now seemed even more complicated.

"So, what should we do now?" Murong Lianyun asked Mo Xibei.

"Cold salad, or stir-fry, I'm hungry anyway." Mo Xibei rubbed his stomach, which had been growling for a while, no wonder it was already dawn.

“Let’s go to Henan Prefecture. We’ve already come this far. Once we get there, we’ll probably understand what happened.” Chu Junfeng also looked at Mo Xibei.

"Don't look at me like that. I've suffered a huge loss this time, and I'm heartbroken. The important thing is for you to think about how to compensate me for my losses. If you don't pay me back, I'll definitely stick with you." Mo Xibei felt awkward being stared at and exclaimed, "Now I really need to eat!"

Volume One: Ten Years of Wandering the Martial World, Chapter Sixteen

"Brother Mo, are you thirsty?"

"Brother Mo, would you like something to eat?"

"Brother Mo..."

Honglu forcefully covered her ears, looking with some resentment at the person who was lying high in the carriage enjoying the favor of a beauty.

The carriage was comfortable, the woman was absolutely beautiful, and even Mo Xibei, who was lying there so comfortably, was a handsome and refined man with the charm of a dashing and elegant scholar from Jiangnan. However, Honglu thought that the only thing that affected her mood was that although Mo Xibei was dressed as a man, she was, in essence, still a woman.

Honglu was also a woman, so when she saw the constant smile on Miss Murong's lips and her shy, blushing eyes that were always lowered, she understood what had happened.

A hero saves a damsel in distress, and the damsel falls in love with the hero—this was originally a timeless tale of romance. Unfortunately, the damsel had poor eyesight and couldn't tell if the man was male or female. What a pity.

Since the ship in Moxi exploded, given the extremely high danger of the waterway, the remaining people, at everyone's insistence, all switched to the land route.

Murong Lianyun had her maid rent a large, comfortable carriage for herself, since Mo Xibei's belongings had all been destroyed in the explosion. She also had horses bought for Mo Xibei to ride. However, Mo Xibei didn't even glance at the poor horse before climbing into the carriage. While everyone was still stunned, he came back out and told the maid, Rongrong, "Change the horse's bedding to softer ones. I probably can't find very good fabric anyway, just make sure it's clean and soft. How can you sleep in a carriage without any bedding?"

Honglu looked at Rongrong with immense pity and sympathy, and also at the horse that was said to have excellent stamina but was now going to be replaced with bedding. No wonder, after causing someone as greedy as Mo Xibei to lose so much money, how could that stingy guy be at peace without causing some trouble?

Sure enough, after Rongrong bought the bedding and carefully laid it out, Mo Xibei rushed in and told the others, "The carriage is too small, and it's crowded and the air is bad. I think Honglu and Lianyun Meiren should get on the carriage."

Not only Rongrong's face turned green, but Mengmeng, Murong Lianyun's other bodyguard and maid who had remained silent the whole time, also had a gloomy face. However, seeing that her master did not speak up or fight for her, she could only resignedly ride behind on horseback.

Rongrong and Mengmeng were very thoughtful, preparing plenty of dried and fresh fruits and various snacks in the carriage. As a result, the red and green ears never had a moment of peace along the way. Apart from Murong Lianyun's gentle words of telling Mo Xibei to eat this and that, all they could hear were crunching, crackling, and popping sounds. Mo Xibei had no basic resistance to food and had an astonishingly large appetite, showing an amazing ability to eat for as long as they could go.

"Brother Mo, your kung fu is so good, why don't you show off your skills in the martial world?" By evening, they had reached the vicinity of Henan Prefecture. The next morning, it would only take a little over an hour to reach the prosperous old capital. During the day in the carriage, Murong Lianyun had been very nervous, hardly daring to ask Mo Xibei any questions. Although she was pampered, she had seen all sorts of people in the martial world since childhood and had never felt this way before, so she couldn't explain why this was happening. In fact, Mo Xibei had spent the entire day reclining in the carriage, eating and sleeping, rarely speaking. But whenever he uttered a sound, or even just glanced at her or smiled, Murong Lianyun felt like she had a bunch of little rabbits fluttering in her arms. Fortunately, at dinner time, besides Mo Xibei, Chu Junfeng and his page were also present at the large table.

"Don't you people in the martial arts world say that if you're going to wander around the martial arts world, you're bound to get hurt sooner or later? I'm afraid of getting hurt, so I want to stay away from the martial arts world," Mo Xibei replied.

"With Brother Mo's skills, it would be difficult for him to get cut." Seeing Murong Lianyun's surprise and embarrassment, Chu Junfeng smiled and took over the conversation.

"As the saying goes, there are always people better than you, and mountains beyond mountains. Right here at this table, I am far inferior to Hero Chu. Besides, although I haven't been cut yet, I was almost shattered to pieces. Isn't that even more terrifying?" Mo Xibei buried his head in a plate of sweet and sour pork, not even glancing at the people around him.

"Brother Mo, I admire your humility. We've been through thick and thin together, facing life and death several times. Could you please stop addressing me like that? I'm a few years older than you. I don't know if we can become friends." After a moment of silence, Chu Junfeng finally spoke.

"Brother Mo, if you don't mind, I... I wonder if I could also be your friend?" Hearing this, Murong Lianyun mustered up his courage and asked.

“I’m a businessman, and I often deal in human trafficking. You two are both handsome men and beautiful women. Aren’t you afraid that I’ll sell you out in the future and then help me count the money?” Mo Xibei suddenly looked up, his eyes bright.

"What do you mean?" Chu Junfeng and Murong Lianyun were completely bewildered, clearly not understanding how being friends could suddenly become associated with human trafficking.

"Friends are for betraying, haven't you heard such a philosophical saying?" Mo Xibei asked seriously, with an expression that said, "You guys really have no knowledge."

"Brother Mo is truly fascinating." After a long while, the two, who had been completely bewildered, said this in unison, somewhat awkwardly.

"Yes, I'm very interesting." Mo Xibei laughed and nodded repeatedly before continuing to eat heartily.

The atmosphere at the table became more lively, and Murong Lianyun gradually relaxed, asking all sorts of questions, almost to the point of asking about Mo Xibei's ancestors and their professions. Of course, it wasn't that she didn't want to ask, but rather that she simply didn't have the opportunity. Each time, she would ask ten questions before Mo Xibei would give a perfunctory nod, while Chu Junfeng, on the other hand, patiently and kindly coaxed her to talk.

"Young Master Mo, why is Chu Junfeng so willing to talk to that Miss Murong?" As night fell, Honglu brought Mo Xibei water to wash his face, and while helping her make the bed, she quickly asked about her dissatisfaction.

Volume One: Ten Years of Wandering the Martial World, Chapter Seventeen

"Unsolicited kindness is either a sign of ulterior motives or theft." Mo Xibei scooped up a handful of water and splashed it on her face. The well water was very cool. She took a deep breath with satisfaction and let out a sigh of contentment.

"You're good at everything, except for your mouth. What did you say about people?" Honglu complained, plopping down on the newly made bed. "It's all your fault. People ask you ten questions, and you just hum. Don't you like talking to beautiful women? Why aren't you saying anything today?"

"Don't say such things that show you don't understand me. Compared to delicious food, a beautiful woman is naturally a step below. Besides, even if I liked her, I should like Chu Junfeng more." Mo Xibei washed his face a few more times, grabbed a snow-white towel and pressed it against his face, his voice a little muffled.

"You also like Chu Junfeng?" Honglu was somewhat surprised and almost jumped up.

“Comparatively speaking, I should naturally prefer men,” Mo Xibei nodded, then said with a wicked grin, “Who else likes someone with the surname Chu? Sister Honglv, you’re so naughty!”

"Let me clarify, in your words, I admire, not like." Honglv quickly waved her hand. "Didn't you always say that any woman would like a man who attracts attention like this, so he's only suitable for admiring from afar, not for keeping at home?"

"This young man is teachable." Mo Xibei laughed, then whispered, "A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime. If you don't want to incur public wrath, it's best to keep your distance from such a handsome and famous man. But it's a real pity. When I said this before, I hadn't seen such a handsome man. If I had met him earlier, perhaps I would have revised this conclusion in the book."

"How..." Honglu was about to ask her how to make the changes when she saw Mo Xibei suddenly put her index finger to her lips as a gesture to silence her. Then, she flicked her finger, and the candlelight in the room went out.