Your Highness, please stop chasing me.

She just stared at him blankly. In her own memory, it seemed that someone had called her that before, but that was before she was five years old. After she turned five, no one had called her that anymore.

Unexpectedly, Ye Shangyuan would actually think of calling himself that.

Ye Shangyuan chuckled softly and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Mu Xue blushed deeply and quickly said, "I was thinking about some things from my childhood."

"Can I call you Mu Mu?" he asked again.

"Yes, of course, that's fine," Mu Xue said with a smile to Ye Shangyuan.

"Brother Leng, please don't call me 'Miss' anymore. I'm not used to it," Mu Xue said to Leng Quan.

Leng Quan glanced at his master, and seeing that he didn't react, he carefully asked, "Then I'll call you Miss Xue. That way I can say it easily, and I don't want us to become distant."

"Okay," Mu Xue said with a smile.

She reverted to her carefree self, as if she weren't the one who had been stunned before.

"I never expected that the regent of the mighty Western Jade Kingdom would be so naive," Cang Lin said sarcastically.

Seeing that Ye Shangyuan completely ignored him, he became even more enthusiastic: "How can you, at your age, have the nerve to ask a little girl her name? Where's your shame?"

"It's with you." Ye Shangyuan rarely answered his question.

Cang Lin choked, almost unable to catch his breath.

"What do you mean? Explain yourself!" Cang Lin made a move to grab Ye Shangyuan, but was stopped by Mu Hu who was quick-witted and agile.

"Uncle, calm down, the master is glaring at you," Mu Hu whispered in Cang Lin's ear.

After spending these past few days together, he roughly knows how to coax Cang Lin.

"Alright, is it really that fun for two grown men to bicker like this?" Mu Xue said.

"Xiaoxuexue, he said I'm shameless. I don't care, you have to tell him back," Cang Lin said unwillingly.

Mu Xue put one hand to her forehead. Who wants this spoiled uncle? Quickly take him away!

Ye Shangyuan stared at the old man who was acting cute and charming, his face full of black lines.

Mu Hu wanted to laugh but dared not; he was having a hard time holding it in!

"Please forgive me, Your Highness," Mu Xue said with an awkward smile.

"Mu Mu can just call me by my name. Calling me 'Your Highness' is too formal," Ye Shangyuan said.

Mu Xue paused, thinking for a moment, and realized that no name seemed quite right.

She asked, "What would you like me to call you, Your Highness?"

"A Yuan or Brother Shang Yuan are both fine," he said.

"Ugh! Ye Shangyuan, how disgusting are you!" Cang Lin didn't want to go anymore, and even called him "brother".

His little Xuexue is only thirteen years old! How could this old man have such a shameless attitude!

Ye Shangyuan narrowed his eyes, glanced at him sideways, and said, "I am a classmate and friend of Mu Sheng, the second young master of the Mu family. His sister calls me brother, shouldn't she?" His slightly cool tone was full of coldness.

"Of course, of course," Mu Xue quickly replied. She walked in front of Cang Lin, blocking his path as he was about to rush forward.

“Since you and Second Brother are good friends, then I’ll call you Brother A Yuan,” Mu Xue said.

"Okay, Mu Mu." Ye Shangyuan's tone was gentle, completely different from the tone he used when speaking to someone else.

"Hmph! What's with your attitude? She calls you brother, but she calls me uncle! Nephew!" Cang Lin suddenly had a flash of inspiration, showing a rare moment of cleverness.

He smiled smugly, refusing to look at Ye Shangyuan's face, which had suddenly turned sour.

Nightfall Abyss: ......

Reizen: ......

Mu Xue: ......I miscalculated. I didn't expect that because of me, everyone would be demoted.

She glanced at the smug Cang Lin in front of her, then at Ye Shangyuan beside her, who exuded a low-pressure aura. Her head ached terribly.

"Brother Ayuan, don't worry about it. Let's each talk our own thing, okay?" Mu Xue said tentatively.

Hearing Mu Xue's sweet, soft voice calling his name, he felt a tingling sensation in his heart, as if a little hand was scratching at him, making him feel itchy.

"Okay, I'll do whatever Mumu says." The sound of "brother" instantly brightened Ye Shangyuan's mood.

He suddenly longed to hear her call out a few more times.

Leng Quan watched Ye Shangyuan's ever-changing expression, observed him discreetly for a moment, and then understood.

Spring is coming for our master!

He was overjoyed!

Leng Quan decided to give the two of them more time together. Once they returned to Yunan City, they would be heading back to the capital, and who knew when they would see each other again.

Ye Shangyuan looked approvingly at Leng Quan, who quickened his pace to catch up with Mu Hu. He thought to himself, "Not bad, you have good taste. I'll give you a bonus when we get back."

Mu Xue and Ye Shangyuan chatted casually.

Occasionally, Mu Xue would also pick some herbs that grow by the roadside.

Finally, after traveling for a day and a night, the group saw the city gate of Yunan City in the distance.

It was already dark, but the group wasn't in a hurry to leave the woods.

At this moment, several dark figures landed with a whoosh and knelt on one knee in front of Ye Shangyuan.

Mu Xue seemed to have known all along and was not surprised. She simply said, "Brother A Yuan is busy. I'll go check on Ye Yi again."

“Okay,” Ye Shangyuan said gently.

Startled, Yoru San, who was kneeling on the ground, swayed slightly.

After Mu Xue had walked away, Ye Sancai spoke up to apologize: "Master, I am late. Please punish me."

Ye Shangyuan waved his hand and asked, "What was the result?"

“It is indeed a Silver-Rank Assassin from the Dark Pavilion. My subordinates have found out that the person who placed the order is not in Xiyu. Time is of the essence, so we can only track them down to the border of Dongli. Night Two and Night Six will continue the investigation,” Night Three reported.

"This time it was my carelessness. Ye Yi needs treatment. Make arrangements so that she won't return to the capital for the next few days and can settle down in Yu Nan City," Ye Shangyuan arranged, secretly wanting to be closer to Mu Xue.

Ye San paused for a moment, then replied, "Yes, sir."

Ye San actually wanted to say: The carriages are ready. He had prepared two carriages when he received the signal, but judging from the current situation, they probably won't be needed.

Just now, the fifth young lady of the Mu family called him "Master" and "Brother A-Yuan"!

He clearly remembered that at the state banquet two years ago, the daughter of the Minister of Revenue was poisoned and rendered mute by the prince on the spot because she called out "Brother Ye".

He still remembers how chaotic the scene was!

The Minister of Revenue wept uncontrollably, and his wife clung tightly to her daughter, wailing bitterly, but nothing could stop the Prince's order.

Later, I heard that the young lady was hastily married off to a young general on the frontier, who was said to be a very distant cousin. She also brought a considerable dowry.

We have to give her more. Putting aside the fact that she's already been poisoned and rendered mute, she's offended the regent and the families in the capital. Who would dare to marry her?

He and Leng Quan had been following this matter for a long time. Not long ago, the Minister of Revenue also retired and returned to his hometown. To put it nicely, he retired before he was even fifty years old.

Now, seeing his master smiling so warmly at Miss Mu, it seems his iron tree is about to bloom!

I need to talk to Lengquan later.