Repeatedly broken branches

Time flies like an arrow, and the day of the auction has arrived. Xiao Mu is always very nervous because she has never had confidence in her work.

Even though she had a lot of fun and relaxed during those few days, she couldn't shake off her nervousness. After all, this was the first time she had shown her work to the public, and it might be considered mediocre by others.

Yu Yanjing had prepared a carriage and was waiting at the gate of the house early in the morning. Xiao Mu stared blankly in front of the mirror for a long time before going out, looking preoccupied.

Yu Yanjing held her hand tightly and got into the carriage. Xiao Mu pursed her lips, simply closed her eyes, and tried her best to suppress the unease in her heart.

"Don't be nervous, participation is the most important thing. If you don't succeed this time, you can try again next time."

Xiao Mu shook her head. "My heart is pounding. If you kiss me, I won't feel so panicked." She immediately became playful again.

Yu Yanjing was helpless. Even at a time like this, she could still be so shameless. It seemed she wasn't nervous enough. If she were nervous enough, she wouldn't have said such things.

"I heard that the most famous jewelry maker in the Western Regions will be coming this time. I wonder if I will have the honor of meeting him?" Yu Yanjing deliberately put pressure on her to see how she would react.

Xiao Mu panicked as expected, grabbing Yu Yanjing's sleeve and looking at him anxiously, "Ah? What should we do?"

"I don't know, I guess I'll just have to accept the loss."

Before Xiao Mu could continue speaking, Yu Yanjing added intimidatingly, "He specializes in crafting jewelry for the royal family. Even... the Western Regions royal family values ​​him highly. You can imagine his abilities..."

After he finished speaking, his gaze drifted to Xiao Mu. Sure enough, she couldn't sit still any longer and nervously lifted the carriage curtain to look outside, trying to distract herself.

"Sigh, he still has the mood to enjoy the scenery. My beloved is truly calm in the face of adversity. I didn't misjudge him~"

Xiao Mu closed the curtain, glared fiercely at Yu Yanjing, and said through gritted teeth, "Shut up, when did you become so noisy?"

Yu Yanjing was naturally unhappy after being humiliated, but this little girl in front of him was small in stature but had a big temper. If he offended her, he would not only have to go to great lengths to coax her, but he might also end up hurting himself more than the enemy!

It's better to keep quiet than to provoke her.

Seeing that he obediently shut his mouth, Xiao Mu smiled with satisfaction, but her heart continued to pound. If it really was a master commonly used by the royal family of the Western Regions coming, then she might as well run away. Was she even ranked among the top in the martial arts world? Had she ever received any favor from nobles or royalty? But wasn't there a royal family member right beside her?

Hmph, all show and no substance!

……

"This cat is so cute."

Although Xiao Mu came to participate in the competition, she was so attracted by the big fat cat lying at the entrance of the venue that she couldn't move. The fat cat was lying in the sunniest spot at the entrance of the venue, lazily basking in the sun.

Yu Yanjing had a gloomy face. He hated soft, furry things the most; they made him feel very irritated and he wanted to strangle them.

"Come and pet it too, its fur is so soft!" Xiao Mu couldn't resist touching the fat cat's soft fur again, revealing a gentle smile.

Ha, she treats a cat more gently than she treats him. He had never seen her look at him with such tenderness before. It's true, a cat is worse than a human.

Yu Yanjing stood there, glancing down at the fat cat on the ground that made him want to kick it, and said coldly, "What are you here for?"

"Don't be like that. We're here to compete, but this cat is so cute, don't you want to hold it?"

"In no mood?"

"Really? Then I'll hug it!" Xiao Mu picked up the soft, chubby cat, rubbed it against her face, and smiled happily.

Yu Yanjing moved far away from her, his face ashen, and said, "Stop hugging her, you'll get covered in cat hair, which is very unpleasant."

Xiao Mu was about to hug the fat cat and tease Yu Yanjing when someone grabbed her hair from behind, pulling so hard that her scalp started to hurt.

Turning around, I saw a handsome young man. He was dressed in a light blue brocade robe, with a face as white as jade, and eyebrows and eyes as beautiful as paintings. He exuded nobility, but beneath his handsome features was a look of dissatisfaction.

"Let go of Zhuzhu." His tone also revealed his dissatisfaction.

"What pig?" Xiao Mu looked at the handsome young man in front of her in confusion, and gently put the kitten in her arms on the ground. "Why is this cat called pig? It's clearly a cat."

The boy sneered, "Fool."

"You're the idiot!" Xiao Mu retorted immediately, unconvinced.

Yu Yanjing's half-closed phoenix eyes snapped open, glaring fiercely at the person in front of her, a cold glint in her eyes. "Who are you calling an idiot? It's just a cat, why are you talking about her like that?"

The boy's lips curled up, his eyes sharp. "Yeah, it's not that serious. I won't stoop to the level of an idiot!" He lowered his eyes and looked gently at the fat cat on the ground, and said softly, "Let's go, Zhuzhu, let's not argue with the idiot. I'll take you to eat fish."

The young man turned and left. He was there to represent the Western Regions in the competition, and he didn't want to cause trouble. That damned emperor had bribed him with a lot of money; otherwise, he would never have come to a place full of idiots to hold an auction that only idiots would do. How boring.

Yu Yanjing remained silent, his expression shifting between light and dark. He was about to draw the dagger from his waist and step forward when Xiao Mu pressed him down, shaking her head and saying, "Don't do that. They're just protecting their cat. We're not here to cause trouble. Listen to me."

Yu Yanjing sheathed his dagger and said calmly, "This man is from the Western Regions; you can tell from his accent."

“I know. I went to the Western Regions when I was a child. A long time ago, I met my uncle and maternal grandfather. It was the only time. I didn’t stay long before my father called me back.”

"Your maternal grandfather and uncle are both very good."

Xiao Mu forgot that a while ago, Yu Yanjing went to the Western Regions. It turned out he went to the royal family. He met his uncle and maternal grandfather. Ironically, they were his only relatives in this world besides Xia Yunxu, but they had never sent anyone to visit him or offered a single greeting. It was truly disheartening.

When I was little, I went to the Western Regions. My uncle was only about ten years old. My mother had just passed away, and my father allowed me to go to the Western Regions to relax. I bullied my uncle every day there, even pouring goat's milk into his shoes. No wonder my uncle didn't like me.

Her maternal grandfather always had a dark expression, and she couldn't figure out what he was thinking, so she avoided him.

Yu Yanjing wasn't lying; the most skilled jewelry master in the Western Regions had also come. But unexpectedly, it turned out to be a young man of similar age to himself.

……

The auction began, with rows of auction items displayed on the stands. The organizers unveiled the red cloths covering the glass cases one by one.

The first piece was made by a local jeweler at Jiuguang. It was a very grand but ordinary gold-inlaid jade hairpin, but the carving skill was not as good as Ruan Cifeng's! He must have gotten it from someone else.

The second item is an exhibit from Ruoyang Kingdom: a pair of dragon-playing-with-a-pearl earrings. They are small and exquisite, but something is missing. The pearls under the dragons seem a bit too big, lacking the right charm.

The first few exhibits were unremarkable, nothing more than hairpins, hair ornaments, bracelets, and earrings. Xiao Mu suddenly felt that the competition wasn't that strong, and she started to yawn. Her work and the one from the Western Regions were ranked last and second to last, respectively.

……

When the exhibit of the boy from the Western Regions was unveiled, Xiao Mu was dumbfounded. It was not an ordinary piece of jewelry, but a hairpin carved from agate, with a hundred flowers on it. The hairpin was already very thin, and it was carved with dozens of different patterns. Different flowers were decorated with different gemstones to adorn the stamens in the center, and the gold powder sprinkled on it seemed to have a fragrance, probably made with spices.

Xiao Mu was completely convinced.

So when the red cloth was lifted from her artwork, her heart sank.

But to everyone's surprise, the young man from the Western Regions looked at her with disdain the moment he saw her work, as if he didn't believe that the piece was made by her.

He stared at her in astonishment, wondering to himself, "Did this fool make this? Is her hand really that skillful? I can't tell, I really can't."

The guests then had the freedom to decide what to do next. They mostly ruled out the first few items, as they were all things that could be bought locally. However, the last two items were different; both were very tempting.

"I'll pay ten taels of silver for this hairpin!"

"I'll offer forty taels!"

"Then I'll take fifty taels!"

"One hundred taels!"

After a long silence, the guest bid one hundred taels for the hairpin belonging to the young man from the Western Regions.

"I'll pay a thousand taels for that bracelet!"

Everyone turned to look at the source of the voice, a young woman with a hoarse voice and lifeless eyes. However, her eyes were fixed on Xiao Mu's bracelet with intense longing, as if she were looking at her... beloved.

"Are you sure?" Yu Yanjing asked incredulously.

"Confirmed." The young woman handed Xiao Mu a silver note with a denomination of one thousand taels and said gratefully, "Your bracelet is very beautiful. It reminds me of my late husband. We both love tuberose, but we rarely see anything made of it. Thank you so much."

"People who like tuberose are gentle to the core," the woman continued.

After hearing the woman's words, Xiao Mu was deeply moved. She never imagined that there was such a devoted woman in the world who would spend a fortune just to buy such a bracelet. But she didn't seem to be from an ordinary family. This amount of money was nothing to her; all she wanted was some comfort in her heart.

The woman left, overjoyed, clutching the wooden box containing the white jade bracelet.

The young man from the Western Regions glared at Xiao Mu defiantly, his clenched fist trembling, his eyes bloodshot as if they were about to bleed. "Hmph, even a fool's things have someone who wants them!"

"Xie Huai, watch your mouth," Yu Yanjing said through gritted teeth.

Xiao Mu stared at Yu Yanjing in astonishment. How did he know the name of this foul-mouthed freak? Could it be that they knew each other?

Xie Huai smiled unhappily. "Young Emperor of Chaoyang Kingdom, how have you been? You didn't expect that I would still recognize you even in disguise."

"As expected."

Xie Huai glanced down at the bracelet on Yu Yanjing's wrist, a half-smile on his face, and said, "I saw you briefly at the royal palace a while ago. I recognized you just from this. What? Going to travel incognito again?"

Yu Yanjing had also heard that the most famous jewelry master in the Western Regions was named Xie Huai. As for his appearance, he didn't know, because he had never seen him before. There were too many people that day, so how could he possibly notice an ordinary person?

He also doesn't like to pry into other people's lives, and he doesn't like to look at strangers even twice.

"Do you believe I'll kill you?"

Yu Yanjing's eyes were about to blaze with fire as he drew a dagger from his waist and pressed it firmly against Xie Huai's neck, looking down at him.

Xie Huai showed no fear, and instead calmly said, "If you kill me, that old emperor won't let you off the hook. He still needs me to make money everywhere."

Yu Yanjing did not reduce the force of his hand; on the contrary, he used a little more force, and Xie Huai's fair neck was cut open, with blood oozing out.

"Say one more word, and I'll really kill you." Yu Yanjing's eyes were icy cold. He had nothing to fear; killing was just a matter of a head falling to the ground. It wasn't like he hadn't killed people before. But he didn't want to show this side of himself in front of Xiao Mu, so he hesitated.

"Alright, alright, what's wrong with you men? It's just a matter of words, why do you have to resort to violence? He called me an idiot, I called him a foul-mouthed monster! Isn't he still my defeated opponent? Yu Yanjing, put down the dagger, come here, and listen to me... What are you looking at? Look over here!"

Xie Huai chuckled. "Who do you think that little emperor is? How could you possibly order him around?"

He never expected that Yu Yanjing would obediently release the dagger, like a docile little wolf, and walk up to Xiao Mu, looking at her with gentle eyes, without any violent emotions.

Xie Huai was completely convinced; this woman was truly a master, absolutely!

"That's a good boy/girl. We shouldn't stoop to the level of people like that. We are the emperor, and we should govern with virtue and be wise rulers, not resort to violence to suppress violence, understand?"

A hint of sadness crept into Yu Yanjing's eyes. Why did he feel that this scene, these words, and these feelings were so familiar?

"Have you said this to me before?"

Xiao Mu blinked and said softly, "Yes, you remembered?"

"No." Yu Yanjing felt disappointed. He just felt that it was familiar, but he still couldn't remember. Since Xiao Mu didn't think it was important, why should he be so persistent?

"Am I just for show, you two?" Xie Huai asked, somewhat displeased, standing there dumbfounded, practically petrified.

Xiao Mu looked left and right, finally stopping at Xie Huai's feet, and asked curiously, "Where's your cat?"

"I had someone take it back to the Western Regions... What? You want it? Then I'll take you to the Western Regions. I don't just have one cat, I have many cats," Xie Huai said vividly.

Xiao Mu immediately agreed, "Okay, give me one!"

"Ahem." Yu Yanjing coughed a few times from the side. "We should go back to Chaoyang."

Xiao Mu's eyes darted around, and she grabbed Yu Yanjing's sleeve mischievously, saying in a coquettish voice, "But I really want a cat."

"Chaoyang also has it."

Xie Huai continued, "My cat is dark blue; Chaoyang doesn't have a cat like that."

Xiao Mu's eyes lit up. "Dark blue, a British Shorthair? I love it!"

"I don't know what kind of short it is, but its fur is dark blue, very beautiful!" Xie Huai continued to deceive.

Yu Yanjing looked at Xiao Mu with a sharp gaze. "We should go back. We've been out for so long, aren't you worried about your shop?"

Xiao Mu regained her composure. She couldn't act like a child anymore; she was a boss now, how could she just leave the shop unattended for so long? Xiao Shao and Ruan Cifeng were still waiting for her to come back.

"Okay, let's go back."

Xiao Mu and Xie Huai said goodbye here. They made a promise that as long as Xiao Mu went to the Western Regions, he would give her a cat, a dark blue cat.