CHAPTER 39: THE JADE AND THE TRAP

As he spoke, Yue Mingxuan took out the remaining mushroom from the pouch at his waist.

The man before him carried himself with noble grace and since he moving so freely at night in a place like this, he was most likely someone from the royal family. It was better not to provoke him.

Besides, Yue Mingxuan could tell that this man probably didn’t care about such small things.

From the way he looked at him it was obvious that he doesn’t seems to know him.

So, letting him think that Yue Mingxuan was just a poor herbalist would keep him from getting suspicious.

Sure enough, Rong Qinglei shook his head gently. His gaze shifted from Yue Mingxuan’s face to the reishi mushrooms in his hand.

"Since you picked them, then they belong to you," he said kindly.

"Really? You mean it?" Yue Mingxuan asked with a bright smile.

As he spoke, he quickly tucked the herbs back into his pouch. He clearly doesn’t ha r real intention of giving them away. He had only been pretending to offer them in the first place.

"Of course," Rong Qinglei said feeling amused. "Besides, this mountain doesn’t belong to me anyway."

After hearing that, Yue Mingxuan’s lips curved into a sly grin. "Then according to your words," he said teasingly, "since everything here belongs to me now, and I used one of my finest reishi mushroom to save your life just now... shouldn’t you pay me for it?"

Rong Qinglei froze for a moment, he hadn’t expected Yue Mingxuan to respond like that.

This person was far too practical... but in a way, that made him interesting.

His gaze swept over Yue Mingxuan’s face. Then, from his waist, he removed a jade pendant and held it up so it glimmered under the moonlight. "I don’t have any silver with me," he said lightly. "Will this jade pendant count as payment for that reishi mushroom?"

The jade shone with a soft clear glow in the pale moonlight.

Yue Mingxuan was just about to reach out his hand and take it when he suddenly remembered what had happened last time he accepted another man’s jade.

His heart trembled slightly.

"This... is really for me?" he asked uncertainly while pointing at himself and glancing at the man in confusion.

"What? Didn’t you just say you wanted money?" Rong Qinglei’s lips curved faintly. "I don’t have any coins, so I’m giving you this instead. Isn’t that fair? It’s just a jade pendant, not a tiger."

"Alright, alright," Yue Mingxuan said quickly. He snatched the pendant and stuffed it into his cloth pouch and said, "Thanks. Goodbye."

He had only taken two steps before Rong Qinglei’s voice sounded again. "You don’t want to know who I am?"

Of course not! Yue Mingxuan screamed in his heart.

However, after he saw his bearing, how could he not know? Even if he wanted to ignore it, he couldn’t.

He waved a hand dismissively and started to walk away, but the man seemed to enjoy talking far too much.

"May I at least know your name and where you live?" Rong Qinglei asked. "That way, I can properly thank you for saving my life someday."

Yue Mingxuan turned back while rubbing his head awkwardly. "I’m just from a poor family," he said. "I doubt my small and broken home could handle such a grand guest. You’ve already given me the jade, so let’s call it even."

He didn’t want to waste another breath talking to this man. So, while taking advantage of the dark night, Yue Mingxuan hurried down the mountain path.

Behind him, Rong Qinglei leaned casually against a tree, his eyes dark and unreadable.

That person... was the first one in years to truly catch his interest.

Yue Mingxuan rushed back in the dark while constantly glancing behind him as if afraid someone was following.

Because he was moving too fast, he didn’t notice the uneven ground.

With a sharp "Ah!" he fell headfirst into a deep pit covered by branches.

"Damn it!" he cursed while groaning as he tried to climb out. "Who the hell dug this trap? Are they trying to kill me?"

It took him quite some effort to crawl out.

His hair was full of leaves and dirt smeared his face.

Ignoring the pain all over his body, he stumbled back to his courtyard and climbed over the wall.

Once he reached his window, he pushed it open quietly and slipped inside.

The room was pitch dark.

He managed to light a small lamp but when he turned around, the sight before him made him almost drop it in shock.

There was a man sitting on the edge of the bed and it was an incredibly handsome man whose dark eyes gleamed faintly in the light. He said nothing and only gestured for Yue Mingxuan to speak.

Yue Mingxuan swallowing his saliva hard and with his shoulders shrank slightly he said. "G–Greetings, Prince Shang."

Shang Qinghua looked him up and down.

Yue Mingxuan was looking in a mess.

There’s leaves tangled in his hair and his face smeared with dirt so that his features were barely visible.

Shang Qinghua gave a soft disdainful hum through his nose.

"Um... Prince Shang," Yue Mingxuan stammered nervously, "it’s so late... did you come here because you have some instructions for me?"

When his eyes met Shang Qinghua’s dangerously charming gaze, Yue Mingxuan’s back tingled with cold. He remembers all too vividly the night this man had "disciplined" him before.

This man was terrifying.

He was cold and unpredictable... and definitely not someone worth to provoke.

"Serve me while I sleep," Shang Qinghua said flatly.

Yue Mingxuan froze. Serve him while he sleeps? What did that even mean?

Shang Qinghua didn’t bother explaining to him.

The sweet and peaceful sleep he had last night was the best he’d had in ten years.

Having experienced it once, he wanted it again.

If this person had a way to make him rest so well, why wouldn’t he take advantage of it?