Chapter 139: The Moonlight Is Too Beautiful

After sending Dou Xing and his group off, and finishing their after-dinner entertainment, Yun Qimu and the other four didn’t linger outside. Once they’d assigned the night watch, they returned to their tents, washed up, and got ready to rest.

Yun Qimu chose the upper level of the tent, above Wu Xingyu. She greeted Wu Xingyu, then shuffled her feet lazily, stretching as she climbed up, her whole demeanor relaxed and unhurried.

Before long, sounds started coming from upstairs. The tent’s soundproofing wasn’t great—everyone inside could hear every little noise clearly.

Especially the splashing of the shower. On this dark, windy night, it sounded particularly loud.

Wu Xingyu lay on the soft bed that came with the tent, staring blankly at the military-green ceiling above. His ears flushed a rosy pink, spreading across his fair, jade-like face.

It was only then, as if he’d touched a live wire, that he turned his face away, pursing his lips in silence.

He didn’t get up until the noises upstairs stopped. Then, awkwardly, he went into the bathroom, poured some bottled water from Earth Village into the shower, and took a quick cold shower. Afterwards, he rushed out wrapped in a luxurious silk pajama robe, dove into bed, pulled the thin blanket over his head like a corpse, and hid himself completely.

He tossed and turned for over an hour before finally falling asleep. It wasn’t until dawn approached that he got up, dressed with a gloomy air, and walked out of the tent.

Yun He, who was sitting by the campfire yawning, jolted awake, his drowsiness vanishing instantly.

“Th-third brother, why are you up?” Yun He gave him a sheepish smile. Seeing Wu Xingyu’s unhappy expression, he quickly dropped the grin and swore earnestly, “Third brother, I really wasn’t slacking off, really! I just chased away an ugly burrowing mole that was digging over here.”

“Did the noise just now wake you up?” Yun He asked cautiously, watching Wu Xingyu’s face. “Why don’t you go back and sleep a bit more? I’ve already checked—there aren’t any berserk beasts around now, so it’ll definitely be quiet.”

Wu Xingyu sat down on a nearby rock, his dark eyes glancing over. “Tell me, are there more female hooligans or male hooligans in this world?”

“Huh?” Yun He was baffled, completely confused.

Seeing that Wu Xingyu wasn’t joking, he scrunched up his handsome face, pondering the depth of the question. Finally, he decided to answer honestly, “It’s probably men. Back in the Empire, I always heard about some earl, some earl’s son, or some baron using tricks to pick a rose, and after getting bored, just dropping her to chase after a wilder one.

“As for female hooligans, I’ve never heard of any noble lady forcibly taking a man. Most of the time, those are consensual flings. And those with good family upbringing, the noble ladies who want to marry well, usually don’t get involved in anything before marriage. So, all things considered, there are more male hooligans—most ladies are still pretty reserved.”

Yun He was quite pleased with his conclusion and mentally gave himself a thumbs-up.

But clearly, Wu Xingyu wasn’t satisfied with this answer. He kept a straight face and continued, “Then why is it that when a woman flirts with a man for some special reason, she can act so open and unashamed afterwards, without a hint of feminine shyness?”

Yun He gave him a strange look. What’s up with third brother today?

But as a naturally oblivious straight guy, he didn’t think too much about it and replied, “If it’s for a special reason, why be shy? It’s just acting. Once the act is over, you go back to normal. Who really believes the feelings between TV couples are real?”

Wu Xingyu thought that made sense, but he couldn’t help but awkwardly ask, “Then why would a man… feel uncomfortable about it?”

“Maybe he’s a clean freak, or maybe he’s never been around women before, so it feels unnatural. Or maybe… he just thinks the moonlight is too beautiful.”

“What does ‘the moonlight is too beautiful’ mean?”

Yun He scratched his head. “I’m not really sure either. My brother says it’s like being blinded by the moonlight—like if you stare at the sun too long and start seeing double, so everyone looks weird to you. If the story happens at night, then it’s from looking at the moon too much.”

Wu Xingyu half-understood, but summed it up in his heart: his discomfort last night was probably due to all three reasons—a bit of a clean freak, unaccustomed to women, and the moonlight was just too beautiful.

So beautiful that everyone looked strange to him.

“Third brother, are you going back to sleep?”

Wu Xingyu glanced at Yun He’s fawning smile and turned his face away in distaste. “No, it’s almost dawn. Let’s get ready for breakfast.”

Yun He’s eyes lit up. “Breakfast? What are we having? Is Village Chief Yun cooking? I heard from Yun Xiaoyu that her pumpkin cakes are amazing, and the Danmu fruit tea is really good too.”

“Pumpkin cakes are indeed delicious, and Danmu fruit tea is sweet and refreshing.” Wu Xingyu’s lips curled in satisfaction—he’d tried both before.

But then he looked at Yun He and poured cold water on his hopes. “Village Chief Yun definitely won’t make those for you. Give up on that idea.”

“Oh, I figured as much.” Yun He drooped his head, muttering.

The two of them didn’t sit long. As the sun rose, the other three inside the tent woke up one after another.

Everyone took out takeout from Lou Wai Lou that they’d brought from Earth Village, ate, and then set off on foot toward Chaos City.

“Di-di-da, di-di-da, di-di-di-di-da-da-da—”

A wailing suona blared from a rocky outcrop outside Chaos City, making Yun Qimu and the others stop in their tracks and look over.

Yun He dug at his ears, face twisted in pain. “What is that sound? Even the worst musicians sound better than this.”

Pei Yu, on the other hand, was excited, pulling everyone along. “Come on, let’s check it out! I can’t believe there’s someone playing music on this exile planet—it’s so rare!”

Yuan An corrected him, “That’s not music, that’s noise. Go if you want, but I’m not getting my ears tortured up close.”

Pei Yu huffed, “Hmph, you uncultured fatty with no artistic sense! I know this instrument—it’s called a suona. It’s supposed to sound like this. I heard it’s a traditional instrument passed down by the natives of this exile planet. No matter how it sounds, anyone who owns such a heritage instrument is bound to be a big fat sheep!”

A thoughtful look appeared on Wu Xingyu’s face, and he quietly changed direction away from the noise.

Yun Qimu immediately took her hands off her ears and said righteously, “Exactly! It’s rare to meet someone with such strong artistic spirit—we have to go see. Who knows if we’ll ever get another chance?”

Little did they know, her words nearly became prophetic—the sunny young man playing the suona almost didn’t make it out alive."

"**Chapter 140: Hitting on My Woman**

Luanshi Hill really lives up to its name—it’s a mess of rocks, big and small, piled together in all shapes and sizes. Some of the stacks are so tall that as you walk through, it feels like a miniature maze.

Hidden inside, a few shady-looking men are quietly lying in wait behind a large boulder, spying on a sunny young man sitting on a rock not far away, playing his suona.

“Tiger Bro, I’ve been watching. Ever since Zhong Teng took his men to Molan City, no one’s been able to keep Zhong Qiu in check. He’s been bouncing all over the city, annoying even Longteng’s people. But these past few days, he’s stopped causing trouble in town and sneaks out here every morning to play his suona. He’s got guts, too—didn’t even bring any of Longteng’s men with him. This is the perfect chance for us to teach him a lesson.”

A scrawny man reported obsequiously to the burly man beside him.

“You’re sure none of Longteng’s people are following him?”

“Don’t worry, Tiger Bro. I was at the city gate first thing this morning. Saw with my own eyes—he snuck out alone. No one followed.”

Hearing this, Kui Hu’s face twisted into a vicious grin. He stared at the oblivious young man still playing his suona, spat darkly, and said, “Hmph, finally got you, you little pretty boy. Daring to hit on my woman? I’m gonna teach you a lesson you’ll never forget.”

The scrawny man tensed up, intimidated by his murderous intent, and hurriedly tried to hold him back. “T-Tiger Bro, Qiu Bro said it’s fine for you to rough him up, but you gotta leave him alive. We still need him to keep Longteng’s people in check. Once the hunting competition is over and Qiu Bro becomes city lord, you can do whatever you want with him.”

But Kui Hu glared at him impatiently. “Yeah, yeah, I know. But if you ask me, we should just take his life. Isn’t Zhong Teng crazy about his little brother? If we kill him, Zhong Teng will lose focus during the hunt, and we can ambush him—maybe even take him out too.”

The scrawny man shrank back. “Qiu Bro said Zhong Teng’s a tough nut. If we push him too far, he might go down fighting and take us all with him. Then the Red Lotus gang will just swoop in and take everything.”

“Hah, isn’t Yi Beimeng seriously injured from that bug backlash? With that sickly body of his, weaker than a woman, how could he compete with Qiu Bro for city lord?”

“Still, you never know. Yi Beimeng’s always been crafty. Maybe the injury is just a ruse.”

“No way, it’s real. The news came straight from inside Red Lotus. Can’t be faked.” Kui Hu grinned, looking very pleased with himself.

The scrawny man’s eyes widened. “Wait, does that mean we have a spy in Red Lotus?”

Kui Hu realized he’d said too much and shot the scrawny man and the other lackeys a fierce glare. “Stick your nose in the bosses’ business and you’ll lose your head.”

The lackeys quickly averted their eyes, signaling they wouldn’t dare.

The scrawny man also pretended to look away, forcing a sheepish smile as if he hadn’t heard anything. But when he lowered his gaze, his eyes flashed shrewdly, and he mustered up the courage to ask, “Tiger Bro, when do we make our move? Zhong Qiu snuck out today, so he probably won’t stay long. He might leave any minute.”

Kui Hu’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “Right now.”

With that, he hefted his big axe and swaggered out from behind the rock, chin raised as he called out provocatively to Zhong Qiu, “Hey, pretty boy! You’re the one hitting on my woman, aren’t you?”

The sudden shout startled Zhong Qiu so much that his suona let out a screech, the ear-piercing noise echoing across the rocks.

Further down the path, Yun Qimu and her group clapped their hands over their ears, frowning in annoyance. “Ugh, that’s way too loud. My ears hurt.”

But with a fat sheep dangling in front of them, they weren’t about to back off. Since they were already here, they might as well fleece him for all he’s worth.

Meanwhile, the “fat sheep” Zhong Qiu was staring in terror at Kui Hu and the group of thugs emerging behind him. Sensing danger, he forced himself to stay calm and retorted, “W-What are you doing here? I didn’t hit on your woman—don’t make stuff up!”

Kui Hu bared his shark-like teeth, radiating menace. “My woman is Hei Meier—the one who praised your playing on the street the other day. You grinned like an idiot, and she said you were cute. My boys saw it with their own eyes. Still gonna deny it?”

Zhong Qiu clutched his suona, his face turning green. “How was I supposed to know she was your woman? Besides, it was just an artistic exchange, nothing dirty like you’re thinking. If you don’t believe me, we can go back to town and ask her.”

He sounded righteous, but Kui Hu wasn’t fooled.

“Hah, you’re a sly one. Trying to call Longteng’s people for help, huh? Not a chance. First, I’ll beat you up—if you die or end up crippled, that’s on me.”

The lackeys cheered and charged at Zhong Qiu like wolves.

Now Zhong Qiu was truly panicking. His fair face was full of despair. Damn it, he only snuck out here to practice so he wouldn’t torture his friends’ ears, planning to surprise them later. How did he end up getting targeted by this brute Kui Hu?

And as for “hitting on his woman”—he wouldn’t even look at her!

Seeing the huge black axe about to split his head open, Zhong Qiu gritted his teeth, grabbed his suona, and dashed to the edge of the rock, jumping down.

The rock was pretty high, but fortunately his legs were strong from all his usual running and jumping. He only felt a twinge in his knees, then scrambled up and kept running.

Kui Hu and his men followed—some jumping down after him, others circling around to cut him off.

Zhong Qiu was gasping for breath, his pale face flushed red. But with his scrawny build, there was no way he could outrun Kui Hu, who’d survived countless battles with berserk beasts. In no time, Kui Hu caught up, landing a punch right in Zhong Qiu’s eye, making stars explode in his vision.

If he hadn’t recently awakened his powers and gotten a bit stronger, Zhong Qiu suspected he’d be dead already.

But things weren’t looking good. Another punch sent him sprawling to the ground, sharp rocks scraping his palms. His precious suona clattered away.

Yun Qimu stepped on the suona, frowned as if it felt odd underfoot, then bent down to pick it up, turning it over in her hands with a curious smile. “So this is a suona?”

Dazed and dizzy, Zhong Qiu looked up at the source of the sweet voice. Through the haze, he saw a beautiful, radiant woman standing over him, smiling as she played with his suona.

He reached out, his bruised face full of wonder: Big bro, I think I just saw a goddess."