Chapter 323 Extra Story – Picnic
The journey continued. Yun Muxi and Duanmu Gongyu’s relationship changed subtly from their everyday interactions.

Every day, the carriage would be filled with laughter. Yun Muxi knew that Duanmu Gongyu loved to hear her sing, so she would think of ways to sing nicer songs for him. When he heard a song that he liked, he would also sing along.

On this day, after commuting for half a day, Duanmu Gongyu called for them to stop. He told Hei Ye to stop and rest.

“Stop and rest.” His tone was plain and had no warmth, it was icy-cold. He then turned and said to Yun Muxi gently, “Xiao Xi, let’s get out and walk around. You should stretch your body, it’s not good for your back if you always sit.”

Hearing the stark contrast in his prince’s tone, Hei Ye’s heart was crying! Who said that the prince changed? He was still very cold to him!

However, Hei Ye only vented a little to himself, he did not dare to complain to the prince. Hei Ye stopped the horses and lifted up the curtain of the carriage. Duanmu Gongyu got up to help Yun Muxi down. His actions were considerate and gentle, it was basically showing off his affections in front of Hei Ye and Lan Yun.

Yun Muxi was rarely taken care of like that, so she felt a little shy and said politely, “Gong Yu, it’s fine! I can get out on my own. You’re making me feel uncomfortable.”

Duanmu Gongyu replied in a cold tone, “Don’t force yourself, lest you hurt your wound again. Besides, what do you mean by uncomfortable? Just treat it as if there are only the two of us here. They are all just blocks of wood.”

Hei Ye and Lan Yu instantly felt awkward and they vented to themselves. “Prince, you may be biased, but you can’t be biased to this extent? We have followed you for so many years after all!”

Yun Muxi also felt that Duanmu Gongyu’s blatant words were a little awkward and she smiled at Hei Ye and Lan Yun apologetically.

The carriage pulled up at the foot of a mountain. On the other side was a maple forest. They could only see a stream from the other end of the forest. It was not far away from them. The maple forest was filled with red and gold colors. The grass was green and there were little wild flowers scattered here and there. The sound of flowing water was crisp and moving. When Yun Muxi lifted her head, she could see the blue sky and white clouds, the scorching sun, and the vibrant sunlight. The breeze blew past gently and everything caused her to feel extremely comfortable.

Yun Muxi looked at the view before her eyes and she felt so relieved, physically and mentally. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. There was even a hint of floral fragrance in the fresh air. Living in the modern world, it was extremely rare for Yun Muxi to see such a view. The modern world was now victim to toxic haze every day. Cars zooming around in the cities, buildings shot to the sky… The people longed for natural sunlight now.

At this current moment, Yun Muxi’s heart felt very comforted. Even her mood was abnormally joyous. She jumped and hopped and plunged herself into the bushes.

Looking at the child-like Yun Muxi, Duanmu Gongyu’s heart melted and his mood was also alleviated. Yun Muxi’s happiness infected not only Duanmu Gongyu but also Hei Ye and Lan Yun. Having followed around the solemn Duanmu Gongyu every day, they were inevitably greatly affected. It was rare for them to feel relaxed and happy.

Yun Muxi finished making a flower wreath at an unknown point in time, and she wore it on her head. Her hairstyle was going for an innocent and cute look, and now with this flower wreath made by using fresh branches and leaves as well as colorful small flowers, it caused her whole being to be youthful and filled with sunshine. She then started skipping around in the bushes and dancing around elegantly while humming a joyful tune.

As if she suddenly thought of something, she turned around and said to Duanmu Gongyu with a smile, “Gong Yu, should we have a picnic here?”

Duanmu Gongyu raised his brows and looked at her. “What kind of picnic do you want?”

Yun Muxi said excitedly, “Just laying a big rug under a big tree by the stream, preparing lots of good food and drinks, chatting and admiring the beautiful view while eating. It sounds so relaxing just thinking about it.”

Duanmu Gongyu responded with a smile, “Okay, as long as you like it!” He then turned and said to Hei Ye, “Go prepare it right now, Xiao Xi wants to have a picnic.”

Seeing Duanmu Gongyu’s smile, Hei Ye was stunned. The prince was actually smiling at him! Duanmu Gongyu saw Hei Ye standing rooted to the ground and his face fell immediately. He said in a lowered voice, “Don’t you understand what I just said? Do you need me to repeat myself!”

Hei Ye instantly snapped back to reality.

Indeed, the prince’s joyful look was not for him. His expression changed quicker than one could flip the page of a book. Hei Ye responded immediately and set off to prepare.

Duanmu Gongyu walked up to Yun Muxi and cupped her small face affectionately in his hand. Yun Muxi turned her head to look at him. At this moment, his back was facing the sun. The sunlight shone on his back and created a blurry effect and added some warmth to his appearance, causing him to look extra dashing and handsome. On top of that, the heartfelt smile on his face caused him to look extra approachable.

Yun Muxi was very focused on staring at him. Looking at the handsome Duanmu Gongyu with such affection, there was a ripple effect in the lake in her heart.

Duanmu Gongyu gave her a gentle smile, which suddenly turned into a sinister one. “You’re staring at me so affectionately, are you inviting me to kiss you? Or… do you want to kiss me?”

Yun Muxi suddenly snapped back to reality and lowered her head in embarrassment. Her cheeks blushed faintly. Duanmu Gongyu bent down and lifted his head to look at her awkward expression. Yun Muxi became even more embarrassed and covered her face with her left hand while gently pushing him away with her right. She said embarrassedly, “You’re so annoying, stop looking at me like that.”

Duanmu Gongyu saw how cute she was and laughed heartily. “Haha… All right, cute lady, I’ll stop making fun of you. Didn’t you want to have a picnic? Let’s find a spot.”

Yun Muxi nodded and said cheerfully, “Okay!” She then wrapped her arm around his and ran toward the small stream. Duanmu Gongyu’s heart was flustered by the sudden intimacy, and the smile on his face grew even wider.

Yun Muxi suddenly said with a hint of regret, “Ah! What a pity! This beautiful view calls for a barbecue! It’s been so long since I had lu chuan!”

Duanmu Gongyu frowned slightly and asked in confusion, “What’s lu chuan?”

Yun Muxi smiled and said, “It’s just barbecued skewers, some youngsters call it lu chuan because of how it is eaten. We cut the meat into small cubes and then stick them onto metal or bamboo skewer sticks. Then we roast them over a fire, and sprinkle on some salt, cumin, and chili powder mix. It’s super good. During the weekends, people will drive to the countryside to find a place like this, set up a fire, and have a barbecue picnic.”

Duanmu Gongyu pondered over it and then turned around and shouted for Lan Yun. He ordered, “Go get some meat.” Lan Yun received the order and then ran into the forest.

Yun Muxi pulled him by the hand to go to the stream. They found a flat area and Hei Ye came back with a furry rug and lay it on the ground. He then took out some delicate pastries, drinks, fruits, and small snacks. These were all prepared by Duanmu Gongyu for Yun Muxi. Since they were going to continue their journey, Duanmu Gongyu was afraid that she would be hungry on the way so he carried lots of foods that girls liked.

Not long after, Lan Yun came back with a wild hare and a chicken. Yun Muxi exclaimed in surprise, “Lan Yun, you’re so amazing! It took you only such a short time to get all these things! Were you born to be a hunter? Or do these animals just run to you?”

Lan Yun smiled politely and answered, “Miss Yun, you are over-complimenting me. As martial arts practitioners, it is a piece of cake to deal with these small things. Besides, we are always in the wild, so we often catch these things to fill our stomachs.”

Yun Muxi’s big black eyes were filled with admiration. “Lan Yun, you’re so awesome!”

Duanmu Gongyu looked at Yun Muxi’s starry eyes and instantly felt pissed. He said solemnly, “Lan Yun, quickly deal with it. “Chop them into cubes and put them onto wooden skewers! I’m giving you just enough time for an incense stick to burn. If you can’t do it well then you can cook yourself instead.” Duanmu Gongyu’s words were cold and to the point. His tone was filled with threats and dissatisfaction.

Lan Yun started sweating profusely. His prince got jealous for such an absurd reason. He had to shoulder the blame so innocently. Lan Yun quickly ran to the stream to take care of the wild hare and chicken. He dared not provoke this dual-personality prince.

Yun Muxi saw how Duanmu Gongyu treated Lan Yun so coldly and solemnly, and she immediately felt injustice for him. She said in a cold voice, “Hey! Can’t you treat them with a nicer attitude? Put yourself in their shoes, they’ve been so loyal to you, you should treat them much better. You’re always as cold as an ice cube, who else is going to continue loving you?”

Seeing Yun Muxi lecturing him because of them, Duanmu Gongyu was even more pissed. He said to Hei Ye with a straight face, “Do I usually mistreat you guys? You guys don’t love to follow me?”

There was an intense threat in his tone.

Hei Ye immediately started sweating profusely. He complained bitterly about how he was targeted for no reason. He rested his forehead against his hand helplessly.

But talking about it, although Duanmu Gongyu treated them coldly usually, he was still not bad to them. Many masters treated their subordinates like they were dogs. When they were unhappy, they would hit and scold them. When it got even more intense, they might even kill them. Other than being cold to them, Duanmu Gongyu did not make their lives extra difficult, nor was there a lack of rewards for them. He was considered to be a master who was not that bad.

Hei Ye quickly defended Duanmu Gongyu. “Miss Yun, Prince treats us very well usually, he’s just a little cold in attitude. He’s never mistreated us.”

Duanmu Gongyu’s face fell after hearing his words. But luckily he was defending him, so he became more relaxed. Yun Muxi glanced at Duanmu Gongyu and did not say anything else.

Actually, Yun Muxi was well-aware that Duanmu Gongyu was just colder in his attitude, but he was not a bad person. Take this trip as an example, every time they ate, he allowed Hei Ye and Lan Yu to sit at the same table. As for accommodation-wise, theirs was only secondary to his. If it was another master, he might not necessarily treat them the same.

Sometimes, Duanmu Gongyu would also make some heartwarming gestures. Of course, he did more so to her.

Thinking about this, she looked up again and took a good look at him. Her heart could not help fluttering.