Xin Yi wished he could instantly shrink away. A cool sensation wrapped around his earlobes, spreading out in circles across his chest. He got nervous and started to stutter, "You, aren't you going to apply the medicine?"

Bai Jiu hummed in response, and indeed dipped his fingertip into the ointment, surveying the wounds on Xin Yi's upper body. Xin Yi turned around, facing the mirror, but unexpectedly, not being able to see his movements made the sensation on his side even more pronounced.

Cool fingers moved on his back, a slight itch arising as the ointment was applied. Before Xin Yi could compose his expression, he already saw his dimples in the mirror, so he could only avert his gaze.

Bai Jiu's eyes were lowered, yet his gaze was clear. The strength of his fingertips was inexplicable. Neither of them spoke until Bai Jiu finished applying the salve, his fingers gradually sliding down, subtly withdrawing from Xin Yi's lower back, making it unclear whether it was intentional or not.

Xin Yi wanted to cover himself with his clothes, but Bai Jiu had already turned. "No need to wear it. Go to sleep." Then he turned around the screen and left.

Xin Yi was left with burning earlobes, utterly bewildered.

The next day, when Xin Yi woke up, Bai Jiu had already left for court. After breakfast, he and Old Qu took advantage of the cool morning to continue exploring the courtyards they hadn't finished the day before.

The horse stable Bai Jiu described wasn't actually too small; at least a dozen horses could run in the enclosure together without a problem. Chiye had its own stall because its temperament matched its master's.

Xin Yi let Chiye out, allowing it to joyfully gallop a few laps in the stable. Then he looked at the other horses; they were indeed Beiyang Horses. He couldn't help but pat them for a while, feeling a sense of closeness.

"Indeed, I'm old now, an old servant can't even touch Chiye," Old Qu said, seeing Chiye also being close to Xin Yi, and smiled. "If I were a few years younger, perhaps I could also tame a good horse."

Xin Yi's dimples appeared as he stroked Chiye's long mane, saying, "This is a good horse, a rare good horse."

Old Qu said, "When Chiye was first brought to the capital, the Little Prince of Qin also liked it immensely, but Chiye has a fierce temperament; only the Master can handle it."

The Little Prince of Qin he referred to was Xin Wen, the heir of Prince of Qin, Xin Zhenping. He had been raised in the capital, famous as the Capital's Bully, arrogant and overbearing. Xin Yi had no impression of this cousin; the time he had spent in the capital could be counted on one hand, he had only heard his name.

"Can I ride for two laps?" Xin Yi skipped over the Little Prince of Qin, only interested in the horses.

Old Qu quickly stepped back a few paces and said, "Please, Young Master."

Although Xin Yi liked Chiye, it was Bai Jiu's horse after all, so he wasn't comfortable riding it without permission. He chose a Beiyang horse instead and took it for a few short laps in the stable. As soon as he got on the horse, his dimples involuntarily appeared; it was joy from the bottom of his heart. This love for horses was a trait shared by all of Beiyang.

Xin Yi stayed at the stable until noon. When he dismounted, Old Qu handed him a cloth to wipe the sweat from his temples. Seeing Xin Yi still stroking the horse, reluctant to leave, he smiled and said, "This stable has been built for a long time. The Master has always been busy with state affairs and rarely comes here. If Young Master is interested, he could come more often. It would also prevent the servants from slacking off."

Xin Yi smiled and said, "If it's not too much trouble, then that would be good."

His return for lunch needs no mention. After the meal, Xin Yi again lazed on yesterday's couch, hugging a soft cushion and dozing off in the sunlight. Bai Jiu hadn't returned for some unknown reason. With him absent, Xin Yi felt a little less uncomfortable.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly heard a commotion in the courtyard. Xin Yi was still drowsy, only hearing a young man arrogantly exclaim in the courtyard, "What? I'm not allowed into his courtyard?"

Xin Yi rolled over and heard the person continue, "Even the imperial palace doesn't have so many rules! Today, I especially want to see Chiye. Dare you stop me?"

Old Qu still wore a smile, only saying, "The Master has not returned, I dare not neglect Heir Wen."

Xin Wen was three years older than Xin Yi. Upon hearing this, his eyebrow arched, and his face darkened. "Since I was born, no one in the capital has called me Heir Wen. So in this not-so-small capital, who else is worthy of Old Qu addressing as Heir?"

"The Heir is naturally still the Heir, and Heir Wen will not diminish the Heir's esteemed status," Old Qu said with a chuckle. "This is something even small children know, so Heir, please don't take it to heart."

Xin Wen was about to erupt when his eyes caught sight of a drowsy young man slumped on the windowsill, looking gentle and refined, with a touch of innocent simplicity between his brows. His mind spun, and he already knew who this was, but his face remained impassive. He merely pointed at the person and said, "This person can enter Prince of Pingding's room, yet I cannot enter Prince of Pingding's courtyard. Is Old Qu senile, unable to distinguish between hierarchy and etiquette?"

Old Qu still smiled, only saying, "Since it is the Prince of Pingding's room, then naturally it is not for ordinary people to enter. However, my Master's thoughts are different from others; even if ordinary people enter, it's not a big deal. Heir Wen, look at this scorching weather; your standing here isn't good. Shall this old servant lead you to a side courtyard to sit? Even if you wanted to sit on the rafters, the Master wouldn't inquire."

"The weather is perfectly fine today, I'm not hot at all!" Xin Wen lifted his chin at Xin Yi and said, "You, come out."

Seeing that he was relentless, Xin Yi sighed inwardly and slowly walked out.

Xin Wen pushed Old Qu aside, dragged Xin Yi towards the back, and snorted, "I am your Master's warmly invited guest, yet you dare to stop me? To the stable, I want to see Chiye!"

Although they were cousins, they didn't resemble each other. Xin Wen, accustomed to a life of privilege and arrogance, had a flamboyant and insolent demeanor even without raising an eyebrow. He dragged Xin Yi along, glancing at him a few times before scoffing, "Who are you?"

Naturally, a mute couldn't answer. Xin Yi merely offered a slight smile, his dimples shallow and shy.

"There's only one mute in the capital, and you're the fresh face that appeared a couple of days ago. Xin—Xin Yi, right? Now that you've returned to the capital, why don't you visit the Prince of Qin's Manor?" Xin Wen said, raising a hand to pat Xin Yi's shoulder. He was a bit taller than Xin Yi, so he walked forward with his arm hooked over Xin Yi's shoulder, like good brothers. "What's the deal with always hiding behind the King of Hell? You're not his son. My father was mentioning your name a few days ago; but today, it's on account of your elder brother that I've come to take a look. That lunatic Bai Jiu hasn't done anything to you, has he?"

Xin Yi still only smiled, his expression unchanged. His elder brother wasn't exactly a heartthrob in the capital, and couldn't have too deep a friendship with Prince of Qin's precious darling. It was reasonable for this person to come for pleasantries, but dragging his father and brothers into it was annoying.

"You've been back for two days and haven't seen His Majesty yet. Bai Jiu currently enjoys boundless favor; a word from him would be a simple matter," Xin Wen said, raising a hand to push aside the willow branches overhead, and sneered, "Yet he hasn't mentioned a word, keeping you confined to the manor. Although things aren't like they used to be, you are still the Prince of Yan's son. Are you just going to let him treat you like this?" Saying this, the hand he had around Xin Yi's shoulder tightened. "We are cousins, you know. If you want to get even, I will certainly help. In this capital, before His Majesty, no one can surpass me."

Next to the weeping willow was the pond in front of the study. Hearing this, Xin Yi's dimples deepened further. He looked at Xin Wen with grateful eyes and stopped. Xin Wen also stopped, releasing him under his sincere and admiring gaze, and said earnestly, "We are all His Majesty's own grandsons, we can't let a mere prince with a two-character title ruin that."

Xin Yi hurriedly raised his hand to cover his eyes, on the verge of tears of gratitude. Xin Wen frowned and said, "Don't cry now, this is—hey, why are you backing away!"

Xin Yi waved his hand to indicate he was fine, his shoulders subtly trembling. He kept retreating as Xin Wen steadily approached. Xin Wen just thought that such a grown person was crying like this over a few words, which irritated him. He wasn't a patient person and just wanted to grab Xin Yi, finish talking, and leave quickly. Xin Yi turned as if to wipe tears. Xin Wen had to go around him. Before he could even speak, he saw a pair of distinct black-and-white eyes suddenly staring at him from between his fingers, without a trace of gratitude or impending tears.

"You—"

His lower abdomen suddenly took a heavy blow. He was so flustered that he stumbled from the kick, and unexpectedly, the pond was right behind him. Xin Wen, stumbling backward, fell backward into the pond, splashing water everywhere.

Xin Yi stood by the pond's edge, wiping the shoulder Xin Wen had embraced again and again with his sweat cloth. He watched him gently as he thrashed in the pond, furious and embarrassed. The dimples on his cheeks swirled and swirled, finally disappearing in solitude.

Xin Wen's temples throbbed. He slapped the water and cursed angrily, "You damn mute dog from Beiyang! You bite hard without a sound!"

Xin Yi watched him calmly. The pond water was warm on that summer afternoon, but the hairs on Xin Wen's back stood on end.

Old Qu exclaimed from behind, standing by the pond. "Quick, pull Heir Wen up! There are fish in here, and the bottom of the pond is all mud. If Heir Wen's shoe soles get dirty, we can't bear the responsibility." Then the old man chuckled and said, "If your manor is short of fresh fish, just ask this old servant. A few fish are nothing; our manor is very generous. Why did you have to jump in yourself, Heir Wen?"

Xin Wen ignored him. Pulled ashore, his brocade robe was soaking wet and disheveled. He dashed a few steps to Xin Yi, grabbed his collar, and gnashed his teeth, "Go ahead and show your fangs and claws! I don't believe Bai Jiu can really back you up on this! Just you wait for this today!"

Xin Yi lowered his gaze, watching Xin Wen's damp hand crumple his collar. He then looked up, giving him a perfectly innocent and pure smile. Yet, Xin Wen clearly read contempt in his eyes, piercing like a knife tip, making his eyes ache.

'This fellow is indeed a jackal raised in Beiyang, merely wearing a sheep's skin to deceive others!'

The person who had been in the study placed the tea he was carrying on the table. Wisps of steam rose, and cool fingertips slid along the rim of the teacup as he stared silently towards the pond.

When Xin Wen flung his sleeves and left, Xin Yi was still thinking about how delicious the fish he cooked last night was, and whether he should fish a few more from the pond to cook tonight. He thought so earnestly that he fell asleep with that thought in mind when he returned to his room.

He didn't know how long he had slept, but he was in a daze when he heard the sound of a carving tool being sharpened above him. Xin Yi had been sleeping deeply, and even now, waking up, his head felt heavy. He lay there listening for a while before realizing something was off. He rolled over and looked up with sleepy eyes, seeing a pair of beautiful hands... extremely beautiful hands, holding a carving knife, working on an uncarved jade.

The setting sun passed through the window lattice, casting light on the face of the man who was bowing his head in concentration. His usually striking and vibrant features were replaced by a calm and composed look. The narrow, upturned corners of his eyes were captivating, and when not smiling, he wasn't stern but rather quiet and amiable.

As Xin Yi watched, he suddenly felt a tingling sensation. He quickly flipped back onto his stomach, burying his face in the soft cushion to hide, but the cushion was filled with that cool, crisp scent, leaving him no place to escape for a moment. The back of his head was lightly flicked. Xin Yi's earlobes turned red again, and the person's cool fingers moved to his exposed earlobe, flicking it gently. Xin Yi shivered, then scrambled to the window, curling into a ball, covering his face with the soft cushion, only revealing a pair of eyes to peek at Bai Jiu, as if not understanding his touch.

"Are you a puppy?" Bai Jiu rested his chin on his hand, looking at him. "I thought I was a friendly person."

Xin Yi's face was hot, and he only mumbled, "Mhm."

"Was last night's medicine comfortable?" Bai Jiu reached out his hand. "I applied it. I want to take a look."

It was fine until he spoke. As soon as he did, Xin Yi even hid his eyes behind the soft cushion. "Com... comfortable. No need to look, thank you..."

"Oh." Bai Jiu suddenly rolled over, propping himself beside Xin Yi's legs, pulled away the soft cushion and tossed it aside, then stared at him, saying, "I want to take a look."

"No..." His clothes were lifted. Xin Yi pressed down, refusing to let go, and insisted, "Really, there's no need. I wouldn't dare trouble you."

"Do I smell good?"

"Rea—huh?" Xin Yi froze, and then everything spun. He was already flipped and pressed onto the soft couch, his clothes suddenly lifted from behind to his back, revealing the scars. He was vexed, flustered, and ashamed, not understanding what was going on with Bai Jiu's frequent touches.

His back suddenly felt cool. This person actually ran his hand all over the scars, making Xin Yi shiver. He angrily buried his face, weakly swallowing back the question he wanted to ask, wishing he could bite the soft cushion.

"How did these get there? Xin Zhenxiao's teeth aren't that good."

Xin Yi had turned into an ostrich, muffledly saying from beneath the soft cushion, "Xin Zhenxiao's dog's teeth are good."

Bai Jiu frowned. "His dog?"

"Mhm..." Xin Yi felt that saying this made him sound a bit pathetic. He bit his lip and said, "I stabbed him, he couldn't get up, so he could only release his dog."

Bai Jiu's brows furrowed as he remembered something, his fingertips tracing patterns on Xin Yi's back. After a long moment, Xin Yi's voice suddenly trembled, almost with a whimper, saying, "Stop touching me."

Bai Jiu reached under the soft cushion for his face; it was burning hot. He pinched Xin Yi's chin and pulled it out, saying, "You didn't let dogs bite him when you burned Posa City?"

Xin Yi's face was incredibly red. Because he was so close to Bai Jiu, he could clearly feel the hem of Bai Jiu's clothes on the raised part of his back, and the cool scent enveloped him. He mumbled, "I didn't... have time."

"No matter," Bai Jiu said with a cold sneer that spread across his lips. "He was torn apart by five horses. Even if he's burnt, he can only be fed to dogs."