"Cui Yi, look quickly, what kind of bird is that?"
Mu Xing excitedly pointed at a bird with wings spread high in the sky over the river and exclaimed. Seeing how happy he was, Cui'er felt her mood lift. It seemed Mu Xing had been bored stiff on the island, as he wasn't causing any trouble at all since they came out.
"That's a shoebill stork. They love eating fish, so they like to be active on the river."
Cui'er explained with a smile, and Mu Xing immediately nodded happily.
Just then, a spirited cry echoed from the air. Mu Xing recognized the sound and curved his fingers into a circle, placing them in his mouth to let out a long series of notes. Instantly, a white eagle swooped down from the sky, its broad wings beating, and landed beside Mu Xing.
Upon seeing the white eagle, Cui'er gasped in surprise.
"Mu Xing, why did you bring Xiao Bai with you?"
Mu Xing reached out and flicked the eagle's head. The eagle was taller than him, yet it remained still and docile, allowing him to do as he pleased.
Hearing Cui Yi's words, Mu Xing chuckled dismissively. He took out a golden snake from his person with his left hand and a black scorpion with his right.
"Xiao Jin and Xiao Hei are here too! How could I leave my good friends on the island when I go out to play? Of course, we share fortunes and face difficulties together. That's what friends are for, isn't it?"
Mu Xing finished speaking and looked at the eagle, snake, and scorpion beside him. Cui'er jumped back in alarm, stammering.
She was terrified of those venomous snakes and scorpions, and she also felt that the three creatures were strange, as if they understood what Mu Xing was saying and were nodding in agreement. Was this her nerves playing tricks on her?
"You, put them away, I'm scared."
Cui'er pointed at the items in Mu Xing's hands and spoke with a slight tremble. Mu Xing saw that his aunt's face had turned pale with fear and didn't want to frighten her further. He lowered his head and spoke to the snake and scorpion, "Xiao Jin, Xiao Hei, be good for a while. Auntie is scared of you two, so please hold back."
The golden snake immediately raised its triangular head, its eyes gleaming with a blue light, and met Cui'er's gaze. The scorpion in the little one's hand also raised its claws. Good heavens, Cui'er wished she could faint. What was happening? Would someone tell her?
Seeing that Cui'er was indeed on the verge of fainting, Mu Xing tapped his two friends' heads. The snake and scorpion obediently retracted and hid in the treasure chest behind him.
When the two frightening creatures disappeared, Cui'er's spirits finally recovered a little. She seriously advised Mu Xing.
"When you go out, you absolutely must not take these things out. You'll scare people to death."
"Why? Are people outside all as timid as you, Auntie?"
Mu Xing automatically classified people outside as nothing special, just cowards.
Cui Yi was one such person. Look at the others on the island; they weren't scared at all, only she was so frightened. In fact, Mu Xing didn't know that everyone else was indeed scared, but they were afraid of losing face, so they didn't show it.
"Timid?" Cui'er rolled her eyes. This wasn't a matter of being timid, was it? She squatted down and began to discuss this topic with Mu Xing, her voice occasionally flying into Liu Liu's room.
Dai Mei was sitting on a rectangular soft couch, placing the flower pot in her hand on the table in front of her, a playful smile curving her lips.
"Mu Xing, sometimes he acts like an adult, and sometimes he's so innocent, not understanding many things."
Liu Liu's eyes dimmed. She hadn't taken enough care of her son these past few years; he had been in contact with the old monsters on the island for years, so many of his concepts couldn't be judged by common sense.
For example, he didn't understand why people would be afraid of his good friends Xiao Jin and Xiao Hei. He said they were very well-behaved. For example, he didn't know what "father" was. He had always thought it was a thing, not the person who gave birth to him.
Because no one had ever mentioned it to him since he was young, and there were no other children on the island, he had never paid attention to it. Later, Hua Wuyou mentioned it once, and he had been muttering all day, "What is a father?"
"It's all my fault. I've been busy with island affairs these past few years and haven't taken good care of him. I need to focus more on him in the future," Liu Liu said self-reproachfully. Dai Mei didn't expect her casual remark to touch upon her mistress's sore spot and quickly shook her head.
"How can the楼主 say that? Actually, Mu Xing really likes you, and everyone else likes him too. As for the things he doesn't understand, he can learn them slowly. After all, he's only five years old, and he's intelligent, so his learning ability is very strong. I believe it won't be long before he understands many things."
This was something Liu Liu had learned. Mu Xing's mind was beyond that of ordinary people. As long as he focused, there was nothing he couldn't learn, it was just that he was often unwilling to study hard.
"Yes, we'll take him out with us next time. It's always good for him to see more of the world. When he grows up, the Seven Star Tower will be handed over to him to manage."
Dai Mei was stunned for a moment, not expecting the楼主 to think so far ahead. She felt a bit uneasy. Had the楼主 really given up on the imperial palace?
If Mu Xing one day knew that he was supposed to be a crown prince, would he blame his mother? Or would he abandon the Seven Star Tower and return to the palace?
Thinking of this, Dai Mei turned and looked out at the river through the gauze window. After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"Is the楼主 really not planning to return to the capital? And not planning to tell Mu Xing his true identity?"
Liu Liu's body trembled, and a frosty chill entered her eyes. Why should Mu Xing go back? If it hadn't been for her risky plan back then, he wouldn't even exist in this world. Why go back?
Although the Seven Star Tower couldn't compare to the throne, they lived more freely and happily here.
"Let him get a little older. If he wants to return to the palace, I won't stop him. But I believe Mu Xing won't disappoint me. Don't forget, I am his mother."
Liu Liu said proudly and confidently, glancing at Dai Mei. As expected, she saw the woman looking envious, and she said with a smile, "Since you like children so much, why don't you find someone and have one to play with? Isn't that good?"
"There's no one."
Dai Mei frowned helplessly. She also wanted to find a man and have a child. She heard that Chu Feng was actually going to marry Qing Feng. They had been close partners for so many years. Knowing that he was getting married made her heart feel a bit sour, and she even had the thought of getting married.
But she couldn't find a suitable partner. Over the years, she had dedicated herself to managing the Seven Star Tower and had no time to pay attention to the men around her. She remembered that Jin Shaoyuan had pestered her for a long time at one point, but she didn't have feelings for that man.
"What about Hua Wuyou? Although he's a devil, he's still decent as a person. You don't fear him that much, and most importantly, he's good-looking. The child he conceives will definitely be of high quality."
Liu Liu suggested with amusement, which immediately drew an angry glare from Dai Mei. "He likes you, the楼主, and I hate that family. His eyes and nose are turned up to the sky, as if he's something great, but he's just a devil."
"Look at you, getting so agitated when I mention him."
Liu Liu smiled faintly. Isn't there a saying that misfortune and fortune are inseparable? Although Hua Wuyou had always been bothering her on carefree island, he often clashed with Dai Mei. This couldn't be said to have no meaning.
What if, in the end, emotions arose that they themselves didn't know about? Liu Liu's lips curved into a sly smile. Dai Mei, with her sharp eyes, noticed it and pouted in displeasure.