Chapter 4

Jingze wiped the sweat from his forehead as he cautiously asked, “Prince, this…?”

The Prince was frowning in deep thought.

Jingze grew increasingly anxious.

He couldn’t fathom why this illustrious Prince had suddenly visited his small shop that had only been open for a month.

Could the unconscious man lying on the floor be someone important?

But something didn’t add up. No matter how he looked at it, this Mr. Chen appeared to be just an ordinary human…

Moreover, the people of Lake Mist Realm had only arrived in the human world a month ago. How could this ordinary human have managed to incur the wrath of their noble and unattainable Prince in such a short time?

As Jingze pondered, the Prince extended his hand, and a cluster of fireflies immediately enveloped Mr. Chen’s injured right hand.

The golden glow of the fireflies brightened, completely encasing Mr. Chen’s hand without leaving a single gap.

After about half a minute, the fireflies gradually dimmed and dispersed, revealing Mr. Chen’s hand once more.

The spiritual master standing behind Jingze, who suffered from high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol, let out a startled hiccup.

Mr. Chen’s right hand… was tied in a knot.

Literally, tied in a knot.

The palm and the back of the hand were on the same plane, with all five fingers twisted 280 degrees.

…It seemed the Prince truly despised this Mr. Chen to devise such a uniquely torturous method.

Having never met the Prince in his entire life until now, Jingze wasn’t about to miss any opportunity to flatter him.

He immediately put on an awestruck expression and enthusiastically praised, “The Prince is truly extraordinary! Even his methods of torment are so refreshingly unique and unparalleled! Absolutely brilliant, simply brilliant!”

The Prince turned his head expressionlessly. “Healing.”

Jingze: “…Huh?”

The Prince’s voice was icy. “I was just trying to straighten his hand.”

He had only slightly misjudged the direction and applied a tad too much force, that was all.

Jingze: “…”

He… healing?

He had almost forgotten—this man was jokingly called the God of Destruction by the doll spirits.

How could the God of Destruction possibly be skilled in healing magic?

Blinking cautiously, Jingze said, “Such a trivial matter as healing can be left to me, Prince. Why don’t you… take a rest?”

The Prince sighed wearily, waving his hand as he sat down on a nearby chair. “Just patch him up. No need for a full recovery—just make it look like an injury caused by a human.”

“As you wish, Prince.”

“Prince, it’s done,” Jingze said respectfully as he stepped forward. “As per your instructions, this gentleman now only has a minor fracture. A cast at the hospital and some rest will ensure a full recovery.”

“He still needs to go to the hospital?” The Prince frowned slightly. “How troublesome.”

“If the Prince finds it troublesome, perhaps I could take him to the hospital instead. You can rest here.”

“Forget it.” The Prince stood up, walked over to Chen Feng, and lifted him into the air with telekinesis before cradling him in his arms.

“Just lead the way,” the Prince muttered, glancing down at Chen Feng in his arms with a frown. “So heavy.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Feng, who had been lying in his arms just a moment ago—a man over six feet tall—shrank to the size of a keychain.

The prince was about to tuck him into his pocket when, seeing Chen Feng reduced to such a tiny size, a playful impulse overtook him.

Pressing his thumb against Chen Feng’s feet and his index finger against his head, he gave a light squeeze, as if playing with a doll.

Chen Feng’s entire body bent backward.

Jingze’s heart nearly leaped out of his chest. Trembling, he cautiously reminded, “Y-Your Highness, this… this human’s body isn’t… isn’t elastic. You can’t play with him like this…”

The prince’s smile instantly froze.

He glanced at Jingze with an arrogant expression. “Play? Which of your eyes saw me playing?”

Cold sweat broke out on Jingze’s forehead. He lowered his head and stammered nervously, “N-no, this humble servant didn’t see Your Highness playing. Your Highness was… was merely examining his injuries…”

The prince looked at Chen Feng, who was sweating from pain even in his unconscious state, and guiltily pursed his lips before placing him in his pocket. “Let’s go. Lead the way.”

When Chen Feng opened his eyes, he found himself back in the hospital.

His right hand didn’t hurt as much anymore, though it felt heavy. Glancing down, he saw it was encased in a cast.

The ward wasn’t quiet—there was a clamor of voices.

“…Hah, stop pretending. I’ve already sensed your aura—it’s not human!”

A clear, familiar voice rang out.

It was that little chuunibyou from yesterday who had barged into his room.

The spiritual master’s face darkened, his voice low and icy. “What did you say?”

“Exposed, aren’t you? Nothing escapes the Magic Eye of the Black Wing Clan…”

“Black Wing Clan? No, you’re not from our realm.”

“We’ve always thrived in the shadows, unknown to anyone—naturally, weaklings like you wouldn’t know of us!”

“Hah, weaklings? Do you even know who I am?”

The spiritual master, who had just broken Chen Feng’s hand, now wore a dangerous expression. He and the self-proclaimed “Sole King of the Black Wing Clan” locked eyes, neither backing down.

Chen Feng: “…”

What was happening?

A big chuunibyou meeting a little chuunibyou?

Chen Feng coughed lightly.

The spiritual master’s expression shifted slightly. He glared fiercely at the boy and growled, “While I still have patience, get lost. Don’t come near him again.”

The boy flinched under the spiritual master’s glare but quickly mustered his courage, lifting his chin with a look of disdain. “Fine, I’ll go. If it weren’t for my mom calling me to take my meds, I wouldn’t let you off so easily!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the spiritual master’s expression turned terrifying. The boy immediately shut his mouth and bolted.

After the boy left, the spiritual master turned to Chen Feng, his face cold. “What did you hear just now?”

Tch, feeling embarrassed now?

Then again, this was the first time Chen Feng had met someone who was still a chuunibyou at this age.

Well, might as well save him some face.

Chen Feng blinked blankly. “Hear what? I just woke up.”

The spiritual master—that is, the prince—scrutinized Chen Feng suspiciously. Finding no abnormality in his expression, his demeanor softened slightly. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the memory-erasing worms he had just summoned.

Chen Feng seemed fine for now. The only thing left was…

The Prince looked up just in time to see the boy who had claimed to be from the Black Wing Clan earlier, now holding hands with two adult humans as they passed by the window.  

The Prince’s eyes darkened as he stood up and walked out of the hospital room.  

Jingze had been waiting for a long time. Seeing the Prince emerge, he hastily bowed in greeting.  

The Prince said, “There are still some matters I need to attend to. Place someone by Chen Feng’s side.”  

Jingze was taken aback. “I thought Your Highness wanted to personally monitor him—”  

The Prince turned, his voice icy. “You talk too much.”  

“Th-this subordinate knows his offense! Spare me, Your Highness!”  

The Prince glanced once more at Chen Feng lying on the hospital bed before stepping away.  

Personal surveillance? Did they expect him to dress up as a spiritual master again and let Chen Feng pick him?! After being rejected once, he had nearly crushed Chen Feng to death. If he were rejected again, he couldn’t guarantee he’d remain calm enough to leave Chen Feng’s body intact.  

Chen Feng stared at his cast for a while. Just as he was about to call for the doctor to ask about his condition, the door swung open.  

Master Jingze entered, leading a group of spiritual masters.  

Jingze approached Chen Feng with an apologetic tone. “Mr. Chen, we deeply regret what happened. The Spirit Dispelling House will cover all your medical expenses. Moreover, as a gesture of our apology, I’ve brought our finest spiritual masters today. Feel free to choose—they will serve you free of charge for one month.”  

Chen Feng thought of the spiritual master who had broken his hand and tentatively asked, “Is… that one also among the free-service spiritual masters?”  

“Of course not,” Master Jingze replied with flattery. “That one is our Grand Spiritual Master. Normally, he doesn’t take on such assignments. Today, he only came out of respect, seeing that you were fated. Yet you showed no appreciation. Our Grand Spiritual Master is extremely busy and has already left to attend to official matters. I’m afraid you two are simply not meant to be.”  

Chen Feng breathed a sigh of relief, though he couldn’t shake a strange sense of emptiness.  

Since they were offering free service for a month, Chen Feng carefully examined the spiritual masters and eventually chose a young one with a particularly kind smile.  

This spiritual master was thinner than the others and had such an unremarkable face that one would forget it instantly.  

The plain-faced spiritual master grinned. “Mr. Chen, my name is Wang He. I look forward to working with you!”  

Chen Feng extended his uninjured left hand. “Just call me Chen Feng.”  

After Master Jingze led the remaining spiritual masters away, Chen Feng, with his arm in a cast, went with Wang He to pick up his child from kindergarten.  

It was then that Chen Feng realized Wang He was quite the talker—so much so that he bordered on being a chatterbox.  

Within half an hour, he had even managed to ask about the brand of soap Chen Feng had slipped on a month ago, which had caused his memory loss.  

Of course, Chen Feng didn’t remember the brand, but based on the other soaps at home, he guessed it was probably Diao.  

Still, Chen Feng was a man with normal self-respect, so he deliberately avoided mentioning his wife’s affair.  

After all, his wife’s infidelity and his belief that he had encountered supernatural phenomena weren’t necessarily connected… right?  

“So, Brother Chen… Can I call you Brother Chen?”  

Yes, this bald, broad-faced man who looked nearly forty was actually only twenty-five—two months and five days younger than Chen Feng.  

“Sure,” Chen Feng nodded.

“So, Brother Chen, you haven’t actually seen anything directly, just had some strange dreams that keep triggering odd fantasies, right?” Wang He scratched his head.

Chen Feng: “That’s correct.”

Wang He lowered his head, diligently taking notes while asking, “Have you experienced any major setbacks or embarrassing incidents recently? For instance, any marital discord? Or significant changes in your family relationships?”

Chen Feng: “…”

Chen Feng smiled faintly: “No. Although my wife left me, I completely understand her decision, so it wasn’t a blow at all.”

“What about your relationship with your child…”

“We get along very well. Our father-son bond is quite harmonious.”

Wang He frowned in frustration, muttering something as he scribbled in his notebook.

By the time their conversation ended, they had reached the kindergarten classroom door.

Inside, Chen Jiuxing spotted Chen Feng immediately. Calling out “Daddy!”, he ran over hand-in-hand with Wang Shimei.

Wang He glanced at the children and smiled. “Mr. Chen, you’re truly blessed—a son and daughter! These twins look so alike!”

Chen Feng: “…”

Wang He scratched his head thoughtfully. “Wait, that’s not right… I believe you mentioned you only had one son…”

“My beautiful daughter’s out of school! Oh, Jiuxing’s here too. Jiuxing, goodbye!” Their neighbor Wang Baqiang suddenly appeared from nowhere, scooping up Wang Shimei while greeting Chen Jiuxing first.

Holding Chen Feng’s hand, Chen Jiuxing bowed to Wang Baqiang. “Goodbye, Daddy Wang! My daddy came to pick me up too!”

Wang Baqiang’s face fell, never expecting the title he’d secretly taught Chen Jiuxing would be exposed so bluntly. Flustered, he explained to Chen Feng, “Old Chen, don’t take it to heart. Kids are young and don’t know better—just babbling nonsense.”

Chen Feng’s face darkened as he picked up Chen Jiuxing.

After studying the faces of Wang Baqiang, Chen Jiuxing, and Wang Shimei, Wang He instantly understood.

He sighed heavily and patted Chen Feng’s shoulder.

“Brother Chen, tonight I’ll risk my life drinking with you—until we puke!”

But Wang He never got to drink with Chen Feng.

As soon as he left the convenience store below Chen Feng’s apartment with alcohol in hand, the Prince appeared before him.

Before he could admire the Prince’s divine grace under moonlight, His Highness transformed into Wang He’s likeness.

Before he could lament how unattractive he looked, the Prince took the bag of Erguotou liquor from him and headed toward Chen Feng’s home.

Wang He found himself forcibly reverted to his true form—a tiny, glossy black cricket.

Knowing his place, he bowed to the Prince’s retreating figure before chirping “cricket-cricket” and hopping into the grass.

Just as he landed on a fresh, juicy blade, something suddenly occurred to him, making him turn back.

Wait… Has His Highness ever actually drunk alcohol before?

No, no—does the Prince even know… what alcohol is?

The Lake Mist Realm has no liquor.

Wang He shook his head:

Why worry about His Highness? The Prince is the most powerful, perfect, and noble being in all of Lake Mist Realm—how could something as insignificant as alcohol possibly trouble him?!