Chapter 5

“It doesn’t hurt anymore,” Chu Zhaoyou said nonchalantly, but when he saw a trace of blood at the corner of Xiao Heng’s mouth, he suddenly gasped in shock.

Could Xiao Heng have rabies?!

Would he get infected from the bite?

The more Chu Zhaoyou thought about it, the more it seemed possible. Although he hadn’t heard of rabies causing people to become foolish, what if someone was naturally a fool?

Chu Zhaoyou looked around and spotted a small pond. He stood up and grabbed Xiao Heng’s collar, pushing him forward. “Go wash up.”

The wind on the slope was stronger than in the woods, blowing fiercely. Xiao Heng held onto his belt, looking at Chu Zhaoyou blankly, not understanding his meaning.

“Jump in and clean yourself up.”

“Oh.”

Xiao Heng awkwardly undid his belt. It was a complex buckle, not the kind commonly used by ordinary people. It was a special one provided by the regent’s palace, even stronger than Chu Zhaoyou’s dragon robe.

No one in the world could undo the regent’s belt buckle, except for the regent himself. Of course, the regent had forgotten it now and subconsciously looked at Chu Zhaoyou.

“The water is too cold. Let’s not wash up,” Chu Zhaoyou suddenly changed his mind and pulled Xiao Heng back.

Rabies fears wind and water, but Xiao Heng didn’t show any symptoms. It was just his overthinking.

Xiao Heng had no objections to Chu Zhaoyou’s capriciousness, but his gaze remained fixed on Chu Zhaoyou’s shoulder.

It was rare for Xiao Heng to be so insistent about something, and Chu Zhaoyou felt that this was a sign of improvement in his condition. His thoughts were becoming more coherent, so he shamelessly declared, “It doesn’t hurt. I won’t feel any pain, definitely not as much as you. If you’re in pain, you can bite me. If you dare to hit a tree, I won’t want you anymore.”

Xiao Heng’s pupils contracted, and he looked torn. After hesitating for a moment, he suddenly leaped into the air, his black clothes fluttering, and then he somersaulted and descended like an arrow.

*Cough, cough…* Chu Zhaoyou swallowed another mouthful of dust as he watched Xiao Heng flit about. He seemed a bit lost. Was he throwing a tantrum?

Xiao Heng stopped in front of Chu Zhaoyou, holding a handful of powdered leaves. He opened his palm, revealing several jujubes.

The jujube tree was tall, and only a few jujubes remained at the top, most of which had been pecked by birds. They were a mixed bag.

Very sweet.

Chu Zhaoyou casually wiped his clothes and then put a few jujubes in his mouth. He fed several to Xiao Heng, who didn’t seem to want to eat them. He might as well have just stuffed them in his mouth.

“Remember to spit out the pits, like I do,” Chu Zhaoyou instructed.

Xiao Heng silently followed him, doing as he was told, without any objections, except…

Xiao Heng glanced at Chu Zhaoyou, then looked at him again. Feeling a bit more confident, he stammered, “Don’t perform.”

In truth, he had no idea what performing meant, but when he first heard the word from Chu Zhaoyou, he instinctively rejected it. He didn’t have a sense of what should or shouldn’t be said. If he didn’t like something, he would say so, as if he were certain that Chu Zhaoyou would compromise for him.

Remember that? A sweet jujube in exchange for a slap?

“Alright, alright, I won’t perform,” Chu Zhaoyou agreed, feeling that Xiao Heng was being unreasonable, like a mischievous child who wanted to live a carefree life without letting his parents work.

Wait… Where’s my chicken?

Chu Zhaoyou suddenly felt a surge of energy and pushed Xiao Heng away, urgently searching the ground for the roasted chicken. In the wilderness, who had taken it while he was seeking justice?

After searching around, he didn’t find it. Instead, he saw an old man behind a golden ginkgo tree, tearing at the chicken wings.

The old man had white hair and was dirty. Beside him was a small porcelain bottle, from which he occasionally sprinkled something onto the chicken legs, probably a homemade seasoning.

Chu Zhaoyou was almost in tears. He had finally managed to get the chicken back from the kind lady, only to have it taken away again.

The other person was an elderly man in his seventies or eighties, and Chu Zhaoyou couldn’t bring himself to order Xiao Heng to snatch it back. He could do it himself!

“Hey! This is my chicken!” Chu Zhaoyou glared fiercely at the old man, ready to snatch it back. Respecting the elderly was one thing, but he had Xiao Heng with him, and clearly, caring for a fool should take precedence over respecting the elderly.

The old man looked at Chu Zhaoyou leisurely, then blinked and glanced at Xiao Heng, who was silently standing behind Chu Zhaoyou.

“If the person behind you isn’t treated, he’ll become more foolish with each passing day,” the old man said.

Chu Zhaoyou was surprised. “You can tell what’s wrong with him?”

His gaze naturally fell on Xiao Heng, who was obediently following behind him, currently focused on an ant hole in the ginkgo tree.

It was quite foolish.

It wasn’t surprising that it was noticed.

The old man burped. “Let me finish this chicken first.” The chicken was roasted to perfection, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, expertly cooked and seasoned with his secret blend of spices, making it extremely delicious.

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Heng made his move, swiftly snatching the chicken and the seasoning and calmly handing it to Chu Zhaoyou.

He didn’t understand what the two men were saying, but if Chu Zhaoyou wanted the chicken, he had to snatch it back.

The old man was furious. “You young man, you’re bewitched and out of your mind! I’m the only one who can cure him. Give me back the chicken, or I’ll leave.”

With that, he turned and walked away in a huff.

Chu Zhaoyou didn’t move, evaluating the credibility of the old man’s words.

When the old man turned back to gaze lovingly at the chicken, Chu Zhaoyou finally spoke up. “Wait.”

It was just a chicken. Xiao Heng, foolish or not, could catch a hundred of them in one night.

Chu Zhaoyou raised an eyebrow, took two chicken legs, and returned the rest to the old man, keeping the seasoning bottle.

Chu Zhaoyou handed one of the seasoned chicken legs to Xiao Heng and spoke sternly, “Eat!”

Without being stern, Xiao Heng wouldn’t eat.

Losing two chicken legs at once made the old man’s beard tremble with anger.

Chu Zhaoyou patiently waited for the old man to finish eating. If he couldn’t say anything after eating, he would let Xiao Heng beat him up.

“Are you a boy or a girl?” the old man asked after wiping his mouth, a question that made Chu Zhaoyou want to hit him.

“If you can’t tell that, how can we expect you to cure anything?” Chu Zhaoyou stared at him expressionlessly.

“Ah, I couldn’t see clearly when you were rolling around and biting each other just now,” the old man said.

Chu Zhaoyou choked. This old man’s description was completely off. The scene just now was clearly much more straightforward.