Little Pink Starfish

The Difference Between 3% and 1%

Neither Jing Mo nor Xiao Wei spared a glance at Tian Xingzi, who had once again been knocked unconscious by Yu Xiaoxiao. This so-called number-one sorcerer under the heavens—at this moment, to both Jing Mo and Xiao Wei—was nothing but a complete letdown.

Yu Xiaoxiao looked out the window. The drizzling rain from earlier had already stopped. “Shall we set out?” she asked Jing Mo.

Jing Mo stepped up beside her and also looked out. A crescent moon peeked out from behind the thick clouds—just a sliver of silver among the dark sky. Seeing the moon break through the clouds, Jing Mo took it as a good omen.

Yu Xiaoxiao called Xiao Wei over. “Xiao Wei, look, the moon’s out.”

Xiao Wei came to her side and took a glance outside. His brows furrowed. With the moon up, it wasn’t a pitch-black night anymore, and that was definitely not favorable for their upcoming mission to commit arson and murder at the National Guardian Temple.

“Be careful,” Jing Mo said softly to Yu Xiaoxiao. “With the moonlight, you must be extra cautious when entering the temple. Do not, under any circumstances, alert Mo Wen or his people.”

How strong could human combat ability be in this world anyway? Yu Xiaoxiao didn’t think much of it in her heart, but she still replied with a nod, “Got it. You be careful too.”

“Alright,” Jing Mo replied with a smile.

Yu Xiaoxiao looked at Jing Mo’s face and said seriously, “That’s the way you should smile. Forcing a fake smile all the time is exhausting.” That damn dog-man had told her more than once that faking a smile was exhausting—you had to engage over thirty facial muscles to do it. Over thirty muscles! Like her instructor, Yu Xiaoxiao firmly believed that was a very tiring thing.

Jing Mo raised an eyebrow. “The princess can tell?”

“Of course,” Yu Xiaoxiao said. “You just have to look at the eyes.”

Instinctively, Jing Mo raised a hand and touched his eyes.

Yu Xiaoxiao turned to Xiao Wei. “You too. Don’t try to pretend in front of women. Know why?”

Xiao Wei shook his head. Why?

“There’s a 3% DNA difference between men and women,” Yu Xiaoxiao began seriously, “but only a 1% difference between humans and gorillas. So when you try your little tricks in front of women—hmpf—women look at you the same way they’d look at monkeys.”

Jing Mo and Xiao Wei glanced at each other. Was the princess calling them monkeys? But that first part—was she even speaking human language? They couldn’t understand a word of it!

“I’m saying this for your own good,” Yu Xiaoxiao continued. Compared to Jing Mo, who was a natural-born flirt, she was more worried about Xiao Wei. There were so many girls in the Gu household, yet he hadn’t managed to pick up a single one. “Xiao Wei, I’m telling you, picking up girls is a technical skill. You need to—”

“Princess, princess,” Xiao Wei cut her off. “Let’s head out now. If we’re late and Wuhuan can’t wait, what then?” Matches were made by parents and matchmakers—who goes out looking for a wife themselves? He truly didn’t understand what went on in his princess’s head. Was it that Nanny Wang didn’t teach her properly? Thinking of Nanny Wang, Xiao Wei shivered.

“Think about Xiongxiong,” Yu Xiaoxiao whispered to him. That bandit boss had managed to turn his life around—wasn’t that inspirational?

Xiao Wei opened his mouth but had nothing to say. What was so great about that idiot? Sure, the girl from the Li family had been rescued from the palace, but would her family agree to let her marry a pirate? Think about General Li back in the capital—Xiao Wei gave a cold laugh. He was waiting to see that pirate skinned alive by the general.

Jing Mo gave the order for his men to carry the unconscious Tian Xingzi, then turned to Yu Xiaoxiao and asked, “Princess?”

“Let’s go!” Yu Xiaoxiao was the first to stride out the door. Compared to the unease that lingered in Jing Mo and Xiao Wei’s hearts, she felt zero pressure. No matter how tough Mo Wen was, could he really be harder to deal with than a zombie?

Their group departed from the Proud Wine Manor. Jing Mo led the way with Tian Xingzi, while Yu Xiaoxiao and Xiao Wei, both clad in fitted nightwear, flitted silently across rooftops and eaves, racing toward the National Guardian Temple.

At that time, Gu Xinglang was seated in a side hall of the Dali Temple. Across from him sat the Assistant Minister of the temple, who cleared his throat and looked at Gu Xinglang with a troubled expression. “Prince Consort, the Gu Zhuang you mentioned was captured by the Prime Minister from within the palace and sent to our temple. Now, without any interrogation, you want to take him away—that’s not procedure.”

Gu Xinglang glanced at the Assistant Minister. “Then according to Lord Guan, what should I do? Go to the Zhao residence and ask the Prime Minister to release him?”

As a fourth-rank official and deputy to the Minister of the Dali Temple, this Assistant Minister had no strong family background and wasn’t part of Zhao Qiuming’s faction. Officials like him were always cautious, most afraid of getting dragged into political strife. He didn’t want to offend Zhao Qiuming or Gu Xinglang. Right now, all he wanted was to wash his hands of this mess. As long as it didn’t go through him, he’d be happy.

“Prince Consort,” the Assistant Minister said after thinking it over, “why don’t you return tomorrow morning? I’ve heard my superior’s injuries aren’t too serious. You could ask him directly for the man then.” In truth, the Assistant Minister had no idea how badly the Minister was hurt. But tomorrow wasn’t his shift—no matter who Gu Xinglang argued with then, it wouldn’t be his problem.

When dealing with outsiders, Gu Xinglang always had a cold, frosty demeanor. Hearing the Assistant Minister’s evasive response, his voice turned even colder. “Your superior is severely injured. Lord Guan, I think it’s best you hand him over to me now.”

The Assistant Minister felt a headache coming on. Why did this mess have to land in his lap?

“Gu Zhuang is the princess’s bodyguard and used to be one of the emperor’s secret guards,” Gu Xinglang said icily. “He entered the palace with the princess and was mistakenly arrested by the Prime Minister. Lord Guan, I think I’ve made myself very clear.”

“Prince Consort…”

“Prime Minister Zhao’s third daughter attempted to assassinate the junior master of Yongsheng Temple,” Gu Xinglang said bluntly.

“I’ve heard about that,” the Assistant Minister replied, expression darkening.

“You were transferred from a regional post to the capital,” Gu Xinglang lowered his voice. “I may be a military man, but I understand a bit about politics. Trying to stay neutral in the capital? Lord Guan, let me tell you—that’s impossible.”

The Assistant Minister was left breathless, his chest aching with frustration. How could these privileged aristocrats understand how hard it was for those from humble backgrounds to climb the ranks? Picking a side wasn’t as easy as they thought. Even if you picked the right one, when something went wrong, weren’t people like him always the scapegoat?

“Do you want me to return to the palace and request an imperial decree?” Gu Xinglang asked, growing more and more impatient. His mind was full of thoughts about his wife, who was likely setting fires and stealing medicine at the temple right now. Was this guy really going to force him to order the guards outside to seize the prisoner by force?