After confirming his initial goal of making money through games, Pei Yi immediately began to write out the detailed plans and initial operation models of two small games.

Because he had preparatory experience in the real world, it went well.

In the blink of an eye, they were adequately prepared.

Pei Yi opened the largest game sales and exchange platform in China – Youtu.

This website had the oldest qualifications in the Chinese game circle. Behind every seemingly ordinary account may be a master of game production or even the first party of a game company.

Youtu’s copyright measures were very strict. Backstage support would accurately determine the time of each piece of information submitted by users in order to avoid possible copyright disputes, but one should always be on guard against others who might harm them.

After all, if a game was really stolen and copyright disputes arose, it would be inconvenient for Pei Yi to come forward and resolve it due to his current situation. So he only put out the ‘tip of the iceberg’ of the game at hand, and patiently waited for a customer with discerning eyes to come to the door.

After completing the upload and backup of various data and materials, Pei Yi got up and stretched. “Inspector?”

“Meow-wu~”

Inspector crawled out of the cat nest and stretched its body. It slowly approached its owner, and when it saw the right moment, it charged over and jumped up.

Pei Yi quickly caught it. “Be careful not to fall.”

Don’t look at Inspector’s round little head, its jumping ability and bravery were surprisingly strong. It was still pulling at his trouser legs when he first picked it up, but in just a few days, it dared to jump around.

Inspector grabbed Pei Yi’s hand, and its voice still had a trace of milky coquettishness. “Meow-wu~”

The sun was hiding in the clouds today, and it was not hot, but very comfortable.

Pei Yi glanced at the garden downstairs and rubbed Inspector’s little head. “Let’s go, I’ll take you to the courtyard to play for a while. Don’t stay in the room with me all day.”

With that said, he opened the locked door.

Inspector quickly jumped out of Pei Yi’s arms in excitement, not afraid at all, running a few steps before turning around to urge, “Meow~ meow-wu~”

Truly a detective.

It liked to rush ahead to find the way.

Pei Yi suddenly felt that its name was very appropriate. He smiled and glanced toward Bo Yueming’s bedroom from the corner of his eye, then slowly followed  Inspector to the first floor.

. . . . . .

Although the area of the Bo family manor was large, Pei Yi didn’t go anywhere else casually. He sat on the small foreign stool in the garden, watching Inspector roll around in the grass and bushes.

The wind was gentle and the sunshine was warm, and the trees cast shade. It was very comfortable.

Pei Yi was just letting his mind wander when suddenly, a light sneer sounded out.

“Hehe, isn’t this the famous fool? You’re really ‘married’ to our Bo family, ah?”

“…….”

This visitor was no good.

This idea popped into Pei Yi’s mind, and he quickly cast his gaze over with a hint of scrutiny—

The person who came was wearing an exaggerated and dazzling garment. He looked young but not outstanding, and his long, narrow eyes sized him up viciously. “Pei Yi, what kind of look is that, ah? Don’t you remember me?”

Pei Yi remembered the original owner’s identity, and slightly restrained the vigilance in his eyes.

Thinking he was afraid, the other party kicked open the fence door arrogantly and swaggered into the villa’s private garden. “I accompanied my mother to a foreign country some time ago and didn’t catch up with the excitement at home.”

While he was speaking, Pei Yi already realized the identity of this visitor—

Bo Yueming’s half-brother, and the real ‘little young master’ of the Bo family, Bo Wang.

Back then, Bo Lihong casually abandoned his foreign lover, turned his head and returned to China, and developed a love affair with the daughter of the Chen group. After a year of dating, the two married smoothly at the urging of their elders and then gave birth to a pair of twin siblings.

According to the description in the original book, Bo Wang, as the little young master of the Bo family, very much took after his father, Bo Lihong, who always got what he wanted. He had been pampered lawlessly since he was a child and usually couldn’t wait to engrave the word “arrogant” onto his forehead.

Toward his nominal brother Bo Yueming, he didn’t have a shred of respect for him, and liked to fight against him in all things.

After Bo Yueming’s eye accident, he was the only one in the family who wrote the word “happy” on his face. Hearing that the other party had married a fool, he hurried to witness the joke as soon as he returned.

“Long time, no see, old classmate. I didn’t expect we would become family now. Let me think, what shall I call you?”

Bo Wang walked up to Pei Yi, his words full of ridicule. “Is it Sister-in-law? Or should I call you ‘fool’ like in school?”

Hearing these words, Pei Yi suddenly remembered one more thing—

The wealthy families in the Imperial city were in a circle, not to mention the young masters and young daughters who were around the same age. Before the age of ten, the original owner and Bo Wang in front of him were classmates.

Once, in a school competition, the original owner outperformed Bo Wang. 

Bo Wang, who was used to having the world revolve around him, took it amiss, and from time to time would lead his peers to verbally ‘suppress’ the original owner.

Later, when the original owner briefly returned to school after the drowning accident, Bo Wang took the lead in calling him a ‘fool’ more and more. 

At a very young age, he engaged in schoolyard bullying.

The continuous verbal stimulation worsened the original owner’s condition, and there was no hope of improvement, so he could only learn a little through a tutor.

“……”

Pei Yi thought of this and drew back in disgust.

Not to mention that Bo Yueming and Uncle Kai had a ‘don’t stir up trouble’ rule, as far as he himself was concerned, he didn’t want to get into trouble with this sort of unreasonable young master at all.

This step back fell into Bo Wang’s eyes, and immediately provoked a deep dissatisfaction. “What are you moving back for? I’m talking to you!”

“Tsk, it’s been over ten years, why haven’t you made any progress?”

Bo Wang stepped forward and placed an arm around Pei Yi’s shoulder, squeezing hard as if in demonstration. “Are you so stupid that you can’t speak, or won’t you?”

Pei Yi hated strangers taking liberties the most, not to mention a person like Bo Wang, who had bullied the original owner himself.

He didn’t talk nonsense with the other party, and while no one was around, he grabbed the filthy hand on his shoulder, turned around, and used the same strength to clamp down—

“Hiss, ah!”

Bo Wang’s cry of pain sounded automatically, and in the next second, was interrupted by Bo Yueming’s deep voice. “Bo Wang, what are you doing here?”

Pei Yi was startled when he heard this question from behind.

He quickly released his restraint on Bo Wang and donned a harmless expression, turning to look—

Who knew when Bo Yueming received the news, but he quietly appeared at the side door of the villa’s courtyard. At the same time, Inspector, who hadn’t been seen up until now, also came out from under his feet.

“Meow-wu~”

Bo Yueming lowered his head, then turned his gaze outward again.

He was originally staying in the study on the first floor and speaking with his assistant on the phone, when he suddenly heard Inspector cry out sharply and bite at his trouser leg while pulling it.

Realizing that something was wrong, Bo Yueming even forgot his guide cane and followed Inspector’s cries all the way outside. When he got to the door, he gradually heard Bo Wang’s incongruous remarks.

There was a grayness in his vision, and Bo Yueming couldn’t be sure of the current situation. He squinted his eyes, trying to find Pei Yi’s location. “Pei Yi? What happened with you? Come over.”

Bo Yueming was well aware of Bo Wang’s bad temper. Pei Yi may not have a chance of winning against this person.

Pei Yi slipped away, dashed to Bo Yueming’s side, and whispered aggrievedly, “He’s not good. Yes, yes, he bullied me!”

“…….”

Bo Wang staggered two steps unsteadily, his twisted wrist still in pain, and didn’t expect Pei Yi’s clever little good boy remark.

Fuck!

A fool couldn’t speak reasonably, this wave of face-changing was faster than flipping the page of a book!

Bo Wang tugged at the neckline of his extravagant clothes and immediately grew angry, walking up to Pei Yi in a few steps. “What did you say?”

Inspector seemed to have sensed the visitor’s malice. Fluffing up its fur, it issued a warning, “Meow-wu!”

Pei Yi was afraid it would become stressed, so he quickly picked it up to comfort it. When he got up, his arm inadvertently brushed against Bo Yueming.

Bo Yueming’s eyes shifted slightly, and he reached out to search for a second or two before rubbing Inspector’s head, not certain who he was trying to comfort. “I’m here, don’t be afraid.”

“Heh.”

Seeing the scene in front of him, Bo Wang made a noise of disdain. “Bo’er, don’t act like I bullied them.”

They were clearly half-brothers, but he was so stingy that he didn’t even say “brother.” On the contrary, he called out an impudent “Bo’er,” and thoroughly put the relationship difference on the table.

Bo Yueming withdrew his hand, and his tone was neutral. “You’ve been abroad for over a month, why did you come to me when you returned?”

“I didn’t do anything, I just said a few words and your marriage partner went crazy on me.”

Bo Wang rubbed his aching wrist, his anger undiminished. “Bo’er, don’t blame me for not warning you, this lunatic hasn’t been sick for only a year or two. You’d better keep him locked up, lest he go out and act crazy and lose face for you!”

Pei Yi lowered his eyes, hiding the coldness in the depths of his pupils. In the end, who was the mad dog biting people in private?

“Bo Wang, you don’t need to concern yourself with the people and things in my house.”  Bo Yueming instinctively took half a step forward, his words somewhat protective.

Bo Wang wasn’t afraid of his warning at all. “You’re protecting him?”

He had just come here for a joke this time.

How could he leave without seeing Bo Yueming’s angry expression?

Bo Wang stood where he was. His gaze shifted from Bo Yueming to Pei Yi, and then fell on Inspector’s variegated pupils. “Bo’er, are you raising this black cat? You’ve raised it well, ah.”

As he spoke, he reached out and tried to touch Inspector.

Pei Yi retreated to the side and commented solemnly, “Your hands are dirty.”

“……”

The shunned Bo Wang ground his molars, and forcefully continued his rhetoric, “I hear that the reason why cats have different colored eyes is because they have congenital eye problems?”

“Isn’t this a coincidence?” He pointed to Bo Yueming with a single finger and identified him emphatically, “A blind man.”

In a few words, the ridicule rushed at his face.

Bo Yueming’s expression sank, and a storm that could devour people brewed deep in his eyes.

But Bo Wang was still trying to die, and pointed at Pei Yi and Inspector, “Matched with a fool and a sick cat. Tsk, tsk, isn’t this the best match?”

As soon as these words fell, Inspector suddenly went crazy in Pei Yi’s arms. “Meow-wu!”

It showed its claws at once, and leaped fiercely at Bo Wang’s open neckline to scratch. It made a deep, rough growling sound when it landed, full of wildness, and then ran back to the house in an instant.

“Ah!—”

The burning pain seemed to spread, and Bo Wang held the long blood stain on his chest in disbelief. His face turned from red to green, and the anger rushed straight to his head. “That dead cat!”

Pei Yi saw Bo Wang’s killing intent toward Inspector, so he pretended to be stupid and stopped him before he could enter the house. “You’re not allowed to bully Inspector, it’s a good cat!”

Bo Wang gritted his teeth. “Good cat?”

Certainly.

Pei Yi nodded, and with apparent innocence, dropped a sentence that could choke this person to death—

“En, good cats catch stinky rats~”

---

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Chapter Eight <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Ten

Yan Mingting returned to the mansion first, took the Chisha Sword, and went to the ancestral hall to burn incense for his father before going out with the sword.

When he rushed to the other palace without stopping, He Cuizhang and the others were no longer there. Only a group of flustered servants remained.

He found one of them and asked: “Where is Zhao Xu?”

“He, he fled,” the servant said tremblingly. “Just now, a group of men in black suddenly appeared and fought with a group of soldiers, and then secretly took him away.”

Yan Mingting searched around again. If he fought He Cuizhang and the others, there would definitely be some casualties. In the end, he found some scattered corpses on the way down the mountain.

He tore the mask off a corpse. The costume and headgear were obviously from Nanjiang, and his face was already turning black, likely because he had poisoned himself.

At this time, a flare lit up in the sky. This was their signal arrow. He immediately ran in that direction and found He Cuizhang and the others outside the city gate.

“General, those people were using poisoned arrows and gas, and escaped,” He Cuizhang said guiltily.

“Which way did they go?”

“They were very clever, and scattered in all directions. I have sent people to chase them separately, but there are not enough people and I fear their tricks,” He Cuizhang said.

“You go back and send more people to chase after them, I’m afraid something big is going to happen.” After Yan Mingting gave orders in a heavy voice, he followed the main road to Nanjiang until dawn. Seeing neither the fleeing group nor hearing from the other teams, he returned.

Morning court had already started, so Yan Mingting walked directly into the main hall, reported the previous night’s situation, and said: “The Nanjiang people took away our prince without fear, either because of internal problems, or because the entirety of Najiang has the intention to rebel.”

The officials were in an uproar. They didn’t expect that the King of Nanjiang would dare to do such a rebellious thing not long after he left Beijing. They were also surprised that the useless prince still found a chance to escape. The goal was very clear – most likely, he was coming for the throne.

Zhao Xuan said: “General Yan did not return last night, so I have already sent someone to spread the order to search all the strongholds. This person must be brought to justice. There are people arranged by us in Nanjiang, and if there is any change, we will definitely be informed.”

Not only that, but Zhao Xuan also mentioned the cause of the old General Yan’s death. The officials were indignant, and asked Yan Mingting for details. 

Now that the murderer had been identified, Yan Mingting explained everything in detail. In any case, he would kill Zhao Xu with his own hands sooner or later, so as to save the Imperial Censor time impeaching him for the great crime of disrespecting the royal family.

After learning that the death of the old general was related to Nanjiang, some people who had attended the banquet began to recall the details.

Li Jinyu suddenly said: “Speaking of which, I remember one thing. When Nanjaing showed us Gu poison, I inadvertently saw the former prince and the Eighth Princess of Nanjiang exchanging poison in the corner. It’s just that everyone was making exchanges at that time, so I didn’t think much about it.”

“Was the poison colorless and odorless?” Yan Mingting asked.

“It seemed to be so.”

“It appears that the matter has become clear. The former Crown Prince and the Eighth Princess knew each other in the early years, and secretly communicated with each other. They covertly gave and received poison, and poisoned General Yan, who was serving the country and the people, committing a heinous crime. Forthwith, the fugitive Zhao Xu will be hunted down across the nation.”

After court was dismissed, Yang Mingting followed Zhao Xuan to the side hall, where Zhao Yelan was.

As soon as he walked to the door, he saw Zhao Yelan seated on a chair, dozing off with one hand on his forehead and a city defense map on his lap.

“Mengting.” Yan Mingting walked in quickly.

Hearing this voice, Zhao Yelan opened his eyes, and his voice was hoarse when he spoke: “You’re back? Have they been found?”

“They got away,” Yan Mingting said, removing his cloak and putting it on him. “You’ve been waiting a long time, let’s go home first.”

“En.” Zhao Yelan stood up, pounded his legs, and followed him to leave.

“Go back and have a good rest. I will let you know if something happens,” Zhao Xuan said.

After returning to the General’s Mansion, Yan Mingting brought him back to their room and asked: “You’ve been in the side hall since last night?”

“En, didn’t you tell me not to run around?” Zhao Yelan said.

“I didn’t expect them to get away so smoothly, so I was delayed until now.” Yan Mingting removed his outer layers and tucked him under the blanket. “Sleep for a while, I will wake you up later.”

“Aren’t you going to sleep?”

“I won’t sleep.” Yan Mingting shook his head. He held his hand and remained quiet for a while, then, a little choked up with emotion, he said: “Mengting, I can’t sleep. I can’t sleep when I think that my father’s murderer and enemy escaped right out from under my nose.”

Zhao Yelan touched his cheek: “You will definitely catch him with your own hands.”

Nodding, Yan Mingting turned around and went to the study. He took out a detailed map of the Xuan Dynasty and a border map, comparing the routes repeatedly and trying to block all possible escape routes.

He Cuizhang and the others also came and awaited his orders.

After the group of people discussed the tracking route, they heard footsteps outside, and Zhao Yelan appeared in the doorway: “You said they fled without a trace?”

“Why are you up?” Yan Mingting walked to the door and replied: “We chased them all night without finding any trace.”

“Perhaps Zhao Xu didn’t escape from the capital at all?” Zhao Yelan said.

“I also thought of this possibility. I arranged for people to investigate in Beijing, but I haven’t heard anything yet,” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan nodded: “Don’t miss a single corner. He is probably hiding in the capital and waiting for an opportunity.”

“En, a meticulous search has been launched.” Yan Mingting coaxed him to sleep again.

After three days and three nights of searching, no sign of Zhao Xu was found in the capital, and there was no news from other routes. Zhao Xu seemed to have evaporated from the world, and the trail became a mystery.

The palace finally received some news involving a secret report from Nanjiang that a coup had taken place within the Nanjiang royal family.

After the King of Nanjiang returned this year, he was put under house arrest jointly by the Eighth Princess and her elder brother, the Second Prince. Simultaneously, the eldest prince was executed. Just five days ago, the Second Prince ascended the throne as King of Nanjiang, and the reason was to emulate Zhao Xuan in seizing the throne. He also spoke wildly about expanding the territory and no longer bowing their heads to the Xuan Dynasty, and was actively persuading the subjects in Nanjiang to attack the Xuan Dynasty.

“Absurd!” Zhao Xuan was so angry that he threw the note in the hall. “The new King of Nanjiang is raising such a clamor. What do you think?”

The officials were furious, and the voices of the pro-war faction were the loudest. Today was different from the past. The soldiers had been back in Beijing for a year and had recharged their energy. They had sufficient combat power and enough strength to deal with the new King of Nanjiang.

Yang Mingting even took the initiative to volunteer to lead the army out in person.

Zhao Yelan only learned about this when he returned from the Imperial Academy in the evening, and didn’t say a word during dinner. Yan Mingting picked dishes for him several times, bathed and washed his back in the evening, and told several jokes, but received no response.

Lying down, Yan Mingting hugged him and became extremely quiet.

The two of them kept silent with their eyes open for a long time before Zhao Yelan asked: “When do you set off?”

“Tomorrow.”

“The food, fodder, army, and horses are ready?”

“En.”

Zhao Yelan knew that he couldn’t be stopped. Whether publicly or privately, Yan Mingting should go. He sighed deeply, then got up, lit a candle, and walked out the door.

“Where are you going?” Yan Mingting immediately chased after him.

The two came to the kitchen one after the other. Zhao Yelan rummaged around for a long time, then packed up a lot of steamed buns and handed the bundles over to him.

Yan Mingting didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “We have prepared dried food.”

Zhao Yelan ignored his words completely and kicked open Xiao Gao’s door, causing him to be so frightened that he knelt up directly from the bed. He rubbed his eyes and asked sleepily: “What does My Lord need from me?”

“Where are you hiding all your tanghulu?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Xiao Gao pointed to the drawer under the table.

After opening it, Zhao Yelan confiscated the dozen or so tanghulu inside and stuffed them all into Yan Mingting’s luggage. It could be described as aboveboard robbery.

Xiao Gao was dumbfounded, and Yan Mingting was even more dumbfounded. Then he laughed.

The two of them returned to the room. Zhao Yelan took out his two short knives and small crossbow and arrows, asking: “Do you think these can be used?”

Yan Mingting said with a smile: “You can use these for self-defense.”

Zhao Yelan was a little discouraged. It was unknown what occurred to him, but he went to the cabinet in the corner, fiddled with it furtively for a long time, and then took out a box and set it in front of him: “Take this, ba.”

“What is this?” Yan Mingting opened the box and found that it was full of bank notes. They were also exchanged into notes from various banks, so that one would not be afraid to travel all over the territory of the Xuan Dynasty.

Looking at the thick stack of banknotes, he suddenly felt like his hands were burning a little: “What are you giving me these for?”

“In the event that you run out of food and fodder, use this in an emergency,” Zhao Yelan said.

“……So many banknotes, are you willing?”

Zhao Yelan glanced at it with an aching heart, then looked away and comforted himself: “After spending money, I can make money back.”

With a smile on his lips, Yan Mingting put the banknotes back, closed the lid, and handed it to him: “This is your baby, I can’t take it.”

“But……”

“I only need you to stay at home and rest assured that I will come back. You don’t need to worry about things like military rations. If the Imperial court can’t satisfy us with even this little thing, then we don’t need to fight this battle.”

Of course he understood this reasoning, but Zhao Yelan was worried and couldn’t follow in person. The battlefield changed rapidly. Yan Mingting had fought for so many years, and his strength could not be underestimated. His own frail body could not be taken along as a burden to him. Furthermore, he wanted to ensure the smooth progress of the front lines from within the capital, so as to avoid things like what happened to the old general. He must urge the people in the capital to support the front lines honestly. There must be no mistakes.

“Don’t worry, the Second Prince and the Eighth Princess are just two jesters, I will be able to clean them up soon. I only hope that Zhao Xu has already arrived in Nanjiang so that I can kill him straightaway,” Yan Mingting said.

Zhao Yelan nodded. Thinking of something, he felt on his body and found a safety talisman, the one that Li-niang had beseeched him to take. He tied it around Yan Mingting’s neck: “It’s too late to find a new one. Use what you have first, and I will ask for another one for you later.”

Yan Mingting looked down and said with a smile: “I remember you don’t believe in gods or Buddha. During the drought, you said yourself that you don’t believe in gods, and only believe that man can conquer nature.”

Zhao Yelan raised his eyes and glanced at him. Without saying a word, he just fastened the string hard.

After keeping so busy preparing things the whole night, Yan Mingting had more big packs, which he carried on his shoulders at dawn, and the feeling of parting became stronger.

The two embraced silently for a moment, and then Yan Mingting led him outside. He Cuizhang was already waiting outside the door, and said: “The soldiers have arrived at the city gates.”

“Let’s go, ba.” Yan Mingting mounted his horse neatly and turned to look at Zhao Yelan.

Zhao Yelan raised his head and said: “Give me a ride. Just one ride.”

“All right.” Yan Mingting stretched out his hand and pulled him onto the horse, and the two rode toward the city gates.

The common people had already heard the news that the General was about to leave again. They all came out one after another to see him off, and the road was soon full of people. The soldiers’ relatives came to see them off, and Yin Pinglu was among the crowd, saying goodbye to Zuo Ran.

Zhao Yelan dismounted when they reached the city wall, and in the blink of an eye, Yan Mingting was enthusiastically surrounded by the common people.

At this time, someone grabbed Zhao Yelan, who was almost hit by someone. He turned his head and saw that it was Gu Niaoniao, so he walked to the corner and looked ahead, saying in a low voice: “Is there still no news of Zhao Xu in Beijing?”

Gu Niaoniao shook her head: “None. How long will the General’s trip be?”

“I don’t know.” Zhao Yelan looked at the man on the horse. “He should be back soon, he’s Yan Mingting, ah.”

Yan Mingting accepted the blessings of the people and raised his head to seek out Zhao Yelan’s figure, but saw him turn around and go up the city wall.

The corners of his mouth curved. Riding the horse out the city gate, he went to the front of the team, and with the wave of a flag, led the mighty army to set off.

After walking hundreds of meters, Yan Mingting could still see the vague figure on the city wall when he turned his head. At this moment, from the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Zuo Ran holding onto the safety amulet on her chest and asked: “Where did you get the safety talisman?”

“Pinglu got it for me years ago,” Zuo Ran said.

“Oh.” Yan Mingting pointed to the two big bundles on his shoulders. “Mengting prepared these for me in a hurry last night. If he started preparing years ago, it is likely that there would be two carriages full. Can you believe it?”

“Oh……”

He Cuizhang: “That’s enough from you two! Can you have a care for this single man?”

Until the team completely vanished from sight, Zhao Yelan continued to stand on the city wall, staring in the direction of their journey dazedly. Xiao Gao called him several times, but he didn’t answer. It wasn’t until a carrier pigeon flew onto his shoulder that he finally regained his composure.

“There’s a letter.” Xiao Gao caught the pigeon curiously, removed the bamboo tube, and took out the letter inside, handing it to Zhao Yelan.

The range within which pigeons could deliver letters was relatively small. Zhao Yelan guessed who had sent it immediately. He opened the letter promptly and saw that it read —

Go back quickly to eat on time and rest early. Check back in with me.

No matter the distance, I only hope you will be safe.

---

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Chapter Eighty-Two <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Eighty-Four

He had originally just wanted to tease him, but Liu Xian’an was actually awoke from his lethargy. After opening his eyes, the top of the carved bed and the person beside it blended together into colorful phantoms, and it took a long time before they overlapped clearly. Liang Shu raised the corners of his mouth, bent his fingers, and knocked on his forehead as usual, trying to call out that wandering man. Liu Xian’an didn’t respond. His brow was slightly furrowed, and although he was looking at Liang Shu, his eyes were not very focused, thoroughly dazed and lost.

After a long time, he still couldn’t wake up, so he simply closed his eyes as if he planned to continue to sleep.

The revered young and elegant Royal Highness Xiao Wang walked anywhere in the territory of Dayan. Not to mention being sought after by thousands of people and having enough fruit tossed his way to fill a carriage, he should at least be shown no shortage of courtesy. A person with an attitude like Second Young Master Liu, who just glanced at him and continued to sleep, would probably get beaten if it were someone else – however, he was indeed beaten a little bit. Liang Shu gave him a hard knock and said fiercely: “Stop sleeping!”

Liu Xian’an had no choice but to wake up with ringing and buzzing in his ears, though his mind was still extremely chaotic. Liang Shu lifted him and sat him upright: “After living for forty-eight thousand years, who would be scared like this by two mere southern barbarians?”

“…….”

Liu Xian’an’s lips moved twice, as if he wanted to explain something, but he didn’t say anything in the end. He just let out a long sigh and fell back again.

Liang Shu pulled his hair.

Liu Xian’an was in so much pain that he had to sit back up.

Liang Shu didn’t let go of his grip. He curled the black hair between his fingers and brushed the other’s face with the tips. Then he stopped his teasing and softened his tone: “Tell me, what did those two do to you?”

Liu Xian’an thought for a while, struggling to salvage memories from his splitting brain, then shook his head: “Nothing. I forgot.”

Liang Shu continued: “Then why were you crying?”

Liu Xian’an leaned against the head of the bed and pulled the blanket closed: “I suddenly realized many things.”

“In a cave?” Liang Shu couldn’t help but laugh. “Why did you single out such a place?”

“I don’t know.” Liu Xian’an continued to frown. “They tried to kill me.”

The smile on Liang Shu’s face vanished for a moment, but he soon recovered and continued to ask: “And then?”

Then, the next thing was not easy to describe. Liu Xian’an said slowly: “The world seemed to die before me, and then was rebuilt in an instant. It was different from before, but still the same, just like……” He wanted to explain to the other party as clearly as possible, but was bothered by the headache, so he could only roughly say, “It seems that there is a more majestic and vast world, encompassing everything. I couldn’t see it clearly at first, but I can now, and I couldn’t get out.”

“That’s why you cried?”

Liu Xian’an buried his head in his knees. His brain was still swollen with pain and hurt endlessly, as if new worlds were pouring out uncontrollably, constantly expanding. His hands grabbed the blanket, their thin joints nearly breaking.

Liang Shu suddenly asked: “Why haven’t you asked me if we caught those two people?”

Liu Xian’an asked in a muffled voice: “Did you?”

“Raise your head.”

Liu Xian’an: “……”

Very unwillingly, he raised his heavy head. His eyes were obviously red again.

Liang Shu found that sometimes people could be too smart. This was not always a good thing, because they would torment themselves. Many mortals didn’t even understand the world they lived in. They were overwhelmed by the three meals and separations and reunions before their eyes, and naturally had no time to pay attention to the so-called “Three Thousand Ways.” Seeing that flowers were only flowers, at most they would sigh over their beauty, and never wonder why flowers bloomed or why they died.

He said: “I didn’t catch them, but I saw the sigil on one of them. The boy in blue is a member of the Baifu Sect. I fear I will need to go south again in the future.”

Liu Xian’an gave an “en,” his perfunctory attitude visible to the naked eye.

Liang Shu felt that if he was allowed to continue to “enlighten” like this, the dao would be made clear, but there was an eighty percent chance he would become foolish and silly. At this time, he understood why the sages in ancient times often walked barefoot and wandered as they pleased, weeping and sobbing, being laughed at as lunatics by the world. It was likely because they had already been in another world and saw everything in the world of mortals as mere ants, so they didn’t pay attention to it.

So he lifted the blanket and pulled him out of bed: “Let’s go.”

Standing barefoot on the cold floor, Liu Xian’an’s whole body woke up: “Go where?”

“Walking.”

“……..”

Walking?

Liu Xian’an was casually covered in a robe by the other party, and staggered out the door without even putting on his shoes. This was a small village at the foot of the mountain. In the middle of the night, it was so quiet that not even a dog was barking, and the moonlight was silver-white like a lantern, casting distorted shadows on the trees, increasingly strange.

Liu Xian’an’s legs and feet were weak. He turned around to go back to sleep.

“Ridiculous.” His Royal Highness Xiao Wang originally wanted to use his power to suppress others, but after some thought, he didn’t know which world the other party had drifted to at this time, so it may be faster and more effective to use force. So his right hand locked around the other’s wrist like an iron band, dragging him all the way from the foot of the mountain to its bend.

Liu Xian’an hadn’t eaten much, had slept too long, and still had a headache. After all this tossing about, he couldn’t go on anymore. He sat on the ground and hugged a tree with both arms, resolutely refusing to move.

Liang Shu crouched in front of him: “Tired?”

Liu Xian’an mumbled: “Hungry.”

Liang Shu took out an oiled paper bag from his pocket: “Your new world doesn’t bother with food?”

The sweet scent of osmanthus wafted out, and Liu Xian’an stretched out his hand to reach for it, but Liang Shu stepped back: “Which one should you choose, the world in front of your eyes, or the world in your mind?”

Liu Xian’an sniffed his nose: “This one in front of me.”

Liang Shu handed him the oiled paper bag: “It seems you’re not so far gone that you can’t be pulled back.”

Liu Xian’an did not argue with him, and only took the sugar cake and ate it in big mouthfuls. Liang Shu sat beside him, bounced a stone in his hand for a while, and then tossed it at his feet: “Forget it.”

Liu Xian’an turned his head and looked at him curiously.

Liang Shu said: “I wanted you to see something fun, but there is nothing rare that a forty-eight thousand year old sleeping immortal hasn’t seen, so forget it.”

Liu Xian’an swallowed what was in his mouth: “I can also watch.”

“After watching it, you will stay in this world?”

“……That is out of my control.”

Liang Shu nodded, and didn’t press him anymore. He picked up a thin stone from the ground, closed his eyes and sensed where to aim, then threw it toward a puddle in the distance. The water that splashing under the moonlight was also a beautiful silver-white, and as the thin stone flew all the way, the fireflies in the grass on both sides were startled one by one, flying like fragments of fire, a sprawling phantom.

Liu Xian’an was engrossed in watching it. There was something in his stomach now, and the cool wind was blowing on him, brisk and refreshing. It was indeed much more comfortable than lying in bed.

“Have you rested enough?” Liang Shu skipped another rock over the water. “Enough to continue walking up the mountain.”

“You still want to walk?” Liu Xian’an had rejection written all over his body. “I won’t go.”

Liang Shu gripped the back of his collar and led him back onto the path without much effort.

Liu Xian’an complained: “I won’t go.”

Liang Shu was unmoved: “Don’t you also refuse to stop pretending in your head?”

Liu Xian’an pulled at a vine: “It’s the heavenly dao that won’t let me stop.”

“What a coincidence,” Liang Shu said. “Now it is this lord who won’t let you stop.”

Those words could not be said! Liu Xian’an wanted to explain the difference between the way of heaven and the way of humanity, but was so out of breath that he didn’t have the energy to think about it. Liang Shu was tall and had long legs. One of his steps took the weak Second Young Master Liu two steps. After turning at two mountain bends, half of his life had been lost. Thus, he hugged a tree for a while. Stopping and going like this, they finally reached the most dangerous peak before dawn.

Liu Xian’an lay on the ground and covered his face with his wide sleeves, angrily refusing to move.

Liang Shu did not make him move, but sat to the side, admiring for a long time this mortal man who took a rare step out of the dao and experienced a normal emotion.

After a while, a ray of light suddenly shone upon Liu Xian’an’s face through the thin layer of fabric. His first reaction was that Liang Shu was playing tricks again, so he didn’t want to pay attention to it. But the light was getting brighter and brighter, so bright that no matter how he turned his head, he couldn’t hide. So he had to take away his sleeves and sit up, saying angrily: “You —”

He stopped abruptly in the middle of speaking, because a huge red sun was erupting before him with awesome brilliance. The mountains were ablaze, and the sea of clouds seemed to be wrapped in a thousand layers of brocade, surging and churning, spreading all the way to the very limits of sight.

Never in his life had he been so near the sun, so close that it seemed as if he could pick it up with his fingers. He actually stretched out his hand and grasped a handful of fiery light.

“Although there are many worries in the world, there are also many things worth seeing.” Liang Shu stood side by side with him. “It’s not necessary to hide in your Three Thousand Worlds all the time. Think of something interesting related to the world in front of you.”

Liu Xian’an did as he said. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and let the morning air dispel the chaos in his mind. Interesting. Related to this world. After some thought, he suddenly remembered and said: “I bought two jars of very good wine a while ago!”

Liang Shu looked at him: “Why did you want to buy wine?”

Liu Xian’an replied: “I was waiting to have a drink with the prince. In addition to wine, I also found a few good restaurants. Although Baihe City is small, if you go shopping carefully, you can spend three to five days there.”

“All right,” Liang Shu said with a smile. “Wine and food, that sounds like a good itinerary.”

Liu Xian’an was also happy, because he didn’t realize until now, of course, ah, I planned to invite His Royal Highness Xiao Wang to drink, and His Royal Highness Xiao Wang is right in front of me, he really came!

“When are we going?”

“Right now.”

Then there was a new problem. To set off for Baihe City, they had to descend this ridiculously high mountain first.

Liu Xian’an said again: “I can’t walk anymore!”

Liang Shu said: “I also can’t walk anymore.”

“…….”

Liu Xian’an tactfully said: “But the prince doesn’t look like he can’t walk.”

Liang Shu took his time turning over old accounts: “In order to find you yesterday, I walked in the mountains for a whole day and exchanged hundreds of moves with people. I was almost injured and had no time to rest at night, climbing this dangerous peak with you. Not to mention the whole night’s journey, you even ate my meal.”

Liu Xian’an: “……I thought it was prepared for me.”

“No, it wasn’t.” Liang Shu shook his head. “I didn’t eat anything, and wanted a casual bite on the way.”

Liu Xian’an had no choice but to give in: “Then I can walk a little longer on my own.”

Liang Shu leaned weakly against a tree: “But I really can’t walk anymore, I need someone to carry me for a while.”

Liu Xian’an listened, but did not hear. His footsteps were hasty and his stride very fast, and his figure looked unsteady from the back.

Liang Shu laughed again for a long time before lifting his legs to catch up.

At noon, the two returned to the small village, but still failed to leave for Baihe City, because Liu Xian’an lay in bed as soon as he entered the door. Even though A-Ning threatened him with a cold handkerchief, he refused to get up, falling asleep in the blink of an eye.

“Your Highness.” A-Ning was a little anxious. “My family’s Second Young Master always sleeps like this……”

“It’s all right,” Liang Shu said. “He needs a good rest.”

A-Ning and the disciples beside him felt that this was nonsense. Second Young Master Liu needed rest? He had been lying down for almost half of his life, and also slept for a day yesterday.

“This time is different, all of you go out,” Liang Shu said. “Don’t disturb him.”

A-Ning lowered the curtains, blocking some of the light. The dim space let Liu Xian’an sleep more securely, and the faint scent of sandalwood in the air also made him feel a bit more secure.

This time really was different from before. There was no dao of heaven, no yin and yang, and no worlds unfolding. There was only a sheet of sweet, black cotton wool that wrapped a person up like he was rolling in the sun, so comfortable that even his bones were soft.

Liang Shu also exited the room.

“Your Highness.” Cheng Suyue was standing guard outside the courtyard. “Should we wait for the results of the government search, or leave for the royal city as soon as possible?”

“Neither,” Liang Shu said. “We’re going to Baihe City first.”

---

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Chapter Twenty-Seven << Table of Contents >> Chapter Twenty-Nine

As the silver dagger approached, Liu Xian’an’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, but he didn’t dodge, because at the moment when his eyes reflected in the sharp blade, the three thousand worlds in his mind suddenly became more beautiful and eye-catching. The blue sky was vast, and the sun and the moon hung together.

Second Young Master Liu was very surprised to find that at the critical point between life and death, his thoughts actually completed another leap toward a higher dimension. Many causes and effects that were beyond reach in the past now revealed their most authentic core. Just like clouds and mists being blown away by a strong wind, the dao was within reach.

With a ding, the blade fell to the ground. Yun You said angrily: “It’s useless to keep him anyway. Little uncle, why don’t you let me kill him?”

The masked man said: “Because killing him is also useless.”

“At least he won’t be an eyesore here!” Yun You put the dagger back into its scabbard. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. There were at least eight hundred disciples in Baihe Mountain Village, and he even heard that the old man who burned firewood knew how to heal diseases. Why was the one he picked out and captured himself the one who was ignorant and incompetent? When the Liu family discovered that they had lost someone, whether they would report it to the officials and search the mountain could not be ascertained for the time being. At the very least, they would strengthen their guard, so how could they keep the second young master?

Because Liu Xian’an’s various deeds were so lazy, Yun You even suspected that even if he threatened the Liu family with his life, he may not be able to replace him with a decent doctor. After all, according to all the rumors, apart from helping the world in a gentle and refined manner every day, Master Liu Zhuang would pick up a big stick and beat his son in exasperation.

“Hey, you —” Yun You turned his head to the corner of the wall, but before he could finish his sentence, he was taken aback. Because he found that Liu Xian’an was crying. A tear slid down his face and lingered on his cheek for a moment, and then dropped onto his sleeve.

“…….”

But Liu Xian’an had actually forgotten where he was. A huge storm was being set off in his mind and the world was spinning rapidly. The sea of clouds roiled with it as all things were re-formed and combined in a new dimension, from one to two, and from two to three. Standing high in the sky, he witnessed the blooming of a flower and the collapse of a dynasty at the same time. The turbulent and magnificent surge had already exceeded what a mortal body could bear, so there was no choice but to cry uncontrollably.

The masked man was also looking at Liu Xian’an. He vaguely felt that he was not crying due to fear, but could not pinpoint the reason. Yun You was annoyed by his tears and felt that he had brought this trouble back himself, so he had to solve it himself. He raised his palm and was about to knock him out, when suddenly there was a crash from outside the cave.

The masked man clenched the hilt of his sword and dodged into the dark corner near the cave entrance. Crash, crash. The sound continued to go on, but was unlike movement made by humans. Sure enough, after a moment, a wild boar ran over on a rampage. As if it couldn’t see clearly, it slammed into the entrance of the cave – bang – and then fainted.

Yun You breathed a sigh of relief and re-sheathed his dagger: “It’s the first time I’ve seen such a stupid bastard.”

The masked man turned back to the cave, and the hem of his clothing cast a shadow on the ground before vanishing in an instant.

And Liang Shu’s pupils shrank slightly as the shadow moved.

“Your Highness, there are indeed people in the cave.” Cheng Suyue lowered her voice. “This place is remote, and ordinary people would never come here. It should be Second Young Master Liu and the kidnapper who took him away.”

Liang Shu ordered: “Keep watch.”

Liu Xian’an leaned against the wall, hugged his knees with his arms, and fell soundly asleep. He was truly tired. The brain needed rest, and the body needed it too. Just like a traveler who had journeyed thousands of li on the wind, his entire body was as heavy as lead, and he didn’t even have the strength to lift his eyelids.

Yun You was almost in awe. At first he thought the other party was pretending, but later discovered that this was not the case. The rumors were not wrong, this was really a good-for-nothing who would sleep even if the sky was falling. He even patted that face with a cold dagger, but didn’t see the other person open his eyes. On the contrary, it made the person’s tears fall again. He choked up and sobbed in his dreams, crying unceasingly.

“……Since Liu Fushu can snatch someone from the hands of the King of Hell, why doesn’t he treat his own son?”

The masked man said: “Pack up your things, let’s go.”

Yun You was puzzled: “Now?”

The masked man said: “Wild boars don’t run into caves for no reason. There must be people around to drive them in such a way.”

Yun You asked: “You mean that the people looking for him are searching nearby?”

“Not at all. The Liu family only had dozens of doctors come over this time. Even if they found out and reported it to the officials, they would not be so fast.”

This was the consulting room they had prepared, but now that he had caught the wrong doctor, there was really no need to wait any longer. He pulled Liu Xian’an up from the ground: “Let’s go!”

Second Young Master Liu opened his eyes with difficulty, his thoughts still torn between fantasy and reality as he walked unsteadily. After leaving the cave, the sudden light woke him up a little bit. Perhaps it was intuition, or maybe he was longing for his friend in another world, but without knowing why, he suddenly called out: “Royal Highness Xiao Wang.”

Yun You frowned: “Who?”

As soon as this word fell, a shadow suddenly appeared like a thunderbolt, descending from the sky with great force that caused him to stagger a few steps back, and Liu Xian’an also sat on the ground. Liang Shu stretched out his hand to grab the person, but was forced to dodge back by the edge of a sword. Cheng Suyue also swept down from on high. Yun You had already reacted at this time, and unsheathed his dagger with murderous intent in his eyes, engaging her in battle.

The rest of the guards stepped forward quickly, trying to send Liu Xian’an away from the scene, but how could Yun You be willing? He kicked Cheng Suyue away, and with his other hand, let loose a cloud of purple-blue smog. If one looked closely, they could see hundreds of highly venomous bees buzzing and flying toward the crowd.

“Your Highness!” Cheng Suyue was so entangled by Yun You that she couldn’t leave her position, so she called out.

Liang Shu turned around and picked up Liu Xian’an. Placing him high in a tree, he pressed down on his upper body: “Hold on tight!”

Two guards also followed, supporting him one from the left and the other to the right. Liang Shu turned to pursue the masked man again. Regarding He Rao and Chang Wanli’s statements, this person’s martial arts were indeed strange and wicked, with signs of a shortened lifespan everywhere – making his opponent short-lived, as well as himself.

Liu Xian’an hugged the thick branch, trying his best to extract himself from the three thousand worlds, but he was taken in by the beautiful scenes that he had never before witnessed, and still couldn’t leave completely. Thus, the guards next to him were terrified, not understanding why Second Young Master Liu wouldn’t stop crying. What had those two villains done to him in the cave?

Liu Xian’an looked at the back of Liang Shu’s black cloak. He was also anxious at heart, so he slammed his head hard against the branch – boom!

A guard gasped and quickly stretched out his hand to protect his forehead, calling: “Cheng-guniang, Second Young Master Liu doesn’t seem quite right.”

Cheng Suyue and several other guards were still no match for Yun You, so she could only send an anxious glance toward Liang Shu.

The masked man said: “His Royal Highness Xiao Wang doesn’t seem to be trying to save a life.”

Liang Shu drew his long sword out of its sheath: “This lord is here to collect a debt from you on behalf of the tens of thousands of people in the Bai River Valley, and nearly a hundred people in the Tan family.”

The masked man, Feng Xiaojin, sneered upon hearing these words, and his originally pale lips attained a bit of ruddy color at this time: “What do the lives of tens of thousands of people in Baihe have to do with me? Everything was due to Tan Xiaozhong’s evil cause from the beginning. He deserved to die. He should have died slowly of cold and hunger in the wind and rain, but was fortunate enough to be killed immediately.”

Speaking of such hatred, he suddenly clenched the soft sword in his hand. It was a wicked, snake-like sword with dense barbs, soaked in blood and time to extreme smoothness.

Liang Shu’s sword was the complete opposite to his. After Liang Yu took the throne, he personally dug out a piece of rare black iron from the treasury and handed it over to the best group of refiners, letting them temper the long sword in the volcanic lava. It had not been named yet, but became a unique totem to protect Dayan. In the northwest, the common people would even paste a portrait of this sword to their doors in order to pray for peace and invincibility.

Feng Xiaojin didn’t intend to kill Liang Shu, and only wanted to escape as quickly as possible. He turned around in the air and shot two rows of darts from his sleeve, taking advantage of the moment Liang Shu dodged to knock Cheng Suyue down with a palm: “Let’s go!”

Yun You got up from the ground, followed Feng Xiaojin for two steps, and threw two smoke bombs backwards. But he was still not reconciled. At this moment, from the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught sight of Liu Xian’an lying on the tree and turned back. Cheng Suyue shouted loudly: “Look out!”

The guards dragged Liu Xian’an away, but Yun You had already reached him. Whatever was in his hand, he flung it all over, denser than the previous swarm of venomous bees.

Cheng Suyue didn’t have time to think as she rushed up to take Liu Xian’an away. Liang Shu was already one step ahead of her, holding him firmly in the air. Feng Xiaojin also took the opportunity to pull Yun You over, exchanging one for the other, and dove into the smoke that had not yet dissipated.

Liu Xian’an leaned into Liang Shu’s arms with wet tears still on his face, his breathing weary and hoarse.

Liang Shu’s hand rested on his back, and when he touched a wet area, his mind went blank. He thought it was blood, but upon checking, found that it was sweat. His whole body was cold and wet as if he had just been picked up from the water.

“Bring him back.” Liang Shu handed him over to Cheng Suyue. “Have people take good care of him.”

“Yes!” Cheng Suyue called the guards to carry Liu Xian’an on their backs. “How many people should be left for the prince?”

“None, have them protect him.” Liang Shu proceeded to chase after Feng Xiaojin.

The smoke had cleared by now, and there were only green hills before his eyes.

. . . . . .

A-Ning and the rest of the disciples of Baihe Mountain Village were already very anxious. Seeing that their Second Young Master had been sent back, they said Amitabha, Amitabha, and hurried forward on weak legs to help him lie down. Second Master Liu Fuzhi also rushed back at this time, and personally checked his nephew’s pulse, saying: “He’s not hurt, not hurt. It’s only that he is a little weak, likely from the fright.”

“He isn’t injured?” Cheng Suyue asked.

“He’s not.” Lui Fuzhi covered him with a blanket and sent his disciples to decoct a tranquilizing medicine, then asked, “Could the kidnappers be caught?”

“The prince went after them personally,” Cheng Suyue said. “That major criminal of the Imperial court should be a stranger to Second Young Master Liu. It was not intentional targeting this time, they just wanted to find a skilled doctor to heal their injuries. The disciples of Baihe Mountain Village had better be on guard in the near future.”

After hearing the whole story, Second Master Liu’s first thought was also, why did they choose Xian’an if they wanted to kidnap a doctor……it seemed inappropriate for a doctor to say this, but it was true that the life of the kidnapper should not be long.

Liu Xian’an continued to mumble drowsily in his sleep, but no one could hear what he said, nor did they want to. After all, even what Second Young Master Liu said when he was awake was confounding.

Only Liang Shu, who returned in the middle of the night, sat by the bed, put his lips close to his ear, and ordered: “Louder.”

T/N: 

Normal people: Casually assimilating new knowledge and life experiences.

Liu Xian’an: Witnesses the restructuring and rebirth of a literal new universe inside his brain.

---

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Chapter Twenty-Six << Table of Contents >> Chapter Twenty-Eight

Feeling the movement by his feet, Bo Yueming’s voice gradually came to a stop, and he automatically lowered his eyes, but there was still nothingness in his field of vision.

“Meow-wu~”

The cat’s fleshy paws brushed his ankle, and the soft touch reminded Bo Yueming of Pei Yi when he was applying medicine.

It had been a whole afternoon. Why hadn’t Uncle Kai brought that person back yet?

Bo Yueming’s thoughts took a small turn. He stared fixedly and didn’t speak.

To the side, assistant Lin Zhong noticed his boss’s silence and hurriedly said, “Mr. Bo, a little black cat jumped out of nowhere under your feet, shall I ask a servant to take it away?”

As soon as these words fell, there was a burst of hurried footsteps.

Pei Yi, who was drawn in by the cat, ignored Uncle Kai’s dissuasion behind him and bent down to pick up the little milk cat by the scruff of its neck.

“Aiyo, Little Sir……” Uncle Kai was afraid that the little wild cat would resist, and hastened forward. “Put it down quickly, what if this wild cat with sharp claws scratches you?”

As soon as Uncle Kai spoke his anxious words, the little black cat in Pei Yi’s grasp hugged his arm and rubbed against his clothes without any fear, and its milky cry was even cuter.

Its whole body was black, with only a dot of white hair at the nape of its neck.

Pei Yi clutched the cat tightly with an obvious smile in his eyes. “Uncle Kai, it’s good.”

“It seems very friendly, and looks like it’s only two or three months old.” Uncle Kai also followed along and glanced at Bo Yueming, who was still sitting in his seat. “It is black, and its two eyes are yellow and blue, separate colors.”

The Bo family manor covered a large area. In the past two years, Old Mrs. Bo, who was still in charge of the household, had some free-range cats raised to keep out mice. The little black cat before them was likely a mixed cat from that batch.

Pei Yi praised in a low voice, “It looks good.”

The little black cat seemed to understand, and responded, “Meow-wu~”

When Bo Yueming heard this inexplicably harmonious “call and response,” his expression relaxed slightly. “All right, put this kitten on the ground and let it leave by itself later.”

Pei Yi looked at the cat in his arms and felt a bit reluctant at first glance.

The assistant caught this clue and asked tentatively, “Little Sir, you like this cat and want to raise it?”

That was just what Pei Yi wanted, so he simply nodded.

If he remembered correctly, there was a short background introduction in the original book—

Bo Yueming met a little black cat with different colored eyes after he lost his sight. The little fellow crouched around every day and clung to him, and from being ignorant at the beginning to feeding it regularly, Bo Yueming harmoniously got along with it.

But one day, the black cat’s neck was viciously twisted by a malicious person. The innocent thing died and was thrown against the door of of this villa, like a blatant demonstration.

After learning about this, Bo Yueming was somber for a long time, and his personality became increasingly distorted and violent. This was one of the things that indirectly led to his blackening.

The Bo family manor was large, and free range for cats was even more unrestrained, but how could a small animal withstand the schemes of vicious people? It was better to keep it by your side, where it would be safer.

“Raise a cat?”

Bo Yueming didn’t know Pei Yi’s true thoughts, and frowned disapprovingly.

He once had a brief experience raising a cat, and knew that if he didn’t have a one hundred percent ability to take care of a small animal, he shouldn’t consider it casually.

Pei Yi responded, “Raise, I will raise.”

Whether it was because of personal love or control of the plot’s trajectory, he didn’t want the cat to end up in such a way.

“Pei Yi, you can’t keep it.”

Bo Yueming’s tone was light, and his rejection was from an objective point of view. A “little friend” who might not even be able to take good care of himself, how could he care for a kitten?

Uncle Kai understood Bo Yueming’s meaning, and urged Pei Yi twice.

Assistant Lin Zhong didn’t dare to interrupt. Seeing that Pei Yi was still holding the cat, he couldn’t help thinking to himself—

Mr. Bo has always been a very principled person. He said that cats are not allowed, and I fear that this little gentleman who has just entered the door is destined to be disappointed.

Pei Yi didn’t know what other people were thinking. He went straight to Bo Yueming’s side, bent down, and stuffed the little black cat into his arms. “You hug it.”

“……”

Soft cat fur rubbed back and forth on his arm, and the tickle felt familiar. 

Pei Yi had made up his mind to keep the cat. Even without relying on Bo Yueming, he would be able to take care of it alone after leaving in the future. “It, it is very good, I can take care of it.”

Afraid of revealing too much by talking too much, Pei Yi went all in and crouched down and grasped Bo Yueming’s wrist, pretending to plead softly and hesitantly, “Beg you.”

“Meow-wu.”

The little black cat opened its round eyes, as if imitating Pei Yi’s attitude, and even stretched out its small meat pad and patted it on Bo Yueming’s arm. “Wu~”

“……”

Bo Yueming was slightly stumped for words.

At this moment, he couldn’t tell the difference between the two touches on his arm.

One person and one cat. There was always an indescribable similarity – well-behaved, cunning, and also pleasing. One couldn’t bear to say half a word that would disappoint them.

Bo Yueming changed his words. “Never mind, you can keep it if you want.”

Uncle Kai and Lin Zhong looked at each other. They didn’t expect Bo Yueming to change his decision so easily.

Pei Yi received the answer he wanted and smiled, withdrawing his hand. “En.”

The force on his wrist suddenly disappeared, and Bo Yueming suddenly felt a little more uncomfortable. He pretended to be calm and took off his work earphones, ordering, “Uncle Kai, take this cat for a check-up later, and buy some pet supplies for Pei Yi.”

As he spoke, his other hand smoothed the cat’s fur slightly.

Close by, Pei Yi noticed Bo Yueming’s small movements and was not in a hurry to take the little black cat back—

Some people, ah.

On the surface, he reluctantly agreed because of his pleading, but in his heart, he might be even more of a cat slave than him.

. . . . . .

As a housekeeper, Uncle Kai was very efficient. Before going to bed at night, Pei Yi had everything he needed to raise a cat, in addition to a new computer and a new mobile phone.

That afternoon in the car, Pei Yi asked Uncle Kai for a computer in the name of wanting “cartoons.” Although the other party was surprised by his proposal, he fortunately did not refuse, and turned around to arrange it for him.

Uncle Kai regarded Pei Yi as a good boy, and specially retrieved a cartoon for him before leaving.

The door closed.

Pei Yi temporarily put on the cartoon video and promptly opened the properties manager to check the computer’s configurations.

Sure enough, this was the status of a rich and powerful family. To watch a cartoon, one must have a super high-end computer.

However, this was exactly what Pei Yi wanted.

He intended to use this computer to create his own first pot of gold in this world.

“Meow~”

The little black cat was familiar with the layout of the room, and at this moment, it once again rubbed and rolled at his feet affectionately. Pei Yi simply hugged it on his knees, and while stroking the cat’s fur, used the search webpage.

In the early years, Pei Yi came into contact with game programming by chance. After a lot of hard work, he and two friends set up a small studio. Pei Yi was the one in charge of the game structure, while his friends were responsible for recruitment, optimization, and external business operations.

In the past seven or eight years, their game studio had grown from small stand-alone games to pass the time, to large-scale online games, going from obscurity to fame in China. Pei Yi had also become the most sought-after game architect in the gaming circle.

Now that transmigration had become a reality, Pei Yi naturally had to think about his own future.

Pei Yi checked the game distribution systems and forums in this world and found that it was almost the same as in his reality. Of course, it was obviously impossible to create large-scale games and establish a game company with just a computer.

However, everything could be set into motion with small steps.

Mini-program games were a popular trend right now. For players, mini-games did not need to be downloaded, and were convenient and easy to use to pass the time when they were bored; for developers, they were also simple and easy to make. As long as there were clicks on the relevant gaming platforms, they could earn corresponding fees.

Plus, Pei Yi was the best at game concept innovation projects, and could also find production companies in relevant gaming forums to conduct a series of legal operations such as buyouts and cooperation.

Having confirmed this situation, Pei Yi was completely relieved. It was not difficult for him to simply write a few sets of small game programs, not to mention, weren’t there still a few creative IPs for large-scale games in his mind?

Which one of them was not a promising road to riches, ah!

Pei Yi smiled and rubbed the cat’s head vigorously. He had a card up his sleeve. “Okay, I’ll buy you canned fish when I have money, the best kind!”

The little black cat turned its head, licked his fingertips with the tip of its tongue, and responded, “Meow!”

. . . . . .

Pei Yi’s implementation ability had always been strong. After learning about the relevant rules of mini-game operation, he immediately threw himself into the preliminary work and just stayed in the room without going out.

In any case, the original owner was reticent and didn’t like to go out, so it wouldn’t arouse suspicion.

“Meow-wu.”

The sun was shining outside the window, and the little black cat in his lap suddenly became vigilant. Pei Yi, who was still immersed in his work, came to a sudden realization and quickly switched the computer interface.

Sure enough, a door that was unlocked had a tendency to be pushed open.

As soon as Uncle Kai opened the door, he saw Pei Yi sitting at the computer desk and staring at the screen intently. The classic children’s cartoon, “Black Cat Detective,” was playing on it.

Not only himself, but also the little black cat lying next to the computer was very attentive.

Uncle Kai, who had knocked on the door but didn’t receive a response, felt helpless and amused. “Little Sir, it’s time to go downstairs for dinner. We can’t stare at the computer for a long time and hurt our eyes.”

Pei Yi nodded and pressed the pause button on the cartoon, silently calming down his stalled heartbeat—

So close!

He was almost found out!

Pei Yi went downstairs with the cat and Uncle Kai, and when the two approached the dining room, the one sitting in the main seat had almost finished eating.

The relationship between Bo Yueming and the rest of the Bo family was not close. Since Old Mrs. Bo went abroad to recuperate, he rarely went to the main house to eat with the others.

Bo Yueming heard the two sets of footsteps. “You’re finally willing to come down?”

Pei Yi, who had worked so hard that he forgot to eat, sat opposite him in guilty silence.

Uncle Kai thought of the scene just now when he entered the room and found it interesting. He scooped up a bowl of fish soup for Pei Yi and explained, “Second Young Master, Little Sir has a childlike innocence, and was addicted to watching cartoons.”

“……”

Childlike innocence?

Pei Yi took the soup bowl, his cheeks hot.

Bo Yueming didn’t expect such a situation, so he was somewhat mystified. “Cartoons?”

Uncle Kai solemnly announced the three words, “Black Cat Detective.” Pei Yi wished to bury his face in the soup bowl—

He knew from the beginning that he shouldn’t have asked for the computer for the purpose of “watching cartoons.” Now he really had to be treated as a young child. His image was gone, ah!

Uncle Kai’s interest didn’t stop, and he continued to describe, “Second Young Master, Little Sir looked just like the cat while watching cartoons.”

“Meow~”

Bo Yueming fumbled to pick up the little black cat that ran to his feet. He imagined the picture that Uncle Kai conveyed, and suddenly felt a little more of an impulse to tease than before.

“Pei Yi, does this black cat have a name yet? Is it Detective?”

“…….”

The name-picking waste Pei Yi choked. 

He had originally wanted to name it this way for convenience, but in a flash, seeing Bo Yueming’s expression that contained a smile that was not a smile, he shook his head forcibly for the sake of face. “No, it isn’t.”

Uncle Kai wished that there could be more conversations at the dinner table, so that it was not as dull as before, so he immediately asked, “Little Sir, what are you going to name the cat?”

Pei Yi was able to react resourcefully, and switched to a half-hearted nickname, “Inspector.”

Bo Yueming didn’t say a word, and blocked the arc of his mouth by drinking water—

Was there any difference from “Detective?”

Watching cartoons to name a cat? This was just a child’s way of thinking.

Bo Yueming unconsciously patted the cat’s head again, and heard Pei Yi slurping the soup quietly. “Inspector?”

En, kind of cute.

---

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Chapter Seven <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Nine

A-Ning could not wake up his young master who was pretending to be asleep, so he had to do the work for both of them, running around like a spinning top. When Liu Xian’an saw this, he was very puzzled and asked him, why are you the only one shuttling back and forth when nobody else is busy?

“……”

His doubt sounded so sincere, making A-Ning want to both sulk and laugh. Liu Xian’an stretched out his hand to call this person to his side, wiped off his sweat, and grabbed a cold fruit from the ‘altar.’ “How long are we going to be here?”

“One month, ba.” A-Ning had never participated in this sort of thing before, and only knew what he had heard from other people. “Second Master seems to be going to a few nearby villages to give free medical treatment to the elderly, and some of the disciples will be taken away. By then, there will be fewer people here, and the Young Master can no longer be lazy.”

Liu Xian’an lay back and reconsidered.

The disciples of Baihe Mountain Village were already used to their Second Young Master’s style. After all, he was a lazy person that the village master beat with a stick. He hadn’t repented even when he couldn’t marry a princess, and still lay down wherever he went. It could be seen that this was a natural laziness and did not count as playing tricks to avoid responsibility. Some of the disciples even wondered if this was some kind of rare disease. Drowsiness, overthinking, absent-mindedness, plus nonsense and gibberish, the more one thought about it, the more this seemed to be the case, ah! Thus, they treated the Second Young Master with more tolerance and pity, and sometimes helped him peel fruit and then cut it into small pieces that were easy to eat.

A-Ning: “You all, don’t become so accustomed to it!”

As a result, no one listened.

Second Young Master Liu’s life as a sleeping immortal had always been pleasant. He had nothing to do, so he drew a map of Baihe City over and over in his mind to further refine the travel route. Everything was ready, only His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was missing. In addition, if it was hard to find the perfect place, he felt that there should be another pagoda in the south of the city. It didn’t have to be too high, just nine floors, so it was convenient to climb high and look into the distance to view the sunset and enjoy the lights. On the coldest days, there might also be a little snow on top of the tower.

“Young Master, Young Master!” A-Ning waved his hand in front of his eyes.

Liu Xian’an came back to his senses: “En?”

“Young Master.” A-Ning pointed to an empty chair on the other side. “Second Master took people to the village and will not return for three to five days. There is also a need for a doctor here, but no one can handle it for the time being. Why don’t you go, Young Master?”

After speaking, without waiting for Liu Xian’an to agree, he forcibly pulled him up and pressed him firmly into the chair. The series of movements flowed smoothly, and it could be seen that he must have rehearsed it many times in his heart. He was excited and proud that he finally had an opportunity to show others his young master’s medical skills, and couldn’t wait to find a gong to beat so that everyone from all over the world could witness it well.

But aside from him, the others on the scene were each more calm than the other. Liu Xian’an sat down, but it was nothing more than sitting down while continuing to build his nine-story white pagoda in another place. And when the other disciples saw that the Second Young Master was sitting in the doctor’s seat, they only thought that he was probably tired from lying down. If he wanted to sit for a while, then just sit, ba. In any case, the Second Master was not here and the seat was empty.

Then they continued to be busy.

Liu Xian’an propped up his head with one hand, closed his eyes halfway, and under the scorching sun, he listened to the faint sound of the wind on the mountain road.

“Hey!” Someone suddenly exclaimed in front of him after an unknown amount of time, “Are you a doctor of Baihe Mountain Village? I just heard them call you Young Master.”

Liu Xian’an opened his eyes and saw that the person interrogating him was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy. His eyebrows were sharp and distinct, and he was dressed in blue with his hair braided in the same color decorations. He also wore a jeweled dagger at his waist. Dressed exquisitely and luxuriously, he didn’t look like a native of the Central Plains, but rather a wayward young master from a wealthy foreign family.

Liu Xian’an paid no mind to his rudeness, and said with a nod: “I’m a doctor.”

“My uncle is injured and can’t walk, but isn’t far ahead.” The boy continued, “Can you go take a look at him?”

“How was he hurt?”

“A fall.”

Liu Xian’an picked up a medicine box from the side: “Okay, let’s go, ba.”

The boy probably didn’t expect him to be so easy-going, so he was slightly taken aback. When he came back to his senses, he hurried to catch up and walked side by side with him, asking with a smile: “Doctor, your medical skills should be good, right?”

“En.”

“That’s great. Hey, my name is Yun You. Cloud Yun (云), leisurely You (悠).”

He said that it was not far ahead, but in fact, it took a long time to walk there. It was not an official road, and the more they walked, the more deserted and overgrown with weeds it became.

Liu Xian’an wondered: “Is the patient —”

Before he could finish speaking, the bejeweled dagger hovered brightly at his throat, cutting a thin line of blood.

. . . . . .

At the same time, another group reached the other side of the mountain.

“Your Highness.” Cheng Suyue sent someone to clean up the tea shed. “Let’s rest here for a while.”

Gao Lin put the horses and the team in order, and when he returned, he asked in bewilderment: “Why is it that when the pedestrians and caravans come and go, everyone smells of cool ointment? Is there any plague of snakes or insects in these mountains to drive away?”

“That isn’t the case,” the proprietress of the tea shed said as she worked. “The ointment is used to cool down the heat. I also have two boxes here. If the guests have a need, please feel free to use it. The disciples of Baihe Mountain Village are giving it out for free on the mountain now to anyone who wants it. If you have a headache or fever, you can ask them to take a look.”

“So it’s Baihe Mountain Village,” Cheng Suyue said with a smile. “We happen to have reason to visit Second Young Master Liu, but he shouldn’t have anything to do with these trivial matters, right?”

“Village Master Liu didn’t come, but the Second Master did. There was also a young master, but I don’t know which one,” the proprietress said. “It is said that he is tired and sick, lying there all day long. Ai, my heart hurts for him.”

The corners of Liang Shu’s mouth rose.

Cheng Suyue also guessed that it was Liu Xian’an, so she immediately tugged her sleeves flat. After tugging, she was worried that her elder brother and the prince would make fun of her, so she glanced over calmly, only to find that the prince had already strode out of the tea shed. She hurriedly followed: “The tea hasn’t been served yet, are we leaving now?”

“What are you doing, come back!” Gao Lin blocked his sister. “The prince wants to change clothes.”

Cheng Suyue was extremely puzzled. What kind of clothes should he change into in broad daylight?

But Gao Lin thought this was very reasonable, because just now, the proprietress of the tea shed said that the people of Baihe Mountain VIllage were distributing medicine on the mountain, and the Second Master was also there. The prince naturally had to appear in splendid attire, so that he could best demonstrate his sincerity in asking Third Young Lady Liu to marry him.

Cheng Suyue lowered her voice: “But the prince doesn’t intend to marry her.”

Gao Lin pointed back at the group of strong men from the Imperial court. Our prince may not intend to marry, but must we not show our sincerity to the emperor’s people? All right, hurry up and drink your tea.

Cheng Suyue: “Oh.”

Liang Shu’s attire this time was really very grand. If he was an ordinary man, the clothes would likely overshadow the man himself. As he walked like a steamer of gold and jade, Cheng Suyue watched with emotion. When the prince was not killing people or getting covered in blood, he was really good-looking, noble and handsome. It would be simply priceless were he to stand with Second Young Master Liu, a feast on earth.

Gao Lin patted her on the head: “I see you have a problem with making accurate descriptions. Go back and study a little more, and stop trying to be eloquent. Let’s go.”

The team got back on the road. His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was riding a horse in gold and precious jade, attracting everyone’s attention. Anyone who came and went had to turn around and take a second look. Nobody knew his identity, so some enthusiastic and good-natured merchants laughed loudly: “This young master is so neatly dressed, is he going to propose marriage or just meet his sweetheart?”

Liang Shu smiled: “Going to drink with two friends.”

“We don’t believe you would wear such attire just for a drink.”

“That’s right, when I got married, my husband wasn’t even so well-dressed.”

“Come on, ba, how can your husband compare with others?”

People chattered and laughed one after another. Cheng Suyue laughed too, then couldn’t help but think, this was all within the territory of Dayan, but there was a huge difference between traveling the road to Baihe City and the road to Wanli Escort Bureau. One was like a rich and stable man marrying a daughter-in-law, and the other was like living and starving in exile.

When could everyone be happy?

While she was absent-minded, a group of people came running from up ahead. The servant at the head looked very familiar, and Cheng Suyue’s eyes lit up: “A-Ning!”

“Cheng-guniang, Cheng-guniang, Your Highness!” A-Ning seemed to have seen a savior, and ran over, panting. “My family’s young master is lost!”

Liang Shu’s eyebrows twitched: “Lost?”

“Yes, ah, everyone is looking for him now.” A-Ning seemed to have already cried anxiously once. “We went to fetch some medicine, and when we returned, the young master had disappeared. We don’t know if he got lost on the mountain or something else happened. All the disciples have gone to find him, and there is also enthusiastic help from some merchants, but it has been almost two hours and there is still no news.”

“Go and mobilize the nearby troops.” Liang Shu didn’t waste time asking more questions, turning around to tell Gao Lin, “Seal all the exits.”

“Yes!”

Cheng Suyue paused. Closing the mountain……the prince suspected that Second Young Master Liu was kidnapped?

He was indeed kidnapped.

Liu Xian’an was blindfolded and stuffed into a cramped carriage that creaked along for an unknown amount of time. Finally, he saw light again, but it turned out to be a cave with a very narrow entrance and a very spacious inside.

There was a thin mattress on the floor, upon which sat a man in a silver mask. Only his pale lips could be clearly seen.

Liu Xian’an asked: “Is this the patient?”

“Yes.” Yun You turned the dagger in his hand. “He is my little uncle. Because he did not practice properly in his early years, he hurt his body. If you can cure him, those jewels and gold in the corner will be yours. If you cannot, I will kill you.”

Liu Xian’an said: “That is also fine.”

Yun You didn’t understand: “What do you mean by ‘also fine?’”

Liu Xian’an didn’t answer, because he was too lazy to answer, and just felt the man’s pulse. It was chaotic and disordered, so he said: “I can give it a try, but his pulse is not quite the same as what is written in the books. I have never treated this kind of disease before, so I can’t guarantee it will be effective.”

“No matter, I believe in the skills of Baihe Mountain Village.” Yun You sat beside him. “You just treat him as if it is your own life on the line. Anyway, if you can’t cure him, you really will die.”

Liu Xian’an felt his pulse again, and it was still very chaotic. He frowned and thought hard.

Perhaps because he had been thinking for too long, the masked man who had been silent all this time finally said: “Is it very difficult?”

“It’s hard to say.” Liu Xian’an rolled up his sleeves. “I’ll give it a try.”

“Wait!” Yun You stopped him. “Tell me first, can you diagnose my little uncle’s illness?”

Liu Xian’an replied: “I can’t. His pulse is extremely complicated, and I can’t find any clues at all.”

“Then how can you give it a try!” Yun You angrily pointed the dagger at him. “Don’t put on an act, Baihe Mountain Village can even save the dead, I know your level of skill! What is your name, is it Liu Xianche?”

“Liu Xianche is my older brother.”

“Then you……” Hearing the words ‘older brother,’ the boy suddenly had an ominous premonition.

“Liu Xian’an.”

This ignorant and incompetent name was too shocking. Yun You’s vision almost went dark, and he stood up and looked at him in disbelief: “Don’t you sleep at home all day long? Why did you run out?”

Liu Xian’an replied: “I really didn’t want to come out either, but my dad insisted.”

Yun You was short of breath. He knew that this person would rather jump into a lake than read a book and couldn’t cure a fart. No wonder it took so much effort to read a pulse, and he dared to treat someone without knowing the disease!

Liu Xian’an reminded him: “Your little uncle is seriously ill and needs to be treated as soon as possible.”

“You shut up!” Yun You’s face was full of murderous intent. “Since you’re useless, I can’t be bothered to listen to your nonsense. It’s better to kill you!”

---

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Chapter Twenty-Five << Table of Contents >> Chapter Twenty-Seven

— Thud.

Zheng Bin was punched so hard that he fell backwards, and even hit the simple shoe cabinet at the door.

The corner of the cabinet drew a stain of blood on the palm that was twisted on the ground, and the sharp pain made the anger in his heart burst out on the spot.

“Fuck! You’re fucking looking for death, aren’t you!”

Zheng Bin fiercely got up from the ground, and unexpectedly caught the glimmer of light in Pei Yi’s eyes. 

That brief but fresh coldness was not like a blunt knife that had long been in disrepair, but like a sharp blade with a hidden edge.

Zheng Bin hesitated for a moment.

Uncle Kai, who was standing back and to the side, realized the crisis and immediately gave the accompanying driver and bodyguard a meaningful look. The latter two reacted and stepped forward to bring Zheng Bin under control from the left and right.

Zheng Bin twisted hard twice but failed to break free, roaring angrily and aggreivedly, “Who are you, ah? What are you holding me for?”

“Didn’t you hear that this mother and daughter are occupying my house? Didn’t you see this maniac just punch me? I want to call the police! I want to call the police to deal with this!”

Zheng Bin’s voice grew louder and louder, causing the neighbors around to lean out to check the situation. 

Pei Yi suppressed the pain coming from his knuckles, wishing he could punch Zheng Bin’s selfish, scoundrelly face twice more, but he sensed the uneasiness of the people around him and had to restrain himself temporarily—

This was the Imperial Capital.

Zheng Bin was the landlord in name. Even if he broke the contract and raised the price, and bullied this mother and daughter first, if he forcibly injured him, he feared there would be other unnecessary troubles. 

What’s more, his small body was not strong now, and his hand still hurt from the recent punch. And if this matter reached Bo Yueming’s ears, perhaps the other party would get tired of him causing trouble.

At this thought, Pei Yi quickly changed his style of behavior.

It was not convenient for him to do it himself, so he would use other people to solve the matter.

Pei Yi looked at Uncle Kai behind him and to the side with soft, pleading eyes. “Uncle Kai.”

A thin layer of anger appeared on that originally innocent and harmless face, and the corners of his eyes were also stained with a flush that did not easily fade away. Likely due to anger, even the simple salutation contained an unconstrained trill.

Uncle Kai had felt that Zheng Bin was black-hearted and dishonest from the very beginning. Where was the need for Pei Yi to ask for help so softly? He had been wanting to help for a long time!

He stepped forward to comfort him. “Little Sir, don’t be angry. I will settle this matter.”

“Solve it? Pooh!”

Zheng Bin couldn’t break free from his shackles on the second try or the third, and only made his arms hurt instead. He became more and more outspoken. “You’re so old you should be dead, you can’t solve a fart!”

“……”

Although Uncle Kai was a housekeeper, he had worked with the head of the family, Bo Peizhi, when he was young, and now he was a bit thin-faced in front of people. At this moment, he was actually called “so old he should be dead.”

The arc of Uncle Kai’s mouth froze slightly, and he smiled insincerely. “Just as Mr. Zheng says, we will call the police.”

Zheng Bin was taken aback for a moment, and the other neighbors following the excitement were also puzzled.

After all, it was reducing major issues into minor ones, and minor ones into nothing. It was better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Why did the police really have to deal with it?

Uncle Kai signaled the driver and bodyguard to release Zheng Bin, and immediately glanced at Pei Yi. “Our family’s Little Sir is mentally impaired and has weak cognitive ability. The punch just now was for the sake of protecting his own sister.”

“If Mr. Zheng wants to pursue this, I fear he will have to find Little Sir’s guardian to settle it. It so happens that Ms. Shu is Little Sir’s biological mother and is regarded as a guardian.”

“But then again, it was you who hurt her first.”

“……”

The crystal-clear phrasing made Zheng Bin speechless.

Pei Yi immediately understood what Uncle Kai was thinking, and a smile overflowed from the depths of his eyes.

Firstly, it diverted the seriousness of the punch just now, and in addition, there were several surveillance cameras on the walls of the alley, and Zheng Bin had also injured Shu Wan’s hand.

If this kind of trivial matter was brought to the police, it would be dealt with lightly at best, and both parties would pay some medical expenses. 

However, the two things should not be confused.

After solving the small problem of the “quarrel and dispute” between the two parties, it would be time to solve the big problem of “breach of contract and price hikes.”

As expected, Uncle Kai continued to remind, with the calmness and sophistication of someone who had been around the block before, “Mr. Zheng, as the landlord, breached the contract twice and raised the price three times during the contract period. What is right and what is wrong, everyone knows in their hearts.”

“As such, I will not say anything superfluous. Since Miss Pei says that the contract and transfer evidence is all there, I will let the exclusive team of lawyers handle all follow-up matters.”

The corner of his beaten mouth was hot and painful, and there was still blood in his mouth. Zheng Bin swallowed, and began to suspect Pei Yi’s backing.

What family circumstances, ah?

And a dedicated team of lawyers? Don’t bluff people, ba!

Uncle Kai saw Zheng Bin’s carefree demeanor and his tone suddenly turned serious. “Mr. Zheng, I advise you to make early preparations for losing the lawsuit in advance and prepare to pay compensation. If any neighbors care to provide evidence, then please tell the truth at this time.”

“…….”

Zheng Bin didn’t see in Uncle Kai’s eyes even a slight hint that he was lying and putting on a show of bravado, and began to turn tail in his heart.

He was originally looking at this mother and daughter who were so easy to handle, and wanted to take the opportunity to request extra rental fees for entertainment. Why would he want to go to court, ah? What if he lost money instead of being paid!

When the people around heard Uncle Kai’s kind voice asking for help, some old neighbors couldn’t stand it anymore. “Zheng Bin, you are shaming your parents!”

“Old Zheng and his wife were such a good couple. How did they give birth to a shameless bastard like you, who comes to the door every now and then to raise the price? Since you have rented to others in black and white, why are you still playing tricks like a scoundrel?”

“It’s a scam! Who in our area doesn’t know that the Sister Shu mother and daughter are kind? Xiao Yuan, just listen to this gentleman and sue him in court! Take the money and rent something better elsewhere!”

The neighbors spoke their minds, and all fell on Shu Wan and Pei Yuan’s side.

“……”

Zheng Bin didn’t expect that he would be spit on and counted as worthless. No matter how thick-skinned he was, he would inevitably feel ashamed and flustered.

In the past, he smoothly kicked up a fuss about the house price, so why did he kick such a hard board this time?

Such bad luck!

“Why are you all joining in on the fun!”

Knowing that he was in the wrong, Zheng Bin covered the corner of his mouth, not daring to look at Pei Yi and the others. “I still have something to do, so I won’t argue with you anymore!”

Finished speaking, he quickly slipped out of the alley, not even wanting compensation for the punch.

. . . . . .

Zheng Bin had chosen to escape, and there was no point in chasing him.

Shu Wan was concerned about her young son who had appeared suddenly, and after thanking the neighbors for their help, she quickly led Pei Yi and the others through the door.

The living area was not large, and had the most old-fashioned layout and facilities, but it was very clean.

Pei Yuan had become an art teacher after graduating from university the year before last, and now she had opened a teaching institution with her friends. Her room was filled with paintings that were similar to her external character, and the colors were very gentle.

As a mother, Shu Wan only occupied a one-bed room, and in addition, Pei Yi also found a small bedroom with a light blue layout.

Shu Wan gently and carefully held Pei Yi’s hand. “It is specially reserved for you, in hopes that you would come back and live in it. Over the years, the blanket has been changed several times from old to new.”

Pei Yi was actually not accustomed to being touched by strangers, but hearing this seemingly ordinary statement warmed his heart.

Shu Wan’s image was that of the mother that he had once imagined and longed for.

Before he could speak, Pei Yuan took out a small medicine box from her room. “Mom, sit down quickly, and I’ll disinfect your wound to avoid inflammation.”

Pei Yi silently grasped Shu Wan back and took the initiative to lead her over.

The mother and daughter did not expect Pei Yi’s actions, and both showed joy when they looked at each other—

After not seeing him for a long time, why did they feel that Pei Yi’s whole person had “opened up” a lot? This was a good thing!

Pei Yuan took out a sterile cotton swab and urged with a smile, “Mom, sit down quickly, don’t worry Little Brother.”

“Ai!”

Shu Wan looked at the rare sight of the children gathered around her, feeling sad but relieved, and even ignored the tingling pain of the medicine for a while.

She gazed at the siblings for a long time before realizing that Uncle Kai was still standing at the door. “Look at my brain, please come in, Sir. Thank you for your help just now.”

“I heard Xiao Yi call you ‘Uncle Kai.’ Were you sent by the Pei family?”

Still standing by the door, Uncle Kai kept it simple and introduced, “Hello, Ms. Shu, I am Gao Kai, the housekeeper of the Bo family. A while ago, the two families proposed marriage, and yesterday Little Sir moved in to live with our second young master.”

Shu Wan grabbed Pei Yi’s hand and shook suddenly. “W-what Bo family? What marriage?”

“What else can it be?!” Pei Yuan reacted at once, her eyes red with anger. “Was this marriage proposed by Pei Ruzhang or the old man?”

“What do they see our Xiao Yi as? They bully him because he is obedient and won’t resist, so they forcefully threw him into your Bo family in exchange for commercial benefits?!”

Uncle Kai didn’t expect the emotions of the mother and daughter to be so agitated, and didn’t know how to reply for a while—

After all the elders of the two families had this sort of shady idea, but the Second Young Master, like the Little Sir, was helplessly forced.

Pei Yi noticed Uncle Kai’s awkwardness, so he shook Pei Yuan’s wrist lightly. “Sister, the Bo family and Second Young Master are good. Grandpa and Uncle are not. I don’t like them.”

Pei Yi deliberately and slowly expressed a series of simple statements, but in the ears of Shu Wan and Pei Yuan, they had a completely different feel.

Since Old Mrs. Pei passed away, they had tried every means to see Pei Yi, but were always rebuffed by the Pei family.

Shu Wan could vaguely guess how the “foolish” youngest son was treated in that cold mansion. These bruises on his arms must be thanks to the Pei family!

Regretting and blaming herself, Shu Wan caressed the marks on Pei Yi’s arms. “It’s all my fault, blame me for not doing a good job.”

Back then, her family was very poor. Old Father Pei disliked this very much, so he did not agree to her marriage with Pei Ruye.

Later, when her husband passed away, she was weak and unable to keep her two children by her side.

The older daughter was more dependent on her mother, and Old Father Pei was determined to take back Pei Yi, his biological grandson, so several rounds of tugging back and forth resulted in such a situation of flesh and blood being separated.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want the child, but that she had no ability and no capital.

Pei Yuan knew that these years were not easy for her mother, so she took a deep breath, “Xiao Yi, don’t go to the Bo family’s house. Since Grandpa and Uncle don’t want you, take the opportunity to move in with us, okay?”

Shu Wang grasped her daughter with one hand and her son with the other. “Yes, Mom will find a bigger, better house, and the three of us will live together.”

Pei Yuan immediately affirmed, “Yes! Plus Dad, we will be a family.”

“……”

Pei Yi felt the sincere care of the people around him and was moved.

But for the sake of the mother and daughter’s future situation, he had to shake his head and refuse, “No.”

“Grandpa will be angry. The Bo family is very good. I can come see you.”

“…….”

Seeing this, Uncle Kai silently withdrew, leaving space for the three of them to talk.

Pei Yuan tacitly understood what her brother meant, and said in a heavy voice, “Mom, Xiao Yi is right. If the old man knew we took Xiao Yi away in private, and if the business cooperation between the two families was broken, I’m afraid he would make things difficult for us.”

When Shu Wan heard this, her heart turned cold.

She had witnessed Old Father Pei’s methods before. At her age, it didn’t matter how she was targeted, but what if he vented his anger on the two children?

Pei Yi had become accustomed to the identity of the original owner in this house without knowing it, and when he saw the frowning faces on the left and right, he tried to ease them. “I’ll come often. He lets me come.”

Pei Yuan always understood her brother’s simple statements. “Xiao Yi, are you saying that Second Young Master Bo is a nice guy? The Bo family will let you come out to meet us often?”

Pei Yi gave a heavy nod, and added softly, “Later, we will live together later.”

In his heart, the villain Bo Yueming was much better than the Pei family. What’s more, he had planned to leave the Bo family and take the original owner’s mother and sister with him.

But not now.

“Really?”

“En.”

Pei Yi maintained the original owner’s personality and communicated slowly and intermittently with the mother and daughter. At last, they temporarily suppressed their worries and rejections.

As dinnertime was approaching, Uncle Kai worried about Bo Yueming and entered the room to urge him to leave. 

Although Shu Wan and Pei Yuan were unwilling to part with Pei Yi, fortunately the two parties agreed on a time to meet again, so they were more hopeful than when he was at the Pei residence.

The car slowly drove away from the alley.

Pei Yi gazed at the two figures that gradually condensed into dots, and suddenly heard Uncle Kai comfort him, “Little Sir, don’t worry. I will tell the Second Young Master the truth about today’s situation.”

Before leaving, he told the bodyguard to watch covertly, lest that Zheng Bin come to make trouble again.

“If Ms. Pei needs new housing listings or legal prosecution assistance, I can also find someone to help.”

Uncle Kai was worthy of being called a person who had experience in a wealthy family. He was well-rounded in speech and ability to handle affairs.

Pei Yi’s worries were gradually dispelled, but after what happened today, his plan to make money quickly was put on the agenda—

For people living in this world, it was better to ask for others than to ask for yourself.

He entered the Bo family through marriage, but he didn’t intend to live under Bo Yueming’s wing for the rest of his life. What’s more, he would take care of his mother and sister on behalf of the original owner in the future.

Pei Yi thought of his career before transmigrating, and made up his mind.

Since he had decided to make money, he must have handy “weaponry.” He looked at Uncle Kai, feigning cautious expectation.

“Uncle Kai, I want, I want something.”

Uncle Kai didn’t expect Pei Yi to take the initiative to ask for things, but went along with this sentence. “Little Sir, say it, what do you want?”

. . . . . .

When the two returned to the single-family villa, the sky was still dimly lit.

Bo Yueming was sitting in the villa’s garden, wearing a bluetooth headset, accompanied by a capable and experienced man with glasses. It was unknown what they were talking about.

Seeing this, Uncle Kai whispered, “Little Sir, the Second Young Master may be dealing with business matters, let’s not disturb him for now.”

Pei Yi understood clearly.

According to the description in the original book, although Bo Yueming was removed from group projects by Old Mr. Bo and the second branch of the family, he still had his own commercial private property and could ask his assistants to handle matters for him.

The two of them were just about to walk to the side when suddenly, a milky cat meow sounded.

“Moew-wu~, meow~, wuwu~”

Pei Yi was drawn in by the call. He stopped and followed the source of the sound curiously—

A black kitten came out of nowhere. Presently, it pulled at the edge of Bo Yueming’s trouser leg, trying to climb up boldly.

“Meow-wu! Ao~”

Ah!

One call after another, it disturbed them particularly vigorously!

---

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Chapter Six <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Eight

Today, Zhao Yelan was summoned to the palace. Three days later would be the worship ceremony for the late emperor, and Zhao Xuan invited him to discuss some important details.

Zhao Xuan didn’t want to make it too grand, but the Xuan Dynasty had always attached great importance to worship rituals, so a superficial attempt was necessary.

But Zhao Xuan came to him not only to discuss how to hold the worship ceremony, which the Ministry of Rites was in charge of, but how to deal with the people in the other palace.

There was also a former prince under house arrest in that palace.

When Zhao Xuan seized the throne, the deposed prince was the first to be toppled, and then the other families began to move and seek power. When the Second Prince and Fourth Prince saw that Zhao Xuan was beginning to show his power, they joined forces and sent people to assassinate him. However, there was no danger at that time. The Gold Collar Guard rescued him in time, and Zhao Yelan also blocked an arrow for him. Afterwards, the two planned to kill the two princes.

Now, apart from Zhao Xuan, there was only the former Crown Prince and a timid and simple Fifth Prince. After Zhao Xuan ascended the throne, the Fifth Prince was sent to the northern border as a vassal lord. During the New Year, he even went to Beijing to attend the state banquet, but had not returned at this point and would wait until the ceremony was over before departing.

“The people from the Ministry of Rites say that the former Crown Prince should participate in the worship ceremony. Is there any way to prevent him from participating?” Zhao Xuan asked.

“There is, assassinate him before he can participate,” Zhao Yelan said.

Zhao Xuan laughed: “Wouldn’t that give the Ministry of Rites and that Imperial Censor more topics to play with?”

Zhao Yelan sighed: “Why is that fellow still not dead?”

It was called the ‘other palace,’ but it was actually a deserted cold palace on the mountainside on the outskirts of the city. There were only a dozen or so servants to clean it, and the former Crown Prince, who was self-indulgent by nature, suffered a lot.

They had originally thought it would take a few years for him to die, but last year, Yu Junliang was sent to visit the other palace, and when he returned, he said that the other party was a bit crazy, but still alive.

“No matter, forgive him for not being in good condition. Let him participate, and let the Father Emperor in the sky also see how shameful his favorite prince is now,” Zhao Xuan said. “You take someone to the other palace to inform him.”

“Shi.”

After Zhao Yelan left the palace, he set off immediately. When he passed the market, he happened to bump into Yan Mingting, who was on patrol.

Yan Mingting asked where he was going, and he told him about the other palace.

“I’ll accompany you.” Yan Mingting glanced at the dozen or so guards the other party had brought and whispered, “Why bring the Imperial Guard? Don’t you know that your husband is a great general, ah? There are so many people under him. You can go to the training grounds and pick a few who are better than these people.”

Zhao Yelan was amused, and said: “The Emperor arranged it.”

“Don’t listen to him, wait until I find some new people.” Yan Mingting called out a few times on the road, and after a while, He Cuizhang, Zuo Ran, and some others appeared.

Listening to the chirping of the group behind him, Zhao Yelan felt that he had brought a flock of birds along with him.

“When we get to the other palace, you should keep quiet. Do you hear me?”

“We hear you.” Everyone agreed again and again.

The mountain road to the other palace was rugged. Fortunately, Yan Mingting was pulling him, and picked him up after walking for a while. When they came before the other palace, he quickly patted Yan Mingting on the back: “Okay, okay, let me down quickly.”

“Why, we’re already an old couple and you’re still shy, ah,” Yan Mingting teased, letting him down.

“You all wait outside.” After speaking, Zhao Yelan turned around and walked inside, only to find that Yan Mingting had also followed. He said, “You also wait for me outside, ba.”

“Not possible, I heard that the former crown prince is a little crazy. I must protect your safety.”

Zhao Yelan still had some misgivings, and urged: “Then he will talk some nonsense later, you must not worry about it.”

“All right.” Yan Mingting looked around. The palace had been abandoned for a long time, and even the servants were somewhat perfunctory.

Zhao Yelan had been here several times, so when the servants saw him, they called out ‘Zhao-daren.” But when they looked at Yan Mingting again, they were a little dazed, as if they didn’t know who he was.

There was no access to news here, and even the food was brought up by people from the bottom of the mountain. It was likely that Yan Mingting deeds were rarely heard of, let alone his appearance.

The two of them didn’t intend to make more introductions, and walked straight inside until they came to a door and saw a person lying on the floor beside the bed, holding a jug of wine in his hand. He held it high, and half of the wine fell into his mouth while the other half dripped on his face. He laughed loudly: “Good wine, good wine, waiter, serve me another jar.”

Zhao Yelan walked inside and said: “The worship ceremony of the late emperor will be held in three days, and the First Prince is invited to attend.”

Turning to look at him, Zhao Xu asked after a while: “Zhao Yelan? You’re here again?”

Zhao Yelan remained silent.

Zhao Xu sneered and threw the jug at him, only to be stopped by Yan Mingting, who frowned at Zhao Xu with displeasure.

Zhao Xu’s eyes fell on him again, and they were full of mockery. He then said: “Zhao Yelan, lapdog, how are you worthy of talking to me?”

Unperturbed, Zhao Yelan walked up to him and stepped on his hand that was on the ground. He looked down and said: “If I’m a lapdog, who are you? A beast that is not as good as a pig or a dog.”

He would always remember that when he was in the dungeon, this beast swaggered into the cell and picked out young and beautiful women. This pair of rotten hands even touched his mother’s chin as he said sarcastically: “Good-looking is good-looking, but you’re a bit old. I’m looking for young birds.”

“Ahhhh!” Zhao Xu’s fingers were crushed hard, and after Zhao Yelan lifted his foot, he immediately rolled on the ground with his arms folded, his eyes red. “Zhao Yelan! You just wait! Sooner or later, I will definitely peel off your skin!”

Zhao Yelan slapped him across the face: “Then how about I kill you now?”

“You dare!” Zhao Xu covered his face and looked at him furiously. Glancing at Yan Mingting from the corner of his eye, he thought of something and sneered, then suddenly said, “I have something to tell you. Troubling you to make Zhao Yelan get out.”

Yan Mingting was displeased, and ignored him altogether.

“Don’t you want to know the real cause of the old general’s death?” Zhao Xu asked.

Yan Mingting was startled at once, and looked at him in disbelief: “What do you know?”

Zhao Xu glanced at Zhao Yelan with obvious meaning.

“You go outside and wait for me for a while,” Yan Mingting whispered.

Zhao Yelan walked out the door anxiously, and couldn’t hear the voices from inside.

Yan Mingting walked up to him: “Will you speak now?”

“It was ordered by Zhao Xuan.” Zhao Xu lowered his voice.

“Impossible.” Yan Mingting controlled his temper.

“You just don’t want to believe it. Did the Imperial physician he sent to the border for you win the father and son’s hearts?” Zhao Xu paused and said, “I heard with my own ears when he ordered the Imperial physician to poison the old general’s wine. This was in order to let you take charge of the army, so that you would be obedient because of a little kindness. Look, aren’t you qualified as a dog now?”

Yan Mingting became short of breath. After a while, he took a deep breath and looked at him fixedly: “Is what you said true?”

“I swear to Heaven.”

Zhao Yelan waited outside the door for a while, and when he heard the door open, he stepped forward anxiously and asked: “What did he say?”

“Go home first, I have something to do.” After speaking, Yan Mingting asked Xiao Gao and Zuo Ran to take him back, then called He Cuizhang aside, giving him a few instructions with a hasty expression before leaving quickly.

“Yan Mingting!” Zhao Yelan shouted. The other disappeared in the blink of an eye, and he turned to ask He Cuizhang what had happened.

He Cuizhang also wore an extremely nervous expression, and he only asked Xiao Gao to take him back to the General’s Mansion quickly before disappearing with the others.

Zhao Xu’s wild laughter came from the room.

“What exactly did you tell him?” Zhao Yelan asked, walking in quickly with a dark expression.

“Zhao Yelan, you became Zhao Xuan’s lapdog. Did you ever think that he would die one day?” Zhao Xu said sorrowfully, “Especially dying at the hands of Yan Mingting?”

Zhao Yelan’s pupils shrank abruptly.

“If Yan Mingting murders the emperor and rebels, do you want to help Yan Mingting or Zhao Xuan?”

Zhao Yelan immediately guessed that the killer he mentioned was Zhao Xuan.

He couldn’t be sure if it was Zhao Xuan, just as Zhao Xuan didn’t know that he had arranged a spy in Beijing. It was impossible for him to know everything about Zhao Xuan like the back of his hand.

But he intuitively felt that it wasn’t him. Although Zhao Xuan did everything possible to win his position, it was true that he had the country in his heart, and there was no reason to kill the old general.

But what if……

Zhao Yelan didn’t dare to think about the one in ten thousand possibility. He walked quickly out of the other palace and descended the mountain with haste. However, the terrain was rough, and his footsteps were too slow. It was already evening when he returned to the city, and he walked without stopping toward the palace.

“My Lord, the General and Brother He asked me to take you back home,” Xiao Gao said awkwardly.

“Then you go follow them instead of me.” After speaking, Zhao Yelan saw a horse at the side of the road. He quickly mounted it, tossed a piece of silver to its master, and hurried to the gate of the palace.

Xiao Gao had no choice but to run behind fearfully, worried that he would fall off. Fortunately, the General had taught his disciple well, and his lord arrived at his destination quickly and steadily. He was, however, a little flustered when he got off the horse.

Xiao Gao couldn’t follow him further inside, so he took the short weapon from Zhao Yelan’s body.

It was forbidden to bring weapons through the palace gate unless one had a special status, such as the General.

Zhao Yelan asked the guards in a fluster: “Has Yan Mingting entered the palace? Did he leave behind his sword?”

“I don’t understand, it’s been half an hour since he went in.” As soon as the guard finished speaking, Zhao Yelan turned around and ran in.

The number of guards patrolling the palace had clearly increased by a lot. Zhao Yelan questioned them all the way, and finally came to a side hall. He heard that Zhao Xuan was arranging defenses with the new commander of the Imperial Guard, and hurried into the hall.

“Why are you here? Didn’t anyone pass you a message?” Zhao Xuan stopped and gave the commander a meaningful look, and the commander promptly retreated, leaving only the two of them in the hall.

“Did Yan Mingting come to look for you?”^[1] Zhao Yelan blurted out.

“En.” Zhao Xuan raised his eyebrows. “You’re so nervous that you forgot your honorifics?”

Zhao Yelan didn’t pay it much mind, asking: “Where is he now?”

“Not here,” Zhao Xuan said.

“Where did you take him?” Zhao Yelan asked, stepping forward.

Zhao Xuan gazed at him silently.

After staring at each other for a moment, Zhao Yelan lowered his voice and asked word by word: “Did you send someone to poison the old general?”

Zhao Xuan frowned, looked into his eyes, and suddenly pointed at him and laughed. Supporting himself on the desk behind him, he laughed uncontrollably and then swept the booklets on the desk to the floor.

“Zhao Yelan! Who are you speaking to? Who are you suspecting?!”

Zhao Yelan said: “I want you to say it, was it you or not?”

“We’ve known each other for so many years, am I actually this kind of person in your heart?” Zhao Xuan spoke in a hoarse voice. He had forgotten to use his honorific title, as if they had returned to the old days, but this was not truly the past.

Zhao Yelan sized him up for a while, paused for a moment on the throbbing veins on his forehead, and then crouched down and picked up the booklets one by one, saying: “It’s good that it wasn’t you.”

Zhao Xuan looked down at him: “What if it was me? Would you rebel with him?”

Shaking his head, Zhao Yelan got up and put the booklets back on the table, saying: “I never thought of turning against you. No matter what, you are my savior. Without you, there would be no Zhao Yelan today. But if you want to kill my person……”

The following words were unfinished, but Zhao Xuan had already guessed them. He smiled desolately: “You are actually willing to abandon me for him and bear the charge of regicide?”

Zhao Yelan raised his eyes: “Not only for him, but also for myself. If something happened to him, it would be difficult for me to live on, so I would definitely stand by his side.”

“What live on?” Yan Mingting appeared at the entrance of the main hall.

Zhao Yelan turned his head and went to him in two or three steps, asking with a frown: “What did you do?”

“I just went to arrange the defenses of the palace and the capital.” Yan Mingting touched his somewhat messy hair. “Didn’t I tell you to go back to the mansion first? Why did you come here?”

“Could I go home with peace of mind?” Zhao Yelan asked.

Yan Mingting smiled: “That’s right, thanks for your hard work. If you didn’t make a show for Zhao Xu, I feared he would not make his next move.”

“What move?”

Yan Mingting’s eyes darkened slightly: “Do you still remember the private meeting between the Princess of Nanjiang and a man after New Year’s Eve?”

“Could it be him?”

Yan Mingting nodded his head: “Zhao Xu told me that His Majesty sent an Imperial physician to poison my father. I just asked His Majesty for confirmation. You were the one who sent the Imperial physician to the border, and during this time, His Majesty never intervened in the matter. And you, there is absolutely no way you would do such a thing, so Zhao Xu could only have lied.”

“When he finished talking about this, I was thinking, the servants in the other palace didn’t know who I was, so why did he recognize me? He also knew the two of us had a good relationship, and even knew everything about my father being poisoned? Either he really heard His Majesty make that order, or…….he was the murderer.” Yan Mingting’s eyes turned cold.

“So you came to the palace to seek confirmation?” Zhao Yelan had calmed down by now. Recalling the scene in the other palace, he suddenly said, “You deliberately snubbed me in front of him, and then secretly sent He Cuizhang and the others to guard the other palace?”

Yan Mingting nodded: “For him to hit the grass to startle the snake like this, he must have a second move planned. And he has long lost his eyes and ears in the capital, unless he found a new backer and a way out.”

“The Princess of Nanjiang.” Zhao Yelan turned to ask Zhao Xuan, “When the King of Nanjiang came to the capitol, did he bring the princess with him?”

“He did one time, and it seemed that they came to talk about a marriage. It was the Second Princess, not the Eighth Princess. But I was still in confinement back then, and Zhao Xu, the Crown Prince, was in charge of receiving them,” Zhao Xuan said.

Zhao Yelan and Yan Mingting exchanged glances: “It is very likely that they have been secretly working in the dark.”

“That’s right. As soon as the Princess of Nanjiang left, Zhao Xu couldn’t wait to raise this matter to anger me. On the one hand, he wanted to see if he could instigate me, and on the other, he had already arranged to escape from the capital, and he was worried that we would bring him directly to the palace to participate in the ceremony, which would ruin his plans.”

“Then when the Princess of Nanjiang said she wanted to marry you, that was just to test you out,” Zhao Yelan said.

Yan Mingting nodded, glancing sideways at Zhao Xuan: “Your Majesty, if I beheaded the First Prince with the Chisha Sword, would you blame me?”

“Zhao Xu had an affair with the princess of another country, and had the intention of committing treason. You can cut first and ask permission later.”

Yan Mingting cupped his hands. The veins in his hands stood out, and with dark but resolute eyes, he turned and left the hall while gripping the sword on his body.

Then, it was unknown what he had thought of, but he turned around to call: “Mengting, just wait for me here.”

The palace was much safer than outside. Zhao Yelan walked to the door and said: “Be careful.”

“En.” Yan Mingting whispered in his ear worriedly, “You just stay here, don’t get too close to him, do you hear me?”

Zhao Yelan: “…….”

Zhao Xuan: “I can hear you.”

Yan Mingting hadn’t controlled his volume at all, and said it on purpose. He just raised his chin and left with haste.

Zhao Xuan resignedly walked to the door to watch him go, and Zhao Yelan subtly moved two steps to the side.

“…….Am I some kind of plague god?”

Zhao Yelan also felt that his subconscious action was a little funny, and touched his nose in embarrassment, laughing softly.

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[1] Zhao Yelan uses the casual ‘you’ here (你) instead of a more respectful honorific when addressing the emperor. ⮐

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Chapter Eighty-One <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Eighty-Three

Chang Xiaoqiu was fifteen or sixteen years old, and his family was well-off. There was usually a group of servants flattering and coaxing him, and he was at the phase of viewing himself as an exceptional person. Now Liu Xian’an suddenly said that life was fine, and his death was also fine, so naturally he couldn’t bear this contempt. He said stubbornly: “Don’t try to provoke me!”

“I’m not provoking you,” Liu Xian’an told him patiently. “As the saying goes, life and death are day and night, misfortune and blessing, good luck and bad luck, they are all the same. If you can realize this, you will naturally understand what I mean.”

Chang Xiaoqiu couldn’t realize anything at all, and didn’t really want to. On the point of “not wanting to listen to people who can’t speak like a human,” he and Liang Shu were firmly in the same camp. The sages said that thunder and lightning should be dealt with in a composed manner, but Chang Xiaoqiu just wanted to be the lightning bolt, and tell the sages to shut up on the spot and stop their unintelligible speech.

Chang Xiaohan said: “Doctor Zhang said that if my young master’s leg injury is to be healed, it will take at least three months.”

“Kangtai Medical Center is the best at treating bone injuries, and their diagnosis should be correct,” Liu Xian’an said. “However, in the later stage,  you can return home to recuperate. You don’t have to live here the whole time.”

When Chang Xiaoqiu was seriously injured, Chang Xiaohan only rushed to seek medical help and had no time to interrogate the escorts, so it was still unknown who had been working behind the scenes. Right after entering the hospital, he had written a letter to Chang Wanli explaining what had happened on the way. But Liu Xian’an thought, a letter sent from Baihe City to Wanli Escort Bureau must pass through Chixia City. But at that time, Chixia City was still in chaos and the post station was closed by Du Jing, so he said: “You had best write a new one. There are nine chances out of ten that the first one was lost due to a problem with a post station.”

“Okay, I’ll write it later.” After Chang Xiaohan spoke, he probed again, “Young Master has returned to Baihe City alone? Where are the other righteous men?”

Liu Xian’an knew the unease and doubt in his heart, and since he had nothing to do anyway, he ordered a cup of tea and told the two of them a rough outline of what happened regarding the Wanli Escort Bureau after that night. Chang Xiaohan was shocked after hearing it, while Chang Xiaoqiu was furious, cursing as he said: “I knew that poisonous woman was no good!” After cursing, he became worried and anxious. “If she could pay to kill me, she can pay to kill my father. Uncle Chang, you send a quick letter home first, then pack our luggage. We will leave for the Escort Bureau tonight!”

Chang Xiaohan hesitated: “But the young master’s leg…..”

“It’s already come to this point, what about my leg!” After speaking, Chang Xiaoqiu was about to hop into the room on his crutches, but his foot accidentally slipped and he suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!”

In spite of Liu Xian’an’s habitually slow movements, he was very quick at this time. He quickly stood up and dodged to the side, and Chang Xiaoqiu fell with a thud into a pile of hay.

“Cough, cough.”

Chang Xiaohan quickly helped him up.

Chang Xiaoqiu had never seen such a wicked person before. Coughing, he pointed at the other person and scolded: “Why did you dodge?”

Liu Xian’an replied, “If I didn’t dodge, I would be hit by you.”

Chang Xiaoqiu almost vomited blood. “You doctors of Baihe Mountain Village, no, all the doctors in the world, shouldn’t you all focus on saving lives and helping the wounded? There is no reason for a doctor to slip away when a patient falls down!”

Liu Xian’an said: “If you move around again, the steel plates on your legs will have to be redone, and the bones will also grow crooked.”

Chang Xiaoqiu disregarded his persuasion, and raised one leg straight up: “Then I must go back and save my father as soon as possible!”

“Chief Escort Chang doesn’t need you to save him,” Liu Xian’an said. “His Royal Highness Xiao Wang should have arrived at Wanli Escort Bureau by now.”

“Who?” Chang Xiaohan and Chang Xiaoqiu said in unison.

The sound was so loud that Second Young Master Liu’s eardrums buzzed. Then he discovered another thing – for the vast majority of people, especially young and middle-aged men, when they heard the words “His Royal Highness Xiao Wang,” they seemed to raise their voices in shock and excitement at the same time. For example, Qiu Daxing from Chixia City, or these two in front of him.

Chang Xiaohan controlled himself for the time being, but Chang Xiaoqiu kept Liang Shu in his heart, and the man was definitely at the top of his “Most Admired Heroes In This Life” list. His level was even higher than his own father. When he was in the Wanli Escort Bureau, he would sneak to the teahouse and listen to battlefield legends when he had nothing to do. In his daydreams, he yearned to see His Royal Highness Xiao Wang with his own eyes. It was only that destiny makes fools of people. Seeing was seeing, but seeing him when he was half dead…..he might as well not have seen him at all.

Chang Xiaoqiu was very upset and ashamed. He didn’t care about causing trouble with Liu Xian’an at this moment, and asked eagerly: “Why does His Royal Highness Xiao Wang want to go to my home?”

“He Rao not only wants to kill you, but is involved in an old incident. His Royal Highness Xiao Wang is there to investigate the case.” Liu Xian’an said, “So unless you really don’t want this leg, you should stay here for an extra month.”

“Yes, Young Master,” Chang Xiaohan also advised. “Since His Royal Highness Xiao Wang has already gone to the Escort Bureau, he will definitely reveal He Rao’s true face to the Chief Escort. It doesn’t need to be exposed by you and I personally. Healing your leg injury first is more important.”

Chang Xiaoqiu was still drowning in an endless stream of regret at this time. As for the specific water source, it was almost like the water of the Yellow River flowing from the sky. If he had known this, he definitely would not have taken this escort trip. Now that he had, not only could he not stay with his father, but he also couldn’t see His Royal Highness Xiao Wang with his own eyes.

Alas.

Chang Xiaohan knew his young master very well. Seeing that he had gone silent, he assisted him by asking: “Doctor Liu seems to have a good relationship with His Royal Highness Xiao Wang?”

Liu Xian’an replied: “It’s pretty good.”

Chang Xiaohan asked again: “Will His Royal Highness Xiao Wang come to Baihe Mountain Village after solving that old case?”

Liu Xian’an thought of the two jars of good wine he had just bought, and nodded in good spirits: “He will.”

“My family’s young master has always admired and worshiped His Royal Highness Xiao Wang. Perhaps Doctor Liu can make it convenient for us to take a look from a distance when His Royal Highness Xiao Wang is a guest in Baihe Mountain Village?” Chang Xiaohan continued to ask.

Liu Xian’an shared his travel plans: “His Royal Highness Xiao Wang is coming to Baihe City to drink with me, and we will also walk around the city. At that time, there is no need to make special arrangements. As long as we go to the streets, everyone can see him.”

Chang Xiaohan beamed with joy: “This is perfect.”

Chang Xiaoqiu was also flushed with excitement, and even found Liu Xian’an more pleasing to the eye. After the other party left, Chang Xiaohan pushed him in a wheelchair and they went shopping in the streets for a while, chatting with people everywhere. As a result, he learned a lot of Second Young Master Liu’s good deeds, such as being too lazy to copy books, too lazy to marry a princess, too lazy to talk,  and too lazy to walk. He didn’t even bother to eat, and lay in bed all day, subsisting on the northwest wind and dew.

Chang Xiaohan was dumbfounded by what he heard.

However, Chang Xiaoqiu was very certain that Liu Xian’an was a peerless master who lived in seclusion in the city. As for his reasoning, even His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was willing to pay him a special visit, just to drink and tour the city with him. Didn’t that explain the issue?

Therefore, this young master of the Wanli Escort Bureau, relying solely on his infatuation and admiration for His Royal Highness Xiao Wang, successfully became the second person in Baihe City besides A-Ning to see through the truth.

This boy had a future.

The boy’s father, however, felt that his future was very bleak. No, that his whole life was very bleak.

The wife he had thought to grow old together with not only wanted to kill his own son, but also colluded with outsiders to steal his own property. He truly couldn’t bear this kind of blow, but the truth was, nobody on the scene cared about his feelings. He Rao continued to confess that when Feng Xiaojing entered the fort, he accidentally fell off the cliff there and hung on an old, crooked tree, but she managed to save him.

Cheng Suyue asked: “This is the favor he owed you?”

“Yes.” He Rao nodded. “Although he is taciturn, he keeps his word. Even though he left without saying farewell back then, he sent me a special letter later, saying that at any time I wanted to use this favor, I could go to the jade field in Cuili City in the southwest to find him.”

“Is he still in Cuili City?”

“No, I heard the meaning in his words, and it seems he is going to Baihe City.”

“Baihe City?” Cheng Suyue asked, “Is he sick?”

“It should be the case,” He Rao replied hesitantly. “I don’t know what kind of evil martial arts he practices, but his face is still the same as when he was a teenager and his voice is also like that of a young man, but he is afraid of the light and always wears a mask.”

Gao Lin found a painter from outside and asked him to draw Feng Xiaojin’s face according to He Rao’s description.

“His facial features are excellent. The tails of his eyes are raised like a fox’s, and even the most enchanting and passionate woman cannot compare,” He Rao recalled, “but his eyes were always cold.”

Cheng Suyue watched the painter make a careful outline, from the fox-like eyes to the thin red lips. He was slender and preferred to wear black robes.

In the case of the Tan family’s extermination thirteen years ago, Feng Xiaojin was already fifteen or sixteen years old at the time. Now that he was nearly thirty years old, his skills had improved greatly, but his face had not changed. He had almost stamped the word “heresy” on his forehead.

“Your Highness, what is our next plan?”

“Go to Baihe City.”

At Baiha Mountain Village in Baihe City, Liu Xian’an saw his father standing beside the bed the moment he opened his eyes. Thus, he immediately closed his eyes again, not seeing, not hearing, in tranquility and nothingness.

Liu Fushu deeply regretted that he did not bring a stick with him.

“Young Master, don’t sleep, Young Master!” A-Ning shook him with his hands vigorously. “The master of the village is looking for you for a serious matter.”

Liu Xian’an was shaken almost to the point of vomiting, so he had no choice but to sit up wrapped in the blanket. He did not get out of bed,  his eyes were bleary, and he was clearly ready to continue sleeping at any time.

Liu Fushu had become accustomed to his lazy, half-dead appearance, and tried his best to calmly instruct: “Early tomorrow morning, follow your second uncle on the official road to distribute decoctions to reduce heatstroke and prevent plague.”

This was a difficult job. He really wanted his son to suffer hardships, so that he didn’t eat and drink all day. When people lived in this world, they had to do the tiniest bit of proper business, right? But Liu Xian’an had no opinion on this. Although he also wanted to analyze it with his father, there were thousands of disciples in Baihe Mountain Village, and anyone could distribute medicine. It wasn’t that he was needed personally. But he was really too sleepy at the moment, too sleepy to move his mouth at all, so he just chose the simplest “en” as an answer and then fell straight back and continued to sleep.

Liu Fushu: Angry to death.

Early the next morning, he came to the waterside pavilion with a stick and drove the unfilial son out.

Mixed in with his family’s disciples, Liu Xian’an carried a basket on his back and sweated profusely as he walked beneath the scorching sun. He also wore a big hat on his head to cover his face, lest all the girls in the city rush out to watch the excitement and block the team’s way.

Distributing heat-reducing concoctions was as charitable as giving porridge. The female disciples in Baihe Mountain Village were dexterous, and had also made a lot of cooling candies and anti-mosquito ointments, all of which were free to use. After walking the road for more than half a month, they finally arrived at a traffic artery where the north and south met, and built a shed on the flat land beside it.

This sort of thing was often done in Baihe Mountain Village during the summer to cool off the heat. In the winter, a stove was set up to cook chili and mutton soup, which was convenient for passers-by. So everyone was familiar with it except Liu Xian’an. His second uncle was leading the team, and seeing that his precious nephew hadn’t figured out his tent after a long time, he sent him to help carry the medicine, so as not to be accidentally pierced by a nail later.

Liu Xian’an agreed and put down the tent. Turning around, he saw that there were at least ten people carrying the medicine and he was not needed at all. 

So he wandered around, found a cool, clean, quiet place, and proceeded to lie flat.

A-Ning: “Ai, I knew it.”

Liu Xian’an slept extremely peacefully at this time and woke up refreshed, looking around comfortably: “What time is it?”

A-Ning replied: “Shen shi.”^[1]

Liu Xian’an was very surprised. Only a short hour had passed? Then he should be able to sleep a little longer.

“Don’t!” A-Ning pulled at him in despair. You didn’t sleep for an hour, you slept for a day and a night minus an hour.

During this time, after receiving their decoctions, many merchants would ask with curious concern, who is that person lying in the shed at the back? Why is he motionless, is he sick? 

The disciples of Baihe Mountain Village couldn’t just say that he was their family’s Second Young Master who was slacking off, and had no choice but to be vague and perfunctory – not sick, he’s just exhausted and taking a break.

“So tired, ah.” Everyone was distressed and admiring, and took the initiative to lower their voices. Next were a group of aunts who were bringing snacks to visit relatives, and hearing this, they all took food out of their bags and insisted on giving it to the young man who was too tired to get up, so that he could take good care of his body.

The disciples couldn’t refuse, so they obliged — they accepted them with thanks and put it all on a small table next to the Second Young Master, snacks and fruits and a few jugs of wine, just like tributes in a temple.

Liu Xian’an happened to grab a fruit to eat at this time. It was quite sweet, and after eating, he walked around. Good, people come and go, everything is orderly, busy but not chaotic, I’m still not needed.

He could go back and lie down.

T/N: Liu Xian’an successfully becomes the god of sleep.

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[1] Shen shi (申时) is between the hours of 3-5pm. ⮐

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Chapter Twenty-Four << Table of Contents >> Chapter Twenty-Six

The next morning, there was a knock on the door.

Then the housekeeper, Uncle Kai, woke him respectfully, “Young Mister Pei, are you up?”

Pei Yi, who hadn’t slept enough, tried to block out the sound with the blanket. Then he recalled where he was and had to struggle out of the blanket’s embrace, getting up to open the door.

—Knock, knock.

Uncle Kai, who had been outside knocking on the door for a long time, finally saw it open. 

“Uncle Kai.”

With sleepy hair and sleepy eyes, Pei Yi spoke with a unique lazy softness. There was also a red indentation on his fair cheek, and his dazed appearance was truly cute.

Uncle Kai thought of his youngest son, who was still in high school, and smiled a little more. “Little Sir, are you hungry? Do you want to go downstairs for breakfast?”

When Pei Yi heard Uncle Kai change his form of address, his thoughts were delayed by sleepiness for a few seconds.

Uncle Kai seemed to notice his doubts, and took the initiative to explain, “There is also a ‘little young master’ in this family according to age, so in order to avoid unnecessary troubles in the future, the Second Young Master asked us to change our words.”

Hearing this, Pei Yi remembered that there was such a little young master in the Bo family in the original book, so he nodded.

It was just a title, it was convenient to change it.

Uncle Kai glanced at the time on his watch. “Little Sir, will you tidy up before going downstairs? Do you need help?”

Pei Yi shook his head.

Even the original owner could take care of his own washing up, let alone himself, who was sane.

Uncle Kai didn’t press him, and went downstairs after that simple answer. Pei Yi went back to the room to wash up, and it was only when he opened the suitcase that he ran into trouble—

In his haste to leave the miasma of the Pei residence last night, he had casually taken a few sets of clothes from the closet and left. Now that he took a closer look, most of the original owner’s old clothes had been worn for many years, and almost all of them had been washed until they were white and faded.

Pei Yi could only pick out a simple set of a white T-shirt and black trousers and grudgingly put them on.

Perhaps due to the environment he grew up in and his mentality, the original owner’s appearance was fair and young, not sharp at all, looking like a soft little milk cat or a little white rabbit.

It was only that now, he had such a black heart inside.

After tidying up, Pei Yi went downstairs. The kitchen on the first floor was still filled with the aroma of breakfast.

Bo Yueming sat in his seat with only one empty plate left on the table. He should have eaten already.

“Little Sir, come and sit down, what do you want to eat?” Uncle Kai placed the brewed coffee into Bo Yueming’s hand. “There are sandwiches and pastries, and I can also ask the kitchen to fry steak and eggs.”

Pei Yi didn’t have much need for breakfast, so he casually picked up the small rolls in the dining box on the table.

Seeing this, Uncle Kai asked, “What do you want to drink? Coffee?”

Pei Yi caught a glimpse of the hot coffee in Bo Yueming’s hand, and felt that the back of his tongue could already taste the bitterness. He suddenly remembered the red wine that he failed to drink last night, and lightly pursed his lips.

Before he could speak, Bo Yueming answered instead, “Is there any milk at home? Ask the kitchen to warm him a cup.”

“……”

Pei Yi was speechless.

Having received his instructions, Uncle Kai nodded and asked Pei Yi, “Little Sir, do you like warm milk?”

Pei Yi’s “no” got stuck in his throat, and he had to change his words in order to maintain his image. “En, I like.”

Compared with red wine or coffee, sweet drinks like milk did match the image of the original owner better.

Uncle Kai promptly went into the kitchen to order it to be prepared, and only Pei Yi and Bo Yueming were left in the spacious dining room. It was very quiet.

While pulling apart his roll, Pei Yi unconsciously glanced at the other’s elbow.

Compared with the relatively simple medicinal powder to stop the bleeding last night, the wound had been covered with a layer of waterproof anti-infection medical plaster.

Bo Yueming took a sip of coffee. “The wound is fine now.”

Pei Yi stopped tearing the roll and look at Bo Yueming uncertainly—

The other party’s eyes were still so deep, like a deep sea without ripples. They were obviously unable to see anything, but were filled with every subtle detail of light.

Bo Yueming set down his coffee. “Still staring at me?”

“Not, I’m not.”

Caught, Pei Yie got a little stuck for once. He had just swallowed the roll when Bo Yueming asked from the other side, “Pei Yi, would you like to see your mother?”

“……”

Pei Yi was taken aback for a moment, clearly not expecting the other party to bring this up.

Bo Yueming didn’t hear a response from Pei Yi, nor could he observe his expression, but the words had already been spoken, and he didn’t intend to stop halfway.

“Before the two families proposed marriage, I sent someone to inquire about your general situation.” Bo Yueming did not hide this fact. “I heard that Ms. Shu and Ms. Pei have been living in the Imperial Capital these years. Do they know about your marriage?”

Pei Yi shook his head, and immediately remembered Bo Yueming’s eyes. “Grandpa won’t let me see them.”

Bo Yueming had guessed that this would be the case. “If you feel the need to let them know about this, you can ask Uncle Kai to take you to them in the afternoon.”

When Pei Yi heard this proposal, a trace of surprise flickered in his eyes.

Before falling asleep last night, he was still thinking about how to meet the original owner’s mother and sister, but he didn’t expect that when he woke up, Bo Yueming would give them a chance to meet outright.

Pei Yi had made up his mind, but didn’t forget the original owner’s behavior. “I, I can go?”

Bo Yueming tapped the outside of the coffee cup with his fingertips. “You can.”

Last night, Pei Yi had mentioned his biological mother when treating the wound. Although it was just a word, it still reminded Bo Yueming of his own upbringing.

Since the other party wanted to meet, he would follow suit and let Uncle Kai take him to meet them.

Firstly, to “repay” Pei Yi’s kindness to him last night.

And secondly, to let Uncle Kai take the opportunity to discover the true nature of the mother and daughter, lest some greedy and unreliable people use Pei Yi’s name to cause trouble for the Bo family in the future.

. . . . . .

At two o’clock in the afternoon, the car stopped at the entrance of a dilapidated alley.

The original owner’s diary recorded the address of the original owner’s mother, Shu Wan. This was the same as the address that Bo Yueming had privately sought out, No. 26 Baiyang Alley.

The path made of stone slabs was full of potholes, and the walls of the alley on both sides were covered with moss and various printed advertisements. To be honest, the houses in this area could not be counted as good, and deviated from the norm.

As soon as Pei Yi stepped into the alley, the remnants of memory in his mind flooded out. The original owner’s mother and sister had always lived here, never moving away.

Uncle Kai approached. “Little Sir, do you remember this place? Is it here?”

Pei Yi nodded. Before he could say anything, there was a commotion in the depths of the alley.

“Am I the landlord or are you the landlord?”

“If you can’t pay the rent, then get out of here! If you live here for a long time, does that make it your own house? You still want to occupy my house by force and not leave?”

“So what if it’s not the end of the month? If you won’t sign the agreement today, then get out of here! There’s nothing to discuss!”

As their footsteps approached, the dispute became louder and louder.

— Bang!

A mess of items were thrown out through the gate of No. 26 and scattered all over the ground. Immediately afterwards, a middle-aged woman was violently pushed, and fell heavily from the house through the door.

“Hiss, ah.”

The woman’s hair was a little disheveled, and her wrist was bloodied by the stone path when she fell to the ground.

She paid no mind to the pain, and quickly picked up two photos on the ground with a forbearing and helpless look on her face. “Mr. Zheng, don’t bully people too much!”

Pei Yi caught a glimpse of the photos from the corner of his eye, and his expression shifted slightly.

An ordinary-looking man with a buzz cut stepped through the threshold and sneered at the middle-aged woman. “Don’t sell misery, I’m not buying it!”

After saying that, he noticed Pei Yi, Uncle Kai, and other nearby, and shouted impolitely, “Who are you, ah, why are you standing in front of my house watching the show? Leave, leave, leave!”

When the middle-aged woman heard this, she belatedly looked to the side, and the moment her eyes landed on Pei Yi, they reddened with surprise and joy.

“Xiao, Xiao Yi! How did you come here?”

Pei Yi officially confirmed the identity of the other party. That is, the original owner’s mother, Shu Wan. He quickly walked forward, helped the other party up from the ground, and looked at her scratched wrist with a heavy gaze.

“Does it hurt?”

“Xiao Yi, it’s really my Xiao Yi, ah!”

Shu Wan was immersed in the shock of seeing her own son, so she didn’t notice the tone of the inquiry. She tremblingly stroked Pei Yi’s shoulders, speechless, and didn’t know where to start.

“Let mom take a good look. Why have you lost so much weight? What about the bruises on your hands?”

Before the warmth of the mother-child meeting could last a few seconds, the landlord with the buzzcut opened his mouth to regain a sense of existence, “Hey, is this the foolish son you always talk about, ah?”

“He came just in time! If you don’t make up for the rent increase today, then get out of here together!”

His tone of voice became much ruder. 

Shu Wang feared that the landlord’s violent temper would scare Pei Yi, so she forcibly shelved her inner helplessness and closely guarded her son behind her. “Mr. Zheng, my youngest son cannot be stimulated. Let’s talk politely if you have something to say, I beg you not to frighten him.”

Her voice was still lingering when a gentle but firm voice followed closely behind. “Mom! What are you talking about with such a shameless scoundrel!”

Everyone looked in unison at the person who had come, and a young girl with a beautiful and gentle appearance ran up. Their eyes met, and Pei Yi recognized her as the original owner’s sister, Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan looked at Pei Yi with a pleasantly surprised smile, and then at Shu Wan’s injured wrist with distress. “Mom, why is Xiao Yi here? Are you all right?”

The landlord with a buzzcut who was called a “scoundrel” took a step forward with an angry look on his face. “Fuck, who the hell are you calling a scoundrel?”

Pei Yuan took a deep breath. She was clearly petite, but she still mustered the courage to stand in front of her mother and younger brother. “Zheng Bin, don’t think that this mother and daughter will tolerate you again and again!”

“In the past six months, you have violated the rental contract we made in the beginning and increased the monthly rent from 5,000 to 6,000, and then to 8,000. And now you want to increase it to 10,000!”^[1]

“In any case, we are unwilling, and you just barged in to make trouble! You pushed my mom and sprained her foot last time, and now her wrist! In the end, who is the smelly, shameless person making fallacious arguments!”

The layout of this apartment was very small, and was also the place where Shu Wan and her husband Pei Ruye started their “household.”

The original landlord was Zheng Bin’s mother, a very gentle soul.

For more than twenty years, she, who was also a woman, knew that Shu Wan’s difficulties were not small, and they always took good care of each other during the holidays. Even if the price of goods rose over time, the rent increases were always within the means of the mother and daughter.

A year ago, the old landlord transferred the ownership of the house to her son, Zheng Bin. After the other party received it, he immediately demanded a price increase.

Shu Wan and Pei Yuan both agreed at the beginning. They couldn’t keep accepting the mother’s favor, so the two parties re-signed the rental contract, paid a deposit, and agreed to pay the rent every two months.

Shu Wan didn’t want her daughter to bear too much of the rent, and would rather get up early and return late to work two part-time jobs, but she never complained about suffering or exhaustion. Coupled with the savings left over from living frugally over the years, the rent was not difficult to settle.

They never thought that in half a year, Zheng Bin would outright renege on the price increase.

This house carried so many memories for Shu Wan, so she was unwilling to move away easily.  In addition, after Old Mrs. Pei’s death, the mother and daughter had been rejected by the Pei family and hadn’t seen Pei Yi for a long time.

The address of this house was the only way Pei Yi knew to find them.

For the sake of the son and younger brother.

The mother and daughter gritted their teeth time and time again and agreed to the rent increases, but they didn’t expect Zheng Bin to be so outrageous!

The more Pei Yuan thought about it, the more angry and aggrieved she felt, and accused in a shaking voice, “Zheng Bin, the houses in this area cannot be rented at such a price! You just assume that we absolutely need this house, and think that orphans and widows are soft persimmons, so you raise the rent arbitrarily and unreasonably!”

He wildly breached the contract and increased the price during the lease period, and each time, the door-to-door rent shakedown violence became increasingly severe. The rent of 10,000 yuan was not a small amount in the Imperial Capital, either!

“Let me tell you! I’ve kept all the rental contacts and transfer records!”

Pei Yuan was also afraid of this big and tall Zheng Bin, but for the sake of the thin mother and ignorant younger brother, she took a choked breath, “If you dare to act recklessly again, we will go to the police station to deal with it! They’ll see who the real unreasonable scoundrel is!”

“You…..”

Zheng Bin knew he was in the wrong, but he didn’t want to lose face to Pei Yuan. He angrily raised a fist to scare off the person in front of him. “Don’t think I dare not hit a woman!”

As soon as the threatening words came out—

Pei Yi, who was being protected by the mother and daughter, couldn’t take it any longer and rushed forward to punch him!

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[1] In USD, about $700, $850, $1200, and $1500 respectively. ⮐

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Chapter Five <<Table of Contents >> Chapter Seven