Chapter 134
Yan Nan Village was a quiet and warm village. Ever since he could remember, he had been taken in and raised by his master.
And it wasn’t just him—he also had a senior disciple, a year older than himself.
The senior disciple was naturally gifted in martial arts; the master taught him combat techniques and taught himself the art of strange methods.
The master also liked making pottery, and since he himself was interested, he learned as well.
Over the past few years, he had traveled from the south to the north, always searching for Ah Yao’s whereabouts, and finally found him in the capital.
At the first glance, he was certain the child was his Ah Yao.
Ah Yao’s facial features resembled his own, yet every expression and smile carried the shadow of his senior brother.
Afterward, he inquired about the child and discovered that the boy had been picked up and adopted by a maid from the Lu family.
When he prepared to confront that maid, asking her to return Ah Yao, something happened that day.
Ah Yao had become a disciple of a Great Zhao Wang Ye—how could he go to that Wang Ye and claim that Ah Yao was his own child?
Take Ah Yao back to Yan Nan Village?
Although it was peaceful and calm there, it could not compare to the prosperity of the capital.
Just like his senior brother, who had left the village back then and never returned.
He liked lively surroundings and had no desire to stay behind in Yan Nan Village with them.
During the warm and blossoming spring, he always hoped his senior brother would come back to see them.
In the end, what he received was the news of his senior brother’s death.
He had not even been able to tell him that he had given birth to Ah Yao before they were separated forever.
Since then, his life’s mission had been to find Ah Yao, to find his son.
His original name was not Zhong Yao but Yin Cong, with the childhood nickname Zhong’er.
To solidify his determination to find Ah Yao, he changed his name to Zhong Yao.
The young man behind him also walked to the window and asked, “Is that the child?”
Zhong Yao replied, “Yes.”
A gentle warmth appeared in the young man’s eyes as he said, “He looks a lot like you.”
Zhong Yao smiled. “Yes, Master. But his temperament is like senior brother’s.”
The young man sighed. “You… should not have given birth to him.”
Zhong Yao said, “I… I know, Master. I’m sorry. I could not control my feelings. I liked senior brother too much. It was I who misled him.”
The young man shook his head. “No, Zhong’er, I… I don’t even know how to speak to you about this.”
Zhong Yao smiled patiently, soft and gentle, very different from his usual cold demeanor.
He turned to the young man and said, “I understand, Master. I will not acknowledge Ah Yao as my son. I only want to watch over him from the side.”
The young man’s heart was filled with entanglement and pain; guilt washed over him once more.
Yet there was nothing he could do. He was already a dead man, and a dead man must act like one.
In the courtyard, Ah Chan chased Xiao Liuzi, calling in a childlike voice, “Brother! Brother! Brother, brother!”
Xiao Liuzi stepped forward to correct him. “It’s Senior Brother, Ah Chan. You should call me Senior Brother.”
Ah Chan refused, continuing to call him brother, pouting and running after him.
Xiao Liuzi had no choice but to let him be, thinking that when he grew up, he would understand.
Ah Chan ran off to pick flowers, while Xiao Liuzi climbed the old elm tree nearby to fetch some elm seeds for him.
Unfortunately, the tree was too tall, and Xiao Liuzi’s lightness skill was not yet fully mastered.
When he came down, one foot slipped, and he nearly fell.
Zhong Yao moved to catch him, but the young man beside him acted faster, flying forward and catching Xiao Liuzi, placing him safely on the ground.
Ah Chan, frightened, ran two steps to Xiao Liuzi’s side to check if he was hurt.
Xiao Liuzi was fine—just a minor tumble. He had fallen many times training lightness skills before, and his master had never minded.
For a martial artist, growth came through falling and striking.
Still, he pressed his small face into a serious expression and said to the young man, “Thank you, senior.”
The young man shook his head. “What is your name?”
Xiao Liuzi replied, “This junior is Xiao Liuzi.”
“Do you have a formal name?” the young man asked.
“My master said names should be chosen with care. He is still deciding on a formal one for me,” Xiao Liuzi answered.
The young man nodded. “Then your master really treats you with kindness.”
Xiao Liuzi did not speak further to the stranger. He bowed and led Ah Chan back inside.
Zhong Yao stepped out, putting his human-skin mask back on, and said, “This is how he looks. Cold to everyone he meets, just like senior brother.”
The young man responded, “Indeed, he looks like your senior brother.”
From inside the room, Lu Hanzhi’s voice rang out: “You two are at it again? Wow, you picked elm seeds? …Hmm, sweet!”
Zhong Yao said to his master, “This Prince An’s Wang Fei has an unusual temperament, but he is genuinely kind. He treats Ah Yao very well.”
The young man nodded, yet his gaze drifted absentmindedly toward the window.
Zhong Yao asked, “Master, what are you looking at?”
The young man came back to his senses, smiled faintly, and said, “Nothing, nothing at all. Go on and attend to your work.”
Inside the room, Lu Hanzhi was tinkering with the automatic Browning pistol he had redeemed using five hundred exchange points.
Lu Hanzhi felt like he was going insane—damn it, there really was a pistol!
System, wasn’t this cheating? Did you even realize that?
Had you considered the consequences of hot weapons appearing in an ancient era?
If he had ten thousand exchange points… oh wait, he couldn’t possibly earn that many.
And then, to his disappointment, he discovered that he could only purchase one type of hot weapon.
If he wanted to redeem a different hot weapon, he could choose the exchange option, but the points would not be refunded.
Lu Hanzhi felt a bit disappointed, but having a single Browning pistol was already a blessing amid misfortune.
This defiant, heaven-breaking hot weapon had to be hidden well. It was best kept close as a last trump card.
Lu Hanzhi asked the two children, “What do you want to eat for lunch?”
Ah Chan answered without hesitation, “Lollipop!! Candy!!!”
Lu Hanzhi: …
Yuwen Jue had been right—Ah Chan really had been spoiled by him. He honestly didn’t even know how to refuse the child anymore.
He wanted to tell him that proper meals couldn’t be replaced by snacks, and that sweets could only be eaten after one was full.
However, after hesitating for a long time, Lu Hanzhi still redeemed one fruit lollipop for Ah Chan and one for Xiao Liuzi.
He tore off the wrappers, placed the lollipops into their hands, and said, “Eat these and play for a bit, but you must eat your lunch properly later, alright?”
Ah Chan grinned, popped the candy into his mouth, and happily started sucking on the lollipop.
Xiao Liuzi, however, quietly took out some oiled paper from his robe and wrapped the candy up.
Lu Hanzhi noticed this immediately and called out, “Xiao Liuzi, come here.”
Xiao Liuzi tucked the lollipop into his robe and obediently walked over, saying, “Did Shi Die call me?”
Lu Hanzhi took the lollipop out of his robe, unwrapped it from the oiled paper, placed it back into his hand, and said, “Eat.”
Xiao Liuzi bit his lower lip and licked the lollipop once.
Lu Hanzhi smiled and asked, “Is it sweet?”
Xiao Liuzi nodded. “Sweet.”
Lu Hanzhi asked again, “Does it taste good?”
Xiao Liuzi nodded again. “It tastes good.”
Lu Hanzhi patted his head and asked, “Then do you like it?”
In the end, Xiao Liuzi didn’t lie to himself and said, “I like it.”
Lu Hanzhi sighed and said, “So if you like it, you should eat it yourself. Don’t always think about saving it for your junior brother. I know you dote on your junior brother, but a person has to learn to love themselves first before they have the energy to love others. If you give all that care to your junior brother, then what about you? You’ll get tired, worn out, and exhausted. He, on the other hand, will become spoiled, willful, and take everything for granted. That’s not good for you, and it’s not good for him either. So Xiao Liuzi, in the future, when there’s something good, eat it yourself first, then think about your junior brother.”
Xiao Liuzi lowered his head and nodded.
Lu Hanzhi knew he probably hadn’t truly taken it to heart. After all, he had grown up with Ah Man, and deeply ingrained notions of status and hierarchy weren’t something that could be changed overnight.
But Lu Hanzhi believed that one day, these children would understand that people were born equal.
Once the current turmoil in the capital passed, Lu Hanzhi planned to establish a free school.
He had originally intended to take on another mission, but once a mission was accepted, it would drain his energy. After thinking it over, he decided against it.
With the capital currently on edge and full of tension, this was really not the time to pursue a slow farming-and-upgrading path.
So he informed the system and temporarily suspended the upgrade route.
When he stepped outside, he saw a tall, slender young man dressed in plain clothing speaking with the two children.
Xiao Liuzi was reciting from memory, and it seemed the man was testing him on his studies.
Lu Hanzhi stepped forward and asked, “Sir, you look unfamiliar?”
The man stood up and smiled at Lu Hanzhi. With just that smile, he appeared exceedingly approachable.
The man cupped his fists and said, “Mu Qingtong of Jiangnan.”
Lu Hanzhi returned the salute and asked, “And how did sir come to be in my residence?”
The man replied, “I am staying in the side courtyard. My disciple is named Zhong Yao, and he is lodging here for a few days.”
Lu Hanzhi immediately said, “Oh, so you are Mr. Zhong’s teacher. My apologies for the oversight! Mr. Zhong’s pottery skills are unparalleled in the world—then sir must surely be a grandmaster as well?”
The other party smiled somewhat embarrassedly and said, “It’s merely a skill to earn a living. You flatter me too much, Family Head.”
Lu Hanzhi liked people with genuine ability. He had originally wanted to deepen his relationship with Zhong Yao, but Zhong Yao always maintained a strictly professional attitude toward him, leaving Lu Hanzhi no room to continue the conversation.
This Mr.Mu, however, seemed very kind and approachable, so Lu Hanzhi was happy to chat with him a little longer.
Nearby, Xiao Liuzi and Ah Chan were whispering to each other. Mu Qingtong asked, “Are these two children yours, Family Head?”
Lu Hanzhi replied, “One is my husband’s disciple, and the other is our child. You could say they’re both our own children.”
Mu Qingtong nodded and said, “What you said earlier to the children while giving them candy truly moved me. Your insight is indeed beyond that of ordinary people. No wonder you’re able to run such a large business.”
Lu Hanzhi replied modestly, “You flatter me. It was just a few words meant to guide children toward proper values.”
Mu Qingtong smiled, clearly an easy person to get along with—completely different from his disciple.
Lu Hanzhi asked, “How long will you be staying, sir? If you have time, I’d like to invite you to the residence for a drink another day.”
Mu Qingtong said, “I’m afraid I won’t be able to accept your invitation. At the latest, I’ll be setting out to return to Jiangnan in three days.”
Lu Hanzhi nodded regretfully, then said to Mu Qingtong, “You can rest assured about your disciple staying here. His treatment and safety will absolutely be well taken care of.”
Mu Qingtong also expressed his thanks to Lu Hanzhi, and the two of them chatted in a thoroughly cordial atmosphere.
If it had not been for Prince Chu’s attendant rushing over in great haste, riding hard without stopping, they could probably have continued talking like this all afternoon.
The attendant came tumbling and scrambling to Lu Hanzhi’s side, nearly falling flat on his face. In a panic, he cried out, “Quick—quick! Your Highness! Wang Fei! Our Wang Ye is about to give birth! Please go and have a look at once!”
Your favorite BL chaos wouldn’t be possible without coffee… lots of coffee….
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