Shen Tanqi didn’t forget Consort Shen’s instructions from their meeting in the side hall. He arrived in the main hall with his two little ones to find Consort Shen.
Upon entering, the old lady was engrossed in flipping through an ancient scroll. When she saw him, she set down the book and gestured for the servants to seat Shen Tanqi and the children. “Young master, you’re here.”
Shen Tanqi nodded and took his seat.
Glancing around, he noticed that this time Consort Shen was not accompanied by the familiar figure of a young man.
The day he had just returned home, all of the Shen family members were gathered in the main hall, and he remembered a young man often by Consort Shen’s side.
Seemed like… Shen Han?
He didn’t know much about the Shen family’s situation, but the only impression he had was from the system mentioning it to him before coming to Shuoxia City.
The system had said that if the original owner hadn’t provoked the male protagonist during the clan’s grand competition and been fatally stabbed, the Shen family wouldn’t have fallen to the point of having an illegitimate son take charge, who was ruthless and unscrupulous, causing great trouble for the male protagonist.
Compared to that illegitimate son, the threats the original owner posed to the male protagonist were child’s play.
No wonder the original owner was a cannon fodder. His death was paving the way for that illegitimate son’s ascension.
Before Shen Tanqi could delve deeper into his thoughts, Consort Shen’s voice interrupted his trance, smiling as she said, “Young master, I’m a bit puzzled about today’s matters. Could I ask a few small questions to the Goldfish and Taro Ball?”
She was always meticulous, which made Shen Tanqi feel a bit embarrassed. “Aunt has helped me so much, there’s no need to be polite. Feel free to ask anything.”
Upon hearing this, Consort Shen nodded reassuringly and turned to Goldfish, whispering, “Goldfish? Can you tell Granny what kind of person was blocking you last night and wouldn’t let you go to find your daddy?”
Goldfish nibbled on his finger, carefully recalling the appearance of those big men. He spoke softly, “There was a tall brother wearing gray clothes, and he had a very harsh tone.”
Answering questions was more up Taro Ball’s alley. He picked up where Goldfish left off and said, “There were a few others, all dressed in gray clothes, guarding the corridor about a yard wide in front of Daddy’s room…”
As soon as those big brothers saw them trying to rescue Daddy, one of them reached out to push Goldfish down and said fiercely, “Where did this brat come from? Get lost! The young master has ordered that no one can enter this room.”
Goldfish was frightened, but fortunately Taro Ball was quick to catch him, or else his butt would have been in trouble. The children stared helplessly as those people blocked their way.
Although they couldn’t hear Daddy’s voice from outside, Goldfish had indeed heard Daddy crying next door. Urgently, he pleaded with them, but those big brothers simply grabbed their collars and threw them far away.
“Go away, all of you, don’t come back.”
Taro Ball, being educated, knew he couldn’t harm ordinary people, so he could only comfort his brother while worrying about Daddy.
But in the end, they never found a chance to enter the room. The two children returned to their room disheartened and fell asleep by the wall, hearing that Daddy was no longer crying.
After hearing Taro Ball explain the whole story, Consort Shen understood what had happened and signaled to a maid beside her.
After a while, several servants were securely bound and taken inside. Consort Shen smiled at Taro Ball and said, “Don’t be afraid, look, are these the people you saw last night?”
Indeed, all those men were tall and imposing, dressed uniformly in gray servant attire, their faces filled with fear. Taro Ball didn’t know what Consort Shen was planning. He looked at each terrified face in turn, wondering if Granny was going to punish them to death like they said happened in big families when servants did wrong. Would Granny really kill these people?
However, they hadn’t harmed him or his brother.
The child felt a bit worried and hesitated briefly, but then heard Shen Tanqi’s soft voice saying, “It’s okay, you can speak.”
He turned back to look at his daddy and father. Since they both agreed, there shouldn’t be any problem. The child gained some confidence and nodded at Consort Shen, saying, “It’s them.”
“Oh…” Consort Shen stood up and glanced at the group of servants, suddenly showing a cold smirk. She said to the maid beside her, “Qing Cui, take them away.”
In an instant, several servants dropped to their knees as if facing an impending disaster, crying out, “Madam, we were just doing what we were paid for, we didn’t do anything wrong, please spare us!”
The two little ones became nervous seeing this scene. Goldfish fearfully clung to Shen Tanqi’s clothes.
Shen Tanqi’s gaze fell upon the servants. He realized that he had probably been plotted against.
A renowned Arab doctor diagnosing him as pregnant, the mysterious fertility incense, and the servants guarding his door at midnight to prevent any disturbance…
This series of conspiracies and schemes were clearly aimed at harming him.
It was laughable.
He had neither the time nor the mood to play these family games. Shen Tanqi held onto the little ones and smiled at Consort Shen, saying, “Aunt, take them away, but spare their lives. Just ask a few questions. The children will be scared if they see the people who bullied them.”
Upon hearing this, Consort Shen glanced at him and quickly understood his meaning, replying with a smile, “Of course, I won’t take their lives.”
As for the rest, having spent a long time in the mansion, she was quite familiar with punishments that didn’t involve taking lives.
Under intense interrogation, they naturally confessed everything.
As Consort Shen had the servants taken away, both little ones looked somewhat uneasy.
Growing up in Hidden Dragon Valley, their world, while not as innocent as a blank slate, was still childlike and kind.
Noticing their discomfort, Consort Shen softened her expression and affectionately called out, “Good children.”
She seated Goldfish and Taro Ball on chairs, then reached for a copper box wrapped in silk on the table. She took out some delicate trinkets for the children to play with.
The sight of these exquisite little items immediately captured the children’s attention, drawing them in with a mix of timidity and curiosity.
Consort Shen handed a silver miniature lock to Goldfish. He respectfully clasped his hands together to receive it, then tried to manipulate it for a while before quietly asking, “Granny, what is this?”
These items were crafted by artisans as entertaining puzzles. Consort Shen had purposely gathered a selection for the children, each designed with clever mechanisms but not too difficult for them to enjoy.
Before Consort Shen could explain how to play with the items, Taro Ball spoke up softly.
“Brother, doesn’t this look a lot like the Nine Rings we played with at home before?”
Taro Ball enjoyed novel contraptions, and Consort Shen’s gifts were just right for him. Taking the string of locks from his brother, he effortlessly solved it with a couple of maneuvers. “See, I taught you this before. How did you forget so quickly?”
Consort Shen looked at Taro Ball in astonishment. This lock was called the Seven Orifices Lock, indeed bearing similarities to the Nine Rings, but it was far from easy to solve. Even she needed several days to study it. Yet Taro Ball, only three years old, displayed such remarkable wit.
She joyfully stroked Taro Ball’s head and remarked to the nearby servants, “Our young master is truly clever. Even I would need a few days to solve this Seven Orifices Lock.”
In her excitement, Consort Shen unintentionally neglected Goldfish a bit. She patiently explained the play of each item to Taro Ball, and Goldfish tried a few times to interject but went unheard.
“This contraption is quite ingenious, Granny. Are these connected with mortise and tenon joints?”
“Yes, Taro Ball is astute and attentive. This contraption is quite rare.”
“What about this one…”
“Well, this one…”
Listening to Taro Ball and Consort Shen chatting happily, Goldfish, who was being ignored in the corner, felt a bit dejected.
He knew his brother had always been smarter than him, whether in cultivation, studies, or even with this little Seven Orifices Lock.
His brother excelled at everything, but he couldn’t do anything right. He felt dumb, and he ate a lot.
The more Goldfish thought about it, the sadder he felt. He pursed his lips and carefully placed the Seven Orifices Lock on the table, whispering, “Granny, may I go out to play for a while?”
At that moment, Taro Ball was still enthusiastically examining the other items in the copper box and didn’t notice Goldfish’s change in demeanor. He casually replied, “Brother, wait a moment. Once I figure these out, we can play together.”
Upon hearing this, Goldfish felt a bit stifled, but he obediently sat back down next to his brother and softly murmured, “Hmm.”
He glanced over at Shen Tanqi, hoping his daddy would pick him up and take him outside to play. However, his daddy seemed to be discussing something important with his father. The child held back his desire and kept quiet.
“You mean they didn’t find the main Chen Gui at all last night?” Shen Tanqi nearly fell off his chair, incredulous. “Wasn’t it lured away by the beggar’s array?”
Yu Ce lowered his voice and said, “Yes, that Chen Gui is the root of the problem. It’s incredibly powerful and can bypass the Golden Light Monastery’s demonic suppression array.”
Last night, they searched the city for a long time but couldn’t find it. They watched helplessly as the evil evaded them until its ominous time passed. Now that morning had come and daylight made searching even more difficult.
They had no choice but to wait and search again tonight. Chen Gui kills people at night, so it was sure to appear again tonight.
Shen Tanqi felt a bit unsettled. He took a sip of tea to calm himself, his mind filled with chaotic thoughts.
In terms of novel development, this Chen Gui was the biggest boss of this plot point. The boss definitely had to be defeated by the male protagonist for the story’s typical ending.
Thinking this through, Shen Tanqi added, “Be careful tonight. I think that Chen Gui might come after you.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Ce raised an eyebrow slightly, as if realizing something, and murmured, “Because I’m the male protagonist?”
He emphasized the words ‘male protagonist’ with a hint of amusement.
Shen Tanqi detected the sarcasm in his tone, clearly not believing him at all. So he set down his teacup expressionlessly and said, “No, because you’re foolish.”
Yu Ce responded, “…Alright.”
His senior brother’s words were a bit too biting.
He rubbed his nose and then heard commotion nearby. Yu Ce paused, his brow furrowing. This was unprecedented.
Goldfish was not the type to argue with anyone; he always yielded to his little brother. Taro Ball was very considerate and understanding, always caring for his brother. They occasionally bickered but never raised their voices or argued, which was reassuring.
“You just said that once you solve this last one, you’ll play with me!” Goldfish was flushed with anger, lightly tugging at Taro Ball’s clothes, trying to pull him outside.
But how could he move Taro Ball, whose cultivation was at the Nascent Soul stage? Even if he exerted all his strength, if Taro Ball didn’t want to go, perhaps only his father could pull him out of the room.
Taro Ball furrowed his brow, not understanding why his brother suddenly acted this way. He pondered for a moment. Could it be that his brother found these things uninteresting and didn’t want to wait for him anymore?
That seemed like the only possibility.
Taro Ball smiled as he picked out the most beautiful little windmill from the copper box, trying to give it to Goldfish. “Brother, don’t be in a hurry. Play with this little windmill first. I’ll definitely come play with you once I solve this one.”
The windmill was made of gold paper, shining brightly in the sunlight. Occasionally, a breeze blew through, causing the blades to squeak and turn.
Goldfish’s gaze fell on the small windmill, and a mix of emotions surged within him, making him suddenly feel sour and painful, incredibly uncomfortable—
He felt like he was just like this small windmill.
Useless, not smart; no challenge, easily solvable; unable to help anyone, never receiving any praise, good for nothing except looking pretty.
He wanted to be as smart as his brother, to be able to help his daddy when needed, even if just a little bit…
If he had even a tiny bit of usefulness, he could stay with his daddy and little brother to fight against villains forever, never having to be separated because of his weakness.
Why was he so stupid?
Why was he so stupid?
Tears welled up in Goldfish’s eyes like a rising tide. Though he knew he shouldn’t cry all the time, Goldfish still wiped his eyes gently and whispered, “Erdan, I’m not going to talk to you today.”
Taro Ball’s hand paused, accidentally breaking the small lock he was holding. He looked up in disbelief, “Brother, what are you saying?”
Goldfish wiped away his tears, ran out of the main hall, and cried out, “I said I’m not going to talk to you today!”
Clearly, they were arguing, something they never did before.
Yu Ce’s expression darkened slightly. He picked up a wrapped sticky rice cake from the table, then told Shen Tanqi, “Watch Erdan here. I’ll go check on Dandan.”
Before Shen Tanqi could respond, Yu Ce vanished from the spot.
Shen Tanqi had wanted to say that considering Yu Ce’s skill in coaxing children, he might as well let him go…
But Yu Ce had already disappeared, so he couldn’t say it.
Shen Tanqi turned to Taro Ball, about to say something, but then he noticed that the child had effortlessly crumbled the lock in his hand into dust.
Shen Tanqi: ?
Such strength.
The child’s eyes were red with extreme grievance, utterly clueless about what he had done to upset his brother. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, angrily muttering, “Bad brother! He yelled at me, so I’m not going to talk to him today either!”
…
Oh no, looks like they’ll both need some comforting now.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
