Volume One: The Wild Boy Chapter Thirty-Nine: Each with Their Own Thoughts

Night deepened.

The little girl, who had endured so much in a single day, finally succumbed to exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep, nestled against her doll. Only then did Lin Changtian’s tense heart find some relief. He tiptoed out, gently closing the door behind him and letting out a long sigh—this time, things seemed much lighter. He’d spoken with the little girl for a long, long while, from tales of her childhood with the chubby boy she’d grown up with to her meeting with Yu Baili of the Northern Territories; he too was weary.

But when he saw Chen Mo, all his fatigue turned into burning anger. The more he thought about it, the more furious he became. Charging forward, Lin Changtian kicked the snoring Chen Mo awake.

Chen Mo rubbed his eyes, wincing at the pain in his rear, and mumbled, “So, Little Lin, you’re done comforting her? Their sofa is terribly uncomfortable—my backside is sore.”

Lin Changtian shot him a glare, replying irritably, “She feels a bit better, more or less, but wounds like these can only be soothed by time. By the way, what do you make of that Wei Shaoqing?”

When Lin Changtian abruptly mentioned Wei Shaoqing, Chen Mo seemed lost in thought. He was silent for a while before finally saying, “Wei Shaoqing is deeply shrewd and perfectly adept at managing people. With just a few words, he pacified the surrounding lackeys—truly worthy of being one of the Ten Elders.”

He paused, then continued in an unhurried manner, “Yet, for all his cunning, his actions today were, perhaps, a case of gaining little at the expense of much.”

“How so?” Lin Changtian pressed. “To be honest, that old man’s aura is sharp as ever, even when restrained—it’s still imposing. If a fight truly broke out, I doubt he’d have much chance of victory. Yet he bowed his head; such bearing, even if feigned, is admirable.”

Chen Mo shook his head, cutting him off. “You still haven’t seen enough of the world, Little Lin. There are hidden truths you don’t know. Let me ask you: did he ever mention the mother who was flogged to death by Wei Zifu?”

Lin Changtian frowned. “Of course he wouldn’t. Wei Shaoqing’s aim was to minimize the impact of that affair, wasn’t it?”

Seeing Lin Changtian’s confusion, Chen Mo smiled gently and lowered his voice, “That’s exactly his brilliance—and also where he makes his mistake. The old man is a master of the human heart. From his lofty position, he lowers himself, offers kind words and benefits, and did you notice? All compensation is to be sought from the Wei clan, not the local authorities. In essence, he’s having those bystanders show face to the leading family of Ruzhou’s Seven Clans. Anyone clever enough might seize this chance to forge a connection.”

“Isn’t that rather thorough?” Lin Changtian was puzzled, unable to follow Chen Mo’s convoluted reasoning.

“No, no.” Chen Mo’s eyes lit up, the laziness gone, replaced by a growing intensity. “Pacifying those lackeys is easy—they’re not the real concern. What Wei Shaoqing and the entire Wei family truly fear are the wolves lurking in the shadows. You don’t know, but in the Divine Continent of Wenyuan, there are four emperors, each craving unification. To ascend, one must denigrate Confucianism; to rule, one venerates it—it’s always been this way. Among the four, the Northern Emperor is the strongest, exuding the air of a true Son of Heaven, and has started imposing Confucian rules for tighter control.”

“You mean this affair could become ammunition for others?” Lin Changtian asked.

Chen Mo nodded, a trace of approval in his gaze. “Exactly. When the Ten Elders were granted their titles, it was under the banner of ‘the virtuous hold office,’ but even a child in the marketplace knows that’s blatant falsehood. Yet, in Wenyuan, ‘reputation’ is paramount. Wei Shaoqing’s deft handling may have smoothed things over for now, but when the time comes, those opposing the Wei family will jump at the chance to exploit this. Conversely, if Wei Shaoqing had come clean immediately—even if only putting on an act—under Ruzhou’s laws, could anyone have really forced Wei Zifu to die as penance? That would threaten the interests of the entire nobility, and no one would dare use it against them again.”

After this long speech, Chen Mo reverted to his simpleminded appearance. Lin Changtian regarded him with curiosity, studying him before saying slowly, “Terrifying indeed—truly terrifying.”

Chen Mo smiled, appearing inscrutable. “Hush, don’t be surprised. This is elementary for anyone from Yu. I’ll admit it—I’m done pretending. I wanted to blend in as an ordinary man, but alas! You’ve never realized what you had before you. Back in the day, I was known as the Crouching Dragon of the North!”

Lin Changtian glanced at the preening Chen Mo and replied with feigned confusion, “If the people of Yu were so great, why did your operations in the north fail repeatedly, until you were forced to hole up in a tiny city like Qingcheng? But I get it—Qingcheng was just a cover, right? Who would have thought such a small place would host the great Crouching Dragon himself. Am I right, Master Chen?”

Chen Mo pursed his lips. Little Lin was far too sharp-tongued, always exposing others’ secrets, but he didn’t mind. He rapped Lin Changtian on the head and continued, “One more thing—you did well. Intentionally leaking that we were from the north and calling yourself ‘Lin’ to confuse matters. Not only did you make the old man wary, you also attracted the attention of other powers. Quite cunning—reminds me of myself in my youth.”

Lin Changtian looked baffled at Chen Mo’s praise. “Not really, I didn’t think that much. I just blurted it out without thinking. I was worried you’d scold me, actually.”

“Then why did you emphasize ‘north’ so much?” Lin Changtian scratched his head, embarrassed. “That old guy kept boasting about being one of the Ten Elders, intimidating us with the Wei clan’s name. I wanted to bolster our own presence, so I stressed ‘north’ to make it seem like we had strong backing. That was all.”

Chen Mo waved him off, too tired to continue this back-and-forth with someone who could be sharp one moment and foolish the next. He lay down and went straight to sleep.

...

At the Wei residence, the sound of whipping continued, each strike landing on a servant.

After a long while, the lashes ceased. From the back door, the bodies of the servants who’d accompanied Wei Zifu in his misdeeds were carried out.

Wei Zifu himself did not fare well; the clan elder personally administered his punishment, nearly beating the pampered young master into unconsciousness.

“Do you know where you went wrong?” Wei Shaoqing sat in the hall, sipping tea with casual ease.

Wei Zifu gritted his teeth, bearing the blows but stubbornly replied, “I only killed a commoner—what fault is there in that?”

Wei Shaoqing’s face revealed no emotion as he took another sip. “Killing is one thing, but why drag the family into it? Why not use your head, clean things up properly? Can’t you even put on a show for the commoners? Continue the beating—let him reflect.”

“I wonder if those two are really from the Lin family of the north. If they are, we’ll have to tread carefully,” Wei Shaoqing mused to himself, taking his tea and retreating inside.

...

The night passed in silence. At dawn, Lin Changtian rose early to prepare food for the little girl.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t cook, so his first task was to rouse the still-sleeping Chen Mo, ignoring the latter’s resentful glare, and drag him into the kitchen.

“I really don’t get it. If you can’t cook and had no one to rely on growing up, how did you survive?” Chen Mo asked, bleary-eyed and exasperated.

Lin Changtian blinked innocently. “My teammate was quite capable—did everything from laundry to cooking. Without that chubby fellow, there’d be no Lin Changtian today.”

Chen Mo sighed and set about making breakfast. However, the clamor they made in the kitchen soon attracted the little girl, who peeked in, clutching her doll, curious about the two bumbling grown men.

“Chen Mo, aren’t you supposed to know how to cook? Is this even edible for a child?” Lin Changtian hissed.

Chen Mo looked embarrassed. “It’s been a long time since I cooked. Besides, who in an organization like Yu spends their time practicing this?”

Lin Changtian shot him a sidelong glance, and in turning, he spotted the little girl standing there. Instantly, he switched to a cheerful demeanor, beaming as he greeted her, “Why are you up so early, Yixiao? You were so tired yesterday; you should rest more. Don’t worry about breakfast, leave it to us!”

But his words rang hollow amid the chaos behind him.

Chen Yixiao smiled gently, as if yesterday’s gloom had lifted. “It’s fine. You two have already done so much; let me handle this meal.”

Before long, the aroma of food filled the air, making the two men ravenous.

“How can you cook so well at your age, Yixiao? What will you be capable of when you’re grown?” Lin Changtian marveled. The girl before him seemed to have shed the burdens of the world overnight, now exuding a quiet, ethereal grace.

Chen Yixiao nodded, her voice airy. “Mother was always very busy. Left alone at home, I had to become better at cooking.”

At the table, the three wore different expressions. Chen Yixiao seemed lost in memories, a faint smile on her lips. Chen Mo sighed, muttering to himself. Lin Changtian showed no sign of change, focused on eating, but the veins bulging on his hand belied the calmness of his face.

“I’m full,” Lin Changtian announced abruptly, pushing open the door and leaving. Chen Mo, worried he’d cause trouble, gave Yixiao a few instructions and hurried after him.

Indeed, Lin Changtian’s intuition was not wrong—overnight, several strands of white had appeared among Chen Yixiao’s youthful hair, as if touched by something unnatural. The stark whiteness, tinged with a delicate beauty, resembled the haunting blossom of a red spider lily, bewitching to behold.

...