Chapter 98

The figure seemed quite familiar with the layout of the mansion. After vaulting over the wall, he headed straight for the main courtyard without pausing for a moment.

Tonight, it was Bai Jianping's turn to lead the night watch. Knowing he had to stand guard, he had intentionally slept his fill during the day, so he was full of energy now that night had fallen.

Unable to sit idle, he led his men on a patrol around the premises. Just as he turned the corner of a long corridor, he caught a glimpse of a dark shadow darting past from the corner of his eye.

Alarm bells instantly rang in Bai Jianping's head.

An assassin!

This assassin was incredibly bold, actually daring to scale the walls and attempt an assassination right here in Yuyang, the Marquis's own stronghold.

Hah, what arrogance! Today, he would show this fool that even nine lives wouldn't be enough to spare him!

Bai Jianping immediately drew his longsword and charged over. "How dare you cause trouble in your grandpa's mansion! Die, you scoundrel!"

Bai Jianping took the lead; the soldiers holding torches couldn't keep up with his speed. In the darkness, his longsword swept out with a wind-breaking force, but the figure nimbly ducked to evade the strike.

Bai Jianping let out a cold snort. Just as he was about to slash again, he suddenly heard—

"Uncle Bai, don't hit me, it's me!"

Bai Jianping shuddered and forcefully halted his attack, stumbling as he withdrew his sword. At that moment, the soldiers bearing torches arrived from behind.

The firelight dispelled the darkness, illuminating the young man's rebellious face, which still carried a hint of childishness.

"Third Young Master, why are you here? Didn't the Marquis tell you to stay at the military camp in the outskirts?" Bai Jianping gasped after speaking. "The city gates are already closed at this hour. Don't tell me you scaled the city walls to get in?"

"My father is dying, how could I not come?" Qin Qinian tossed back these words as he hurriedly ran toward the main courtyard.

Bai Jianping froze. By the time he reacted and tried to say it wasn't true, the boy had already disappeared from sight.

He suddenly felt a headache coming on. Knowing this was a huge misunderstanding, he couldn't help but mutter, "Why do all these young masters like to climb over walls at night? Young Master Qin has done it twice, and the Third Young Master is no stranger to it either."

*

Main Courtyard.

When he heard the sound of footsteps outside, Qin Shaozong, who was resting on the bed, woke up. In just a few breaths, his mind became completely clear.

For someone to come rushing to report at night like this, it must be something urgent. Could it be that something happened to the Ding family...

There was no knock on the door; the intruder vaulted directly through the window. The moment his feet hit the floor, the man on the bed snapped his eyes open, swiftly sat up, and reached for the small cabinet beside the bed.

There was a short dagger on top of it.

His fingertips had just brushed against it. Before Qin Shaozong could draw the blade, the intruder suddenly let out a wail:

"Your son is unfilial, your son is late! Father, you must hold on. Eldest Brother definitely doesn't want to inherit your title at such a young age. Father, tell your son who did this..."

Qin Qinian had been smelling medicine all the way here. After climbing through the window, grief overcame him, and he couldn't hold back his tears.

His mother had passed away before he was even two years old, so he had no memory of her face.

His father was an important and busy man, spending little time raising them and disciplining them strictly. But this did not stop them from watching their mountain-like father achieve great merits time and time again. When he stood before them like an insurmountable benchmark, profound admiration and filial love bloomed from the bottom of their hearts.

Yet now he was told that this great mountain was about to collapse! How... how could he accept this...

Qin Qinian threw himself onto the footstool by the bed, ready to tend to his sick father. However, in the darkness, his hands pressed against a firm and muscular calf.

Qin Qinian was stunned.

Before he could figure out what was going on, the long leg broke free from his grasp and immediately delivered a kick to his shoulder. The kick was not light; it sent Qin Qinian tumbling backward.

"You truly are an unfilial brat," Qin Shaozong said, the veins on his forehead bulging.

Having just gone through a session of lovemaking tonight, Dai Li was exhausted and had fallen asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Yet, halfway through her slumber, she was jolted awake by an earth-shattering howl.

At first, she thought it was an assassin who had sneaked into the room and, upon being caught, was begging Qin Shaozong for mercy to spare his life.

But as she groggily listened to the rest, Dai Li realized it wasn't an assassin.

The flint clicked, and an oil lamp was lit in the room.

Qin Shaozong looked at the young man a short distance away. He was dressed in a black and red martial outfit, his face was smeared with dirt, and a few stray blades of dry grass were stuck in his hair. A fire of irritation flared up in Qin Shaozong's heart.

He wasn't dead yet, but this little brat was already acting like he was mourning at a funeral.

Qin Qinian remained sitting on the floor, staring blankly at Qin Shaozong a few steps away.

His father was wearing only a pair of black trousers, his upper body completely bare. The faint light of the lamp fell upon him, clearly highlighting the defined muscles of his chest and abdomen, as well as his two strong arms. His dark skin was cast in a bronze hue by the firelight, faintly gleaming with a robust vitality.

He sat imposingly by the bed, gripping a short dagger in his hand, exuding a murderous aura like an enraged tiger whose rest in the forest had been disturbed.

There was not a single wound to be seen on him; only faint red marks that looked like scratches were visible on his body.

After blinking blankly, Qin Qinian's grief vanished, instantly replaced by overwhelming joy. "Father, you're fine! That's wonderful, the rumors outside were all false!"

"Get out," Qin Shaozong said with a dark expression, setting down the dagger.

Qin Qinian didn't want to leave. His father had been away from Yuyang for nearly a year, and he had so much to say to him.

Dai Li had been abruptly woken up in the middle of the night by a loud voice wailing right off the bat, making her head buzz. Having her sleep interrupted naturally put her in a bad mood. Seeing that these two didn't seem likely to quiet down anytime soon, Dai Li simply decided to chase them out.

"Qin Changgeng, go talk outside. I want to sleep."

A woman's voice suddenly rang out in the room, causing Qin Qinian's eyes to widen in shock.

His father was actually sharing a bed with a woman?

What shocked him even more followed right after. A snow-white bare foot extended from behind the bed curtains, kicked lightly a couple of times, and finally planted itself against the side of his father's waist.

The ankle, which bore bright red marks, tensed with visible small veins, clearly exerting no small amount of force as she single-mindedly tried to kick the man out.

Qin Shaozong turned slightly, grasped Dai Li's calf, and tucked it back under the quilt. "My lady, go back to sleep. I will return shortly."

Dai Li rolled over and looked out through the light, sheer bed curtains. She saw a figure sitting on the floor. His face wasn't clear, but judging from his loud, hoarse voice, he was likely still going through puberty.

Probably fifteen or sixteen years old. In modern times, that would be the age of someone just starting high school.

Qin Shaozong stood up from the bed. Too lazy to put on a shirt, he simply walked over, grabbed the back of Qin Qinian's collar with one hand like he was picking up a cat, and dragged him toward the door.

"Father..." Qin Qinian's voice was much quieter than before.

Creak. The door opened.

Qin Shaozong was just about to toss the boy out, but unexpectedly, another person was standing in front of the door.

A tall, slender young man stood with his back to the moonlight, bathed in a cold and aloof aura. He held a sword in his hand, looking astonishingly sharp and icy.

He had come to catch a thief.

Over there, the mansion guards led by Bai Jianping arrived holding torches. The firelight instantly illuminated this small area of the main courtyard, lighting up the dirt-covered Qin Qinian and the scantily clad Qin Shaozong, who carelessly laid bare a body covered in marks.

Bai Jianping knew he had arrived late and pleaded guilty to his superior. "This subordinate failed to stop the Third Young Master in time just now. Please forgive me, Marquis."

Qin Shaozong tossed the person in his hands outside. "Disturbing people's sweet dreams deep in the night. If you have something to say, say it tomorrow. Qin San, next time you enter a room, knock on the door. If you dare to climb in through the window again, I will break both of your legs."

Lifting his long, narrow eyes, Qin Shaozong swept his gaze over the crowd. "Nothing is wrong, everyone go back."

Bai Jianping cupped his hands in obeisance and led the men away.

Qin Qinian's mood swung wildly. It was good that his father was fine. As for being kicked and tossed out just now, he had thick skin and tough flesh since childhood; to him, it didn't hurt or itch at all.

"Bang." The door to the main room closed.

Without a target, Qin Qinian had to withdraw his gaze. It was only then that he saw an unfamiliar face.

The moonlight fell upon that jade-like face, as if reflecting a delicate and flawless jade carving. His features were handsome, possessing the awe-inspiring aura of a military man.

Qin Qinian was stunned as he looked, and his voice couldn't help but soften a bit. "Who, who are you?"

Hearing him being called "Qin San", Qin Yanzhou knew this was Qin Shaozong's third son. The scene from just now flashed through his mind, and right now, he didn't want to speak to this son of the Marquis of Wu'an at all.

Qin Yanzhou turned around expressionlessly and returned to his room.

"Hey, hey, don't leave!" Qin Qinian subconsciously followed him.

*

Inside the main room.

Qin Shaozong got back into bed and scooped Dai Li, who had rolled to the other side wrapped in the blanket, back into his arms.

Dai Li was still awake. Hearing the "Hey, hey, don't leave" from outside, she couldn't resist saying to Qin Shaozong, "Qin Changgeng, this son of yours is like a beagle."

"What is a beagle?" Qin Shaozong asked.

Dai Li fell silent for a moment.

How should she explain this? She couldn't very well say that a beagle was a type of dog, implying his son was like a dog.

"Madam?" Suddenly not getting a reply, he started to tease her.

Dai Li turned her head, only letting his kiss land on the side of her face, while reaching out to push him. "A beagle is a type of energetic, very noisy, and frequently howling... creature."

Qin Shaozong raised his long eyebrows slightly, pondering what kind of thing howled like that, but couldn't figure it out.

However, that boy Qin Qinian was indeed noisy, and he had a loud voice. Since he was little, he ran wild everywhere. Climbing trees to dig out bird nests today, climbing onto the roof to rip off tiles tomorrow; even beatings couldn't make him behave.

Qin Shaozong said in a deep voice, "That boy's biological mother is Lady Wei. The Wei family has recently stirred up trouble and wants to use the Qin family's hands to settle it. They attempted to contact Qin San to act as a middleman. I threw him into the military camp ahead of time and forbade him from returning to the city to prevent the Wei family from contacting him. Qin San probably heard some rumors, thought I was injured, and hurried back from the outskirts late at night."

Dai Li's expression shifted slightly.

She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she seemed to hear a storm brewing in the first half of Qin Shaozong's words.

He said the Wei family stirred up trouble. Although Dai Li wanted to enjoy the gossip, the Wei family was a sensitive topic, so she didn't take the initiative to ask what trouble they had caused.

"Go to sleep." Dai Li shrank back into the blanket.

Qin Shaozong chuckled softly.

*

Having slept late last night and waking up once in the middle, Dai Li slept until the sun was high in the sky today before getting out of bed.

By the time she was fully dressed and walked to the outer room, she heard someone talking outside:

"What's your name? Why are you here?"

"Hey, hey, you look really handsome, only slightly worse than me. Your martial arts are truly not bad. Could it be that you're my father's guard?"

"But that's not right either. Why would a guard live in the main courtyard?"

"What's with the scar on your neck? Was it from killing enemies on the battlefield? I have several on my back too, a full seven inches long."

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

The familiar, raspy drake-like voice kept ringing out incessantly.

Veins popped out on Qin Yanzhou's forehead. Unable to bear it any longer, he said, "Stop being so noisy."

Qin Yanzhou felt a bit of regret in his heart. Had he known this person was so difficult to deal with, he absolutely wouldn't have sparred with him during morning practice, no matter what Bai Jianping and the others said.

As soon as he spoke, Qin Qinian actually became even happier.

He knew his own voice wasn't pleasant to listen to. Now that he had met a "kindred spirit," it was hard not to be happy.

...

Dai Li came out of the room and saw two figures standing at the entrance of the courtyard from afar.

Her son was dressed entirely in white, expressionless, still wearing a "strangers keep away" demeanor.

The youth beside him, wearing a black and red color-blocked martial arts outfit, was more than half a head shorter than him.

Compared to Qin Yunce, Dai Li felt that this young boy was more similar to Qin Shaozong. The lower halves of their faces were about seventy percent alike. It was just that the inner corners of the boy's eyes were a bit rounder, making him look more like some kind of small animal with wet eyes that would wag its tail.

She hadn't guessed wrong last night. The young boy looked to be around sixteen years old, exactly the age of being lively and restless.

He seemed to be a social butterfly, and also appeared to have some military habits ingrained in his bones. Right now, he kept wanting to put his arm around Zhou Zhou's shoulders, but every time he reached out, her son accurately dodged him.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, the older and the younger both looked over at the same time.

Dai Li saw a subtle change on her son's iceberg-like face. He rarely showed a bit of gloominess, and his eyes carried a different kind of meaning: Mom, can I hit him?

Dai Li: "..."

Qin Qinian knew last night that there was a lady in his father's room, but he hadn't seen her in person. Now, seeing Dai Li for the first time, he completely froze in place.

The lady not far away was dressed in a fragrant-leaf-red crossed-collar ruqun. She had a red dot between her eyebrows, and her skin was like first snow, beneath which flushed a vibrant, life-filled rosy complexion.

She was born with an extremely outstanding pair of peach-blossom eyes. Her gaze rippled, resembling a touching ripple under the setting sun, and also like a speck of frost over a raging fire, making it hard for people to approach her easily.

"Mother, did he disturb you?" Qin Yanzhou shook the person off and walked toward Dai Li.

Dai Li shook her head. "No, I slept until I woke up naturally today."

Qin Qinian was snapped back to his senses by the address "Mother". He looked at Dai Li, then at Qin Yanzhou. After going back and forth like this twice, he was shocked to realize that their facial features were extremely similar, as if cast from the same mold.

This lady was actually mother and son with this guy who was so good at fighting!

"Your mother is so young and beautiful!" Qin Qinian said involuntarily.

Qin Yanzhou's gaze shot over like ice, but seeing that he was just purely amazed and full of praise, with no lustful greed in his eyes, he restrained his sharp aura.

Dai Li patted her son's arm, telling him not to be impulsive.

She had already met his eldest son Qin Yunce and had even accepted his greeting. Right now, facing another younger one, she just treated him like an ordinary child. "Have you two had breakfast yet?"

Both of them said they had eaten.

Qin Qinian was still looking at Dai Li, his gaze filled with unconcealed curiosity, feeling that this favored concubine was very unusual.

Not only did she stay overnight in his father's room, she even dared to use her feet last night. The key was that after kicking someone, she was actually safe and sound.

Dai Li simply pretended not to notice. "Are you not returning to the military camp today?"

Qin Qinian was astonished. "How did you know I came from the military camp?"

Dai Li didn't hide it. "Your father said so."

Qin Qinian felt even more that Dai Li was unusual, but he answered truthfully, "Father told me to stay in the manor for the time being."

"Then you have nothing to do." Dai Li guessed he was also bored out of his mind, otherwise he wouldn't have caught Zhou Zhou and kept talking continuously. "Since you have nothing to do, how about you come with me to make a casing for a fire starter?"

"What is a fire starter?" Qin Qinian was puzzled.

Dai Li explained to him, "You can understand it as an upgraded version of a flint. When you need to make a fire, you just need to blow gently to ignite the flame."

Hearing this, Qin Qinian's expression changed drastically. "My father absolutely despises all this superstitious nonsense. I strongly advise you to mend your ways immediately. Otherwise, when he throws you out of the estate, you won't even have a place to cry."

Qin Shaozong returned just in time to overhear Qin Qinian blabbering this entire speech.