Chapter 116: Pitiful (Second Update)

Lin Yanxu turned his head.

At that moment, he and Wu Qingyu were standing at the doorway, their backs to the light. Inside the room, Xiao Yue was facing them, holding a long sword that had already been unsheathed. The blade was cold and sharp, catching the sunlight from outside and refracting a piercing, icy gleam. Both Wu Qingyu and Lin Yanxu felt a sudden, inexplicable chill. The glare from the blade was so dazzling that Lin Yanxu could not make out Xiao Yue’s face for a moment, instinctively raising a hand to shield his eyes. Only then did he hear the sound of the sword being returned to its scabbard.

A moment later, Xiao Yue tossed the precious blade back onto the rack.

Lin Yanxu finally saw his face clearly. He looked at him, then back at Wu Qingyu, and asked, "This is..."

Wu Qingyu hurriedly stepped forward to introduce them: "This is His Highness, Prince Sheng." He added an explanation, "He came to our estate to borrow some books."

Lin Yanxu was greatly surprised. His eyes widened, and then a look of delight washed over his face. He bowed respectfully, "So it is the renowned Prince Sheng. I am Lin Yanxu. I have long heard of Your Highness’s illustrious reputation, and to encounter you here today is truly a great honor."

In truth, he had always wanted to join the army, but given the delicate relationship between the Lin and Wu families, the elder Prime Minister Lin would never allow him to serve under Wu Xun. Thus, his dream had remained just that—a dream. Seeing this prince, who was as legendary as Wu Xun and possessed such brilliant military achievements, filled him with genuine excitement. Furthermore, as the Emperor’s own brother, the Prince was not much older than their circle of young noblemen, and Lin Yanxu treated him with the humble courtesy of a junior to show his respect and admiration.

Indeed, Lin Yanxu’s admiration was pure, his eyes bright and sparkling with sincerity.

Xiao Yue, however, found this attitude—as if he were some ancient figure being placed on a pedestal—very uncomfortable, even inexplicably stifling. Being in a foul mood, his attitude was naturally poor. He remained fixated on his previous question, asking in a lukewarm and seemingly casual tone, "So you are the grandson of Prime Minister Lin. Fourth Young Master, aren't you a relative of this household? When you come over to visit, why didn't you bring your wife along?"

Lin Yanxu, taking him as an elder to be respected, scratched the back of his head and grinned sheepishly, "I’m not of age yet, so how could I have a wife? If I were to marry, it would have to be at least two years from now."

With that smile, his white teeth were exposed again, looking spirited and sunny.

Hearing him mention his "age" and seeing his face, which was blooming like a flower, Xiao Yue felt even more suffocated.

Standing straight outside the door, Lei Ming was silently doing the mental math for his master: *Hmm, in two years, the little ancestor of the Wu family will be coming of age!*

Lin Yanxu was a straightforward person and had no guard against this prince—a man whose status was worlds apart from his own and whom he was meeting for the first time. He didn't notice the subtle changes in Xiao Yue’s expression at all.

Wu Qingyu, however, caught it. He was puzzled—Lin Yanxu was a bit boisterous, but he hadn't truly overstepped any boundaries. No matter how many times he turned it over in his mind, he couldn't figure out what had been said to make Xiao Yue suddenly unhappy. Back with the Old Madam, he had noticed Xiao Yue deliberately bringing up Wu Tan, but he hadn't grasped the true intent, let alone imagined that the Prince would pick a fight with anyone here over mere words.

Feeling somewhat confused by Xiao Yue’s behavior, Wu Qingyu tried to smooth things over: "If Your Highness is not in a hurry to leave, please come in and have some tea!"

Xiao Yue had no such leisure to sit and chat with a young lad like Lin Yanxu, and he was indeed in a bad mood. He replied firmly, "No, there are matters at my estate; I must be going."

Wu Qingyu was more than happy to oblige, "We have been very busy lately and have failed to host you properly. I hope Your Highness will not take offense."

Xiao Yue didn't respond. Before leaving, he remembered the initial reason for his visit. Given that the books on Wu Qingyu’s shelves were generally of poor taste and taking any of them would be beneath him, he casually grabbed a short blade from the weapon rack and tossed it to Lei Ming, who was standing outside: "The pattern on the blade of this dagger is quite unique. I will borrow it for two days to have my craftsmen forge a copy."

The underlying principle was simple: leave a reason in advance so that I can come back later!

Wu Qingyu understood perfectly, but since the Prince had already taken the blade, he couldn't very well snatch it back. He had to grit his teeth and agree: "Yes! Please, Your Highness, feel free to use it as you wish!"

Lei Ming, gripping the blade outside the door, muttered to himself: *What he really likes is your second young lady. If you just let him take her, he will never come here to pick fights again...*

Xiao Yue began to walk away.

Wu Qingyu hurried after him: "I shall see you off, Your Highness!"

"No need!" Xiao Yue waved a hand. "It's only a few steps; I can find my own way out. You still have a guest, don't you? Go host him!"

***

After saying this, without waiting for Wu Qingyu to react, he strode out of the courtyard. He was truly planning to return home, so he walked with a cold face and a brisk, long-legged pace. Unexpectedly, halfway there, his brows suddenly furrowed, and he came to a dead stop.

Lei Ming, who had been walking behind him with his head down, was caught off guard by the sudden halt and instinctively looked up with caution... then he lowered his head again, silently retreated, and took a wide detour to go ahead and keep watch.

Wu Tan was leading a horse, standing stubbornly in the middle of the path through the flower garden.

Xiao Yue’s horse was the warhorse that had accompanied him onto the battlefield in the Northern Frontier; it was naturally taller and sturdier than the average steed. She was not even as tall as the horse, a small, slender figure dressed in fiery red spring robes. Standing there, she looked rather comical.

In that instant, all the annoyance Xiao Yue had felt toward Wu Qingyu vanished into thin air. The corners of his lips curved upward, and he stood there, watching her with a calm, leisurely air.

Seeing that he wouldn't move forward, Wu Tan dragged the horse to him and, with a cold face, held out the reins: "Your Highness, here is your horse. Please do not come to our estate ever again."

Xiao Yue looked down at the fist she had thrust toward him, but he kept his hands behind his back, showing no intention of taking them.

He asked, "Why?"

Wu Tan didn't mince words. With her brows knitted tightly, she stared directly into his face: "Can't you see that no one in our family welcomes you? And Your Highness, you are a man of high position and power; don't you understand? His Majesty would not be happy to see our two families interacting. You are a member of the imperial family, the Emperor’s own brother, so you have nothing to lose, but our Marquis of Dingyuan’s estate is at the pinnacle of power and does not want to invite unnecessary trouble. We have no grievances against each other; why must you make things difficult for us? My grandmother is old and cannot handle such shocks. Please, I beg you to show some mercy and be considerate, can you not?"

*See!* Even though this girl usually pretended to be scatterbrained, she understood everything in her heart.

Seeing that she had finally stopped acting and was willing to stand up and tell him the truth, Xiao Yue’s mood improved even further. He leaned down slightly so he could look her in the eye.

Being so close, Wu Tan felt a bit uncomfortable. Her first instinct was to step back, but she had finally mustered the courage to come and lay her cards on the table, and to show her resolve, she held her ground. However, she was still flustered, her small face slightly flushed.

Xiao Yue looked closely at her face: her eyes were large and bright, her lashes long and curled, her nose bridge straight, her lips delicate. Although her cheeks still held a touch of baby fat, she was, if not breathtaking at first sight, perfectly flawless in every way. At this moment, she was glaring at him with hostility; her angry expression, while fierce, only made her seem inexplicably cute.

The smile at the corners of his mouth deepened. After staring at her for a moment, he didn't answer but instead asked, "Why say these things only now?"

Being stared at from such close range, Wu Tan was already nervous, and her mind was moving slower than usual. Before she could think, her mouth blurted out: "What?"

Xiao Yue said, "Haven't you long concluded that I had ulterior motives for coming to your estate? Haven't you always known that the Emperor is wary of the Marquis of Dingyuan’s estate, which holds heavy military power? You even judged that my purpose in approaching you was not simple—that I wanted to use you to get to your eldest brother or even your father?"

His tone was not heavy, even low and reasonable, but each question landed like a muffled thunderclap in Wu Tan's mind. Her lips moved, and by instinct, she wanted to use her usual evasive tactics. But Xiao Yue was looking at her with such deep focus that she could see her own face reflected in his pupils, and she fell under a strange illusion—at this very moment, at such a close distance, it seemed as if he had seen through and understood every thought in her heart.

This distance—it didn't seem to be just physical; there was an undeniable, subconscious recognition that no amount of pretense could hide.

In the end, she merely pressed her lips together... and remained silent.

Watching her, Xiao Yue’s thoughts drifted for a moment, recalling the last time he had seen her five years ago in the Great Hall of the Changning Palace—just as clear and rational, yet always weighing the pros and cons. For her family, for those she cared about, she had endured and retreated, ultimately hiding behind a mask of playful fearlessness to maintain her last shred of self-respect. Back then, he had thought this woman was truly ridiculous.

But five years after her death, when he himself died, he thought of her again and found her truly tragic. And now, having returned to this place, standing before this twelve-year-old girl, seeing her enjoying the protection of her family in the bustling capital, living her life with such unrestrained joy... he only found her pitiful.

Seeing his gaze lingering on her face, seemingly lost in thought, Wu Tan felt a bit strange. She frowned slightly.

That tiny movement pulled Xiao Yue’s thoughts back. In that instant, he suddenly felt a sense of unprecedented irritation.

Wu Tan saw the curve of his lips vanish, and it felt as if the air around them had suddenly turned cold. She shivered slightly.

Xiao Yue, staring at her face, spoke again: "I will teach you a principle!"

It was not a request for her opinion. Wu Tan looked at him with a mix of suspicion and bewilderment.

He said, "In any situation, never think of compromising for the sake of peace, because in this world, no one will willingly share their interests with others. When you encounter anything, just like how you intimidated Jiang Yuzhi yesterday—whenever you have a weapon in your hand, or as soon as you discover that someone poses even the slightest malice or threat to you, never hesitate or go soft. You must strike first, knock them down, and crush them completely under your feet. You are not so weak that you have no means to harm others; whenever you can take the initiative, don't think about the 'big picture.' Those are men's concerns. You only need to look after yourself and live your own life freely."

She was clearly clever and capable, yet back then, when she was with Xiao Yun, it was because she believed in the so-called "family and big picture," and believed the lie that as long as the Wu family didn't fall and she remained well-behaved, she could live in peace, that she had ended up with such a fate.

Xiao Yue’s gaze, fixed upon her, was deep and heavy. Wu Tan didn't know what was wrong with him or what was wrong with herself, but being stared at like this made her heart race and her head spin. She didn't know how Xiao Yue knew about the incident with Jiang Yuzhi, nor why he was suddenly saying these seemingly aimless things. She couldn't fully grasp his meaning, so after holding back for a long time, she summarized: "So... your point is that since I know you coming to our house is bad news, I shouldn't worry about your status and should just beat you out?"

Connecting all the logic—that was what he meant, right? He first told her she was right—that his frequent visits to the Wu family were indeed problematic—and then told her not to endure things that threatened her...

Had this Prince Sheng been kicked in the head by Wu Qingyu? Why was he suddenly acting crazy, even encouraging others to attack him?

Wu Tan instinctively reached out to touch his forehead.

Xiao Yue had been in the middle of a passionate argument, and suddenly, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. His face darkened instantly, and in the next moment, she had amused him to the point of laughter.

He grabbed her restless hand, sneering, "Why don't you try beating me out, then?"

Wu Tan was horrified by his gloomy smile and instinctively tried to pull her hand back. When she couldn't pull it free, she got angry and shouted, "Then what on earth do you want? Can you just say it clearly? You can't just bully people with your status! You keep coming to our house to pick fights every few days; my grandmother is scared to death! I’ve told you clearly today: if you are planning anything against my father or the Wu family, give it up—it’s not going to happen!"

*This crazy girl!* He was kind enough to warn her, and she was turning the tables on him and biting the hand that fed her!

Xiao Yue felt his own temper rising. But she was just a half-grown child; he couldn't hit her, and he couldn't scold her. In the end, he laughed in his fury and said impatiently, "Stop shouting. I have no interest in Wu Xun or the Marquis of Dingyuan’s estate."

Wu Tan was stunned, but she clearly didn't believe him and continued to glare at him with suspicion.

Xiao Yue sighed: "You really don't want me to come here anymore, do you?"

Wu Tan didn't want to talk to him, so she remained silent, which he took as an admission.

Xiao Yue couldn't really argue with her, so he leaned down again, looking directly into her face at close range: "If you want me to stop coming here, there is only one way..."

He stopped halfway, deliberately keeping her in suspense.

Wu Tan was skeptical, but her wrist was still caught in his grip and she couldn't shake him off, so she had to patiently play along: "What way?"

She stared at him, still with a hostile expression, but because of her anger, her face was even more flushed than before. Her lips were soft and pink, and as she spoke, they trembled like dew-kissed petals, looking fresh and delicate.

Xiao Yue had never liked being around girls since he was a child; he always found them affected and troublesome. Later, when he was older, he went to the military camp, so his knowledge of girls was very limited until he returned and began having more contact with Wu Tan.

Watching her angry expression now, he unexpectedly found her strangely delicate, soft, and cute.

Perhaps his mind went blank for a moment; he didn't know what he was thinking, but he suddenly leaned in and kissed her lips.