Chapter 39
Hearing Xing Nuo’s angry voice, the players froze.
Baldy’s teammate, his forehead dripping with cold sweat, took two steps back, taking a deep breath to calm himself.
“L-Little Master, what are you doing here?”
The buzz-cut player stepped forward, hurriedly trying to explain to the little master:
“Xing Nuo, don’t listen to this bald uncle’s nonsense, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about!”
Baldy, his memory enhanced by his ability, vividly remembered Shen Wen’s return to the castle.
They had been hiding in the shadows, and they had clearly seen the look of surprise in the castle master’s eyes when he saw Xing Nuo!
Thinking this, Baldy couldn’t help but sneer, unconcerned about offending the seemingly weak little master.
“I wasn’t talking nonsense…”
The buzz-cut player roared, interrupting his foolish words.
“Haven’t you caused enough trouble? Even if he were an ordinary child, you shouldn’t say such things about whether he’s biological or not!”
Baldy, already feeling resentful, scowled.
“Can you stop using your higher level to look down on me? What did I say that was wrong?!”
Before their argument could escalate, Xing Nuo had already climbed down from the sofa and stormed towards them.
“Zaizai and Dad…are related!”
Xing Nuo, his small fists clenched, angrily punched the annoying bald man.
Such a weak physical attack posed no threat to the players.
Baldy, seeing the little master’s anger only amounting to a childish tantrum, sneered, even more convinced of his theory.
“See? I was right, this little master is the weakness of this instance!”
He glanced at his teammate and raised his voice:
“What are you waiting for? Since he’s already heard us, we might as well go all the way!”
The buzz-cut player watched, dumbfounded, thinking this was utterly absurd.
“Are you crazy?!”
Almost all the monsters in the castle revolved around Xing Nuo; offending the little master was a death sentence!
But Baldy, his eyes narrowed, was determined to use Xing Nuo to clear the instance, to succeed in one fell swoop!
He didn’t want to wait any longer.
He couldn’t stand another moment in this damned instance!
A wave of rage and frustration washed over him, his rationality slipping away, his expression turning ferocious.
The buzz-cut player gasped, rushing forward to pull Xing Nuo away, but she was too late. Baldy stabbed her in the stomach with a dagger.
She cursed, not even bothering to cover her bleeding wound, and watched helplessly as Baldy grabbed Xing Nuo, holding a knife to his neck.
“Little Master, if you don’t want to die, tell me the secret of this instance!”
Baldy, suspicious by nature, had drunk the least amount of soup last night, and his emotions were spiraling out of control faster than the other players, yet he was completely unaware of it.
He was following in the footsteps of the blue-shirted player, heading down a path of self-destruction, his mind clouded by irrationality, convinced he was right.
Xing Nuo, his collar gripped tightly by Baldy, a red mark appearing on his small neck, coughed, kicking his little feet in the air, trying to hit the bad uncle.
He gasped for breath, about to speak, when suddenly, the grip on his neck loosened.
He braced himself for the fall, his small hands flailing, but instead, he was caught by a pair of strong arms.
Shen Wen held Xing Nuo, his robes billowing around him like the wings of a vibrant, deadly butterfly.
He turned, one hand gently touching Xing Nuo’s reddened neck, and looked up.
His expression was cold and menacing, a wave of oppressive power radiating from him, washing over the players.
In the blink of an eye, Baldy’s neck was snapped.
The buzz-cut player and her teammate collapsed, unable to stand under the force of the attack, their faces contorted in pain, not daring to even breathe.
Shen Wen’s wide sleeve, carrying the scent of flowers and grass, covered Xing Nuo’s frightened eyes.
“Don’t look.”
Xing Nuo, his vision obscured by the fabric, let out a small, obedient sound and didn’t peek.
He didn’t see the bad bald uncle who had just threatened him lying motionless on the ground, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.
Xing Nuo sniffled, his lips trembling with grievance.
“Dad…bad uncle…said…Zaizai…not…related…”
He buried his face in his dad’s embrace, his initial anger replaced by fear and insecurity.
“Dad…tell bad uncle…Zaizai…is related!”
He loved Dad, and Dad loved him, how could they not be related?
That bad bald uncle must be lying!
Xing Nuo gritted his teeth, wanting to bite that bad uncle!
Shen Wen, sensing the little one’s distress, patted his back and reassured him softly:
“He’s lying. Of course, you’re my son.”
The blood connection he felt the moment they met, how could this child not be his?
Hearing Shen Wen’s confirmation, the buzz-cut player and her teammate, their chests aching, closed their eyes in despair.
The buzz-cut player glanced at Baldy’s cooling corpse and sighed softly.
Truly, there were consequences to one’s actions!
And now they had incurred the wrath of the big boss as well!
Gaining the little master’s favor would be even more difficult now!
Just as she was thinking they were doomed, she heard the big boss’s cold voice:
“Get out.”
She and her teammate exchanged a look, gritted their teeth, and, despite their injuries, quickly vanished from the spot.
Shen Wen carried Xing Nuo, leaving the ill-fated living room.
Back in the bedroom upstairs, he took out a tube of ointment from somewhere.
Xing Nuo’s eyes were red-rimmed, tears streaming down his face as he clung to his dad, whimpering.
“Zaizai…hurts…Dad…carry…”
Shen Wen, sensing Xing Nuo’s fear, didn’t pick him up. He applied some cool ointment to the mark on Xing Nuo’s neck.
“What are you afraid of?”
Not particularly perceptive to a human cub’s emotions, he continued applying the ointment.
“That bald man can’t hurt you anymore, there’s no need to be afraid.”
Xing Nuo’s head jerked back from the coolness of the ointment, but his arms remained outstretched, wanting his dad to hold him.
“Zaizai…not afraid…Zaizai…likes…Dad!”
Seeing that his dad was only applying ointment and not hugging him, Xing Nuo wriggled closer and rested his head against his dad’s arm, his expression pitiful and dejected.
“Dad…do you…like Zaizai?”
Dad used to praise him, calling him the best, his eyes filled with love, as vast and deep as the starry sky, his affection boundless.
But ever since Dad’s daytime memory problems started, he rarely showed such warmth and affection.
A sense of unease gnawed at Xing Nuo’s heart.
He didn’t know how to express it, only bursting out when that bad uncle said he wasn’t Dad’s real son.
He desperately needed his dad to reassure him that he loved him!
He tilted his head up, his watery eyes staring at his dad expectantly.
Shen Wen’s hand, applying the ointment, paused, and he considered the question seriously.
Did he like this troublesome little cub?
He knew he definitely didn’t love Xing Nuo as much as his future self.
Even though he had never met his future self, he could sense that the other Shen Wen valued Xing Nuo more than his own life.
That was why Xing Nuo had sensed the difference between them the moment they met.
Future Shen Wen’s love for Xing Nuo had been tempered by time.
Shen Wen knew he couldn’t match that yet.
But he could promise this:
“You’re my only child, and I will love you very much.”
Even now, he couldn’t deny his fondness for Xing Nuo.
“I like you too, little dirty cub.”
He gently held Xing Nuo’s head still and applied ointment to the mark on his neck.
His voice was soft, almost overlapping with his future self’s for a moment.
“You’ve made my castle a mess. There are holes in the backyard flowerbed that can’t be filled, and I can’t plant the milk you wanted.”
He held up the tube of ointment.
“There was no medicine in the castle before. Guess who I prepared this for?”
The little one was always getting bumps and bruises. Shen Wen, despite his indifference, had prepared this ointment for him.
In just a few days, traces of Xing Nuo were everywhere in the castle, impossible to erase.
The little one’s presence had left a lasting mark.
But—
“The little knight’s adventure is coming to an end. It’s time for him to return home.”
Shen Wen touched Xing Nuo’s forehead.
“Little Knight Xing Nuo, once you’re healed, you’ll clear this instance.”
Xing Nuo didn’t understand what his dad was saying. He tilted his head up, resting it against his dad’s leg, and mumbled in response.
Having only heard the important part, “I like you,” he smiled happily.
“Little knight…likes…Dad…very much!”
Both little knights liked Dad very much!
