Mo Li

Mo Xiaobao, formally known as Mo Yuchen, is the Little Prince of Prince Ding's Estate. If one were to ask who the person with the most formidable background in the world is, the answer from everyone would be unanimous—Mo Yuchen. His father is Mo Xiuyao, Prince Ding, who dominates the realm, and his mother is Ye Li, Princess Ding, equally renowned and commander of the world's most elite Qilin forces. The foremost scholar of the era, Mr. Qingyun, leader of the nation's intellectual elite, is his Grand Tutor, while Mr. Hongyu and the five young masters of the Xu Family are his uncles. Most importantly, his uniquely cherished status in the Xu Family has never wavered, even after the arrival of his younger siblings.

But if one were to ask who the most unfortunate person in the world is, the Little Prince Mo would tell you—it is also Mo Yuchen. And the reason for his misfortune, as he sees it, is entirely due to having a father who excels at tormenting his son. So much so that he often dreams of becoming the kind of son who could torment his father instead.

Mo Xiaobao's misfortunes began the moment he was born—perhaps even before. His father blamed him for being too voracious in the womb, causing his beloved mother to suffer and lose weight. At birth, his father accused him of being too troublesome, making his mother endure excessive hardship. Even after his arrival, his father grew jealous of the attention his mother lavished on him and, in a fit of petty spite, bestowed upon him a childhood nickname that would haunt him for life. Looking back, Mo Xiaobao often felt his childhood was like a grand cabinet filled with nothing but tragedies.

His mother once comforted him, saying that "Xiao Bao" was an adorable and endearing name. Mo Xiaobao wholeheartedly agreed—until he turned ten. Before that, the name had indeed been cute and charming, and he had even mastered the art of being irresistibly adorable. But as he grew older, he realized his mother's reassurance had been nothing but a well-intentioned lie. When his nickname spread throughout the Mo Family Army and beyond, he finally understood the malicious intent behind his father's choice.

Life before the age of ten, though filled with constant battles of wits against his father, had been relatively carefree and happy for Mo Xiaobao. But his golden days came to an abrupt end after his younger siblings' first birthday. The very next day, he was sentenced to three months of confinement. When he finally emerged from his courtyard, half-convinced he might develop lifelong social anxiety, he was promptly thrown into his father's study and handed an utterly ruthless daily schedule. From then on, his life became one of waking before dawn, sleeping later than dogs, working harder than oxen, and eating worse than prisoners.

Yet Mo Xiaobao was a boy of great ambition. He understood the sayings: "No pain, no gain," and "Heaven assigns great tasks only to the worthy." After enduring over a year of relentless discipline, the twelve-year-old Mo Xiaobao and his fifteen-year-old companion Qin Lie were tossed into the Qilin forces for further tempering.The Qilin was the most elite trump card of the Mo Family Army, and by all accounts, someone of Mo Xiaobao's age shouldn't have been recruited. Back then, Qin Lie had been turned away for being too young. But when Mo Xiaobao single-handedly navigated the treacherous swamps and forests of the Qilin's training assessment and managed to defeat seven full-fledged Qilin members using every trick in the book, he finally earned his place. As Qin Feng, the then-commander of the Qilin, put it: "Third-rate methods, second-rate strength, first-rate results." Thus, Mo Xiaobao became the youngest member in Qilin's history.

To outsiders, the Qilin appeared mysterious, noble, and aloof. But to those who truly became part of it, they were as warm and familial as any close-knit group. After all, no one wanted to maintain a cold and distant facade all the time. So, Mo Xiaobao encountered his first challenge upon joining the Qilin—choosing a codename.

Every official member of the Qilin had to pick a codename they liked and that their comrades approved of.

Mo Xiaobao and Qin Lie were assigned to the same squad, which consisted of eight members in total. The codenames among them were as varied as they came—some went by Snow Wolf or Fierce Tiger, others by names like Hunting Eagle or Crow, and still others chose monikers like Hammer or Iron Mallet. Mo Xiaobao was determined to pick a codename that was grand, imposing, and befitting his future reputation as a legendary figure. He couldn't afford to be careless about it.

As Mo Xiaobao racked his brains, agonizing over his codename, Qin Lie, who had been waiting impatiently nearby, frowned and said, "Do you really need to come up with another codename? Isn't your nickname already famous far and wide? No matter how hard you try, whatever you pick won't overshadow the one you already have."

Mo Xiaobao blinked. "Do I? Should I just go by 'Little Prince'? That doesn't sound right—feels like I'm flaunting my dad's status, doesn't it?"

Qin Lie rolled his eyes and coolly uttered two words: "Xiao Bao."

Mo Xiaobao's smile froze instantly, and he nearly lunged at Qin Lie to bite him. "Qin Lie, you traitor!" Qin Lie snorted lightly and said, "You think they don't know? Since when did the Little Prince of Prince Ding's Estate develop a habit of deceiving himself? Or has someone forgotten how he once proudly announced his name in front of the entire Mo Family Army?"

Back then, the young Mo Xiaobao had famously declared, "My name is Mo Xiaobao!" in front of thousands of soldiers, an act that became legendary across the army. Since the Little Prince seemed so fond of this nickname, the soldiers of the Mo Family Army naturally embraced this utterly adorable name—especially since it was said to have been bestowed by Wang Ye himself. Though some occasionally felt a pang of guilt, thinking the name didn't quite suit the Little Prince's majestic and heroic image, one look at his delicate, sweet face and soft, endearing expressions was enough to convince them of Prince Ding's wisdom. Years later, Mo Xiaobao would deeply regret how he had relied on his childhood cuteness to get away with mischief as the Little Prince.Mo Xiaobao looked despairingly at his teammates, whose smiling and approving expressions confirmed that Qin Lie was telling the truth. While the Qilin might be more insular than other military units, their information was by no means outdated. More importantly, a significant portion of the current Qilin forces had only joined in the past two years, many of whom had personally witnessed the Little Prince's remarkable feats.

"Xiao Bao is perfect—it suits him well. Let's call him Xiao Bao!" The team leader was the first to make the decision. The chance to mess with the Prince might come only once in a lifetime, and they had to seize it. Even if it meant being endlessly tormented and exploited by someone for the rest of his life.

Thus, with a vote of seven to one, Mo Xiaobao was overwhelmingly outvoted and forced to accept the name "Xiao Bao" once again. Since he was temporarily serving in the Qilin, the unit jokingly referred to him as "Qilin Xiao Bao" or "Qilin Baby"...

The blow to his name nearly crushed Mo Xiaobao, extinguishing the lofty ambitions he had when he first joined the Qilin. It wasn't that Mo Xiaobao didn't want to achieve great things—it was just that the thought of countless people cheering "Xiao Bao this!" or "Xiao Bao that!" after his success filled him with the urge to flee to the wilderness and live out his days in solitude. After much agonizing reflection, Mo Xiaobao finally reaffirmed his life's ambition. He would embrace the shadows! Fame, glory, and widespread recognition clearly weren't his style. He would lurk in the darkness, scheming and manipulating others. The world might never know his name, but his legend would endure! He would erase this unflattering nickname in his own way. The relentless blows had finally pushed the soft, seemingly innocent but inwardly cunning Mo Xiaobao to fully embrace the dark side.

"Xiao Bao!"

"..."

"Mo Xiaobao..."

"..."

"Qilin Baby?"

"Whoosh—" An arrow shot through the air, embedding itself firmly between the legs of a lazily seated squad leader, barely an inch from a certain sensitive area. The gloomy-faced Little Prince strolled over unhurriedly, calmly pulling out the arrow. "My apologies, Commander. My hand slipped. I'll practice another twenty shots!"

The commander subtly retracted his legs, trembling as tears streamed down his face: Damn it, if 'slipping' was only an inch off, where the hell were you aiming if you hadn't slipped?!

"Xiao Bao gege!"

"..."

"Xiao Bao ge, Xin'er promised to marry me when she grows up!" A certain naive and soft little bundle of joy burst into the study, momentarily forgetting himself in his excitement and reverting to childhood nicknames.

"..." The youth behind the desk gave him a cold glance and remained silent.

"Hahaha, Xin'er finally agreed to marry me! I'm going to tell my parents and start preparing the betrothal gifts!" Leng Xiaodai danced around joyfully.

"Give it up. Even if you sold your entire family, you still couldn't afford my sister," the youth ruthlessly crushed his hopes.

"No way! Princess Ding will definitely agree! Hmph!" Undeterred, Leng Xiaodai remained jubilant. "Mo Xiaobao, it's wrong to be jealous of your future brother-in-law!"Watching the sprinting figure of Leng Xiaodai, the young man's expression turned ferocious. "Someone, go tell Xu Zhirui that his cousin doesn't discriminate against close-kin marriages. I believe the Xu Family's excellence can compensate for this minor flaw. Also... go inform the little princess that bringing a fool out in public is quite embarrassing."

The next day, the thirteen-year-old young master of the Leng family suffered heartbreak, as the four-year-old Princess Xin'er declared she'd rather marry her cousin Zhi Rui.

"Xiao Bao, do me a favor, will you?" Third Master Feng said with a grin, pulling the heir of Prince Ding's Estate aside with an expression that suggested their close friendship made refusal unthinkable.

A faint glimmer flashed through Mo Xiaobao's calm eyes. "What is it?"

Third Master Feng carefully produced an exquisite box and handed it to him. "Help me deliver this to... you know who?"

"Why don't you deliver it yourself?" Mo Xiaobao opened the box to find a beautifully crafted phoenix hairpin inside.

Third Master Feng sighed helplessly. "She refuses to see me. Your father said I'm not doing proper work and banned me from leaving the city this month. Xiao Bao, do me this favor—aren't you going out to visit Mr. Qingyun today? How about... giving you these?" With visible reluctance, Third Master Feng presented a pair of dazzling pearls to Mo Xiaobao.

After a long pause, Mo Xiaobao finally nodded in agreement.

Watching Third Master Feng happily depart, Mo Xiaobao turned and casually tossed the items to a guard behind him. "Deliver this to Lady Yang." After a moment's thought, he added, "Never mind, I'll deliver it myself. Feng San is so careless—not even leaving a note with his gift. No wonder she doesn't fancy him."

A month later, Third Master Feng went outside the city to request an audience with someone. This time, not only was he denied entry, he wasn't even allowed through the gates. And Third Master Feng would never know why.

--------Author's Note--------

Side story begins—here's a little tale of Xiao Bao's dark side. Next chapter will feature Qingchen Gongzi and Yunge...