"Beat him to death! Beat him to death..." On a rarely frequented street, a group of children dressed in luxurious clothing surrounded a frail, silk-clad boy, kicking and punching him. Children of this age, neither too young nor too old, were often the cruelest. They barely understood the schemes and conflicts of adults but had their own direct and brutal ways of solving problems.
The boy being beaten was also clad in fine silk, yet his entire frame was so thin and weak that he resembled a lonely little puppy. His delicate face already hinted at the extraordinary handsomeness he would grow into. Perhaps it was precisely this above-average appearance that made him the target of hatred and bullying from his peers.
"Just as expected from the son of a fox spirit—born with such a disgusting face!" A silk-clad boy of about eleven or twelve stood to the side, gloating as he hurled insults. The younger boy suddenly widened his eyes and glared fiercely at his half-brother, who had instigated the beating. Startled by the ferocity in his gaze, the older boy involuntarily took a step back. Realizing his reaction, he grew even more furious and humiliated. "Teach him a lesson—beat him hard!"
"Someone's coming!" someone shouted, and the children who had been kicking and punching immediately scattered like startled birds. The silk-clad boy shot one last resentful glance at the child on the ground before leaving as well.
The street fell silent. The bruised and battered boy curled into a small ball, hugging his knees tightly as he sobbed quietly.
"Don’t cry, they’re gone now." A soft, gentle voice filled with kindness reached his ears. The boy froze for a moment before lifting his head to see a stunningly beautiful young girl in elegant robes standing before him.
The girl was only twelve or thirteen, yet even though the boy had seen many beautiful women before, he felt this sister was the most beautiful he had ever laid eyes on. She wore a pale yellow Cloud Pattern gown, its hem and cuffs embroidered with rose-red phoenix-tail trim, and draped over her arm was a light-red shawl adorned with phoenix-tail motifs. A green gemstone pendant rested against her slender neck. Her hair was simply tied up in a loose bun, adorned with a hibiscus hairpin and a single swaying hair ornament. As she bent down to look at him, the delicate golden tassels of the ornament swayed gently, mesmerizing the small boy.
"What’s wrong? Are you hurt?" Seeing his silence, the girl crouched down with concern.
"N-no..." The boy shook his head and murmured. Though they had beaten him, they hadn’t dared to inflict serious harm—otherwise, he would have been beaten to death long ago.
"If you’re not hurt, that’s good. I’ll have someone take you home. Who were those people? Why did they hit you?" The girl examined his dust-covered face, took out a handkerchief, and carefully wiped it clean. Only then did she realize how strikingly handsome the child was.
"None of your business!" The boy stiffened, then abruptly slapped her hand away. Seeing her startled expression, he bit his lip in frustration but stubbornly refused to speak, turning his head away.The young girl was also from a prestigious family. Though she was not very old, she had seen quite a bit of the world. Seeing the child in such a state, she could somewhat guess what had happened. The child didn’t want to go home, likely because he had suffered grievances there. Those people earlier… might even have been his own family.
"Alright, let’s not go home for now. What’s your name?" The girl helped the child up with a gentle smile.
"Feng… Feng Zhiyao. You…" The boy hesitated but ultimately didn’t ask the question. It wasn’t proper to casually ask a young lady’s name. Though Feng Zhiyao was a child born of a concubine, he had still been taught the proper etiquette.
"Feng Zhiyao? Are you from the Feng family in the capital? You can call me Sister Hua." The girl smiled. Among the noblewomen and young ladies of the capital, there were various social circles. When groups of women gathered with nothing to do, gossip was inevitable. The Feng family was a well-known household in the capital, so the girl had naturally heard some things about them.
"You… you won’t look down on me?" Feng Zhiyao stared fixedly at the girl, puzzled.
The girl gave a radiant smile and asked in confusion, "Look down on you? Why? You’re so young, only seven or eight. Why would I look down on you?"
"I’m a child born of a concubine!" Feng Zhiyao gritted his teeth. After a moment’s hesitation, he added fiercely, "And I’m not that young—I’m already nine!"
"Nine? You don’t look it," the girl said. "Being born of a concubine isn’t something you chose. If you work hard and improve yourself, no one will look down on you. But if you grow up to be like those spoiled, good-for-nothing young masters, then I certainly will look down on you."
"I’ll be nine soon," Feng Zhiyao muttered. "It’s not like I don’t want to do well. It’s just that the first wife says children of concubines don’t need to learn so much…" The girl looked at the indignant child before her and suddenly smiled faintly. "If you really want to improve yourself, I’ll take you somewhere fun."
Feng Zhiyao eyed the girl suspiciously. She patted his head reassuringly and said with a laugh, "Don’t be afraid. Your sister isn’t a bad person." When her soft jade-like hand touched his dusty head, Feng Zhiyao felt in his young heart that even if this sister were a bad person, he’d still be willing to follow her. It was far better than going home to face the first wife and his two older brothers.
"Oh dear! Young lady, what are you—" As they reached the intersection, a carriage stood waiting, surrounded by several guards, a middle-aged woman, and a few maids. Seeing the two, the woman hurried over, frowning with slight displeasure. Earlier, they had seen a group of children ganging up on one boy, and scaring them off should have been the end of it. But the young lady had insisted on checking on the boy herself, and now she had even brought him back. The woman’s brows knitted tightly at the sight of the grubby child.
"Nanny," the girl called softly. She gave Feng Zhiyao’s hand a reassuring pat and smiled at the nanny. "This child is very well-behaved. Let’s take him along to keep A’Yao company.""Oh dear, my young lady," the nursemaid immediately exclaimed. "Young lady, we don't even know where this boy comes from. How can we let him accompany... that young master? If something happens..." Although the Hua family held a noble status in the capital, they were nothing compared to Prince Ding's Estate. Not just anyone was qualified to be a playmate for the young master of Prince Ding's Estate.
"It's fine, Zhiyao is a good child," the young girl laughed. "Let's get on the carriage."
"Hmm... and he shares the same name as that second young master?" The nursemaid paused, then took a closer look at Feng Zhiyao, realizing the child was quite handsome—just a bit too thin, otherwise he might not lose to the second young master of Prince Ding's Estate.
"Very well, but this child must behave. Don't anger the nobles and bring trouble upon our young lady," the nursemaid nodded and instructed. She wasn't heartless—seeing such a young child being ganged up on was pitiful. But as the young lady's nursemaid, she had to be cautious about everything.
That day, Feng Zhiyao met someone who would greatly influence his future life—the second young master of the Ding Royal Palace, Mo Xiuyao. As the illegitimate son of a merchant family, meeting the legitimate heir of the prestigious Ding Royal Palace of Great Chu could be considered a stroke of immense fortune. But... for Feng Zhiyao, his immediate thought at the time was—I really want to kick him to death!
No sooner had he stepped through the grand gates of the Ding Royal Palace than a sharp gust of wind shot toward his face. Feng Zhiyao froze—after all, he was just a child not yet nine years old. Even if he noticed the hidden weapon, he couldn’t dodge it. But the "hidden weapon" aimed at his face turned out to be an illusion—a pebble merely grazed past his scalp, leaving no pain, just the sensation of something flying overhead.
"Yunxi sister, what brings you here?" On a rockery ahead, a boy around eight or nine years old, dressed in white, sat boldly, grinning at the finely dressed young girl without sparing a glance at Feng Zhiyao. But Feng Zhiyao didn’t mind—he only noticed one thing. So... her name was Yunxi? Hua Yunxi.
"Xiu Yao, are you causing trouble again? I’ll complain to the eldest young master and have him discipline you," Hua Yunxi teased with a bright laugh.
The boy on the rockery flipped through the air and landed steadily in front of them. For a child not yet ten, his Light Body Skill was already on par with top martial artists in the jianghu. Mo Xiuyao pouted, "Sister Hua, you always use Eldest Brother to pressure me." But who could blame him? The second young master of the Mo family feared nothing in the world—except his elder brother, who had raised him since childhood.
Hua Yunxi covered her lips, suppressing a laugh. Of course, you only fear His Highness Prince Ding and the heir.
"Sister Hua, did you come looking for me?" Mo Xiuyao grinned.
Hua Yunxi nodded with a smile. "Indeed. I’m heading out of the city for prayers and plan to visit the Grand Princess. Last time, she insisted I bring you along next time. Get ready—let’s go."Mo Xiuyao immediately let out a pitiful cry, casting a somewhat aggrieved look at Hua Yunxi. Hua Yunxi raised an eyebrow with a smile, ignoring his feigned misery. Left with no choice, Mo Xiuyao could only grumble inwardly. Every time the Grand Princess saw him, she loved to pinch and knead him all over. I’m not a lump of dough, am I? The Second Young Master Mo’s gaze then landed on Feng Zhiyao, who stood nearby with a gloomy expression, and asked, “Who’s this kid? Looks dumb.”
Hua Yunxi shot him an exasperated glare before replying, “His name is Feng Zhiyao, and he’s a good boy. I’ll speak to the heir and arrange for him to train in martial arts with you. You’re about the same age, so it’ll be good to have company.”
The Second Young Master Mo rolled his eyes. “He looks dim-witted. Can he even keep up with the lessons?”
Hearing the arrogant tone, Feng Zhiyao silently lowered his head and stared at his fists. Even during all those years of daily bullying by his two half-brothers, he had never felt his fists itch so much.
“Hey, hey… dumb kid, you’re not thinking of hitting me, are you? Ten of you wouldn’t stand a chance against me, got it?” The Second Young Master Mo couldn’t be more obnoxious if he tried.
“Mo! Xiu! Yao!” Hua Yunxi snapped in annoyance.
Seeing Hua Yunxi raise her hand, the Second Young Master Mo immediately bolted like a startled rat, still whining, “Sister Hua, I’m your brother! Who is this kid that you’re treating him so well?”
Feng Zhiyao snorted coldly, lifted his chin, and turned to leave. Hua Yunxi was taken aback and quickly grabbed him. “Where are you running off to?”
Feng Zhiyao replied icily, “You don’t need to beg him! I don’t care to learn martial arts with him! So what if he’s the Second Young Master of Prince Ding’s Estate? I don’t care!” Hua Yunxi was both exasperated and amused, holding onto the boy with one hand while glaring at Mo Xiuyao, who was making faces nearby. “A-Yao just loves to mess around. He doesn’t mean any harm.”
Feng Zhiyao scoffed. What kind of good person throws stones at someone upon first meeting and acts like they’re above everyone else?
“I’m going back. Thank you for saving me today!” Feng Zhiyao tried his best to sound mature in his gratitude, though his disheveled appearance lacked any convincing power.
Just as he was about to leave, Mo Xiuyao suddenly refused to let him go. Smirking, he blocked Feng’s path and asked, “Go back to what? More beatings?” Though young, Mo Xiuyao was exceptionally sharp. How could he not recognize Feng Zhiyao’s battered state or why Hua Yunxi had brought him to Prince Ding’s Estate?
“None of your business!” Feng Zhiyao’s face flushed red with anger and the shame of having his predicament exposed.
Mo Xiuyao reached out and tugged at his cheek, grinning. “Fine, for Sister Hua’s sake… you can train with me from now on.”
“Who wants to—”
“I guarantee that in just three days, you’ll be able to knock down everyone who bullies you,” Mo Xiuyao quickly whispered, cutting off Feng’s refusal.
“……” Feng Zhiyao fell silent. It wasn’t that he had any fondness for this annoying brat, but the idea of beating up his tormentors was undeniably tempting.
“What’s your condition?” Feng Zhiyao asked. After all, nothing in this world came without a price. Except, perhaps… for her?"Conditions?" Mo Xiuyao seemed surprised by his words. After some thought, he stroked his chin in an exaggeratedly mature manner and said, "From now on, when this young master tells you to go east, you mustn't go west. If I tell you to jump in the river, you mustn't climb a mountain. If I order you to chase cats, you mustn't tease dogs. In short... you must obey this young master in everything!"
"Mo Xiuyao!"
"Go die." Third Master Feng spat out coldly. Obey him in everything? If he told him to die, would he have to comply? Did he take him for a fool?
"This young master detests pretty boys like you the most. Ever since you arrived, Sister Hua doesn't dote on me anymore." The second young master Mo sounded slightly hurt.
Feng Zhiyao rolled his eyes. Did he think he was dark-skinned or something?
"Xiu Yao, get along well with Zhiyao. I won't be visiting the Grand Princess today." Hua Yunxi said with a gentle smile. Mo Xiuyao's face immediately brightened. Beaming, he slapped Feng Zhiyao's shoulder, "Anyone brought by Sister Hua is this young master's good friend and sworn brother. Sister Hua, don't worry, we'll definitely get along well. I'll take good care of little brother Zhiyao."
"He's the same age as you." Hua Yunxi reminded him helplessly.
"Whatever! Feng Zhiyao, right? Come, this young master will take you to study in the library. The tutor is probably going crazy." Waving at Hua Yunxi, Mo Xiuyao grabbed Feng Zhiyao by the collar and ran off.
Being dragged along at breakneck speed, Feng Zhiyao turned back distractedly and saw the beautiful maiden still standing there, watching them with a smile. The faint sunlight cast upon her seemed to form a rainbow-like halo around her.
"Thud!" Distracted, Feng Zhiyao tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his face. His eyebrow twitched violently: "Mo Xiuyao, damn you!"
－－－－－－Author's Note－－－－－－
Well~ Since none of you seem to like tragedies, we won't have tragedies then~ Actually, I'm not a cruel stepmother, it's just that this name... tragedies really do have more impact ah~
OpenNovel