Youthful Glory

Little Stone froze for a moment, his mind racing with thoughts: Should he bolt? Pretend he didn’t understand? Or keep playing the pitiful act?

But after locking eyes with Jiang Xu for a long while, he finally chose to drop the act and said calmly, "You already know? What do you want?"

Jiang Xu simply watched him quietly, stepping forward slowly before stopping abruptly less than half a zhang away.

Little Stone pressed his lips together, forcing himself to stand his ground, though his back was already slick with cold sweat beyond his control.

Regret gnawed at him. He had sensed this man wasn’t simple during the day—had he known, he wouldn’t have joined those fools, landing himself in this mess.

It seemed unlikely he’d walk away unscathed tonight, but he couldn’t help feeling indignant. "How did you figure it out?"

"They were too obedient to you," Jiang Xu replied casually.

Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. Perhaps it was instinct—the moment he saw this kid, he knew trouble had arrived. That was why he’d chosen to rest in this abandoned temple at night, far from prying eyes, where things could be handled cleanly without drawing attention.

Little Stone paused, belatedly realizing his mistake. He’d been so focused on winning the woman’s sympathy and trust that he’d neglected his companions’ behavior. They were fools, nowhere near as skilled at acting as he was.

"Men die for wealth, birds perish for food. At this point, I’ve got nothing to say. Do what you want—kill me, torture me, it’s up to you. But the others are innocent. They don’t understand anything. I hope you’ll spare them."

"Men die for wealth, birds perish for food," Jiang Xu repeated, studying the child who stood stiffly, trying to appear righteous and unyielding like an adult. Suddenly, he asked, "Have you ever studied?"

Little Stone turned his head away, refusing to answer.

This man might seem clever, but he was an idiot. If he’d had the means to study, why would he be out here doing these sneaky, underhanded things?

In the end, it all came down to Tonggang being too poor—so poor that parents willingly sent their children to Chen Wu and his gang to learn how to beg, cheat, and swindle, just to scrape by and avoid starvation. The clever ones could even bring home a bit of food for their families.

Of course, he was different. He’d grown up without parents, rolling in the mud, with no one to worry about but himself.

Truth be told, Little Stone hadn’t lied entirely back at the temple. They really were heading to Lotus Town, where there was indeed a contact waiting, and children who’d been abducted to beg. Those who weren’t clever enough had their limbs broken to beg more pitifully.

But unlike those children, his group had volunteered. Their families knew—they were in a cooperative arrangement with Chen Wu, Li Si, and Pockmarked Wang.

Earlier that day, he’d spotted Ming Tan’s bulging bag and approached her to beg.

He’d been satisfied with the pastries and a bit of silver he’d gotten, but Chen Wu and the others, greedy at the sight of money, had excitedly plotted to pull off one last job before reaching Lotus Town.

They’d even said the women at the inn were loose and old, not worth the five coppers per visit. But this out-of-town girl was fresh and tender—they could have their fun with her before selling her off in Lotus Town for a tidy sum.He hadn’t wanted to go initially, but they had used the threat of canceling the trip to Lotus Town as leverage. The other kids were torn, unsure whose orders to follow. If they didn’t go to Lotus Town, their parents would likely beat and scold them when they got home.

Not wanting his companions to suffer, he reconsidered and went along. But halfway there, he quietly warned them: if things went south, they should pin the blame entirely on Chen Wu and his gang, claiming they had been coerced. As children, the adults would believe them.

Just as expected, the man proved difficult to handle—trouble arose even before they reached the abandoned temple.

Later, events unfolded as he had predicted. They managed to escape unscathed, but in the end, they were still outmaneuvered.

"Just kill me if you want, stop blabbering!"

If he had messed up, he’d take the consequences.

Little Stone had never attended school, but he had sneaked into a few storytelling sessions in town. He remembered how the heroes in those tales would close their eyes and lift their chins when facing death. So he did the same—shutting his eyes and thrusting his neck forward, striking a pose of fearless sacrifice.

"……"

Jiang Xu paused.

After a long silence, Little Stone didn’t feel the cold blade against his neck or the piercing chill of an arrow through his chest. Instead, he heard a question.

"What do you think of the man who just brought you back?"

Little Stone’s eyelids fluttered uneasily. "What do you even want?" he retorted, his voice lacking conviction.

"I ask, you answer," Jiang Xu said, leaving no room for refusal.

Little Stone hesitated, his mind involuntarily recalling the man who had escorted them back. Earlier, when they had stormed the abandoned temple, that same man had taken down Li Si and Wang San in just two swift moves.

"H-he’s incredibly strong. Really powerful."

"Would you like to become as strong as him?"

Little Stone’s eyes flew open.

"What did you say?!"

"I’m giving you a chance," Jiang Xu said, looking at him. "But whether you can reach his level depends entirely on you."

Little Stone froze.

Him? He could become that strong? Doubt and unease crept in—was this some kind of terrifying trick?

But then again, the worst that could happen was death. If even his life wasn’t at stake, what was there to fear?

His small fists clenched and unclenched. Finally, he steeled himself. "Fine, I’ll listen to you! But I have one condition."

"You’re in no position to negotiate."

Jiang Xu shut him down without hesitation and turned to leave.

Little Stone refused to give up, trotting after him. "Then what about the others? Can we—"

"No."

Their potential was too lacking.

The Jin Yun Guards weren’t a charity.

But after walking a short distance, Jiang Xu suddenly stopped. "Ignorant heroism is useless and cheap. You can’t save them. The only ones who can are themselves—or, in time, a Tong Harbor free from poverty."

A Tong Harbor free from poverty… in time.

Little Stone stood there, struggling to believe such a "time" would ever come.

As Jiang Xu continued walking, Little Stone suddenly rushed forward, stretching out a small hand to block his path. He looked up earnestly. "I don’t want to become as strong as him."

Jiang Xu glanced down at him.

"I want to become as strong as you."

The hidden guard in the distance: "..."

Bold. Very bold.Jiang Xu didn’t mock him, only glanced at him indifferently and said, “You can look forward to that day.”

“I certainly will!”

The shadow guard: “…”

No, you won’t.

You know nothing about the Lord.

Just as the shadow guard was unusually distracted, the person behind him suddenly poked him with a hairpin and whispered through gritted teeth, “Move.”

The shadow guard snapped back to attention and bowed in acknowledgment.

Ming Tan followed behind the shadow guard, crouching low as they navigated through the alleyways, taking shortcuts back to the abandoned temple. Along the way, she didn’t forget to warn in a hushed voice, “When we get back, none of you are allowed to tell the Lord that I left. Act as if nothing happened.

“It’s not a big deal anyway, no need to inform the Lord. Besides, you disobeyed orders by bringing me here. If you tell him, you won’t benefit either. So keep quiet, nothing happened. Understood?”

The shadow guard: “…”

No, we didn’t disobey orders. You’re overthinking it.

If not for the Master’s instruction—that if the Consort woke up and insisted on leaving, they were to bring her—they would have knocked her out rather than yield to her threats.

Her Highness the Consort underestimated the discipline of the Jin Yun guards. Not everyone was like Yun Yi, swayed by her words and daring to defy the Master on impulse.

“Achoo!”

Far away on the road back to the capital, Yun Yi, unable to sleep peacefully, sneezed in the middle of the night.

Upon returning to the abandoned temple, Ming Tan’s mind was in turmoil, unable to calm down.

She had only managed to fall asleep nestled in Jiang Xu’s arms. The sudden absence of his warmth left the straw mat cold, and she quickly startled awake.

When she woke to find Jiang Xu gone, her heart skipped a beat, and countless thoughts raced through her mind, recalling the earlier inconsistencies.

At the time, her emotions had been stirred by Little Stone’s plight, her thoughts wholly consumed by sympathy. But after waking from sleep and reflecting, many things seemed off.

As a kidnapped child, how did Little Stone know they might have their limbs severed after being moved to the town?

Why would Chen Wu and his gang take kidnapped children along for robberies? Weren’t they afraid the children might turn against them, seeking help from their victims to resist?

And though Little Stone was filthy, gaunt, and malnourished, there were no visible wounds on him—or the other children, for that matter.

At this realization, Ming Tan couldn’t stay still any longer.

Having taken shortcuts, the shadow guard led Ming Tan back to the temple about half a ke before Jiang Xu returned leisurely.

Ming Tan doubted she could convincingly pretend to be asleep—her heartbeat hadn’t settled yet, and a simple touch would give her away.

Instead, she rolled over with drowsy eyes, feigning a slow awakening, and yawned lazily. “Husband? Where did you go? Were you out?”

“…”

To be fair, the little Consort’s acting wasn’t bad. Her hair was convincingly tousled from sleep, and her voice carried the hoarseness of someone just awakened. At a glance, she might have fooled an unsuspecting observer.

Jiang Xu had intended to play along, but standing before her now, he found he couldn’t.

“Stop pretending.”

“…”

Ming Tan’s yawn froze mid-way. She blinked at him in confusion, tears welling at the corners of her eyes from the abrupt halt.She instinctively assumed it was the hidden guards outside who had reported on her, but Jiang Xu sat down, lit a handful of dry grass with a fire starter, and tossed it into the dying embers before adding, "It wasn’t them. If this prince couldn’t even detect who was lurking nearby and allowed outsiders to eavesdrop on conversations, I’d have died at least a hundred times by now."

He glanced at Ming Tan. "Did you think this prince was like you?"

...?

Why was she suddenly being targeted for no reason?

Had her conversations been eavesdropped on without her knowledge?

No—"But I confirmed with the guards. From that distance, we wouldn’t have been noticed," Ming Tan said doubtfully.

"That was their range, not this prince’s."

Ming Tan choked back a retort. After a long pause, she hugged her knees and muttered stiffly, "Oh, then Husband is truly impressive. No wonder Little Stone wants to be as strong as you."

"Children’s flattery shouldn’t be taken seriously."

Watching him skillfully tend to the fire, his expression indifferent, Ming Tan understood his meaning—

Want to be as strong as this prince? Keep dreaming. Don’t even think about it. Impossible.