“Clack.”
The slight sound did not disturb Master Yuan, who was immersed in his exquisite writing, but it could not escape the ears of Cen Xianyun, whose mind was half-dazed.
Cen Xianyun glanced to the side, only to see the sneaking thief immediately shrink downward and hide.
However, his skills were far from refined, and he could not even hide properly, leaving half his head and a tuft of unruly hair sticking out above the window sill.
Seeing the culprit who had forced him into this early-morning routine, Cen Xianyun felt a complex swirl of emotions, barely able to maintain his calm composure.
A familiar wave of regret washed over his heart once more. Yesterday, he had truly been out of his mind.
The thief hiding around the outer room’s window possessed neither experience nor patience. Before long, he quietly raised his head, his gaze happening to meet Cen Xianyun’s.
He froze for a second or two before a smile blossomed like a bright flower across his palm-sized face.
For a moment, Cen Xianyun could not quite tell what he was feeling in his heart. While he was stuck inside listening to lectures and taking lessons, that ungrateful cat was outside laughing joyfully.
An unbalanced mood intertwined with regret. Cen Xianyun averted his gaze; if he kept looking, he feared his self-restraint would crumble, and he would rush out to beat Xie Lingyou to vent his frustration.
“Young Master’s writing style has improved yet again.” Having read the article in one breath, Master Yuan could not help marveling in admiration.
At a mere ten years of age, to write an article with such seamless integration, even in the capital, few young masters of the same age could match it.
Cen Xianyun replied, “Master praises me excessively.”
Master Yuan set down the article in his hand and added, “Since the article is written so wonderfully, I assume you already understand everything I intended to tell you?”
Cen Xianyun lowered his head even further.
“Young Master, yesterday you brought a beggar boy home, taking pity on his poverty and weakness, which is a good deed.” Master Yuan let out a soft sigh, advising earnestly, “However, treating him as no different from a cat or a dog, and intending to name him with an improper, teasing name, was truly inappropriate.”
“Do not despise others simply because of your noble status. Young Master, no matter what position you hold in the future, this old man hopes you will keep this firmly in mind.”
“Master’s lecture is correct.” Cen Xianyun bowed low again, though a malicious thought sprouted in his mind, “It is just that…”
He swallowed the word “cat” that was about to escape his lips and silently replaced it with Xie Lingyou’s name.
“It is just that Lingyou has wandered the streets since childhood. At present, he cannot speak, is unskilled in writing, and understands no etiquette.” He paused, laying his cards on the table, “I wonder if Master knows someone trustworthy who is adept in these matters and can be invited to the residence to properly instruct him?”
Since his own days were spent in such misery, on what grounds did Xie Lingyou get to live so carefree and happy outside?
Cen Xianyun raised his head, revealing a genuine, radiant smile beneath Master Yuan’s gratified gaze: “Since he has entered my family’s residence and taken my family name, I naturally must make plans for his future.”
“Good, that Young Master Xie possesses such a heart leaves me with no shame in fulfilling your father’s trust.” Hearing this, Master Yuan nodded repeatedly, smiling so broadly that the wrinkles on his face bunched together, “I will find time, no, I will write a letter to that disciple of mine right now.”
Cen Xianyun was naturally delighted to let the Long Aotian suffer earlier. He stood thoughtfully beside Master Yuan, grinding ink for him. If possible, he wished he could directly grab the disciple Master Yuan mentioned and have him start “torturing” Xie Lingyou this very moment.
“As luck would have it, he received orders from Lord Lingfeng a few days ago and happened to come to this region. If I send this letter today, he should arrive at our doorstep tomorrow!”
Lord Lingfeng?
The Long Aotian’s scumbag father? After Ling Heng died, was he not the very next target of the Long Aotian’s revenge?
As Cen Xianyun ground the ink, the main storyline flashed through his mind, and an implicit deduction formed in his heart.
When Master Yuan spoke of his proudest student, a hint of boasting naturally showed: “He has a foolish younger brother at home who could not speak at seven years old. He instructed him carefully, and by the time he grew to ten, he was no different from ordinary people. With such capability, he will surely teach that child well.”
“Thank you for taking such trouble, Master.” Cen Xianyun’s ability to divide his attention had long been practiced to perfection. Though his mind was occupied with other matters, it did not hinder him from responding to the master.
“It is getting late, you should go down and have your meal.” Master Yuan waved his hand, “Your health was not easy to restore, so you must not waste it.”
“Yes.” Cen Xianyun nodded and withdrew.
The Xie residence was large, and the study was spacious, separated into an inner and outer room by a thin wooden wall.
A window was cut into the wooden wall, allowing one to see the situation in the inner room directly from the outer room. That was precisely where Xie Lingyou had been hiding and peeking earlier.
Thinking that he would be suffering tomorrow, the moment Cen Xianyun caught sight of Xie Lingyou’s silly smile, the gloomy frustration in his heart vanished completely, replaced by a touch of sincere joy at another’s misfortune.
One’s own smooth success was certainly cause for joy, but the tragic bad luck of others brought even greater happiness.
“Ye-ye!”
Cen Xianyun’s mood, which had only just brightened, plummeted instantly. He stepped forward quickly and covered Xie Lingyou’s mouth.
If Master Yuan heard this cat address him as “Ye-ye,” he would likely write another treatise discussing a gentleman’s virtue.
Xie Lingyou thought “Ye-ye” was playing a game with him. Without resisting, he wrapped his arms around half of Cen Xianyun’s body, clinging onto him and refusing to come down.
Left with no choice, Cen Xianyun had to drag the cat and move outward slowly. Fortunately, the cat, who knew one full meal and who knew how many starving ones, had no real weight. Although this body was weak, dragging him along was manageable with full effort.
Butler Wu and the nanny were both waiting at the doorway. Seeing the young master in such a strange posture, they were both stunned. When their eyes met the young master’s face, which was as black as charcoal, they could not refrain from laughing out loud.
“What are you laughing at? Pull him off me already!” The young master snapped in irritation. Seeing that someone had closed the door so there was no need to worry about Master Yuan overhearing anything inappropriate, he released his hand, intending to toss Xie Lingyou aside.
“He truly is a child picked up by the young master. Being so attached to the young master, just now when he did not see you for a short while, he cried and threw a fit, nearly turning the place upside down.” The nanny spoke this way as an indirect explanation for why Xie Lingyou had appeared in the study.
Since the young master had given this child the Xie family name, inside this residence, he was naturally another master. When he cried and threw a severe fit, they naturally had to find ways to coax him.
Cen Xianyun wanted to say something, but changing his mind, he kept his mouth shut.
After tomorrow, this heartless cat would no longer be able to pester him.
“This humble one is Wang Ting,” the refined man bowed slightly, “Greetings, Young Master, Master Lingyou.”
To be accepted under Master Yuan’s tutelage, he was naturally a talented young scholar himself. However, although he was only in his early thirties, he already wore a finger-length beard on his chin.
It was said that a teacher was like half a father; how could this not be considered following in his father’s footsteps?
Cen Xianyun tossed his stray thoughts out of his mind, pinching the scruff of Xie Lingyou’s neck with one hand to prevent Xie Lingyou from clinging to him in front of everyone.
Having seen the true face of the disciple Master Yuan mentioned and hearing his self-introduction, Cen Xianyun had already confirmed this person’s identity.
He was actually an important character in the main storyline.
It was just that according to the normal plotline, it was still far from the time for his appearance.
In the original plotline, Xie Lingyou wandered the streets until he was eleven years old, when he was finally found by Wang Ting, who had been ordered by Lord Lingfeng to search for the eldest young master wandering outside.
At that time, Xie Lingyou had just learned to speak. Having received no instruction, he was as naive as a three-year-old child.
Wang Ting was a compassionate man. Fearing that Xie Lingyou’s condition would earn Lord Lingfeng’s displeasure and subject him to the disdain of others, he wrote a letter informing Lord Lingfeng that Xie Lingyou was unwell and needed to recuperate for a period before returning home.
During that time, Wang Ting tutored Xie Lingyou, and upon discovering that Xie Lingyou’s health was severely depleted, he even produced his family’s ancestral cultivation formula to teach him.
Compared to Immortal Venerable Ling Heng, this man was much more like a mentor who imparted knowledge and taught skills to the Long Aotian.
Unfortunately, good people rarely lived long lives.
“Brother Wang.” Cen Xianyun, inconvenienced by using only one hand, offered an informal greeting.
Although Wang Ting was twenty years older than the young master, by virtue of studying under the same Master Yuan, he naturally called Wang Ting his senior brother.
After exchanging greetings, everyone sat down, except for Xie Lingyou, who was restless. Unwilling to be confined to a stool, he clung beside Cen Xianyun and refused to leave.
He pinched the scruff of Xie Lingyou’s neck, forcing Xie Lingyou to face Wang Ting, and said, “Master has likely mentioned things to Brother Wang in his letter. I must ask Brother Wang to expend some extra care.”
“Ye-ye?” Xie Lingyou turned his head to stare at Cen Xianyun, his bright, watery eyes filled with confusion.
A six- or seven-year-old child, though he had suffered many hardships, after being fed a few proper meals, had begun to look somewhat human. Looking at him now, he no longer had the terrifyingly emaciated appearance he had when first picked up.
Cen Xianyun thought to himself that just two days ago he was still a little mud monkey, yet after being dressed up by the nanny’s skilled hands, he now actually counted as a delicate, carved-porcelain child.
Unfortunately, he had never been one to softheartedly cherish tender beauty. Not only did he ignore Xie Lingyou, but he even lodged a complaint:
“Brother Wang can hear it himself. He has been in the residence for two days. The nanny and Uncle Wu have taken turns teaching him, yet to this day, he cannot even say the three words ‘Young Master,’ knowing only how to chase after me and call me ‘Ye-ye’.”
Although many rash, impetuous young masters enjoyed playing at being fathers or grandfathers, considering the hatred and entanglement he would share with the Long Aotian in the future…
Cen Xianyun thought to himself that he really should pass. He truly could not bear that form of address.
“Young Master need not worry.” Wang Ting smiled kindly and said, “I see that he seems capable of understanding human speech, and his throat can produce sound. Presumably, no one taught him during his youth, and he had no opportunity to speak with others, which is why he is unversed in speech.”
“For a child like this, even without deliberately teaching him, simply speaking near his ears often and guiding him to imitate will allow him to speak normally over time.”
“Is that so?” Cen Xianyun chuckled lightly, asking casually, “Brother Wang seems very knowledgeable about this.”
Wang Ting said, “Master has presumably mentioned to Young Master that I have a younger brother. Due to a calamity within our clan, he was placed at a manor to be raised when he was less than half a year old. Who could have known that the wicked servants at the manor would abuse their positions and fail to raise him properly?”
Bringing up past events, the smile in his eyes faded slightly: “When we brought him back home, we discovered that even at seven years old, he could not speak at all.”
“My father passed away early, and my mother was often ill. I could not bear for him to remain a mute child who could not speak for the rest of his life, so I searched everywhere for books and conducted extensive research on the matter.”
It sounded very reasonable, but at its core, it was merely a side plot custom-tailored by the Heavenly Dao for the Long Aotian.
In a sense, the people within this mini-world were like puppets in a marionette show. The closer their connection to the Child of Fortune, the more strings were attached to them, and the stronger their constraints became.
Everyone, including himself as an outside task-taker, was merely a tool performing clichéd story tropes according to the script.
Cen Xianyun suppressed the displeasure accumulating in his heart, bowed to Wang Ting, and said, “Then I shall entrust Lingyou to Brother Wang.”