A thief?
Luo Mingchen paused and frowned as he pulled on his robe.
Whether the man was a thief or not, he had seen his ability. Even if Luo Mingchen didn’t kill him, he would at least have to beat him badly enough to make him afraid.
With that thought, Luo Mingchen struck first.
The explosive force of that instant startled Huo Yan, but he reacted quickly and caught the incoming punch.
The two exchanged blows back and forth across the courtyard.
Luo Mingchen had never formally learned martial arts. His fighting style came entirely from battling his way through hordes of zombies, relying on combat instincts and his own abilities.
The enemies he usually fought were zombies that didn’t know how to defend themselves. Most of the time, he simply swung his blade and smashed their heads.
But Huo Yan was different.
Not only had he received proper martial arts training, but he also possessed considerable internal energy. He could dodge Luo Mingchen’s water whips with ease.
At the same time, Luo Mingchen didn’t dare kill casually in this world. If it was discovered, he would have no choice but to take the three children and wander from place to place.
He could clearly tell that Huo Yan wasn’t an ability user, yet his speed and strength were comparable to a Level Four ability user—perhaps even stronger.
The longer the fight continued, the more difficult it became for Luo Mingchen. His opponent had already figured out his attack patterns.
Just as Luo Mingchen was considering whether to kill the man and toss the body into his space, Huo Yuhui, who had come out after hearing the commotion, saw the person in the courtyard and cried out in surprise:
“Dad!”
The moment he heard that word, Luo Mingchen immediately stopped.
Huo Yan had clearly sensed the killing intent Luo Mingchen had displayed moments earlier and had already prepared to counterattack.
After releasing his hidden weapons, however, Luo Mingchen suddenly halted.
When Huo Yuhui saw the hidden weapons flying toward Luo Mingchen’s head, his face turned pale.
“Little Daddy!”
The instant Luo Mingchen stopped, Huo Yan formed a suspicion.
He leaped forward and tackled Luo Mingchen to the ground. After hearing Huo Yuhui’s shout, he became even more certain of his guess.
Pinned beneath him, Luo Mingchen felt an immense weight pressing down on him.
Fortunately, Huo Yan had cushioned his head with one arm, so it hadn’t struck the ground. Still, his back hurt terribly.
The courtyard was covered with scattered gravel. Being slammed onto it by a man much larger than himself was painful no matter how tough he was.
“Hiss…”
His back aching badly, Luo Mingchen raised the flat side of his cleaver and smacked the man lying on top of him.
“Get off!”
Huo Yan, who had been hit: “…”
After getting up, Huo Yan said awkwardly, “Sorry.”
Huo Yuhui hurried over and helped Luo Mingchen up.
After a brief pause, Huo Yan helped as well.
Supporting his aching waist, Luo Mingchen frowned at Huo Yan and asked irritably, “Are you a human or a ghost?”
“…A human.”
Luo Mingchen felt exasperated.
“If you’re human, why didn’t you knock? Why were you climbing over walls in the middle of the night?”
Just as Huo Yan was about to explain, Huo Yuhui quietly said, “Little Daddy, when Dad traveled outside, he never knew exactly when he’d return. If he came back at night, he was afraid of waking us, so he usually climbed over the wall.”
Looking at the two of them, Luo Mingchen felt a headache coming on.
It had already been difficult enough fooling one older child. Now there was another one.
Huo Yan was an adult who didn’t need to depend on him to survive. On top of that, he was extremely capable. Luo Mingchen was beginning to worry about his own safety.
Seeing that his older brother hadn’t returned for a long time, Huo Xiang came out holding Huo Xinyue’s hand.
The moment he saw the man in the courtyard, all traces of sleepiness vanished.
“Dad! You’re back?!”
Huo Yan smiled gently at them.
“Mm, I’m back.”
Huo Xiang happily ran over and grabbed his clothing. Then he suddenly remembered something and looked up.
“But everyone said Dad died. Does that mean… this is Dad’s ghost?”
Huo Yan: “…”
Seeing his foolishly serious expression, Luo Mingchen suppressed a laugh.
“Not a ghost. More like a thief.”
Huo Xiang stared blankly.
“Huh?”
Because Huo Yan had climbed over the wall so suddenly, Luo Mingchen hadn’t had time to rinse himself clean. His skin still felt slippery from the body wash.
He said, “Why don’t you all go inside and talk? I haven’t finished bathing yet.”
Besides, after being pinned to the ground, he had dust all over himself and his hair. He would need to change robes as well.
Remembering the pale figure he’d seen under the moonlight, Huo Yan awkwardly led the three children back into the room and brought in all the bags he had left outside the door.
After quickly finishing his bath, Luo Mingchen pursed his lips and pushed the door open.
The three children had gathered around Huo Yan.
Several pellet drums, snacks, writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and quite a few books were scattered across the bed, along with clothing in various sizes.
When Luo Mingchen entered, all four of them looked toward him.
“Little Daddy!”
Grinning from ear to ear, Huo Xiang jumped off the bed and pulled him over.
“Dad bought us so many things! He also said he won’t leave anymore. He’ll stay with us forever.”
Feeling slightly like an outsider, Luo Mingchen found himself unexpectedly relieved.
He smiled at him.
“Then you all stay here and play. Keep an eye on your little sister. Your dad and I need to talk about something.”
Huo Xiang and Huo Yuhui exchanged a glance and obediently nodded.
“Okay.”
Huo Yan set down what he was holding and followed Luo Mingchen outside.
Once they reached the courtyard, Luo Mingchen figured that whether he faced it now or later, it would make no difference.
The brothers had probably already told Huo Yan everything while he was bathing.
So he spoke directly.
“You probably already know about me, right? And I’m not the man your family arranged for you to marry.”
Huo Yan assumed he was referring to his strange water-controlling abilities.
“I know you’re not Wang Chen.”
Although Luo Mingchen resembled Wang Chen somewhat, Huo Yan had never mistaken him for Wang Chen, not even for a moment. Besides, Wang Chen always spoke with his head lowered and in a timid voice.
“Did Xiaohui tell you about me?”
“He did. He said that when you were badly injured, someone carried you to my house.”
Luo Mingchen’s heart sank.
As expected, they had told him.
But putting himself in Huo Yuhui’s position, if Huo Yan had returned, he would have done the same. After all, one was an outsider he’d known for only a few days, while the other was the adoptive father who had raised him for years.
After thinking it through, Luo Mingchen stopped worrying.
“So what do you think?”
Huo Yan considered the question for a moment.
“Wang Chen didn’t want to honor the agreement. I won’t force anyone. The marriage agreement can be canceled. If you want to leave, I can give you some money.”
Under the summer moonlight, Luo Mingchen looked up at Huo Yan’s handsome face and asked with a half-smile,
“What if I don’t want to leave?”
Huo Yan paused.
He had to admit that compared to the timid and submissive Wang Chen, he preferred the clever and lively Luo Mingchen.
Back then, he had only wanted someone to help take care of the children.
The matchmaker had said that although Wang Chen was a man, he was a good cook, knew how to sew and mend clothes, and was skilled at managing a household. As the fourth child in his family, he was also very good at looking after younger siblings.
At the time, Huo Yan had been in a hurry to leave. He had left behind the marriage contract and told Wang Chen that if he didn’t wish to become contract brothers with him, he didn’t have to sign it. As long as he helped care for the children temporarily, Huo Yan would compensate him generously upon his return.
What he hadn’t expected was that Wang Chen would send Luo Mingchen in his place.
Nor had he expected Luo Mingchen to possess such a strange ability to control water.
However, all three children liked Luo Mingchen very much.
And Huo Yan himself thought Luo Mingchen was a good person.
If Luo Mingchen wanted to stay…
“That would naturally be even better.”
Seeing the seriousness in Huo Yan’s eyes, Luo Mingchen suddenly felt a little awkward and coughed lightly.
“You said that yourself. Also, you can’t tell anyone about my situation.”
Huo Yan agreed without hesitation.
“Alright.”
His earlier question had been a test.
What surprised Luo Mingchen was that Huo Yan hadn’t treated him like some kind of monster at all.
Besides, after living here for several days, he had already gotten used to it.
If he moved elsewhere, he might not even be able to obtain a household registration, much less find a better place to live.
Since Huo Yan had no objections, Luo Mingchen had no intention of moving either.