People often said that when fortune came, nothing could stop it. It seemed that when trouble came, even bolting the door wouldn’t keep it out.
“This child is so pitiful! At such a young age, he’s been stabbed so many times and, because of the secret involving the Tang Sect and Xing Yun Manor, is now being hunted with nowhere to hide. Everyone wants to get their hands on him.”
Looking at the boy, Huo Xiao Di first felt a pang of self-pity for his own grievances. Then his gaze shifted into the distance, as if recalling something.
Zhan Ri Fei said, “Aren’t you curious about his secret too?”
Huo Xiao Di glared at him, as if arguing out of spite. “Since when do people from Ling Long Manor care about his secrets?”
Zhan Ri Fei smiled. “While Brother Huo might not care, don’t forget—you’re no longer part of Ling Long Manor. Besides, if even the Tang Sect is desperate to uncover his secret, how could you not be curious too?”
—Perhaps this is simply the nature of people in the jianghu? Curiosity needs to be dangled just out of reach—some things become more desirable the less you allow someone to know about them. Yet, once they find out, they regret ever wanting to know in the first place.
—Huo Xiao Di, being from Ling Long Manor, was naturally born into a proud and competitive family. How could he tolerate being overshadowed by Xing Yun Manor and the Tang Sect? If both of those factions knew something, how could he resist knowing it as well?
Huo Xiao Di couldn’t help but defend himself: “I stepped in because I saw him wandering alone, helpless and miserable. Such a young child has already endured so much suffering. Don’t you think it’s true that ‘everyone has their fate, and life plays cruel tricks on people’?”
Looking at his youthful face suddenly take on an air of worldly melancholy, Zhan Ri Fei couldn’t suppress the urge to laugh.
But Huo Xiao Di didn’t seem to notice. His gaze was fixed on the dilapidated ceiling, clearly lost in thought.
—Thoughts buried deep in his heart.
He sighed and murmured, “For a homeless child, his life is far harsher than Zhao Zhier’s ever was.”
“Maybe we should take him to the capital. If Zhao Zhier meets him, who knows, he might even take a liking to him.”
Zhan Ri Fei, seated by the fire, raised an eyebrow at these words. “Are you talking about Zhao Zhier, the little prince from the Zhao Mansion in Dongjing?”
At the mention of him, Huo Xiao Di’s face lit up involuntarily.
“Of course! Everyone in Dongjing knows Little Zhao’s personality and temper. Naturally, his servant must be just as clever and lively. I heard they even gave him a nickname—‘Fright to the Gods.’ Don’t you know? In Dongjing, there’s a pair of notorious troublemakers even the Emperor has heard of. One of them is Zhao Zhier’s servant. The other I haven’t met, but they say he’s called Ming Zhuer, one of the guards under the Emperor’s personal command. His nickname is ‘Terror to the Ghosts.’ Together, they’re said to be a perfect match, like ‘Three-of-a-Kind’ and ‘Four-of-a-Kind’ [a Chinese idiom suggesting peas in a pod].”
As if recalling something, Zhan Ri Fei smiled faintly.
“Have you ever met the Imperial Guard Zhan?”
Huo Xiao Di shook his head. “Only heard about him from Little Zhao. Don’t be fooled by Little Zhao’s silence—I know he admires him deeply. Everyone in the jianghu says that Zhan Zhao, the Southern Hero of his generation, is a dragon among men. His swordsmanship is already unparalleled in the world. One day, I’ll have to meet him and see if my ‘Yin-Yang Ferret’ can best his ‘Juque’ sword.”
Zhan Ri Fei smirked lightly. “Honestly, he’s not as impressive as people say. How can his swordsmanship truly be called the best in the world?”
Huo Xiao Di glared. “How can you dismiss someone Little Zhao admires as unimpressive? Little Zhao has never misjudged a person. If Zhan Zhao were ordinary, would Little Zhao hold him in such high regard? Even their servants get along so well they’re practically two peas in a pod.”
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