Chapter 4

"Where did that snotty brat go—?!!!" the man shouted, looking around to find Yuezheng missing.

Sringgg!

As it turned out, Yuezheng had been waiting at the doorstep to attack them, with a candle in his left hand, and a pen in his right.

Even though he was still exhausted, at least he could still move his body, and was filled with consciousness.

Without hesitation, he forced the still-burning candle into the brown-robed man's mouth and stabbed the black-robed man's eye with a pen that still had ink in it. "AAAARGH!!"

The hysterical screams of the two men attracted the attention of those outside, "Tsk! Damn it, what a bother!" Yuezheng muttered, before running away from the scene, leaving the two men in pain.

"DON'T THINK YOU CAN ESCAPE, YOU BASTARD!" the two men shouted in unison, trying to chase after Yuezheng as he fled.

Now, Yuezheng was being chased by hundreds of the robed men.

As they fled, an old man could be seen watching from a distance. "What happened?" thought the old man, because he was curious, he followed them from behind, trying to find out what was really going on.

"Eh? Is that a kid?" thought the old man, seeing Yuezheng's small body.

Finally, he realized what was really happening. Without thinking twice about making a decision, he moved closer to Yuezheng.

Without warning, the old man approached and carried Yuezheng and then quickly ran away in a different direction, which of course confused the robed men who were chasing Yuezheng, including Yuezheng himself. "?! Who is that?!" shouted a man in a robe, confused because he didn't get a clear look at who the old man was.

On the other side, Yuezheng and the old man stopped in the middle of the forest. Yuezheng was still being carried on the old man's right side.

"Who is this strange old man? Why did he save me? Does he even know me?" thought Yuezheng, confused by the old man's reckless action.

The old man stared deeply into Yuezheng's eyes, contemplating those small, beautiful pupils.

He smiled faintly, "I like the color of your eyes," he said, releasing Yuezheng from his embrace.

"Ah... Yeah, thank you. I also like the color of your eyes..." Yuezheng replied awkwardly. He returned the smile with the same, a faint smile, but... one with deep meaning.

"It seems like this kid just experienced something unpleasant... His mental state could be damaged, I need to take him to the capital first to make him feel better." thought the old man.

Once again, same position, same speed, the old man carried Yuezheng using his left arm, as if he were carrying a sack of rice. "AAARGH!" Yuezheng screamed in shock, "Shut up, you're screaming like a grown man, kid."

"AAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHH!"

Finally, they arrived at the capital. There were countless city dwellers milling about, bustling, crowded, yet a sense of relief.

The old man stopped, looking around for a safe place. To avoid looking suspicious, he walked around the area.

Growl...

"Hm? What's that sound?" the old man muttered, growing wary. Until— "Uhm... It's coming from my stomach..."

"...Oh?" said the old man, a little surprised. Confused, thinking whether to laugh or feel sorry.

...----------------...

Plates on the table, with freshly prepared hot food served on them. Beside each dish, there is a glass of drink.

Between milk and alcohol, for two people of different ages. Young or old, what matters is fellow human beings. Eating and drinking, well, are indeed essential.

"Eat, finish everything until you're full. You look so skinny, what have you been eating all your life? Stones? Huh, poor thing. Eat slowly, no one will steal your food. I already ate, I just had a drink," said the old man, chuckling slightly as he watched Yuezheng eat so greedily.

The old man just stared at Yuezheng for a moment, before starting to make small talk. "What's your name?"

Hearing the question, Yuezheng naturally had to reply, "Yuezheng," he replied curtly, too busy eating his food. "Yuanzhang?" the old man asked, trying to confirm it. In response, Yuezheng just nodded, too lazy to answer through words.

"What's your surname?" the old man asked, glancing at Yuezheng. "Shen," Yuezheng replied, which was, of course, shortened.

"Sheng? Or Shen?" the old man asked once more, trying to confirm. Unfortunately, Yuezheng was silent for a moment, then simply shrugged, as if it was his choice to make. "...Then, shall I call you Sheng Yuanzhang?" Once again, only a shrug was given in response.

"Sheng... Yuanzhang... What a cool name... How old are you, Yuanzhang?"

"8," Yuezheng replied curtly, chewing on his chicken. "Ah... You're still young, huh..." the old man said, then he muttered; "Well... Still too young for such great power..."

Then he took a sip of his wine, "Maybe... I can make him my student... Children this age are very easy to grasp knowledge." he thought, staring deeply into Yuezheng's face.

"Yuanzhang... He'll definitely be handsome when he grows up... Like me when I was young, ahem!" thought the old man, smiling proudly without realizing it.

"I had a feeling this old man must be a bastard... A good bastard!" Yuezheng thought, continuing to enjoy his meal.

"By the way, what happened? Why are you being chased by those robed warriors?" asked the old man, looking around, trying to see if any of the robed warriors were following them.

For a moment, Yuezheng fell silent, stopped chewing, stopped doing anything. "..."

A few minutes later, he went back to what he had been doing, "Don't talk to people who are eating." he said, as if warning the old man who asked a lot of questions.

"...Who taught you?" the old man asked again.

"..." Yuezheng was silent, "My late uncle..." Yuezheng said, with his head lowered, wearing a gloomy expression.

Hearing that, a feeling of guilt suddenly enveloped the old man, "S-sorry to hear that... Are you okay?"

As if he was a robot, Yuezheng's expression changed, returning to that of a cheerful 8-year-old, "You old geezer, I'm eating! Don't disturb people who are eating!"

"A-ah! You're right! How could I forget!? Haha! How embarrassing...!" replied the old man, feeling awkward because he felt he had offended Yuezheng.

The question and answer session during the meal finally stopped, waiting for Yuezheng to finish eating first, then continued...

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