755

Translator: Jimmi, Editor: Aruthea

Ji Yunshu felt some sympathy for the man. She then looked at Jing Rong who was sitting by her side. This fellow is twenty five years old and he has neither wife nor concubine either. He’s not doing any better than Zhang Daqi.

Chief Zhang remained silent after telling them what he knew about Old Man Zhang.

Outside, rain was still pouring down from the grey, cloudy skies.

The Capital Magistrate walked up to Jing Rong, his brows knit tightly in worry. He leaned over and whispered into his ear, “Your Highness, we may not be able to leave today. The rain seems like it will not be stopping for quite some time. The sky is completely dark.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“We might have to stay the night here.”

We might not be able to leave after all! Jing Rong pondered the matter for a short while and responded, “We’ll see how it goes.” We should leave if we can.

“As you wish, sire.” replied the Capital Magistrate as he retreated back to his position.

Just then, a young man who looked around seventeen to eighteen burst through the doors. His tattered clothing hung off his frail, lanky frame, and he was drenched head to toe by the rain. His disheveled hair covered half his face, but his black eyes were still visible along with his bloodied lips.

The man was scratching at his exposed neck and shoulders with fingers caked with filth and grime. He had managed to tear large swaths of his skin away, leaving bloodied marks on his body that were oozing pus and dark colored blood that was flowing down his body along with the rain water.

A pair of shoes that were covered with holes were worn on the man’s feet, but his shoes were in such a bad shape that his bare feet were already touching the ground.

“Hehe…” The man smiled as he entered, and saliva came drooping down from his mouth.

It’s him… The villagers in the ancestral hall regarded the newcomer with disdain. Some among them averted their gazes from him and covered their mouths, barely holding back the urge to throw up.

In contrast, Jing Rong, Ji Yunshu, Jing Yi, and Wen Shisan eyed him with curiosity. What a strange man!

Chief Zhang immediately walked up to the man and blocked his path, “Idiot Si, what are you doing here? Leave!” he shouted.

However, Idiot Si continued to smile at the village chief and refused to move.

“What are you laughing at, Idiot Si? Leave now!”

“Hehe…”

“I’ll start hitting you if you won’t leave.”

Idiot Si refused to budge despite the threats. The village chief gritted his teeth in frustration. He was forced to keep his temper in check in the presence of the two princes. The only thing he could do was to motion for two of the stronger villagers to throw him out of the hall.

“Hold on!” Jing Rong spoke up.

And the two villagers immediately stopped while Chief Zhang was baffled, “Your Highness?”

“The rain is heavy outside. Wouldn’t you be sending him to his death by throwing him outside?”

“I was worried that his presence would offend you, Your Highness.”

“Is he a man who has committed unforgivable sins?”

“No, Your highness.”

“Then is he a wicked man who wishes to cause harm to those around him?”

“He’s not, Your highness.”

The village chief answered all of Jing Rong’s questions. And the prince spoke with a solemn expression, “If he’s not, then why would he offend me? Does this large hall not have enough space for one more person?”

Chief Zhang was nervous, “It’s not that, Your highness. Look at Idiot Si,” disdain was clearly written on his face, “He’s an orphan, and he has always been of unsound mind. His body was scratched into a bloodied mess by his own hands. What if…”

“There’s no ‘what if’ here!”

Jing Rong’s voice was firm. He set his gaze on Idiot Si who was still scratching furiously at his neck and said, “It is not his fault that he’s afflicted by this disease. Refusing to give him your sympathy despite living in the same village is one thing, but to throw him out into such bad weather? Your duty as the village chief is to solve problems for the people in your village, not to discard your problems and ignore them.” His tone was gentle, but everyone present could hear the warning behind it.

It took Chief Zhang quite a while to recover from the shock, “Yes, Your Highness is correct.”

And with that, the village chief pulled Idiot Si aside and spoke to him with a gentle tone, “Idiot Si, His Highness has granted you the permission to stay. But I’m warning you, stay put indoors and don’t cause any trouble.”

“Hehe…” Idiot Si tilted his head. He was not even listening to Chief Zhang. The man parted his hair away from his face with bloodied fingers and smiled at Jing Yi who had been silent.

It was a very creepy smile. But Jing Yi showed no fear. He met the idiot’s gaze, as if he could look into his head. “What do you want?”

“St… Stone.”

“Stone?”

Idiot Si pointed at the round jade hanging on the prince’s waist. Drool continued to pour down from the smile on the man’s face.

Jing Yi looked down at his belt and immediately understood what the idiot meant. A mischievous smile formed on his lips as he took the jade pendant from his belt and hung it on his finger. He intended to tease Idiot Si. “You want this?”

“Stone.”

“This is not a stone.”

“Stone.”

“Very well. Come closer, I’ll give it to you.” Jing Yi inched his arm forward.

A glint appeared in Idiot Si’s dark eyes. He stepped forward after some slight hesitation, and extended his arms towards the jade pendant.

But Jing Yi retracted his hand right when Idiot Si’s grime and blood covered fingers made contact with the pendant.

“Stone… Stone…”

“You idiot, what I hold in my hand is not stone.”

“Ahhhh!” Idiot Si was driven into desperation, much to the pleasure of Jing Yi, who had a perverted grin on his face.

“Stone… Stone…” Idiot Si continued to grumble.

“I’ll throw you out if you don’t stop.” Chief Zhang tugged at the man’s clothes.

“Ahhh… Stone…”

The idiot was still trying to reach for Jing Yi’s pendant when Ji Yunshu called out to him, “Hey, come over here.”

Idiot Si looked at the person who was waving at him. And Ji Yunshu pulled a pearl from her belt and put it in her palm.

“I’ll give this stone to you, okay?” she asked.

Idiot Si nodded furiously and ran up to her to take the pearl from her hand. “Stone. It’s mine… Mine…”

“Yes. It’s yours now. No one will take it away from you.”

A satisfied expression settled on Idiot Si’s face as he finally made his way to the back of the hall and sat quietly on the floor.

Ji Yunshu’s heart ached for him. It was miserable enough to have his body ravaged by the disease, but the man had to suffer through the disdain of his fellow villagers as well. His parents would definitely be sad if they were still alive.

But Jing Yi sneered at Ji Yunshu’s gesture, “What a kind person you are!” How lame.

It did not take long for Zhang Daqi to appear once again with his fists clenched. It was apparent that he was worried for his father. He really was a very filial son.

But when Idiot Si laid eyes upon him…

Translator: Jimmi, Editor: Aruthea

Ji Yunshu felt some sympathy for the man. She then looked at Jing Rong who was sitting by her side. This fellow is twenty five years old and he has neither wife nor concubine either. He’s not doing any better than Zhang Daqi.

Chief Zhang remained silent after telling them what he knew about Old Man Zhang.

Outside, rain was still pouring down from the grey, cloudy skies.

The Capital Magistrate walked up to Jing Rong, his brows knit tightly in worry. He leaned over and whispered into his ear, “Your Highness, we may not be able to leave today. The rain seems like it will not be stopping for quite some time. The sky is completely dark.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“We might have to stay the night here.”

We might not be able to leave after all! Jing Rong pondered the matter for a short while and responded, “We’ll see how it goes.” We should leave if we can.

“As you wish, sire.” replied the Capital Magistrate as he retreated back to his position.

Just then, a young man who looked around seventeen to eighteen burst through the doors. His tattered clothing hung off his frail, lanky frame, and he was drenched head to toe by the rain. His disheveled hair covered half his face, but his black eyes were still visible along with his bloodied lips.

The man was scratching at his exposed neck and shoulders with fingers caked with filth and grime. He had managed to tear large swaths of his skin away, leaving bloodied marks on his body that were oozing pus and dark colored blood that was flowing down his body along with the rain water.

A pair of shoes that were covered with holes were worn on the man’s feet, but his shoes were in such a bad shape that his bare feet were already touching the ground.

“Hehe…” The man smiled as he entered, and saliva came drooping down from his mouth.

It’s him… The villagers in the ancestral hall regarded the newcomer with disdain. Some among them averted their gazes from him and covered their mouths, barely holding back the urge to throw up.

In contrast, Jing Rong, Ji Yunshu, Jing Yi, and Wen Shisan eyed him with curiosity. What a strange man!

Chief Zhang immediately walked up to the man and blocked his path, “Idiot Si, what are you doing here? Leave!” he shouted.

However, Idiot Si continued to smile at the village chief and refused to move.

“What are you laughing at, Idiot Si? Leave now!”

“Hehe…”

“I’ll start hitting you if you won’t leave.”

Idiot Si refused to budge despite the threats. The village chief gritted his teeth in frustration. He was forced to keep his temper in check in the presence of the two princes. The only thing he could do was to motion for two of the stronger villagers to throw him out of the hall.

“Hold on!” Jing Rong spoke up.

And the two villagers immediately stopped while Chief Zhang was baffled, “Your Highness?”

“The rain is heavy outside. Wouldn’t you be sending him to his death by throwing him outside?”

“I was worried that his presence would offend you, Your Highness.”

“Is he a man who has committed unforgivable sins?”

“No, Your highness.”

“Then is he a wicked man who wishes to cause harm to those around him?”

“He’s not, Your highness.”

The village chief answered all of Jing Rong’s questions. And the prince spoke with a solemn expression, “If he’s not, then why would he offend me? Does this large hall not have enough space for one more person?”

Chief Zhang was nervous, “It’s not that, Your highness. Look at Idiot Si,” disdain was clearly written on his face, “He’s an orphan, and he has always been of unsound mind. His body was scratched into a bloodied mess by his own hands. What if…”

“There’s no ‘what if’ here!”

Jing Rong’s voice was firm. He set his gaze on Idiot Si who was still scratching furiously at his neck and said, “It is not his fault that he’s afflicted by this disease. Refusing to give him your sympathy despite living in the same village is one thing, but to throw him out into such bad weather? Your duty as the village chief is to solve problems for the people in your village, not to discard your problems and ignore them.” His tone was gentle, but everyone present could hear the warning behind it.

It took Chief Zhang quite a while to recover from the shock, “Yes, Your Highness is correct.”

And with that, the village chief pulled Idiot Si aside and spoke to him with a gentle tone, “Idiot Si, His Highness has granted you the permission to stay. But I’m warning you, stay put indoors and don’t cause any trouble.”

“Hehe…” Idiot Si tilted his head. He was not even listening to Chief Zhang. The man parted his hair away from his face with bloodied fingers and smiled at Jing Yi who had been silent.

It was a very creepy smile. But Jing Yi showed no fear. He met the idiot’s gaze, as if he could look into his head. “What do you want?”

“St… Stone.”

“Stone?”

Idiot Si pointed at the round jade hanging on the prince’s waist. Drool continued to pour down from the smile on the man’s face.

Jing Yi looked down at his belt and immediately understood what the idiot meant. A mischievous smile formed on his lips as he took the jade pendant from his belt and hung it on his finger. He intended to tease Idiot Si. “You want this?”

“Stone.”

“This is not a stone.”

“Stone.”

“Very well. Come closer, I’ll give it to you.” Jing Yi inched his arm forward.

A glint appeared in Idiot Si’s dark eyes. He stepped forward after some slight hesitation, and extended his arms towards the jade pendant.

But Jing Yi retracted his hand right when Idiot Si’s grime and blood covered fingers made contact with the pendant.

“Stone… Stone…”

“You idiot, what I hold in my hand is not stone.”

“Ahhhh!” Idiot Si was driven into desperation, much to the pleasure of Jing Yi, who had a perverted grin on his face.

“Stone… Stone…” Idiot Si continued to grumble.

“I’ll throw you out if you don’t stop.” Chief Zhang tugged at the man’s clothes.

“Ahhh… Stone…”

The idiot was still trying to reach for Jing Yi’s pendant when Ji Yunshu called out to him, “Hey, come over here.”

Idiot Si looked at the person who was waving at him. And Ji Yunshu pulled a pearl from her belt and put it in her palm.

“I’ll give this stone to you, okay?” she asked.

Idiot Si nodded furiously and ran up to her to take the pearl from her hand. “Stone. It’s mine… Mine…”

“Yes. It’s yours now. No one will take it away from you.”

A satisfied expression settled on Idiot Si’s face as he finally made his way to the back of the hall and sat quietly on the floor.

Ji Yunshu’s heart ached for him. It was miserable enough to have his body ravaged by the disease, but the man had to suffer through the disdain of his fellow villagers as well. His parents would definitely be sad if they were still alive.

But Jing Yi sneered at Ji Yunshu’s gesture, “What a kind person you are!” How lame.

It did not take long for Zhang Daqi to appear once again with his fists clenched. It was apparent that he was worried for his father. He really was a very filial son.

But when Idiot Si laid eyes upon him…