"He had a good relationship with my grandfather and also knew some things about my grandmother."
"To curry favor with my grandfather, he decided to send Xu Yao to train at the Phoenix Flame, so that Xu Yao would accompany me as my attendant."
"Because he knew the family so well, my grandmother also chose Xu Yao to be my right-hand man, and from then on he trained with me for a full ten years."
"How could Xu Yao’s father be so heartless? Was Xu Yao willing to go train at Phoenix Flame?"
"No, he was actually his father’s illegitimate son. In the Xu family, he was the third child; he had two older brothers, both sons of the legitimate wife. Xu Yao was always unwelcome in the Xu family, his presence was basically negligible, so his father was willing to send him away for training."
Lin Xinlan was shocked.
So Xu Yao had had such a childhood, no wonder his temperament was so cold.
Rong Shaoze’s hands gently massaged her shoulders, and Lin Xinlan felt comfortable. She closed her eyes slightly and tentatively asked, "Has Xu Yao ever hated you? After all, his being sent to train at Phoenix Flame had something to do with you."
Rong Shaoze knew she was just curious and meant nothing else.
He said, "He never hated me. He told me before that he was grateful his father sent him to train at Phoenix Flame; otherwise, he wouldn’t be who he is today. You should know, if he were without any ability, he would never stand out in the Xu family, nor would he receive any attention. Now, not only does he have his own company and forces, but no one in the Xu family dares to underestimate him."
Lin Xinlan nodded, feeling that made sense.
"Still, he must have some resentment in his heart, after all, his father treated him poorly," she said pensively.
Rong Shaoze leaned in and hugged her gently, whispering in her ear, "There’s no helping it, the world is cruel like that. Sometimes, only by climbing up on your own can you live with dignity. Otherwise, you’re just someone people push around."
Lin Xinlan turned to look at him and asked softly, "Apart from Xu Yao, were there others who trained with you back then? Right, did Tao Hua also train with you?"
A shadow flickered through Rong Shaoze’s eyes, but it vanished quickly, and Lin Xinlan did not notice it at all.
He smiled lightly and said, "Tao Hua wasn’t actually from Phoenix Flame; he didn’t train with us. Because we were close, he often helped us, and over time, everyone came to think of him as one of us. As for those who trained with me initially... many are still here, Xu Yao and Meiying included, and some... have died..."
"Died?!" Lin Xinlan’s eyes widened in surprise.
Rong Shaoze knew she would be surprised; after all, her world was different than his.
"Yes, training was extremely tough. Some died of sickness, some died accidentally during training due to a lack of skill..."
He didn’t need to explain too much; Lin Xinlan understood the general idea.
Needless to say, their training was surely grueling, something not everyone could endure.
Training might have been brutal, and if one wasn’t skilled enough, death was the only outcome.
Lin Xinlan’s gaze settled on a point as she murmured, "When they went to train, were they all just a few years old?"
"Yes, the younger, the easier to train," Rong Shaoze said softly.
In fact, he didn’t want her to be exposed to those dark aspects, but he had to tell her; he couldn’t deceive her.