Zong Jincheng angrily shook off his arm.
Luo Jingfeng teased, "Kid, I told you to practice martial arts, but you refused. In a month, you could’ve built up some strength—maybe even left a little tooth mark."
Zong Jincheng ignored his mockery, his face darkening. "Why do you have to meddle? You even got Minister He to deceive He Zheng. Do you have any idea how upset He Zheng is? Do you think this is fun?"
Luo Jingfeng scoffed. "Why would he be upset? A father apologizing to his son—your friend should be overjoyed. Besides, with Minister He offering an olive branch, he can return to the He family as the young master of the Ministry of War. Isn’t that great?"
Zong Jincheng glared at him. "You don’t understand why they cut ties in the first place."
Luo Jingfeng raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I do. Because of me, your dear uncle. ‘Whoever tied the bell must untie it.’ Since Minister He severed ties with his son out of fear of offending me, now he’s restoring their relationship—still out of fear of me. Doesn’t that neatly wrap things up?"
Damn it. How did Luo Jingfeng end up making sense?
The little devil racked his brain before finally blurting out, "He’s not a good father!"
Surprisingly, Luo Jingfeng agreed. "True. That’s why I didn’t force him to drag He Zheng back into the family. Isn’t that respect enough for you?"
Zong Jincheng’s pupils dilated in shock. "You’re actually justifying this?"
Luo Jingfeng grinned. "Of course. I’ve got plenty of reasons—just didn’t bother explaining them to a brat like you. Go on, tell me what else you need your uncle to handle for you. I’ll take care of it."
The little devil scowled. "Then handle yourself. Stay out of my life. I don’t want your weird interference."
Luo Jingfeng ignored the jab and countered, "What’s wrong with interfering? It’s not like I’m harming you. I’m your uncle. Is there a problem with me being good to you?"
Zong Jincheng snorted. "I don’t need it. I’m a living person with my own life. I’ll get what I want myself—no need for your meddling."
Luo Jingfeng’s smile faded slightly.
His mind flashed back to his third sister’s desperate cry: "I’m a living person too! I want to live my own life, not just exist for all of you!"
After that argument, all that remained was her lifeless body—no more tears, no more laughter, no more screams...
He clenched his fists, suppressing the surge of hatred and fury in his chest.
"Make another request," he said.
"What?" Zong Jincheng was baffled.
Luo Jingfeng’s voice deepened. "Anything except driving me away. Name it. In this vast world, whatever you desire, your uncle will make it happen."
Zong Jincheng felt like he was talking to a brick wall. He huffed, "No!" With that, he turned and ran off without another word.
Luo Jingfeng watched his retreating figure, then glanced sideways. "Is everything arranged in the hunting grounds?"
Luo Jingfeng smirked, confident. "Good. I want my Cheng’er to enjoy himself today."
On his way back, Zong Jincheng debated whether to tell He Zheng the truth. Telling him would hurt him, but keeping it secret would betray their brotherhood. He... Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by nοvelfire.net
Before he could decide, He Zheng—looking relieved—waved at him cheerfully. "Big bro, hurry up! We’re heading in!"
The little devil instinctively ran over. "Coming!"
The five young boys rode their ponies into the hunting grounds, each carrying a quiver. Eight servants followed, tasked with retrieving their prey.
Given their archery skills—barely hitting stationary targets—hunting live game seemed impossible. Five servants should’ve been enough.
But the confident trio—Zong Jincheng, Shen Yibai, and Wei Xinglu—were convinced today was their lucky day. Maybe a rabbit would dash into a tree, or a deer would stand still.
So they brought three extra servants, just in case.
Wei Xinglu scouted ahead. "Jincheng, let’s take this path. Fewer people means less competition for prey!"
The little devil agreed. "Alright, this way."
The five boys ventured deeper and soon disappeared into the woods. Others tried to follow, drawn by the path’s low traffic—until a servant abruptly held up the Duke Protector’s insignia.
No words were needed. The threat was clear.
"Y-yes, yes! We’ll switch paths right away!" The young nobles scrambled off, pale-faced. "That was close! Almost shared a path with the Duke Protector’s little terrors. If we’d accidentally taken their prey, we’d be done for."
Deep in the forest, Zong Jincheng’s group was having an unusually lucky streak. They’d already spotted rabbits, pheasants, foxes, and even a small deer.
Smaller prey proved elusive, but the deer was their next target.
"Jincheng, come on! Let’s shoot that deer together!"
"Shh! Keep quiet—don’t scare it."
"What if it runs when we all shoot at once?"
"Then one aims for the kill spot, the others cover escape routes. It won’t get away."
"Good plan." The five quickly assigned positions. "Ready? On three. One, two, three—shoot!"
"Whoosh!" Five arrows flew.
The deer staggered, struck.
"We hit it! We hit it!" Zong Jincheng cheered, jumping up. "Check whose arrow it was!"
The servants inspected the deer—Zong Jincheng’s arrow.
He Zheng immediately praised, "Big bro! You’re the best! Straight to the heart!"
"Me?" Zong Jincheng was stunned. He’d aimed for the kill spot, but... "Didn’t the deer try to run?"
Zong Wenxiu replied, "No. It didn’t even notice us."
Shen Yibai grinned. "We hid well!"
Wei Xinglu rubbed his hands. "Today’s our day—we’ll bag a full haul... Hey, shh! Is that a wild boar?"