At Xu Shi, there was a knock on the door which made Lin Xiao pay attention to the door. After a brief ‘Enter’ came out of Long Yinlian’s lips, the door opened, revealing a young maidservant. She bowed down to them respectfully and said, “Distinguished guests, dinner is ready. Please allow this servant to guide you to the dining hall.”
After saying that, she stood up straight and she was just about to leave when Lin Xiao called her out. “Wait, what about them?” Lin Xiao asked, referring to the three tigers that are with them.
“My master has already informed the servants about them. Their meal was also prepared, and they will eat just outside the dining hall,” the servant replied.
Lin Xiao frowned when he heard what the servant said but he decided to keep his mouth sealed. ‘We’ll leave tomorrow anyway. I’ll be sure to treat the boys with a good meal for this unfair treatment…’
When they arrived at the dining hall, most of the prominent members within the household is already waiting inside, including the patriarch, Xia Yuanfeng. The elders of the family had heard that they received a distinguished guest today, so when the two arrived, all eyes landed on them.
Both Lin Xiao and Long Yinlian were led to their seat but Long Yinlian had his head bowed throughout the journey. It was as if that he did not want to be seen. Whispers could be heard as soon as they are seated and Lin Xiao didn’t know if it was Xia Yuanfeng’s arrangement, or it was a mere coincidence, but their seat was very close to the patriarch seat.
‘I’d bet all my belongings to say that he planned this…’ Lin Xiao thought to himself while watching the servants deliver the food into the dining hall.
The sound of whispers grew. At first, Lin Xiao tried to ignore it but as time ticked, the whispers grew into a discussion that the elders didn’t even bother to suppress. Their eyes looking at Long Yinlian, some in contempt and some in disbelief. Lin Xiao wanted nothing more to just stand up and confront them but Long Yinlian’s hold on his wrist prevented him from doing so.
“Xiao-er, let them be. You can’t offend them,” Long Yinlian said in a soft whisper that only Lin Xiao could hear.
“Shizun… Is there anything that Lin Xiao needs to know?”
“I will tell you, later…” Long Yinlian replied. “For now, try not to attract any attention, alright?” Long Yinlian murmured softly though he sounded very guarded.
After the last meal was served, Xia Yuanfeng raised up his hand and the whispers stops almost immediately. Just from the reaction before, Xia Yuanfeng could guess that the accident that happens that year may have a deeper secret that he has yet to know.
“Everyone. Today is a joyous occasion. About twenty years ago, all of you told me that Ah’Yin had fallen to his death in the ravine while chasing the rebels of the Southwestern King. I spent a lot of resources to find his trace but alas, nothing came up…” as Xia Yuanfeng said this, he narrowed his eyes at the elders, gauging their reaction. ‘Sure enough… some of them have a hand in that accident…’ Xia Yuanfeng drew a conclusion as soon as he saw a few of the Elders’ faces turned ugly.
“But now, Ah’Yin is back. I failed to protect him back then, but this time, I will not fail again,” Xia Yuanfeng said this as a warning to those who wanted to plan on harming Long Yinlian. The room once again filled with murmurs and whispers but was quickly silence with Xiao Yuanfeng’s gaze. He then lifts his wine cup up for a toast. “This toast is for Ah’Yin’s safe return,” he said and the rest in the room followed his action.
Even if they don’t want to, the patriarch has spoken. If they disobey, even if they are the elders, they will still get punished. So, while some of them appeared to genuinely toast for Long Yinlian, they hid a dark thought in their mind.
Lin Xiao who had been silent all this time, managed to get a hint of the matter. He now knew that the person who has harmed Long Yinlian and forced his master to live in seclusion is someone within this dining hall. In fact, he also knew that Xia Yuanfeng is definitely related. ‘Since he’s the patriarch now, that means he was the young master and the successor of this family. Of course, they wouldn’t want the successor to be with another man… although male pet is not uncommon amongst higher class family, with how this Xia Yuanfeng acts, he probably rejected the idea of having Shizun have that title. So, these elders decided to do something about it…’
As the thought crossed Lin Xiao’s mind, his eyes glints with murderous intent. Long Yinlian seems to sense it and he gripped Lin Xiao’s wrist tighter. “Whatever it is you’re thinking, forget it. Xiao-er, remember what I said… we can’t offend them,” he once again reminded Lin Xiao in a low voice.
“Why?”
“Their backer is someone we cannot afford to offend…” was all Long Yinlian said before he told Lin Xiao to eat.
Everyone feasts in but Lin Xiao did not eat much. Most of his attention were given to Long Yinlian. Picking up the side dish and placing it on Long Yinlian’s bowl, pouring more wine for his master, and he even helped picked up some meat and feed the older male. Whenever he did so, he could feel heated gaze aimed at him coming from a certain patriarch who’s fuming with jealousy, but Lin Xiao simply ignored it.
After dinner, Long Yinlian and Lin Xiao walked back to their room, but Xia Yuanfeng caught up to them. Lin Xiao could guess what Xia Yuanfeng’s intention is, so he quickly stood in between them. “Martial uncle, do you need anything?”
“I… want to talk to your master,” Xia Yuanfeng said as he looked at Long Yinlian, never once putting Lin Xiao in his eyes.
Lin Xiao was just about to reply to reject the other when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over behind him and saw Long Yinlian just shook his head, telling Lin Xiao that it was alright.
“Alright, talk,” Long Yinlian addressed Xia Yuanfeng.
“Ah’Yin, can we talk in private?” Xia Yuanfeng asked.
‘This guy! Given a leg, wanting the whole thigh!’ Lin Xiao grits his teeth as he narrowed his eyes at Xia Yuanfeng.
“Whatever it is you want to say, you can say it in front of Xiao-er,” Long Yinlian replied. Hearing this, Lin Xiao can’t help but puff out his chest, feeling as if he has won a lottery.
“Ah’Yin…”
“Martial uncle, we’re really tired from our journey. We’ve spent few days on the road so if it is not that important, let’s discuss it tomorrow,” Lin Xiao cut the older male off. After that, Lin Xiao saluted Xia Yuanfeng then he left with Long Yinlian.
Unknown to them both, one of the elders had saw them and his eyes glints dangerously. The elder scurried away and went to a different wing of the house.
“Master Yuanfeng tried to meet that bastard alone,” he hissed as soon as he entered a room. Inside, few elders seem to be waiting for him. “Luckily, that young man mentioned that they are tired so Master Yuanfeng didn’t manage to talk to him. But they did say they will talk tomorrow. Elder Xiang, did you not say that he’ll be dead after consuming the poison and falling down the ravine? How is it that he’s still alive and well?”
“How would I know!?” the one called Elder Xiang roared out. “The poison should’ve taken his life! The apothecary said that the poison will slowly take away his senses, then made his organs fail to work and finally taking his life away!”
“And yet, he returns after twenty years! If he speaks about that matter to Master Yuanfeng…”
“Enough! I’ll make it so that he won’t be able to talk about it!” Elder Xiang said as he quickly put on his cloak. “Regardless of how he manages to survive, we just have to make him disappear before he talks to Master Yuanfeng. Since the fault is mine, I shall fix it myself. Leave everything to me,” Elder Xiang said before he left the room.
The first thing he did after sneaking out of the house was heading to the taverns that was located at the outskirt of the Capital City. The outskirt at night is a dangerous place where rogues and other dangerous people who don’t belong to the four classes is prominent. He was covered from head to toe and no one would’ve known that he’s the venerable elder of the Xia family or else, he might’ve ended up being robbed until not even a bone is left.
As soon as he arrived at the tavern, he went to talk to the mistress there. "Is the 'Mad Dog' in?" he asked the mistress who only frowns at him.
"May I know who is asking?" she asked as her hands went to the hidden dagger under the table, ready to slit the throat of the man before her.
"Elder Xiang, of the Xia family," he answered as he showed her the Xia family emblem before hiding it back. "I have a task to ask of the 'Mad Dog'."
"It will not be cheap," the mistress said though her eyes glints with greediness.
"Whatever the price, it will be paid. Just let me talk to the 'Mad Dog' or I'll inform the officials that you're harboring a wanted criminal!" Elder Xiang was getting impatient and as soon as he said that, he found a knife near his throat.
"You will do no such thing, Elder Xiang..." as soon as the mistress said that, some of the tavern's customers stood up and was prepared to attack Elder Xiang as long as the mistress gave them the order. "Stand down, men. There was just a little bug on our 'esteemed' guest’s clothes. I simply helped to rid of it. Anyway, Elder Xiang... come this way," the mistress said as she began to lead Elder Xiang to the back of the tavern.
