Chapter 98 An Unusual Night Raid

The figure seemed quite familiar with the layout of the mansion. After climbing over the wall, it went straight to the main courtyard without stopping.

Tonight, it's Bai Jianping's turn to lead the night shift. He deliberately slept a lot during the day so that he's full of energy at night.

Unable to stay still, he led his men on a stroll around. Just as he turned a corner in a long corridor, he caught a glimpse of a dark shadow flash by out of the corner of his eye.

Bai Jianping immediately heard the alarm bells ringing.

There's an assassin!

That assassin was incredibly bold, daring to scale the walls and enter the stronghold of Yuyang, the Marquis's territory, to carry out an assassination.

Ha, he really doesn't know his own limitations. Today, I'll show him what it means to have nine lives and still not have enough to live on!

Bai Jianping immediately drew his longsword and rushed over, shouting, "How dare you cause trouble in your grandfather's mansion, you brat, you'd better die!"

Bai Jianping led the charge, faster than any soldier carrying a torch. In the darkness, his longsword swept across with the force of a whirlwind, and the figure nimbly ducked to dodge the attack.

Bai Jianping snorted coldly, about to strike again, when suddenly he heard—

"Uncle Bai, stop hitting me! It's me!"

Bai Jianping shuddered, abruptly halting his attack and staggering as he sheathed his sword. Just then, soldiers carrying torches arrived from behind.

The firelight dispelled the darkness, illuminating the still somewhat immature and unruly face of the young man.

"Third Young Master, what brings you here? Didn't the Marquis tell you to stay in the barracks outside the city?" Bai Jianping gasped as he finished speaking. "The city gates are closed at this hour. You didn't climb the city walls to get into the city, did you?"

"My father is dying, how could I not come?" Qin Qinian left only these words and hurriedly ran towards the main courtyard.

Bai Jianping was stunned. When he came to his senses, he hurriedly said no, but the person on the other end had already disappeared.

He suddenly felt a headache coming on, thinking to himself that there was a huge misunderstanding, and kept muttering, "Why do all the young masters like to climb over the wall at night? Young Master Qin climbed over twice, and the Third Young Master has done this quite often too."

*

Main courtyard.

Qin Shaozong awoke from his bed upon hearing footsteps outside. Within moments, his mind was completely clear.

Such an urgent message at night must mean something important. Could it be that something has happened to the Ding family...?

Without hearing a knock, the intruder climbed through the window. The moment his feet touched the ground after he crossed the window, the man on the couch suddenly opened his eyes, quickly got up, and reached for the small cabinet beside the couch.

There's a short knife on it.

The moment their fingertips touched, before Qin Shaozong could even draw his sword, the newcomer suddenly let out a howl:

"Your son is unfilial, your son has come too late! Father, you must hold on, my elder brother certainly doesn't want to inherit the title at such a young age. Father, tell your son who it is..."

Qin Qinian had been smelling the medicine all the way. After climbing in through the window, he was overcome with grief and couldn't hold back his tears.

His mother passed away when he was less than two years old, and he doesn't remember what she looked like.

Their father, being a high-ranking official, was very busy and didn't have much time to spend with them, and he was quite strict in disciplining them. But this did not stop them from feeling sincere admiration and respect when they saw their father, as towering as a mountain, repeatedly achieving great feats, standing before them like an insurmountable benchmark.

But now he's being told that the mountain is about to collapse! How can he accept this...?

Qin Qinian rushed to the footstool in front of the bed, ready to attend to the sick man, but in the darkness, he pressed down on a strong and powerful calf.

Qin Qinian was stunned.

Before he could even figure out what was happening, the long leg broke free from his grasp and kicked him in the shoulder. The kick wasn't light, sending Qin Qinian tumbling backward.

"You're truly an unfilial brat." Qin Shaozong's forehead veins throbbed.

Having just experienced a passionate encounter tonight, Dai Li was extremely exhausted and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. However, she was awakened halfway through her sleep by a deafening, eerie wail.

At first, she thought that the assassin who had broken into the house had been caught and was trying to persuade Qin Shaozong to spare his life.

But after vaguely hearing what came next, Dai Li realized with a start that it wasn't an assassin.

The flint clicked, and the bean lamp in the room was lit.

Qin Shaozong looked at the boy in the distance, dressed in a black and red outfit, with ash on his face and a few strands of dry grass stuck in his hair, and a fire flared up in his heart.

He's not even dead yet, and this brat's already putting on a mourning act.

Qin Qinian remained seated on the ground, staring blankly at Qin Shaozong a few steps away.

His father was only wearing a pair of black trousers, with nothing on his upper body. The dim light of the lamp fell on him, clearly illuminating his well-defined chest and abdominal muscles and his two strong, long arms. His dark skin was tinged with bronze by the firelight, faintly glowing with a healthy luster.

He sat imposingly beside the couch, a short knife in his hand, exuding a murderous aura, like a tiger in the forest that had been disturbed from its rest and was now enraged.

There was no visible wound, only some faint red marks on the body that looked like scratches.

Qin Qinian blinked blankly for a moment, then his grief vanished and he was overjoyed. "Father, you're alright! That's wonderful! All the rumors outside were false!"

"Get out." Qin Shaozong put down the dagger with a stern face.

Qin Qinian didn't want to leave. His father had been gone from Yuyang for almost a year, and he had a lot to say to him.

Dai Li was suddenly woken up in the middle of the night by a loud, booming voice that made her head buzz. Having not slept well, she was naturally in a bad mood, and seeing that the two weren't going to quiet down anytime soon, Dai Li simply chased them away.

"Qin Changgeng, go outside and talk. I want to sleep."

A woman's voice suddenly came from inside the room, startling Qin Qinian so much that his eyes widened.

His father actually slept with a woman.

What shocked him even more was what followed: a snow-white bare foot emerged from the tent, made two feints, and finally kicked his father's side.

The ankle, marked with a bright red imprint, bulged with fine veins, clearly exerting considerable force, intently trying to kick the person away.

Qin Shaozong turned slightly to the side, grasped Dai Li's calf, and tucked it back into the quilt. "Madam, please continue to sleep. I'll be right back."

Dai Li turned around and looked outside through the light gauze curtain. She saw a figure sitting on the ground, the face indistinct, but judging from the loud, hoarse voice, the figure was probably still going through puberty.

She was probably fifteen or sixteen years old, which in modern times would be the age of just starting high school.

Qin Shaozong got up from the couch, too lazy to put on his clothes, and walked over, grabbing Qin Qinian by the back of his collar like he was carrying a cat, and dragging him toward the door.

"Father..." Qin Qinian's voice was a little softer than before.

"Click." The door opened.

Qin Shaozong was about to throw the man out when, unexpectedly, another person was standing in front of the door.

The tall, slender young man, backlit by the moonlight, exuded a cold aura. He held a knife in his hand, its sharpness astonishing.

They came to catch the thief.

Over there, the guards, led by Bai Jianping, arrived carrying torches. The firelight instantly illuminated the small area of ​​the main courtyard, as well as the dust-covered Qin Qinian and the thinly dressed, unkempt Qin Shaozong, whose body was covered in marks.

Bai Jianping knew he was late and apologized to his superior, "I failed to stop the Third Young Master in time, please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Qin Shaozong tossed the man out of the room. “It’s late and I’m disturbing your sleep. We can talk about it tomorrow. Qin San, next time you need to knock before entering the house. If you dare to climb in through the window again, I’ll break both your legs.”

With his narrow eyes raised, Qin Shaozong's gaze swept over everyone. "It's nothing, you can all go back."

Bai Jianping bowed and led his men away.

Qin Qinian was in high spirits. It was good that his father was alright. As for being kicked and thrown, he had been tough since childhood, so it didn't hurt him at all.

"Bang." The door to the main room closed.

Without a target, Qin Qinian had to turn his gaze away, and it was then that he saw a new face. The moonlight fell on that jade-like face, like reflecting a flawless jade carving. He had handsome features and a commanding presence, exuding the air of a military strategist.

Qin Qinian was stunned, and his voice softened as he asked, "Who...who are you?"

Qin Yanzhou, hearing him addressed as "Qin San," knew he was Qin Shaozong's third son. The scene from just moments ago flashed through his mind; he had absolutely no desire to speak to this son of the Marquis of Wu'an.

Qin Yanzhou turned and went back to his room without expression.

"Hey, hey, don't go!" Qin Qinian subconsciously followed.

*

Inside the main room.

Qin Shaozong went back to bed and pulled Dai Li, who was wrapped in a quilt and sleeping on the other side, back to the bed.

Dai Li was still awake. Hearing the words "Hey, hey, don't go!" outside, she couldn't help but say to Qin Shaozong, "Qin Changgeng, your son seems to be a bit of a jerk."

"What is Bigger?" Qin Shaozong asked.

Dai Li fell silent for a moment.

How can I put it? I can't exactly say that a beagle is a dog, but that his son is like a dog.

"Madam?" He suddenly received no reply and started to nag her.

Dai Li turned her head, letting his kiss land only on her cheek, while pushing him away with her hand. "Bigger is a kind of energetic, noisy creature that often makes 'werwer' noises..."

Qin Shaozong raised his eyebrows slightly, pondering what could be making a werwer sound, but couldn't figure it out.

However, Qin Qinian was indeed a troublemaker with a loud voice, and he had been running wild since he was a child. One day he would climb trees to steal bird nests, and the next he would climb on the roof and tear off the tiles. No matter how much you scolded him, he wouldn't behave.

Qin Shaozong said in a deep voice, "That boy's birth mother is a woman from the Wei family. The Wei family has recently gotten into trouble and wants to use the Qin family to settle it. They tried to contact Qin San for help, so I sent him to the military camp in advance and forbade him to return to the city to prevent the Wei family from contacting him. Qin San probably heard some rumors and thought I was injured, so he came back from the suburbs in the middle of the night."

Dai Li's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Whether it was her imagination or not, she seemed to sense an impending storm in the first half of Qin Shaozong's words.

He said the Wei family had gotten into trouble. Although Dai Li wanted to hear the gossip, she was too sensitive about the Wei family, so she didn't ask them what trouble they had gotten into.

"Go to sleep." Dai Li shrank back into the covers.

Qin Shaozong chuckled softly.

*

I went to bed late last night and even woke up once in the middle of the night. Today, Dai Li didn't get up until late morning.

After she was fully dressed and went to the outer room, she heard people talking outside:

"What's your name? Why are you here?"

"Oh, you're really handsome, only slightly less so than me. Your martial arts skills are truly impressive. Could it be that you're my father's bodyguard?"

"But that doesn't make sense either, why are the guards living in the main courtyard?"

"What happened to the scar on your neck? Did you get it from fighting on the battlefield? I have several scars on my back, each about seven inches long."

Why haven't you said anything?

His familiar hoarse voice kept ringing out.

Qin Yanzhou's forehead veins bulged, and he could no longer contain himself. "Stop arguing."

Qin Yanzhou felt a pang of regret. Had he known this person would be so difficult to deal with, he would never have sparred with him during morning practice, no matter what Bai Jianping and the others said.

Qin Qinian was even happier when he spoke.

He knew his voice wasn't very good, so it was hard for him not to be happy to have met a kindred spirit.

...

Dai Li came out of the room and saw two figures standing at the entrance of the courtyard in the distance.

The son was dressed in white, expressionless, still giving off a "keep away" vibe.

The boy next to him, dressed in a black and red color-blocked outfit, was more than half a head shorter than him.

Compared to Qin Yunze, Dai Li felt that this young boy resembled Qin Shaozong more; the two shared a seven-tenths resemblance in the lower half of their faces. The only difference was that the boy's eyes were somewhat round, making him look more like some kind of small animal with wet eyes and a wagging tail.

She wasn't wrong last night; the boy looked to be around sixteen years old, a lively and unrestrained age.

He seemed to be a social tyrant, and also seemed to have some military habits ingrained in his bones. Right now, he kept trying to put his arm around Zhouzhou's shoulder, but every time he reached out, her son precisely avoided him.

Hearing the door open, both the adult and the child looked over at the same time.

Dai Li noticed a subtle change in her son's icy face. He rarely showed any sign of frustration, and his eyes held a different meaning: "Mom, can I hit him?"

Dai Li: "..."

Qin Qinian knew last night that there was a woman in his father's room, but he had never seen her. Now, upon seeing Dai Li for the first time, he was completely stunned.

The young woman not far away was wearing a red cross-collar ruqun with a touch of red between her eyebrows. Her skin was as white as fresh snow, and her face radiated a vibrant, life-giving energy.

She had a pair of exceptionally beautiful peach blossom eyes, their shimmering light like a captivating ripple in the sunset or a touch of frost on a raging fire, making them impossible to approach easily.

"Mother, did he disturb you?" Qin Yanzhou shook off the person and walked towards Dai Li.

Dai Li shook her head. "No, I slept in until I naturally woke up today."

Qin Qinian was jolted back to his senses by the title "mother." He looked at Dai Li, then at Qin Yanzhou, and after doing so twice, he was surprised to find that the two had very similar features, as if they were made from the same mold.

This young woman and this very skilled fighter are actually mother and son!

"Your mother is so young and beautiful!" Qin Qinian couldn't help but exclaim.

Qin Yanzhou's gaze shot straight at him like ice, but seeing only simple amazement and admiration, without any greed in his eyes, he then concealed his sharpness.

Dai Li patted her son's arm, telling him not to act impulsively.

She had already met his eldest son, Qin Yunce, and received his courtesy, so she treated the younger one as just an ordinary child. "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Both of them said they had already eaten.

Qin Qinian was still looking at Dai Li, his gaze filled with undisguised inquiry, feeling that this favored concubine was quite unusual.

Not only did she stay overnight in her father's room, but she also dared to kick him last night, and the key point is that she was unharmed after kicking him.

Dai Li pretended not to notice, "Aren't you going back to the barracks today?"

Qin Qinian was astonished, "How did you know I came from the military camp?"

Dai Li didn't hide anything, "Your father said it."

Qin Qinian felt that Dai Li was unusual, but he told the truth: "My father told me to stay in the mansion for the time being."

“So you’ve got nothing to do.” Dai Li guessed he was bored, otherwise he wouldn’t keep talking to Zhou Zhou. “Since you’re free, how about you come with me to make a tinderbox casing?”

"What is a tinderbox?" Qin Qinian asked, puzzled.

Dai Li explained to him, "You can think of it as an upgraded version of flint. When you need to start a fire, you can ignite it with just a gentle blow."

Qin Qinian's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. "My father detests all things supernatural and ghostly. I advise you to quickly repent and reform, otherwise he will kick you out of the manor, and you'll have nowhere to cry."

As soon as Qin Shaozong returned, he overheard Qin Qinian rambling on about this.

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Author's Note: Here I am! [shrug]

I need nutrient solution [glasses]