Chapter 111 Nobles 9

Silver Oak is located at a relatively high latitude. Less than two months after the new students enrolled, the temperature plummeted, the sky turned overcast, and the view became gloomy. Even after changing into winter uniforms and stepping outside, one could still feel a chill in the air.

Silver oaks have long winters.

The wind outside the window carried the chill of early winter, whistling through the branches and tapping against the windowpane with a soft, mournful sound. Inside the dormitory, however, all was quiet. Lu Xuejin nestled in bed, almost swallowed up by the soft mattress beneath her and the light down comforter on her body.

He had a dream.

Except for a few special species, intangible beings do not sleep, and naturally do not dream. Their closing of their eyes is merely a form of rest, allowing their minds to wander, letting the grand winds of the sovereign blow by, from which they draw nourishment.

After Shen Mo's death, Lu Xuejin hadn't dreamed for a long time.

In his youth, he would dream of kicking the king aside and sitting on the throne in front of a bunch of fools who kept talking about "nobility" and "bloodline." Now, closing his eyes is just a habit, shutting out the light and noise, as if he were sleeping in a hazy dream in the quiet night.

He only "dreams" a few times, such as dreaming of life at Bai Nan Academy in the last world, but that was just a spiritual pull, a clumsy attempt by a dream god to control him through dream creation.

Lu Xuejin's power stems from the monarch who gave him life; all things in this world bow before him, and naturally, no creature can control his dreams unless he chooses to enter them. Yet, even when he has no desire to sleep, he finds himself trapped in a dream.

He dreamed about things before he was born.

In his youth, he and Lu Yangfeng lived in a small country. The climate of the small country was very similar to that of Silver Oak. The cold was always long. In the blink of an eye, the warm spring and summer and the dry autumn had passed. Goose feather-like snowflakes fell endlessly from the dark sky, fluttering and swirling.

The streetlights along the road quickly lit up, gathering into bright orange clusters of light. The glistening snowflakes, like playful winter night sprites, danced and swirled around the pillars of light. In the blink of an eye, the asphalt road was covered by snow, and the whole world was reshaped by the snow and light.

Lu Yangfeng was young then, her dark eyes sparkling in the light. Among the crowd dressed in cotton-padded coats and trench coats, she was dressed in thin clothes, wearing only a light jacket, as if it were still autumn, walking alone in the snow.

The aloof citizens of the small country would at most glance at her, then ignore the strange, bright-faced outsider, pull their boots out of the snow, and head home in silence.

As night deepened and fewer people gathered, Lu Yangfeng became the only one left on the street.

She kicked away a patch of snow, letting the cold snowflakes stick to her bare ankles, melting on her warm skin as if she couldn't feel the temperature at all. She slowly exhaled, blowing away the snowflakes that brushed against her face.

Her smile was so bright. Snowflakes brushed across her full, smooth forehead, across her long, thick, black, satin-like hair, across her curved eyes, her high nose, her cherry-like lips, and across the wounds between her fingers.

She smiled, as if she had never been so happy before.

Then she suddenly stopped, her waving arms restrained as if a butterfly were folding its wings. Her eyelashes drooped slightly as she gazed at her palms, whispering with longing and reverence, "Thank you, my Lord."

The wind and snow suddenly intensified, and a gust of snow swept by, almost burying her figure. A few seconds later, Lu Yangfeng's silky hair was once again exposed to the light, and suddenly a child appeared between her arms.

The child's hair was like the sun, his skin like snow, and he wore clothes as soft and pure as moonlight. He slept peacefully on Lu Yangfeng's shoulder, his cheeks flushed with a healthy blush. A snowflake swirled down and landed between his brows. Feeling the coolness, he slowly opened his eyes.

"Welcome to this world, welcome to my home today." Lu Yangfeng gently wiped away the snow from the child's skin, speaking softly.

This is her hard-won treasure, a divine gift symbolizing new life and solace.

Lu Yangfeng held him in his arms, lovingly tracing his youthful features again and again.

Lu Xuejin looked up and quietly gazed at her mother.

Lu Yangfeng whispered affectionately, "Baby, I am your mother."

Behind her, snowflakes fluttered like a curtain of rain.

This happened more than ten years ago.

Lu Xuejin drew back the curtains, and the entire academy had been transformed overnight, a world of snow stretching as far as the eye could see. The silver oak trees were bent low by the heavy snow, and the students moved slowly through the snow like a string of tiny ants.

The world fell silent.

He heard Dong Yao's sighing voice.

This must be the first snowfall of winter; it's truly magnificent.

Silence also sent a photo, showing the snow-covered steps of the teaching building, along with the message "Good morning".

Lu Xuejin tossed aside her phone and stood by the window for a long time, her face devoid of any smile. Her eyes and lips, which were once so eager to seduce others, were unusually quiet.

[...If you don't like snow, you can change the weather. I've said it before, you're in control of the world now, and nobody will realize something's wrong.]

“I don’t dislike it.” Lu Xuejin pressed her forehead against the glass, feeling its coldness. Her voice and expression remained calm. “It’s fine as it is.”

After standing there for a while, she pushed open the door, her bare feet stepping across the light-colored wool carpet, and quietly went to the counter to get water.

Before going to bed, Lu Xuejin loosened her hair tie, and her hair fell straight down to her shoulders, with only the ends slightly curled up.

He swallowed the water expressionlessly.

The water was cold, like melted snow water that had just been collected from outside.

When she was a minor, Lu Xuejin's body was like a human's, able to feel cold and heat. Although her name contained the character "Xue" (snow), she disliked the feeling of cold water going down her throat, which felt like it was freezing her whole body.

Unfortunately, the cramped rental rooms in the slums are dark and damp, never seeing sunlight. There is only one hour of free hot water a day, from six to seven in the morning, which is still too early for a six or seven-year-old child.

Lu Yangfeng had no choice but to fill several thermos cups with cheap, low-quality stuff, stuff them into the quilt, and cover them with several cotton-padded coats, trying to keep them warm before Lu Xuejin woke up.

"Baby, get up and have breakfast." After doing this, she squatted down by the bedside and called out softly.

Lu Xuejin buried herself under the covers, letting out an unconscious groan, her hand slowly emerging, her eyes still tightly closed.

Lu Yangfeng took his little hand in hers and pinched his fingers: "Don't sleep in, baby, Mommy has to go to work."

Lu Xuejin was fast asleep and didn't hear what she was saying at all.

Lu Yangfeng had no choice but to tuck his outstretched hand back in and cover the quilt tightly, afraid that her child would get cold.

The helpless laughter lingered in his ears. When Lu Xuejin was woken up by the noise of his neighbors, he was all alone at home, and his breakfast had gone cold.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she slowly drank water; the lukewarm taste wasn't pleasant. Blinking groggily, as the sleepiness subsided, Lu Xuejin's eyes darted around. She jumped off the bed, changed her clothes, grabbed her breakfast, stuffed it into a small wooden box, and ran downstairs with a thud.

The landlord lives on the first floor. His house has an expensive water heater, so he can drink boiling water anytime.

Lu Xuejin stopped at the door and politely knocked.

Clap clap clap.

"Who is it?" the landlord asked indifferently as he pushed open the door.

Lu Xuejin held the small wooden box up to her and gave her a big smile: "Auntie, please have some."

The landlady suddenly smiled broadly: "Oh, it's our little Xuejin! Auntie hasn't seen you for days. Why is your face so cold? Come in, Auntie's house is warm, and there are sweet milk candies. Is this a gift for me? You're so thoughtful, little one."

He doesn't like milk candy at all; it's too sweet.

Lu Xuejin pursed her lips: "No need, Auntie, I still need to go home and study."

“Our little darling is so studious, she’ll definitely be a great scientist someday. Wait a minute.” The landlady grabbed the child who was about to run away, quickly grabbed a handful of candy and stuffed it into Lu Xuejin’s little pocket, and then took out a few pig-shaped custard buns from the steamer. “Eat up, baby, or they’ll get cold. Come to Auntie’s house if you get hungry. How can your mother leave you alone? Oh dear.”

"Thank you, Auntie, I understand."

Lu Xuejin nodded obediently and waved to the landlord.

She turned around, bit into the warm custard bun, and ran home quickly.

When Lu Xuejin gets up late, she always solves the problem of her breakfast getting cold in this way.

After finishing breakfast, he casually grabbed some milk candy, pursed his lips, and pushed it aside with disdain. As for the educational books that Lu Yangfeng had specially bought for him on the table, Lu Xuejin didn't even glance at them; he simply didn't like those tiny, confusing prints.

He didn't have to go to school or work, and spent most of his time at home doing nothing. His cramped rented room was completely exposed, and Lu Xuejin's only toy was a lame puppy that the landlord had given him, whose ears he had pulled so hard they were bursting.

The rented room was near the street and had very poor soundproofing. Lu Xuejin was lying on the bed pulling the dog's tail for a while when she heard a loud, boisterous voice outside.

"Let's go there and play."

It was the landlord's dirty, stupid son who tried to grab his hair the first time they met.

Lu Xuejin covered her face with the doll, only revealing a slyly upturned corner of her lips.

"I'll play the general, you all play the soldiers, and you play the bandit... the bandit leader!"

"Why should I, a lowly soldier, become a general too!"

"Yes, I want to be a general too!"

"Based on this." The landlord's son shook his fist.

Several children were yelling and playing together, acting incredibly childish. That's pretty much all the entertainment is like in a slum.

"Hello."

The landlord's son turned around and saw it was the fair-skinned tenant. "You called me?"

Lu Xuejin pursed his lips, his eyelashes drooping, looking very embarrassed. He was always arrogant in front of the landlord's son, when had he ever been so shy? The landlord's son was stunned, and then heard the other person softly call out "brother".

"What are you trying to do? I'm warning you, don't try anything funny, or I'll pinch your cheeks until they're bright red," the landlord's son threatened, holding up five fingers.

Last time, Lu Xuejin tricked him into catching beetles, and he got covered in mud. When he got home, his mother gave him a good beating. The time before that, Lu Xuejin tricked him out of the small cakes he had bought with a year's worth of savings... He had been tricked countless times before he learned his lesson: This child is fair-skinned and good-looking, but her mouth is full of lies. You can't trust her.

"I'm sorry." Lu Xuejin said in a muffled voice, fidgeting with her fingers. "My mother taught me not to lie. I know I was wrong and I want to apologize to you."

He timidly looked up, glanced at the landlord's son several times, and then shyly stretched out his hand, revealing three plump milk candies lying in his palm.

“This is a reward my mom brought back for me. I only ate one, and gave the rest to my brother.” Realizing there were other children around, she added, “I shared it with everyone.”

The landlord's son instantly grinned from ear to ear: "Good, it's good that you know you were wrong. Don't lie to people again. Mom, I'm telling you, if you do it again, I'll beat you into a punching bag!"

Like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, it snatched the milk candy and was about to tear off the wrapper when Little Brother Number 1 said quietly, "One of them is mine, isn't it?"

The landlord's son paused, glanced at his underlings behind him, counted on his fingers—four people, three candies—and then said, "We can't separate them. How about I help you solve this first, and then I'll buy you candies later."

"Hey, what are you doing? Trying to rebel?! I... I'm a general!"

They started fighting again, but in the end, the landlord's son, being physically stronger, managed to stuff all the milk candies into his mouth in a few bites.

Chew it up.

So sweet.

It's a bit sticky.

What a happy day!

He played outside until sunset, then ran home happily, only to find his landlord standing by the door with his hands on his hips, staring at him coldly.

His bottom was throbbing, so the landlord's son quickly grinned foolishly, trying to fool the landlord, but then revealed the sugar stains on his teeth, "Mom."

"Well, you still have the nerve to laugh!" The landlord was furious. He grabbed the man's face, lifted him up, and mercilessly slapped his buttocks.

He reprimanded the child amidst the child's wailing cries:

"I'll teach you a lesson for bullying your little brother and stealing his candy!"

"I'll teach you to fight!"

"You've gotten yourself all filthy! Didn't I tell you that if you do it again, I'll beat you into a punching bag? Go wash your clothes yourself!"

The landlord's son, with tears in his eyes, dared not resist.

Only after washing the clothes did my dull brain belatedly realize—

Lu Xuejin! You're lying again!

My mother was still talking about Lu Xuejin, saying how polite and well-behaved the child was.

The landlord's son sniffled and cried his heart out, suddenly feeling that he was the only one in the world who saw through Lu Xuejin's true colors, and that all the adults had been deceived by him.