LAVW – Chapter 9 Unaware

Mouse No. 1, with a bruised head, led two small subordinates as they quickly scurried from the corners toward the ancestral hall.

People have their own paths, and rats have theirs.

Shi Qian’s senses attached to one of the little mice, and he squeezed through holes and crawled over ditches, experiencing all the strange rat paths.

People enter through the front door, but a few rats appeared directly from the earthen hole behind the ancestor tablets, skillfully hiding under the altar table filled with offerings.

The altar table was covered with a dark cloth, almost touching the ground, providing the rats with a unique view due to their height.

Through the vision of a little mouse hidden in the folds of the cloth, Shi Qian saw Long Ye kneeling on the stone slab, one half of his face stained with blood and the other half bearing a slap mark.

Long Ye’s eyes were filled with resentment, his back straight as if trying to show everyone his defiance.

The young man had already grown in stature, but his body still carried the special thinness of a youth.

No one should be treated like this, especially not a teenager. Of course, even if he were an adult or an elderly person, as long as they hadn’t done anything wrong, they shouldn’t be treated like this.

In the past few days, Shi Qian had spent time with Long Ye and had come to understand him somewhat.

In terms of character and ability, Long Ye was a very admirable young man.

Shi Qian was anxious about Long Ye being beaten, unsure of what injuries he had sustained, and also furious with the actions of the Long family, which made the little mouse’s face look even more ferocious.

In the hall.

Long Ye had just asked who wanted to harm him, trying to drag the person who secretly plotted against him into the open.

Because he spoke forcefully, the chest wound he had just sustained throbbed painfully again. But more absurd was that this pain had been intentionally caused by his own grandfather.

Could his father have been adopted? Long Ye couldn’t help but think this absurd thought in his mind.

Only such an absurd explanation could make sense of the strange actions of his uncle stealing from his nephew and his grandfather forcing his grandson into such situations.

“Investigate, it must be investigated,” the clan leader said, taking over the conversation and turning to Long Xing. “Long Xing, be careful when disciplining your grandson.”

Long Xing angrily retorted, “It’s not surprising I’m angry. Listen to this cunning brat accusing me and Cheng Yang as if we’re bandits!”

Long Xing glared at the kneeling Long Ye. “You brat, do you have any filial piety? Do you even think about the family?”

“Your little uncle went out for the family, fought with others, was severely injured, and still had to worry about your mess when he returned. Not only do you fail to show any gratitude, but you even slander him, accusing him of coveting a few Spirit Nourishing Pills. Do you think your little uncle is as ignorant as you?”

Given Long Chengyang’s public image, it was impossible for him to do such a thing.

But the Spirit Nourishing Pills Long Ye obtained were of the highest quality, perfect for nourishing his body and replenishing his energy, just what he needed.

And because of his past habit of taking things from Long Ye to vent his anger, it wasn’t surprising that Long Chengyang casually took the Spirit Nourishing Pills as well.

Hearing his father defend him, Long Chengyang theatrically covered his wounded chest, coughed twice, and reminded everyone of his efforts for the family that had led to his injury.

Long Xing scolded Long Ye again, “That day, the light of dusk was right before your eyes, yet you only knew how to run, showing no courage at all. You bring shame to the Dragon family men!”

Long Ye lowered his head, a bitter, self-mocking smile tugging at his lips.

Behind that fading light, there had been a Golden Core ancestor following closely.

Courage? His life was the most important.

If no one else valued his life, he had to value it himself.

Long Ye held back his anger. Beneath the altar table, a soft “crack” echoed.

It was the sound of fabric tearing.

The noise wasn’t loud, but Shi Qian’s anger affected the little mouse’s emotions, causing it to stretch its claws in frustration.

Shi Qian realized the one speaking was Long Xing, Long Ye’s grandfather.

That old man, how detestable.

How could someone of his age speak such unreasonable words so confidently?

A Golden Core cultivator—would he dare to fight him?

He just dared to chatter here and act like some hero.

But as soon as the sound rang out, Shi Qian sensed danger. Both he and Long Ye were too weak to turn the tables just yet.

Long Ye, still kneeling, quickly glanced over and made eye contact with the small figure in the shadows.

His heart raced, and the pain in his chest flared up. In a moment of urgency, he covered his chest, exaggerated his movements, and groaned in pain to draw everyone’s attention.

After a few painful grunts, Long Ye coughed up the remaining blood in his breath.

While spitting out blood, he subtly gestured with one hand to reassure the little spirit beast not to worry, and slowly said, “My courage is certainly not as great as my grandfather’s or my little uncle’s.”

Though not explicitly stated, the meaning was clear, especially when one looked at Long Ye spitting blood and the miserable expression on his face.

What kind of man bullies an underdeveloped young boy?

And still has the nerve to talk about courage.

Long Chengyang, being younger, blushed slightly upon hearing this.

Long Xing paid no mind; he had never lived for face.

What he said, however, was from the heart.

If Long Ye had truly had the courage that day, and managed to get some treasures from the twilight light, or even obtained the Secret Realm Ring, then the Dragon family would have been a step closer to their opportunity, gaining at least the upper hand.

Instead, now, they were fighting for something that might cost their lives, and in the end, they might walk away with nothing.

If the Dragon family gained something, Long Ye’s power and status were too low, and the major benefits would undoubtedly fall to his grandfather, Long Xing.

It was Long Ye’s cowardice and fear that had cut off his opportunity to advance.

Thinking about his own recent signs of insufficient energy, Long Xing’s murky old eyes fixed on the kneeling boy, filled with domineering command.

“You ungrateful brat. You stay here kneeling until you understand your mistake.”

The clan leader, hearing this, showed a flicker of displeasure in his eyes. However, seeing how forceful Long Xing was, and since Long Ye was his own grandson, he only snorted and said, “The matters between you two grandfathers and grandsons, we outsiders will leave it be.”

“But the matter of Long Ye hiding treasures and giving them to outsiders must be investigated. Someone must check Long Ye’s courtyard.”

“Find the evidence. If Long Ye intentionally hid things, then he is guilty; if nothing is found, then Long Ye was misunderstood. Chengyang and Long Ming will need to apologize. It’s always wrong to harm your own kin.”

Long Ye, thinking that the little spirit beast was still in the temple, said defiantly, “Go ahead and investigate. Dig three feet into the ground, tear the house apart, I’m not afraid.”

Shi Qian, who was still in Long Ye’s room: ?

Bro, you don’t seriously think that little dark mouse brother is me, do you?

Wasn’t it supposed to be a love affair with my super cute appearance?

And now you’re mistaking me? How infuriating!

Shi Qian immediately withdrew his focus and quickly scanned Long Ye’s impoverished home.

He pocketed the few spirit stones Long Ye had, erased all traces of his presence, and fled before the Dragon family arrived.

On the other side, the ancestral hall was left empty.

Only Long Ye, injured and coughing up blood, looked pitiful as he knelt alone on the stone slab.

Long Ye noticed that everyone had left, and only the clan members were stationed at the main entrance of the temple. From there, they couldn’t see the main hall.

He immediately got up and went to lift the tablecloth of his ancestor’s offering table.

As the tablecloth was lifted, Long Ye came face-to-face with a large rat and two small ones.

The large rat, Rat No. 1, protectively stood still with its unresponsive pup and squeaked at Long Ye, “Squeak!”

What are you looking at?

Long Ye’s gaze moved past it and landed on the small mouse right in front of the hole where the tablecloth had torn open.

Although the little mouse was dark and looked somewhat awkward, he still tried to call out, “Xiao Qian?”

The little mouse, looking dazed, didn’t respond, and Long Ye’s heart tightened.

A faint rustling sound came from the back, and a Totoro head poked out. Long Ye looked up, locking eyes with Shi Qian, and both he and the mouse exhaled in relief.

Shi Qian looked at the still-hopping Long Ye and squeaked, “Squeak.”

Damn! You saw clearly, and you still mistook me?

When Shi Qian crawled out of the hole, several older mice, all with faces of ingratiation, surrounded him, squeaking happily.

“Squeak squeak—”

Big brother, we hid really well. Look—

“Squeak squeak!”

There were so many people just now, it scared me to death. This is the little mouse with no presence.

The other mouse, the one Shi Qian had lent his senses to, was now belatedly realizing that it hadn’t been itself earlier.

“Squeak!”

What just happened? I seemed to have lost control.

Shi Qian patted the dazed little mouse, roughly combed its fur, and fed it two small pieces before feeding a large piece to the big rat. Then he sent the three mice on their way.

He was the Rat King, a naturally born demon beast, so his fur and blood were a great opportunity for these ordinary mice.

Long Ye watched, guessing that Shi Qian had likely had the mice help him out earlier.

He dragged a cushion over and sat on it, leaning his back against his ancestor’s offering table leg, watching Shi Qian interact with the mice.

Once Shi Qian finished his task, Long Ye, who had been pressing against his chest and looking weak, asked like a concerned parent, “Xiao Qian, are they new friends of yours?”

“Squeak.”

Not exactly.

Shi Qian gently shook his head, his bright, lively black eyes looking at the pitiful Long Ye. He sighed deeply.

Brother, how did you end up like this?

Shi Qian had originally thought about leaning on Long Ye, but now he wasn’t sure if it was Long Ye leaning on him or the other way around.

Shi Qian extended his small paw, drawing in spiritual energy, and reached into his storage necklace to find something.

Long Ye saw him tuck his hand into the fur in front of his chest. “Is the temple cold?”

He reached out and grabbed Shi Qian’s paw, pulling him to his lap.

Shi Qian, disturbed by the action, swatted at Long Ye’s hand with his paw before continuing his search.

Avoiding the spiritual ginseng that took up most of the space in the storage necklace, Shi Qian tried a few times before pulling out the collection of pills that Mother Rat had prepared for him —the pile of pills that had been stored for who knows how long.

The pills were contained in jade bottles, each one large enough that Shi Qian needed both paws to lift them. It took a lot of effort to hold even one.

When Shi Qian brought out the first bottle, Long Ye was stunned.

The second, the third…

Once Long Ye couldn’t hold them all, he realized that the little spirit beast was truly unguarded around him.

Shi Qian took out the last bottle, holding it in front of him like it could block his entire mouse body, and shook it at Long Ye. “Squeak, Squeak?”

Don’t just stand there.

Quick, check which one you can take.

Long Ye snapped out of his daze, sensing the little spirit beast’s deep care. He quickly picked a bottle of pills he knew could treat injuries.

The pill bottle still had some dirt on it, as though it had been buried underground and dug up again.

However, when he opened the bottle, the pills inside were still usable, and the remaining medicinal power could still be felt.

Long Ye took two pills, then helped Shi Qian put the pill bottles back into the storage necklace before swallowing the pills and sitting down to meditate, absorbing their effects.

Perhaps because he had strong faith in the medicine, Shi Qian felt much more at ease after seeing Long Ye take the pills.

He jumped off Long Ye’s lap and curiously climbed onto the Long family’s offering table, gazing at the pile of fruits and pastries, wondering which one tasted the best.

Which one would be the tastiest?

Today, he had taken some of the Long family’s ancestor’s food—serves them right for having such an old man.