TNIBFT -Chapter 157 What Should I Do

At that thought, Shangguan Ning’er couldn’t wait even a moment longer.

She wanted to rush out and tell the three children: Your mother misses you. She has missed you for five whole years. A woman who could endure the pain of scraping her bones to heal herself now shed tears every single day because she longed for you.

She wanted to bring you back, to give you the best life, to make up for everything you had lost.

Your mother… is the Empress of Great Zhou!

The war goddess of the realm!

Qin Fengyi!

“Go inside and remember to close the door!” Sun Wuji said, his usual playful demeanor gone, replaced with a serious expression as he looked at the three children.

Have I been discovered?

Shangguan Ning’er was startled for a moment, but quickly steadied her emotions. This old man must be one of Ye Tian’s people. A battle between her and Ye Tian seemed unavoidable.

Ye Yunting led his younger brother and sister inside.

The courtyard fell into complete silence.

Suddenly, Sun Wuji spoke, “Come down!”

“I don’t want a fight happening on top of my house. This is my new room!”

With her hands clasped behind her back, Shangguan Ning’er leapt down from the rooftop, landing lightly in the courtyard. She stood there coldly, her gaze sweeping over Sun Wuji.

“Old man, with your level of skill, why would you work for someone like Ye Tian—a scoundrel?”

“Who are you calling a scoundrel?!”

Sun Wuji instantly exploded, like an enraged goat, jutting his chin toward Shangguan Ning’er.

Shangguan Ning’er frowned. “I don’t want to argue with you. I’m here today for only one thing.”

She slightly turned her head, glancing toward the tightly shut door.

A faint smile curled on Sun Wuji’s lips.

This kid’s purpose was obvious—he had come for the three children.

“You want to take my house?” Sun Wuji chuckled.

“That won’t do!”

“You’re too small to carry it away!”

Playing dumb.

A mocking smile appeared on Shangguan Ning’er’s lips. Behind her back, her hands had already begun circulating her technique.

Inside the house—

Ye Shuangxue lay under the window, secretly peeking outside. The moment she saw Shangguan Ning’er, her pupils shrank. She remembered that day—when she had encountered this person in the alley, and all the guards there had died.

Not long after, Huichun Hall had been wiped out.

“It’s him!” Ye Shuangxue exclaimed.

Ye Yunting’s small face turned serious as he looked outside. “You know him?”

“He’s the one who killed those guards—and he might be the one who destroyed Huichun Hall.”

“Then why is he at our house?” Xiao Jiang asked nervously.

Ye Shuangxue frowned. With her short little legs, she quickly ran back to her room, grabbed her small wooden sword, and stood in front of her brother and Xiao Jiang like a puffed-up little lion.

“Don’t be afraid!”

“I’ll protect you!”

“Do you think Grandpa Sun can beat the bad guy?” Xiao Jiang asked worriedly. After thinking for a moment, he added nervously, “What if he goes out and kills Ye Tian?”

…

At this moment, Ye Tian was leading Shi Hao and the others, carrying the old steward toward the Shi residence.

Shi Hao jogged along the entire way. At only eight years old, he had been running back and forth with a group of adults for hours without a single complaint. Ye Tian glanced at him—this boy was filial and honest, with naturally good character.

Noticing Ye Tian looking at him, Shi Hao said shyly, “Uncle Ye, thank you for your hard work today.”

“When my father gets better, I’ll come to the shop and thank you properly.”

“No need for that,” Ye Tian replied with a smile.

Shi Hao continued, “The old steward said my father’s leg was crushed. But honestly… I feel lucky. Compared to those buried under the snow, at least my father is still alive.”

Ye Tian nodded.

“Open the door! Open the door!”

Before the two could finish speaking, they heard someone shouting outside.

Ye Tian looked up and saw seven or eight people gathered at the entrance of Shi Shanxiang’s courtyard. Several injured men lay on the ground, while those standing at the gate were visibly furious. The torches in their hands lit up the front of the Shi residence.

“Shi Xuan! Shi Shanxiang is your father! He’s unconscious, and you just dump him on us—what kind of behavior is that?”

“Open the door!”

“If you don’t open it, we’re done dealing with this!”

The burly men outside paced back and forth in anger.

Ye Tian narrowed his eyes.

Beside him, Shi Hao rushed forward, sprinting toward Shi Shanxiang lying in the snow. “Dad! Dad!”

Recognizing Shi Hao, several servants of the Shi family quickly gathered around him.

“Xiao Hao, why are you back?”

“Your father thought you were in Lingfeng Village, so he led people there to look for you. But just as they arrived, a second avalanche hit. More than half the people were buried. Your father’s leg was crushed, and he still hasn’t regained consciousness.”

“Shi Xuan is inside the house, but no matter how we knock, he won’t open the door. We don’t need to go in, but Master Shi can’t stay out here. With such serious injuries, if something happens to him, who’s going to pay our wages?”

“Exactly!”

The crowd chimed in.

Yuan Heipang, standing beside Ye Tian, exclaimed, “Damn, is this Shi Xuan even human?”

“He won’t even open the door for his own father? Is he just going to watch him die right in front of him?”

“I’ll knock!”

Rolling up his sleeves, Yuan Heipang strode forward and began pounding on the Shi family’s gate.

“Open the door!”

“If you don’t open it, we’ll break it down!”

“Shi Xuan, did all your education go to waste?!”

Curses filled the air outside.

Shi Hao tightly cradled Shi Shanxiang’s head and shouted toward the courtyard, “Big brother, I know you can hear me! I’m begging you, open the door and let Father in. You hate me—I won’t go inside, okay?”

“Father can’t hold on! Big brother, I’m begging you!”

“Big brother…”

Shi Hao kowtowed repeatedly toward the gate.

“It’s useless to beg me. None of you are getting in today—not even if the guards come,” Shi Xuan’s voice rang out from inside the courtyard.

Everyone froze.

Before anyone could respond, Shi Xuan continued, “The deed to this house is in my name. This is my house. If I don’t want you in, then none of you are coming in.”

“Shi Hao, aren’t you the filial one?”

“If you’ve got the ability, take Shi Shanxiang away yourself and be the good, dutiful son.”

His tone was full of mockery.

Seeing the miserable state of Shi Hao and his father, and hearing Shi Xuan’s laughter, the crowd felt nothing but disgust. Shi Shanxiang had always doted on Shi Xuan, treating him like a treasure—yet he showed not a shred of filial piety.

“Shi Xuan, are you even human? That’s your own father! Think about how he’s treated you all these years!” one of the servants couldn’t help but curse.

“He has more than one son,” Shi Xuan replied coldly.

“Oh, right—almost forgot to tell you, Shi Hao. The grain shop in the family is mine now. The land in Lingfeng Village is yours. From today onward, we go our separate ways.”

“If you’re not satisfied, wait until Shi Shanxiang wakes up and talk to him then.”

After that, the courtyard fell silent. Clearly, Shi Xuan had no intention of saying more and had already left.

Outside the gate—

The group of men stood in the snow, grinding their teeth in anger.

Looking at the unconscious Shi Shanxiang lying on the ground, someone muttered, “This Shi Xuan is truly heartless…”

“He brought this upon himself,” another said coldly.

Shi Hao held his unconscious father, completely at a loss.

In a single night, his home was gone.

His father lay unconscious, and his mother’s whereabouts were unknown.

“What should I do?”