TNIBFT -Chapter 181 Telling Stories

The moment Old Yang spoke, the others immediately sat up straight, their expressions suddenly serious, listening quietly.

“Brother Yang, do you know the inside story?”

Yuan Heipang smiled in a flattering way. Ever since Old Yang had regained his cultivation and could chop wood barehanded, he finally realized how recklessly he had been courting death before.

Every time he saw Old Yang now, it felt like escaping death by a hair.

Old Yang shot Yuan Heipang a glance, his face full of disdain: “You need to broaden your perspective when doing things.”

“Huh?”

Everyone looked puzzled. Old Yang stretched out his dark-skinned face, and the others quickly gathered around. He secretly turned to glance at Xiao Xun’er’s back and whispered, “A real man—who’s going to answer this multiple-choice question?”

“Take both, isn’t that enjoying the best of both worlds?”

The others nodded in agreement.

Yuan Heipang immediately gave a thumbs-up: “As expected of Brother Yang!”

“By the way, Brother Yang, with your skills, why stay in a hotpot restaurant?” Yuan Heipang asked, pouring tea for Old Yang while curious. He thought that if Old Yang so much as misspoke, he could immediately tell Ye Tian and eliminate this potential threat.

The others were equally curious.

Old Yang said, “Fighting and killing is meaningless. The master and the elders gave me a chance to redeem myself—how could I not cherish it?”

“Mm.”

Everyone nodded. Seeing Old Yang speak with such sincerity, Yuan Heipang silently put down the teapot.

So fake!

Let’s see how long you can keep up this act.

“What are you all whispering about?”

Xiao Xun’er turned to look at the group, who had been murmuring among themselves.

Startled, they quickly separated. Yuan Heipang hurriedly said, “Miss Xiao, you don’t think that girl would do anything to our shopkeeper, do you?”

“Hahaha…” Xiao Xun’er laughed heartily as if she’d heard something incredible. “Do anything to Ye Tian?”

“He’s just a weakling, a sickly guy. Who could possibly do anything to him?”

Xiao Xun’er went back to happily dipping food in the hotpot, enjoying herself immensely.

…

Inside the room.

As soon as she entered, Ye Shuangxue quickly kicked off her shoes and socks and climbed onto Ye Tian’s bed with her tiny bare feet.

Seeing Ye Tian enter, she waved at him. “Daddy, I’ll warm up the bed for you.”

With Xiao Jiang not around, no one was competing for Ye Tian—it was simply perfect. Ye Shuangxue’s eyes curved in a bright smile. Ye Tian said, “My daughter is amazing.”

He walked closer and kissed her on the forehead.

“What are you doing?”

Shangguan Ning rushed over, her face full of anger, glaring at Ye Tian. Even as father and daughter, such intimacy was unacceptable. And Ye Tian was an adult man—how could he be so clueless about boundaries?

Ye Tian lazily ignored her: “Aren’t you here to tell a story?”

“What story are you going to tell?”

“I…” Shangguan Ning stammered, her face flushed. She just wanted to distract Ye Tian, to prevent him from interacting with other women—at least until His Majesty arrived, Ye Tian wouldn’t touch anyone else.

“I… I’ll go pour some tea,” she said, avoiding his gaze and running out.

Seeing her acting strangely, Ye Yunting frowned and whispered, “Meng Qing’s sword has a unique pattern. That mark has appeared in several places around Sifang City.”

Ye Tian’s eyes narrowed. Thinking of Meng Qing’s background in the original book, he said, “We should have someone investigate the slave market and see Meng Qing’s connection with these organizations. We need to be careful—there’s definitely more involved behind the scenes.”

With the eldest close to Tao Lichun, investigating many things was perfectly justified.

Tao Lichun valued Ye Yunting, and he would care more about Ye Yunting’s safety than anyone else.

Ye Yunting nodded: “And that person, strange and elusive—be careful around her.”

After Ye Yunting finished speaking, he also began taking off his shoes and socks.

“Big brother?”

Seeing Ye Yunting’s movements, Ye Shuangxue’s small face showed puzzlement. Her eldest brother was always aloof and disliked close contact with others—what was he trying to do?

Ye Yunting pulled back the quilt and slid in first, lying down. Seeing that Ye Tian and Ye Shuangxue were both staring at him, he remained calm, his face unflustered, his heart steady. “You tell stories to us the same way.”

Huh?

Ye Tian nodded numbly.

Indeed, that was true.

In the past, after washing up at night, he would climb into the children’s blankets to get close and tell them stories, just to bond with the three kids. But why did it feel like the eldest was deliberately trying to get close to him?

…

Shangguan Ning, blushing, walked from the backyard to the front hall.

Before entering, she overheard a woman’s voice inside: “The person who came to kill Ye Tian a few days ago—do we know his identity now?”

“Not clear.”

“Died so miserably, no identity matters now.”

“I saw Yunting this morning looking at that person’s sword collection. The blade’s patterns… I feel like I’ve seen them before. I’ll go check again this afternoon,” Old Yang said gloomily.

Shangguan Ning hid outside the door, listening to the conversation.

The last time, that person’s strength was about equal to hers.

A ninth-tier expert in this remote city—what was the purpose? If he came specifically to kill Ye Tian, does that mean he already knew the little prince’s identity?

If so, he must be exterminated completely.

Old Yang looked up toward the back door. Shangguan Ning noticed his gaze but calmly opened the wooden door.

As she entered, the atmosphere in the hall instantly turned tense. Everyone glanced at Xiao Xun’er, then awkwardly at Shangguan Ning. Dressed in men’s clothes, she assumed they didn’t know her gender and thought little of it, stepping toward the center of the hall.

Xiao Xun’er asked, “Where are you from? And why have we never seen you in the city before?”

Shangguan Ning, holding the water jug, paused. To her, the woman was questioning her, asserting her territory.

She sneered inwardly, straightened her posture, narrowed her eyes slightly, and fixed her gaze on Xiao Xun’er. “The city has tens of thousands of people—do you know each one? Also, I advise you: some things aren’t meant for you. No matter how hard you try, in the end, it’s all in vain. Understand?”

Their eyes met.

The air seemed charged with the scent of gunpowder.

Yuan Heipang and the others shrank back. These two women were dangerous—none of them could afford to offend either.

Xiao Xun’er, staring at the aggressive woman, was speechless. She realized that Shangguan Ning had already taken the water jug and left. Fuming, she placed her hands on her hips and glared at Shangguan Ning’s back. “What does she mean?”

“Not meant for me?”

“Miss, calm down, calm down…”

“Yes, if you try, it’s only a matter of time before the master is moved by you.”

“What did you just say?” Xiao Xun’er suddenly flew into a rage, and Yuan Heipang and the others quickly scrambled to leave.

Women—so terrifying!

…

Elsewhere in Sifang City, in a certain residence.

Gao Defu slumped in a chair, fiddling with a bright green jade in one hand while staring out the door, his expression deep. “Three days. Meng Qing still hasn’t returned. He probably won’t.”

A glint of cold light flashed in his eyes. It was unclear what he was thinking.

A servant kneeling nearby spoke carefully, “Meng Qing is a ninth-tier expert. There’s probably no one in Sifang City who could kill him. Maybe something delayed him?”

“Or… should I go meet Ye Tian at the hotpot shop again?”