TNIBFT -Chapter 216 Loyal and True

“When I went there, the master’s main wife was about to casually sell Yingying off,” Fang Shenghu sighed and spoke, looking at Ye Tian as he continued, “Yingying is also a poor soul, powerless, constantly being passed around. If it weren’t for the timing this time—and the method you told me, finding someone deaf and ugly to come by—the main wife wouldn’t have let her go.”

“This poisonous woman… she just wanted to torment Yingying to death. You don’t know how covered in injuries she was back then.”

Everyone listening felt a chill run down their spines.

Ye Tian nodded. Duan Yingying’s fate had already been mentioned in the book—she was merely a pawn aiding the protagonist.

Outside, the north wind cut sharply.

The Duan siblings, Duan Qingshan and Duan Yingying, clutched each other, crying bitterly, not feeling the cold at all.

Ye Tian said, “Old Duan, why don’t you and Yingying go inside and talk?”

“Brother Fang hasn’t had dinner yet, right?”

Ye Tian looked at the weathered Fang Shenghu, and the Duan siblings immediately reacted. Duan Qingshan grabbed Duan Yingying’s arm, saying, “Sister, you haven’t eaten yet, right? I’ll make you something—let’s go now!”

“Carrot fried rice.”

“I’ll make you some braised pork.”

Seeing Fang Shenghu nearby, Duan Qingshan quickly corrected himself, “And Brother Fang, I’ll make dinner for you too.”

“Then I’ll have to make enough for two more people,” Fang Shenghu said with a smile, then turned to Ye Tian, who was wiping his feet, and said, “I brought two people back—you should know them.”

“They’ll be here any moment now.”

Two people?

Ye Tian frowned, sensing that Brother Fang seemed completely different since returning. Exactly what had changed, he couldn’t quite pinpoint.

About the time it took a stick of incense to burn.

“Knock knock…”

A gentle knock sounded at the door.

Fang Shenghu immediately got up nervously from his chair, his expression alert as he moved to open the door. Halfway open, two men appeared, dressed in coarse black cloth with straw hats, giving off the aura of desperate outlaws. Ye Tian frowned and rose, scrutinizing the two.

Fang Shenghu craned his neck nervously to look outside, then quickly shut the door. “No one saw us, right?”

“No one,” one of them replied.

Only then did Fang Shenghu relax. “Good. Everything must be done cautiously. We cannot endanger the heir.”

The heir?

Ye Tian heard this title for the first time.

He frowned, glancing at Fang Shenghu, meeting his nervous gaze.

“It’s not convenient to talk out here. Let’s go inside,” Fang Shenghu said.

Seeing his serious expression, Ye Tian guessed it must be something important. He instructed the two children briefly, then led Fang Shenghu and the other two into a back room.

Inside the room.

“Bang!” Ye Tian shut the door behind them.

The two men who followed immediately removed their straw hats. Seeing Ye Tian turn around, they knelt on one knee at once, bowing deeply.

“We are Zhu Heyu and Zhu Zhongyi. Zhu Zhongyi pays respects to the heir,” they said.

“You’ve suffered over the years, heir,”

Zhu Heyu’s hair was graying, his face weathered, while Zhu Zhongyi, kneeling beside him, had rough skin but a youthful face.

Seeing the two kneeling on the ground, Ye Tian quickly bent down to help them up.

“Are you sure you have the right person?”

As soon as Ye Tian spoke, the expressions of the three in the room turned odd. Zhu Heyu and his son looked at Fang Shenghu. Fang Shenghu said helplessly, “In the past, the heir couldn’t remember many things. But that’s fine—it’s actually good, really good.”

A bitter smile tugged at the corners of Fang Shenghu’s mouth.

Zhu Zhongyi’s gaze was calm as he stared at Ye Tian, unreadable.

“They are the personal guards of General Hu Wei,” Fang Shenghu explained, then turned to Ye Tian with a reminder: “Many things you may not remember, and that’s fine. But you must know this—the General’s personal guard numbers three hundred, and not one among them lacks absolute loyalty. At any moment, you can trust them. They…”

Fang Shenghu’s voice choked.

A mist of tears welled in his eyes, as if he had suddenly lost control of his emotions. He lowered his head, paused for a moment, then looked up at Ye Tian: “I encountered the Zhu father and son on the road. They barely survived, and I had no choice but to bring them back to Sifang City.”

Ye Tian nodded.

Although he didn’t remember the Ye family’s guards, he trusted Fang Shenghu: “Don’t worry. The two of you can stay here for now. As for everything else, leave it to me—I’ll take care of it.”

Zhu Heyu knelt, expressing his gratitude.

Ye Tian quickly reached out to help them up and smiled: “You don’t need to go downstairs. Tonight, you two father and son will sleep in my room. I’ll sleep with my son.”

“I’ll go bring the food.”

Zhu Heyu was overwhelmed with both honor and surprise. His aged face betrayed a mixture of emotions.

Once Ye Tian closed the door, the atmosphere in the room instantly grew heavy.

Zhu Zhongyi asked, “Has the Young Master really forgotten everything?”

“What about the General’s grudge, the Ye family’s vengeance?”

“We’ve lost so many people, and he knows nothing. Why didn’t anyone tell him?”

“Smack!”

Before he could finish, his father’s hand struck his head sideways.

Covering his face with one hand, the young boy’s tanned, rough skin and eyes gleamed like a defiant wolf. He glared at Zhu Heyu, refusing to yield.

“We will avenge the General!”

“We will kill that dog emperor!”

“Zhu Zhongyi, your mission is to avenge the General, to clear his injustice. If you keep speaking like this, consider that I have no son like you!” Zhu Heyu’s eyes were icy as he stared at Zhu Zhongyi.

Seeing his father’s resolute gaze, Zhu Zhongyi lowered his head, saying nothing more.

Without the General, there would be no father, no present self.

For his entire life, he would live under the weight of his father’s words.

From the day he was born, he was forced to practice martial arts without fail. A single lapse would result in a beating from his father. He was born to avenge the General.

At such a young age, he followed adults ready to sacrifice themselves, running everywhere, witnessing countless people die in pursuit of vengeance.

But what had Ye Tian—the General’s own son—done?

“All right!”

Fang Shenghu spoke, listening to footsteps outside. In a low voice, he said, “This must be hidden from the Young Master. He isn’t skilled in riding or archery and shouldn’t be involved. Moreover, there are three little heirs to raise. He must remain safe.”

Zhu Heyu nodded, then turned to glare sternly at his son.

“The food is ready!”

Ye Tian spoke from outside, then nudged the wooden door open with his toe, placing the food inside. They exchanged a few polite, neutral words, and Ye Tian exited the room.

Young Master?

Looking at the pitch-black night sky, Ye Tian’s emotions were complicated.

He had transmigrated into this body, his mind filled with the plot of the book, occasionally mingled with the original Ye Tian’s memories. The book never mentioned Ye Tian’s background, no Young Master or noble status. In his impression, all the memories before Sifang City were drenched in blood and sorrow, with cries echoing everywhere.

Every time he recalled them, it was agony.

Now, Ye Tian could no longer tell if his previous life as a deliveryman was truly him, or if this present Ye Tian was himself.

“Master?”

Hearing the voice, Ye Tian reacted and turned toward the small door, seeing Duan Qingshan leading Duan Yingying in their direction.

When they reached Ye Tian, they both knelt at once: “Plop!”