TNIBFT -Chapter 45 Love, but Not Much

Ye Shuangxue clutched her stomach with her small hands, her face contorted in pain.

Ye Yunting, feeling helpless, carried his sister’s schoolbag and led Xiao Jiang forward, not forgetting to turn back and warn Ye Shuangxue: “It’s cold outside, don’t play around too much, and make sure you come back early.”

“I know!”

Ye Shuangxue squatted on the ground, waving to her older brother and younger brother.

Once Ye Yunting and Xiao Jiang turned the corner and their figures disappeared from sight, Ye Shuangxue finally smirked mischievously. She clapped her hands, stood up, and turned to look at Shi Hao not far away.

That bastard.

He actually dared to conspire with Shen Jie to frame her. Today, she had to teach him a lesson and let him know she wasn’t someone to be trifled with.

“Achoo!”

Shi Hao wrinkled his nose, his chubby little hand wiping his mouth. Had someone been talking bad about him behind his back?

A look of gloom spread across his face.

He thought about how he would explain this at home—the purple jade brush wasn’t his, it was his older brother’s. He had taken it to school secretly just to show off, and now he had no way to justify it.

Why did the back of his neck feel so cold?

It was as if something was staring at him.

Shi Hao shrank his neck. On the vast, white, deserted ground, he spun around in fright and saw, not far off, a fiery red figure charging toward him like a runaway horse.

Shi Hao’s pupils shrank. A terrible premonition hit him immediately.

Seeing that it was Ye Shuangxue, he shivered in fear and bolted as if he’d seen a ghost.

“Momma!”

Shi Hao ran while crying, mumbling incoherently: “I’m sorry! Great-grandma, please forgive me!”

“Don’t chase me, I won’t dare again!”

“Don’t run!”

Ye Shuangxue pursued relentlessly. In the snow, they ran back and forth; Shi Hao tilted his neck, his face flushed from exhaustion, daring not to stop even for a moment. He swore that in his entire life, this was the first time he felt death so close.

He stepped on something with his foot. His plump body tipped over, and he fell flat on the ground. Seeing Ye Shuangxue charging at him, he scrambled up, crying and shouting as he ran.

“Still want to run!”

Ye Shuangxue placed her small hands on her hips. Just as she was about to step over the obstacle, something suddenly grabbed her ankle.

Ye Shuangxue was startled.

Looking down, she realized it was an old man with graying hair, disheveled and filthy, yet his face had not a single wrinkle. He smiled at her warmly. The old man said, “Good little apprentice, it seems our meeting as master and disciple is fated.”

Apprentice?

Ye Shuangxue had no memory of this person at all.

“What are you talking about?” she asked, her small face darkening as she frowned. Seeing the old man refusing to let go, she struggled a few times.

The old man was very strong, and Ye Shuangxue couldn’t break free. Helplessly, she said, “Let go! You let go first, I promise I won’t run.” She spoke while anxiously looking toward Shi Hao, who was already almost out of sight.

Sun Wuji continued, “I heard your father sent you to the school. That infuriates me! Your father is a talentless fool, a complete waste—he’s burying your gifts!”

Sun Wuji ground his teeth in anger, but before he could finish, Ye Shuangxue snapped angrily: “You’re the real waste!”

“No one is allowed to insult Ye Tian except me!”

Sun Wuji sheepishly fell silent.

Ye Shuangxue didn’t hold back. She stomped her small foot hard, and only then did Sun Wuji finally release her.

Ye Shuangxue ignored Sun Wuji completely and started running.

“Hey!”

Sun Wuji got up and grabbed the hem of her coat, his voice hoarse and old: “He’s already far ahead. You won’t be able to catch him with your legs.”

“If you learn my techniques and agility, in less than a year, all those who bully you will kneel before you with respect.”

“No one in this world will ever dare to bully you again!”

Sun Wuji’s words seemed like a spell in her ears, and Ye Shuangxue’s eyes brightened.

She longed for power, longed to become stronger, to punish those who bullied her and her brothers one by one. But suddenly, Ye Tian’s smiling face flashed in her mind. She instantly calmed down and looked at the crazy old man in front of her with disdain: “If you have this much time to fool children, you’d better use it to earn some money and see if you still have a brain.”

“Let go. I’m going home.”

Sun Wuji’s face twisted in anger. Someone actually called him crazy?

Whenever he took on a disciple, not just this small Sifang City, but even nobles across the land would flock to him. And yet this little girl wouldn’t accept him?

What a disaster!

Sun Wuji felt uneasy. This disciple was one he had to have. Since force wouldn’t work, he would try persuasion instead.

“Ouch!”

He crouched on the ground, one hand clutching his stomach, frowning up at Ye Shuangxue: “I haven’t eaten for days. My good disciple, how about finding your master something to eat? Those buns your father bought last time were not bad. How about I go home with you?”

“Have some pity on this crazy old man.”

Ye Shuangxue looked expressionlessly at Sun Wuji’s performance.

She had never had a full meal in years, nor had anyone ever pitied her. With no power, how could she feel pity for anyone else?

“If you want to beg, I suggest you go to the city. There’s no one around here. Be careful you don’t freeze to death at night, and there are wild beasts too.”

With that, Ye Shuangxue walked off without looking back.

Watching the small figure of the girl, Sun Wuji rose with a faint smile. He knew Ye Shuangxue’s background very well. Except for her closest family, nothing in this world could make her show compassion again.

A person like her, in a position of power, would enforce justice impartially and reliably.

Sun Wuji nodded in satisfaction. Looking at her back, the old man murmured with a smile: “My disciple… has a heart, but not much!”

…

Ye Tian returned from the city. In recent days, he had been busy running errands for a shop.

Most of the shops in the city belonged to the city lord’s estate. They usually weren’t rented out; the estate managed them directly. Finding a suitable shop wasn’t easy. Today, thanks to Fang Shenghu’s connections, he found a small storefront in a good location on the main street. Ye Tian paid a deposit of five taels of silver and signed the contract before returning home.

The courtyard had been cleaned up, spacious and tidy, though the house itself was still crooked. The recent wind and snow were heavy, and there weren’t enough workers to finish the repairs.

Ye Tian lifted the curtain.

The new large copper pot was steaming, the firewood in the hearth burning brightly. The room was warm, at least enough that hands wouldn’t freeze. Knowing the three children were back from school warmed his heart. Seeing the eldest and Xiao Jiang lying on his bed writing with brushes, Ye Tian looked around but didn’t see his daughter. He asked, “Where’s Shuangxue?”

“She hasn’t come back yet.”

Xiao Jiang spoke first. Seeing Ye Tian return, he couldn’t hide the smile in his eyes. When Ye Tian nodded, he continued: “Sister said her stomach hurt on the way back. It’s not that she was playing around.”

“Got it.”

Not playing around? Who would believe that?

She probably ran into something interesting on the way. Ye Tian knew his daughter well—stubborn to the core, thirty pounds of weight with twenty-nine pounds of rebellion. Yet she was also thoughtful and kind.

“How was your first day at school? How do you feel?”