Chen Ye showed no mercy. He whipped Sun Sheng for a full thirty minutes before stopping.
Sun Sheng grimaced in pain, his fair skin covered in red welts.
Chen Ye hung the rattan cane back in the main hall of the orphanage and ignored Sun Sheng, returning to his own room.
The moment he stepped inside, Sun Sheng trailed after him.
Chen Ye glanced at him and said flatly, “What is it?”
Sun Sheng grinned through his pain. “Foster Father, a few days ago, I seized something good on Lake Tai.”
As he spoke, he pulled a small animal-hide pouch from his robe and poured out sixteen pearls—identical in size and pure white in color.
Each pearl was as large as a dragon’s eye.
Under the flickering candlelight, they emitted a soft, gentle glow.
Sun Sheng handed the pouch to Chen Ye.
Chen Ye picked up a few, feeling their smooth, warm texture—clearly no ordinary pearls.
He examined them briefly before tossing them back into the pouch.
“Who did you rob this time?” he asked casually.
Sun Sheng’s expression turned serious. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Zhou Tongfu, a wealthy merchant from Suzhou Prefecture.”
“That bastard colluded with the prefect of Suzhou, exploiting the common folk and bleeding them dry.”
“These sixteen pearls were a birthday tribute meant for the prefect of Anqing, worth ten thousand taels of silver.”
“I confirmed everything through Tianji Tower’s intelligence—there’s no mistake.”
Chen Ye nodded slightly and casually tossed the pouch back to Sun Sheng.
“Sell them and use the silver to help the poor.”
Sun Sheng’s eyes widened. “Foster Father, these pearls are top-grade, perfectly matched—”
“Finding just one is rare enough, let alone a complete set of sixteen!”
Chen Ye poured himself a cup of tea, his voice calm. “And?”
“Xiao Sheng, you’re young and ambitious, eager to make a name for yourself in the Jianghu. I understand.”
“I let you rob the rich to help the poor—for your own good. One day, you’ll understand.”
Chen Ye took a sip of tea, his expression indifferent. “Anything else?”
Sun Sheng hesitated, then sulkily stuffed the pearls back into his robe.
“Foster Father, I got the latest Jianghu Chronicles, Strength Rankings, Weapon Rankings, and Beauty Rankings from Tianji Tower. I’ll go fetch them for you.”
“Go.”
Chen Ye sipped his tea, expression unreadable.
As Sun Sheng left, Chen Ye set down his cup, watching his retreating figure.
Over the past two years, under his guidance, Sun Sheng hadn’t strayed too far down the wrong path.
But hanging around with Nan Yiyun had still left him with some bad habits.
Fortunately, he was still on the right track.
In over twenty raids on Lake Tai, he had always robbed the corrupt to aid the poor.
As for the remaining few times…
He robbed Nan Yiyun.
…
Stepping out of Chen Ye’s room, Sun Sheng winced as the pain flared up in his muscles and skin.
He’d be sore for at least three days.
Even using internal energy to ease the pain, he’d still be suffering for two.
Regret filled him. If he had known this would happen, he wouldn’t have gone to the Yihong Courtyard yesterday.
He could have gone the day he left instead!
Back in his room, he grabbed the latest Jianghu Chronicles and rankings from Tianji Tower.
His gaze swept the room and landed on a bag of green tangerines he had bought earlier.
Picking up the bag, he stepped outside and ran into Xiao Fu. Without a second thought, he shoved the tangerines into the child’s arms.
“Here, take them.”
Xiao Fu lowered her head, staring at the green-skinned tangerines, her face scrunching up in misery. “Brother Sheng, these again…”
“They’re so sour.”
Sun Sheng ruffled Xiao Fu’s hair twice. “Eat them. Don’t waste food.”
Xiao Fu puffed up her cheeks, blinking her big eyes. “Brother Sheng, can you buy sweet tangerines next time?”
“I like sweet ones.”
Sun Sheng chuckled, patting her head. “Alright, next time for sure.”
Xiao Fu’s face lit up with a bright smile.
…
Inside Da Ming’s Room
A small oil lamp flickered atop a wooden table.
Da Ming sat on a chair, holding a brand-new pair of cloth shoes.
Slowly, he slipped them onto his feet, stood up, and took a few steps.
They fit perfectly—just right.
A simple, honest smile spread across his face.
After pacing twice, he took off the new shoes and put on his old ones again.
Uncle Zhang’s eldest daughter was already ten years old.
Da Ming placed the shoes beside the table, lost in thought.
Over the past two years, they hadn’t met often.
But from what he remembered, she was a kind girl—someone who made shoes and socks for him.
His father had said that after the New Year, she would marry him and become his wife.
But to Da Ming, marriage and family were just words with no real meaning.
He simply thought—since his father told him to marry her, then he would marry her.
He didn’t want to disappoint his father.
Staring at the flickering oil lamp, the honest smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by a trace of unease.
For some reason, ever since he came home, he’d felt restless.
Her smile kept appearing in his mind.
Whenever he thought of it, his heart pounded uncontrollably.
He stared blankly at the dancing flame, feeling an inexplicable frustration.
In his eyes, the flickering candlelight transformed into the image of that girl at dusk—
Smiling at him, bright and carefree.
Her smile was beautiful.
Time passed slowly.
"Dong... dong..."
"The air is dry! Watch out for fire hazards!"
"Dong... dong..."
The rhythmic clack of the night watchman’s wooden clappers echoed through Yuhang County.
Da Ming jolted awake.
Unknowingly, he had been staring at the candle flame for two whole hours.
Judging by the sound of the clappers, it was already midnight.
Da Ming didn’t understand what was wrong with him. A sense of urgency stirred in his chest as he quickly blew out the oil lamp.
Lying down, he closed his eyes, trying to sleep.
But the moment his eyes shut, that girl’s bright smile surfaced in his mind.
A trace of pain flickered across his simple, honest face.
He had no idea what was happening to him.
He only felt… empty inside.
…
Chen Ye shifted his gaze away from the system’s translucent screen.
Exhaling deeply, his eyes darkened with thought.
It had been a long time since he last checked the system’s daily summary.
The system’s reports were always too detailed.
He remembered that at the end of the previous year, Sun Sheng had somehow taught himself a traditional craft.
The system had given a full report on Sun Sheng’s activities.
After reading it, Chen Ye had fallen silent.
Upon further reflection, he realized that as the children grew older, they were bound to have their own privacy and little secrets.
He wasn’t the type of person who needed to control everything.
They deserved their own space.
From that day forward, he had stopped looking at the daily summaries.
But today, for the first time in a long while, he had checked again.
Because of Da Ming’s unusual behavior.
Chen Ye knew Da Ming well. Even if the sky were to collapse, Da Ming would still eat six bowls of rice—never just five.
Yet today, Da Ming had only eaten three.
Something was definitely wrong.
The system had faithfully recorded everything that had happened to Da Ming.
[Da Ming rescued Princess Jiangzhu from danger and was captivated by her beauty—love at first sight.]
[Da Ming stared at the candle flame for two hours, thinking only of Princess Jiangzhu.]
[Da Ming lay in bed, overwhelmed with pain.]
After reading the report, Chen Ye sighed inwardly.
What a disaster…
Truly a disaster.
Princess Jiangzhu…
A member of the imperial family of the Dawu Dynasty.
Da Ming, oh Da Ming…
Of all the people in the world, why did you have to fall for a princess?
Chen Ye felt an instant headache.
Not to mention Da Ming was already engaged to Zhang Long’s daughter.
But more importantly—given Da Ming’s stubborn nature—if he had truly fallen for this so-called “Princess Jiangzhu,” things were going to get very complicated.