In Shu Yao's warm embrace, Shu Yue couldn't help but burst into tears. Shu Yao comforted him silently.
"Alright, alright, stop crying. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have been angry with you. So it was because you were jealous."
Caught out, Shu Yue blushed instantly. But he was still reluctant to leave Shu Yao's embrace, so he secretly lingered in it.
The two of them tacitly stopped mentioning Xiao Zhao, and gradually this matter faded from their lives. Perhaps influenced by Shu Yao's demonic power, the baby - faced Shu Yue quickly grew to be as tall as Shu Yao.
The bandits were right. When Shu Yue was a child, he was fair and chubby, and when he grew up, he was surely a heart - throb.
He looked like a graceful and handsome young man. Since it was inconvenient for Shu Yao to show up, Shu Yue took care of many things. Every time the girls in the town saw Shu Yue, their faces would turn red.
Then they would shyly call him "Young Master Shu". Every time he came back from the market, Shu Yue would throw a tantrum, pulling a long face and reluctantly asking Shu Yao not to let him go to the town alone next time.
Shu Yao would always just smile and say nothing when he saw the redness on Shu Yue's neck. Before he knew it, Shu Yue had grown up. The image of him as a baby hadn't faded from his mind, yet he was already taller than him.
Now there were already girls in love with him, but in Shu Yao's heart, Shu Yue was still a never - growing - up baby.
Thinking of Shu Yue's growth, many past events rushed into Shu Yao's mind. He had few contacts in the human world.
One could even say that he had met very few people. The most unforgettable was Aunt Li's family. He had accidentally killed the only child in Aunt Li's family.
She was a widow raising her child alone. Now, she must be having a hard time.
Thinking of this, Shu Yao felt a tightness in his chest. He was eager to know how Aunt Li was doing. So he wanted to go to the town with Shu Yue to inquire about her, and also to see which girl had captured Shu Yue's heart.
Recently, as Shu Yue grew up, he had his own secrets and was reluctant to tell Shu Yao. No matter how much Shu Yao asked, he would just blush and say nothing.
Shu Yue's tendency to blush and his secretiveness made Shu Yao think of the descriptions in novels of a male protagonist blushing in front of the female protagonist he was in love with.
Could it be that Shu Yue had a crush on a girl in the town?
Although this was a good thing, it felt like a big stone weighing on his chest, making him feel stuffy. Even Shu Yao himself didn't know what was going on.
He attributed this feeling to the worry of a person who had raised a pig with great effort only to see it go after cabbages. He was afraid that Shu Yue was still too young and might go after a bad "cabbage".
"Shu Yao, what's wrong? Why do you suddenly want to go to the town with me?"
Shu Yue showed deep dissatisfaction with Shu Yao's decision to go to the town.
Since he grew up, Shu Yue gradually stopped calling Shu Yao "father" and preferred to call him "Shu Yao". Even when Shu Yao called his name, he would show an indescribable expression.
Shu Yao finally understood the saying "a grown - up son will leave home". "Do you still remember Aunt Li? I want to go and find out how she is now."
Shu Yue frowned, his face full of displeasure. "I don't understand. Why do we still have to care about the past? Moreover... they don't deserve our pity at all."
"Since you can say such things, it means you still remember. When we first came here penniless, it was they who took us in and helped us. It has nothing to do with others. I just want to ask about Aunt Li."
Seeing that he couldn't persuade Shu Yao, Shu Yue could only sigh and go with him. To avoid any trouble caused by his appearance, Shu Yao specially wore a self - made bamboo hat. But from a distance, with his figure and air, he looked like a graceful young gentleman.
Looking at Shu Yao, Shu Yue sighed silently in his heart. He was still the same as before.
Shu Yue wasn't without suspicions. He had always been more mature than his peers, but he hadn't received a proper education. So when he was a child, he didn't think much about it.
As he grew up, he understood some things and the real meaning of the word "monster" in people's mouths.
He didn't want to talk about it or even think about it.
The two set foot on the mountain path to the town, but they ran into trouble on the way. Shu Yue saw a group of people led by an old man with a scar on his face surrounding several hunters.
The voice of the scar - faced old man sounded very familiar to Shu Yue, as if a deeply - rooted memory had been dug out.
When the dusty memory was unlocked, Shu Yue quickly remembered who the scar - faced old man was. Wasn't he the bandit they had met when he was a child?
When he was a child, he was just a little kid. But now it was different. He had the ability to protect Shu Yao.
Seeing them bullying others again and taking pleasure in looting, Shu Yue's temper flared up. With lightning speed, he stepped forward and kicked the bandit leader to the ground.
The bandit leader was old and his bones were no longer strong. How could he withstand a kick from this energetic young man?
He was immediately kicked to the ground, clutching his old bones and rolling around, howling in pain.
"AAAAHHHHHHHH, who? Who dares to kick me!"
Shu Yue ignored the bandit leader's howls and even felt a sense of relief spreading in his heart.
"Humph, you stinking bandit, are you out extorting money again? I think you deserve a good beating. You have hands and feet but still take pleasure in oppressing the common people and extorting money."
The bandit leader felt his old bones and, to avoid unnecessary conflict, gritted his teeth and left dejectedly.
This finally relieved Shu Yue's anger, but Shu Yao felt strange. He clearly felt that not much time had passed. It seemed like just a few months ago that these bandits had bullied him and Shu Yue.
Why did the bandit leader look like an old man today? His feeble old body didn't match his once - strong build.
If it weren't for his familiar way of speaking and the scar on his face, Shu Yao would have thought they were two different people.
The rescued hunters stepped forward to thank them, their admiration barely hidden in their voices.
"Thank you, sirs. We didn't expect this young hero to be so brave at such a young age. With just one kick, he knocked that bandit to the ground. We've been harassed by them for a long time. Today we're finally saved. Is this your wife, young hero? Are you two going down the mountain? If you don't mind, we can go together."
Shu Yao, who had been mistaken for Shu Yue's wife, blushed instantly and stammered, "I... I'm not a woman."
Since Shu Yao was wearing a veil, the hunters couldn't see his face clearly. Shu Yue was tall and straight, and when Shu Yao stood beside him, he looked petite and charming. So it was only natural for the hunters to misunderstand.