Hua Xianle

Chapter 11:

Rumors. Little stories that spread like wildfire with just a few words in the right ears. Tales that could either raise a person up or drag them through the mud. These were Huaisang’s ideal weapons of choice. His brother Mingjue was the brawn of the two of them, but Huaisang was the brain. After all, he’d learned from the best.

Before her untimely death, Huaisang’s mother had been a master of information. With a network of spies across all the sects, she made it her business to know everything there was to know about everyone. She gathered up pieces of gossip, hunted down the facts of each story, and stored them away for a rainy day. 

Even after her death, Nie Bowen made it a point to keep all the information she’d gathered safe, hidden deep within the Unclean Realm. Technically, Huaisang wasn’t allowed to go there and read that information, but he was his mother’s son. He knew how to get what he wanted, and was patient enough to play the long game if needed. May Heaven show mercy on any poor soul who found themselves in the crosshairs of the young Nie.

Luckily for his current victim, they were not the focus of his wrath. No, they were merely some unwitting pawns that would help him make his first moves. His pawn of choice, a senior disciple who was well-liked among his comrades and well-known for partaking in gossip, stepped into Huaisang’s trap when he found the young Nie sniffling and pouting in the grass.

“Nie Er-Gonzi,” he let out, immediately kneeling in front of him with concern written on his face. “What’s wrong? What made you upset?”

“It…” Nie Huaisang started, sniffing again and letting his lip wobble. “It’s Jiang Wanyin.”

The immediate darkening of the disciple’s face made the young Nie grin internally. Everything was going according to plan. “What did he do, Er-Gonzi?”

“What hasn’t he done?” He let some more tears fall, slipping into a full-out sob. “I made a new friend in town today and he’s been so badly bullied by Jiang Wanyin that he’s been rendered mute! And- And Jin-Gonzi? I had to take him to my A-Niang’s garden so he could escape from Wanyin’s scorn and his sister’s pursuits!”

The disciple’s face was darkening with every word and Huaisang buried his face in his hands, hiding the predatory grin threatening to sprout. “Why are the Jiangs like this, gege? What did my friends do to deserve this?”

The disciple hugged him and shushed him, letting him cry while offering words of comfort. After a while, he stopped crying and the disciple excused himself with promises to buy him new paints the next time they met.

Huaisang watched his pawn go, then followed after him at a distance. As expected, he found his gege in the midst of telling all of his friends about what he had been told. Huaisang estimated that by the end of the day, word of the Jiang's actions would spread to every disciple and servant within the Unclean Realm.

…

General Ming Guan, better known as Pei Ming, couldn't help but laugh at the cunning of the Second Master Nie. As the Martial God who watched over the Unclean Realm, he couldn't have been prouder of the family he gave his blessing to. Truly they were worthy of his grace if they recognized his nephew for the treasure he was.

While many might underestimate the young Nie because of his smaller stature, Pei Ming knew better. He was a strategist that played to his strengths, and it was the strategists who won wars. He would be a worthwhile ally for little A-Ying.

At that moment, the young prince was curled up in Pei Ming's arms, sleeping peacefully after his adventure in Qinghe. The Martial God smiled down at the boy and ran his fingers through the dark locks to push away the stray strands sticking into the boy’s face. He then kissed his nephew’s forehead, cooing as the boy snuggled deeper into him.

They were in Pei Ming's palace currently, as everybody else was unfortunately busy. He was supposed to be spending his free time flirting with girls but Shi Qingxuan came and told them about A-Ying’s new friend. She then suddenly said that she’d be going with her brother to do some work and asked him to take over A-Ying's care. Honestly, he found that he didn't mind the detour in his plans, more than happy to babysit his nephew.

Hua Ying’s condition when he first arrived awakened protective instincts in everyone the boy met, all of them fearing that the boy would collapse. Pei Ming especially found himself horrified by the state of the boy, knowing from experience that even a strong adult cultivator would have a hard time surviving just horrid conditions. And this was done to a child. Sure, they all saw and experienced violence in their own way, but what the boy suffered was not just violence for the sake of hurting or disciplining him, it was the type of violence that was meant to kill.

Pei Ming stood up from his chair with the boy still held in his arms. A-Ying didn't even stir from the movement, even as Pei Ming walked to the big circular mattress that he had custom-made for A-Ying to sleep in. It was made from the best materials he could find and had a huge golden curtain surrounding it to give him some privacy.

He laid the child on the mattress, covered his body with a big blanket, closed the curtains to cover the bed, and went back to his seat. His thoughts returned to the Nie boy, his nephew's first mortal friend. How fortunate that he had found someone so capable and kind to fill that role.

Wanting the best for the little prince, Pei Ming began to look into plots of land available for construction. Hua Ying's 9th birthday was just around the corner and what better present than a manor in the lands of his first friend? He would need to find a suitable design, and hire servants and guards, oh this would be a chore to finish in time.

Of course, for A-Ying, it was worth the effort.