CHAPTER 2

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*Five years later

12- Wen Xu
10- Wen Chao
9- Wen Ying

"Eh? Er-ge what are you reading? Lemme see~~" the nine-year-old Wen Ying reached his hands out toward the book in Wen Chao's hands. Luckily the latter was quick to dodge so Wen Ying's plan failed successfully.

"No! You can't read this" Wen Chao hid the book inside his sleeves and breathed a sigh of relief for not being found out.

"Eh? Why is that?" Wen Ying propped his elbows on the table and tilted his head that was on top of his palms.

"You... You're not old enough" Wen Chao can't find a better excuse.

"What?! You're only a year older~"

"That's why I'm still older"

"If it's forbidden for me to read, so should you" Wen Ying pouted and huffed.

"And why is that?"

"What are you guys fighting for?" a sweat dripping Wen Xu that just finished training his swordsmanship joined the two.

"Er-ge's hid-mmph!" Wen Chao covered Wen Ying's mouth to shut him up.

"Hm? What's the matter A-Chao?" Wen Xu picked up the towel that was given to him by one of the servants and used it to wipe himself.

"N-nothing" Wen Chao stuttered.

"If it's nothing then why are you covering A-Xian's mouth?" Wen Xu placed the towel back and sat in front of Wen Chao.

Just then Wen Ying bit Wen Chao's hand and that made the latter scream and blow his bitten hand. Wen Chao glared at Wen Ying and the latter did the same. They totally forgot about their Da-ge.

"Hey hey hey I'm asking you a question" Wen Xu waved his hands between his brothers' piercing gazes.

"AHHH it's a secret!!! Why can't I have a secret?!! It's just this one freaking time!!!" Wen Chao frustratedly cried.

"Alright alright don't cry now Er-ge" Wen Ying hugged Wen Chao while the latter just pouted and hugged the other back.

Wen Xu just smiled at them while propping his elbow on the table and placing his chin on top of his palm.

"Stop crying A-Chao. Aren't you a grown man already?" Wen Xu teased.

"I'm not crying! You are crying!" Wen Chao pointed his finger at Wen Xu while rubbing his eyes, frowning as he speak.

"Alright I'm the one who's crying. Uwaaahh!!" Wen Xu imitated Wen Chao and also rubbed his eyes.

"You-"

"Stop it now" an authoritative voice stopped them from messing with each other. They faked a cough and acted like decent nobles with their backs straight and hands placed on their laps. They greeted their father.

"How's your progress A-Xu?" Wen Ruohan asked him.

"I've already mastered our clan's swordsmanship thanks to father's guidance" Wen Xu stood up and bowed to his father with both of his hands placed in front of him, saluting him.

"Good. Sit down, what about you A-Chao?"

"The teacher said that I did well on my exams though I am still lacking in my swordsmanship skills" Wen Chao did the same thing as Wen Xu did. Wen Chao is a well-known scholar in their clan. He is smart however he has weak arms that's why he is always with his bodyguards.

Wen Ruohan nodded his head and gestured him to sit back down.

"A-Ying ah?"

"The teacher said that I also did well on my exam and my swordsmanship is good though I made a couple of changes. I also finished my latest invention to strengthen our borders." Wen Ying saluted his father.

"Good then. The three of you did great" Wen Ruohan said after gesturing Wen Ying to sit.

He placed his hands on top of the table and looked at his sons one by one. He was very proud of their achievements.

"A conference will be held here in Qishan in a few weeks. All five main clans are expected to be present." Wen Ruohan informed them and sipped his tea.

"Is there something the matter, father?" Wen Xu had a serious face on as he asked his father, and the other two also followed the suit.

"Nothing of that sort. The conference was needed for maintaining the cooperation between the sects." Wen Ruohan noticed his sons' looks so he quickly shoved that idea out of their minds.

"One of you will present a presentation but you can also not do it if you don't want to." Wen Ruohan added.

The three looked at each other and it seemed that the three already had an agreement without even talking aloud. Wen Ying looked at their father and smiled.

"I'll perform father! What kind of performance should I prepare?" Wen Ying beamed.

Wen Ruohan, "Anything you want... I'm not very knowledgeable with these things."

Wen Xu, "In the past conferences held by different clans. The Jin would always invite brothel girls to... Entertain guests. Although, if it's the Madame Jin who will host the conference, the golden garden full of white peonies, the sparks amidst snow, will be opened for the guests.  The Lan would play musical instruments, mostly guqin and flute. The Nie would spar with their blades that create sparks that looked like fireworks. The Wen has no trademark in this kind of things"

Wen Chao, "In short, you can dance, sing a song or just anything entertaining."

Wen Ying, "Aaahh~ Da-ge what's a brothel?"

Wen Xu choked on his saliva as Wen Ruohan and Wen Chao glared at him, cold sweat broke out from his forehead. Wen Ying, however, had sparkling curiosity written in his eyes.

Wen Xu scratched his chin while looking away from his family's gazes, "Uhhh you shouldn't know that yet..."

Wen Ying frowned and pouted.

"Why do you always say that?... You keep so many secrets from A-Ying..." Wen Ying started to get teary-eyed and that caused panic from everyone.

Wen Chao hugged Wen Ying being the one who's closest to the latter, "Oh dear, don't cry don't cry." He patted the youngest's back.

Wen Xu was almost kneeling in front of Wen Ying while wiping those tears that were flowing down the latter's cute cheeks, "A-Ying... You can't know that for now... Please don't be sad... Da-ge will give you anything you want... Don't cry. It's just not good for kids to hear"

Wen Ruohan patted his youngest son's head while wearing a distressed expression, "A-Ying. How about this? We will tell you what's the meaning of that on your fifteenth birthday?"

Wen Ying turned his head towards his father while rubbing his swollen eyes. Hiccuping, he said, "But Da-ge and Er-ge are not yet fifteen yet they knew the meaning already..."

Wen Xu and Wen Chao were frowning from finding the perfect lie to not taint their precious, innocent, cute little brother's mind.

All of them said in unison, "A-Ying can only know that at the age of fifteen."

Wen Chao pinched his younger brother's cheeks, "Because A-Ying is very precious"

Wen Xu carried Wen Ying and twirled him in the air, being the tallboy he is, making Wen Ying laugh, "And because A-Ying should focus on studies first before learning those things."

Wen Ruohan then took Wen Ying in his arm and patted his back with his free hand, making the youngest yawn and sleepy, "A-Ying also need to prepare his presentation to make our sect proud"

Wen Ying hummed and dozed off while clenching his little fists on his father's clothes, crumpling Wen Ruohan's robes in the process but the father doesn't seem to care about it.

One thing that this family had in mind was...

"A sad Wen Ying is a no-no situation"

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