CHAPTER 122: CHAPTER 122: ARE YOU REALLY WILLING?

In the days that followed, Li Qingmu often went to find Wuyou to play, and the two young men of similar age quickly became fast friends.

Li Qingmu was a scholar with knowledge, and he would tell many stories that Wuyou had never heard before; every time he would ask Li Qingmu to tell him a story.

Long Yue was good at cooking, helping them by making snacks on the side. Gradually, Wuyou and Long Yue also got acquainted, occasionally even joking with her.

The weather gradually warmed up; Long Yue and her husband had been in Heifeng Village for over a month now. During this time, Ma Biao had Li Qingmu go down the mountain twice to transport liquor, but he was always accompanied.

During these two times, Li Qingmu did not contact the Qin Family to avoid revealing any flaws.

On this evening, Wuyou was once again pestering Li Qingmu to tell a story.

Long Yue was making noodles on the side, as eating noodles for dinner wouldn’t overly fill the stomach. She decided to make a bowl of noodle soup with an egg—delicious and tasty!

At this moment, Li Qingmu said with a smile, "How about changing to a sad story tonight, want to hear it?"

"Sure!"

Wuyou could be very cold towards others, but when he was with Li Qingmu, he acted as innocent and joyful as a child; he loved listening to stories, no matter what kind of story it was.

Li Qingmu sat with him on the steps, looking into the distance and said quietly, "Once there was a family with the surname He specializing in silk weaving and embroidery. The lady of the house was smart and created their own brand of embroidery called ’He Embroidery.’ The couple was loving and had two sons and a daughter, living days better than gods..."

Long Yue’s hand paused slightly while handling the noodles. A Mu was preparing to tell the young man his origins in this way?

"... One day, while they were out for an excursion passing through a hill, they encountered an attack by mountain bandits. The He couple was brutally murdered along with their eldest son and daughter. As for the premature infant, he was taken away by the mountain bandits and became one of them..."

"Are... you talking about me?"

The young man suddenly looked up, his dark eyes like a deep night sky, making one feel as if they would fall into them.

Long Yue was shocked and looked at Wuyou in disbelief. What did his words mean? Was he already aware of his origins? How did he know?

And seeing his posture, was he preparing to fall out with her husband?

Li Qingmu was slightly taken aback but quickly returned to normal, chuckling lightly, "Looks like you already know."

"You’re not from around here, who are you and what are you doing in the village?"

Wuyou suddenly retreated, and a dagger slipped from his hand as he stared at Li Qingmu vigilantly, his body slightly hunched, ready to strike at any moment.

He was frighteningly nimble and completely opposite to his previous wooden demeanor, which was shocking!

"You did learn some skills in the village!" Li Qingmu squinted his eyes, sneering, "Not following the worldly principles, preferring to call a thief your father!"

"Hmph, none of your business!"

Saying this, Wuyou suddenly launched an attack on Li Qingmu, the dagger in his hand flashing coldly as it sliced towards his neck.

"Husband, be careful!"

Long Yue exclaimed in horror, seeing a flash of cold light before her eyes. Fortunately, Li Qingmu had been rigorously trained by Long Yue these past days, making him quite agile. He leaned back immediately, grabbing the door frame and using his legs to sweep across.

Wuyou missed his strike, and realizing his opponent was defending while also knowing how to attack, he knew he was up against a formidable enemy. He quickly retracted his blade and performed an aerial flip to avoid Li Qingmu’s attack.

"You’re not ordinary people... what exactly do you intend to do by sneaking in here?"

Wuyou distanced himself from the couple while vigilantly staring at them.

Li Qingmu softly spoke, "I am a Qin Family member!"

"You’re full of crap!"

For the first time, Wuyou roared like a beast. The Qin Family had been slaughtered completely by Ma Biao’s gang, where would there be any Qin Family members left? Was this person here to mock him?

As Li Qingmu looked at his reddened eyes, he understood that he bore hatred toward Ma Biao and their ilk, and as for why he had acted so aggressively just now, it was merely an attempt of self-protection by the weak; he worried that they might be testing him, so he wrapped himself in thorns to avoid being hurt.

"Why can’t I be a Qin Family member?" Li Qingmu said dimly, "I took on Young Master Qin’s identity due to some previous troubles, using it to escape danger. If I hadn’t found out about your existence, I would have continued to live under this identity..."

Wuyou’s emotions seemed to fluctuate as he tightly watched Li Qingmu, his tone carrying a hint of sarcasm, "Haha, so what? Now do you want to say you’re returning this identity to me? Li Shiqi, don’t you find yourself hypocritical?"

"I also want to be a bit hypocritical, but..." Li Qingmu shrugged helplessly, "I encountered an old Qin Family servant who was loyal to the Qin Family, guarding that vacant house for eighteen years. When he heard of Young Master Qin’s return, he was as joyful as a child, and I couldn’t bear to hurt him... Strangely enough, he’s the only elderly person who evoked my compassion."

Wuyou stared at him, gradually lowering his dagger, coldly asking, "So, what do you intend to do with me?"

"We intend to take you away!"

"Take me away? Ha, leaving aside my trust issues with you, do you have the capability? Heifeng Village isn’t an ordinary place; you can’t come and go as you please!"

"Indeed, there are hidden gateways in Heifeng Village, but that doesn’t mean we can’t come and go freely! Qin Wuyou, do you really want to stay here forever, spending your life with your firewood stick?"

Li Qingmu deliberately mentioned his surname, which caused Qin Wuyou’s body to tremble and his face to slightly pale.

Taking advantage of the situation, Li Qingmu emphatically stated, "They, back then, slaughtered your parents, harmed your siblings, they could have ended you with a slash of their blade, sparing you years of suffering, but they didn’t! Instead, they took you back to the village, had the cook raise you, and you became the firewood boy here. Doing the hardest and most tiring work in the village, living a life worse than pigs and dogs!

You are the Young Master of the Qin Family; at this age, you should be in a school discussing ideals with your classmates, achieving grand ambitions, or enjoying the warm tenderness in a woman’s arms, yet you sit in this cold kitchen in solitude, possibly waiting for death to come your entire life!"

"Shut up! Shut up! You shut up! Don’t say anymore, stop talking!!"

Li Qingmu’s words were like a venomous snake biting onto the boy’s wounds, and his eyes turned blood-red. Eventually, he couldn’t hold the grievance in his heart any longer and yelled at him.

The kitchen fell silent for a moment, then Li Qingmu’s voice rang out once more.

"Dare I ask, is Young Master Qin truly willing to end his days here? Are you really willing?"