"Don’t tell you’ve already managed to find so kids." A voice suddenly echoed from the back of the room. "I’ve always thought the first person to get children would be Deng Wu, given his love for anything beautiful."
Hearing this, Yan Xiaobao turned around, and upon seeing Rong Ming walking toward him, a wide smile broke across his face. "This is Hui Lou and Hui Jo," he introduced, and at the mont their nas were spoken, pride shone on the faces of the two children, while Rong Ming’s expression clearly transford into one of shock. "They’re your children?!" he exclaid in disbelief, making Yan Xiaobao laugh heartily.
The outburst drew the attention of Gao Yan, who looked up to see Yan Xiaobao walking in with two children in tow. His face was also filled with disbelief. He gave the pair a thorough once-over and took so ti to calm himself.
"They’re adopted by , so you could consider them my children," Yan Xiaobao said with a smile. "The Hui Clan is indeed quite small, but these two are the most capable of nurturing their talents. Having such brilliant youths in the Hui Clan obviously ans they’ll be significant for our future in Muchuan City."
Hearing how Yan Xiaobao praised them, Lao’s face turned beet red as he lowered his gaze to the ground, while a satisfied smile appeared on Qiao’s face. Both Rong Ming and Gao Yan had visible expressions of astonishnt. "More talented than you?!" they asked in shock, their opinions of Lao drastically changing. Rong Ming even patted the young boy on the head, saying, "You’re quite the little prodigy. If no one had taken you in yet, I’d surely do anything to persuade you to join my family." He sighed. "Then again, I suppose I’d never predict just how talented you are," he continued with resignation. Lao dismissed his words entirely, understanding deeply within himself that even if others offered him more than Yan Xiaobao ever could, he would never leave Xiaobao’s side.
"So what brings you here?" Gao Yan finally asked after shaking his head, fully shocked by the children Xiaobao had brought. "I’ve been out of town for a while," Yan Xiaobao began. "I wanted to know what’s happened these past few days. If anything at all."
After mulling it over for a while, Gao Yan scratched his chin. "Nothing unusual has occurred, but I haven’t received any updates from the Royal Castle these past days. Normally, I draw visitors daily, yet these past few days have been eerily silent. I was planning to look into it, but haven’t found a resolution yet," he said apologetically.
Considering Gao Yan’s words, Yan Xiaobao nodded thoughtfully. Although vague, it was significant—lack of information often indicated sothing was being concealed, a puzzle not easily solved.
"This may be my cue to return to His Highness," Yan Xiaobao murmured with a nod. "If you receive any kind of information, please share it with imdiately," he said, turning and leaving the office with the children following closely behind, leaving Rong Ming and Gao Yan perplexed.
Leaving the black lion, Yan Xiaobao headed straight for his mansion. After roughly half an hour of walking through the town, the three of them arrived at the sprawling estate.
Both Lao and Qiao were utterly stunned upon seeing the massive mansion before them. Neither of them uttered a word; jaws dropped, and their eyes widened to their limits. It was entirely different from anything they were accustod to.
Noticing their expressions, Yan Xiaobao chuckled softly, then nodded toward the guards without saying much before entering the mansion. Although the two children were in awe, they quickly followed behind, eyes wide as they took in everything around them. As soon as they entered, Yan Xiaobao clapped his hands, and a maid promptly appeared, bowing in front of her employer while curiously eyeing the two children he had brought.
"Prepare two adjacent rooms for these children," he said, casting a casual glance at the maid, who nodded imdiately then hurried off. Yan Xiaobao was a respected figure within the mansion. He treated his servants with courtesy, never resorting to anger.
This earned him great respect from his servants, but also a good deal of curiosity. Monts after the children entered the mansion, gossip about a young man with children in the palace spread like wildfire, and within an hour, the rumors had reached every corner of Muchuan City.
Although the gossip about him swept through the city like flas, Yan Xiaobao and the children remained oblivious to the buzz, instead focusing on exploring their new ho. The silver-haired young man took them on a tour.
"Tomorrow, I’ll introduce you to a set of cultivation techniques. This technique will help you refine the essence of heaven and earth. It will mark the beginning of your training, and though the process will be very slow, slow and steady wins the race. It’s vital that you take the ti to refine the essence as thoroughly as possible," he said.
"While I remain in Muchuan City, I’ll personally train you and ensure you receive the best instruction. If I need to leave the city from ti to ti, don’t worry—I’ll arrange for soone else to continue training you," he added.
The seriousness in Yan Xiaobao’s words drew a mature and solemn look to the boy’s face—an expression not typical for soone of his age. Yan Xiaobao felt a surge of satisfaction seeing the child take him so seriously.
"Will you leave often?" Lao asked quietly, his voice tinged with disappointnt. Yan Xiaobao leaned down and patted his head. "I won’t leave often, but it’ll happen now and then," he said. "Even when I periodically depart, I promise I’ll always co back for you and Qiao."
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