Chapter 324: A Bad Shoot from a Good Bamboo
Fuzai blinked, lying quietly in his palm. She didn’t speak or move, pretending to be a little dragon that couldn’t talk.
Tian Pingyue spoke to her for a while, but Fuzai didn’t answer, so he gave up trying to communicate.
’Perhaps it isn’t a dragon, just something that looks like one,’ he thought. ’After all, even a hatchling wouldn’t be this small.’
’It’s like a little earthworm. A single gust of wind could blow it away.’
He pocketed the little creature and left. Along the way, he ran into Tian Fu.
"Father."
Hearing the familiar voice, Fuzai peeked out cautiously for a look.
’It’s the big villain who captured Grandma Shen and Grandpa Mo! And he’s actually this nice old man’s son.’
’Hmm, my Female Mother once said this is what you call a bad shoot from a good bamboo stalk.’
Tian Pingyue gave a noncommittal grunt and walked past him toward his own courtyard.
Tian Fu was in no mood to bother with this father-in-name-only, his steps quickening as he headed for the dungeons.
’He’d always felt Mo Feng looked like someone he knew, and it had only just hit him: Mo Feng and Mo Yan, Yu An’s Beast Husband, shared a strong resemblance!’
’His subordinates had captured Shen Zi and Mo Feng and taken them to the Divine Mountain. Tian Fu hadn’t been clear on their origins, but now...’
’They look alike, and they both have the surname Mo. There had to be some intricate connection between them.’
’Either way, he’d keep them in his grasp for now. If they proved useful, he’d keep them alive. If not, he’d refine them into Blood Crystals. He couldn’t lose.’
"Little one, are you hungry? Let me find you something to eat."
Tian Pingyue placed Fuzai on the table. He broke off a piece of a pastry, sliced a piece of an apple, and set them both before her.
Fuzai wasn’t about to choose; she wanted both. Taking a bite of one, then a bite of the other, she quickly filled her little stomach.
Tian Pingyue chuckled. "You little one certainly know how to eat. Alright, you can play on your own now."
Master Tian hadn’t told him outright, but he’d sensed something was off. For example, Master Tian seemed to be very wary of Tian Fu.
Tian Pingyue didn’t understand why Master Tian, who held sway over the entire Tian Family, would be wary of a junior, but that didn’t stop Tian Pingyue from helping him.
Compared to his son, Tian Fu, Tian Pingyue felt more aligned with his older brother, Master Tian.
Master Tian had offered to entrust him with some matters. The point wasn’t for him to perform the tasks perfectly, but to distract him and keep him from sinking too deeply into his grief.
Tian Pingyue had initially refused. Now, he accepted.
’Once he had some say in things, he’d be able to uncover the truth of what happened back then and avenge his wife, should Tian Fu one day fall from power.’
Fuzai coiled herself into a little ball. She blinked, not understanding why the man’s entire demeanor had suddenly changed.
’She decided not to run around aimlessly like a headless fly anymore. Following the villain’s father seemed like a much better deal.’
She lay on the table, hoping Tian Pingyue would finish his work soon and take her out for a stroll. But as night fell, he hadn’t moved an inch.
Fuzai: "..."
’I regret this!’
Just as she was about to cut her losses and go search on her own, Tian Pingyue stood up. He turned and saw her just as she was about to "flee."
Their eyes met. Fuzai felt a little awkward.
Tian Pingyue chuckled. "Little one, do you want to go out and play? Or go home?"
He walked over, and Fuzai hopped into his hand, giving a little bounce.
"Go out and play?"
Tian Pingyue was a bit surprised. "So you can understand what people say?"
’You’re the one who doesn’t understand!’
Fuzai thought for a moment, then said in a tiny voice, "Kind old grandpa, can you help me find my family?"
Tian Pingyue’s pupils constricted. "What did you call me? Old grandpa? Am I that old?!"
Fuzai: "..."
’This man is just like my Beast Father, completely missing the point.’
Fortunately, Tian Pingyue didn’t hold it against a little dragon. He gently asked where her family was.
"My family was captured by a villain," Fuzai said, putting on her best act and starting to sob. "It was that same villain we ran into earlier today."
’She’d noticed that the nice old grandpa and his villainous son didn’t seem to get along.’
Tian Pingyue frowned. "He’s been up to his dirty tricks again? Little one, wait here. I’ll go make some inquiries."
Fuzai nodded and waited obediently on the table.
Before long, Tian Pingyue was back.
The news that Tian Fu had captured some people and brought them back was no secret. Many people had seen it happen.
He had publicly declared them to be fugitives, but now it seemed they must be innocent.
He knew that nothing good ever came of Tian Fu’s return. The Tian Rong family, for instance. They clearly could have repaid their debt to the clan, but they had suddenly fled the moment Tian Fu came back.
Tian Pingyue didn’t know the specifics, but he was sure Tian Fu had a hand in it.
Upon learning that Tian Fu had taken the prisoners to the dungeons, Tian Pingyue didn’t hesitate. He immediately set off for the dungeons with Fuzai.
Fuzai couldn’t believe that actually worked. She was overjoyed for a moment, but then she noticed Tian Pingyue was leading her somewhere more and more remote.
She suddenly shivered. A chilling thought struck her—what if Tian Pingyue was a bad guy, too?
’What if he sells me?’
’She suddenly missed Little Wolf. She and Little Wolf were the perfect team. She was impulsive, but he was always calm.’
Just as Fuzai was debating whether to make a run for it, they arrived.
"Second Master," a guard greeted him. "What brings you here?"
Tian Pingyue slipped Fuzai into his sleeve. "I hear some fugitives were brought in. Fugitives from where? How is it that I wasn’t informed?"
The guard had been stationed at the dungeons the whole time and didn’t really know the details. Seeing him stammer, Tian Pingyue waved his hand dismissively, saying he would go take a look himself.
"This way, Second Master."
The guard, looking relieved, quickly let him pass.
The dungeons were dimly lit and filled with the lingering stench of blood and filth.
Tian Pingyue covered his nose, then reached into his sleeve and gently prodded Fuzai, as if to ask how she was holding up.
Fuzai poked her head out and covered her nose with her paw. The stench was so bad she felt like she’d lost the will to live.
’Once I find Female Mother and Beast Father Mo Yan, I’m going to make Beast Father Mo Yan cook tons and tons of delicious food for me as compensation!’
As they went deeper, the faint sound of pained screams reached them. In several cells, prisoners were being beaten.
Fuzai looked around, but she couldn’t see Shen Zi or Mo Feng anywhere.
Just then, Tian Fu emerged from one of the cells. He was visibly startled to see Tian Pingyue.
"Fath—" he coughed. "What are you doing here?"
Tian Pingyue said coldly, "What, is this your private domain? Am I not allowed here?"
"No," Tian Fu said with a slight frown. "I was just concerned about your health."
Tian Pingyue snorted coldly. "Mind your own business!"
Humiliated in front of so many people, Tian Fu’s expression soured. He made an excuse about having other business and left in a hurry.
The men following Tian Fu hurried to catch up. They had only ever heard that Tian Pingyue didn’t care for his son, but they’d never expected him to be so... cold.
There was even a hint of hostility. They didn’t seem like father and son at all, but more like sworn enemies with a blood feud between them.
After they left, Tian Pingyue glanced down at Fuzai. She pointed a tiny claw at the cell Tian Fu had just exited, her eyes shining brightly.
He gestured for Fuzai to be patient, then struck up a brief conversation with the guard posted at the cell, asking who was locked inside.
The main dungeon entrance had guards, and patrols made rounds nonstop, twenty-four hours a day. Yet this particular cell had its own dedicated guard.
This alone was enough to show how important the prisoner inside must be.