Demon Lord Gets Married

Chapter 142 - When He's Round He'll Rub It Flat

More than two hundred bodies were missing by midnight, and the sky was half illuminated by the fire.

The night was cold, and Yin Xu only stood outside the cage for a short while before leaving. Whether the little boy inside was dead or alive didn't matter to him.

Surprisingly, as soon as he left, the little boy slowly emerged from the cage.

It was likely due to not walking properly for a long time that the muscles in his legs were severely atrophied. His unsteady gait made it seem like he might fall at any moment.

He trembled as he chased after Yin Xu, letting out hoarse cries from his mouth.

It took others several attempts to understand what he was saying. “Big brother …”

When Yin Xu returned to the empty storage room, guards were already tidying up and setting up a tent for the night.

“Seventh Young Master, your subordinate stewed porridge and roasted a chicken. Would you like some?” Mao Er offered food.

After working for half the night, Yin Xu was somewhat hungry too. He took the bowl and drank a bowl of porridge, but didn't touch the meat.

Behind him, the little boy clung to the doorframe, staring wide-eyed, not at Yin Xu, but at the roasted chicken beside him. His throat moved rapidly, occasionally producing swallowing sounds.

Yin Xu handed the empty bowl to Mao Er and pointed to the boy: “Boil some water and wash him, otherwise don't let him come within a hundred steps of me.”

Mao Er had already noticed the little boy at the doorway. No matter how tough one was, seeing the boy's empty eyes evoked pity.

He set down the food and walked over to the boy, but when he reached out to grab him, the boy turned and ran.

Unfortunately, after barely two steps, the boy tripped and fell to the ground, lying motionless for a while.

Mao Er chuckled, walking over and grabbing his collar to pull him up. However, the boy's clothes were so tattered that they tore off, exposing his naked body to the cold air.

Mao Er was momentarily startled, holding onto the torn clothes. The boy's body was covered with wounds, including whip marks and burns. There wasn't an unscathed piece of flesh on him.

Mao Er pursed his lips, removed his own clothes, wrapped them around the boy, and carried him to the bathroom.

The village had dozens of houses, including stone houses, wooden houses, kitchens, and bathrooms. Although old, they were well-equipped.

Teng Yu flipped through the booklet in his hands, memorizing the identities and locations of the villagers.

There were not many people, less than twenty in total. Teng Yu found a secure room and called them all in for questioning.

Nobody knew what he was asking about, only that the time spent in the room varied, but everyone came out looking exceptionally relieved.

“Have you memorized everything?” Teng Yu tossed the marked booklet to the side for the guards.

The guard properly put the book away and replied, “Yes.”

“Take them to a few rooms and share some hot food with them,” Teng Yu said, looking at the guard meaningfully.

The guard understood, “This subordinate understands. Those people won't be able to get up tomorrow morning.”

“Mm. It's normal to feel so happy after enduring for so long and finally relaxing.” Teng Yu patted his sleeves as he left the stone house to go to his resting place.

He dared not send all twenty off the mountain without caution. Judging a person's character based on a brief interaction was hasty, but time was limited. He couldn't afford to waste time thoroughly assessing each one.

“Your Highness.” Mao Er met Teng Yu at the entrance, immediately bowing and pressing the boy's head to lower it.

Teng Yu stared at the boy in his arms, “Is this the kid who chased after Huo Tian before?”

Mao Er hadn't seen it happen but knew the child had followed the Seventh Young Master here, so he nodded.

After washing up, the boy revealed a delicate and pretty face. He was so thin his chin was pointed, and his big eyes made one's heart soften.

“What's your name?” Teng Yu asked, thinking: Just a child, there shouldn't be any fear.

Mao Er didn't put the boy down because he was barefoot. Instead, he held him and urged, “Master is asking you a question, hurry up and answer.”

In reality, the boy hadn't made a sound throughout the entire washing process. No matter how much Mao Er tried to coax him, it was in vain. It wasn't clear if he was mute.

However, his tongue was intact. It couldn't be just a coincidence.

The boy stared at Teng Yu for a while, then lowered his head and said in a faint voice, “Wang Ren.”

“Wang Ren? Your parents really knew how to pick a name.” Teng Yu chuckled, but then noticed the boy's eyes suddenly widen as tears started to fall.

“Hmm? Did I say something wrong?” he wondered, perplexed that even a jest was taken to heart.

Perhaps Mao Er, being more meticulous, asked him, “Where does your family live? Do you know where your parents are?”

Wang Ren's crying was silent, with only a few tears rolling down his face.

No one is born this way. Over time, in confinement, if he cried loudly, he would be beaten. Eventually, he learned to cry quietly, and later, even when in pain, he wouldn't shed a tear.

He didn't expect the mention of “parents” to make him cry.

“Dead…” He lowered his head, and his tears fell even more freely.

“Is there anyone else at home?”

The boy shook his head and wiped his eyes roughly with his arm. Seeing his clean clothes, he quickly lowered his arm.

He was still wearing Mao Er's clothes, which were big enough to wrap around him twice.

Mao Er looked at Teng Yu, waiting for him to decide the child's future.

“Then I'll leave him in your care for now.” Teng Yu walked into the house, leaving the young and the old behind.

Just as he entered the tent, a plate of delicious roasted chicken was placed in front of him. Yin Xu smiled and said, “Master has worked hard, please eat something.”

Teng Yu's boredom from the night vanished with the smile. He took the plate and joked, “You've grown up, now you know how to care for the old master.”

Yin Xu just didn't want the greasy roasted chicken to take up space. Watching the other party eat leisurely, he asked, “Did you see the child outside just now?”

Teng Yu swallowed his food and nodded, “Yes.”

“What are you going to do with him?”

“I don't have any plans. His parents are dead, and he's young, so I'll bring him back first. If he stays by my side as an attendant, he can run errands for you.”

“Isn't there Wu Sheng?” Yin Xu reminded him.

It took Teng Yu a while to remember who Wu Sheng was, “Him? Didn't you send him to be your manager? With a shopkeeper here, how could I possibly come back and serve you wholeheartedly?”

Since the Treasure Pavilion opened, Wu Sheng rarely returned home. He stayed in the shop to learn accounting and prepared to become a manager to run his own business in the future.

Yin Xu would definitely have his own businesses in the future, so he urgently needed his own people.

Wei Zi'an was talented, but managing the Wei Family alone was enough for him. Moreover, compared to Wu Sheng, who had grown up with him, Yin Xu trusted Wu Sheng more.

“How old is that kid? I don't know if he'll be round or flat when he grows up.” Yin Xu muttered, but ultimately did not object.

He was already used to being alone. Even when he ascended to the throne of the Demon Lord, few people could get close to him.

“Fine, fine, fine. You're the one who decides whether to shape him or not, aren't you?”

Yin Xu considered it, realizing the truth in Teng Yu's words; he should indeed prefer someone he raised himself.

“What's his name?”

“Wang Ren.”

Yin Xu wasn't very familiar with the name; his first reaction was, “Woof, person? What kind of name is that?”

Teng Yu shrugged, “A merciful person probably named him, hoping he'd grow up to be kind and benevolent. If you don't like it, you can change it.”

“Forget it, his parents left him with that little thought; what's the point in changing it? Just call him by his name.”

“And your name? Was it given by your parents?” Teng Yu got rid of the chicken bones and, after washing his hands, lay down beside Yin Xu, muttering, “Yin Xu… Yin Xu… From the rising sun in the east, they probably wanted you to be bright and open like the morning sun.”

“Haha, then they would be disappointed.” Yin Xu smirked and snorted, “Didn't I say before? I only have my master and no parents.” He couldn't even remember the master who raised him for a few years, let alone his parents.

“You didn't look for them?”

“Look for them? Why? And who knows if these two people even exist in the world?” Yin Xu shook his head. In the Cultivation World, what was kinship? Even if they found them, so what?

If his parents were mortals, would he have to spend his life with them?

If his parents were cultivators, they were likely low-status or nonexistent. Why look for parents who couldn't even protect their child? Finding them would only be a burden.

Moreover, who knows if he was a failed product bred from the Spirit Nurturing Fruit? In the Cultivation World, in pursuit of better aptitude for the next generation, many would directly kill unsatisfactory infants after they were raised.

The word “parents” had disappeared from Yin Xu's dictionary for nearly a thousand years.