The Youngest Prince of the Zhou Family - Chapter 2

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Youngest Master of the Zhu Family (2)

Mother

Under a clear sky without a single cloud.

Feeling the gentle breeze that softly blew, with a warm cup of tea.

I wanted to sit like that with Mother without saying a word.

“…Is something wrong?”

I had achieved my dream.

I could finally experience firsthand what I could only imagine in my previous life.

“No.”

“But what could it be? My son drinking tea together with his mother?”

Was that so?

Had I never once shared such a moment with Mother in my previous life?

…I can’t remember.

“In the future… I’ll visit often.”

“….”

At my words, Mother’s expression hardened.

Then she quietly took my hand.

“…Is there really nothing wrong? This isn’t like you at all.”

“I’ve unnecessarily caused you worry, Mother. It’s nothing like that.”

I said with a smile.

How much I had grumbled and been irritable with Mother like this in my previous life.

If I could meet my past self, I would give him a thorough beating….

“I just feel like I’ve been too immature. All this time.”

“….”

At those words, a pleased smile spread across Mother’s lips.

​Yu Harin.

The second daughter of the Yu Family from Shaanxi, who met Father by chance, and Father fell in love with Mother at first sight and proceeded very boldly to marriage.​

But Mother suffered from a congenital illness.

Naturally, the Zhu Family absolutely refused to accept Mother, whose background was mediocre and whose body was weak.

However, when Father declared he would throw away his position as family head for Mother’s sake, the elders of the Zhu Clan ultimately had no choice but to bend their will and approve the marriage.

In any case, Mother was so beautiful and graceful that Father fell in love at first sight.

She was a kind person who took care not only of the servants, but even her step-children with devotion.

​”Where did I leave off?”

I never knew.

I had no idea Mother was such a talkative person.

I quietly listened to Mother’s stories again and again.

Just sitting quietly like this felt so wonderful.​

Why did I always have to be such a terrible son to this Mother?

“Oh my, was it boring?”

“Not at all. Listening like this, I was thinking how truly beautiful Mother’s voice is.”

“Ho ho ho, really? Even this mother didn’t know our son could speak such sweet words so shamelessly?”

Her laughing face was as lovely as a blooming flower.

I held Mother’s hand tightly.

“I’ll pull myself together, Mother. I will never disappoint you again.”

“Of course. My son. This mother has always believed in you.”

I wanted to keep seeing that smile.

No, I will see it.

There will absolutely be no such thing as Mother passing away in my future.

I sharply surveyed the surroundings and then left Mother’s quarters.

​

* * *

​

I returned straight to my room.

I couldn’t show it in front of my sick Mother, so I held it in.

Entering my room, I first recalled memories from my previous life and organized my thoughts.

Perhaps the family’s path to ruin could be said to have begun after Mother’s death.

Father was someone who cherished Mother more than I had thought.

After Mother passed away, he cast aside family affairs and collapsed helplessly.

When the family head couldn’t maintain his center, it was natural for the family to waver.

Taking advantage of that moment, those damned bastards who had been quietly crouching began to crawl out.

That was the image of my family from the past that I remembered.

And what I felt while meeting Mother today….​

‘It was definitely poison qi.’​

Mother is holding the center of this Zhu Family Estate.

Such a Mother will suddenly have her illness worsen a year from now and eventually pass away.

I thought that was all I knew.

‘What if there’s someone who orchestrated Mother’s death? What if that person is a spy from the Demonic Cult?’

As I calmed down, my thoughts began to organize at a frightening speed.

Thinking about it carefully, it was full of strange incidents.

‘As if it was planned… the family collapsed suddenly.’​

The Five Great Families Under Heaven also collapsed rapidly due to internal traitors.

If even the Five Great Families were like that, would the Zhu Family really be different?

The Zhu Family is a prestigious family.

It’s a great family with fame and power comparable to the Five Great Families Under Heaven.

‘There’s a traitor within the family.’

What if everything was ultimately a trap set by the Demonic Cult, a prepared game?

‘I must stop it. First, I need to save Mother.’

Before leaving Mother’s quarters, I recalled all the faces of the servants I had seen.

They are the people who can most easily meet Mother and are in the closest position to administer poison to her.

Their martial prowess is ordinary, so they draw less suspicion.

Aren’t they in the best position to actually harm Mother?

“Mu Ying.”

I immediately called for Mu Ying.

From now on, I planned to thoroughly investigate the movements of the Back Garden’s Separate Residence.

Of course, not me, but Mu Ying.

​

* * *

​

The Zhu Family purchased an enormous plot of land and built a massive estate on it.

As if to show majesty and dignity that wouldn’t pale in comparison to the Five Great Families Under Heaven, the size inside the family estate was truly overwhelming.​

Father’s love for Mother was so devoted that he gave her the entire Back Garden of such a Zhu Family.

Mu Ying was watching from beyond the Back Garden’s wall, secretly hiding his body.

Woo Jin’s unusual command kept circling in his mind.

‘Find out everything about those who come and go from the Back Garden, and Mother’s entire daily movements.’

It was an incomprehensible command, but today Woo Jin’s eyes were different.

He didn’t seem like the young master who was always doing crazy things and being lazy.​

There were a few arguments, but in the end, Mu Ying couldn’t break Woo Jin’s stubbornness.

So he moved.

The stepmother’s quarters, the surrounding servants and Guard Warriors.

Mu Ying silently began recording everything and examining it in detail.

‘I’m going to attend the dinner gathering in the Main Hall. Come back before then.’

At first, he wondered what this was all about, but seeing Woo Jin’s unfamiliar, strange demeanor for the first time, he had no choice but to focus his attention again.​

The reason for entrusting it to Mu Ying was obvious.

‘There are guards in the Back Garden too.’

Would the skills of the Guard Warriors protecting a great family’s stepmother really be ordinary?

No.

If he sat there stubbornly in such a place, he would naturally catch the guards’ attention.

But Mu Ying was different.

‘Dragon Ascension Unit.’

A close guard assigned to me by Father’s direct order, and my shadow guard.

Mu Ying was a warrior of the Dragon Ascension Unit, called the sharpest Sword of the great family.

Since I caused so much trouble, he was deployed as an elite among elites in case something might happen.

I planned to use him to deceive the eyes of the Separate Residence guards and observe the situation there.

And as time passed, Mu Ying returned before dinner time.

“How did it go?”

“I’ve recorded everything here.”

Mu Ying immediately took out a sheet of paper from his chest and handed it to me.

The people and servants who came and went from the Back Garden, and even the formation and positions of the warriors stationed around.

As expected of Mu Ying.

“Well done.”

I was satisfied.

I only needed to know roughly how many there were, but it seemed he had examined everything very thoroughly and properly.

“Now please tell me the reason.”

Mu Ying asked me with a stern expression.

“Why you ordered me to spy on the stepmother.”

I pondered for a moment.

Mu Ying was someone I could trust sufficiently.​

I remembered him fighting the Demonic Cult to the very end to protect me and to protect the family.

‘The Family Head ordered that Young Master’s safety be the top priority. Young Master’s safety… is my primary mission.’

​

Mu Ying’s final appearance, steadfastly blocking my front even with his arm severed.

Though he could have harbored resentment, his eyes remained unwavering and upright to the end.

Warrior.

Yes, Mu Ying was certainly a warrior.

“Listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”

Mu Ying was my close guard.

Wherever we went, his gaze was always directed toward me.

If I couldn’t be free from his gaze, I had no choice but to make him completely my ally.

​

* * *

​

That evening.

I headed to the Main Hall to attend the dinner gathering as Father had mentioned during the day.

‘Ridiculous.’

I laughed even while walking.

Originally, I never participated in such gatherings.

Father always scolded me whenever he saw me, and if I was unlucky, I might encounter Second Brother.

Unlike Eldest Brother who had a benevolent nature, Second Brother was a bastard who couldn’t wait to devour me whenever he saw me.

‘Now I can’t avoid it.’

Twisted rebelliousness.

In my previous life, I would get thoroughly sulky with Father over even the most trivial reasons and absolutely refused to listen to him.

But not anymore.

‘The outside is fifteen, but the inside is past forty.’

It was disgusting to think about… but what could I do?

I had returned like this.

Anyway, after losing important things, I could newly realize things I hadn’t seen before.

Father, in his own way, had been desperately doing his best for me.

I had realized this far too late.

‘Now I can apologize.’

I would no longer ignore Father’s best efforts.

I hadn’t done anything good for him either.

Thud!

I opened the door to the Main Hall.

I could hear surprised murmuring from servants here and there.

Predictable.

Why? Why wasn’t I at the Extreme Pleasure House at this time but here instead…?

Had I gone crazy? What had I eaten wrong… and so on.​

Yes, this was my current position.

Even those servants would pretend to fear me and avoid me while murmuring behind my back.

In my previous life, I looked down on them and didn’t even care, so I couldn’t hear it…

Now I could hear and see everything.

“….”

I quietly looked at them.

“Hic.”

“Hup.”

The flustered servants trembled as if having seizures.

Before crossing into the Main Hall, I quietly opened my mouth.

“I can hear everything.”

“….”

“….”

Yes, that’s enough.

With this much warning, they’ll be careful from now on.

Since I had done things too, I’ll let it slide gently today.

I gently patted their shoulders and crossed through the Main Hall door.

That’s when it happened.

The area around the Main Hall was so quiet it was suffocating.

As soon as I crossed the threshold of the Main Hall, my Dantian stirred and my entire body’s senses stood on end like needles.

‘Crazy.’

And I felt tremendous Killing Intent.

Gazes piercing through me one by one shot in from all directions.

‘What is this?’

I was flustered.

Naturally, I know what the source of this killing intent is.

‘Dragon Ascension Unit.’

The Dragon Ascension Unit, one of the strongest military forces in the family that guards the family head.

Normally, there would be no way I could sense their killing intent.

With my current level of martial arts, they are beings I wouldn’t even dare to challenge.

And yet….

I felt it.

‘Fifteen.’

The number of personnel, even their ambush positions are crystal clear.

It’s not like I tried to figure it out.

My body simply reacted first.

‘Ha, could this be… the influence of regression? This ridiculous sense?’

Things I didn’t know in my previous life.

From the poison qi inherent in Mother’s body to the Dragon Ascension Unit’s killing intent.

This was definitely not a coincidence.

Soon, the killing intent disappeared as if washed away.

Only then could I relax my tense body and step into the Main Hall.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————