"Hei Yue, call someone to prepare food and have it brought here. I'm hungry." In the end, Long Yuan'an decided to ignore the man in front of him. His stomach is empty, he didn't have the energy to continue pondering about how to deal with a strange uncle who obviously is only interested in the automaton in his hands.
"Yes, Young Lord." Hei Yue snapped his fingers, a shadow flitted from behind him and disappeared from the room. Long Yuan'an saw that the weird uncle was still mesmerized by the automaton that was moving around. Although he really wanted to leave the study, he couldn't because the various blueprints made by his mother was still inside the room. Friend or foe, he would never let anyone stay in his mother's study now that none of his parents were present.
A few moments later, the wooden automaton stopped moving. The uncle who had been staring at the automaton for a while, finally moved. His big hands cautiously moved towards the automaton, then urgently looked at Long Yuan'an as he said excitedly: "Quick, make the doll move again! I want to see how this doll can move!"
Long Yuan'an blinked his big starry eyes at the weird uncle for a while, took the automaton on the table, but didn't do anything. He just quietly looked at the eyes full of anticipation in front of him.
"Uncle, if you want me to make this doll move, you have to answer my questions first oh," The young boy said. His childish voice made him sound adorably cheeky, as if he was teasing the older man in front of him.
"Question? What question? Hurry and ask, I want to see what else can that doll do!"
"First, who are you and what are you doing here? Second, no one is allowed into my mother's study without permission and there was spell preventing intruder to enter the study. How were you able to enter?" The little boy spoke slow and clearly. The expression was calm as if the one in front of him was not an elder decades older and stronger than him, but of the same level. His eyes have no cautiousness of seeing a stranger, but pure curiousity.
Seeing that the little kid in front of him was actually not afraid of him, the man was stunned for quite a while. His burly look was usually intimidating enough for the timid, and his overly excited attitude when it comes to anything related to blacksmithing even a bit would make even the adult disciples cower.
Yet, the boy sitting in front of him was facing him eye-to-eye, without even a bit of expression. This was their first meeting, but there was no fear in him, only indifference. The last time he saw such expression was a few decades ago, when he first met the stinky boy Long Tianyue. Looking at the brat's facial features...
"Oho... kid, you must be the stinky brat's boy!" The man slammed the table with a hand, his expression changed into a face full of laughter. "You're as courageous as your dad! I like you! What's your name?" Then he gave a boisterous laughter, confusing the boy.
"Uncle, you haven't answered my questions yet." Long Yuan'an frowned. It's really annoying when you have to repeat your questions many times!
"Right, right! ...What was the questions again?"
Long Yuan'an face darkened. His hands was holding on the edge of the table, ready to flip it. In the end, he sighed. "...Hei Yue."
Hei Yue was still holding back his laughter, so his tone was a somehow hitched as he asked. "This... elder, may we know who might you be? And how were you able to enter my Lord Madam's study?"
"Right, right, right! Introduction!" The man held the gesture of holding his fist in his palm in front of the boy, then solemnly introduced himself: "Cloudy Iron Peak's Peak Master Bing's Eldest Disciple, Lin Xiongzhi, at your service. This one was ordered by the Sect Lord to look after martial junior brother Long's little son Long Yuan'an in the absence of his parents in her stead as she is unavailable at this moment. Pleased to be your acquaintance."
Hearing his name, Long Yuan'an marvelled at how fitting a name given to the man in front of him. Xiongzhi, Xiongzi... a bear. He decided to call him Uncle Bear henceforth.
Along with this thought, the boy also made the same gesture as Lin Xiongzhi and replied: "I am Long Yuan'an. Pleased to be your acquaintance, Uncle Bear." The actions was simple and neat, like nothing was wrong with his attitude and wordings, but it made the whole room fall silent.
Lin Xiongzhi remembered that a long time ago, there was a stinky brat who called him "Brother Bear" when they were first introduced to each other. That stinky brat was exactly the father of the little boy in front of him.
The two father and son are really similar, he thought.