Pavilion Master Menghao lip twitched. A slight blush crept on Mother Bing's cheeks, and an awkward silence settled over the room.
But it didn't last very long as Xu'er broke the silence, her eyes sparkling with excitement, "Monkeys? I want to see monkeys. Brother, when are we going to see them? But if they hurt you, then I will beat them up." She brandished her tiny fist like a warrior.
Everyone laughed. Yuan caressed her head gently, "Xu'er, you're too young now. I'll take you with me when you're older."
"Promise?" she asked, her eyes wide with hope.
"Pinky promise," Yuan replied, locking his pinky with hers.
A family of four chatted till dinner. After dinner, Yuan went to his room, where he found Silver curled up on his small bed, sleeping soundly.
The next morning, after morning exercise, Yuan took a shower and changed his clothes. Silver leaped on the table and began lapping up fresh milk yuan poured for him.
A familiar scent invaded the air, one that sent his instincts on high alert. "Blood" After living in the forest for so long, Yuan was very sensitive to the smell of blood. He scanned the room, soon realizing silver was the source of the bloody smell.
Panic surged within him. Had his little companion been hurt? He scooped Silver up, carefully inspecting him for wounds, but found nothing amiss. Then he noticed the crimson residue around Silver's mouth. It wasn't his blood—it was something he had eaten.
Rage boiled inside Yuan. Who the hell was feeding an infant such things.? He had specifically ordered milk, nothing more.
"Maybe someone left it out in the open, and Silver ate it," he thought, trying to soothe his boiling rage.
He approached Silver's small bed, checked it carefully, and finally spotted pieces of Red Cherry scattered about.
Something clicked in his mind as soon as he saw the red cherry. "So Silver was the infamous thief in the pavilion" he muttered to himself, shaking his head in disbelief.
Determined, he carried Silver to the fifth floor, where he found only Pavilion Master Meng Hao present. "Dad, I think I've found the thief!" he declared.
"What? You found the thief? Where is it?" a surprised voice behind him interjected. Yuan turned and saw Mother Bing standing behind him, her expression a mix of curiosity and concern.
"Yes, this little rascal is the thief," Yuan said, placing Silver before them, gesturing to the pieces of red cherry he found on Silver's bed.
Meng Hao examined the remnants closely, his eyes narrowing. Mother Bing joined him, studying the pieces intently.
"Blood Red Cherry!" they exclaimed in unison, shock evident in their voices.
Yuan was startled. "What's so special about it?"
Mother Bing took a deep breath and slowly explained, "This isn't just any red cherry; it's over a hundred years old known as Blood Red Cherry. Most people can't tell the difference because they look the same"
"The older the red cherry, the stronger the blood scent. Regular red cherries are only Grade 1 herbs, but Blood Red Cherry is Grade 4 herb, prized by alchemy masters."
Meng Hao summoned a retainer. "Bring all the recently acquired red cherries," he commanded. After a while, the retainer brought them the herbs. Mother Bing received the herbs and began examining them meticulously, her eyes gleaming with hope.
To their delight, she soon discovered two Blood Red Cherries among the lot. "We found them!" she exclaimed, joy radiating from her.
To their luck, she found 2 blood red cherries. They made them very happy. Mother Bing kept the 2 herbs, returning the remaining herbs to the shocked retainer.
Yuan smiled, the earlier tension easing as though he wondered how the infant wolf, Silver was safe despite eating a Grade 4 herb. But Mother Bing had completely different thoughts.
"Yuan, I just had a realization about you," Mother Bing said, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"What is it?" Yuan's brow furrowed; confusion etched on his face. "You lack the ability to differentiate between things, don't you?" Mother Bing said.
Yuan was bewildered. He didn't know how to answer that. He glanced at PM Meng, whose surprise mirrored his own.
PM Meng asked in a low tone, "Dear, what are you saying?"
With a pointed finger, Mother Bing gestured toward Yuan. "This fool became a 1-star evaluator in three days and can evaluate a 2-star beast quite well now," she declared, pride hidden beneath a layer of playful sarcasm.
As she recounted the Golden Crane sect event and Yuan's newfound skills, PM Meng's expression shifted from curiosity to astonishment.
"What does any of that have to do with him not having the ability to discern things?" he asked, a smile creeping onto his lips despite his efforts to remain composed.
"He's read countless books but lacks practical experience. I don't know what he has been doing in the forest for all these years. I think it's time we taught him about the ways of life," she replied, her tone matter-of-fact.
After a moment of contemplation, PM Meng nodded in agreement. "So, how do you plan to teach him?"
"Simple," she whispered in his ears, a devious smile curling her lips. Yuan shuddered and the chill that ran down Yuan's spine was impossible to ignore.
Just like that a life full of torture began for Yuan.