Resplendent – Chapter 494

Chapter 494 — Harboring Ill Intent?

“Your daughter is in a bad mood. Let her be quiet for a while. Don’t ask her anything. Wait until she wants to speak, then gently inquire.” The Duke gathered his sons from Mingzhu Pavilion and said to his daughter sitting by the window, lost in thought, “Ye’er, we won’t disturb you. Don’t overthink… We are a family. No matter what happens, your father and brothers will always stand firmly behind you!”

Gu Ye forced a small smile and gave a slight nod. 

Thinking of the past few nights, seeing the candle in her father’s study burning late into the night, the few silver strands now appearing at his temples, she felt a gentle warmth in her heart. 

This is family—people who care for you, worry about you, and hate seeing you wronged.

“Father, Mother, give me some time. I’ll handle everything!” Gu Ye knew that everything Brother Chen said came from the heart. 

The only reason she hadn’t listened or trusted him was because of the knot in her heart—a stubborn doubt that made her frown and caused her father to worry. She didn’t want to forgive him so easily.

“No matter what choice you make, I will support you!” Chu Mutong has observed how Prince Ning treated his sister and caught a glimpse of his feelings. 

He didn’t know how Prince Ning and his sister had become involved, but with one rushing to explain and the other throwing a little tantrum, it looked like a pair of young lovers caught in a misunderstanding… 

Damn it! His sister was so young. Wasn’t Prince Ning taking advantage of her innocent heart?

The Duke, along with his sons, escorted Lady Jun back to Rong’an Garden. They were all intensely curious about the entanglement between their daughter (and sister) and Prince Ning.

Once they arrived in the Rong’an Garden living room, Chu Mushan shook off his raincoat, handed his umbrella to a waiting maid, and eagerly pulled Gu Ming over. “Xiao Ming, do you know how our sister met Prince Ning?”

Gu Ming thought for a moment, then recounted in detail what had happened back in Qingshan Village: how his sister had rescued the seriously poisoned and critically injured Young Master Ling on the mountain and taken him in to recover.

“Young Master Ling is almost a generation older than Sister, and he’s so handsome, even more so than most girls! Grandfather and I both thought they weren’t a suitable match. But Sister has a little quirk: she likes everything beautiful and exquisite…”

Back in Yan City, Ling Juechen had taught him some martial arts, and Gu Ming’s impression of him had been fairly positive. He just hadn’t expected that Young Master Ling was actually the renowned War God of Yan, now even granted a princely title with a different surname. 

He had always assumed that he was merely the son of a well-off merchant.

“So… you mean Sister likes Prince Ning because he’s handsome?” Chu Mufeng suddenly realized that back in Yan City, his sister had also stared at him with bright, sparkling eyes. Could it be that in her eyes, he too belonged to the ‘handsome’ category?

The Duke didn’t know what expression to make. He wiped his face with his hand and said, “Isn’t General Ling the type who most dislikes people commenting on his looks? Didn’t he get mad at Ye’er?”

“Never! It seems he even uses his looks to get close to Sister, trying to win her favor!” Gu Ming recalled the legendary cold-faced, ruthless War God, acting coquettishly and cute in front of his sister, with not a hint of incongruity!

Chu Mushan felt uneasy. 

With Prince Ning putting in so much effort, perhaps his feelings for his sister were more than just admiration? He frowned and said, “Unbelievable, Sister was already that formidable back in Qingshan Village!”

“Yes! Sister’s Hua Tuo–level medical skills are practically miraculous. She said that Brother Ling’s rib had pierced his lung, so she opened his chest cavity, set the bone back in place, stitched the wound, and saved his life. And the poison in his body, something called Seven Deaths Powder, was something supposedly no one in the martial world can cure; but it didn’t stump Sister!” Gu Ming’s tone carried a hint of pride. “If he hadn’t met my sister, the Grand King General of Yan, the famed War God, would’ve long been a corpse!”

“Then tell me… could Prince Ning be using our sister’s medical and alchemy skills as motivation, using a beauty trap to win her favor?” Chu Mushan’s face was stiff, his fist tightly clenched.

Gu Ming seriously recalled that period of time, then slowly shook his head. “From what I saw, Brother Ling’s feelings for her didn’t look fake at all. There was a natural, indescribable sense of understanding between them. It’s as if outsiders couldn’t step into their world. If all that were an act, then Brother Ling’s acting skills would surpass the greatest performers alive.”

But Chu Mushan was far less optimistic. He snorted and said, “At your age, what do you know about real feelings? I think that Prince Ning definitely has impure motives! Think about it—how old was our sister then? Just a tiny little bean sprout, not even grown yet, and he supposedly put his whole heart into her? Absurd! If he dares to deceive her feelings, I’ll make sure he pays for it!”

“How are you going to make him pay? In terms of martial skill, you’re not even fit to carry his shoes. In terms of strategy, what little cleverness do you have that can compare to the cunning as a fox, godlike battlefield general?” Chu Mutong lightly tapped Xiaoliu on the head with his folding fan.

“Third Brother, don’t crush other people’s spirit, okay? I alone can’t move him, but don’t we have our brothers? Even ants can kill an elephant if there are enough of them! Don’t believe me? The five of us… plus Big Brother who’s far off at the border, couldn’t we handle just one Prince Ning?” Chu Mushan said, full of determination.

If they could defeat the famed Jade-Faced War God, their names would be known across the land! Of course, that wasn’t the main goal. The real goal was to stand up for their sister and vent on her behalf!

“Huh? Why are you all staring at me like that? Did I say something wrong?” Xiaoliu asked, noticing his brothers shaking their heads as if he’d lost his mind.

“Xiaoliu, you’re still too young, too naive!” Chu Mubai sighed and rubbed Sixth Brother’s head.

After successfully ruffling his hair into a nest, he continued, “What we’ve learned is battlefield combat. It’s said that Ling Juechen’s skill is well-known even in the martial world. When he was barely in his teens, he was called the ‘Jade-Faced Asura,’ ranking in the top ten of martial arts masters. And he wasn’t even fifteen at the time!”

“This won’t work, that won’t work! Tell me, how are we supposed to stand up for our sister?” Chu Mushan pushed aside Xiaowu’s hand that was messing with his hair, clearly frustrated.

Chu Mutong’s refined face broke into a sly, foxlike smile. “If Prince Ning really cares about your sister, he’ll come to her on his own. By then, he’ll consider you as a future brother-in-law. What could he possibly do to you?”

“Who’s his brother-in-law! None of us agreed to that!” Chu Mushan grumbled, fixing his hair. 

Fifth Brother was really annoying—always messing with his hair!