Chapter 37: My Identity Is Already Exposed?

Lin Shou, with his sharp, monkey-like face, grinned, making his triangular eyes squint into mere slits. If this were a television drama, he wouldn't even need makeup to pass as a quintessential villain.

"Hey, kid! I suggest you run home to your mother's milk. It's crowded here, and if you get trampled to death, there won't be anyone left to plead your case!" Lin Shou sneered, his voice high and grating.

The little boy didn't rush to retort. Instead, he turned to the Imperial Guard beside him. "Listen to his tone and the way he speaks—doesn't he sound exactly like a palace eunuch?"

The guard played along, "He sounds even more like a eunuch than a eunuch!"

Lin Shou turned purple with rage. The Lin family was wealthy and powerful, and he had many wives and concubines. Yet, for some reason, he had no children—not even a daughter. Because of this, people outside often cursed his family line as a dead end and mocked him for being a eunuch. It was a subject he was incredibly sensitive about.

"Whose brat are you? Are you tired of living?" Lin Shou gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

The man selling handicrafts tugged at the boy's sleeve. "Child, run! Get home! We commoners can't afford to provoke them. The Lin family has connections in the local government and even at the imperial court!"

"Well, that’s a coincidence. I have people at court, too!" Zhu Xiongying smiled slightly, pulling a slingshot from his tunic—the kind used for firing steel ball bearings. He pulled the elastic band back with force, aimed squarely at the space between Lin Shou’s legs, and let go.

*Thwip!*

The sound of the projectile cutting through the air was followed immediately by Lin Shou’s face contorting in agony. He collapsed to the ground, howling, "Argh!"

The surrounding crowd gasped.

"That... that has to hurt, right?"
"Is that even a question? Have you never been snapped by a hoe handle while working?"
"Hiss... just thinking about it makes me ache!"
"Looking at it, he’s really become a eunuch now!"
"Whose child is this? He’s caused such a disaster; if he doesn't run now, it'll be too late!"

While the onlookers were secretly delighted to see the local bully get his comeuppance, they also worried for the boy.

"You dare hit our Young Master? Are you looking for death?" Seeing their master injured, the servants ignored everything else and charged forward, sticks in hand. There were twenty or thirty of them, a menacing black mass.

In the distance, under a tree, two young men watching the scene scrambled over. "Oh no! The brother-in-law is in trouble!"

The Imperial Guards lined up in perfect order, forming a human wall to shield Zhu Xiongying. Before the servants could even reach them, their sticks were snatched away. Moments later, the very same clubs were raining down on the servants' own heads, leaving them dizzy and disoriented. They collapsed to the ground one by one, not even realizing what had happened.

By the time Xu Huizu and Xu Yingxu reached the spot, the two or three dozen toughs had already been dealt with.

"Damn..." the brothers cursed under their breath. They had assumed the little boy was just guarded by ordinary palace sentries. They hadn't expected them to be the elite of the elite! In just a few breaths, they had laid out the entire group.

Looking at their little brother-in-law, he hadn't been idle either. Every marble had struck Lin Shou with pinpoint accuracy. Now, not only was his head covered in bumps, but his nose and mouth were bleeding profusely. Two broken teeth lay on the ground. The brothers shuddered: this kid played dirty!

*Clap, clap, clap!*

Once the situation was under control, the crowd erupted into applause.

"Move! Move! Everyone out of the way!" A squad of yamen runners, blades at their waists, pushed through the crowd.

When the officers recognized the man on the ground, they were shocked. "Master Lin? What happened to you? Who is so bold as to assault you?"

Lin Shou was the son-in-law of the Yingtian Prefecture magistrate, which was why the locals said the Lin family had connections in the government. He relied on these ties and his family wealth to bully the city.

Lying in a pool of blood, Lin Shou slowly raised a hand, pointing at Zhu Xiongying, and let out a garbled sound: "He..."

*Thwip!*

Before his hand could even finish the gesture, another steel ball struck the very finger he was pointing with.

"Argh!" Another miserable shriek followed.

"Quick! Get him back to the Lin manor!" the lead officer ordered. As they carried Lin Shou past Zhu Xiongying, the boy pulled out his slingshot again, causing Lin Shou to cower and shield his head in terror.

"Hahaha!" The boy burst into laughter. A bird startled by the mere twang of a bow—that was exactly what he was.

"Audacious!" The lead officer didn't leave. He and his remaining men drew their blades, intending to haul Zhu Xiongying to the yamen. "You dare commit violence in the streets? Come with us to the magistrate's office; I’ll make sure you have a place to eat for the rest of your life!"

"Take me to the yamen?" Zhu Xiongying tilted his head, feigning confusion. "Really? Can the Imperial Grandson go to the yamen dungeon?"

"What?" The officer’s face turned deathly pale. He looked at the boy’s guards—each one exuding an imposing, lethal aura. They were clearly no ordinary escorts!

*Ding! Congratulations to the host for terrifying the yamen runners. Reward: two months of lifespan, one month...*

The boy chuckled to himself. He had guessed that revealing his identity would trigger a lifespan reward.

"No wonder this child had the courage to punish the beast from the Lin family—it’s the Imperial Grandson!"
"I heard that the fine salt we eat now is all thanks to the Imperial Grandson!"
"I never thought I’d actually see the Imperial Grandson today. This is something I can brag about for the rest of my life!"

Learning the identity of the boy who had stood up for justice, the crowd immediately knelt in obeisance. The accompanying Imperial Guards felt helpless. Weren't they supposed to keep their identities secret? How did they blow their cover the moment they left the palace?

"Your... Your Highness, the Imperial Grandson! We were blind and failed to recognize greatness. We are truly sorry!" The lead officer apologized profusely, ready to turn and run.

"Stop!" The boy called out before they had taken two steps.

"Your Highness, is there... is there anything else you require?" The officer bowed low, his attitude humble, a far cry from the arrogant, entitled bully he had been moments before.

"You are yamen runners. Such a massive incident occurred right here on the street, and you didn't even ask a single question before trying to leave?" Zhu Xiongying pointed at the old man, who was clutching his stomach as he was helped to his feet.

"Ah? This... this...?" The officer had been so focused on Lin Shou that he hadn't even noticed the old man or the young girl. He stood there, completely bewildered.

Left with no choice, he cleared the crowd and helped the victims into a nearby restaurant to investigate the matter properly.