Chapter 1538 – Side Story, Nie Qing and Nie Yang [Careful Purchase]
The Nie Clan is vast, with Old Patriarch having five sons, and those sons have scattered and flourished. By the time Nie Qing’s generation began to marry and have children, there were already relatives in the clan numbering in the “hundreds,” and he couldn’t keep track of all the cousins and brothers.
Fortunately, Nie Qing didn’t have face-blindness, and his memory was good; otherwise, keeping track would be impossible.
This year at the family gathering, Nie Qing dutifully followed his father, Nie Liang, with his big, watery eyes darting around.
Nie Liang could immediately tell his son was restless and chuckled, “If you find it boring, I can have the maidservant take you to play with your cousins.”
Nie Qing’s cheeks turned red as he hung his head, too shy to meet his father’s teasing gaze.
At that time, Nie Liang hadn’t yet shone like a bright jewel; he was akin to a luminous pearl, bright yet not blinding, his presence rather low-key. This left Nie Qing’s status somewhat awkward. Nevertheless, the clan’s maidservants didn’t dare slack off, carefully attending to him.
After taking a short break in the side room, Nie Qing noticed a group of children from the clan gathering around someone in the garden.
“What are you all doing?”
From a distance, Nie Qing couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he could see the surrounded child hunching his shoulders with a face full of grievance.
As soon as the Young Masters saw Nie Qing approach, they instantly displayed displeasure.
“It’s just a casual chat among cousins.”
The tallest Young Master among them spoke, and Nie Qing recognized him as the heir of the main branch of the Nie Clan—his status was significant.
“Oh, I see. I misunderstood, my apologies, Cousin.” After saying that, Nie Qing waved to the boy in the middle, “You come here; the elders are looking for you. The maidservant searched for a long time and thought you got lost. Hurry and come with me.”
As those words left his mouth, the heir’s expression soured, but Nie Qing remained unfazed, and he couldn’t openly challenge him.
He could only watch as Nie Qing took the kid, Nie Yang, away.
“Were they bullying you earlier?”
Nie Qing had a sharp memory and vaguely recalled that this lad, who looked like an innocent little rabbit, was the child of his uncle.
Nie Yang nodded, his fingers tugging on each other, and his eyes were still red, making him look even more like a rabbit.
“Why did they bully you?”
“Cousin, that doesn’t make sense! They were bullying me because I’m shorter! Shouldn’t you be asking them why they are bullying me instead?” Nie Yang pouted in dissatisfaction but realizing he had overreacted, he awkwardly added, “I-I didn’t mean to retort; it’s just that everything has been going wrong lately, and they were being particularly annoying… I hope Cousin can forgive me for this.”
Nie Qing was good-natured and could see that Nie Yang’s predicament wasn’t great, so he wouldn’t hold it against him.
“I asked you simply because you were the only one around. If they were here too, I’d have asked them instead.”
Nie Yang’s face turned red with embarrassment, feeling sorry for his argumentative behavior.
“Well, it’s nothing… At the clan school, their work was criticized by the teacher. I entered late but ended up doing better than them, so they were jealous.” Nie Yang sighed dramatically, “If no one is jealous of you, you’re just mediocre. I won’t hold it against them.”
Upon hearing this, Nie Qing burst into laughter.
It was the first time he met such an amusing cousin.
“To be mediocre means no jealousy? You make a compelling argument!”
Nie Yang continued, “Plus, it probably has to do with how I look. They all say I look too much like a girl, which makes me easy to bully.”
Even children from prominent families are just kids at the end of the day, and there’s no end to the excuses they can come up with to justify bullying.
Nie Yang’s father had a fondness for beautiful women, resulting in a stream of children; even though Nie Yang was a legitimate son, he wasn’t given much attention.
If even his father didn’t take him seriously, what could he expect in that complex environment of the clan school?
As long as it wasn’t causing major trouble, the Teacher would not intervene in their “little quarrels.”
Nie Qing chuckled, “I see you’ve got quite the sharp tongue; you don’t seem like someone who would be easy to bully.”
Nie Yang’s eyes widened, making him appear all the more innocent and vulnerable.
Nie Qing reassured, “Let me find a chance to speak with the Teacher at the clan school. That place is meant for studying, not for the clan’s kids to gather and bully the weak. If you feel wronged, you can always tell me, and I’ll back you up.”
Nie Yang was taken aback that he could find support.
But why?
They had only just met, and Nie Qing was being so friendly; he felt a bit out of his element.
When there’s kindness without cause, something’s up.
Later on, Nie Qing’s nature would prove to be just like that—a warm-hearted central air conditioning that particularly favored Nie Yang.
“Thank you, Big Brother.”
Nie Yang was only half a year younger than Nie Qing, yet the difference in their heights was quite noticeable.
Nie Qing thought to himself, was Uncle shortchanging Nie Yang on rations, causing him to grow so small? No wonder he attracted others’ bullying.
Perhaps it was fate; although they weren’t biological brothers, they hit it off well, and before long, they were as close as if they were one person.
However, Nie Yang’s good days didn’t last long. He was secretly pushed into a water pond and swallowed a few mouthfuls of water, falling ill that night from exposure.
When Nie Qing heard the news and rushed over to see him, Nie Yang’s face was beet red from the fever.
“Brother…”
Nie Qing asked, “What’s wrong?”
Nie Yang stammered, “About last night’s incident… It wasn’t that I slipped in by accident; someone pushed me from behind.”
Nie Qing replied, “I know; I will stand up for you.”
Feeling unwell, Nie Yang became increasingly frightened as he recalled the incident.
He hadn’t been a strong swimmer, and the pond was deep enough to submerge him. He truly thought he might drown the previous night.
Why was everyone bullying him this way?
Nie Yang’s eyes reflected confusion, then he became resolute.
It’s because he had no power or influence, his father didn’t care, and his mother didn’t love him; he had no means of self-defense, which was why they could bully him.
Though Nie Qing treated him well, he couldn’t save him from being shoved into the pond and nearly drowning.
Bottom line, he had to rely on himself to rise up until no one dared to bully him again.
As these thoughts circled in his mind, a strange laugh echoed suddenly.
“You’re quite amusing; you seem to have a good sense of understanding.”
Nie Yang shivered all over, turning pale; his limbs felt cold, and no amount of thick blankets could bring him comfort.
“Who are you?”
“I am the System. You don’t need to ask directly; just think about your questions, and I can hear you.” The voice continued, “You mentioned you want to rise up by your own abilities until no one dares to bully you, right? That goal sounds a bit hard to reach.”
Nie Yang snapped back, “What’s it to you? You strange being, stop acting mysterious!”
“I don’t need to act mysterious, because I am the ghost and deity in your eyes,” the System chuckled. “Your personality fits the criteria for my chosen host. Young man, if you rely solely on yourself, you’ll face a lot of hardships in the future. Instead of that, why not become my host? My power will be at your disposal. To be honest, I am the Emperor Growth System; all my hosts are born with imperial aura and potential to seize the world. Within the Zhong Zhao territory, your imperial aura is the strongest, indicating the heavens intend for you to make your mark in chaotic times.”
“Nonsense! The world is at peace now; where is the chaos?”
If the host doesn’t believe it, just wait and see.
At that moment, Nie Yang couldn’t begin to imagine that this mysterious being was far more terrifying than he had anticipated.
