Chapter Forty: A Sturdy Pillar of Support

Knowing that Li Jing and his wife had escorted Jiang Yuan to the guest room, they still couldn't shake off a lingering sense of dread. This king was nothing like the rumored foolish and incompetent monarch.

Both had experienced firsthand the king's mastery in handling people.

"Husband, it seems this king is not as the rumors say..." Lady Yin began.

But before she could finish, Li Jing cut her off, reminding sternly, "Be careful with your words. His Majesty's station is not one we can discuss lightly."

Lady Yin immediately covered her mouth, a flicker of fear in her eyes as she glanced back at the room behind them, then hurried out of the courtyard.

Not until they had left the gates did she feel secure enough to speak with her husband.

"Though His Majesty is imposing, he ultimately spared Zha'er," she sighed in relief.

"Do you think that is a blessing or a curse?" Li Jing asked quietly.

"Of course it's a blessing! After all the trouble Zha'er caused, isn't it a good thing he survived?" she replied without hesitation.

Li Jing heard her decisive words and only sighed, saying no more. He could not bear to shatter the comforting illusion in his wife's heart.

That Nezha could survive was, of course, a good thing, but how long could he remain so after this incident?

The Chan Sect wanted to use his son as a weapon against the Shang, and the king, too, surely harbored his own designs.

Nezha’s extraordinary talent was simply too precious—the king could not bear to lose such a resource. To speak kindly, he hoped Nezha would become a great general of Shang; to speak plainly, Nezha was nothing more than a weapon.

The only difference was that the weapon now belonged to the king, not the Chan Sect.

As a minister of Shang, Li Jing found nothing wrong with this. He himself was a weapon in the king’s hand. But when it came to his son, he could not help but feel some resentment.

Yet, he took comfort in the thought that the king seemed to genuinely care for Nezha.

"Come, let’s go see that rebellious son!" Li Jing grunted.

If Nezha weren’t so fond of causing trouble, none of this would have happened, and he himself would not be so pressed by His Majesty.

Lady Yin cast a reproachful look at her husband. "You always put on a stern face, but surely you’re relieved that Nezha survived this ordeal?"

Li Jing said nothing, unwilling to admit it. As a father, he had his dignity to maintain.

The couple soon found Nezha, who sat stubbornly curled in a corner, his face full of defiance. Li Jing’s expression was cold.

Lady Yin, however, ran to Jiang Yuan with a heart full of pain. "My poor Zha’er, how could you suffer so? Let mother heal your wounds."

She reached to channel her magic to heal him, but Li Jing stopped her.

"Do you want him dead sooner? With his powers sealed, he can’t cause any more trouble. If you break the seal on his scapula, he might stir up even greater disaster!" Li Jing scolded.

Hearing this, Lady Yin hesitated and withdrew her energy. Nezha, stubborn as ever, snapped, "I don’t want it. I don’t need it. I can heal myself!"

"I only care that you don’t heal too quickly. Once you’re with the king, there will be someone to tend your wounds," Li Jing sneered.

"I won’t follow that tyrant!" Nezha retorted with disdain.

"You have no say in the matter. You can’t go anywhere now! I want to see how much trouble you can cause without your powers," Li Jing continued.

"My master will come to save me!"

Once Taiyi Zhenren was mentioned, Li Jing’s fury flared—this old schemer had nearly plunged his son into ruin.

He raised a hand as if to strike. "How dare you mention that cunning master of yours! I should never have let him teach you!"

"What’s wrong with my master? Didn’t he make me powerful?" Nezha argued.

"Powerful? If you’re so powerful, why do you bring calamity upon yourself and have people knocking on our door?" Li Jing retorted mercilessly.

Nezha had no answer; he certainly couldn’t admit it was his own reckless words.

"Taiyi Zhenren taught you skills, but not how to use them wisely. That’s the root of all your troubles! He didn’t save you—he harmed you, you unfilial child!" Li Jing grew angrier the more he spoke, and if not for Lady Yin’s desperate intervention, Nezha’s fragile body would surely have suffered another kick.

"So I love causing trouble, what of it? If you didn’t want this, you shouldn’t have had me!" Nezha, enraged by his father, began to speak nonsense.

"If I’d known you’d turn out like this, I’d rather you’d died in the womb!" Their argument escalated, neither willing to yield.

Had Jiang Yuan witnessed this, he would surely have wondered if Nezha’s rebellious phase had come a little too early—already so defiant before even reaching adolescence.

Lady Yin could stand no more.

"Enough! Both of you, be quiet! What’s the use of this fighting? Who knows if you two will ever see each other again after Nezha goes with the king, and here you are bickering. It’s maddening!"

Had Jiang Yuan heard this, he might have sighed at the sincerity of their family dynamic. With parents like these, is it any wonder Nezha turned out the way he did?

After her outburst, Li Jing wisely stopped scolding Nezha, shooting Jiang Yuan a cold glance before departing.

His wife might seem gentle, but when she truly scolded, neither he nor Nezha could withstand her.

She had been especially hot-tempered in her youth, only mellowing somewhat after bearing Nezha—perhaps three years of pregnancy had subdued her spirit.

Li Jing often felt for his wife—three years of pregnancy, the loneliness of it, was something few could understand.

He’d often hear her talking to unborn Nezha, as if talking to herself, and in a way, the unborn child had soothed much of her solitude.

That was why, among her three sons, Lady Yin was especially gentle with Nezha; the other two, Gold Zha and Wood Zha, feared their mother like a tiger.

As he left, Li Jing reflected that it was true—too much motherly affection spoils a child.

Once Li Jing had gone, Lady Yin let her anger fade, her face lighting up with genuine warmth as she turned to Nezha. "Zha’er, tell mother, does it hurt?"

Nezha, knowing his mother’s love, could only show his childlike side before her. He pouted, a little aggrieved. "Mother, it hurts..."

Lady Yin nearly wept at his words, but she forced herself to appear strong and wiped her tears away in secret.

She smiled, "Let mother see your wounds."

Obediently, Nezha turned around. Lady Yin gently applied ointment to his skin—only for surface wounds, of course, nothing that would restore his powers.

As she did so, she spoke earnestly, "Zha’er, once you’re with the king, you can’t behave as you did before. The king is the ruler of heaven and earth; there are things you must never say or do."

"Mother tells you this for your own good. You may not understand now, but remember these words. One day, you’ll know your parents’ intentions."

Nezha asked, puzzled, "Why does father want me to follow that tyrant?"

Lady Yin tapped him gently, careful not to aggravate his injuries, and chided, "Just now, I told you there are things you mustn’t say—calling the king a tyrant is one of them."

"Why not?" Nezha was clueless; all this was what his master, Taiyi Zhenren, had told him.

He didn’t understand, but having heard it so often, he’d memorized it.

Lady Yin looked at her ever-curious son and sighed. "Perhaps your father was right. Maybe it would have been better not to let Taiyi Zhenren take you and teach you these skills. The more talented a child, the more likely trouble will follow."

"But I don’t have those powers now, do I? All my treasures were taken by that tyra—the king," Nezha said miserably.

Lady Yin smiled, stroking his head. "The king is probably planning to train you. In time, your powers and treasures may be returned."

"What if he mistreats me? Won’t you feel sorry for me? What if all those rumors are true? And what if he eats children?" Nezha bombarded her with wild questions.

Lady Yin actually took these concerns seriously, her brow furrowing as she pondered. After all, what Nezha said wasn’t impossible...

"Well... the king doesn’t seem like that sort of person. Eating children is something only monsters do," she answered uncertainly.

Seeing his mother wavering, Nezha quickly pressed his advantage, "So, mother, you should unlock my powers. If that King Zhou tries anything, at least I can protect myself."

Lady Yin’s eyes lit up at the suggestion, but then her husband’s words echoed in her mind: if Nezha regained his powers, he might bring even greater calamity. She was torn.

"Mother, what are you waiting for? You don’t want your obedient Zha’er to suffer at King Zhou’s hands, do you?" Nezha pleaded, inwardly plotting that, once his powers returned, his first act would be to ambush King Zhou—kill him, and all problems would be solved.

Had Jiang Yuan known what Nezha was thinking, he’d surely have exclaimed: “My god, these youngsters have no sense of honor! Planning to ambush an old comrade like me!”

In the end, Lady Yin chose to trust her husband. For now, Nezha was safe enough; if she gave in, he might really lose his life.

"Don’t worry, Zha’er. Your father and I will always stand behind you. We will always be your strongest support!" Lady Yin encouraged him with a look full of warmth.

No matter what, she would always stand by her child.

Seeing his mother’s encouraging gaze, Nezha finally gave up hope. He turned to face her, cheeks puffed in frustration.

"Turn around, Zha’er, your wounds aren’t all tended yet," Lady Yin said gently.

"No more ointment! If I’m going to be eaten, what’s the point of treating a few wounds?" Nezha muttered rebelliously.