Chapter 687: Chapter 407: Among the Top Candidates_2
Sure! Here’s the translation:
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As she remembered where she was and who she was looking at, her crying persisted for fifteen minutes, and she felt her cheeks flush red as she freed herself from Yan Xiaobao’s embrace. She quickly muttered something under her breath: "That’s... oh, I forgot about working at the clinic." As she escaped from the crowded room, she left her friends staring in stunned silence.
Yan Xiaobao’s face carried a bit of a bashful smile as he walked over to Sha Yun, giving her a massive hug and thanking her for embracing him once more. He also felt guilty for not being able to reciprocate her feelings. "I’m sorry," he whispered quietly to her, his face showing a pained smile. Sha Yun knew about the feelings between Yan Xiaobao and Wang Julong. Even though she tried to brush them aside, she couldn’t ignore them, and finally, she accepted her emotions.
After releasing the Snake Woman, Yan Xiaobao went to every person in the room, gave them a hug, and said a few words about how he missed them. Seeing them all in front of him, Yan Xiaobao didn’t mind being in a new city; he genuinely felt at home for the first time in a while. Over the past few years, he had lived in many places. Though he had traveled the world and seen things he never imagined, being surrounded by his friends brought him the comfort he truly needed.
"Alright, we should all get some sleep," Rong Hui finally said after Yan Xiaobao had hugged and thanked everyone in the room. "I’ll need to head to the academy tomorrow, and everyone else has their own work. What’s your plan?" she asked Yan Xiaobao. But the young man simply smiled at her and shook his head, signifying he didn’t have any plans. Rong Xing nodded, stood up, and gently ushered everyone toward their rooms. In the end, only Yan Xiaobao, Cai Jie, and herself were left in the room.
"You two can stay here as long as you want." She personally led the two experts to the rooms they had been assigned earlier, continuing, "Deng Wu and Wang Julong have some issues. You need to spend some time talking to them before tomorrow," she sighed, her face carrying a sorrowful expression. Yan Xiaobao was curious about what had happened but chose not to ask. He knew his two friends would rather tell him themselves the next day, and he respected their decision. Nodding to show his understanding, Yan Xiaobao and Cai Jie left the room, heading to their assigned quarters, where they both decided to open the windows and sit quietly under the moonlight to cultivate their energy.
The night passed without incident, as everyone was either asleep or cultivating. The moon slowly descended in the night sky as the sun gradually rose, heralding the promises of a new day. The mansion came alive with activity, as servants bustled about preparing breakfast and other necessities for the household’s ladies and gentlemen. Yan Xiaobao left his room and immediately found Cai Jie waiting outside. Xu Hui often wondered what plans the golden-haired young man might have after following him to the Sun Kingdom’s capital. Both of them knew they were far from having any chance against An Hee, yet, for some reason, he seemed determined to follow Yan Xiaobao. Regardless, the young man with white hair felt a sense of calm with Cai Jie standing behind him.
Leaving the residential quarters, Yan Xiaobao and Cai Jie made their way toward the dining area, where they found all their friends.
"Good morning," Yan Xiaobao greeted as he sat down at the long table beside Cai Jie. Food was immediately brought over for him and Cai Jie—a massive platter piled with meats, fruits, bread, and butter. A cup of hot tea was placed on their plates, and soon Deng Wu and Wang Julong had seated themselves across from them. "We need to talk to you after breakfast," Deng Wu said, his eyes no longer carrying the carefree spirit of their youth. Instead, a shadow was evident within him, a shadow that seemed to drown out everything deep inside. Wang Julong’s eyes held the same shadow. At Deng Wu’s words, Yan Xiaobao nodded after finishing the sentence. A sense of concern stirred in his heart, and he worried about what might have changed in his two friends. This unease grew as he looked at Wang Julong, who had always been a woman of few words but never had darkness surrounding her like this. The more he observed his friends, the heavier his anxiety became.
He quickly finished his food, and Deng Wu and Wang Julong led him to a smaller room where the three of them sat down to talk. From the moment Yan Xiaobao first arrived at the capital, Cai Jie hadn’t followed him in. The golden-haired young man understood that this was a private matter.
Seated in the room, Yan Xiaobao wasted no time studying the expressions of his two friends, trying to understand what had happened.
"What happened while I was away?" he asked with a clear and steady voice. Yet, as neither Deng Wu nor Wang Julong answered, Yan Xiaobao understood that it was difficult for them to speak. Tears began to well up in Wang Julong’s eyes as she slowly bit her lip. Deng Wu cleared his throat before speaking hesitantly. "We didn’t know at first," he said slowly. "It happened while we were in the underground city. When we returned to the capital, we encountered the twins, who told us what occurred during our absence."
"The war in Liluo City didn’t end with our disappearance. Although the Royal Decree allowed us to save our families, it was overridden by the Third Prince. He personally carried out a ’purification’ of our families, leaving only Wang Julong and me alive. The rest were slaughtered—children and elders alike couldn’t escape with their lives. We barely survived, as we had actively worked to save our families."
The more Deng Wu spoke, the wetter and redder his eyes became. Wang Julong sat quietly as tears streamed down her cheeks. Watching Wang Julong crying and Deng Wu distraught, Yan Xiaobao felt rage rise within his chest. Despite the Royal Decree allowing their families to live, the Third Prince had overturned it. Yan Xiaobao clenched his teeth; fury burned in his eyes as anger surged within him. He yearned for more information about this infamous Third Prince so he could kill him. His killing intent was hard to control, but with heavy breaths, he regained composure. He couldn’t imagine how devastating this was for his two friends, and he pulled Deng Wu and Wang Julong into a long, comforting embrace.
Meanwhile, Cai Jie wandered through the mansion searching for Yan Xiaobao. Earlier that day, Yan had excused himself to speak with his friends, but several hours had passed, and Cai Jie had yet to see him again.
"What am I even doing?" he muttered to himself as he peeked into one room after another. "I’m Cai Jie, not someone who blindly follows others. But he reminds me of home." He let out a bitter laugh at his own words. "I’ve been alone for too long. How could someone on this plane make me think of home?" Finally, he opened a door to find Hui Yu sitting on a sofa. The moment Cai Jie saw Hui Yu, he froze. Gone was his usual playful or energetic expression; in its place was a chilling, murderous smirk tempered by suppressed fury.
Standing in the dark room, watching the young man with his head in his hand, Cai Jie felt the powerful killing intent radiating from him. The intensity of this aura was unnerving, even for Cai Jie. Yan Xiaobao seemed deeply consumed by his thoughts, unaware of Cai Jie’s presence. He simply sat on the sofa, brooding over everything he had learned from Deng Wu and Wang Julong. Remembering the tears in their eyes, imagining the grief they endured, and considering the guilt they could never shed was enough to ignite a searing fury within Yan Xiaobao. Though his rage wasn’t for his friends, it now consumed him in solitude.
The mastermind was the Third Prince! That was all Yan Xiaobao knew—the only clear fact in all his thoughts. Yet, now he had no idea who the Third Prince was or any details about him. After observing Yan Xiaobao for a long moment, Cai Jie finally sighed. He liked Yan Xiaobao. He reminded him of home, and though Cai Jie knew this feeling must be an illusion, having been away for so many years, he still cherished it greatly.