This small knife was fine for daily play, but useless for killing someone.

Moreover, this child couldn’t even get close to Young Master Xie.

He had only stood up and run two steps before being blocked by the Xie family’s and Wei family’s servants. The young servant who had rescued him earlier also rushed over and held him tight.

The child screamed wildly, stabbing randomly with the small knife.

The young servant didn’t care that his arms and face were being cut, holding on tightly: “This was all an accident. I apologize to you on behalf of the young master, and make amends for your parents and fellow villagers.”

The child couldn’t break free. Seeing the young servant’s face and arms bleeding from the stabs, he remembered how this person had risked danger to save him from the great fire. How frightened he had been upon waking, and how much he had depended on this person—

This person was just a servant who hadn’t followed the young master’s orders to salvage goods, but instead rescued people, and was therefore disliked by the young master. Even his injuries went untreated.

He and this servant were both pitiable people.

The child stopped his hand and hugged the young servant, crying loudly.

The surrounding crowd also wept.

The young master surrounded by maidservants had a cold expression and gave a mocking laugh: “How ridiculous. How can you blame me? You can only blame yourselves—who told you to live where I was passing through?”

Though the onlooking crowd already knew how cold this young noble was, hearing these words still shocked them again.

“If you hadn’t lived here, there wouldn’t have been dry firewood and grain stalks, there wouldn’t have been a great fire, my goods wouldn’t have been burned, and I wouldn’t have suffered such serious injuries!”

The young master’s face was beautiful as a stone statue, and his heart was also stone.

No, stone statues aren’t human and have no heart! The official was shocked. The anger that had long been worn smooth by worldly affairs suddenly flared up—

“How dare you!” he shouted. “To distort right and wrong like this—I don’t care who you are! Men, men—”

The runners following behind the official had long been furious as well. Even the Wei clan of Han Commandery didn’t act so arrogantly. This wasn’t just shamelessness anymore—this person wasn’t acting human!

Could all imperial relatives behave this way?

Compared to this, the Wei clan were practically great benefactors.

They had been holding their breath for a while, and upon hearing the official’s order, immediately responded in unison.

Horses galloped from the distance, someone calling out loudly, “Wait, wait!”

The official turned to look and saw a tall man with an extraordinary bearing leading them. He recognized him at once.

The eldest son of the Wei family head.

The Wei family head had only gained this son after passing fifty years of age. The child was handsome and intelligent, the pearl in the Wei family’s palm, and a figure no one in Han Commandery dared to provoke.

“Eldest Young Master!” The official immediately approached, shouting angrily. “This scoundrel not only caused the destruction of the entire village, but also struck your family’s man.”

He pointed—the Wei family’s steward was still lying unconscious on the ground.

Seeing Wei’s eldest son arrive, the onlooking crowd also made way. Perhaps having seen a true villain, meeting Wei’s eldest son now actually made them feel hope and reliance in their hearts.

And Wei’s eldest son didn’t disappoint the crowd. He hadn’t come alone but brought dozens of physicians carrying medicine boxes.

He ignored the official’s words and shouted to those who came with him: “Quickly treat the injured.”

He then gave orders to the Wei family servants.

“Send all the injured to the manor for shelter.”

“Extinguish the remaining fires and collect the villagers’ belongings.”

“Collect and prepare the dead for burial, identify them.”

With each command given, the crowd couldn’t help but shed tears of joy, calling out “Wei’s Eldest Young Master!” and “Eldest Young Master!”

After Wei’s eldest son arranged all this, he looked at the official with a heavy expression: “Sir, there’s no need to say more. These are all my mistakes. The Wei clan will take responsibility for the blame, punishment, and aftermath.”

The official thought, so even the Wei clan fears the Xie clan. His expression was furious: “But that scoundrel—”

Wei’s eldest son said: “It was my failure to properly receive and accommodate them that led to this disaster. Sir, if you must punish someone, punish me.”

Naturally he didn’t dare punish him. The official’s expression was helpless: “Eldest Young Master, this has nothing to do with you.”

Wei’s eldest son shook his head, gesturing for him to wait, and walked toward Young Master Xie’s side.

The Xie family servants all bowed: “Eldest Young Master.”

But that young master still didn’t move, lifting his eyelids to look up at Wei’s eldest son from below—extremely disrespectful.

“Young Master Yanlai,” Wei’s eldest son said. “This is all my fault. I didn’t come to receive you in time. Your elder brother wrote entrusting me—”

Before he could finish, the young master scoffed: “Since you were late, what’s the point of talking about it? Since my elder brother entrusted you, then you can compensate for the goods my Xie family lost.”

This scoundrel—the official behind them wanted to hit someone, but Wei’s eldest son just smiled, as if looking at his own unruly younger brother: “Very well, naturally. Please, Young Master Xie, come to the shop in the city to load goods.”

The young master raised his hand and slapped down heavily: “Thank you! Indeed my third brother was right—passing through here, if anything happens, just find Wei’s eldest son.”

The youth had great strength. Wei’s eldest son’s shoulder sank from the slap, his brow furrowing in pain. The servants beside him stepped forward with unfriendly expressions.

The youth withdrew his hand after the slap, a bright smile appearing on his face: “Seeing you is just like seeing my third brother.”

In Da Xia, the reputation of the Xie clan of Dongyang wasn’t much different from the Wei clan of Han Commandery. The only difference was that they had produced an Imperial Crown Princess—but that was just the Xie family’s good fortune. However, the reputation of the Xie family’s third son surpassed all the Wei clan’s sons combined.

Wei’s eldest son smiled: “I wouldn’t dare compare myself to Third Young Master Xie.”

The youth smiled ambiguously: “Eldest Young Master, no need to be modest.” He then raised his own arm. “My arm is also injured—”

Wei’s eldest son glanced at his arm. Amid all the death and devastation, he didn’t find this swelling laughable, but said with concern: “Quickly come with me. I’ve brought the best physicians from the city—”

But the youth pulled back his arm, saying lazily: “What good physicians could you have in this backwater place? Eldest Young Master, just give me some good medicine and mountain delicacies from your family to help me recover.”

The servants beside Wei’s eldest son again showed displeasure.

Wei’s eldest son remained a kind elder brother, indulgent toward an unruly younger sibling, nodding with a smile: “That’s only proper.” He ordered his servants: “Quickly escort Young Master Xie into the city to the old residence, and bring out the family’s mountain goods for the young master’s recovery.”

The servants responded in acknowledgment. The youth also stopped pestering, pulling at the maidservants beside him: “Let’s go, let’s go. We’ll find another place to play.”

The maidservants clustered around the youth with smiles and got into the carriage.

The Xie family servants looked uncomfortable and bowed to Wei’s eldest son: “Young Master Yanlai lacked discipline in his youth. We’re ashamed.”

Wei’s eldest son had clearly heard about this Young Master Yanlai’s background and smiled: “No matter, no matter. Don’t worry about it.”

The young master who was walking away now turned back to scold: “Why are you dawdling? Waiting for this young master to die here from his serious injuries?”

How shameful. The Xie family servants lowered their heads and hurried away.

Wei’s eldest son stood in place watching them off. A servant frowned with displeasure: “This Young Master Xie is too discourteous. Is this his true nature, or did Third Young Master Xie deliberately arrange this to humiliate you, Young Master?”

After speaking, he glanced to the side—the steward who had been kicked was still unconscious.

“His attack was too vicious.” They ground their teeth in hatred.

This youngster looked frail, but unexpectedly had such powerful legs. Thinking of that slap on Wei’s eldest son, they couldn’t help but inquire with concern.

Wei’s eldest son gently pressed his arm and said it was fine: “Whether courteous or not, he doesn’t have the Wei surname. It has nothing to do with us.”

Just as the young master’s carriage was about to depart, the child being held back by the servant jumped up again, struggling like a small beast.

“Don’t leave, don’t leave!” he shouted hoarsely. “I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you!”

The carriage curtain was lifted, and the phoenix-eyed youth looked coldly at this child.

“You can’t kill me now. Wait until you grow up, then come kill me,” he said. “Remember, my name is Xie Yanlai.”

With that, he lowered the curtain, blocking the view, but unable to block the child’s angry, sorrowful shouts.

“Xie Yanlai!”

“Xie Yanlai!”

“I’ll remember!”

“I will definitely kill you!”

Inside the carriage, the maidservants sat quietly in the corners, completely different from outside, without any laughter or smiles, heads bowed as if they didn’t exist.

Xie Yanlai also remained silent. As the carriage swayed, light and shadow flickered across his face, his phoenix eyes like deep pools, deathly still.

Isn’t it just being a villain?

Being a villain is truly the simplest thing in the world.