Abandoned Princesses
The Past (2)

It took Jiang Junwei five years to truly become the boy's friend.

No, even the word friend is not appropriate. They are not at all familiar in such a thing. No secrets were shared, no experiences were told. Not even sharing hearts.

It would be more appropriate to say 'the boy believed fully in him'. Even more than his father who had raised the child for years with the Moon King.

So horrible. That was the reason why Jiang Junwei had never been able to see Shen Haofeng as a friend. Witnessing the child's growth day after day was completely different from hearing his father's story.

"The boy is a monster. Also a genius who might only come once every five hundred years."

Jiang Junwei remembered his father once said so.

And he admitted it.

Intermediate Earth Level, Late Moon Level, even at the age of twelve.. It has reached the Early Sun Level.

Without him noticing, Jiang Junwei was scared. He was afraid of the boy more than anything. Because of his genius as well as his monster nature. Father realized. And his father did not stay silent to see that.

Plakkkp!

"Control yourself. Shen Haofeng was the next Moon King's candidate. Our leaders and employers. As part of the Jiang family, haven't you been preparing for this for the rest of your life? Your life means sacrifice for her." Jiang Yunli's eyes blazed over without playing.

Jiang Junwei blinked his eyes while holding his reddish right cheek.

For the sixteen years he lived, his father never slapped or hit him.

*****

"Grandfather." Shen Haofeng walked slowly towards Yu Rong.

"Haha! You rarely call me that. What do you want?" Yu Rong stroked her long beard while smiling.

"I'm strong now. When are we out?"

The boy's question made it feel like Grandpa was trying to vomit blood.

Then he remembered telling the boy that they would come out of the cave one day. When's? He also does not know for sure.

"Shen Haofeng."

"Yes, Teacher?" Shen Haofeng again asked innocently.

"Today we come out of this cave and this forest.. Maybe it'll be the last day I'll be your grandfather and teacher." For some reason, Yu Rong said those sad words with a wide smile.

"Why is that?" Shen Haofeng's expression stiffened. Why so? Why would it have to be? He just wanted to enjoy the outside world with his grandfather.

"You can't change destiny." Yu Rong's smile this time looked so sad that she looked like she was about to cry.

*****

"Since then I have been training and training even harder. I thought by being strong, he would be proud and still admit me to being his disciple." For some reason Qiao Rong's heart felt like it had been pierced by a knife when he saw the man who was combing his hair smiling at the look of the glass.

His smile was no ordinary smile.

That sad smile made Qiao Rong's chest tight.

"T-then?" Qiao Rong's voice finally came out despite being choked.

"The funny thing is, it turns out that the day wasn't what I thought it was." For the first time, Qiao Rong saw Shen Haofeng's fragile facial expression.

*****

"How do you feel? In any case, at last today you will leave the cave." Jiang Junwei smiled at Shen Haofeng as he prepared breakfast on the table.

As usual, Shen Haofeng did not respond to her sentence at all. And Jiang Junwei was already very used to it.

Shen Haofeng simply nodded and started eating the food. At least Jiang Junwei was a better chef than his father, Jiang Yunli.

Yu Rong furrowed both of her brows when she saw Shen Haofeng eating voraciously with porridge and soup.

"You're! It's been sixteen years! Is it enough to eat only porridge and soup? Today we will eat big! Ahaha!" Yu Rong laughed loudly and embraced the child he raised like his own grandson.

Jiang Junwei and his father who were behind could only shake their heads.

After breakfast, they left.

*****

Shen Haofeng only knew that they were going to Ming City in Yuan Kingdom. It was all because the Dark Forest was closest to the borders of the Yuan Kingdom area.

It just so happens that there is a Fall Moon Festival. Shen Haofeng had no reaction at all when Jiang Junwei told the tragic love story behind the festival.

He was curious. What kind of person would foolishly shoot the Moon and make the night so dark for a woman? Plus the action even made the woman he loved killed.

Is that woman valuable? More than the light of the moon? Shen Haofeng felt that it was ridiculous.

When he reached Ming City, the emotion that Shen Haofeng first felt was an immense discomfort.

He doesn't like crowds of people. Moreover, he could easily hear various kinds of gossip that demonized many people.

Jiang Junwei and Jiang Yunli had already split up by themselves to buy gifts for Madam Fu and her daughter. While Yu Rong left him alone somewhere.

Shen Haofeng walked curiously towards an arena. He only saw people who fell one after another because they lost the fight.

But when he saw the prize on the shelf shown by the person in the middle of the arena, then he understood what the people were fighting for.

"You know how, don't you? Get me that Golden Dragon Pill." Said Yu Rong who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. However such a situation was already so frequent that Shen Haofeng would no longer be surprised by it.

And Shen Haofeng happened to want to measure his strength.

He had originally entered the arena and suddenly in front of him appeared a little girl.

Shen Haofeng looked at him coldly. The girl's look looked very dangerous. Like very determined to do something. Shen Haofeng knew he had to try his best.

A man of his age started shouting something to his opponent just before the qi stone was activated. Shen Haofeng had no idea what it was. To be sure his opponent did not listen to the man at all and started crashing.

But he never expected that the girl would fall in one blow.

Yu Rong who came and saw the sprawled girl could only shake her head and compensate the man who was holding the girl away.

They talked for a while before they left. Yet Shen Haofeng could not recall the details of the events that day.

"You are!" Yu Rong pinned Shen Haofeng's head for the first time.

"I don't know. He's weak." Yu Rong had even gotten used to hearing Shen Haofeng's way of speaking that had formed since he was a child.

"Stay away! Almost killing someone on your first day seeing the outside world is a bit outrageous, right? Control yourself." Yu Rong snorted in annoyance. Then he suddenly turned his body towards Shen Haofeng seriously.

Shen Haofeng could only display a puzzled expression.

"Shen Haofeng do you remember who I toad—"

Not yet had Yu Rong finished his sentence, he was already helplessly sprawled on the ground just like that.

His eyes were closed quietly like people were asleep. So calm, his body did not move at all.

"Ka-kek?"

Shen Haofeng's body felt stiff. For the first time, Shen Haofeng felt his world come to a halt for a moment.