My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 138, Memories Part 5 - A Beast in Human Skin

Just then, a young man in tattered clothes led his son, who looked no more than five or six years old, through the crowd.

Just as he was about to kneel down, Wang Youdao, quick-witted and agile, caught him.

"No need for such a grand gesture, what's wrong?"

It must be said that his acting was indeed quite good.

Not only when facing children, but also when facing adults, he has a caring and compassionate expression.

"Master Wang, could you... could you please help us..."

"Don't rush, tell me slowly."

Wang Youdao spoke gently, and upon closer inspection, the young man was filthy, and even the child's face was covered in various stains.

He didn't use much force to support the man's hand, so the man still knelt down with a "thump".

He crawled a few steps on his knees, raised the child above his head with both hands in front of Wang Youdao, and looked at him with a pleading expression: "Master Wang, we are really desperate... Please, take my son in."

“This child was born mentally challenged. His mother died during childbirth. Now I am also sick and can no longer take care of him.”

"Please, please don't despise him. Let him be your servant, as long as you give him a bite to eat..."

"And this child isn't picky about food, he can eat anything! I'm begging you..."

As the young man spoke, he kept kowtowing to Wang Youdao.

Even through the crowd, Xie Yan could clearly sense the humble, pleading expression on the man's face.

But he didn't know that he was turning to a beast in human skin for help.

The child standing to the side could only look blankly at his father, then at Wang Youdao, and finally hug his father's arm, his eyes filled with longing.

"How could this be so..."

Upon hearing this, Wang Youdao sighed.

As he spoke, he bent down and approached the little boy, wiping his face with the handkerchief and patting his head.

"poor child."

He shook his head, seemingly somewhat troubled.

Seeing that Wang Youdao seemed somewhat moved, the young man's face lit up with joy.

He quickly pulled his child over, rolled up his sleeve, and vigorously wiped the child's face.

The child didn't seem to understand why his father was doing this, but he obediently followed his father's instructions and was then pushed in front of Wang Youdao again.

"Look, this child isn't bad-looking! He's also very obedient! He'll do whatever you ask him to do, and he'll never make you angry!"

Wang Youdao sighed again with a compassionate expression, and quietly examined the child whose face had been wiped clean.

After the dirt was wiped off the boy's face, a handsome face was revealed.

Perhaps because of his mental disability, his eyes were clear and innocent, like those of a naive little lamb.

Seemingly sensing Wang Youdao's scrutiny, the child, with his finger in his mouth, looked up at Wang Youdao.

He flashed a bright smile, then shyly leaned closer, wanting to get intimately close to Wang Youdao.

Xie Yan stared intently at Wang Youdao, so she didn't miss the momentary pause and slight movement in his throat when he saw the child's face clearly.

But he quickly recovered, reached out and ruffled the child's hair, then asked softly, "What's your name?"

The child blinked, as if he had been taught how to say his name. After seeing his father's encouraging look, he stammered, "Wu... Wu Xiaobao."

"Wu Xiaobao, what a great name."

Wang Youdao slightly curved his lips, his smile becoming even gentler. "In that case, I'll take this child back with me."

Seeing Wang Youdao nod in agreement, the young man was overjoyed and immediately kowtowed repeatedly to express his gratitude: "Thank you, Master Wang! Thank you, Master Wang!"

"Xiao Bao, let's thank Master Wang together!"

Wu Xiaobao was held in his arms, his dark eyes looking at his father and then at Wang Youdao.

He didn't understand anything, so he could only smile at Wang Youdao with a half-understood expression, revealing a row of white teeth.

Seeing the smile on the child's face, Wang Youdao's eyes darkened for a moment, then he nodded slightly to the young man and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I will definitely treat him well."

Wang Youdao waved his hand, and immediately guards stepped forward and took Wu Xiaobao away.

Seeing the child leave, the young man seemed a little uneasy and looked back several times.

After considering the words that were about to come out several times, he swallowed them back.

In the end, all that remained was, "Xiao Bao, you must be a good boy!"

Unlike his worries, the villagers nearby looked on with envy and beamed with joy as they offered their blessings and praise.

"Congratulations, Da Chun! This is great! Little Bao finally has a good place to go."

"Yes, now you don't have to work so hard, and you can take good care of your health."

"Your family must have accumulated eight hundred lifetimes of good fortune to have met such a kind-hearted man as Master Wang."

Hearing their words, the young man turned his head, his expression gradually relaxing, his eyes filled with relief.

"Master Wang is truly kind-hearted; he's even willing to take in a mentally challenged child. He's a great philanthropist..."

The villagers' praises rose and fell, each one louder than the last.

Xie Yan stood not far away, watching Wang Youdao smile gently and kindly in the sunlight, surrounded by a crowd.

Until, as if sensing something, Wang Youdao suddenly turned his head and glanced in his direction.

The next second, a group of guards appeared out of nowhere and surrounded their convoy.

The entire convoy was startled. Before they could react, the lead guard stepped forward and shouted sternly, "Who are you? What are you doing here?!"

The leader of the caravan quickly clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Brother guard, we are just merchants passing through this area. We came to see what was happening because we heard that people were distributing porridge here. We have no ill intentions."

"Please leave now."

But the guards ignored the explanation and simply stared coldly at the convoy, ready to drive them away.

Unexpectedly, Wang Youdao was so cautious that outsiders who had not been verified could not easily get close to him.

Xie Yan raised an eyebrow and looked at Wang Youdao again.

This time, however, it directly entered the man's field of vision.

Wang Youdao stared at him blankly, his eyes filled with astonishment, for an unknown amount of time.

Xie Yan's heart skipped a beat, and she saw that Wang Youdao had already withdrawn his gaze and bowed his head to give an order to the guard beside him.

A moment later, the guard stepped forward and whispered something in the ear of the guard blocking his way.

Upon receiving the order, the guard immediately changed his attitude and made a gesture of deference.

"The master invites you all to come over for a chat."