Punishment, Little Dumpling Is Still Too Green
After two months of struggle, Max Zhai and his group finally gave up on outsmarting the traps and decided to brute-force their way through. But...
They underestimated the mechanisms of Skyvault Palace!
These mechanisms could slaughter tens of thousands. Even with the difficulty set to the lowest and all the deadly weapons like gunpowder removed, stopping six half-grown boys like Max Zhai's crew was still child's play.
"What is this? Why are there pits everywhere?" Max Zhai stared at the road ahead, almost dumbfounded.
Luckily, Tyler Cui and Shane Wang insisted on using animals to test the path. Otherwise, if they'd fallen in, they'd be the ones stuck down there. With a pit this deep, they might have needed to wait for rescue.
"I heard... the mechanisms in Skyvault Palace once wiped out tens of thousands of troops. Every step was a battlefield. We should be grateful—the Crown Prince took away all the deadly weapons." Shane Wang remembered reading about it in the Wang clan chronicles.
William Wang Jinling may not manage clan affairs, but as the head he’s still quite responsible. He wrote down everything he’s been through over the years in the chronicles, along with his own insights, for future Wang descendants to study.
"There’s only rotten grass down there. If we fall, it won’t kill us. We really might be able to break through this time." Tyler Cui squatted by the pit’s edge, inspecting it closely by firelight.
Max Zhai puffed up, "I told you all along—just charge through! But you kept fussing about clever schemes. In the end, you still had to listen to me."
"Don’t get cocky. If we’d tried to brute-force it from the start, before the traps were adjusted, one wrong step and we’d be dead." Liam Fuller rapped Max Zhai on the head without mercy.
These playful, intimate gestures didn’t annoy anyone—in fact, they made the group feel closer. Leo Si and Evan Yu joined in, and soon the four of them were roughhousing together, ignoring everything else.
Tyler Cui and Shane Wang exchanged a smile. Though they didn’t join the roughhousing, they didn’t mind the noise. Compared to their old days alone, quietly reading, they definitely preferred this life.
It was lively, full of fun. What they’d learned in these two months was far beyond anything books could teach...
While Max Zhai and the others were horsing around, Tyler Cui and Shane Wang were already thinking of ways to clear the first checkpoint. All six retreated for the night, heading back to prepare and try again tomorrow...
None of them ever expected to succeed in one go, so they took it slow. They tackled one stage a day, patiently retracing their steps. Sooner or later, they’d make it into Skyvault Palace.
Proud as they were, none of them accepted defeat.
"Those six have gotten smarter." Little Dumpling watched them leave, a smile unconsciously appearing on his face. He turned and went to find William Wang Jinling.
William Wang Jinling had just finished bathing, walking barefoot across the floor in nothing but an inner robe, his long hair naturally draped behind him, still faintly damp...
A beauty fresh from the bath—simple yet elegant. It wasn’t the first time Little Dumpling had seen William Wang Jinling like this, but every time, he couldn’t help but admire his adoptive father’s poise.
Graceful and refined, famed as the Grand Heir—William truly lived up to his reputation. Sometimes Little Dumpling even wondered if his godfather looked different from ordinary people when he used the toilet.
Unfortunately, even after living and eating with his godfather, he’d never once seen William Wang Jinling use the toilet. Truly disappointing...
He wondered—if Tyler Cui and the others teamed up, could they finally catch a glimpse of his godfather in such a moment?
The more he thought about it, the more Little Dumpling looked forward to those six boys coming up the mountain.
"What are you thinking about, grinning like that?" William Wang Jinling flicked Little Dumpling on the head.
"Ouch..." Little Dumpling yelped, clutching his head and whining, "Godfather!"
"Good. As long as you remember I’m your godfather." William Wang Jinling gave him a meaningful look, making Little Dumpling feel a bit guilty, as if all his little schemes had been seen through.
But this was exactly the time to act calm and confident. He couldn’t let anyone see he was flustered. Little Dumpling met William’s gaze openly and steadily told him about Tyler Cui and the others’ latest antics.
Little Dumpling was good—most people would never notice anything off. But who was William Wang Jinling? As Ninth Royal Uncle said, he was a fox in gentleman’s clothing. Little Dumpling still had a ways to go before he could fool him.
Little Dumpling tried to bluff his way through, but William wouldn’t have it. Once Little Dumpling finished his story, William got up, walked over, and patted him on the shoulder. "I’m quite proud—you already know how to use outside help to scheme against your godfather." Truly, the next wave always pushes out the old, the old gets swept onto the shore.
"Godfather, you’re wronging me." Little Dumpling’s face didn’t change, but his little heart skipped a beat.