Hei, it’s been 2 years. My father has only visited me once in 2 whole years.’ Qin Yu nips his lips then talks to the young eagle on his shoulder.

He found this young eagle 1 year ago while going about on Mount Donglan and conveniently brought it along. Having the eagle as a friend, he has not been very lonesome. His father was his everyday friend before he turned 6. But it has been 2 whole years since then and he has only seen his father once.

The black eagle flaps its wings and gently caresses Qin Yu’s childish face, making him laugh immediately.

After walking for a while, he suddenly sees a pregnant woman ahead of him who is arduously carrying firewood. He promptly turns to the eagle and says: ‘Xiao Hei, let’s help this auntie, OK?’

Xiao Hei flaps its wings at once and shakes a couple of times on Qin Yu’s shoulder. Without delay Qin Yu runs very fast to the woman while laughing.

‘Auntie, allow me to carry the firewood for you.’ Qin Yu says to the woman.

Hearing that, she puts down a bundle of firewood and wipes the sweats on her face. When she sees that Qin Yu is only a boy, she says laughingly: ‘Thank you, little kid. Your auntie here can carry it by herself. It’s still about 1 li from here to our hamlet.’ Saying to here, she puts the firewood on her back again and continues to advance.

‘I’m not a little kid. I’m 8 years old already. I’m sure I can carry the firewood.’ Qin Yu looks at the sweats on the woman’s face. With just 2 actions he abruptly snatches the firewood from her and puts it on his back.

A bundle of firewood is nothing to an ordinary people, but to an 8-year-old boy it is very heavy. However, because Qin Yu often soaks himself in the hot spring in Misty Villa, his body is much stronger than that of a normal 8-year-old child, and he is actually able to carry it on his back.

‘Auntie, you see, aren’t I carrying it? Humph, you still call me a little kid?’ says Qin Yu proudly. His childish little face is covered in dust at the moment, looking very dirty.

The woman is amazed briefly. She soon says with a smile: ‘Your strength is really not bad. But there’s a li to go. I’m sure you can’t go on till the end, kid. You’d better let auntie carry it.’

‘Who says I can’t go on till the end?’

Seeing the woman reach out her hand, Qin Yu hurriedly starts to run forward. Then he turns his head around and says: ‘Auntie, I’ve run about this Mount Donglan many times. I know there’s a hamlet just over a li from here. It must be your hamlet. Let’s go. Hurry up. Hah, you’re not as fast as me!’

The pregnant woman smiles broadly: ‘This kid, what family is he from? Having a son like this, his parents must be very happy.’

At first it is not difficult for Qin Yu to carry the bundle of firewood but after going some length he feels his own legs start to weaken. After all, he has been going on a mountain road while carrying firewood on his back. Even though Qin Yu surely is strong, he is also merely 8 years old.

After a while, his legs suddenly tremble.

‘Kid…’ says the woman alarmingly.

‘Don’t worry, this is a piece of cake,’ says Qin Yu after turning his head around and struggling to put on a smiling face. Those words make him sound like a strongman. But the mountain road does not agree with them. Qin Yu’s foot hits a stone and he cannot help stumbling.

Then his whole body falls to the ground with a thud.

The woman immediately walks up. She takes hold of the firewood and helps Qin Yu stand up. His little face is now full of dust and looks very dirty. Feeling deeply wronged, he turns to the woman and says: ‘Auntie, actually… I can still carry it. Just now I only tripped on a stone.’

‘Alright, auntie knows you can still go on. But the hamlet is up ahead. I thank you very much.’

The woman puts the firewood on her back. Seeing that Qin Yu is not injured, she helps him clean his face. Then she carefully warns him again and again to go home. Only after Qin Yu has nodded and promised that he will does she return to the hamlet.

Qin Yu looks at the hamlet which is about 100 m in front of him and says with a frown: ‘Xiao Hei, it’s time to go home.’ Then he immediately smiles: ‘But it’s much easier for auntie now. She’ll arrive at the hamlet soon.’

His smile is brilliant. It is a smile from the bottom of his heart.

At a secret place nearby, 3 people look at each other. They are experts who secretly protect Qin Yu.

He is East Vanquishing Prince’s son, and Third Prince, no less, so how is it possible for him to run around alone on a big mountain?

‘Third Prince is still a kid, but he is already so kind. I can’t understand why His Highness sent Third Prince to Misty Villa. He only visited it once in 2 years. Every time seeing Third Prince sit alone at the top of the mountain for a whole night, seeing his small body engulfed in the cold wind of the night, I felt unhappy,’ groans one person in a low voice.

Another man nods and says: ‘Whenever Third Prince looked up at the sky, his expression made my heart ache. His Highness he… Alas!’

‘Enough! What His Highness wants to do is not what we can understand. Our duty is only to protect Third Prince well.’

Suddenly, on the mountain road, a swarthy man of an imposing build with eyes as large as copper bells is coming up at a high speed on a crimson tiger. He says loudly as he sees Qin Yu: ‘Third Prince, First Prince and Second Prince have arrived!’ Qin Yu is so excited that his eyes glitter. He runs to the swarthy man at once and jumps on the tiger’s back. His face has reddened with excitement. He says hurriedly: ‘Uncle Wang, hurry up, let’s go. Let’s get back to Misty Villa!’

The man hugs Qin Yu carefully then drives the Fierce Tiger to descend the mountain at top speed, leaving behind a dust cloud.