svetikya Chapter 121 Dai Youheng's Performance
Chapter 121 Dai Youheng's Performance
Chapter 121 Dai Youheng's Performance
Dai Youheng's gaze swept calmly over the two of them, his heart unmoved, even carrying a hint of cold assessment.
One is ruined, and the other is half ruined, which saves me a lot of trouble.
However, this harmonious scene was soon shattered.
Upon hearing the servants announce Dai Youheng's return, Duchess Zhu Man rushed out like a powder keg that had been lit.
She was already exhausted and depressed because of the tragic state of her two sons. When she saw the illegitimate son she hated the most appear in the mansion unharmed, and even with a more composed and sharp aura, all her anger and resentment found an outlet.
"Dai Youheng! You jinx, how dare you come back!" The Duchess's voice was shrill, her former noblewoman's grace long gone. Pointing at Dai Youheng's nose, she cursed, "It's all your fault! You must have used some insidious means behind my back to make my Yueheng and Huabin like this? To make room for you, you bastard? I knew it! You and your lowly mother are both ungrateful wretches! With vicious hearts!"
Vicious curses poured down like dirty water, mixed with baseless speculation and extreme humiliation.
Dai Youheng stopped and slowly turned around. He wasn't angry, and his face was expressionless. He simply looked calmly at the seemingly insane Duchess with his deep, cold eyes.
This extreme calmness, rather than any rebuttal, made the Duchess feel more suffocated and angry, as if she had punched empty air with all her might.
"Shut up, you gossip." Dai Youheng's voice was calm and even. "They were ambushed by a powerful evil spirit master while carrying out a Shrek Academy inspection mission, and were injured in the battle. Elder Xuan, Dean Yan, and all the students of Shrek Academy can testify to this. You've pinned this unfounded accusation on me without any evidence. Isn't that too disheartening for the soldiers and students who have shed blood and sweat for the Empire and the Academy? Aren't you afraid that Duke White Tiger will blame you?"
His tone was calm, but his words were sharp and cutting. He not only completely distanced himself from the situation, but also implied that the Duchess was being unreasonable and slandering meritorious officials. He even cleverly brought up Dai Hao.
The Duchess was speechless, her face turning pale and then red, especially when she thought of Dai Hao, her anger rising. She knew that Dai Hao valued military merit and honor above all else, and if he knew that she had blamed others for her son's injury in the line of duty, it would surely cause him great displeasure.
"You—you're such a silver tongue!" She pointed at Dai Youheng, trembling, but couldn't find the words to refute him, only repeating her weak accusation, "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking! You—"
"If you have nothing else to say, Youheng will go and freshen up. I haven't been home in a while, and I'm a bit dusty and disheveled," Dai Youheng interrupted her directly. Then, ignoring the Duchess's distorted face, Dai Yueheng's complex gaze, Dai Huabin's numbness, and Zhu Lu's wary look, he walked straight towards his courtyard.
His tall, aloof figure stood out starkly from the atmosphere of the family, which was filled with failure, decadence, and resentment.
Watching him leave, the Duchess was so angry she almost ground her teeth to powder, yet she was helpless. A strong premonition welled up in her heart; this illegitimate son, whom she had never taken seriously, was probably going to become her and her sons' greatest nightmare.
Not long after Dai Youheng returned to her somewhat cold and quiet room, she heard soft footsteps outside the door.
Mother Bai Wanning walked in with her younger brother Dai Luoli, their faces showing concern and confusion.
"Youheng, why did you suddenly come back from the academy? Did you encounter some difficulties?" Bai Wanning's voice was gentle, but it carried an undisguised worry.
His sudden return home during this unusual time, without any holidays or festivals, is truly abnormal.
"Mother, don't worry. I have officially graduated from Shrek Academy and will be living in Xingluo from now on," Dai Youheng replied calmly.
"Graduation?" Bai Wanning's beautiful eyes widened, her face filled with shock and confusion. "Why? You performed so well in the competition. You would definitely be able to enter the inner academy after returning, receive the academy's full support, and have a great chance of becoming one of the Shrek Seven Devils! This is the future that so many Soul Masters dream of. Why would you give it up?"
Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, her face paled slightly, and her voice trembled slightly, "You—you're doing this again for Princess Jiujiu? Youheng, why are you so stubborn? After all these years, don't you understand her attitude? She simply—"
"Mother," Dai Youheng interrupted her, her tone still calm but carrying an unprecedented certainty, "times have changed. The past is the past, and the present is the present."
His gaze swept across the window, through the layers of courtyards, and landed on the two dejected brothers.
"Now, Dai Yueheng's hands are completely crippled, and his strength has been greatly reduced; Dai Huabin's soul is damaged, and his future is bleak. There is absolutely no way that the White Tiger Duke's Mansion will be handed over to two good-for-nothings." His voice was calm to the point of being cold. "And I, Dai Youheng, am the most talented, the strongest, and the person with the most limitless future among the younger generation of the Duke's Mansion!"
I've returned to reclaim everything that is rightfully mine, including the right to inherit the Duke's mansion!
He looked at his mother, his eyes sharp, "Once I become the rightful heir to the White Tiger Duke, wielding immense power and influence, what can't I get? Your status will rise accordingly!"
"You—you want to fight for the heir?" Bai Wanning turned pale with fright, hurriedly covering her son's mouth, her voice trembling with fear, "Youheng, watch your words! You must never say such a thing again! If the First Madam hears this, there will be no place for us in this Duke's mansion! She will do everything in her power to get rid of us!"
She knew all too well Duchess Jumant's jealousy and ruthlessness; in the past, she and her son had only kept a low profile and endured it, yet they were still frequently harassed. If her son were to show any ambition to fight for the inheritance, it would undoubtedly be courting disaster!
"Hmph, she wants to get rid of me? She'll have to have the ability first." Dai Youheng gently pulled her mother's hand away, a cold smile curving her lips. "Don't worry, Mother, they're the ones who should be swept into the trash heap."
"Stop talking! You must be exhausted from your journey, you're just talking nonsense!" Bai Wanning was terrified and dared not listen any longer. She quickly said, "I—I'll go and have the servants prepare hot water for you to wash up. You should rest well and not think about anything else!"
She almost frantically pulled the still somewhat bewildered Dai Luoli away from Dai Youheng's room, as if staying even a moment longer would bring about utter disaster.
Dai Youheng watched Bai Wanning's departing figure, his eyes deep. His gaze flickered seemingly unintentionally to a shadowy corner behind the door, then casually looked away.
He knew, of course, that the Duchess had spies there constantly eavesdropping. The Duchess controlled all the internal affairs of the Duke's mansion; her eyes and ears were everywhere, inside and out.
His boastful words must have reached the ears of that jealous first wife without missing a single one.
Dai Hao has already returned to the Mingdou Mountains; after all, an army cannot be without a commander. This period is the golden time for the Duchess to use all the power within the manor to deal with him, without anyone to restrain her.
"The stage is set, the bait is laid, we're just waiting for the fish to bite," Dai Youheng thought with a cold laugh.