After marrying the fierce god, her handsome young husband was pampered to the extreme.

Pearl stuck out her tongue and smiled mischievously, "Does that mean Daddy likes me even more now?"

"Smooth-talking." Lin Nian was still quite surprised, wondering how Pearl had suddenly transformed from a soft little baby into a handsome young gentleman.

Yin Cheng entered from outside the door. "What are you saying?"

Lin Nian said, "We were talking about pearls and the coming-of-age ceremony."

Yin Cheng asked, "So what does our good boy think?"

Because she received a letter from "someone" today, Pearl had no expectations for her coming-of-age ceremony. She said listlessly, "It doesn't matter where we hold it."

"Alright, let's go back to the capital and have a big celebration," Lin Nian said. "It'll be a good opportunity to go back and keep your Auntie company; she was just mentioning you in her letter."

Pearl nodded absentmindedly, when suddenly a brilliant idea flashed into her mind, and a daring plan came to her.

He smiled sweetly, his eyes crinkling, looking like an obedient son listening to his little father speak, but in reality, his mind was already wandering elsewhere.

Yin Cheng could tell at a glance that his little darling was starting to plot some mischief. Sure enough, that very night, Xiao Li ran to him crying, saying that the young master was missing.

Pearl left a letter, roughly saying that he was going back to the capital alone and that his fathers should not worry.

Lin Nian quickly sent people to surround Pearl, fearing that something might have happened to him.

He said worriedly, "He's just a young guy who knows a little bit of kung fu and dares to go out and cause trouble. He's incredibly audacious!"

"Honey, don't worry, our Pearl is very smart." Yin Cheng put his arm around his wife and led her back into the house. "Pearl has two bodyguards by her side, nothing will happen to her."

Lin Nian glared at the man, "It's all your fault, you've spoiled Pearl so much that she's become unruly."

Yin Cheng felt a little guilty. "We only have this one boy, so it's okay to spoil him a little."

"Wait a minute..." Lin Nian suddenly looked at the man suspiciously, "Why aren't you worried at all?...Did you already know that Pearl had run away?"

"How could that be!" Yin Cheng said honestly. "I've been with you all afternoon, honey."

He paused, then said, sounding aggrieved, "How could you slander someone's innocence out of thin air..."

Lin Nian felt something was off. Normally, men would dote on pearls the most, so it wasn't impossible for the father and son to team up to deceive him.

However, the man has indeed not been separated from her since he returned from the military camp today...

Whether you're right or wrong, just glare at the man first and say, "It's all your fault."

Yin Cheng hugged the child and coaxed, "Yes, yes, I'll send Gui Shi to find the pearl right away. Sweetie, don't be angry, come and give me a kiss."

Lin Nian half-heartedly agreed, "Ugh, you're so annoying."

After a while of arguing, Yin Cheng finally managed to appease his wife.

Yin Cheng thought to himself: This little pearl is really too bold. When we get back to the capital, I must teach him a lesson. I'll cut off all his usual snacks and see if he dares to act first and ask for permission again.

Meanwhile, Pearl had already shouldered her small bundle and embarked on the official road to the southwest.

Two months later, at Five Poison Fortress.

A tricycle loaded with fruits and vegetables slowly entered the city, driven by an old man.

After bicycles became popular in Da Yin, they quickly became a nationwide craze within a few years.

Families with a little bit of savings will buy a tricycle, which is extremely convenient for the whole family to get around.

Only after the tricycle had passed by could one see a travel-worn young man sitting among the piles of fruits and vegetables.

After the tricycle stopped, the young man jumped off, still wrapped in a few vegetable leaves. "Thank you, sir."

The old man on the bicycle waved goodbye and gave him a crisp, fresh water radish before he left.

Pearl carried his small bundle on his back and walked forward while munching on a radish.

The freshly picked radish was crisp and sweet, and I was happily munching on the pearls when I suddenly heard a commotion coming from the alley ahead. I wondered what they were doing.

Pearl went into the alley and saw that several boys were bullying one of them, pushing and shoving him.

No one knew what had happened, but the bullied boy had red eyes and was clutching his clothes, silently shedding tears.

"You're just pretending to be innocent. You're the one who broke my flower basket, yet you act like I'm the one bullying you," said the young man in the pale yellow dress. "Look at my flower basket, you've ruined it all."

The little boy opposite him was very small, looking only eleven or twelve years old. He said in a soft voice, "I'm sorry... I really didn't mean to... I'll make it up to you..."

"Can you afford to pay for it?" The boy in the pale yellow dress rolled his eyes. "Then you'll go to the adults and complain that I bullied you."

He was surrounded by several young men of similar age. "That's right, Lin Ling is the best at pretending to be innocent and weak, gaining the sympathy of those young men in the academy."

"She's always crying and whining; it's so annoying to watch."

"You don't know yet, do you? Lin Ling's stepfather is a peasant from the countryside. If her stepfather can't be respectable, then naturally he can't be respectable either."

Pearl was still observing, but when he heard the name, he was stunned for a few moments.

Isn't Lin Ling the youngest son in my fifth uncle's family?

Then isn't this young man in front of him his little cousin?

The last time he saw his little cousin Lin Ling was six years ago. He remembered that his little cousin was very timid and spoke in a soft voice, like a kitten meowing.

As for what his little cousin looked like, he really couldn't remember. Now, looking at the person in front of him, he did indeed look somewhat similar to his fifth uncle.

However, Pearl guessed that Lin Ling was more like his stepfather, or his fifth uncle, but not by much.

He immediately stepped forward, grabbed Lin Ling and pulled her to his side, saying, "How much did your flower basket cost? Name your price, and I'll compensate you."

The young master in pale yellow sizing him up a few times. "Where did this little beggar come from? How dare you meddle in my business?"

Pearl said, "Enough with the nonsense, how much?"

The young master in goose-yellow asked, "Ten...twenty taels, can you afford to pay that?"

Lin Ling gently tugged at Pearl's sleeve from behind, "I... I have money."

When Pearl arrived, her purse contained several thousand taels of silver notes. She spent most of it along the way, but she could still come up with twenty taels.

He took out the last fifty-tael silver note he had on him. "Here's fifty taels. Take the money and don't bully Lin Ling anymore, or I'll come and beat you all up."

Young Master Goose Yellow was surprised that the little beggar in front of him could actually produce money. He immediately said, "How could a little beggar like you have so much money? You must have stolen it, right?"

Although he said that, his actions of putting the silver notes in his pocket were not ambiguous at all.

He quickly packed up the silver notes, straightened his clothes, and then said righteously, "Indeed, all peasants are equally despicable."

He glanced at Pearl, "A petty thief." Then he glanced at Lin Ling, whose head was peeking out from behind Pearl, "A woman who seduces men every day."

Pearl was furious when he heard this. He shoved his bundle into Lin Ling's hands and started cracking his knuckles. "I didn't want to beat you up, but what you said was too awful."