For someone so young like him to be abused at such a tender age, indeed, he needed to meet this kid once. He was not the type to beat around the bush so he asked the child another question whilst carefully observing the little bun's facial expressions.
"If you live here, you can have all of these whenever you want."
The little bun tilted his head towards him. His eyes seemed to lit up for a brief second but they disappeared shortly after.
"Mother won't like it."
"She scares you?"
The little guy node his head. He poked the tender meat with chopsticks.
"Are we family?"
Guang Wang Lei heard the little guy ask him again. He leaned back a bit. "When I was young I met a stranger. He taught me everything I didn't knew. I lived for a very long time with him. I do consider him as a real family."
"Like your father?"
"No." Guang Wang Lei chuckled lightly. "Like an elder brother."
"Ahh...." He made an o gesture with his mouth.
"So? Do you want to live with me?" While asking him this question he carefully observed the child's reaction. He couldn't let this little guy be abused at such a young age. He himself knew what abuse felt like so there was no way he could ignore it.
He saw the little bun struggling to answer for a very long time. Minutes went by but he was still pondering about what he should answer.
After what felt like an eternity he finally got an answer.
"I will tell mother first. Then I will come back tomorrow."
There was no way Xing Chu Lin would refuse given how persistently she was seeking to meet him.
Sure enough she came the next day along with the little guy. When they met Guang Wang Lei did not even gave her a glance. Instead he asked the little child.
"I forgot to ask your name yesterday. What are you called little one?"
"....." The little one went silent. He looked up at his mother.
Xing Chu Lin never moved her gaze from the man she wanted ever since they entered this empty palace. She was still staring at Guang Wang Lei. Then she heard him ask for the child's name. Patting the little child lovingly she pinched his face softly as she replied to him. "We call him Little Lei for now. Because I wanted you to name him."
The smile blooming on her face was very bewitching. It could make any man's heart beat crazily with its lovely charm.
But Guang Wang Lei felt nothing when he looked at her lovely smile. Instead he focused his gaze on the little child, who was clearly very uncomfortable.
"Come here."
Tap. Tap.
As soon as he gave the word the little child came running to him. When he was near him he tugged onto his clothes. Looking up he asked Guang Wang Lei, "Are you going to give me a name?"
"Hm....let's see...." Guang Wang Lei thought for a while. Liang? Jie? No! When he looks at the little bun... "Ru. Guang Ru."
Guang Ru looked up at him. "Guang Ru?" When he said this his little hand slid into Guang Wang Lei's.
"Let's get you something to eat."
The two left the third person in the dust.
Xing Chu Lin's eyes turned red with envy. Her hands clenched into a fist, the long fingernails digging into her skin, on the verge of bruising her fair hands.
Even though she should be happy that Lei Lei had given this child his surname name, which meant he probably acknowledges him as his child, she felt bitter. She stood there for a long time before calming herself down to follow them.
From that day the empty hallways of the lonely palace was filled with the occasional laughter of a child. The atmosphere surrounding the silent palace began to change bit by bit. Little by little, more and more servants were added in the palace. Some worked at the kitchen while some did the job of teachers within the gigantic four walls.
Everything Guang Wang Lei knew, he taught Guang Ru personally. The things beyond his field of knowledge, teachers were hired to teach Guang Ru. The exception though was that whatever the little guy did not wanted to learn or wasn't interested in learning was never forced onto him. The little guy liked to read and learn. He also liked to play music. Reading and learning was taught to him by Guang Wang Lei. As for Music, it was the job of the teachers to teach the little guy the instruments he wanted to play.
Initially Guang Wang Lei wanted to teach him the art of swordplay but considering that he was still a very young child he decided to teach him that when he grew a little bit older. It wasn't that he wanted to force this on Guang Ru but learning how to defend yourself was very important in this wretched world.
Guang Wang Lei somehow found it funny. They weren't blood related but somehow a strange bond began to form between the two. Guang Ru seemed to like him a lot. Although the child was at a very vulnerable age he was very smart. Initially when their bond was warming up the little guy never addressed him with a title but as months went by he started to call him "Father Wang."
Yup. This child was definitely not a fool.
During these past months a rumour began to spread throughout the capital.
"The next heir to the throne was being personally groomed by the supreme king himself. The young child was dearly loved and cared for by the king, who, had abandoned his harem ages ago."
When the harem members learnt of the fact that the child staying with their husband was the empress's son, they were all enraged and were full of malice and envy. They had seen the red haired child before. It was the child they used to bully and abuse in order to release their anger they had towards the empress, directing it towards the little child. The empress herself abused the child. So they held no fear when abusing that child for release. But now, that same child was accepted by their king, and was living in the same palace as him? They were very envious. Also, the fact that Xing Chu Lin had the permission to see the king everyday made them even more hateful towards her.
Guang Ru was playing the flute for Guang Wang Lei.
"Father Wang, how was it?" With a face full of anticipation, the little bun asked for his opinion when it was done.
"..." Speaking honestly, it was a total mess. Guang Wang Lei was not the one to speak since he couldn't play it either but everything from the tune to the way Guang Ru blew the flute, it was a total mess. Cough. Cough.
"Considering you are still a baby I guess it's not that bad." He has been lying a lot these days. This was totally new to him.
"Hehe." Guang Ru had a rather innocent smile on his face, appreciation showing in his eyes.
Creak.
The door opened and someone else entered the room.
"Uncle Yang." Guang Ru exclaimed.
Yang Lu smiled at him. He then turned to his king who was avoiding looking at him.
"Wang Lei, it seems a strange void has appeared at the periphery of stone village in the east."
"Hm. I did hear about it." Sipping tea calmly.
"I have prepared the carriage and the army required to investigate it."
Yang Lu's eyes began to twitch a bit. The carriages and the people he had gathered, they were dispersed by this red haired man sitting befor him, who was acting up as if he did not gave a damn about it.
Guang Wang Lei did not give him the chance to reprimand him. He looked at his fellow friend.
"You are staying here with Guang Ru. I will investigate the void by myself."
"You do realise that you are the king right? If anything were to happen to you this world will"
"Nothing will happen to me." Guang wang Lei cut him off.
"..." Yang Lu was starting to get a headache. This guy, in the past he was kind of strange yet docile. His personality in the past was wild but was also more mild at the same time. But now, Guang Wang Lei became more fierce. He became more authorative and picky. It was as if this guy grew out of his mild character into a more rough person. Earlier, he was stubborn but he did listen to people but now, the present Guang Wang Lei lived by his own rules. And no one, no one could influence him in anyway.
"Anyway....if you are going to do it alone atleast listen to what I have to say....."
They talked for a little more. During the time they chat, Guang Ru was very obedient. He sat on Guang Wang Lei's laps, listening to what they were talking about. Although he did not understand what they were talking about he was able to tell that his Father Wang was leaving tomorrow morning and that he would be away for a while.
Guang Ru felt a little sad after learning that father Wang was going away for a while. But it would be wrong for him to come along with Father Wang. From their discussion Guang Ru could tell that the matter regarding his father Wang to leave was quite serious. So he did not wanted to disturb his work.
However a day after Father Wang was gone, he was starting to miss him.
"Don't worry. He will be back in a few days." Yang Lu was looking after him in Guang Wang Lei's absence.
Guang Ru shook his head.
Yang Lu on the other hand was being very attentive towards the little child's safety. The reason why Guang Wang Lei did not take him along and instead told him to look after everything while he was gone was precisely because of Guang Ru.
The Strom brimming outside regarding Guang Ru had long ago become a political issue. Specially for those harem members. Keeping the child safe in absence of Guang wang Lei was Yang Lu's current duty.
During this time that dangerous woman visited Guang Ru twice. Everytime Xing Chu Lin came over Yang Lu remained between them all the time. This goddess like beauty was behaving like any normal woman but Yang Lu did not dared to drop his guard.
On the fifth day, a message came over, prompting Yang Lu to leave for somewhere. The place was inappropriate for a child to be in. So he instructed some of his close aides to guard Guang Ru before leaving to catch the remnants of the anti-king rebels.
At that time Yang Lu had no idea that someone from within the palace has betrayed them.
After he was gone, a slim figure emerged out of the shadow from behind the wall.
With a devilish curve on her lips, she uttered something to herself.
On the other side, Guang Wang Lei was done observing the strange void. The gateway of this void was minimal. It was a strange case. The void did not appear to have any eroding properties harming the stone village. Nor was it materialising itself with the essence of this world. Usually when a void like this was likely to appear in their world, it would most probably cause harm to the environment surrounding it however this void was particularly calm. It was also showing signs of closing out itself. Guang Wang Lei casted a barrier around it just in case. Concluding that it was safe to let it close itself for now, he decided to withdraw for now. Even if something were to happen to it he would immediately know. Its been two days since he left Guang Ru. Thinking of that little guy he bought some sweets on his way back. Now all he needed was to speed up his way back to the palace.
He literally did what he said. Reducing a one day journey to ten hours.
When he arrived at the door way of the palace he felt something out of place. But he did not think much. When he went inside the hallway was drowning with an eerie silence.
His eyes squinted around. Where are the servants? There was no one around the vicinity of the hall. No attendants. No guards. Even the kitchen was empty. Guang Wang Lei immediately felt something was wrong.
He scanned the enitre capital to see where Yang Lu and Guang Ru were.
He found Yang Lu. But Guang Ru was not with him.
"!!" Guang Wang Lei's eyes went red with rage. He bolted from the place where he was standing making a hole appear on the ceiling of the roof.
"Huff.....hufff....." She stared at the pool of blood spattered on the floor.
"What have I done?"
"What have I...not good. He will kill..."
An iron like grip fell on her slender neck. Her eyes went wide with horror. She felt her feet being lifted in air as the hand around her neck tightened considerably. Choking with suffocation, her face began to turn red, the veins on her lovely face popping out violently.
"A.....n...g....." Her breath was staring to fall short. Pain erupted from the place where she was being strangled in mid air. When she was lifted, her lovely eyes looked at the person strangling her right now, begging for mercy.
"YOU!" Guang Wang Lei's eyes were reeking with a very intense killing intent, his golden eyes were growling with rage, an animalistic bloodlust aura rising from his body.