Published at 2nd of January 2026 7:36 am

Chapter 1985: Growing Up (Jingkong Extra)

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After leaving the Imperial Palace, Xiao Hen planned to hand the three children over to his parents, but as soon as he turned around, his dad decisively took his mom to Vermilion Bird Avenue.

Xiao Hen couldn’t even catch their shadows as he watched the carriage disappear down the street, muttering, "What are they doing?"

Gu Jiao hummed, "Probably on a honeymoon."

Xiao Hen’s mouth twitched, a honeymoon twenty years late...

He looked at the three little ones staring wide-eyed at him and instantly felt his life collapsing.

He first sent Gu Jiao and the three children back to the Princess Residence, and then headed to the Marquis Residence.

Little Jingkong was a child who developed in all aspects—moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor—not only excelling in cultural subjects but also in martial arts.

He’s been training with Gu Changqing recently. Although Gu Changqing promised to bring him back, Xiao Hen still tried to pick him up every night.

Having parents pick you up feels different.

Actually, many people have taught little Jingkong martial arts: Xuanyuan Qi, Long Yi, Marquis Xuanping, Gu Changqing, Chang Jing, and his master Liao Chen.

He learned well from everyone and never got mixed up, which showed his exceptional talent.

"Big brother, goodbye! Sister-in-law, goodbye!"

Little Jingkong said goodbye to Gu Changqing and Yuan Baolin at the entrance of the Marquis Residence, and Xiao Hen also thanked them, then took little Jingkong into the carriage.

Little Jingkong wasn’t so small anymore; he was nearly nine, growing taller by the day. He was no longer the tiny tot who would be completely blocked by the table when he sat down.

"Bad brother-in-law!" He snorted as he smugly got onto the carriage.

Xiao Hen: At first glance, he’s not cute anymore. I wonder who taught him these bad habits.

Little Jingkong had long been the boss of Guozijian, cool and handsome, though he always acted childishly in front of Gu Jiao and Xiao Hen.

The carriage didn’t go down Chang’an Avenue but went toward Xuanwu Avenue.

"What are you going to do?" Little Jingkong had a great sense of direction; especially since Guozijian was on Xuanwu Avenue, he was very familiar with the area, able to tell if the carriage was going the right way even with his eyes closed.

"This isn’t the route back to the Princess Residence." He suspiciously glanced at his bad brother-in-law, "You wouldn’t be planning to sell me in the middle of the night, would you?"

Xiao Hen looked at him, amused and exasperated, "Yes, exactly, I’m planning to sell you to avoid rent hikes in the future."

Little Jingkong crossed his arms and raised his chin, huffing, "You haven’t paid this year’s rent yet! It’s been four months already!"

Xiao Hen dusted off his broad sleeve and said indifferently, "Didn’t I already offset the debt?"

Little Jingkong’s eyes flashed, "Offset... offset what debt?"

"You fought birds, got recorded by Guozijian once, called a parent, I went."

"Collected protection fees, got recorded by Guozijian twice, called a parent, I went."

"Cheated on an exam, got recorded by Guozijian three times, and I went."

At this point, Xiao Hen glanced at the little guy, saying, "It was agreed that keeping this from Jiaojiao costs 500 taels each time, so by calculation, you still owe me 300 taels."

Little Jingkong’s arrogance plummeted, bluffing, "You’ve changed! You never accepted my bribes before!"

Xiao Hen wasn’t going to be led by his nose, "So you mean I should cover for you for free? Fine, I’ll go tell Jiaojiao."

Little Jingkong blew up, "No way!"

The two bickered, and the carriage suddenly stopped.

"Little Marquis, young master, we’ve arrived," said the coachman.

Xiao Hen stood up, "Get off."

Little Jingkong got off the carriage following him.

He looked around, puzzled, "Huh? What are we doing at Guozijian so late?"

"Taking you to meet someone," Xiao Hen said.

He led the way in front, and little Jingkong reluctantly followed.

Entering Guozijian, Xiao Hen took him straight to the teachers’ attic.

At this hour, the teachers had long since left. The attic was dark except for one room that seemed to be lit by an oil lamp.

The two arrived at the entrance; the door was open, and a teacher was engrossed in writing something, so focused that he hadn’t noticed anyone coming.

"Teacher Sun?" Little Jingkong recognized him.

Teacher Sun was one of the teachers in the Genius Class. After some personnel changes, he no longer taught the class, and little Jingkong seldom saw him.

Teacher Sun had aged a bit compared to a few years ago, with some strands of white hair, though he wasn’t old, just a bit over forty.

"Why did you bring me to see Teacher Sun?" Little Jingkong asked, confused.

Xiao Hen looked at him and said, "It’s not me who wanted to bring you to see Teacher Sun, it’s Teacher Sun himself who wants to see you."

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