Chapter132

His eyes turned red.

He walked forward with trembling hands, wanting to see the two grandsons he had lost and now found again.

But as he got closer, both the little boy in Elara's arms and the older boy behind her suddenly backed away in fear.

The child in Elara's arms even glared at the old man for a second before burying his face into her neck again, holding her tightly.

These two grandsons, whom the old man had worried about constantly, clearly didn't recognize him anymore. They were even scared of him and rejected his presence.

"Mufeng... Haochen... don't you remember your grandpa..."

His elder grandson had called him Mufeng, and the younger one had called him Haochen.

The old man was heartbroken by their reaction. Still, he forced himself to understand why they would respond like that now.

He had almost been controlled before. Even though he had mostly recovered now, the moment he saw Elara again just now, he faintly felt something about her that attracted him. It was similar to the craving he felt when he had been controlled before, but this time it didn't have that same strong and creepy feeling.

The old man had been the head of the family his whole life. His mind was sharp and thorough. Seeing the reactions of his two grandsons, though deeply saddened, he quickly guessed the general reason in his heart.

This noble woman must have not only taken out the cult members of the puppet sect but also rescued everyone in Anqi Town. She must have even obtained the power to control the puppets from them.

As he thought about this, the old man grew more respectful and fearful of Elara. He could also guess that his two grandsons were now completely dependent on her, even their lives tied to her will.

The more respect he felt, the more he kept it hidden on his face. Instead, he looked more heartbroken about his grandsons' situation. His expression turned more and more sorrowful.

The scene made Elara, who was being clung to so tightly, feel a bit awkward. She turned to look at the older boy behind her, Qi Mufeng. "Go to him. He's your grandfather. He's very worried about you. Let him see you." After speaking, she gave him a command in her mind.

Qi Mufeng was a bit unwilling, but under her order, he still walked reluctantly toward the old man.

Elara squatted down, wanting to put the little boy Qi Haochen down from her arms. But the child kept clinging tightly to her neck, refusing to let go. Even when Elara ordered him to release, a trace of obsession and aggression appeared faintly on his face.

This child... it's good he could keep his self-awareness, but being this unreasonable wasn't acceptable.

Elara did sympathize with his experience. But she wasn't some soft-hearted fool. She had no real responsibility for this child, especially since he was clearly abnormal. She still had doubts about him, so she had to make sure he faced his grandfather properly.

Seeing the fierce look return to his face, Elara directly pulled his hands away from her neck despite his resistance. Before he could lash out, she grabbed his face and started roughly squeezing and kneading it.

Hey, it actually felt quite good. The child was covered in injuries, and his face was so dirty you couldn't see his features, but the skin still felt smooth and soft.

After squeezing his face until it turned red and lost its fierce look, replaced by confusion, Elara finally let go. She gave a small laugh and pointed toward the old man who was watching them in pain but didn't dare speak.

"Go. That's your grandfather. Let him have a good look at you. If you don't, don't expect me to carry you anymore."

The child had many parasites inside him. But his awareness was more intact than the other puppets.

He understood what she meant. His expression shifted several times while looking at her. In the end, he showed a pitiful look, trying to win her sympathy.

What a clever little monster for such a young age. But after being in the business world and showbiz for over ten years, Elara saw too many flaws in this act.

She could clearly see that behind the pitiful eyes, there wasn't any real emotion. There was only a deep stubbornness hiding there.

Elara ignored him. When he saw she truly wouldn't carry him again, he dropped the fake expression.

His dark eyes became somewhat frightening as his face turned cold. After one last look at Elara, he seemed to realize he had to follow her words. Only then did the child slowly turn around and walk toward the old man.

The old man was overjoyed to finally see both grandsons coming toward him. He trembled as he reached out, gently touching the two boys he had thought lost forever.

Tears filled his eyes as he looked them over from head to toe. When he saw their injuries, the pain almost made him faint. He immediately ordered the servants to help them get treatment, rest, and bathe.

But as soon as the servants approached, both boys suddenly became tense and resistant.

Especially the little one. If the servants got any closer, he looked like he was about to lash out violently.

Seeing this heartbreaking scene, the old man had no choice but to turn to Elara for help again.

While the old man had been looking at Qi Haochen, Elara had been watching his expression closely. When the old man looked even more pained than he had with Qi Mufeng, she turned and said to Uno, "Take them to Oswyn. Let them get treated and cleaned up before coming back."

After saying this, she gave a mental command to the two boys. She especially called Qi Haochen over, looked him in the eye, and told him clearly to go clean himself up first before seeing her again.

If he stayed dirty, he shouldn't even think about touching her.

After hearing her words, Qi Haochen once again showed a trace of aggression on his face. But maybe because he had just been disciplined by Elara, he had already learned to adapt and hold back.

He gave her one last look. Then he obediently followed Uno away.

After Uno took the boys, Elara walked over to the old man, who was still crying. She waited for him to calm down. Then she asked in a low voice,

"Old Sir Qi, about your two grandsons, especially the younger one, Qi Haochen. Besides the parasites and injuries, have you noticed anything else unusual?"

The old man had just stopped sobbing and hadn't calmed down yet. He didn't quite understand and said in confusion, "No... nothing..."

Elara picked up a cup of tea from the table and took a sip. She stared at the old man and spoke again. "Your older grandson, Qi Mufeng, still reacts in ways that seem normal. But your younger grandson, Qi Haochen... didn't you notice? His expressions weren't like a child's. Also, his body seems even stronger than many adults. The parasite poison affects him much less than it did those grown men."

As she finished, she watched the old man's face closely.

The moment she spoke, his expression suddenly changed. It was as if he had remembered something painful again. He started crying once more.

"My poor little grandson. When he was taken by wolves back then, we thought he wouldn't survive. Who knew he'd be found at age three? He didn't act like a normal child, but his body was stronger than all the kids his age."

"I had a well-known doctor check him back then. The doctor said it was because he had lived with wolves, eating and sleeping like them. His body had become tougher than most people. And there were signs of many toxins and insect bites already in his body."

The doctor said it was likely from things he had eaten while running wild with the wolves. But thankfully, my grandson was strong enough that none of it killed him.

Instead, it made his body even tougher, so he could resist most poisons.

So that's why he had seven parasites and could stay conscious? Elara raised an eyebrow, thinking over his words. The old man continued crying and talking,

"Later, when he was taken by the rebels, they gave him a lot of strange medicines to train and control him. That made his body even more unstable. When I found him the second time, I didn't dare give him any random medicine."

"I just went around looking for anything that could strengthen him and gave it to him every day. That's why, even though he's not even ten yet, his strength is far beyond what's normal."

At this point, the old man finally understood what Elara had been asking earlier.

He put down the handkerchief he had used to wipe his face. Then he stood up and bowed deeply to Elara.

"Please don't worry. He is definitely my grandson. No one could have taken his place. No one could fake it."