In the Mirror of Former Dust, the scene unfolded with Ye Xuan’s past actions being displayed. Ye Xuan, Yu Ling’er, and Elder Qingxue watched in silence.
The air was tense, especially with Elder Qingxue’s cold gaze adding to the frosty atmosphere of the snow valley. Ye Xuan felt somewhat uneasy, worried that Elder Qingxue might lose her patience and attack him before the scene played out completely.
“Young Master Ye, why did you decide to reclaim that tea garden?” asked a clever-looking guard in the scene.
“Yeah, if you had let those lowlifes continue to farm it, you would’ve collected a hefty rent every year. Now that you’ve driven them away, won’t you lose income? Are you planning to charge even more for the rent?” another guard inquired curiously.
“You keep calling them ‘lowlifes’. What makes you think you’re any better?” Ye Xuan suddenly countered their expectations with a question of his own.
“Ah?!!” The guards were taken aback, not understanding Ye Xuan’s intention.
“Hmph, I’ve been meaning to ask you this. You’re all born of mothers and fathers, so what right do you have to call others ‘lowlifes’?” Ye Xuan continued sternly.
“You’re not some noble scions either. You’re just lucky to be guards for a wealthy landlord. If they are lowlifes, so are you. If I hear you call them that again in my presence, you can stop coming to work.”
“Ah, this...” The guards were dumbstruck, exchanging glances and inwardly dismissing the idea of Ye Xuan standing up for those they deemed ‘lowlifes’, yet they hurriedly apologized to Ye Xuan.
“Alright, alright... Young Master Ye, we were wrong. We won’t call them lowlifes again...”
“Hmm.” Ye Xuan nodded in satisfaction before continuing, “As for why I reclaimed that tea garden...” He looked towards the direction of the tea garden, a hint of melancholy in his eyes. “That area is going to experience a flash flood soon. Everyone living in the tea garden might be swept away...”
“What?!!” The guards were shocked, looking in the direction of the tea garden.
They then burst into laughter. “Haha, Ye Xuan, you must be joking. You’re not a mountain god or a land deity. How would you know when a flood is going to happen?”
“We don’t believe that you reclaimed the tea garden because of this.”
“Wouldn’t that be a big loss?”
“Renting out the land means others would bear the loss in case of any disaster. By taking the land back when a disaster is imminent, aren’t you the one profiting?” one guard asked Ye Xuan.
“Young Master Ye, you couldn’t possibly be that foolish,” the other guard added.
“Heh,” Ye Xuan chuckled. “Do you really think I should just watch those people get swept away by the flood? Do you think I am that heartless and cruel?”
The guards laughed awkwardly. “Young Master Ye, you’re always kind-hearted, but you don’t have to lose your wealth for others, right?”
“Exactly... As for those who might get flooded, aren’t they capable of running away? If they can’t escape and die, it’s their own fault—!!!”
“...” Ye Xuan glanced at the guards dismissively. “You both come from peasant families, yet now that you’re my guards, you act so high and mighty. You have no sympathy for those of the same background and even disregard human life so callously... Such inhumanity. If you continue this way, don’t blame me for being unsympathetic and driving you away.”
“Ah, yes, Young Master Ye, we’re sorry, we won’t do it again,” the guards quickly apologized, though internally they dismissed Ye Xuan’s words, doubting his true intentions. They couldn’t believe Ye Xuan would willingly forfeit profits and face criticism to save the tea farmers from an impending flood.
“Ah...” Watching this scene unfold in the Former Dust Mirror, both Yu Ling’er and Elder Qingxue appeared astonished. Ye Xuan pretended to be just as surprised, watching the events in the mirror with feigned incredulity.
Yu Ling’er couldn’t hold back her questions and turned to Elder Qingxue, “Elder Qingxue, you said Ye Xuan was a terrible person. Is this the ‘terrible person’ you were talking about?”
Elder Qingxue’s usually cold expression now held a hint of embarrassment. She coughed lightly and said, “Perhaps there is some misunderstanding, and things are not as we see them.”
“But Elder, you just said there was absolutely no misunderstanding—!!!” Yu Ling’er pointed out.
Elder Qingxue’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She hadn’t expected Ye Xuan to have actually done good deeds. She hurriedly said, ‘What I meant was that there’s no misunderstanding about the end result. Ye Xuan is indeed a terrible person. Just because he did something good now doesn’t mean he’s a good person...”
“Yu Ling’er, the story you told Ye Xuan the other night, I heard it too. But I must tell you, human hearts are never as simple as they appear. Even if you really lived through several decades again, you would never understand how complex the human heart can be.'”
“Is that really true?” Yu Ling’er began to doubt. She had firmly believed Ye Xuan was a ruthless villain, but after learning the truth, she realized how much she owed him. Could it be that Elder Qingxue and Ye Xuan also had a similar misunderstanding?
Considering this, Yu Ling’er’s expression turned peculiar. If that was the case, then Ye Xuan was really pitiable...
They continued watching the scenes in the Former Dust Mirror. The mirror showed more of Ye Xuan’s everyday life, nothing particularly noteworthy, until...
One night, a heavy rain led to a sudden flood. Countless lands were devastated, including the tea garden that Ye Xuan had recently reclaimed, turning it into a wasteland.
“Ha ha ha, what a joyous occasion!” a man exclaimed excitedly as he ran into a dilapidated farmhouse. “Ye Xuan, that animal, took our land and evicted us from the tea garden. But now, the sudden flood has ruined all the tea gardens. He must have lost a fortune.”
LReally? Ha ha, that indeed is great news. Karma at its finest!” the people in the house cheered.
In a corner sat a young girl with a striking resemblance to Elder Qingxue, only much younger and more naive. She said, “Father, mother, brother, doesn’t this mean that Ye Xuan actually saved our lives? If we were still in the tea garden, we would have been swept away...”
‘...’ The girl’s comment was met with disdain from her family.
“Xiao Xue, you’re too naive. How can you speak in favor of that Ye animal? Just because we escaped the disaster due to him doesn’t mean he helped us. Do you understand?”
“You’re too foolish—!”
The young girl, clearly Elder Qingxue, fell silent under her family’s criticism.
Watching this, Elder Qingxue appeared surprised. The mirror not only reflected Ye Xuan’s past but also her own related experiences. Yu Ling’er’s puzzled look made Elder Qingxue even more uncomfortable. She realized her family owed their lives to Ye Xuan, yet they berated him without gratitude...
But the key point, Elder Qingxue reminded herself, was that Ye Xuan was indeed a despicable villain.

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