Chapter 171

The next morning, Fan Xiaoxiao woke up early with dark circles under her eyes. She didn't even know how she got back to her room last night, but after she lay down and closed her eyes, the cool, soft touch on her cheek from the previous night kept lingering in her mind.

As a result, she tossed and turned in bed all night, watching the inky night outside the window gradually lighten, from a bright moon to the pale dawn on the horizon.

Fan Xiaoxiao managed to fall asleep for a while as dawn approached. But in her dreams, she could still hear the rustling of maple leaves falling and the color of moonlight on the ground. Finally, she heard Gu Zhongtai say again, "Don't cry, I'll come find you when I'm better."

"It must be a dream..."

Fan Xiaoxiao couldn't tell whether it was a dream or reality. Until the people from Tianshan arrived, she felt that last night was most likely a dream of hers, a dream written with maple leaves and a silvery-white moon.

...

"Lady Xiaoxiao! Is Lady Xiaoxiao there?"

When the voice of the female disciple who had brought clothes for Fan Xiaoxiao yesterday rang out from outside the door, Fan Xiaoxiao took a handkerchief, soaked it in cold well water, and applied it to her eyes.

She hadn't slept all night, which made the dark circles under her eyes look rather frightening.

The person outside didn't hear her response, so they went to the door of the side room and knocked.

"Miss Xiaoxiao?"

"Huh?"

Fan Xiaoxiao stood up, walked to the door of the room, and opened it. The female disciple outside breathed a slight sigh of relief when she saw her open the door.

“Miss Xiaoxiao, you’re here. I thought you went down the mountain by yourself. We’ve found your family and sent someone down to tell them to wait for you at the foot of Tianshan Mountain. Pack your things and I’ll take you to choose a place to stay.”

Fan Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow, inwardly marveling at how convenient it was to work with a large sect. It had only been one night, yet they had already helped her find the Fan family.

"I don't have much to pack, so please take me down the mountain, sister."

When she arrived, she was dressed in tattered clothes, and there was nothing she needed to pack.

only……

Fan Xiaoxiao subconsciously glanced at the east wing where the male guests were staying, and hesitated whether she should inform the old man and the others before leaving.

but……

Fan Xiaoxiao thought of what happened last night, her face flushed slightly, and she hesitated before saying goodbye.

The female disciple noticed her hesitant expression and saw the direction she was looking, and immediately guessed that Fan Xiaoxiao wanted to say goodbye to Gu Zhongtai and the others.

"The young hero in the east wing was taken to the forbidden area by Senior Brother Xia before dawn today, along with that senior. If you are looking for them, Madam, they are not here right now."

"To the forbidden area?"

Fan Xiaoxiao frowned, a bad feeling suddenly creeping into her heart.

The female disciple nodded: "It seems that Young Hero Gu was poisoned last night, so Senior Brother Xia took him to the forbidden area early this morning. It seems he went there to get an antidote."

Fan Xiaoxiao's heart sank slightly. So last night, Gu Zhongtai really wasn't feeling well. He didn't lie to her. On the contrary, the smile he gave her before leaving was a way of telling her not to worry.

"Oh, right. Before that young hero Gu left, he asked me to pass on a message to my wife."

"A message? What message?"

Fan Xiaoxiao hadn't expected that Gu Chongtai would still be thinking of her before he left. She grabbed the female disciple's hand and pressed her for details about what Gu Chongtai had left behind.

"The young hero said there are still three years left."

Three years? What three years?

Fan Xiaoxiao frowned, not understanding what Gu Chongtai meant. However, Gu Chongtai left no further message, so Fan Xiaoxiao had no choice but to suppress her worries and follow the female disciple down the mountain.

The journey down the mountain was much faster than the journey up. Fan Xiaoxiao followed behind the female disciple, counting the steps down Tianshan Mountain as they walked.

One hundred and eight...two hundred...

The female disciple walking ahead heard her counting softly and smiled.

"My lady, are you counting how many steps there are on the Tianshan Mountain?"

Fan Xiaoxiao smiled and nodded, saying "yes" somewhat shyly.

The female disciple smiled and walked ahead, telling Fan Xiaoxiao without turning her head, "There are a total of 18,200 steps on this Tianshan Mountain, with 13 steps per span. There are a total of 1,400 spans."

The female disciple had barely finished speaking when Fan Xiaoxiao stopped abruptly—thirteen strides in one...

She knew what Gu Chongtai meant by three years. Three years, and she would be of marriageable age in three more years... Gu Chongtai was responding to her comment that she was still young.

He's... serious.

Upon realizing this, Fan Xiaoxiao's face flushed red, and fireworks exploded in her heart.

"Huh? Lady Xiaoxiao? What are you laughing at?"

The female disciple who led Fan Xiaoxiao and the others down the mountain didn't understand why Fan Xiaoxiao suddenly laughed out loud, so she asked her out of curiosity.

Fan Xiaoxiao was slightly taken aback. She raised her hand to touch her face before realizing that she was wearing an extremely obvious smile.

Even after seeing the Fan family again, he was still unable to recover properly.

"Sister? What's wrong? What are you laughing at?"

She hadn't seen them for a few days, and the Fan family looked rather haggard, but they seemed to be in good spirits. She saw Fan Xiaoxiao smiling happily, her face showing a relaxed expression.

The moment Xiao Bao saw her, he immediately rushed over and hugged her.

"Auntie! You're back! You're dressed just like the girl next to you! You look so good!"

Fan Xiaoxiao looked into his bright eyes, patted his head, and smiled in response.

"Really! This lady gave me these clothes, and I even took a hot shower in them!"

Wow!

Xiao Bao opened his mouth wide and responded, his adorable appearance making everyone burst into laughter.

After laughing, Fan Xiaoxiao told everyone about the first two conditions that the Celestial Venerable had agreed to for her.

When everyone heard that Tianshan would protect them, a sense of relief appeared on their faces. At the very back, Master Lu and Xiaoyu looked at everyone with slight smiles.

Uncle Wang patted Grandpa Lu on the shoulder, and finally a relaxed look of fatigue appeared on his face.

"Brother Lu, now we don't have to run around anymore! We can finally live in peace."

Master Lu glanced at Xiaoyu hesitantly, opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something.

Fan Xiaoxiao noticed his hesitation and walked up to him: "Master Lu, don't you want to come with us?"

Master Lu choked slightly, shook his head, and sighed, "Xiaoyu and I are outsiders, how could we..."

"Master Lu!"

Fan Xiaoxiao interrupted him, looking at him seriously: "You have helped us a lot along the way. We have gone through thick and thin together, and even killed wolves together. We have been through life and death together. How can you be an outsider?"

"Yes, Brother Lu, please don't say that."

Everyone offered their advice, and Master Lu glanced at Xiaoyu, pursed his lips, and his eyes were red.

"Grandpa... let's... let's stay here."

Xiaoyu looked up, knowing that her grandfather was also reluctant to part with her, and so was she. Along the way, Madam Fan treated her like her own daughter. Having lost her mother at a young age, this was the first time someone had treated her so gently.

If she were to leave everyone... Xiaoyu's eyes reddened, and she looked at Madam Fan with some reluctance.

The latter felt a pang of heartache and quickly stepped forward to hug her, gently comforting her. This child had suffered so much. The thought of separation brought tears to Fan's eyes.

Seeing that the two were about to burst into tears, Fan Xiaoxiao tugged at Lu Ye's sleeve again.

"Master Lu, please stay..."

"Yes, let's stay!"

"Mr. Lu..."

"Brother Lu..."

Master Lu glanced around at the faces of everyone present, finally settling on Fan Xiaoxiao's. He felt a tightness in his throat and his eyes sting. He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but no words came out.

He coughed once before finding his voice.

"good……"

(End of this chapter)