Chapter 102. The Marquis's Residence in the Capital. ...

The Marquis's Residence in the Capital.

The late autumn rain poured down, pattering against the glazed tiles, bending the crabapple branches in front of the window, and blurring the view outside.

Xie Zhuo sat at the table, his gaze lingering for a moment on the water droplets dripping from the roof. He closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers, and exhaled a breath of stale air.

Water droplets fell onto the already soaked carpet, their muffled thuds mingling with sighs.

Before she could finish her sigh, the door was suddenly pushed open, and the loud noise instantly drowned out her soft sigh.

Xie Zhuo opened his eyes with a headache and moved them toward the wide-open door that was letting in a cold draft.

Xie Rongjing stood at the door, water droplets clinging to the ends of her hair and the corners of her robe, dripping onto the floor tiles outside.

He raised his hand and knocked three times on the door that had been pushed open.

"Come in."

Only after Xie Zhuo's voice rang out did they step over the threshold and enter the house.

Xie Rongjing closed the door behind him, then took out a neatly folded piece of paper and placed it in front of Xie Zhuo:

"Father, Qiong'er is missing. The manor has sent people to search for her, and they only found this in Qiong'er's room."

He spoke rapidly, his anxiety barely concealed.

Xie Zhuo, however, remained calm and composed, and simply responded with a soft "Yes."

"Um."

Xie Zhuo's gaze followed the now-slender boy as he reached out and offered him a clean handkerchief:

"Wipe it off."

Xie Rongjing took the handkerchief away, but made no further movements, simply holding it tightly in his hand.

The wind and rain outside the window grew more intense, and a few raindrops drifted into the room with the wind.

Xie Zhuo stood up, moved to the window, and closed it. The sound was particularly clear amidst the weakening wind and rain:

"I know."

"Father, you knew?!"

Unlike Xie Zhuo's calm tone, Xie Rongjing's voice was filled with shock and confusion.

Amidst the surprised gazes from behind, Xie Zhuo returned to the table, poured a cup of hot tea, and pushed it to Xie Rongjing's side.

"Be careful of catching a cold."

Only then did he pick up the paper that Xie Rongjing had put down, unfold it, and hand it to his eyes.

I want to run away from home!

You don't need to see me off; I'll go back to the mountain myself!

Xie Zhuo's gaze swept quickly across the two lines.

Hmm, very good, no typos, and no circles...

【Xie OO】

A helpless smile appeared in Xie Zhuo's eyes as he reflected the ink-stained words. Xie Rongjing, having just put down the paper and composed himself, quickly asked:

"What did Qiong'er write?"

"You haven't seen it yet?" Xie Zhuo concealed the faint smile in his eyes and pushed the paper to the other side.

With each word Xie Rongjing read, his brows furrowed deeper. "Father, did you speak to him?"

The teacup was bumped when Xie Rongjing put down the paper. The tea that was only up to the bottom of the cup swayed a few times, but was steadyed by a hand and did not spill out. There were only ripples spreading outwards, but the muffled dripping sound of water droplets in the room never stopped.

Xie Zhuo released the cup and gestured for Xie Rongjing to look behind him, where a drop of water was falling onto the carpet from above.

“Xiao Bao must have heard us talking that day, because he stepped on the roof tiles and cracked them. The rain was light and not noticeable in the morning, but now with this much rain, the house is starting to leak.”

"The rain is so heavy, I wonder how Qiong'er is?"

Xie Rongjing's heart was filled with worry for her younger brother, and the story of her brother climbing on the roof and removing tiles, told to her by Xie Zhuo, was overshadowed by her deep concern.

The sound of rain pattering on the treetops grew louder, and his heart tightened.

"He left the city last night, so he won't get wet in this rain."

Xie Zhuo's simple words did not alleviate his worries; instead, they filled him with even more anxiety, and his tone became anxious:

"Qiong'er has left the city?! Father, if you knew, why didn't you stop her?"

The sound of the heavy rain pounding against the door mingled with Xie Rongjing's anxious voice, reaching Xie Zhuo's ears. His emotions were stirred, and he couldn't help but utter a reproachful sound:

“He’s very resourceful.” A soft voice continued, calming the restlessness in the room: “Before leaving, he didn’t forget to ask the accountant for a sum of money, knowing not to let himself suffer.”

The rain subsided, and Xie Rongjing's voice, muffled by the rain, uttered a soft, affectionate complaint:

"Just like her father, she never says what she wants to do. Father spoils Qiong'er too much..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xie Zhuo gave him a blunt look, and Xie Rongjing abruptly stopped talking. An awkward expression flashed across his face, and he changed the subject as if nothing had happened:

"Luckily, Qiong'er knew to take money with her when she left. I just hope she doesn't get scammed..."

"Don't worry, I have people around Sishui Mountain. If Xiaobao goes there or if anything happens there, someone will send a message. It's safer for Xiaobao to stay away from the vortex than to stay in the capital."

Xie Zhuo turned his head to look at the window slivers of sunlight filtering through, his eyes flickering slightly:

"I'll go find him after everything is over..."

—

Xie Baoqiong, whom Xie Zhuo had mentioned as being far from the vortex, was maneuvering her long sword and flying through the sea of ​​clouds.

He glanced at the Four Waters Mountain, which was getting farther and farther away and gradually becoming a small dot, then looked away, mobilized his spiritual power, and accelerated his flight toward his destination.

Before leaving, Xin Xuan gave him some pointers on the technique of manipulating objects. Now, his control over the long sword was steady, unlike his first flight, which was a mess.

He did not stay at Sishui Mountain for too long, especially after his conversation with Xin Xuan.

In front of Su Xiaochun's cave, several broken tree trunks lay across one side. Xin Xuan, dressed in a crimson robe, casually picked up a branch and demonstrated to Xie Baoqiong how to manipulate objects with spiritual power.

A strong gust of wind swept away the fallen leaves and grass clippings on the ground, clearing a space.

Xin Xuan's lazy aura instantly turned sharp, and the slender branches, imbued with a layer of restrained spiritual power, rushed straight towards Xie Baoqiong's face.

Trusting Xin Xuan, Xie Baoqiong neither dodged nor avoided the flying branches.

Like a streak of light, the tree branch brushed past his cheek, circled around to the back, hooked onto his collar, and lifted him up.

Xie Baoqiong leaped into the air, steadied himself, and stepped on the branch that had flown to his feet.

The spiritual energy that had been contained within the branches was deliberately released, and the pure and vigorous spiritual energy rippled outwards, allowing Xie Baoqiong to easily detect any fluctuations.

The tree branch carried him into the sky and spun around several times. Xie Baoqiong clearly saw how he precisely controlled his spiritual power when moving, changing direction, and changing speed.

As the position gradually decreased, the spiritual energy on the branches slowly dissipated. Xie Baoqiong, understanding the situation, mobilized her own spiritual energy to replace the lost energy and took control of the branches once again.

...

Xie Baoqiong jumped down from the branch that hadn't fully touched the ground, landing in front of Qi Gui, and exclaimed excitedly:

"Qi Gui, this time when I carry you, it won't be like before."

"Ah-Jung has improved so quickly!"

Qi Gui has never been stingy with his praise for Xie Baoqiong.

The tree branch fell to the ground unattended. Xin Xuan stepped over the branch and came to the two of them.

"good."

The sudden sound beside him made Qi Gui move even closer to Xie Baoqiong.

Xie Baoqiong felt the warmth on her arm, remembered something, and her gaze settled on Xin Xuan, who had lived a long life and was certainly knowledgeable:

"Senior Xin, have you ever seen a monster whose true form is a snow goose?"

Qi Gui turned his head in surprise. The boy's serious profile was reflected in his eyes. He didn't expect that A Qiong would keep this matter in mind. Apart from the past... it had been a long time since anyone had cared about his affairs like this.

"Xueyan? It seems you haven't been to many places..."

Xin Xuan spoke thoughtfully, then turned his gaze to the small, thin figure beside him:

"Isn't there one already?"

"Senior Xin, the person we are looking for is Qi Gui's mother."

As Xie Baoqiong explained, Qi Gui also cast a hopeful glance at her.

As time passed, the silence in the air gradually dimmed the light in Qi Gui's eyes, until Xin Xuan's voice rang out again, giving him hope:

“I have seen the Snow Goose Demon clan before, but I don’t know if your mother is among them.”

Xin Xuan gave a hint: "In this season, go south to look for your mother. Although you have cultivated into a demon, it is difficult for ordinary demons to change their instincts that are engraved in their bones. Go south to find the flock of snow geese and ask the other snow geese. They should know someone who knows your mother."

Snow geese are a species that will not easily abandon their young.

But Qi Gui, who felt that obtaining even a single clue was enough, immediately showed a look of joy on his face:

"Thank you, senior."

After settling the matter of Qi Gui, Xie Baoqiong brought up another matter with Xin Xuan:

"Senior Xin, you just said I could ask you, so you also know about what happened back then?"

Having withdrawn his supernatural powers, Xin Xuan reverted to his usual languid demeanor, uttering only two words:

"nature."

"That……"

Before Xie Baoqiong could finish speaking, Xin Xuan abruptly changed the subject:

I can't tell you everything.

Why?

The wind suddenly stopped, and the sound of rustling through the leaves disappeared.

Xin Xuan looked up at the cloudless sky before lowering his head to focus his gaze back on the child in front of him.

His long hair fell loosely over one shoulder. His expression was calm, yet carried an indescribable quality. He spoke meaningfully:

"He is watching."

"Him?...Who?"

Xie Baoqiong looked around at the quiet treetops:

"Are there other people nearby? Even more powerful than Senior Xin? Why won't he let Senior Xin talk about what happened back then?"

A barrage of questions came from Xie Baoqiong's mouth. Xin Xuan suddenly moved closer, raised her hand to cover his mouth, put a finger to her lips, and said with a serious expression:

Don't ask.

Who He is or what He is is not important to you now. You will understand in the future.

As for why I can't tell you everything that happened back then..."

Xin Xuan's eyes met those eyes, seemingly piercing through time to see shadows of the past.

He watched as Xie Baoqiong nodded as if she understood, then lowered his hand, returned to his original position, and, shedding his mature and reliable demeanor, spoke in a lazy tone:

"If I were to meddle in worldly affairs at my level, I would be in big trouble."

Xin Xuan seemed to recall something, his expression darkened, and his words lost their previous nonchalant tone:

"I don't want to..."

The remaining two words faded from his lips, and no one but himself could hear them:

"I don't want trouble to come knocking on my door, I'd rather be as carefree as I am now."

He dusted off his loose robe, and as his gaze swept over the crimson fabric, a ripple of regret and nostalgia flashed across his face.

When you look up again, it's like a lake that has gone from murky to clear, leaving only the calm after continuous settling:

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Author's note: I was busy until quite late today and thought I wouldn't make it, but surprisingly, the writing went very smoothly [starry-eyed].