Chapter 23 (V-Rate) (Three-in-One) Xie Zhuo's question was left unanswered...

As Xie Zhuo asked the question, Xie Baoqiong's eyes widened in surprise.

Why did Xie Zhuo suddenly bring this up? Could it be that he discovered his identity and was testing him?

While Xie Baoqiong was still pondering how an ordinary human child would react to this news, Xie Zhuo spoke up again:

"The Imperial Preceptor Lin said you have great talent. Xiao Bao, would you like to go to a cultivation sect to cultivate immortality?"

These words sounded somewhat intriguing, but fortunately, Xie Zhuo didn't seem to realize his identity. He glanced at the former's serious expression and it seemed he really intended to send him away.

Xie Baoqiong immediately disregarded Xie Zhuo's feelings and wrapped her arms around Xie Zhuo's waist:

"I'm not going. I don't want to be separated from Dad."

Princess Huayang's case has not yet been investigated, and no one can allow her to leave Yanjing even for a moment.

Xie Zhuo was jolted back a step by the sudden movement.

After regaining his balance, Xie Zhuo stood frozen in place, unsure of where to put his raised hand.

"Father, I'm not going. I want to stay in Yanjing."

A muffled sound came from her arms. Xie Zhuo snapped out of his reverie, placed his hand on Xie Baoqiong's back, and coaxed her:

"Are you really not going? Cultivating immortality allows one to learn magic that can move mountains and fill seas. With my son's talent, he will surely be able to attain immortality in the future..."

Fearing that Xie Baoqiong, who was not yet fully aware of the situation, might make a choice she would regret in the future.

Xie Zhuo racked his brains, trying to piece together a world he had never seen before from the books that recorded strange tales.

Xie Baoqiong, however, tilted her head back, smiled, and said firmly:

"I'm not going!"

Xie Zhuo stared blankly, unable to utter another kind word. He tightened his grip on the figure in his arms.

"Okay, I won't go."

...

The Yongshun Marquis's Residence.

The pastries in the flower hall have been changed several times according to the season. Today, a small dish of white gardenia-shaped pastries is placed on the table.

Ever since that incident with the apricot blossoms, whenever the plants in the courtyard bloom, a plate of new and exquisite pastries can be seen on the table in the flower hall or the desk in the study.

Xie Baoqiong skillfully passed by, grabbed a piece, stuffed it into her mouth, and ran into the yard with a small shovel that the servant had found for her.

They found a spacious spot and started digging a hole.

Si Xi, carrying a piece of clothing, chased after him, saying, "Young Master, hurry up and change your clothes. Today is the young master's birthday, and he has invited people to the manor for a small gathering. You should go there as soon as possible."

This year is not Xie Rongjing's full birthday, so there was no big celebration. He only invited a few close friends to his residence for a get-together. Xie Rongjing sent over a new outfit a couple of days ago, determined to show off his younger brother.

Xie Baoqiong ignored Sixi's words, took out the seeds from the brocade pouch at her waist, and scattered them into the dug pit.

The seeds that were just sown were delivered along with the clothes that day; they are said to be called zinnias.

I don't know where Xie Rongjing got it from, he just said he could plant it for fun, and if it could bloom, he would have it made into some food.

After filling the excavated soil back in, Xie Baoqiong raised her hand and patted the mound of earth.

He caught a glimpse of the mud on his robe out of the corner of his eye and reached out to brush it off, forgetting that he had just brushed off a mound of dirt.

Once you put your hands down, the dirt on your clothes becomes even more noticeable.

Xie Baoqiong finally remembered that Sixi was still standing to the side. She turned around and saw that Sixi had a tearful expression on his face.

After washing up again, I stepped out of the courtyard gate, arriving half an incense stick's time later than originally planned.

Xie Baoqiong quickened her pace and hurried towards Xie Rongjing's courtyard.

Halfway down the road, a figure appeared behind a bend. Xie Baoqiong hurriedly stopped and turned around to avoid bumping into the person.

The servant who was leading the guests steadied himself, recognized Xie Baoqiong approaching, and apologized:

"Young Master, are you hurt? I didn't notice and almost bumped into you."

"I'm fine."

Xie Baoqiong glanced at the flustered servant and waved her hand.

His gaze shifted to the two people dressed in brocade robes behind the servant.

The slightly taller young man appeared to be about the same age as Xie Rongjing. From the moment he appeared, a slightly curious gaze subtly fell upon him.

Meng Si's gaze finally settled on Xie Baoqiong's face:

"You're Xie's younger brother?"

Along with it came a loud, boisterous voice: "Big brother, it's him, the ghost I saw at the Spring Search Banquet."

Xie Baoqiong's attention was drawn to the voice, and her gaze shifted to another figure who was speaking and shrinking behind Meng Si.

Meng Ruiben's head, which had been peeking out cautiously, suddenly shrank back the moment it met Xie Baoqiong's gaze.

Meng Si reached behind her with her hand hanging at her side and secretly pinched Meng Rui. Hearing the person under her hand cry out in pain, she put on a polite smile as she looked at Xie Baoqiong.

"My younger brother is talking nonsense, please don't take offense, young master Xie."

Xie Baoqiong didn't care, but when Meng Rui shouted, he finally remembered the boy he had met once before, who was hiding behind the crowd.

However, he had no recollection of the person in front of him.

Recalling Meng Rui's title and the words he heard during the spring search related to Princess Huayang, he couldn't help but pay some attention to the person in front of him.

"Who are you?"

"I haven't had a chance to introduce myself yet. I am Meng Si from the Meng family. I am a good friend of Prince Xie and have come to your residence at his invitation."

Meng Si paused halfway through her sentence, then pulled out the person behind her: "This is my good-for-nothing underling, Meng Rui."

Xie Baoqiong blinked, as if recalling human etiquette, and spoke in a serious tone:

"My name is Xie Baoqiong."

Seeing his serious expression, Meng Si's eyes flashed with amusement, then she nodded, suppressing a laugh:

"Yes, I know, Prince Xie mentioned you."

Xie Baoqiong glanced at the direction Meng Si and the others were heading, and since they were going the same way, she suggested:

"I'll take you with me to find my brother."

"Thank you for your trouble, young master." It was Meng Siying again.

Meng Rui finally realized that Xie Baoqiong was not a ghost or monster. His probing gaze remained fixed on Xie Baoqiong after she turned around.

But whenever Xie Baoqiong turned her head as if she sensed something, even if she was caught red-handed, Meng Rui could always look away as if nothing had happened.

After this happened several times, Xie Baoqiong started keeping an eye on things with Meng Rui.

Fortunately, they arrived at Xie Rongjing's courtyard in less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea.

Besides Xie Rongjing, there were several other people in the courtyard.

Xie Baoqiong spotted Xie Rongjing in the crowd at a glance.

Just as their gaze fell upon Xie Rongjing, the other person happened to be looking towards the courtyard gate.

When Xie Rongjing saw him clearly, a flash of joy crossed his eyes. He turned and exchanged a few words with the people around him before hurrying towards the courtyard gate.

He exchanged a few pleasantries with Meng Si and the other two behind him, then led the three of them into the courtyard.

As the host of today's banquet, Xie Rongjing attracted the attention of many others in the courtyard, who scrutinized Xie Baoqiong, who followed him in, with either subtle or overt glances.

Xie Rongjing introduced Xie Baoqiong to everyone, and regardless of what they thought in their hearts, everyone wore a kind expression.

As Xie Baoqiong was being led by Xie Rongjing to greet everyone, she spotted a somewhat familiar figure in the crowd.

I had only met Qi Yan during the spring search.

He was talking to a short boy on one side, his face grim, while another figure was almost completely blocked by Qi Yan.

Before Xie Baoqiong could see clearly, Xie Rongjing, who had already taken two steps forward, called out to her.

"Qiong'er, come here quickly." He glanced back twice, then looked away and followed Xie Rongjing.

After Xie Rongjing introduced Xie Baoqiong to everyone, he glanced at Xie Baoqiong, who had been silent since earlier, and wondered if she had been neglecting him because he was busy entertaining guests today, which was why she had been quietly staying by his side.

While his friend was talking, he spoke softly, "Qiong'er, are you bored staying here?"

Xie Baoqiong's attention was entirely focused on how to get more information about Princess Huayang from Meng Rui today. Suddenly, her name was called, and she looked up at Meng Rui's seat.

Meng Rui was still following behind Meng Si, standing just a few steps away.

"No."

Xie Rongjing followed his gaze and happened to catch sight of the young man beside her friend. She realized, "Qiong'er wants to play with him?"

Xie Baoqiong hesitated before nodding.

"Go if you want." Xie Rongjing then asked with some lingering concern, "Can you go by yourself?"

Xie Baoqiong glanced at the people around Xie Rongjing and nodded, saying, "Brother, you go ahead with your work, I'll go by myself."

Meng Si, who was not far from the two, noticed their conversation and pulled Meng Rui aside, instructing him:

"Go, take Young Master Xie with you to play over there."

Meng Rui frowned, clearly displeased, and grabbed Meng Si's arm: "Big brother, I came here with you today, how can you abandon your little brother? I'm going to tell Mother when I get back."

Meng Si, showing no brotherly affection, withdrew his arm and pushed his younger brother forward as a result:

"It's no use complaining to your mother. If it weren't for your brother Rongjing saying that his younger brother was also here, I wouldn't have brought you here today. You've never been this timid when we go out to play before. Go on."

Meng Rui was reluctantly pushed out, turning his face as he tried to make a final struggle, but all he saw was his good older brother coldly withdrawing his gaze, leaving him alone to face the situation.

Turning his head, a magnified face came into his view.

Meng Rui suppressed the urge to shout, took two steps back in fear, and then said indignantly, "Why are you standing so close?"

However, only the first few words were spoken with a louder volume; the latter half of the sentence became less and less confident, clearly a bluffing act.

Xie Baoqiong looked at Meng Rui, who had been walking towards her and getting very close, but then suddenly pulled back and started making slanderous remarks, with a puzzled expression, and corrected him:

“You came here on your own.” He concluded by emphasizing, “I didn’t move.”

Seeing that he seemed easy to talk to, Meng Rui glanced back at Meng Si, who was just a few steps away, relaxed, and his tone became smug again:

"Then you should avoid them too. Didn't your mother tell you that you shouldn't let anyone, whether a man or a woman, get too close to you?"

Xie Baoqiong nodded thoughtfully, seemingly having learned another commonly accepted way of interacting among humans, but still honestly defended herself:

"I have no mother."

In Meng Rui's eyes, it appeared as a cowering figure. Meng Rui's expression froze, and he finally recalled that Meng Si seemed to have mentioned before he left that the young master Xie in front of him had just been brought back to the Marquis's mansion.

Meng Rui's relaxed eyebrows furrowed and relaxed again, and his mouth trembled slightly, as if he wished he could swallow back what he had just said.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." Meng Rui awkwardly touched the edge of his sleeve.

Xie Baoqiong looked at Meng Rui strangely, not understanding why the latter would apologize to him for no reason. What Meng Rui said was true and had not hurt him.

Meng Rui's eyes darted around awkwardly, just missing Xie Baoqiong's gaze. A wave of guilt for saying the wrong thing washed over him, allowing him to temporarily set aside his concerns.

"Fine, I'll just protect you from now on," Meng Rui muttered to himself, but Xie Baoqiong heard him clearly.

It seemed he had gained Meng Rui's trust for the time being. He looked around at the people and stepped forward to ask, "Want to go play outside in the yard?"

Meng Rui glanced at Meng Si, who had completely forgotten about him, and then at his innocent friend in front of him. The guilt in his heart compelled him to agree to the suggestion: "Okay."

Xie Baoqiong turned around and waved to Xie Rongjing. After receiving a warning to "not run around," she pulled the newly acquainted human along and walked outside.

Not far from the courtyard is an octagonal pavilion, surrounded by several green bamboos, and behind it is a long bamboo forest. It is May or June, and the shade in the forest provides a cool respite.

After instructing Sanqi to wait outside the pavilion, Xie Baoqiong pulled Meng Rui inside.

Meng Rui was still bewildered as to why his newly acquainted friend was so strong.

Only when the heat source on his arm suddenly disappeared did Meng Rui seem to wake up from a dream and lean forward to poke Xie Baoqiong's cheek:

"Hot?!"

"What's hot?"

“Of course your skin is warm,” Meng Rui explained, then touched his own face: “But it still feels a little cold.”

Xie Baoqiong was dizzy from Meng Rui's repeated use of the words "hot" and "cold". Although his original form was stone, he had at least cultivated a human body, so his skin naturally had temperature.

"What's the difference between cold and hot?"

Once Meng Rui confirmed that Xie Baoqiong was a "person," he immediately disregarded everything else and slapped Xie Baoqiong on the shoulder:

"That makes a big difference; if it's hot, it means you're a person."

Xie Baoqiong was secretly pleased with her disguise, and then asked, "What if it's cold?"

Meng Rui's face was shoved right in front of him.

A breeze blew through the bamboo grove, casting swaying shadows around the two of them and on the open ground, draping them in a layer of darkness. The rustling of bamboo leaves mingled with Meng Rui's words:

"That means that person is not human."

Xie Baoqiong, who was not a person, stared intently at the face that was approaching her, her expression indifferent.

Meng Rui retreated to his original spot dejectedly, touching his nose: "Why didn't you react at all?" His tone was slightly disappointed.

Xie Baoqiong, whose true form is a stone and whose friend is a two-tailed fox: "?"

"Aren't you afraid?" Meng Rui noticed the doubt in Xie Baoqiong's eyes.

Xie Baoqiong, the Demon herself: "Why be afraid? Although there are few demon cultivators in the court, they are not non-existent."

“I’m not talking about demons,” Meng Rui corrected Xie Baoqiong, then leaned closer and lowered his voice to say, “It’s ghosts and monsters.”

As the last word faded, a sob drifted on the wind, faintly mingling with the swaying of the branches and leaves.

Meng Rui's arm hairs stood on end, his face turned deathly pale, he covered his mouth tightly with one hand and clung tightly to Xie Baoqiong's arm with the other, leaning on Xie Baoqiong's shoulder, and whispered:

"A ghost!"

Although there are ghosts and monsters here, most of the ghosts and monsters that linger in the mortal world are just confused souls that will dissipate before long. Only souls with deep obsessions can appear in front of people by chance. As for the vengeful ghosts that harm people in the stories, they are even rarer. He had only heard rumors about them.

Therefore, Xie Baoqiong did not believe that the ghost Meng Rui mentioned would appear in the Marquis's mansion. As for monsters, he could only sense his own presence throughout the entire mansion.

However, the sobbing also reached his ears.

Looking in the direction of the sound, a white robe could be vaguely seen behind a few bamboo stalks.

Xie Baoqiong shook Meng Rui, who was burying his face in his back, and said softly, "There's someone there."

"People? Where are people?" Upon hearing Xie Baoqiong's words, Meng Rui immediately looked up and peered in the direction Xie Baoqiong was pointing.

A white robe came into view, and his slightly flushed face turned pale again. He tightly gripped Xie Baoqiong: "Where...where is anyone? Ah Qiong, don't scare me QAQ."

"I'll go take a look." Xie Baoqiong freed herself from the burden beside her, climbed over the railing next to the pavilion, and jumped into the bamboo forest.

Meng Rui glanced around. Outside the pavilion, Sanqi's figure was standing not far from the bamboo forest, but to get to her, he had to pass through the bamboo forest path.

Xie Baoqiong, who could have provided a sense of security, was now going further and further away. Meng Rui gritted his teeth and hurriedly followed her over the railing. The sound of his footsteps hitting the branches and leaves when he landed startled him.

A trembling voice squeezed out of her throat: "Ah-Jung, wait for me."

Meng Rui dared not speak too loudly; his voice was barely audible.

Fortunately, Xie Baoqiong had sharp hearing. She stopped and turned halfway to look at Meng Rui, who was stumbling towards her.

Once her arms were tightly embraced again, Xie Baoqiong slowly dragged the heavy object beside her and began to approach the hem of her clothes.

Every now and then, a few suppressed voices came from beside my ear: "Ah-Jung, what do you think that is?"

"I don't know." Xie Baoqiong's voice was as steady as his footsteps.

Seemingly to ease the tension, Meng Rui blocked his view with his free hand, relying entirely on Xie Baoqiong for movement, while constantly chattering:

"Could it really be that thing, Ah-Jung? Why don't we go back and call some people first? Hmm... call my older brother, then we can go and take a look."

Xie Baoqiong suddenly stopped walking. Just as Meng Rui thought she had agreed with his suggestion, two words extinguished the flame of his hope like cold water:

"arrive."

Xie Baoqiong pried Meng Rui's hand away: "Wait here for me, I'll come closer and take a look."

A warm feeling welled up in Meng Rui's heart again. He had previously regarded Xie Baoqiong as a ghost, but he never expected that she would treat him so sincerely.

"I'll go around to the side. If anyone runs out, you stop them from here," Xie Baoqiong continued to instruct.

The emotion that had just surfaced in Meng Rui vanished in an instant, his expression falling. The loss of warmth from another person in his hands made him even more uneasy, and he stammered out a sentence:

"I, I won't..."

Xie Baoqiong gently patted Meng Rui, secretly leaving a wisp of spiritual energy: "Didn't you say you would protect me?"

Meng Rui, whose eyes were covered, was suddenly patted, and his whole body trembled. But after being startled, he was surprisingly calm. After hearing Xie Baoqiong's words, he was even more invigorated.

"You, you go ahead, I'll stay here and keep watch for you."

The sound of leaves being lightly stepped on rang in my ears, and after a few breaths, silence returned.

The sobbing sound rang out once again.

"Waaah, big brother, save me! I promise I'll never tell Mother about you again..." Meng Rui slowly shrank to the ground.

—

On the other side, Xie Baoqiong, who had released Meng Rui, glanced back at the person with his eyes closed, controlled her spiritual power to gather on her feet, and lightly swept towards the hem of his clothes, which was still a few body lengths away.

With her toes lightly touching the bamboo twice, Xie Baoqiong slipped sideways through the gap between two green bamboo stalks and landed gracefully in front of the man.

The person seemed unaware of his presence, burying their head in their knees, with occasional faint sobs escaping their lips.

Xie Baoqiong stared at the person in front of her for a while, confirming that the person in front of her was not the ghost Meng Rui had described.

He even looked somewhat familiar; he seemed to be one of the guests who came today.

After hesitating for a while, Xie Rongjing decided not to disturb him, even though it was his birthday. As the host, he was busy entertaining guests.

Xie Baoqiong quietly stepped forward, squatted down in front of the person, tilted her head and rested it on her knees, preparing to wait for the person to finish crying before leading the person out.

After squatting for a while, a slightly stronger wind suddenly rose in the woods, blowing bamboo leaves off the branches and letting them drift down onto the heads of the two of them.

Xie Baoqiong seemed oblivious, still staring intently at the person in front of her, not even bothering to brush away the fallen leaves from her head.

"Chirp".

Suddenly, the thin bamboo branch that had fallen on the person in front of them made a strange noise as it hit them. The person touched their head and looked up.

Their slightly reddened eyes met a pair of bright eyes.

His hands, which had been rubbing his head, suddenly braced themselves on the ground to help him move backward, but he forgot that there was a bamboo stalk as thick as a bowl behind him. His head, which had been hit by a branch, slammed into the bamboo, making a crisp sound.

Xie Baoqiong leaned forward to block him, but then remembered Meng Rui's words about people not getting too close, and silently pulled away.

At that moment, the boy who had hit his head got up and ran outside.

Xie Baoqiong was caught off guard and actually ran a few steps away. After regaining her senses, she mustered her strength and chased after him.

At the same time, a shout rang out: "Meng Rui!"

Meng Rui, who was still squatting on the ground pretending to be a mushroom, looked up when he heard the shout and saw a white figure running towards him.

He froze for a moment, then got up and ran outside. But because he was only a mortal and had been squatting for a long time, it was fine when he didn't move, but when he moved his legs, he felt a tingling, numb sensation as if ants were gnawing at them.

He had just stood up when he fell back down.

The young man in white was only focused on Xie Baoqiong behind him and didn't notice the figure lying face down on the ground in front of him. He tripped and fell to the ground, rolling around with Meng Rui on the ground.

Xie Baoqiong, who rushed over from afar, only heard Meng Rui's heart-wrenching scream: "A ghost! Ah Qiong, come save me!!"

Xie Baoqiong paused for a moment, then sped up and rushed over. She saw Meng Rui lying on the ground with his eyes closed, wrapped around the white-clothed boy's arm like an octopus, his mouth opening and closing.

After squatting down and observing carefully for a while, Xie Baoqiong discerned that Meng Rui was reciting some simple scriptures.

"You're holding him." Xie Baoqiong's voice suddenly rang out.

Sure enough, there was another scream. Meng Rui let go of his hand and sat up with a somersault.

Xie Baoqiong grabbed the white-clad boy by the collar, making the person lying on the ground stand up again.

I didn't notice it when I was squatting, but now that I'm standing up, I realize that the person in front of me only reaches my nose.

Since coming down the mountain, this was the first time Xie Baoqiong had encountered a human shorter than herself, and she kept staring at the top of the person's head for a while.

"Let go of me." A timid and soft voice rang out, coming from the drooping head in front of her.

"We can't let it go!" This time, Meng Rui's voice was full of energy.

Meng Rui dusted himself off, strode over to the two, and looked at Xie Baoqiong, who was catching the "ghost" with her bare hands, with admiration in his eyes:

"Arjun, we worked really well together and caught this little devil. I'd like to see what kind of face this monster has."

Xie Baoqiong looked at Meng Rui, who had suddenly become bolder, with suspicion, and kindly explained to the boy in her arms, "He is not a ghost. Didn't you just touch him? He has warmth."

Meng Rui, who was full of enthusiasm, froze, carefully recalling the feeling of the touch he had just experienced; it seemed to really have warmth.

Meng Rui lost his strength, looking somewhat disappointed, but also relieved.

"Can you let go of me now?" The voice was still timid.

"If you don't run away, I'll let you go."

After receiving an affirmative answer from the young man in white, Xie Baoqiong released her grip.

At this moment, Meng Rui seemed to remember something, pointed at the boy in white, and turned to ask Xie Baoqiong, "Is he from your family?"

"No, it was my brother who invited me today. I saw him at the banquet."

"Invited by Rong Jing? How come neither of us knows you?" Meng Rui muttered, sizing up the white-robed youth. "Who are you? Why aren't you at the banquet? Why are you here alone?"

The boy in white raised his timid red eyes and glanced at the arrogant Meng Rui, then turned to look at Xie Baoqiong, his eyes sparkling:

"My name is Qi Gui." After saying his name to Xie Baoqiong, the white-robed youth Qi Gui lowered his head and remained silent.

The words "Qi Gui" swirled in Xie Baoqiong's mind, and she felt like she had forgotten something.

But his attention was quickly drawn to Meng Rui's voice, which he figured wasn't important, and he quickly forgot about it.

"Qi Gui, why did you come here all by yourself?" Meng Rui asked again.

Qi Gui remained silent, head bowed.

Xie Baoqiong spoke up at the right moment: "Could it be that you're lost? I couldn't find my way around the Marquis's residence when I first arrived either."

Qi Gui's eyes reddened again, and he nodded without saying a word.

Meng Rui finally noticed Qi Gui's reddened eyes and patted Qi Gui on the shoulder:

"Hey, you just got lost, what's there to be embarrassed about? We'll take you home."

Qi Gui's hands hung down in front of him, his fingers intertwined and rubbing his palms. Startled by Meng Rui's sudden movement, he shuddered, and the shoulder on the side that was slapped involuntarily shrank back.

"Thank you both for your kindness, but I won't bother you any longer. I can go back by myself."

This timid appearance caught Xie Baoqiong's eye, and a sense of déjà vu resurfaced. He silently repeated the words "Qi Gui," and his eyes lit up as he matched the person in front of him with the figure he had glimpsed in his memory:

"I think I've seen you before."

Although there was some uncertainty in his tone, when it reached Qi Gui's ears, the boy suddenly looked up, his face showing a mixture of surprise, excitement, and a hidden shyness and embarrassment.

"I just saw you with Qi Yan. Did you come with Qi Yan?"

The rest of the words poured over him, and Qi Gui calmed down in an instant. His eyes dimmed slightly, and his expression was a complex mix of emotions, making it hard to tell whether it included disappointment.

In the end, it all boiled down to one sentence: "Yes, Young Master Qi is my elder brother."

No matter which sentence Qi Gui uttered, he displayed a complex mix of emotions that Xie Baoqiong couldn't decipher. She only noticed the blush on the boy's face fade.

He retrieved from his memory the questions that ordinary humans would ask in this situation, and asked:

Are you feeling unwell? Do you need to see a doctor?

Qi Gui's face turned even paler.

Meng Rui glanced at the two people present, sensing something was amiss, but ultimately could only manage a single sentence regarding the rapidly changing topic:

"You two know each other?"

"I don't know him."

"recognize……"

Xie Baoqiong's voice rang out quickly, and Qi Gui swallowed the other word he hadn't yet uttered, lowered his head again, and stared intently at the pattern on his sleeve.

Qi Gui's voice was drowned out by Xie Baoqiong's. Meng Rui said, "Then, Qi, Qi Gui, we'll take you out first. There are a lot of mosquitoes in this forest."

As he spoke, Meng Rui waved his hand to shoo away the insects swarming around him, his eyes inadvertently glancing at Xie Baoqiong, his tone slightly sarcastic: "Ah Qiong, why aren't there any mosquitoes around you?"

It would be a miracle if a stone could attract mosquitoes, Xie Baoqiong thought to himself as to come up with a reason for his lie, but Meng Rui came up with a cover-up for him first:

"Could it be that the Marquis's insect repellent is more effective?" Meng Rui muttered, then turned to the two of them and said:

"Let's get out of here quickly."

As he spoke, he walked back the way he came.

It wasn't until he had walked a few feet that he realized he seemed to be the only one making footsteps in the woods.

Meng Rui stopped in his tracks, stiffened his neck and turned around. He saw two figures not far away and breathed a sigh of relief.

He waved to the two who had landed: "Hey, hurry up!"

Xie Baoqiong glanced at the waving figure in the distance and then looked away.

He had been following Meng Rui's movements, but after taking a step, he realized that Qi Gui was still standing still and didn't seem to have any intention of leaving with them.

Noticing Xie Baoqiong's gaze lingering on him, Meng Rui looked up and heard a voice in front of him:

Aren't you leaving?

Facing those unbiased, clear eyes, Qi Gui mustered his courage and said, "I don't want to go back."

"Um."

The person opposite him didn't react much, neither asking why nor making any forceful moves, as if his unconventional ideas were perfectly normal.

Qi Guiben, who had been hiding his true feelings due to his fear, finally found a place to say: "I don't want to go back, I don't want to go home with my brother, I want to..."

"Why?" A loud voice came from behind, interrupting Qi Gui and burying his unfinished words once again.

Xie Baoqiong's gaze shifted to Meng Rui, who had run over quickly because he and Qi Gui hadn't moved for a long time.

"Did Young Master Qi bully you?" Seeing Qi Gui lower his head again, Meng Rui's gaze followed and swept over the dirt on the former's light-colored brocade robe, probably from when the two of them rolled on the ground earlier:

"Are you worried about being scolded when you get back?" Meng Rui said nonchalantly, "My older brother will probably scold me too, but it doesn't matter. When we get back, in front of Rong Jing, they will only give me a few mild scoldings. By the time we get back to the manor, their anger will have subsided."

Meng Rui looked quite experienced, suggesting he'd gotten into a lot of trouble before.

Seeing that Qi Gui was still cowering in fear, Meng Rui turned to Xie Baoqiong for approval:

"Ah-Jung, don't you think so?"

Xie Baoqiong's face showed an unnatural expression. She raised her hand and scratched her face, feeling that she couldn't fit into the topic: "My brother has never scolded me."

Meng Rui's face twisted for a moment, and a sour feeling welled up in his heart, but in an instant, a look of joy appeared in his eyes: "If that's the case, then it's even better. If my older brother starts swearing, Brother Rong Jing can still persuade him to stop."

After saying that, Meng Rui grabbed Qi Gui without further ado, "Come on, let's go see how Brother Qi and my brother are feeling?"

Xie Baoqiong lagged behind the two by a step, opening her mouth as if to speak but then stopping herself. In fact, the two could go to his courtyard to change their clothes before returning.

Behind a screen that was about half a person's height, half a head peeked out. Meng Rui knelt on the ground, crouching low, and looked at the group of people not far away.

Qi Gui sat with his knees drawn up behind the other half of the screen, looking utterly dejected.

"What are you doing? Weren't you going to find your older brother?"

Xie Baoqiong and the other person returned to the courtyard a little later.

Before she could finish speaking, Meng Rui pounced on her and pinned her to the ground.

"Shh." Meng Rui put one index finger to his lips and pointed behind his back with the other hand, his voice low as he said, "Keep your voice down."

Xie Baoqiong shut her mouth as Meng Rui wished, but without any mercy, she pushed the person away, bent down to occupy the position between the two for a moment, and peeked out.

What came into view was Meng Si, Xie Rongjing, and several others gathered together. Some of them held shallow cups and surrounded a person who was deep in thought, holding a brush and staring at the Xuan paper.

Perhaps because his gaze was too unobtrusive, Xie Rongjing noticed it, turned his head to look in his direction, and raised his cup slightly in the distance.

When Xie Baoqiong met Xie Rongjing's gaze, she thought she was being clever and gave him a smile. Regardless of whether Xie Rongjing saw it or not, she quickly withdrew her head.

"Young Master Xie, what are you looking at?" Someone gently patted Xie Rongjing and followed his gaze, only to see a white wall and a low screen.

Xie Rongjing smiled faintly and looked away: "It's nothing, I just saw a few little sparrows building a nest there."

Another person glanced around a few more times, but still couldn't see the bird building a nest that Xie Rongjing had mentioned. He assumed he was seeing things and suggested to the others, "It's a joyous occasion that Young Master Xie saw a bird building a nest on his birthday. Since Brother Zhao lost this round, how about we use the word 'bird' as the theme for the next round? What do you all think?"

...

Xie Baoqiong silently shrank back, imitating Qi Gui by sitting behind the screen with her legs crossed, and nodded at Meng Rui: "Young Master Meng is in a good mood right now, aren't you going to go find him?"

Meng Rui followed suit and sat cross-legged near Xie Baoqiong, extending one finger and shaking it with a sophisticated air.

"Ah-Jung, you're wrong about that."

"?" Xie Baoqiong admitted that she did not understand humans, but she also knew that it was easier to beg for mercy when people were in a good mood.

Why?

Meng Rui cleared his throat, withdrew his hand, and explained in a pretentious manner, "Although my older brother is indeed very happy now, if I go there now, he will definitely be unhappy."

With so many people around, he had to suppress his anger and laugh. He had nowhere to vent his anger, so it only grew stronger. Once everyone left, he would take it all out on me, and it wouldn't be as simple as just scolding me a couple of times.

Let my older brother be happy for a while longer, and we'll go after everyone else has left.

Xie Baoqiong nodded as if she understood, and even Qi Gui beside her had raised his head from his quail-like position and listened attentively to Meng Rui's words.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Xie Baoqiong: I don't understand, but I'll write it down first (●°u°●)

Small Theater

Xie Zhuo (glancing at the mound of earth in the yard) (headache): What happened?

Si Xi (cautiously): Those are the flowers planted by the young master.

Xie Baoqiong (An Yi): It's like coming home. At night, it turns back into its original form and is stuck there.