Chapter 27 The carriage in sight gradually moves away...

The carriage gradually receded into the distance, its copper bells swaying and dangling in the distance.

Xie Baoqiong didn't understand why she asked that question. Perhaps it was just to get a heads-up beforehand, in case Xie Rongjing wouldn't... if her identity was exposed in the future.

Halfway through his thought, he blinked blankly, wondering what he couldn't do. Given Xie Rongjing's personality, he would never do anything to retaliate.

A finger poked his forehead, and Xie Rongjing's voice rang out from above:

"Is Qiong'er scared because of what happened earlier?"

Xie Rongjing's gentle gaze fell on him, gradually dispelling the strange emotions in his heart.

He didn't answer Xie Rongjing's question. His gaze moved down from Xie Rongjing's eyes and landed on the dark patterns on Xie Rongjing's clothes. The indistinguishable floral patterns twisted together in a regular pattern. Xie Baoqiong inexplicably became stubborn about the answer to the question:

"Does my brother hate monsters?"

Perhaps sensing his stubbornness, Xie Rongjing pondered for a moment, then, without giving a perfunctory answer, replied earnestly:

"Monsters and humans are similar, only their physical appearance is different. If they do not do evil, they are no different from ordinary neighbors. However, ordinary people can also cause trouble if they have evil thoughts. In my heart, there is no difference between humans and monsters."

Although his words did not answer directly, Xie Rongjing's meaning was crystal clear.

"If you do something wrong in the future, I may feel a headache or I may be angry, but I will not hate you."

Xie Baoqiong was somewhat surprised; wasn't Xie Rongjing's statement contradictory?

A hand lifted up and pinched his cheek, pulling it slightly outward, disrupting his surprised expression. Xie Rongjing said with a smile, "However, if you do something wrong, it's your father who should be worried and angry."

A voice came from beside them: "What are you two saying to each other standing at the door?"

The coachman lifted the carriage curtain, revealing the figures inside. Xie Zhu stepped off the carriage on a stool and looked at the two people standing at the gate of the mansion with a puzzled expression.

The two followed Xie Zhuo into the mansion. Xie Rongjing, combining their earlier conversation, made up a joke and asked Xie Zhuo:

"Father, my younger brother just asked me what you would do if he were a monster?"

Xie Zhuo's dark pupils swept over Xie Baoqiong with a meaningful look, as if he were carefully considering what her true form was. After a moment, his eyes narrowed slightly, and the corners of his mouth lifted gently, as if he had finally figured things out. He affirmed:

"If my Qiong'er were truly a monster, she would be the most adorable monster in the world."

Xie Baoqiong tugged at Xie Rongjing's sleeve, keeping her head down as she walked, her thoughts drifting to the temple fair on the fifteenth. Xie Zhuo's words, though lingering in her ears, dissipated in the wind.

Even if he heard it clearly, he would only mutter to himself, "Truly a master among scholars, he can come up with all sorts of sweet words to coax people, just like the scholar in the storybook who coaxes monsters to go to the mortal world."

Seeing his younger brother looking completely bewildered, Xie Rongjing changed the subject and asked Xie Zhuo:

"Father, why are you so late finishing your shift today?"

Xie Zhuo glanced at Xie Baoqiong beside him, but did not say it directly: "I went to get the birthday gift I prepared for you, which delayed me for a while."

—

An hour ago, in the front hall of the Princess's residence.

A maidservant served Xie Zhuo a cup of tea.

Lin Yu sat at the head of the table and saw that Xie Zhuo was the only visitor. He waved for everyone except his personal maid to leave.

"You've come to my residence alone today; have you discovered something?"

Xie Zhuo nodded in agreement: "Following Qiong'er's household registration, my men found that a woman named Qiu Shuang, who resembled A Jin's former maid, had appeared in Sishui Town, which had the same household registration as Qiong'er."

Are you sure it's autumn frost?

"That person was disfigured, but according to the informant, it's almost certainly Qiu Shuang."

"If that's the case, where is she now?" Lin Yu's voice became more urgent.

"More than three months ago, he was found dead alone at home."

The hope that had risen in Lin Yu's eyes dimmed, just as it had countless times over the past thirteen years.

But she keenly caught the key words in Xie Zhuo's words: "Alone? She was in the same town as Qiong'er, but where was Qiong'er back then?"

According to the villagers, Qiu Shuang has been alone ever since she appeared in Sishui Town, and no one has ever seen another person with her.

The information in the words was ingenious, and several speculations flashed through Lin Yu's mind.

"But some villagers mentioned that Qiu Shuang would enter a mountain full of spirits every now and then, and was eventually buried there by kind villagers," Xie Zhuo continued.

The key to the problem seemed to lie in that mountain, but Lin Yu saw that Xie Zhuo did not mention the follow-up, which meant that they had not yet received any news. The mountain forest was full of spirits and monsters, and it was not easy for ordinary people to go deep into it.

She then asked from another angle, "Does Qiong'er have anything else to say?"

Xie Zhu shook his head slightly: "He is very resistant to these things. Every time I bring them up with him, he always changes the subject." Halfway through his sentence, Xie Zhu frowned slightly: "Seeing him like this, I can't bring myself to force him."

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent. Xie Zhuo lowered his eyes and turned the teacup in his hand, his gaze fixed on a thin tea stem that had sunk to the bottom of the tea soup and moved with his movements.

After a long silence, Lin Yu, sitting at the head of the table, parted his thin lips slightly: "Xie Zhuo, the child's identity was only hastily determined."

Xie Zhuo did not drink the tea. He placed the teacup on the small table next to him. The tea soup rippled for a while, and the tea stems were tossed about like a small boat in a storm until the surface of the water calmed down and sank to the bottom of the cup.

"Didn't the eldest princess also take good care of him?" Xie Zhuo asked.

Just then, someone outside announced: "Your Highness, Prince Xuan requests an audience."

Lin Yu frowned: "Please let him in."

Xie Zhuo stood up to take his leave: "I will come to visit again when there is further news."

Before leaving, Lin Yu suddenly spoke up:

"What if that child isn't him?"

Xie Zhuo stopped and turned his head slightly to the side: "Now, he is Xie Baoqiong."

A long sigh came from behind him. Xie Zhuo stepped out of the courtyard and brushed past Prince Xuan as he entered.

Lin An saw Xie Zhuo walking out of the courtyard from inside the house, and a look of surprise flashed across his face:

"Lord Xie, you've come to see my elder sister too? It's getting late, would you like to stay for a simple meal before you leave? I happened to hunt a deer in the countryside today, and I'll bring it along for my elder sister to enjoy."

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but it is my son's birthday today, so I will not stay any longer." Xie Zhu politely declined Lin An's offer.

Lin An raised an eyebrow. "Lord Xie has finally found his child; he should spend some time with him."

As he spoke, his face turned troubled:

"Speaking of which, I am also that child's great-uncle, but we only met once during the spring search. It's a pity that I have to return to my fiefdom soon."

As he spoke, Lin An pulled off a gourd-shaped ornament from his waist. "This is a defensive magic artifact that I obtained by chance. Consider it a gift for my little grandson."

Prince Xuan had been sent to a sacred mountain to cultivate in his early years, so it was not surprising that he possessed such a magical treasure. However, the Marquis's residence had never had much contact with Prince Xuan. After a moment's thought, Xie Zhuo politely declined Lin An's offer.

Lin An, however, shoved the object into his hand without a word, saying, "Hey, this is a gift for my little grandson. Master Xie can't make that decision."

After forcibly stuffing the things out, King Xuan turned and walked back into the house.

Xie Zhuo reluctantly put away the magical artifact in her hand and walked out of the mansion. She could still faintly hear the voice coming from the house behind her: "Royal sister, I need to return to my fiefdom in a couple of days..."

—

The Marquis's Residence.

Xie Zhuo took off his official robes, changed into ordinary clothes, and returned to Xie Rongjing's courtyard.

On the side couch, Xie Baoqiong was half-embraced by Xie Rongjing, happily drinking from a white porcelain teacup. Every now and then, she would pick up a pickled plum from the carved low table next to her and put it in her mouth. After shivering from the sourness, she would gulp down a big mouthful of tea.

After making eye contact with him, he should have been about to call for help, but when he opened his mouth, a burp came out first.

Xie Rongjing's attention was also drawn to the hiccups. He raised his hand and rubbed Xie Baoqiong's stomach, smiling as he said, "We haven't had dinner yet, how come Qiong'er is already full?"

“Not enough,” Xie Baoqiong retorted.

With this scene in sight, Xie Zhuo temporarily put aside the gloom in his heart and sat down on the other side of the carved low table, casually pushing the sour plums on the table aside.

Xie Baoqiong glanced at him resentfully: "Dad, plums don't fill your stomach."

"Mm," Xie Zhuo responded, pouring himself a cup of tea.

The light-colored, translucent tea soup was no different from usual, but as the teacup was brought closer to the nose, a faint sweetness could be detected.

Taking a small sip, unsurprisingly, I tasted the honey.

A look of understanding appeared in Xie Zhuo's eyes, and he naturally moved the teapot further away from the person.

Seeing this, Xie Baoqiong leaned against Xie Rongjing, looked up without saying a word, and stared at Xie Rongjing with longing eyes.

His thoughts were written all over his face; anyone with eyes could tell.

The moment Xie Rongjing lowered his eyes and met the other person's gaze, he looked away, put one arm around the person, and took the cup from Xie Baoqiong's hand, which was now completely empty of tea.

The gazes falling upon him grew increasingly intense, but Xie Rongjing pretended not to notice and turned to Xie Zhuo, saying:

"Dad, how does this flower tea taste?"

"The taste is refreshingly sweet, not cloying at all, quite good." Xie Zhuo put down his teacup.

Why did you suddenly change the tea in the courtyard?

The question was directed at Xie Rongjing, but Xie Zhuo's gaze shifted to Xie Baoqiong, who was nestled in Xie Rongjing's arms and still restlessly reaching out to rummage through the container of pickled plums.

Seeing that she had been caught, Xie Baoqiong innocently looked away, quickly forked a plum and stuffed it into her mouth. Her fair face wrinkled from the sourness, and her round eyes half-closed, with the drooping corners of her eyes, making her look like two listless fish. Yet, she acted like a cat that had just stolen some fish.

He gently complained to Xie Rongjing, "Brother, it's sour."

Xie Rongjing did not answer Xie Zhuo's question, but glanced meaningfully at Xie Baoqiong, revealing the answer clearly.

She deftly brewed half a cup of tea and handed it to her younger brother.

Having achieved her goal, Xie Baoqiong sipped the sweet water in her cup with a relaxed air, held by Xie Rongjing's hand. The two listless fish seemed to have finally drunk their fill of water, exuding a lazy and leisurely air.

Seeing his lazy appearance, Xie Zhu asked curiously, "What gift did Qiong'er give her brother today?"

Xie Baoqiong, who was called out, was taken aback. The sweet water in her mouth had just suppressed the sourness of the plum, and besides the sweet taste, there was a floral fragrance in her mouth.

He remembered that the storybook mentioned that this day of human birth was special for humans. Although he didn't understand what was so special about this day that happened every year, he wondered if there was anything in his pocket that he could give away.

He swept his divine sense across the space within his sleeve and suddenly discovered a sad truth.

He was a penniless little demon, and the most valuable thing he owned was probably the jade pendant that Su Xiaochun gave him, which could conceal his aura.

Aside from the gold and silver Xin Xuan gave him that he hadn't used up, the only things left in his "Hidden Universe" were a few fruits from Sishui Mountain and Xiaochun's fox fur.

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

Author's Note: The illustrations are now available.

Actually, before I even finished the rough outline, I originally planned to write a character with a strict personality, but I made adjustments as the plot changed, and then... and then this is what you all see.

Author: Xie Shizi, please stop spoiling your younger brother, okay?

Hsieh Jung-Ching (laughs): This is just a brother taking care of his younger brother.