Chapter 54 Xie Baoqiong turned her head to look at Xie Zhuo…

Xie Baoqiong turned her head to look at Xie Zhuo, avoiding Rong Feng's gaze: "Father, what's the deal with the fox spirit?"

“He was also an accomplice of that group,” Xie Zhuo explained.

Xie Baoqiong nodded knowingly, but Rong Feng's gaze remained fixed on her.

He was somewhat worried that Rong Feng might have seen through his disguise, just as Lin Zhechun and Chisong had discovered his demonic identity. Although the two of them did not expose him for various reasons, Rong Feng, who was standing beside him, had no need to cover for him.

He thought of Xie Zhuo's introduction of Rong Feng, and his worries deepened. The water in the large bowl in front of him seemed to turn back into the hard, dry cornbread in prison.

Xie Baoqiong swallowed hard, puffed out her cheeks, and stuffed a mouthful of water into her mouth.

The scrutinizing gaze that had been fixed on him gradually subsided, and he heard Rong Feng ask:

"When Young Master Xie was riding in the same carriage with that group of people, did you overhear their conversation?"

Although the person has now been found, there are still many suspicious points, and Rong Feng does not want to leave any oversights.

Furthermore, upon closer inspection, Xie Baoqiong appeared to him with the good looks inherited from Xie Zhuo and Princess Huayang, which indeed matched the rumors about Princess Huayang leaving behind a child.

But after only two brief encounters, he always felt that Xie Baoqiong's behavior was normal, yet it also revealed a naiveté that was not in line with his age.

Although his aura was like that of an ordinary person, his movements were surprisingly agile.

He felt that Xie Baoqiong was strange, but he couldn't figure out why. Seeing that she was engrossed in eating, he temporarily put aside his thoughts.

Xie Baoqiong, who was specifically questioned, had overheard quite a bit of information along the way, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he knew the most inside information among the three present.

However, he harbored some selfish motives, wanting to investigate the person behind it all privately, hence his blank expression as he spoke:

"They didn't say a word on the way..."

Xie Baoqiong was saying this when she abruptly changed the subject:

"However, I did hear some of what they said while they were locked up."

"What did they say?!" Rong Feng hadn't had much hope of getting any useful information from Xie Baoqiong. The questioning was more of a probe than an investigation, except to prevent any oversights.

Seeing the look of reminiscence on Xie Baoqiong's face, a faint sense of anticipation arose in his heart.

"They mentioned some kind of cultivation technique or something," Xie Baoqiong said after a moment of deep thought. "It seems to make ordinary people more powerful..."

Xie Baoqiong omitted the people behind the scenes, distorted how he learned all this, and simply explained the result.

Rong Feng wanted to ask more questions, but he brushed it off by saying he hadn't heard clearly and didn't remember.

If Rong Feng continued to press, Xie Zhuo, seeing his troubled expression and unable to answer, cut Rong Feng off.

...

"Qiong'er, are you full?"

Xie Zhuo put down his teacup, looked at the large bowl on the table with only soup left, and asked.

Xie Baoqiong felt he could eat a little more, but he didn't want to sit at the same table as Rong Feng.

"Dad, we've finished eating. Let's go."

"Young Master Rong, please make your own way. I, Xie, will take my leave with my young son."

As soon as Xie Zhuo got up, Xie Baoqiong couldn't wait to follow.

Rong Feng looked up and watched the two walk away.

After the waiter and the others left, they came up to clear the dishes and noticed Rong Feng sitting alone at the square table. They struck up a conversation with him.

"Sir, your friend's child has a really good appetite. This extra-large bowl of water is something that even an ordinary adult might not be able to finish."

Rong Feng paused, his hand still holding the noodles, and looked at the water in the bowl, which showed no signs of diminishing.

"Is this bowl also a larger portion?" He remembered that he had ordered the same bowl as Xie Baoqiong.

"Yes, sir," the waiter replied.

Rong Feng's gaze fell on the empty bowl that the waiter had taken away, his eyes thoughtful.

...

Xie Baoqiong followed Xie Zhuo into a clothing store.

"Shopkeeper, bring him a few sets of ready-made clothes that are suitable for him."

The shopkeeper of the clothing store had a keen eye and immediately noticed that the father and son who entered the store were wearing simple clothes, but the fabric was of the highest quality.

He followed Xie Zhuo's gaze and scanned Xie Baoqiong's figure, finding that all the ready-made clothes he found were made of the best fabrics in the store.

"Guest, these young masters should all be able to wear them. If they are too big, we can alter them in the shop."

While Xie Baoqiong was in the Marquis's residence, Xie Rongjing took care of almost all of Xie Baoqiong's daily clothes. This was the first time Xie Zhuo had done so.

"What style does Qiong'er like?"

In my memory, Xie Baoqiong's clothes did not have a specific color or style. I had seen clothes of different shades and patterns on Xie Baoqiong, but I never saw any of them receive any special favor from their owner.

Xie Zhuo simply handed the choice over to Xie Baoqiong.

"Either is fine," Xie Baoqiong said.

The shopkeeper felt it was difficult, but he didn't show it on his face. He simply placed the finished garments one by one in front of Xie Baoqiong.

He saw Xie Baoqiong nod and agree to each garment as it was placed in front of him.

Whether it's trendy styles or long-overdue inventory, they accept everything.

The shopkeeper was happy, but Xie Zhuo's face turned ugly. Although he usually followed Xie Baoqiong's wishes in most matters, he did not want to see his son go out wearing a burlap sack.

Just now, when the shopkeeper had shown Xie Baoqiong all the ready-made clothes and finally took out a burlap sack to put them in, Xie Baoqiong actually expressed her approval of the burlap sack.

Xie Zhuo stopped the shopkeeper from packing the clothes and instead pointed to several sets of soft fabrics and bought them.

They borrowed a room in the clothing store for Xie Baoqiong to change out of her outer garments. Xie Zhuo handed the money to the shopkeeper and said:

"Please trouble you to bring the rest of the clothes here, innkeeper." He told the innkeeper where he wanted to stay.

"Alright, sir." Although he hadn't managed to sell all the clothes he wanted, Xie Zhuo had bought quite a few, and the shopkeeper readily agreed.

Just then, Xie Baoqiong, having changed her clothes, came out from the inner room:

"Dad, it's changed."

"The guest has excellent taste; these clothes suit the young master perfectly," the shopkeeper said, offering flattering words.

Upon hearing the sound, Xie Zhuo looked over and saw that Xie Baoqiong's original dark coat had been changed to a light color. At a glance, it was as if the dust on the jade had been wiped away, making it much brighter.

Xie Baoqiong followed Xie Zhuo's gaze to his new upper garment and tugged at the belt around his waist:

"The same color."

Xie Zhuo removed Xie Baoqiong's hand and led her out of the shop:

"They're the same, what a coincidence."

"Father, shall we go back to the yamen now?" After leaving the house, Xie Baoqiong looked up at the direction Xie Zhuo was leading and asked.

"We won't go back yet. I'll take you to see Qi Gui. They'll be returning to the capital before us tomorrow," Xie Zhuo replied.

"When is Father going back?" Xie Baoqiong asked quickly, making it impossible to tell whether there was a pause before the word "what".

"We'll have to wait until things here are handed over, which will probably be two days later than Qi Gui and the others," Xie Zhuo said.

Xie Baoqiong turned her head back, her gaze sweeping over the street scene, her thoughts wandering.

The person behind Cao Zhuangling is still in Luozhou, so he will definitely be going to Luozhou.

He just hadn't figured out how to say goodbye to Xie Zhuo yet.

If he told Xie Zhuo directly that he was going to Luozhou, Xie Zhuo might not be willing to let him go alone. Although Xie Zhuo couldn't beat him, if he made a move, it would be no different from revealing his identity.

While Xie Zhuo would likely let him go if he directly revealed his identity, he inexplicably didn't want to do so.

Maybe...maybe the person behind this isn't the one he's looking for. In that case, he'll still have to return to the capital, just in case he needs Xie Zhuo's help...

Before Xie Baoqiong could come up with a solution after much thought, Xie Zhuo suddenly pulled him to a stop:

"What are you thinking about? Watch your step."

Xie Baoqiong snapped out of her thoughts, looked down at the threshold in front of her, and stepped into the courtyard with Xie Zhuo.

As soon as I entered the courtyard, a joyful voice rang out:

"Ah-Jung".

Xie Baoqiong had no time to think about how to say goodbye. A figure ran out of the courtyard and stopped a step away from him, his voice no longer as excited as before:

"Thank you, sir."

Xie Zhuo responded, "You guys play in the yard, I'll go inside and check on things."

Xie Zhu left a message and walked towards the room where the unconscious child was being placed.

Just then, a man dressed as a member of the Anti-Evil Division came out of the door carrying medicine dregs. Upon seeing Xie Zhuo, he placed the dregs on the railing under the eaves and followed Xie Zhuo into the house.

"How are they?" Xie Zhuo asked, looking at the row of unconscious children lying on the bed.

"We used the medicine, but it didn't work. We can only wait until we return to the capital to see if the doctors there have any solutions," the junior official from the Criminal Investigation Department beside him explained.

"What's going on with Qi Gui?" Xie Zhuo shifted his gaze to the two heads huddled together in the courtyard outside the window.

Among the rescued carriages, the only conscious person was Qi Gui, who was unrestrained, suggesting he had awakened on the way.

The minor official had also placed his hopes on Qi Gui, but...

"Young Master Qi is a half-demon, not an ordinary person."

"Half-demon..." Xie Zhu murmured these two words, then shifted his gaze slightly to the hair bun that he had personally styled.

Noticing his gaze, Xie Baoqiong looked over from outside the window.

"Ah-Qiong, what's wrong?" Qi Gui was a little confused when his friend suddenly turned around.

"It's alright, Dad's watching over us." Xie Baoqiong turned around: "What were you about to say?"

Qi Gui leaned against the corner of the wall, unable to speak after being interrupted, but Xie Baoqiong's serene face was right in front of him.

"Arjun, can I stay with you?"

Xie Baoqiong tilted her head: "Why?"

He still had to go to Luozhou, so it wasn't convenient to take Qi Gui with him. But if Qi Gui wanted to go with him, it wouldn't hurt to turn into a little duck... or a little bird and carry it around.

Qi Gui lowered his head and remained silent.

"You don't want to go back to the Qi family mansion?" Xie Baoqiong guessed. "But you're already preparing to cultivate, so no one will be able to bully you then."

If everyone in the Qi household bullies you, then beat them all up.

Xie Baoqiong had only been a human being for a few months and had no concept of respect for superiors and inferiors, so she spoke these words without any burden.

Qi Gui was different; he had hardly spent any time as a demon. He was startled after hearing Xie Baoqiong's words and glanced worriedly in the direction of the house.

"My brother is sometimes quite good to me," he said, tugging at his sleeve as a defense.

“Then when he’s nice to you, you shouldn’t hit him,” Xie Baoqiong advised readily.

Qi Gui sensed that something was off about the topic and quickly steered the conversation back on track:

"When will Ah-Qiong and Lord Xie return to the capital?"

“Father said it will be two days later than yours,” Xie Baoqiong replied.

Hearing that there were only two days left, Qi Gui's face lit up with joy, and he no longer mentioned staying to accompany Xie Baoqiong: "Then I will go back to the capital to cultivate properly."

Seeing that he had changed his mind, Xie Baoqiong did not insist, but said, "When you come to the Marquis's residence in the future, you don't need to send anyone to deliver a visiting card. Just have the gatekeeper announce your arrival."

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Author's Note: While writing, I suddenly thought that if I were to write a modern-day story in the future, Xiao Bao could totally support himself by participating in a competitive eating contest (just kidding).