Chapter 117 Xuanfeng confesses his love to Su Yuyao

"Luo Fengyue?" Yu Qing thought for a moment and said, "I think there is such a person, but I've never seen him before. Why?"

"Oh, it's nothing, it's just... the time I set a wildfire, I burned down the boardwalk outside his yard, and now he wants to repair it, but he won't let me!" Su Yuyao said embarrassedly.

Yu Qing was puzzled and asked, "Is it because he wants you to compensate him for his house that he disagrees with you building the plank road?"

"Compensate with a house? Why compensate with a house?" Su Yuyao was even more puzzled.

"The walkway outside the courtyard was burned down, but the house is alright?" Yu Qing asked.

"House? Plank road?" That's right! If the plank road is burned down, his house must be damaged too! But I haven't heard General Lei mention anything about the house…

"Hey? Oh right, Yuqing!" Su Yuyao suddenly remembered something, "Your memorial tablet was erected by Qinggan?"

Upon hearing Qinggan's name, Yuqing rolled her eyes, pouted, and nodded. "Yes! He wanted to give me some benefits so I could be with him... I didn't agree!"

“Oh,” Su Yuyao didn’t expect Yu Qing to admit it so directly, “So… what do you mainly do in the gang?”

"What else can I do? If someone asks for a romantic partner, I'll lend a hand, but most of them are just bad romantic prospects that seduce people and ruin other people's relationships, so I don't want to deal with them anymore. After a while, no one comes to me anymore!" Yu Qing said calmly.

"If, and I mean if, we don't erect a memorial tablet for you anymore, what would you do?" Su Yuyao asked tentatively.

"If you don't want to erect one, then don't. I don't care!" Yu Qing dusted off her sleeves and said calmly, "When Lord Qinggan erected one for me, he had ulterior motives, and I did need a place to stay at the time. Now, I have Brother Langzhi, Granny Zhong is willing to take me in, and the school needs someone to help tidy it up. What more do I need for a memorial tablet?"

"Yuqing, you said you have Grandpa Langzhi? What did Grandpa Langzhi promise you?" Su Yuyao asked nervously.

Yu Qing sighed and said, "I didn't promise anything, I just said that I would come to see you when Your Majesty has calmed down and has time!"

Su Yuyao looked at Yu Qing with sympathy. Although she was a fox, she didn't seem so bad...

"Su Yuyao!" Xuan Feng stepped into the courtyard. Although his voice was calm, this address made Su Yuyao tense up instantly.

She jumped up and hid behind Yu Qing.

Yu Qing glanced at the nervous Su Yuyao, then at Xuan Feng who was walking over, and quickly stepped forward, curtsying slightly. She said, "Lord Xuan Feng! Miss Yao'er has been here for most of the day, exchanging skills with the children and showing them the wonders of Plum Blossom Divination. They've had so much fun! I was thinking of letting Miss Yao'er cool off before sending her back, but I didn't expect you to come so soon!"

"Really?" Xuan Feng walked up to Su Yuyao, bent down, looked into Su Yuyao's guilty eyes, and asked with a half-smile, "Did you have fun?"

“…Mmm.” Su Yuyao blinked and swallowed as she replied.

"So happy? If the kids hadn't come home from school and told me you were here, I wouldn't have guessed you were at school! I've been looking for you for ages!"

"……Um."

"go home!"

Xuanfeng took Su Yuyao's hand, held it tightly, and turned to Yuqing, saying, "Thank you for your help!"

Yu Qing lowered her head, slightly bent her knees, and said softly, "No need to be so polite..."

Su Yuyao was being pulled up the mountain path by Xuan Feng. Looking at the back of Xuan Feng's head, she thought, "What should I do? That bastard seems really angry! If he gets angry, I'm doomed!"

Xuanfeng walked ahead, listening to Su Yuyao's inner thoughts, and gradually the corners of his mouth curled up. "You brat, you know fear, yet you're still so willful!"

“Xuanfeng… Lord…” Su Yuyao cleared her throat and said, “Um… I asked Yuqing, and she said that Qinggan erected a memorial tablet for her because of… so…”

"So what?" Xuan Feng straightened his face, turned around to look at Su Yuyao, and asked coldly.

Su Yuyao gazed at the handsome face bathed in the slanting rays of the setting sun, his flowing black hair, his tender gaze, his high nose, thin lips, his prominent Adam's apple, and his broad chest…

My heart started pounding again, as if a flower was blooming within me. This feeling was bittersweet, joyful, and fulfilling, yet it also made me question myself. He was a celestial being, so perfect, while I was just an ordinary orphan. Did I... truly deserve him? Did he like me genuinely? Or... because I was young? Or because I offered myself to him? If another woman appeared, would he...?

Xuanfeng looked at Su Yuyao and saw her excitement, love, doubt, and worry...

Silly girl!

Xuanfeng suddenly pulled the stunned Su Yuyao into his arms, "You brat! If you keep thinking nonsense, I'll beat you up!"

"I..." Su Yuyao had never felt so inferior before. She had always believed that she was an absolutely special existence in Xuanfeng's world. But in that instant, Xuanfeng was too perfect, and this feeling of perfection caused Su Yuyao's confidence to collapse suddenly.

Su Yuyao suddenly felt sad. She had so many flaws, and one day Xuanfeng would dislike her. When that time came...

Her heart suddenly ached. She couldn't imagine how desperate she would be if Xuanfeng changed his mind! What if Xuanfeng abandoned her? How would she survive?

"Waaah—waaah—" Su Yuyao couldn't help but shed tears as she thought about it.

Xuanfeng chuckled and gently rubbed Su Yuyao's head, whispering in her ear, "Silly girl! Still overthinking! I've already fallen for you! Why are you only starting to like me now?!"

"Huh? What...what do you mean?" Su Yuyao asked, wiping away her tears.

"Silly girl!" Xuanfeng cupped Su Yuyao's face in his hands and said with a smile, "I was the one who fell for you first! I was the one who liked you first! I can't live without you!"

“But…you’re so good to me…” Su Yuyao blinked and squeezed out two more tears.

Xuanfeng smiled helplessly and said, "What's so great about me? I'm older than you, but you don't mind that I'm old!"

"Mmm," Su Yuyao replied, sniffling.

"You didn't complain about how smelly I was when I first came back!"

"Um."

You even helped me soak my feet!

"Hmm... I like to soak your feet!"

"Girl, it's because I can't live without you! It's because I'm not good enough for you! I was even jealous today! Remember?"

"Hmm!" Su Yuyao's mood improved a lot, and she raised her apple-like face, saying, "I'm going to punish you too!"

"Yeah! I'm waiting to be punished tonight!" Xuanfeng kissed Su Yuyao's forehead. "Don't let your mind wander like that again! Do you hear me?"

Su Yuyao suddenly blinked her fluffy eyes, "Then... are you still angry!"

Xuanfeng looked at the adorable Su Yuyao and couldn't help but burst into laughter, "My dear girl! I'll never dare to be angry again! Is that alright?"

Su Yuyao finally relaxed, chuckled, and nodded vigorously...

Xuanfeng, holding the now cheerful Su Yuyao's hand, felt a blissful fullness in his heart. This fullness filled him with energy and gave him the courage to face any danger...

Su Yuyao was led by Xuanfeng, as if she were being pampered by the whole world. She didn't care if she was isolated or disliked. As long as Xuanfeng liked her, that was enough.

Su Yuyao still liked to hop and skip on the steps, but she kept holding Xuanfeng's hand.

Xuanfeng still looked at the bouncy Su Yuyao with tenderness in his eyes, but he did not let go of Su Yuyao's hand.

“Xuanfeng! I just asked Yuqing, and Yuqing doesn’t know Luo Fengyue. And Luo Fengyue is a reclusive old man, which means…” Su Yuyao thought seriously.

"What does this mean?" Xuanfeng looked at Su Yuyao as she pondered deeply, feeling both gratified and curious.

“I don’t understand either…” Su Yuyao gave up thinking.

Xuanfeng smiled and said, "Qinggan has erected thirty-two steles, which are scattered throughout the Jiujiao Mountain area."

“Various places?” Su Yuyao said seriously, “Jiujiao Mountain is neither too big nor too small. If these thirty-two steles are arranged reasonably, at appropriate distances… it will be a net covering the entire Jiujiao Mountain…”

"Oh?" Xuanfeng was somewhat surprised. "Tell me, what kind of network is it?"

“I can’t say for sure,” Su Yuyao said, hopping up and down the steps with her head down. “I just find it strange that if Luo Fengyue is so withdrawn, how can he work in the gang? If he can’t work in the gang, why is there a memorial tablet for him?”

Xuanfeng smiled but didn't say anything; he simply held his maid's hand even tighter.

"Judging from Qinggan's act of erecting a memorial tablet for Yuqing, everything he does must have a purpose! He wanted to get Yuqing, so he erected a memorial tablet for her. Then why would he erect a memorial tablet for such a stubborn old man as Luo Fengyue? Is he trying to get something from Luo Fengyue? Or... what is Luo Fengyue doing here?" Su Yuyao's thoughts became clearer and clearer. "Luo Fengyue is so stubborn and difficult to get along with that he would never give Qinggan any benefits in exchange for a memorial tablet. It must be that Qinggan put him here, or rather, planted him here as... an informant!"

Su Yuyao finally figured it out!

"Xuanfeng! I think we need to investigate what kind of affairs these steles have handled, and sort out those empty steles first; these should be our informants!"

"Then... what about the others? Could it be eyeliner?" Xuanfeng looked at Su Yuyao with great interest.

"The other memorial arches are also suspects, but... it's safer to proceed step by step!"

“Okay! I’ll listen to you!” Xuan Feng was overjoyed because Su Yuyao’s idea coincided with his.

"Am I smart?" Su Yuyao said proudly.

"Smart! Just doesn't like studying!" Xuanfeng replied with a smile. "If you put more effort into your studies, your grades wouldn't be so bad..."

Su Yuyao's smile gradually froze on her face, and her joy instantly turned into heartbreaking disappointment. She shook off Xuanfeng's hand, lifted her skirt, and walked forward, saying, "I did a great job, but you never praise me!"

“It’s not that I don’t want to praise you,” Xuanfeng said, taking a few steps after her and taking Su Yuyao’s hand again. “It’s just that there are still areas where you need to work on!”

“I never said I wouldn’t try!” Su Yuyao said somewhat dejectedly. “You and the Empress have hardly ever praised me. Even Uncle Qimen always says that Brother Yue’er is better than me! Only Brother Yue’er praises me. When he teaches me how to circulate Qi, he praises me for doing well. Last time I accidentally started a forest fire, he didn’t scold me and even told me not to worry…”

Xuanfeng stopped and grabbed Su Yuyao.

Su Yuyao turned to look at Xuanfeng and asked in confusion, "Why are you not leaving?"

Xuanfeng looked up at Su Yuyao, "I'm jealous again!"

"Huh?" Su Yuyao was taken aback. "You...are jealous?"

Xuanfeng shook Su Yuyao's arm, "You've never called me brother!"

"Huh?!" Su Yuyao stared wide-eyed at Xuanfeng, who was trying his best to act cute. "You..."

Xuanfeng shook Su Yuyao's arm again, "Call me brother too!"

Seeing Xuanfeng's coquettish behavior, Su Yuyao felt a chill run down her spine. She abruptly shook off Xuanfeng's hand and shouted, "Let go! It's disgusting!"

"What?! You dare say I'm disgusting?" Xuan Feng stepped forward to grab Su Yuyao's hand, but Su Yuyao dodged him.

Su Yuyao ran while lifting her skirt, shouting, "You're not my brother anymore! I should call you uncle!"

"You brat! Stop right there!"