Li Xiaoxiao walked closer, picked up the black stone that was under the table, and said with a grin, "Master, I want to buy this stone."

Without blinking, the master replied, "It's yours, just a worthless stone."

Holding the stone, Li Xiaoxiao was in a good mood and couldn't help but say a few more words, "Uncle, why do you always have to be a coward?"

As soon as he said that, the man stopped halfway with the hammer in his hand, then resumed hammering in an instant, as if nothing had happened. But Li Xiaoxiao wouldn't let it go. "You know, right? Li Zhenchuan had many concubines and even poisoned his wife. His wife almost died. Years ago, Wu Xinyue gave birth to a daughter who doesn't look like Li Zhenchuan at all."

Upon hearing this, the blacksmith stopped, glaring at her with eyes blazing with anger, his tone growing increasingly hostile, "What did you say?"

Seeing that he had fallen for it, Li Xiaoxiao couldn't help but laugh. "Wu Xinyue told me about this. Let me introduce myself. My name is Li Xiaoxiao, and I am Wu Xinyue's daughter."

The man looked up, and upon closer inspection, he realized that she bore a striking resemblance to Li Xiaoxiao. He was stunned when he saw the girl's radiant smile.

"this...."

The man couldn't speak, and tears suddenly fell; a huge man was actually shedding tears.

"Come back with me, and you will be my bodyguard."

This was Li Xiaoxiao's second request. The man stood there, stunned. "My mother has already divorced Li Zhenchuan."

This sentence hinted at many things, and the man perked up immediately. "Okay."

Li Xiaoxiao smiled. This person was Li Jie, the number one general under Qi Yu. He was skilled in both literature and martial arts and was a rare talent in the Northern Wei Kingdom.

Li Jie trembled as he packed up his shop, then looked at Li Xiaoxiao and said, "I'm packing up my shop and belongings. I'll go report to the Duke of Kaiguo's mansion another day."

Li Xiaoxiao remained noncommittal and left with a smile. In the original book, this man was a madman. Back then, Wu Xinyue was deeply in love with Li Zhenchuan. When she was fighting with Li Zhenchuan, she met Li Zhenchuan's younger brother, Li Jie, who was tainted by demonic energy. Wu Xinyue took good care of Li Jie and did not mind that Li Jie had demonic energy. The three of them marched for five years, and in the end, Li Zhenchuan married Wu Xinyue.

On the night before Wu Xinyue's wedding, Li Jie committed that act. Li Zhenchuan was unusually cold on the second night of their wedding. He endured it for the sake of his official rank and showed his love. When the child was born, Li Xiaoxiao was stolen. Wu Xinyue suffered a great loss of health because of the child and could no longer have children. This disappointed Li Zhenchuan, and the two gradually drifted apart.

When Li Jie went to find Wu Xinyue again, Wu Xinyue humiliated him severely. "You are disgusting. I hate men like you the most. From now on, don't appear in front of me. Otherwise, I will not be able to help but kill myself immediately. Your existence makes me feel ashamed."

Rejected and humiliated, Li Jie walked away in anguish and became a blacksmith in the dark market of the Founding Duke's Mansion. Day after day, he devoted himself to cultivation and silently protected the Founding Duke's Mansion. Even Wu Hao acknowledged his existence, but he dared not go to Wu Xinyue, only daring to secretly glance at her from a distance.

It was Wu Shiyao who facilitated the reconciliation between Li Jie and Wu Xinyue. In the original book, Wu Xinyue treated Wu Shiyao like her own daughter, but unfortunately, Li Jie could not stand Wu Shiyao no matter what.

After Li Xiaoxiao left, Li Jie immediately summoned everyone in the town. "Family members, I may have to go to the Duke of Kaiguo's residence to serve as his bodyguard for my daughter. After all these years, I still can't let her go."

Several people in the town shook their heads unconsciously. "Ah Jie, you're too foolish. That woman isn't the most beautiful woman in the world. Why have you been so obsessed with her for so many years?"

“But Xin Yue has already given birth to my child, and that child has come looking for me.”

The old man was even more helpless, "Ah Jie, how could you be so foolish? That kid is clearly not someone to be trifled with."

“That’s my child, of course she’s not someone to be trifled with.” Li Jie said, his eyes flashing with determination. The woman, who looked like a girl and was only three feet tall, spoke in an old voice.

"Ah Jie, go ahead. If anything happens, you can come find us anytime."

“Bring that kid along to play sometime.” A man with red lips and a face that looked like a demon couldn’t help but say in a hoarse voice, “Ugh, you blockhead, people are so good to you, and you just take it all for granted.”

A woman dressed provocatively beside them, carrying a jug of wine, continued drinking. "Ah Jie, you're about to open your heart. Congratulations!"

In the darkness, several indistinct figures spoke to Li Jie, saying, "Your daughter is very pitiful."

Li Jie's eyes suddenly turned bloodshot, and he retorted, "Enough, stop talking, I don't want to hear it."

Li Jie then left the hall and returned to his room, where he picked up a ring and a small wooden box.

As night deepened, Li Xiaoxiao wandered around the streets and noticed that her family's pharmacy was doing quite well. Realizing that this was Wu Shiyao's doing, she snorted coldly.

There were some snacks on the street, but the taste was much worse. Li Xiao ate around for a while and then lost interest. Strangely, there were no brothels.

After strolling through the market and returning to the Duke of Kaiguo's mansion, Wu Hao immediately grabbed her. "Stop right there, Li Xiaoxiao. As a member of the Duke of Kaiguo's family, how can you not even know your own home before going out to wander around? There's a competition among the younger generation of the clan this afternoon. You'd better go. If you get beaten up, I won't take responsibility for you, the legitimate daughter."

Li Xiaoxiao followed them to the training ground and saw a group of boys and girls practicing martial arts, which she found interesting.

When the group of illegitimate children saw Li Xiaoxiao, their eyes became even more mocking. "How strong can someone from the scallion village be?"

"That's just bragging."

"She looks really ugly, much uglier than Sister Shiyao."

"The clothes he's wearing are really tattered."

Despite the string of offensive words uttered from their mouths, Li Xiaoxiao's expression remained unchanged, which made Wu Hao even more gratified.

"You guys have a match with her."

Wu Hao took it upon himself to decide, since the return of the legitimate daughter should indeed set an example for these arrogant illegitimate sons and daughters.

"Wait a minute, grandfather, do you have any magical artifacts to suppress spiritual power?"

Li Xiaoxiao suddenly interjected, and Wu Hao was a little stunned. Why was she suppressing her spiritual power? Was she unable to win? But in the letter...

“Alright, Ah Jin, go and get the bracelet that suppresses spiritual power. After all, Xiao Xiao is only at the ninth level of Qi Refining, while you, as members of the Wu family, already have the spiritual power of the Foundation Establishment stage. It is indeed necessary to restrict it.”

Wu Hao was somewhat disappointed, hoping that Li Xiaoxiao wouldn't lose too badly.

"So that's how she is. How cowardly."

Several seventeen or eighteen-year-olds raised questions in unison. Wu Hao coughed twice, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Alright, stop making a fuss. It's only right that Li Xiaoxiao, who hasn't had family resources since she was little, should be more courteous to them."

When the bracelet that suppressed spiritual power came out, Li Xiaoxiao took it directly into her hand and wore a total of ten of them.

Everyone stared at her as if she were a fool; Li Xiaoxiao had gone mad.