Chapter 74 Xie Zhuo's voice drifted through the carriage curtain...
Xie Zhuo's voice, filtered through the carriage curtain, reached Xie Baoqiong's ears, becoming indistinct and hazy, as if covered by a veil.
Xie Baoqiong gripped the cat-shaped toy tightly in one hand, bent her knees and moved to the side of the carriage curtain, reaching out to lift a corner of the curtain.
The golden sunlight shone on his face and also illuminated the figure in front of Xie Zhuo.
Xie Baoqiong's eyes sparkled in the light, and surprise shone through the figure reflected in them.
"elder brother!"
He grabbed his long sword and jumped down, taking several steps in one quick leap to Xie Rongjing's side.
"What are you doing here, brother?"
Xie Rongjing pulled Xie Baoqiong closer, examining her closely for a few moments. His gaze naturally shunned the fierce longsword in his brother's hand, settling on Xie Baoqiong's round face, her delicate features filled with worry and concern.
"Qiong'er has suffered these days."
Xie Baoqiong recalled the events that had taken her since leaving the capital, trying to find some grievances to echo Xie Rongjing's words, only to find that of all the flavors she had tasted, the most painful was the bite she had taken from Amei.
He lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over his flawless white hands. So much time had passed, yet not even a red mark remained. His fingertips twitched slightly, and just as he was about to give up showing the evidence to Xie Rongjing, Xie Zhuo's voice, tinged with concern and worry, suddenly sounded behind him:
"Jing'er, what are you doing here?"
Xie Rongjing placed his hand on Xie Baoqiong's drooping head. When he looked up at Xie Zhuo, the emotion in his eyes was replaced by anger, and his expression turned cold.
"Does Father think I shouldn't be here?"
Before Xie Zhuo could speak, he interrupted him with a sentence:
"That's true, how can a son inquire about his father's whereabouts?"
Xie Baoqiong looked up in surprise at Xie Rongjing, whose expression had changed. He had never seen Xie Rongjing speak like this before.
Xie Rongjing pressed down Xie Baoqiong's head with his other hand, and then scooped her up and carried her to the carriage behind him.
Xie Baoqiong's field of vision suddenly rose, and the hand he was holding in front of Cat Brother trembled. He put his other hand on Xie Rongjing's shoulder and looked at Xie Zhuo's helpless and sighing face behind him.
He lowered his head, resting it on Xie Rongjing's shoulder, his eyes glancing at Xie Rongjing's tense face. Drawing on his past experience reading storybooks, he pondered for a moment and came to a somewhat uncertain conclusion:
Is my brother angry?
Xie Rongjing placed his hand on Xie Baoqiong's head, stepped onto the carriage bench, and entered the carriage through the door opened by the servant.
The carriage was spacious. Xie Rongjing settled Xie Baoqiong on the couch, gently ruffled her hair, and his expression returned to its usual gentle and tender state.
"Qiong'er, don't overthink it, your brother isn't angry."
Xie Baoqiong looked at Xie Rongjing's face, which had returned to normal, and nodded in a daze.
The lighting inside the carriage changed again. Xie Zhuo followed him into the carriage, his tone tinged with a hint of helplessness:
“Jing’er, your little brother can tell you’re angry.”
Xie Rongjing took a plate of pastries from the food box beside him, placed it in front of Xie Baoqiong, and said softly:
"I bought some pastries in town before we came. Although they are not as good as those at home, they taste pretty good. Qiong'er, have a taste."
When Xie Zhuo lowered his eyebrows and looked at him, the gentleness in his words subsided, replaced by a forced, insincere smile.
“How could a son dare to be angry with his father?”
Xie Baoqiong had just picked up a piece of sweet cake with her clean hands when she heard a sound beside her. Her suspicious gaze darted between the two, and seeing Xie Rongjing's gentle smile as he faced her, she boldly took a bite of the sweet cake and kindly explained to Xie Zhuo:
"Father, my brother said he's not angry."
Xie Zhuo let out a soft sigh and affectionately patted his youngest son's head.
"Your brother is angry with Dad."
His gaze shifted to Xie Rongjing beside him, barely managing to get a proper look.
Xie Zhuo had already guessed the reason for Xie Rongjing's anger. Xie Rongjing's presence here indicated the reason. Somehow, the news that he had concealed the incident still reached Xie Rongjing's ears.
But Xie Zhuo didn't feel he was in the wrong, and began to analyze the situation with Xie Rongjing:
“Jing’er, I didn’t mean to hide it from you. This trip is dangerous, and I don’t want to involve you.”
Xie Rongjing listened to Xie Zhuo's words with politeness, but his expression gradually darkened as the latter spoke. He turned his face slightly away from Xie Zhuo and picked up a piece of sugar cake to feed Xie Baoqiong.
Xie Baoqiong glanced at Xie Zhuo, then at Xie Rongjing's drooping eyes and pursed lips. She took the sweet cake Xie Rongjing offered her, and remembering how well Xie Zhuo had treated her these past few days, she mumbled some kind words for Xie Zhuo:
"Brother, it was really dangerous. Dad and I fell off a cliff, and Dad got hurt."
Xie Zhuo's eyelids twitched, but it was too late to cover Xie Baoqiong's mouth.
Xie Rongjing suddenly turned his face, his expression showing obvious surprise, and a deep worry in his eyes.
He learned from the son of the official investigating the matter in the capital that Xie Zhuo had been attacked on his way to his post, but he did not know the specific details. He only knew from the Princess that Xie Zhuo was currently safe, so he hurriedly brought his guards over.
"Father!?" Xie Rongjing emphasized, "If I hadn't heard about this from others, could it be..."
He couldn't utter the rest of his words. Could it be that he wouldn't know he was an orphan again until Xie Zhuo's coffin was brought back?
Xie Rongjing's lips trembled, and her voice trailed off with a few sobs.
“Jing’er, I know your temperament, that’s why I don’t want you to worry…” Xie Zhuo’s tone softened when he saw him like this.
"Brother, Father and I are both fine. Father's sword wound on his arm is almost healed." Xie Baoqiong swallowed the sweet cake, patted the crumbs off her hands, and held Xie Rongjing's cold hand on his knee. She was completely unaware that she had revealed Xie Zhuo's secrets in just a few words.
He had channeled spiritual energy into Xie Zhuo's wound, which made the wound heal much faster.
Xie Zhuo's face went numb as the last remaining detail was revealed. He lightly flicked Xie Baoqiong's forehead with his finger, offering a helpless reminder:
"Xiao Bao".
Xie Rongjing protectively pulled out one hand and covered Xie Baoqiong's forehead where she had been flicked:
"Why can't Qiong'er say what Father can do?"
Xie Zhuo's touch was very light; the spot where Xie Baoqiong had been flicked didn't even turn red. But he still followed Xie Rongjing's movements, nestled in the latter's arms, and enjoyed the latter's gentle caresses.
Xie Zhuo felt he was sighing more and more often today. Both of them were spoiled brats, and he swallowed the words he was about to say to Xie Rongjing about coming here, instead coaxing him:
"It was wrong of your father to keep it from you. I was just afraid that you would be dragged into this matter. If something happened to you, how would I face my elder brother after I die?"
Xie Zhuo looked at Xie Rongjing with tolerant eyes: "But I overlooked your feelings, and I apologize to you."
Xie Rongjing's anger was originally caused by worry, but after Xie Zhuo coaxed him and heard Xie Zhuo apologize to him in a soft voice, most of his anger dissipated when he saw that the two were safe and sound.
He relaxed, leaned back on the soft cushions, and softened his voice, jokingly saying:
"Won't Father send me back to the capital?"
The tense atmosphere eased, and Xie Baoqiong pulled Xie Rongjing's hand off his forehead, her probing gaze turning to Xie Zhuo.
Xie Zhuo looked at the gazes cast upon him by the two children, but he had carefully considered Xie Rongjing's words.
He had originally planned to have Xie Rongjing take Xie Baoqiong back to the capital first.
Xie Baoqiong had been in the capital for so long without incident, but encountered danger as soon as she left the capital. Xie Zhuo couldn't help but wonder if there was someone or something behind the scenes in the capital that was wary of, or if the power of the person behind the scenes was not in the capital, or perhaps both.
Upon closer examination, Xie Baoqiong's forced departure from the capital might not have been unexpected; it's just that the kidnappers were either dead or had fled, making them impossible to trace...
Since this is a possibility, it's hard to guarantee that Xie Baoqiong and Xie Rongjing won't be attacked again on their way back to the capital. It's better to keep them in the foreseeable future, so that if something really happens, we can figure out how to deal with it.
Moreover, Luozhou Prefecture is just a stone's throw away. Once inside the city, with the powerful demon Chisong in charge, anyone who wants to make a move will have to think twice about Chisong's presence.
Although Chishong's temper was worrisome, he still held an official position and would not stand by and watch them be harmed.
A multitude of thoughts raced through his mind, but in reality, it only took Xie Zhuo a moment to look up:
"Of course not. We'll return to the capital together after the disaster in Luozhou County is resolved."
The carriage sped along the road for two days, finally arriving at the city gate of Luozhou Prefecture at dusk on the third day.
The once bustling city gate is now deserted.
The city gates were tightly closed, with only a few guards standing watch at the entrance.
Upon seeing the carriage slowly come to a stop at the city gate, a guard stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the carriage's understated decorations, and spoke respectfully:
"The Prefect has ordered the city gates to be sealed off, and no one is allowed to enter or leave. Please take a detour."
The guard accompanying the coachman produced a token: "My lord has come to provide disaster relief on His Majesty's orders."
Upon seeing the token, the guard saluted, but did not immediately allow passage.
"Please wait a moment, sir."
The guard jogged back to his companion, whispered a few words, and hurried away.
After a cup of tea, a figure appeared out of thin air at the city gate, raising an eyebrow the moment he saw the carriage:
"Lord Xie has kept us waiting for a long time."
Xie Zhuo immediately recognized the speaker's barbed words.
He calmly stepped down from the carriage and said indifferently, "I am but a mortal, and cannot compare to Lord Chishong's extraordinary abilities, which allow him to travel a thousand miles a day."
Xie Baoqiong recognized the voice the moment he heard it. He followed Xie Rongjing off the carriage and leaned out to look at Chisong, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
After exchanging greetings, Xie Rongjing led Xie Baoqiong to stand beside Xie Zhuo.
Chishong's gaze swept over Xie Baoqiong, and a faint smile with an ambiguous meaning appeared at the corner of his mouth.
He was happy to see that even someone as smart as Xie Zhuo could be completely fooled by a little demon.
He still said in a pleasing tone: "Lord Xie, you must bring your family along when you go to your post on official business."
"Unlike Lord Chishong, who lives a carefree and solitary life." Xie Zhuo was used to Chishong's sharp tongue, which spared no one, and retorted with a few deft words.
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Author's Note: Regarding some consistent, sarcastic remarks
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