When Granny Fang arrived at Peony Residence, she looked up and saw a bird's nest under the eaves, and Shen Xun peeking out.
She withdrew her foot from the steps, took a few steps back, and returned to the middle of the yard.
"Seventh Miss, the old lady requests your presence to give a reply."
Yuan Qi was carving a jade talisman alone in the room, completely absorbed and ignoring Fang Mama.
Granny Fang called out in the courtyard for a long time, but no one responded, not even a maid came out.
"Could it be that it's not inside?"
Granny Fang lifted her foot to go inside and check.
Shenxun flapped her wings and flew out from inside, hovering in front of Granny Fang.
Granny Fang turned and ran back; she was terrified of the bird. Not only was it intelligent and powerful, but it could also summon its own kind—it was a very sinister bird, and she couldn't afford to mess with it.
Inside the house, Green Bamboo and Red Cedar saw Granny Fang's fleeing figure, and the two of them shrank back to Yuan Qi.
In their hearts, Granny Fang still held considerable authority, her status almost equivalent to that of a mistress. The two dared not disobey her, and this was the first time they had ever teased Granny Fang like this.
Green Bamboo asked Red Fir, "If Granny Fang finds out there are people in the room, will she scold us?"
Sequoia curled her lip: "Anyway, she didn't come in, so she doesn't know we're in the house. Let's pretend we don't know."
Green Bamboo said, "That's the only way."
At this moment, the gatekeeper arrived, smiling politely as he reported, "Seventh Miss, Ninth Master has arrived and is waiting in the front hall."
Yuan Qi's eyes lit up. Could it be that they've found the person who cast the curse?
"Okay, I understand." Her expression didn't change much as she said calmly, "Tell Young Master Jiu to wait a moment, I'll be there shortly."
The gatekeeper left quickly, and Green Bamboo, without consulting anyone, took a string of copper coins from the box and gave them to the gatekeeper: "Take this and have some tea."
Although it was only twenty copper coins, the doorman was still very happy. This time, he wasn't after the reward money, but rather the opportunity to curry favor with Young Master Jiu.
The gatekeeper said, "Seventh Miss, you're too kind. I'm not after that. Running errands for you is what we servants should do."
Green Bamboo exchanged a few polite words with him and saw him off.
Yuan Qi curled his lip in sarcasm: "I remember when I first arrived, those servants all looked down on me and didn't really want to talk to me. Now, just a few days later, they've all changed their tune."
Green bamboo and redwood also felt ashamed, as they were also part of the army of those who flattered the powerful and belittled the weak.
Yuan Qi didn't change her clothes; she went out wearing only a pomegranate-red silk skirt and a single hairpin in her hair.
Xiangli Youming's four guards stood like iron towers at the door, while Xiangli Youming sat quietly in the front hall, observing the Jiang family's furnishings with a bored expression.
"What brings you here, Ninth Master?" Jiang Bailu walked in with light steps and bowed politely.
Logically speaking, Jiang Bailu and Xiangli Youming were distant relatives, practically unrelated. Jiang Bailu thought that Xiangli Youming should be more polite to them.
But after seeing Xiangli Youming several times, he always gave her an indifferent expression, which made her unhappy: "Cousin! Why are you ignoring me?"
Xiangli Youming then looked at her and asked, "Who is your cousin?"
Jiang Bailu smiled slightly. Although the other party's tone was very displeased, they still spoke to her after all.
She was still very happy, and she explained seriously, "My mother is your aunt, so you are naturally my cousin. Don't even think about denying it."
Xiangli Youming ignored her and snorted, calling out to Xiangli Baoyu, "What are you doing outside? Come in!"
He knew that Jiang Bailu hated Xiangli Baoyu the most.
Jiang Bailu has always held a grudge against Crown Prince Xiao Yi for wanting to be engaged to Xiangli Baoyu.
Baoyu ran in happily, his face full of joy. He pointed to the door and said, "Brother, I saw a magpie over there. It was standing on my hand, tilting its head to look at me, chirping as if it was talking to me. It's a pity I can't understand what it's saying."
Shen Xun flew in, circled the room twice, and finally landed on the table next to Xiang Li Youming. She tilted her head, glanced at him, and then flew away.
Jiang Bailu was so frightened that she dared not speak, for fear of saying the wrong thing and being defected again.
She was screaming in her mind, "Why doesn't that bird poop on our heads?!"
Xiangli Baoyu was very excited: "Look, isn't that bird cute? Brother, do you like it? I really want to keep it!"
Xiangli Youming chuckled lightly: "When we get back, I'll have someone catch a few for you to play with."
"You've come?" Xiangli Youming went out to greet him, his steps quick and his face beaming with joy, even leaving his younger sister behind.
Xiangli Baoyu followed and immediately spotted the magpie that had been perched on Yuanqi's shoulder, looking adorable and well-behaved.
"Is this your bird?" Xiangli Baoyu was about the same age and height as Yuanqi. She stared at Shenxun with expectant eyes. "Sister Yuanqi, can I touch it?"
Although Yuan Qi looks like a child, he has lived three lifetimes and his mind is already mature. He pats Bao Yu's head like an adult and says, "Go ahead and pat him. He is my pet bird. His name is Shen Xun."
No one paid any attention to Jiang Bailu, who stomped her feet angrily: "Xiangli Youming, you're my cousin, why are you ignoring me and paying attention to her?"
Jiang Bailu stood directly between Xiangli Youming and Yuan Qi, and asked impatiently, "Cousin, what do you want with her? It's the same if you want to talk to me."
Although Xiangli Youming was two or three years younger than Jiang Bailu, he was quite tall. With a gentle tug, he pulled her aside and asked sarcastically, "I asked her to exorcise ghosts and evil spirits. Do you know how?"
Jiang Bailu snorted and ran away.
Xiangli Baoyu let Shenxun stand on her sleeve to tease her, and even talked to her, asking when she would have a brood of chicks and if he could give her one. Yuan Qi couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.
Shen Xun kept complaining that Xiangli Baoyu was too childish, talking nonsense and saying embarrassing things. He was busy cultivating and transforming into human form, so he didn't have time to find other birds to date.
Unfortunately, Xiangli Baoyu couldn't understand what Shenxun was saying, and even asked Xuanyu outside to bring melon seeds from the carriage so she could feed the birds.
Over there, Yuan Qi asked, "What brings you here? Have you found out who put the curse on you?"
Xiangli Youming said, "Let's talk about this on the way. I came to see you about something else. My elder brother's son was fine a few days ago, but he accidentally hit his head while practicing martial arts and became mentally impaired. We've seen many doctors and given him a lot of medicine, but nothing has worked. I was thinking that maybe someone tricked him, so I wanted you to take a look."
Yuan Qi agreed without even thinking.
But Xiangli Baoyu refused to leave. This bird was so much fun; she wanted to play with it a little longer. Also, she was determined to let Shenxun eat her melon seeds.
Xiangli Youming had no choice but to ask Yuan Qi, "Could I borrow this bird for a couple of days?"
Shen Xun spoke in human language: "No!"
Xiangli Baoyu was overjoyed, his eyes shining: "It can talk!"
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