Chapter 106 Xuanfeng is about to have a heart attack
Xuanfeng stared wide-eyed and gritted his teeth at the three trembling children in front of him and their angry mothers behind them.
“My lord! It’s not that we’re cowards! My husband and I did our part in this flood!” Mother Zang spoke first. “Why did we risk our lives? Wasn’t it to save the children’s lives? But then…” Mother Zang’s eyes suddenly reddened, and she choked up as she said, “When we came back to pick up the children, we found out that Miss Yao’er had taken them to do such a dangerous thing! Our Zang cats’ claws were worn down to nothing…”
"Oh dear, Mother! I'm fine..." Zang Mao said softly, her face flushed, but was glared at fiercely by her mother.
"Yes, sir, our Fengzhan had only recently learned to fly when Miss Yao'er made him rush out into the rain. Our Fengzhan almost fell into the flood!" Fengzhan's mother recounted with lingering fear.
"When I heard that... my heart as a mother..." Feng Zhanniang also wiped away her tears.
Feng Zhan hurriedly said, "My lord! That's not how it happened! Sister Yao'er didn't tell me to rush into the rain. She used herself as bait to lure Yu Ji Lei. I didn't expect... I was so frightened that I lost my balance and caused Sister Yao'er to fall into the flood..."
"Feng Zhan, shut up!" Feng Zhan's mother stopped him from explaining. "What do you know?"
“My lord, the children are eager to help in the face of trouble at Jiujiao Mountain, and their enthusiasm is commendable!” White Tiger Mother said slowly. “Besides, White Tiger, Fengzhan, and Zangmao have all undergone systematic learning and practice with Granny Zhong, so we are not worried. It’s just…”
White Tiger Mother glanced at Xuan Feng's gloomy face and lowered her head to say, "It's just that we don't know Miss Yao'er's strength, nor do we know if Miss Yao'er has the ability to make decisions in this regard, which is why we are so nervous and afraid!"
"M-My Lord..." Baihu said nervously, "Sister Yao'er was actually very scared too. When she came to us, her tears were still wet on her face. Although her decision was useless, and couldn't really be called a decision, she said that she didn't know what would happen. It's like when the Empress and the adults went to fight the flood; even with thorough preparations, unexpected things can still happen..."
Although Xuanfeng's Qi field was burning with anger, he still maintained a calm attitude.
"White Tiger, Zang Cat, Phoenix Spread!" Xuan Feng solemnly called out the three children's names, "Do you regret taking this risk with Su Yuyao?"
"No regrets!" the three children said in unison, their expressions resolute.
"If a similar situation were to occur again, would you still step forward to defend every inch of land?"
"meeting!"
“Alright!” Xuanfeng stood up, walked to the three children, clasped his hands and bowed slightly.
"As the master of the immortal mountain, I, Xuanfeng, thank you all for stepping forward without fear of danger when the Nine Suburbs Mountain was in trouble." After saying this, Xuanfeng bowed deeply, which frightened the children so much that they hid behind their mothers, while the mothers were also somewhat at a loss.
Xuanfeng straightened up, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "Although Su Yuyao is not my child, I have a responsibility to discipline her. I bear an inescapable responsibility for her unauthorized departure from the mountain and her threats and coercion of others to take risks with her! I apologize to everyone!" With that, Xuanfeng bowed deeply again, "Please rest assured, I will definitely discipline her properly when I return!"
“This… there’s no need for that…” White Tiger Mother slightly curtsied. “Your Highness and Lord Langzhi already know, and I reckon Miss Yao’er has learned her lesson. We’ve only come here to let you know the truth… we have no other intentions!”
“Ah, yes…” Zang Maoniang and Feng Zhanniang both curtsied in agreement.
Several mothers led their children out of the inner hall.
The crowd in the hall immediately surrounded her, asking all at once, "How was it? How was Miss Yao'er punished?"
White Tiger Mother smiled and said, "Everyone, go back now. Lord Xuanfeng has taken all the blame for Miss Yao'er."
"What?! No punishment? That won't do!!"
"That's right! Today it's Baihu, Zangmao, and Fengzhan, who knows which kids will be next?!"
"You escaped by luck this time! Next time might be a different story!"
White Tiger Mother smiled again and said, "It's definitely impossible for Lord Xuanfeng to punish Miss Yao'er openly. However, I think he will teach Miss Yao'er a lesson in private, so everyone, don't worry, go back!"
Xuanfeng peered through the crack in the door, watching the people in the main hall slowly retreat, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
That brat, she's always getting me into trouble!
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and sat down again.
"Come out," Xuanfeng said, rubbing his temples.
Qingyue, Qimen, and Guanxiao then emerged from behind the screen.
Xuanfeng looked up at Qingyue, but Qingyue blinked and avoided his gaze.
"Setting fire to the mountain and coercing others to take risks!" Xuanfeng gritted his teeth and asked, catching his breath, "Aunt, have you punished him?"
"Huh?" Qingyue was taken aback and said, "I have already punished her, and Yao'er knows she was wrong!"
"Alright, I won't hold it against you anymore, I won't hold it against you." Xuanfeng breathed a sigh of relief. "Now... let's talk about the aftermath of the flood!"
“I see you’ve diverted the floodwaters towards Yingguo Garden. It’s risky, but given the course of the flood, it’s indeed a chance to turn the tide…”
Xuanfeng felt much better and asked with a smile, "Was it Guan Yue's idea? That kid has really improved!"
"Not at all! Not at all!" Guan Xiao replied with a smile, "This was Miss Yao'er's method. We were all a little worried when we first heard about it, but it turns out that if we hadn't diverted the water to Yingguo Garden, we wouldn't have been able to handle such a large flood... cough cough..."
Guan Xiao noticed that Xuan Feng's expression had darkened again, so he quickly stopped talking.
Xuanfeng's temples began to bulge with veins, but he still controlled his tone, "What if, I mean, what if! Mother Yi wants to hold us accountable?!"
“Let Guan Yue take the blame! First, Guan Yue is the King of the Stele of Jiujiao Hall, so it should be his responsibility; second, Guan Yue is your man, so if Mother Yi wants to punish him, you can protect him…” Qingyue said softly.
"I can protect..." Xuanfeng closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and asked, "Whose idea was it to make Guan Yue take responsibility?"
Qingyue and Guanxiao fell silent in perfect unison.
Xuanfeng paused for a moment, then understood.
Qi Men stroked his beard and said with a smile, "My lord, it seems Miss Yao'er really does have some talent..."
"Really?" Xuanfeng asked coldly. "She's alive, it's all down to luck!"
The atmosphere in the inner hall instantly plummeted to freezing point, and no one knew how to begin.
Xuanfeng took a few deep breaths to compose himself before speaking, “Immortal Master, I have read the proposed reforms for the scattered halls on the back slope. Although there will be some obstacles, these reforms can indeed solve the fundamental problem. They can not only quell the previous chaos but also regulate the halls. What we need to do now is to finalize each step and implement them one by one. We must not be reckless! We absolutely cannot allow any more chaos to remain!”
"Yes, sir!" Qimen replied.
"Which monument king submitted the suggestion? Have him come up with a preliminary plan and come to see me so we can discuss it together." Xuan Feng's emotions finally stabilized; at least there was some good news.
"Uh..." Qi Men stroked his beard awkwardly.
"It's Su Yuyao again?!"
"Hehehe, um."
...
Under the century-old tree, Su Yuyao and Feihua sat cross-legged on a stone bench, watching the two children arguing in front of them.
"You! Why did you hit him?" Su Yuyao pointed at a child and asked sternly.
He stole my candy!
"You! Why did you steal his candy?!" Feihua asked the other child, mimicking her own behavior.
"The old lady gave us candy to share! But he ate more, so this candy should be mine!"
"Who said that?! We agreed to split it in half, and you ate all your candy before trying to take mine!"
"You favored yourself when you were dividing the spoils; you took the larger portion!"
"I don't!"
"You have!"
"Okay! I understand!" Su Yuyao thought for a moment and said, "How about this, you can divide the remaining candy in half again, and each of you can have half?"
"What if he keeps the bigger one for himself again?!"
"You're talking nonsense!"
"I'm not lying!"
"Okay! Give me the candy!" Su Yuyao really felt that this little thing was not worth wasting her time and energy on.
She took the candy from the child's hand; it was yellowish-orange with many holes in it. "What kind of candy is this?"
"Honey candy! Made with honey! It's so delicious!"
"Oh." Su Yuyao gently broke the honey candy in her hand in half, put one half into Feihua's mouth, and the other half into her own mouth.
"Huh?" The two children stared wide-eyed in disbelief at Su Yuyao's actions.
"It's so delicious!" Su Yuyao smacked her lips and said, "Anyway, you two were arguing because of the candy, now that the candy is gone, you should make up!"
The two children cried and hugged each other.
"What's the use of crying?! Serves you right for not giving in to each other!" Su Yuyao snapped her fingers and asked, "Where's the old lady handing out candy?"
The two children cried as they pointed the way for Su Yuyao.
Su Yuyao pulled Feihua along, "Come on! Let's go get some candy too!"
"I have no money," Fei Hua said blankly.
"It's alright, didn't you hear them say that an old lady gave us the candy, it's free!" Su Yuyao smiled and pulled on the flying flower, following the path the two children pointed out into a dense forest...
The dense forest is shrouded in foliage, and the moist air is refreshingly cool.
Su Yuyao and Feihua walked briskly along the path.
"Feihua, let's split the candy equally when we get it, okay?"
"Okay, sure."
"What if, I mean, what if I don't get a fair share?" Su Yuyao asked with a grin.
Feihua thought hard for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't know..."
Su Yuyao said excitedly, "Then how about this, I'll eat the larger portion, and you eat the smaller portion! You eat slowly, and I'll eat quickly, so we can finish it together and have the same amount!"
Feihua thought for a moment, then smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay! Okay!"
"You little rascal, you're really good at scheming!" A hoarse, slightly familiar voice came from the woods.
Su Yuyao looked in the direction of the sound and saw a thin, hunched figure through the starlight-dappled branches.
"Huh? An old lady?!" Su Yuyao recognized the figure as the old lady who had touched her belly under the big tree yesterday.
The old woman walked out unsteadily, looked Su Yuyao and Feihua up and down, and asked, "Miss Yao'er, what brings you here?"
The old woman's voice made Su Yuyao feel very uncomfortable, and Feihua also timidly hid behind Su Yuyao.
"Grandma, we've come to see if there's any more candy..." Su Yuyao looked at the old lady's dim and sharp eyes, and her heart suddenly started pounding. "Um...we don't want any more..."
Su Yuyao grabbed Feihua and turned to run, shouting, "Feihua, run! This old lady is no good!"
"Little girl! Who are you calling a bad person?!" The shrill scream pierced Su Yuyao's eardrums.
"Ah!" Su Yuyao covered her ears and fell to the ground, while Fei Hua squatted down next to Su Yuyao, holding her head and trembling uncontrollably.
Su Yuyao quickly climbed to Feihua's side and pulled her up, only to find that the path she had come from was gone, and the surroundings had turned into a dense forest.
"Didn't you want candy?" the shrill voice rang out again. "If you can escape, I'll give it to you!"
"Yao'er... come home..." Fei Hua trembled uncontrollably.
Su Yuyao held Feihua protectively in her arms and gently comforted her, "Okay! Let's go home!"
She carefully observed her surroundings and suddenly realized that no matter which direction she turned, the scenery she saw was exactly the same!
Illusion?!
Su Yuyao's heart skipped a beat. It was Baihu's illusion that had terrified her so much that she cried uncontrollably. This old woman's illusion must be even more powerful than Baihu's! How could she escape?
Before Su Yuyao could come up with a solution, the surrounding scenery suddenly began to spin. Feihua closed her eyes, squatted on the ground, and shook even more violently while holding her head.
Su Yuyao felt dizzy and nauseous from the spinning trees.
"Huff..." She gagged twice and quickly closed her eyes to ease the discomfort in her chest.
Who exactly is this old hag? She knows I'm Su Yuyao, and she must know about my relationship with Xuanfeng! Since she knows all this, how dare she treat me like this... Could it be... that she's even more powerful than Xuanfeng?
"Little girl! What are you thinking about?" That terrifying, hoarse voice rang in Su Yuyao's ears!
Su Yuyao closed her eyes tightly, smelled a rotten odor, and felt a chill in the air. A layer of white sweat instantly rose on her back.
"Grandpa, I... I haven't offended you, why are you scaring us?" Su Yuyao said, trying to appear calm.
“I wasn’t trying to scare you,” a fingernail as thin as a withered twig scratched Su Yuyao’s face, “You’re the ones who came for candy!”
Su Yuyao dared not open her eyes, or rather, she was too frightened to open her eyes by the rough finger on her face.
She swallowed nervously and said, "I...we don't want it anymore...isn't that okay?"
"Giving up so easily?" The hoarse voice muttered with a hint of disdain, "Just like your spineless mother, giving up so easily, you coward!"
"Mother?!" Su Yuyao remembered her deceased mother and father. Ignoring her fear of the old woman, she suddenly opened her eyes, grabbed the withered fingers that hadn't yet retracted, and looked at the wrinkled face before her. She asked excitedly, "Grandma, do you know my mother? Then...where are my mother and father now? Is Green Ivy still with them? Are they alright?"
Tears welled up in Su Yuyao's eyes. "Do they... miss me? If... you can see them, could you please tell them... I'm... doing well, but... I miss them so much..."
The old woman looked at Su Yuyao, who was trying to hold back her tears, and her heart softened. "Little girl, I will never see your deceased parents again! But... they raised you, which is a good deed for them. Don't worry! They are doing well!"
"Really?!" Su Yuyao asked, clenching her fingers tightly.
"Hey! You little brat, let go!" The old lady cried out as Su Yuyao gripped her so tightly it hurt.
Su Yuyao clenched her withered fingers tightly, rolled her eyes, but the illusion was still there. She quickly closed her eyes again. How could she break it?
"Hmph," that rotten smell wafted into Su Yuyao's nose again, "What are you thinking about with that little head of yours now?"
Su Yuyao slightly flinched, frowned, and secretly tightened her grip. That familiar feeling was coming!
Something seemed to be surging outward from her dantian, and a sweltering, steaming energy field filled Su Yuyao's meridians, causing her palms to gradually become fuller.
That's the feeling I had when I blew up Yuqing's house that day! Could it be... I have to blow it up again?
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