Chapter 11 Su Yuyao is left in the Ice Wheel Palace
Qingyue led them into a secluded courtyard halfway up the mountain.
"Xuanfeng, this is the courtyard prepared for Su Yuyao. It's a bit small, but it's enough. I will assign two Yu Chuanzi to take care of her daily life," Qingyue said softly.
Su Yuyao peeked out from behind Xuan Feng and asked in surprise, "Was this prepared for me?"
Xuanfeng turned around, looked at Su Yuyao who was looking at him expectantly, and said with a smile, "Go and take a look. You'll stay here for the next few days."
Su Yuyao received permission and excitedly began her tour. There was a spacious main house with a bedroom and a study, as well as two side rooms and a simple kitchen.
"Wow! It's so big! So beautiful!" Su Yuyao exclaimed excitedly. "There's even a bathtub! A huge bathtub!"
Xuanfeng looked at Su Yuyao, who had followed him and Qimen all the way. The once smooth and shiny child now had messy hair, a red and rough face, and chapped lips. She smiled at him and said, "I can take a bath again!"
Xuanfeng began to waver again. Did he really want the girl to suffer with him?
Amidst the rising steam and mist, Su Yuyao soaked in the bathtub with her eyes half-closed, enjoying the comforting warmth as the steam dispelled the chill from her body.
"Yao'er." It was Qingyue's voice!
Su Yuyao quickly opened her eyes and sat up straight, looking at Qingyue sitting in the chair by the window.
"Your Highness Qingyue, what brings you here?"
Qingyue smiled and asked, "Can you guess why I'm looking for you?"
Su Yuyao blinked and cast a divination at will. "I am a young girl. I take the Dui trigram above, which represents water. I take the Kan trigram below, which represents the 'Kun' hexagram. The main hexagram is Ze Shui Kun (困), and the time is You (酉). The fourth line is moving, and the changing hexagram is Kan (坎) for water."
Su Yuyao muttered, "Kan represents water... Although it's a harmonious combination, it's dangerous on top of dangerous..."
She looked up at Qingyue and said, "Your Majesty, are you trying to tell me that I am in danger right now?"
Qingyue was somewhat surprised, and she asked again, "Then do you know what kind of danger it is?"
Su Yuyao thought for a moment, and realized that this divination seemed to have been used when...?
"Ah! I remember now! It must be about Xuanfeng Zhaotangxian!"
It is also the dangerous hexagram Kan (water), which was the first hexagram I cast when I first summoned the spirit medium.
"Am I going to get caught up in this danger too?" Su Yuyao asked, tilting her head.
Qingyue narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the little girl in front of her with curiosity. After a long while, she asked, "Are you scared?"
Su Yuyao shook her head and said, "I'm not afraid! Although it's dangerous, we'll eventually turn things around!"
"Then, will you help Xuanfeng?"
"Of course! I've already made a deal with Xuanfeng! I'll risk my life for him, and he'll help me get revenge!" Su Yuyao said earnestly.
Qingyue stood up and walked towards Su Yuyao. Looking at the girl's body gradually maturing in the water, she smiled slightly and said, "Yao'er, you're right. Xuanfeng is indeed in danger right now. If he's not careful, he could lose his life. So, if you decide to stay by his side, you must be extra careful and keep your eyes open in everything you do. Do you understand?"
Su Yuyao looked at Qingyue's serious expression and nodded as if she understood.
"White Ear! Red Pearl! Come in!" Qingyue called out loudly.
Two girls, about the same age as Su Yuyao, walked in with their heads down and said in unison, "Bai'er and Hongzhu greet Miss Yao'er."
"Yao'er, from now on, the two of them will stay with you."
Looking at her two nimble companions, Su Yuyao thought of her green ivy.
"Thank you, Your Majesty..." Su Yuyao couldn't help but feel a little sad, because in her heart no one could replace Green Luo.
Although Su Yuyao was sad, she quickly cheered up again with the company of her peers.
After taking a bath, she pulled Bai Er and Hong Zhu to sit on the bed and showed them the little trinkets Xuan Feng had bought for her.
“These are face powders, I haven’t used them yet! And these rouges, aren’t they pretty? Look at this round fan, isn’t it beautiful! These are jewelry pieces, but Xuanfeng and Uncle don’t know how to comb hair, so I can’t wear them! And this!” Su Yuyao pulled at the longevity lock around her neck and said, “This is a longevity lock that Xuanfeng bought for me! Isn’t it pretty?”
"Beautiful! So beautiful!" Bai Er said enviously. "Miss Yao'er, you are so lucky! Lord Xuanfeng is so kind to you! He bought you so many nice things!"
“These are all ordinary objects; you haven’t seen enough of them!” Hongzhu said proudly. “I’ve seen them every time I went to Huangshang City with Granny Su’e!”
"Did Granny Su'e buy it for you?" Bai Er asked, rolling her eyes.
“I don’t need it!” Hongzhu said defiantly.
"Hehehe, you guys don't need to buy any!" Su Yuyao said with a smile, "I already have some, let's share!"
"Really?" Bai Er asked in disbelief.
"Of course it's true!"
Su Yuyao picked up a box of rouge and stuffed it into Bai Er's hand, "This rouge is for you!"
"Thank you, Miss Yao'er!" Bai Er smiled and took the rouge like a precious treasure, holding it carefully in her hands.
Su Yuyao picked up a box of face powder and stuffed it into Hongzhu's hand, saying, "This face powder is for you!"
Hongzhu pushed Su Yuyao's hand away in disgust and said, "I don't use face powder, I don't want it!"
Su Yuyao watched as the face powder box fell to the ground, scattering face powder all over the floor.
"Huh?!" Su Yuyao jumped out of bed, looked at the face powder all over the floor, and said angrily, "If you don't like it, you can just say so, and I'll get you another one. Why did you have to knock over the face powder box?"
"I didn't!" Hongzhu said somewhat guiltily, but still refused to admit her mistake. "It's because you didn't hold it properly!"
"You're the one who knocked it over!" Su Yuyao shouted.
"I, I didn't."
"Girl!" Xuanfeng came in after hearing the arguing. He looked at the perfume powder on the ground, then at Su Yuyao, who was standing barefoot and puffing up in anger. "Girl, what's going on?"
"Xuanfeng! Hongzhu, she..."
"Lord Xuanfeng!" Hongzhu knelt on the ground with a thud, tears streaming down her face, and said, "This servant's name is Hongzhu. Miss Yao'er knocked over the perfume box, but blamed it on Hongzhu and wants to punish her!"
Su Yuyao pointed at Hongzhu, whose expression changed instantly, and said to Xuanfeng, "She's lying! I was the one who offered her face powder, but she refused and knocked over my face powder box!"
"Miss Yao'er, I already said no, I didn't even try to catch it with my hands!" Hongzhu said, wiping away her tears.
"No way!" Su Yuyao stomped her feet in anger.
"Girl!" With his thousand years of cultivation, Xuanfeng could see through Hongzhu's mind. He walked up to Su Yuyao, picked her up and put her on the bed. He took out a handkerchief and wiped her feet, which were covered in perfume powder. "Don't get out of bed barefoot next time. It's cold here, and you'll easily catch a cold."
Su Yuyao ignored Xuanfeng's words, instead pouting and looking regretfully at the face powder on the ground, thinking to herself, "My face powder, I've never even used it once..."
Xuanfeng looked at Su Yuyao and realized that she didn't seem to want to argue, so he said to Hongzhu, who was kneeling on the ground, "Go back and tell Lady Qingyue that Miss Yao'er can have Yu Chuanzi here."
With tears in her eyes, Hongzhu reluctantly replied, "Yes."
Bai Er watched Hong Zhu leave the room, feeling somewhat reluctant, but dared not say anything.
Xuanfeng helped Su Yuyao put on her socks, but noticed that Su Yuyao still looked unhappy. He pointed to the pile of things on the bed and asked with a smile, "What are these boxes?"
"Hmm...it's also face powder."
"Since we still have so many boxes of face powder, why bother about the one box that was lost?"
"That's true!" Su Yuyao's mood improved a bit, and she picked out another box of face powder and handed it to Bai'er, saying, "Bai'er! This is for you too!"
Bai Er carefully accepted it, curtsied, and replied, "Thank you, Miss Yao'er!"
"When are we eating? I'm hungry!" Su Yuyao asked, tilting her head.
Xuanfeng smiled and said in a low voice, "Bai'er, go set the table."
"Yes, sir!"
At the dinner table, Xuanfeng and Qimen had already put down their chopsticks, but Su Yuyao was still eating with relish.
Qi Men asked with a smile, "Yao'er, what exactly is going on with the scented powder?"
"It's nothing," Su Yuyao replied absentmindedly.
Qi Men stroked his beard and asked curiously, "Bai Er was also there at the time, why didn't you let Bai Er testify for you?"
"There's no need! Bai'er and Hongzhu grew up together, why make things difficult for Bai'er? If I cause a rift between them, how will they continue to get along after we leave? It's not worth it!"
"Hahahaha!" Qi Men burst into laughter, "Don't underestimate our Yao'er just because she's young; she has quite a broad perspective!"
"Hehehe..." Su Yuyao laughed shyly.
“Girl,” Xuanfeng thought for a moment and said, “you… stay here for a while. I’ll go to Frost Peak with the Immortal Master and come back to pick you up after we’ve finished our business there, okay?”
"Oh no!" Su Yuyao shook her head and said.
“We’ll be back soon,” Xuanfeng assured him.
"No!" Su Yuyao shook her head as she ate.
“It will get colder as we go up, and without cultivation to protect you, you probably won’t be able to withstand it,” Xuanfeng said patiently. “Here, there are people to keep you company, and it’s not as cold as Frost Peak. We’ll be back in a few days.”
"Then... do you still think I'm a burden?" Su Yuyao asked sadly.
"Of course you're not a burden! It's just that we're worried you won't be able to adapt to such a cold place, and even more worried about not being able to take good care of you, so we're letting you stay here for a few days. Look, your face is already frostbitten, and if you go any further up, you might even freeze your feet off!"
Su Yuyao pursed her lips, holding back tears, and asked, "Then... if I have nightmares at night, who will comfort me to sleep?"
A hint of surprise appeared on Xuanfeng's face, "You..."
"Yao'er, be good. Wait here for a few days. Your uncle and the adults will come back to pick you up as soon as they finish their business," Qi Men comforted Su Yuyao.
Xuanfeng rubbed Su Yuyao's head and said, "Girl, this is the entrance to Lvshuang Peak, and also the only way for Lvshuang Peak to reach the outside world. We will definitely come to pick you up!"
"Um……"
That night, Xuanfeng waited until Su Yuyao was fast asleep before finally managing to slip away to see Qingyue.
“Aunt,” Xuanfeng said softly, standing outside Qingyue’s bedroom, Yongzhen Pavilion, “Your nephew Xuanfeng has come to pay his respects.”
The door opened slightly, and Granny Su'e came out, curtsied, and said, "Her Highness has been waiting for a long time. Please come in, Your Excellency."
“I’m late, please forgive me, Aunt,” Xuanfeng said respectfully to Qingyue, who was sitting in the main seat in the hall.
Qingyue lowered her eyes and smiled, saying, "Xuanfeng, I heard that you have already handed over the Wuji Dao. Do you have any other plans?"
Xuanfeng lowered his head and pondered for a moment before saying, "Aunt, the reason why Mother Yi cannot tolerate me is because I control the Wuji Dao. In order to save my life, I can only give it up temporarily. Only by preserving my life can I have a chance to survive."
"You... are you just trying to save your own life?" Qingyue looked up at Xuanfeng. "Don't you have any other plans?"
Xuanfeng's eyes trembled. "We're barely managing to save our own lives right now, how dare we have any other plans?"
Qingyue smiled slightly, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said, "Although Yao'er is naive and somewhat willful, she is quite capable. If she is properly taught, she can be a useful person."
Xuanfeng frowned, looked at Qingyue, and said with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Aunt went to see her? She's just a child, she doesn't understand anything. I adopted her only because I felt guilty, I didn't want to take advantage of her..."
"Xuanfeng!" Qingyue's eyes also turned sharp. "If you didn't want to use her, why were you so determined to take her away? Was it simply because you felt guilty?"
"Auntie...I..."
“Xuanfeng, Yao’er may be young, but she’s reached marriageable age. If you have no romantic feelings for her, then you should be mindful of your boundaries and keep them in check!” Qingyue said sternly. “You returned Hongzhu because of a box of face powder, and then used your personal handkerchief to wipe the soles of her feet. If Fairy Feihua knew about this, what would she think?”
“Flying Flower…” Xuan Feng then realized that he had not thought of Fairy Flying Flower, with whom he was betrothed, for a long time.
“Yao’er is a girl who has not been disciplined, so she is naturally different from the fairies in the palace. If you occasionally try something new, I won’t interfere, but you must remember your original intentions!” Qingyue said, glaring at Xuanfeng.
Xuanfeng blushed and lowered his head, replying, "Yes...nephew understands!"
"Go ahead, you have to travel tomorrow. I won't ask about your plans or get involved, but I just hope... you'll think more about your father..." Qingyue finished speaking and got up to walk towards the bedroom.
Xuanfeng bowed his head and left Yongzhen Pavilion, taking out a blue handkerchief covered in perfume powder. The words "Flying Flowers" were still clearly visible on one corner of the handkerchief.
Xuanfeng stroked the beautiful name with his hand, wondering how Feihua was doing now...
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