Huang Rang had refused the marriage proposal.

This was clearly unexpected for Sect Master Xie and even the entire Yuhu Xuanzong.

He Xijin and Qu Manying politely saw off Sect Master Xie. The Jianzheng coughed lightly, and belated awkwardness began to set in.

Fortunately, the Qu Manying couple didn’t tease him, only saying: “Stay for dinner. Aunt will go prepare it now.”

He Xijin very consciously followed along to help. Huang Rang looked back at Di Yiqiu.

The Jianzheng’s face immediately couldn’t hang on, and he coughed dryly twice.

Huang Rang’s expression was serious, but inside she was already laughing so hard she was doubled over.

At this time, on the outskirts of Shangjing.

Vice Supervisor Bao came to the small estate as usual, but didn’t see that woman. Looking at the water jar again, yesterday’s water had barely been touched. Although Bao Wu was a military man, he was cautious and meticulous.

He immediately went into the house to check—that woman was not there.

No one was hired on the estate, so he had no one to ask. He could only search around. The woman hadn’t deliberately hidden her tracks. Bao Wu followed the fresh footprints, searching all the way. The path ahead became increasingly remote, full of wild grass and scattered stones.

“What is she doing here?” Bao Wu frowned.

After all, he was fast on his feet. Before long, he saw that woman standing on a distant small hillock, looking completely bewildered.

“Xiyin?” Bao Wu called out. The woman was muttering something, but didn’t turn around.

Bao Wu could only slowly approach. He saw that the woman was holding a filthy cloth tiger in her arms, her eyes vacant and lifeless. Bao Wu waved his five fingers in front of her eyes: “What are you doing here?”

Xiyin kept muttering something. Bao Wu bent down, turned his ear to listen, and discovered she was saying: “What should I do, I have no milk, it’s crying from hunger.”

“What? Who’s crying?” Bao Wu looked suspiciously at the cloth tiger in her arms. After quite a while, he finally realized—this woman seemed not quite lucid.

Xiyin seemed not to hear his words at all. She didn’t even look at him. She just anxiously turned back and forth.

Her mind was confused and unclear. Bao Wu could only first pull that cloth tiger from her arms.

The cloth tiger was so dirty its original color couldn’t be seen. The moment Bao Wu grabbed its head, Xiyin suddenly screamed.

The sound was shrill and piercing. Bao Wu was startled and hastily released his grip.

When Xiyin saw him, it was as if she saw some monster. She clutched the cloth tiger tightly and stumbled forward running.

But there was already no real path here, just scattered stones and wild grass everywhere. She hadn’t run far before she fell to the ground.

Bao Wu caught up in a few steps, yanked out that filthy cloth tiger with one hand, and casually threw it far away.

“Ah—” Xiyin desperately tried to retrieve it. Bao Wu slung her over his shoulder and without a word, headed back. Xiyin screamed and struggled like mad, finally scratching and clawing at him with her fingernails.

Bao Wu remained unmoved, carrying her all the way back to Shangjing.

At that time, Qiu Shengbai was at the medical clinic.

From far away, he could hear a woman’s cries and shouts.

Many people were drawn by the sound, looking in this direction one after another.

Bao Wu paid no attention. He carried this woman, his feet swift as flowing stars, all the way inside. This woman was too light, as if only a skeleton frame remained.

“Old Bai, take a look at what madness this woman is having!” Vice Supervisor Bao set Xiyin down on the ground. The moment Xiyin’s feet touched the floor, she turned to run. Bao Wu caught up in two steps and picked her up again like a small chicken.

Because she’d been carried all the way back and had struggled fiercely, Xiyin’s shoes were lost, leaving only stockings on her feet. Her hairpins and ornaments were mostly gone, her long hair loose and disheveled.

At this moment, she was being held by Bao Wu, her face full of panic and terror.

“Don’t hit me… give me back my child…” she cried out in despair.

Qiu Shengbai glanced at Bao Wu, his gaze carrying some other meaning. Vice Supervisor Bao glared angrily: “This is Miss Arang’s mother, don’t let your thoughts run wild!”

“Is that so?” Only then did Qiu Shengbai withdraw his gaze. He extended his hand and gently massaged several major acupoints on Xiyin. Xiyin was exhausted from struggling after all. Now, as he soothed her, she slowly lowered her eyelids, and her cries gradually weakened.

Qiu Shengbai waited until she no longer struggled, then took out silver needles and administered acupuncture to her.

“You frightened her badly,” he muttered in dissatisfaction.

Vice Supervisor Bao was even more dissatisfied: “What did I do?!” His neck and face were covered with countless bloody scratch marks. Fortunately, Lord Bao was thick-skinned and rough-fleshed. He casually wiped at them and asked: “Has this woman gone mad?”

Qiu Shengbai said: “She’s a patient. Her medicine was cut off, so naturally her illness flared up.”

“A patient?” Bao Wu touched his neck. “Full of energy scolding me the whole way, voice strong and vigorous—I’d say her spirits are excellent.”

Qiu Shengbai had little to say to this military man, only remarking: “In this world, illness doesn’t only mean missing limbs or broken legs. Drastic changes in temperament and confused consciousness are also illnesses.”

Bao Wu didn’t argue with him about this, saying: “I’m leaving the person here with you. When the Jianzheng returns, you can tell him.”

“No way!” Qiu Shengbai refused flatly. “What if she runs around wildly when she wakes up? I can’t watch over her here. Take her back to wherever you caught her!”

Bao Wu was stunned: “But…”

Qiu Shengbai wasn’t so easy to talk to either. He tossed out several packets of medicine, saying: “One dose brewed to three bowls, take it on time. The medicine she was drinking before—brew the original prescription and it’ll work too. Go go go, hurry up and take her away.”

What could Bao Wu do?

He could only carry Xiyin back out. By this time, after the acupuncture, she was already sound asleep.

Bao Wu held her, thought for a long while, and could only send her back to the estate again.

This estate was quite nice—quiet and elegant, also suitable for recuperation.

It was just that time had been too tight. Even for Di Yiqiu, there hadn’t been enough time to furnish everything completely.

Bao Wu placed Xiyin on the bed and casually pulled the blanket over to cover her.

He didn’t understand this woman’s suffering, only seeing her face, pale and bloodless amid the disheveled hair on the pillow.

He’d heard that she was once a noble daughter from an aristocratic family.

Vice Supervisor Bao didn’t understand such women.

Military men and aristocratic daughters were originally things as unrelated as wind, oxen, and horses.

He stood for a while with nothing to do, so he could only brew medicine for Xiyin.

Vice Supervisor Bao wasn’t skilled in cooking, but he brewed medicine quite well.

—Military men without anyone to care for them had to have these survival skills.

When Xiyin woke up, she found herself lying in bed with the sky already dark outside.

She had a moment of disorientation, not knowing where she was. That loneliness and terror struck her in an instant. She trembled as she got up, trying her utmost to calm herself down.

She was sick, she knew.

When she was at the Huang family before, she would brew medicine daily.

The person who prescribed that formula said his name was Miao Yunzhi, a renowned physician. He told Xiyin to keep drinking the medicine and not to stop taking it.

So for many years, Xiyin had brewed that medicine day and night.

The medicinal liquid tasted terrible, but at least after drinking it, she always knew what she was doing.

Now, after several days in Shangjing, probably because she’d stopped the medicine, her mind had become somewhat confused.

She slowly got out of bed, breathed deeply and slowly, and gently walked out of the room.

Right there in the courtyard, the flames of a small stove licked a golden hole in the night.

Bao Wu was half-squatting in front of the small stove. In the small pot on the stove, a dose of medicine bubbled and boiled. The medicine was very bitter, the entire courtyard permeated with this bitter taste, making one frown.

Xiyin stood at the doorway, not daring to approach.

At this time, news of Huang Rang’s rejection of the marriage proposal had already spread.

At first, people didn’t believe it, but later more news came, claiming that the reason Huang Rang refused Sect Master Xie was because of Si Tianjian’s Jianzheng, Di Yiqiu.

Such a matter was like pouring boiling oil into water, even in the immortal sects.

Everyone exploded in discussion.

Yuhu Xuanzong fell silent, yet privately, even Qiu Cailing was alarmed.

Huang Rang’s rejection of the marriage proposal was simply a slap to the face, directly striking Yuhu Xuanzong.

The blow was hard enough to leave a five-finger print even on Xie Lingbi.

Luofu Hall.

Xie Lingbi asked in a somber voice: “What happened?”

Xie Hongchen was more composed, smiling as he said: “She seems to prefer Di Yiqiu and declined this disciple’s marriage proposal to my face.”

“Di Yiqiu?” Xie Lingbi’s face darkened enough to rain. “That wet-behind-the-ears brat of barely over ten years?”

Xie Hongchen said: “His age is indeed young, but he acts with capable decisiveness. I imagine he’ll become someone important in the future.”

“He Xijin and his wife just let her make such a fool of herself?” Xie Lingbi clearly couldn’t afford to lose this much face.

Xie Hongchen remained peaceful, saying: “Sect Leader He has always protected his young. Naturally he prioritizes Miss Arang’s wishes.”

Xie Lingbi sneered coldly: “So, as Sect Master, you plan to just watch the sect’s face be dragged through the mud?”

Xie Hongchen had clearly thought this through carefully. He said: “This disciple will find an opportunity to talk with Miss Arang again. Because I didn’t know what was in her heart before, this marriage proposal was indeed presumptuous on this disciple’s part.”

“Presumptuous?” Xie Lingbi was angry and resentful. “She’s merely the daughter of that shameless wretch Huang Shu. Does she really think herself a precious princess of golden branches and jade leaves? That you would personally come to seek marriage—do you still need to share your heart with her?”

“Master, Miss Arang is different from her father.” Xie Hongchen frowned. He knew Xie Lingbi always valued face the most, and today’s events would certainly displease him. Therefore, he could only advise: “This matter, this disciple will resolve.”

Xie Lingbi said in a heavy voice: “Best if you can resolve it. Otherwise, the Yuhu Xuanzong Sect Master being rejected by a yellow-haired little girl—this matter will probably be enough for the immortal sects to laugh about for eight hundred years!”

Ruyi Sword Sect.

Qu Manying and He Xijin indeed prepared a whole table of dishes, also counting as entertaining Di Yiqiu, this “delicate guest.”

At the table, everyone considered the Jianzheng’s face and didn’t mention the awkward matter of that earlier kneeling.

Instead, Qu Manying said: “Even if you disagreed with this marriage proposal, you should have stalled first. How can you reject someone to their face? Yuhu Xuanzong is after all the foremost of the immortal sects. Now, I’m afraid Sect Master Xie won’t be able to save face.”

Huang Rang picked up food for Huang Jun, then turned and picked up food for Di Yiqiu, saying: “Aunt is right. It was all because I spoke too quickly.”

He Xijin said: “Mat-mat-matters re-re-relating to daugh-daughter’s rep-reputation. Speak-speaking clear-clearly is al-also good.”

“That’s true too.” Qu Manying said: “Jianzheng, try this fish. This is Xijin’s specialty dish…”

The family ate dinner harmoniously and happily.

After the meal, the Jianzheng and Huang Rang returned to Shangjing together.

Because there was no urgent matter, they skipped the transmission talisman. The Jianzheng decisively decided—to take a carriage!

Huang Rang rode with him. At first when there were many people, it wasn’t much.

Now that only the two of them were in the carriage, it inevitably seemed awkward.

After quite a while, Huang Rang asked: “What you… said earlier, were you serious?”

“What words?” The Jianzheng lifted the carriage curtain, looking east and west. “This seat has long forgotten.”

Tch.

Shangjing, estate on the outskirts.

Bao Wu finished brewing the medicine, brought it before Xiyin, and said: “Drink.”

He was too imposing. Xiyin didn’t dare disobey him, so she could only blow on it while drinking the medicine down. The scalding medicinal soup entered her belly, and indeed her emotions calmed considerably. Seeing that Bao Wu showed no intention of leaving, she could only ask: “Are you… eating dinner?”

Bao Wu was idle anyway, and he couldn’t leave—what if this woman went mad again and ran off and got lost?

So he answered: “Alright.”

Xiyin then went to cook. Bao Wu had nothing to do sitting around, so he simply helped her tend the fire.

Neither spoke, but Xiyin’s hands and feet were still nimble—the former aristocratic daughter, long immersed in the mundane world, had also learned some basic domestic skills.

She quickly made two dishes and a soup.

Originally thinking this would be about right for two people.

Who knew Lord Bao’s appetite was astonishing—two dishes and a soup, and he alone only ate until he was thirty percent full.

The two stared at each other. After a long moment, Xiyin said: “Should I… make more?”

“Ah?” Lord Bao shoveled rice while saying: “Good.”

Thus, the stove that hadn’t yet been extinguished burned again.

Bao Wu glanced at Xiyin, feeling this woman cooked quite well.

Xiyin stole a glance at Bao Wu, feeling this man ate more than a pig…