At the same time, near the main entrance of Wanbao Pavilion, Xia Qingyao stood there, glancing around as she searched for Yun Mu’s figure.
On either side of her stood the Dragon and Phoenix Twins, who were also looking for him.
“Xiao Chun, Xiao Qiu, have you seen your Brother Yun Mu?”
“No,” the two replied in unison, both shaking their heads.
“That’s strange. This is clearly the only path to leave Wanbao Pavilion. How could he have vanished?”
The girl was no stranger to this place, so she understood the layout and paths quite well.
“Could there be a secret passage in No.1 Room? Uh… forget it, don’t overthink. With my brain, I’d probably get it wrong anyway. I don’t want to make another fool of myself like I did just now; it’s too embarrassing…”
Right after the Heavenly Lamp Lighting ended, she had changed her questioning strategy—she didn’t directly ask Xiao Chun and Xiao Qiu what their relationship was with the person in No.1 Room.
Instead, she chose to approach it through daily life, chatting about their years living in Li Xun.
Although they had been consciously hiding things about Yun Mu before, they were ultimately children.
Furthermore, since the girl had been quite kind to them, they naturally mentioned Yun Mu’s name once the topic changed.
Originally, this was a happy occasion for the girl, as she had finally grasped a clue about the person in No.1 Room.
But after just a few sentences, she was surprised to find that the boy was vastly different from the image she had in her mind.
There was no dashing youth in flowing white robes, no Immortal from a painting with an elegant presence, and no carefree wanderer of the Jianghu.
There was only a simple boy in clothes covered in patches.
Of course, she hadn’t given up without a struggle.
She tried to find even a hint in their conversation that the boy was masking his true identity, but she failed.
He could cook, he did farm work, he wore clothes full of patches, he only visited at specific times once a month, and he was very familiar with many locals.
These facts directly overturned her theory that “the mysterious person in No.1 Room must be a discarded prince of Li Xun.”
Consequently, even though she had actually guessed correctly now, she found it hard to believe herself.
“Fine, let’s head back first. Anyway, since he took the Mystic Realm Stele, he’ll definitely come back to the Ancient Nation of Xiyun later. It won’t be too late to see him then.”
As she spoke, she was about to lead Xiao Chun and Xiao Qiu away, but her feet paused, and she stopped in her tracks.
“From afar, you look like a tigress, and up close, you’re a smiling tiger. It really is you, Princess Xia Qingyao.”
Qin Luoyi had appeared before her at some unknown moment, blocking her path with Qin Wanzhou and Qin Wanyin in tow.
“How was it? Was picking up trash fun?”
“Trash?”
She gently pulled Xiao Chun and Xiao Qiu behind her to protect them.
“Princess Qin Luoyi, are you suggesting that everything sold by Wanbao Pavilion is trash?”
“Hmm… placing me in opposition to Wanbao Pavilion with a single sentence. Should I say I’d expect nothing less from you? However… I’m not taking the bait. I don’t have time for that.”
“You don’t have time, yet you came to say this to me? You’re actually quite free, aren’t you?”
“Not as free as you, bringing two children out to an auction…”
Qin Luoyi glanced at the two children behind her, then leaned down and waved.
“Come, come to Sister, and I’ll give you some candy.”
However, her hand stung as Xia Qingyao slapped it away.
“Qin Luoyi, don’t go too far.”
“I’m going too far?”
“What else? Reaching for children in broad daylight—if that isn’t going too far, what is?”
“No, your talent for fabricating rumors out of thin air is truly impressive. I really intended to give them candy.”
The girl straightened up and opened her right hand, revealing two candies inside.
“Here, if you’re really that worried, why don’t you check them?”
“Who knows what your true intentions are.”
“You! Sigh, forget it. It’s like playing a lute to a cow, just a waste of my time…”
Qin Luoyi gently peeled the wrappers off the two candies and tossed them backward.
“Qin Wanyin, Qin Wanzhou, open your mouths.”
“Ah?”
In unison, the candies landed accurately in their mouths.
“See? There’s nothing wrong with the candy.”
She raised her hand in a gesture and let out a light laugh.
Not wasting any more words, she led the two siblings behind her and walked forward.
But as she reached the girl’s side, she stopped again.
“Oh, right. Although we’ve never gotten along well, I should thank you for the Broken Sword incident. But don’t overthink it; even without you, our Xiao Yunzi wouldn’t have gotten his way and bought that thing to give to another woman.”
After saying this, she was about to leave when Xia Qingyao grabbed her arm.
“What are you doing?”
She looked sideways slightly.
“Xiao Yunzi… are you saying… the person in No.1 Room is your attendant?”
“What does that have to do with you? And did I ever say the person in No.1 Room was Xiao Yunzi?”
She shook her hand off.
“Furthermore, don’t touch me so casually.”
“Qin Luoyi, your conversational skills still need improvement. Besides Yun Mu from No.1 Room, who else would be competing with you for the Broken Sword?”
“I already said it has nothing to do with you. You should focus on… wait… what did you say? How do you know he is Yun Mu?”
“No comment.”
“I’ll kill you.”
“You wouldn’t dare…”
Before the words could fully leave her mouth, a sudden Killing Intent enveloped her entire body.
Xia Qingyao froze on the spot as a stinging sensation mixed with the scent of blood emanated from her neck.
She stared at the dagger-wielding Qin Luoyi before her, her expression turning solemn.
“Speak, don’t force me to act.”
“Do you really plan to act?”
“What else?”
“Your strength is indeed above mine, but we are in front of Wanbao Pavilion. Haven’t you noticed that many people are silently watching us?”
“Do you really think I care about that?”
“I don’t. I simply think that you don’t have enough time to deal with the aftermath of what follows.”
***
“Tsk. Get lost. Don’t go near Yun Mu, or you won’t be so lucky next time.”
After a long silence, Qin Luoyi eventually withdrew her power and left after leaving behind a threatening remark.
Xia Qingyao watched the girl’s departing figure.
Her furrowed brows relaxed significantly, but her heart was filled with resentment.
This person… she actually attacked in front of so many people… what a lunatic…
“Xia Jie Jie, that sister was so scary just now. She didn’t hurt you, did she?”
“Yeah, yeah, Xia Jie Jie, you mustn’t let anything happen to you, or Xiao Chun and I will be very sad.”
Before she could mutter any curses, the tender voices of the children interrupted her.
Xiao Chun and Xiao Qiu, who had been hiding behind her, walked out.
They tugged at the girl’s hem from both sides, their faces full of worry.
“I… don’t worry, Sister is fine.”
Subconsciously flashing a gentle smile, she leaned down and stroked the heads of the two little ones.
“On the way back, tell Sister more about your years in Li Xun. Especially about your Brother Yun Mu. Such a wonderful boy, Sister really wants to meet him.”
“Hehe, right? Brother Yun Mu is a very good person. If there’s a chance later, I’ll introduce him to you, Xia Jie Jie. Maybe… he’ll really like you too…”
“Really? Is Sister that charming?”
“Of course! You’re also a very good person, Xia Jie Jie. You and Brother Yun Mu are a great match.”
“Ah? Is that so… I hadn’t thought of that…”
Strangely, despite never having met him and despite these being just the innocent words of children, a seed called expectation was planted in her heart.
Qin Luoyi, oh Qin Luoyi, do you really think I, Xia Qingyao, was raised to be easily frightened?
You won’t let me get close?
Then I’ll do exactly that. Just wait—I’ve decided on this Yun Mu!
However, right after making such a bold declaration, a new problem immediately popped into the girl’s mind.
For the first official meeting, what should I wear?