Shangguan Residence.
Beneath the square pavilion in the main courtyard, Shangguan Hongzhi and Lu Qi sat facing each other, while Qin Luoyi sat not far away, leisurely chatting about women’s matters with Lin Yayue.
“Hongzhi, although you said beforehand that Yun Mu would return after the Lantern Festival, you didn’t say it would be this late,”
Lu Qi said softly, glancing toward the two women nearby.
“If the little princess hadn’t often followed Madam around when she was young, and if their relationship wasn’t fairly good, wouldn’t you be in trouble now?”
Hearing this, Shangguan Hongzhi felt a hundred grudges inside but could only smile wryly.
In his view, the old man’s words ostensibly praised his luck but secretly implied he was insignificant.
To put it bluntly, it was like saying, “Hmph, relying on your mother as a child, then on your wife as an adult, a useless person good for nothing.”
Of course, this wasn’t overinterpretation; Lu Qi had said many similar things to him before, so much so that even after becoming head of the family, he still couldn’t shake off this habitual mindset.
Seeing the man silent, the old man took a small sip of tea and continued.
“So, after all our talk, you urgently sent so many letters eight hundred miles over just to tell me you haven’t found the child candidates?”
“Mm, there was originally a pair of dragon-phoenix twins I could have gotten, but their grandfather is Xie Yi…”
“Xie Yi? Isn’t he long since become a cripple? You couldn’t even snatch the child from him?”
“The truth is, his six meridians only retained about a tenth of their original star force, so I easily killed him.”
“If that’s the case, where are the children?”
“That old bastard sent the two children back to their grandmother’s house early.”
“Grandmother’s house?”
Hearing the term “grandmother,” the white-haired old man paused slightly, as if recalling something, and his previously pressing tone softened considerably.
“I see… if that’s the case, then I can’t blame you. After all, this is an era of harmony among the Four Nations. It’s not wise to easily provoke other ancient royal families.”
“Then, Immortal Doctor Lu, as the greatest medical expert of the present Li Xun Ancient Nation, is there any other method to replace these child candidates?”
“A method? Hmph! Do you really take me as your pocket encyclopedia? Even I can’t solve every problem.”
The old man snorted coldly, his displeasure obvious, but to Shangguan Hongzhi, the more he acted like this, the less worried he felt.
Years of experience in court had taught him that the old man must have a way to solve the problem—he was just demanding a price…
In other words, the “payment” hadn’t been made in full.
“Eh, Immortal Doctor Lu, don’t be angry, don’t be angry. Since you have no solution, then forget it. It only means Qiuyue is destined to face this tribulation,”
he said while pulling an antique wooden box from his chest pocket.
“This is a gift of apology for my earlier careless words. Please accept it.”
“Oh?”
Hearing the words “apology gift,” Lu Qi lowered his eyes to glance at the partially covered wooden box being handed over.
But that single glance immediately caused his expression to turn anxious.
He slammed his palm on the box’s surface, hiding it in his sleeve, then nervously glanced toward Qin Luoyi not far away, sending a telepathic reprimand.
[Shangguan Hongzhi, you’re quite bold. Do you know what crime it is to secretly keep such a thing? The little princess is still here—aren’t you afraid she’ll tell His Majesty?]
[Eh, Immortal Doctor Lu, that’s a misunderstanding. I only obtained this recently by chance; it’s not secretly kept…]
[Then why hand it to me?]
[Naturally, for you to deliver it to His Majesty on my behalf.]
Lu Qi’s eyes revealed an unprecedented coldness upon hearing this.
This bastard—earlier calling it an apology gift, now telling me telepathically to submit it for him.
Looks like he’s betting I need this thing.
Well… he guessed right.
My cultivation has hit a bottleneck lately, and I do need this.
Heh…
I underestimated this bastard.
Feeling the abundant Qian Kun Principle energy within the wooden box hidden in his sleeve, Lu Qi had no hesitation.
He immediately abandoned any notion of “loyalty,” only the thought of “private possession” filled his mind.
But he knew he absolutely couldn’t accept this easily, or he’d be giving the other side a lever to use against him later.
Once the current matter ended, their bargaining position would shift.
He cleared his throat lightly, glanced at Shangguan Hongzhi, then concealed the wooden box’s aura before pulling it out to hand it forward.
“No need for an apology gift. After all, no work, no reward. I am not that kind of person. I never do things that might bring criticism.”
“Eh, your words honor me, but this is truly my heartfelt intention—you must accept it.”
That old fox is worried I’ll get leverage on him, huh?
Conceals the aura and returns it, yet says these words between the lines.
Heh…
He chuckled and said, “Don’t worry, there won’t be any leverage. I swear it on my Dao heart.”
Then he pushed it back again, even channeling spiritual energy in front of him, pointing skyward.
[If this matter leaks to a third party, Shangguan Hongzhi won’t live well. What do you think?]
Feeling the faint subtlety of Dao rhythm on the other’s body, Lu Qi’s wary expression vanished.
He patted the middle-aged man’s shoulder and smoothly pocketed the wooden box, his face now softened.
“Hongzhi, to be honest, I do have another method, but the price is not small. I wonder if you can accept it.”
“Immortal Doctor Lu, I’m all ears.”
This old man finally stopped holding back, right?
Thinking this, he stepped forward to listen closely.
“This method requires using the abilities granted by the stars to that girl, Qin Luoyi, but after that, Qiuyue will…”
In just a few words, what sounded like a price only made Shangguan Hongzhi more excited.
When it ended, he slammed the table and applauded repeatedly.
“Good! Of course it’s good! Such a method is no price at all—it’s fantastic! Immortal Doctor Lu, you truly are a divine healer!”
The excited shouting puzzled Lu Qi a little, since this method would somewhat affect the girl’s admission into the Ancient Nation Academy.
But he didn’t care.
After all, he wasn’t her parent.
His aid came largely out of respect for her grandfather, and he had already fulfilled his righteousness.
Besides… the girl’s grandfather had long since died.
Shangguan Hongzhi’s sudden outburst even made Qin Luoyi frown slightly nearby.
“Sister Lin, is he always this jumpy?”
“Uh… not really. Maybe he truly encountered something happy, so he’s excited.”
“Like a monkey. Lower families really are lower families. Honestly, Sister Lin, you never should have married into such a family. It’s just asking for trouble… hmm…”
“Eh, Luoyi,”
Lin Yayue raised a hand to shush her and fed the girl a piece of cake with a bright smile.
“He is my husband after all. If you say such things, you’ll hurt me.”
“Hmm… okay… I won’t say anything.”
The girl finished the cake in three bites and quickly changed the subject.
“By the way, Sister Lin, how much do you know about this Yun Mu?”
“Yun Mu? That child…”
The moment the boy’s name was mentioned, the once smiling woman’s face darkened instantly.
As the lady of the Shangguan family and mother to Shangguan Qiuyue, she naturally knew about Yun Mu’s situation, but precisely because of this, her guilt over the boy had only grown over the years.
So much so that, while she previously dared to talk to him, now, mentioning the name pained her heart.
“He’s a good boy.”
“A good boy!? You mean… he’s not that kind of scoundrel who does everything from drinking and gambling to worse?”
“Hmm, though you exaggerate a bit, he really doesn’t do those things, and…”
A good boy?
So he’s actually a good boy?
I thought being abused for so many years would have corrupted him, but he’s good?
Those three words excited Qin Luoyi so much that she completely ignored the rest of Lin Yayue’s words.
Ah, and he even possesses the special constitutions of Glazed Bone and Wanfa Eye… so wonderful… I want to keep him all to myself… watch him get corrupted bit by bit… slowly devour him…
“Luoyi? Luoyi? What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly biting your nails?”
Only when Lin Yayue shook her gently and called softly did she snap back.
“Ah, nothing, nothing. Just suddenly thought of something good. Please continue…”
“I see. I thought you were unwell. Now, where was I? Oh right, him…”
“Report! Family Head! Report…!”
Before Lin Yayue could continue, several men in black suddenly appeared inside the residence, carrying two children—one was Shangguan Qiuyue, and the other was Yun Mu.
“Why such panic? Don’t you see we have honored guests here?”
“Sorry, Master, but it concerns the young lady and Yun Mu, so we…”
“Qiuyue!?”
“Yun Mu!!”
Three voices rang out.
Within a moment, the Shangguan couple appeared before them and immediately embraced the small girl.
Only after sensing the girl’s aura did Shangguan Hongzhi’s stern expression soften.
“Madam, don’t worry. She’s just asleep.”
“That’s good to hear. By the way… take a look at Yun Mu. He should be…”
Just as they were about to move aside, Lu Qi, who had appeared behind them unnoticed, grabbed their shoulders.
“No need. That kid has already been taken to the side courtyard by Luoyi. He’ll be fine, rest assured.”
“But…”
“What? You still want to provoke His Majesty?”
Feeling the force on his shoulder, Shangguan Hongzhi swallowed his words and bowed slightly, looking at his wife and daughter.
“I was too anxious. Sorry…”
“Don’t worry. We won’t leave the Shangguan residence for some time, so there’s no risk of affecting Qiuyue’s matter.” Lu Qi withdrew his hand and stroked his beard. “More importantly, you should first find out the full situation before saying anything else.” With that, he vanished like a wisp of smoke.
“Thank you for the reminder, Immortal Doctor Lu…”
After another bow, Shangguan Hongzhi gently placed the girl into Lin Yayue’s arms and spoke softly.
“Madam, please take Qiuyue to rest first. I’ll handle the rest.”
“Mm…”
The beautiful woman said nothing further, nor insisted on staying to hear the full story.
After so many years of marriage, she was used to these things and already understood her husband’s ways.
She took their daughter and walked directly toward the guofang behind the main residence.
Shangguan Hongzhi watched her leave.
Only after she disappeared at the edge of his sight did he put away his gentle expression, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.
“Speak… if I’m not satisfied… none of you need to live.”
As for what would satisfy him, naturally, only he knew.
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