Chapter 10

Because of this ‘Xiaowu’, the relationship between the two seemed to have grown closer invisibly, and because the two were similar in age, their subsequent conversation became more relaxed and casual.

“Suifeng…”

Just as the two were talking, a tall figure suddenly walked out of the mansion gate. Suifeng turned his head to look, and when he saw the person walking out quickly, he smiled happily and said, “Dad, come and see; I found my second aunt.”

The middle-aged man who walked out of the gate briskly was Suifeng’s father, Yu Fan, who was also the current head of the household in Suifeng’s family.

“Sister-in-law?”

Yu Fan’s steps paused slightly, and a hint of joy appeared on his resolute face when he saw Xuan Niang. The furrow between his brows was also instantly relaxed. Obviously, in the past few days, Suifeng’s father has been worried about Xuan Niang’s disappearance.

After Yu Fan approached quickly, Suifeng immediately respectfully bowed to his father, then hurriedly introduced Xuanyuan Tianxin beside him. “Dad, this is Miss Yuan Tianxin; thanks to her, I was able to find Second Aunt.”

Yu Fan naturally didn’t overlook Xuanyuan Tianxin standing beside Suifeng. Her strange attire was quite eye-catching, and Xuan Niang had been tightly holding onto her arm, which naturally caught his attention.

Now hearing Suifeng’s introduction, a gentle and grateful smile appeared on Yu Fan’s resolute face. Although it was just a glance, he could tell that Xuan Niang relied heavily on this girl.

Moreover, from the girl’s expression, she didn’t mind Xuan Niang’s dirty appearance at all, which also showed her kindness.

Suifeng’s house was very large, but as Xuanyuan Tianxin walked from the gate to the main hall, she found that although the house was spacious, there were very few people around. They didn’t encounter any servants along the way, making the whole mansion seem somewhat empty.

Just as the father and son entered the main hall, they heard hurried footsteps coming from the courtyard again. Before the person arrived, they heard an anxious female voice from the courtyard.

“Fan-Ge, I heard that Sister-in-law has been found.”

Before the words fell, a young woman in blue rushed in. When she saw Xuan Niang sitting in the hall, her bright eyes turned red, and she quickly walked towards Xuan Niang, excitedly saying, “Xuan Niang, where have you been these past few days? How could you go out alone?”

Xuan Niang seemed to know her too, and she didn’t reject her closeness. She smiled foolishly at the woman and said, “I went to find Xin’er. Yu Niang, look… my Xin’er is back.” As she spoke, she reached out to pull Xuanyuan Tianxin beside her.

Xuanyuan Tianxin already looked as delicate and beautiful as a jade doll. When the woman saw her, her eyes lit up. “Who is this young lady?”

“Mother, she’s called Tianxin, and it’s thanks to her that Second Aunt was found,” Suifeng quickly explained to the woman.

Hearing Suifeng’s address, Xuanyuan Tianxin realized that this woman, who seemed somewhat heroic, was actually Suifeng’s mother.

“Tianxin… what a nice name.”

The woman chuckled, her gaze at Xuanyuan Tianxin clearly containing a hint of affection.

“Such a beautiful little girl; she looks a bit unfamiliar. You’re not from Daze City, are you?”

Hearing the woman’s words, even Suifeng and Yu Fan, who were on the side, looked over with some curiosity.

As Suifeng and Xuanyuan Tianxin walked along the way, he didn’t really ask where Xuanyuan Tianxin was from.

Perhaps Xuanyuan Tianxin, upon knowing that Suifeng and his group were descendants of the Xuanyuan family, had already regarded them as family in her heart.

So, upon hearing the woman’s words, she sweetly smiled and said, “No, I’m here to broaden my horizons and gain experience. My home is far away.”

“Oh, what a capable little girl! To come out alone for experience at such a young age, she’s much more capable than my little rascal at home.”

Upon hearing Xuanyuan Tianxin’s response, the woman chuckled even more joyfully.

“You flatter me.”

Xuanyuan Tianxin smiled shyly, seemingly a bit embarrassed by the woman’s praise. Meanwhile, the golden-winged Peng being held in her arms secretly rolled its eyes where no one could see.

Such an act! This girl is really good at pretending!

It seemed that the woman really liked Xuanyuan Tianxin.

Seeing her seemingly shy smile, she exclaimed happily, “Look at this girl; she’s quite shy. How old are you this year? How can your family bear to let you go out alone for experience?”

“I’m a year younger than Suifeng, fifteen this year.”

Xuanyuan Tianxin answered the woman’s question straightforwardly. However, when it came to her family, her delicate and beautiful face dimmed, and she murmured softly, “My family is poor, and we live in a remote and backward village. If I don’t come out to gain skills and experience, how can we support ourselves.”

Seeing Xuanyuan Tianxin’s face darken in an instant, not only the woman but even Suifeng felt a pang in his heart.

They naturally wouldn’t doubt the truthfulness of Xuanyuan Tianxin’s words because, from her almost ‘barely covering’ dress, it was evident that she was indeed quite poor.

If her family weren’t truly poor, which girl would come out dressed in such a way that barely covered her arms and legs?

It was truly a wonderful misunderstanding.

Xuanyuan Tianxin’s outfit of short sleeves and an extremely short dress had actually been interpreted by Suifeng’s family as being thrifty due to poverty.

Suifeng also nodded in understanding, looking at Xuanyuan Tianxin with even more tenderness in his eyes. No wonder she didn’t know about the Xuanyuan Goddess. In a closed and backward remote village, it was entirely possible not to know about such things.

“You’re a good child; don’t be sad. Since you’ve shown kindness to Xuan Niang, you’re naturally a benefactor to our family as well. If you don’t mind, you can stay at our house in the future. After all, this mansion is big enough; I’ll treat you as another daughter.”

The woman reached out to touch Xuanyuan Tianxin’s head, her gaze full of pity. Obviously, Xuanyuan Tianxin’s pitiful appearance had touched the softest part of the woman’s heart.

Although Xuanyuan Tianxin was pretending, she was deeply moved by the genuine love from the woman.

It wasn’t that Xuanyuan Tianxin wanted to lie or deceive people; rather, she had a sense of crisis hidden deep in her heart.

However, this sense of crisis wasn’t directed towards Suifeng’s family but rather stemmed from what Suifeng had mentioned earlier about being deprived of their surname.

What Suifeng said wasn’t much, but it didn’t prevent Xuanyuan Tianxin from understanding the deeper meaning behind it.

Suifeng’s family had declined to the point where even their surname could be stripped away, indicating the precarious situation of the “Xuanyuan” name in the Kingdom of Longhao.

Although she wasn’t groomed as a legitimate heir in the family, women of the Xuanyuan family were never fools.

Despite her young age of just fifteen and her seemingly harmless appearance, any child of the Xuanyuan family always remembered one ancestral teaching.

The first ancestral teaching of the Xuanyuan family was to always keep three parts hidden when interacting with others.

This was ingrained in the education of Xuanyuan children, regardless of the situation or the relationship with others, even with the closest ones. They were cautioned against revealing all of their cards.

Every child of the Xuanyuan family held this ancestral teaching close to their hearts, not daring to forget it.

— Side note by the original author —

I’ve always said that Xiaowu is a master at playing the role of a sheep in a wolf’s clothing. When it comes to deceiving people, she’s absolutely slick!