Love Travels through Time (My father who traveled through time and space to cultivate immortality came back to pick me up) - Chapter 20
Chapter 20: Introducing Oneself
“Miss Xiang, my uncle… Master Daochen is bathing. You might need to wait outside for a bit,” Bai Xingxian led the way.
Xiang Tianqing nodded, about to speak, when she saw “the Master” approaching quickly.
From a distance, Yin Changli looked at Bai Xingxian, “Where is Miss Xiang?”
Xiang Tianqing was right in front of them, so the “Miss Xiang” he spoke of was naturally Xiang Haikui.
Bai Xingxian pointed in the direction of Silver Sand City, “Little Kui has gone home.”
Yin Changli’s brow furrowed deeply.
He brushed past them, silently, not looking sideways, and walked straight out.
“Master…” Xiang Tianqing turned with him, a hint of surprise on her fair face.
Earlier, she had felt that the Master had ascended several great realms, becoming as unapproachable as a deity.
But now, his eyes sparkled, like a vibrant young man.
Bai Xingxian was stunned, “Where are you going?”
Yin Changli: “To chase her.”
“Absolutely not!”
Bai Xingxian frantically chased after him, whispering, “Uncle, you cannot go out that door right now!”
The urgency in his tone made Yin Changli slow his steps, then halt at the entrance of the Buddhist cave.
Yes, he couldn’t go out.
Miss Xiang was trustworthy.
So the current crisis was real.
He wasn’t sure if the high-ranking officials from the Underworld who were trying to apprehend him had left with Miss Xiang.
He wasn’t sure if they could distinguish him if they saw him.
He wasn’t even sure if they genuinely mistook someone else for him, or if they had other motives.
“Miss Xiang is putting herself in danger.”
But he was powerless.
Right now, he couldn’t even protect himself, let alone others.
Yin Changli was only about a foot from the entrance of the cave, which was open and had no door.
But in his eyes, there was a thick wall separating him from the outside world.
“Uncle believes us?” Bai Xingxian was overjoyed.
He knew better than anyone how suspicious his uncle was.
Just like he had been by his uncle’s side for five hundred years and had no idea his uncle’s true form was a snake.
“Tell me everything you know about me.”
At this moment, Xiang Haikui was quite far from the Buddhist cave.
But she instinctively looked back, gazing again.
Strange, she kept feeling a gaze on her.
It wasn’t the two big shots from the Underworld, because this gaze was very peculiar.
How to describe it?
It was like the longing in a documentary about a rural left-behind family, where the mother is leaving for work, and the child stands at the village entrance, large eyes brimming with tears, waving a small hand, earnestly hoping for a reunion.
It was too strange; she shivered with a creepy feeling.
When the camel beasts had crossed the desolate desert and were nearing Silver Sand Main City, there were already quite a few people coming and going on the road.
Without needing to be told, everyone made way for Meng Xilou and Wumian.
Riding on the same beast, Meng Xilou hadn’t spoken to her the entire way, but suddenly whispered, “Little Junior Sister, have you noticed how the common people look at me?”
Xiang Haikui was full of worries and had no time to observe the common people.
After he mentioned it, her gaze finally moved from the back of his head.
“I can tell they all admire and respect Senior Brother very much.”
Xiang Haikui’s words were not flattery.
Meng Xilou had forsaken a privileged life in the royal capital to come to this desolate borderland, slaying demons, dispelling evil, and ensuring the peace and well-being of the people, year after year.
He could truly be called a hero.
“What about what they were talking about?” Meng Xilou subtly transmitted again.
Xiang Haikui shook her head.
Cultivators had excellent hearing, but not every sound in the vicinity indiscriminately flooded their ears; if it did, they’d be deafened by the noise.
Hearing was directional.
Only after she extended her spiritual sense to a specific area did she hear…
“Sigh, our great city lord, wise all his life, how could he be enchanted by this little foxy charmer from the royal capital?
“Yesterday, she pestered Master Daochen again. The young monks say she bothered him all night in the Buddhist cave.”
“Master Daochen has strong resolve. She probably gave up, and now she’s bothering Master Meng again.”
“Besides our young mistress, I’ve never seen Master Meng share a ride with anyone else!”
Initially, hearing these rumors would make Xiang Haikui angry.
Now, she was used to hearing them and felt nothing.
In fact, she even wanted to take out a mirror and look at herself.
“Fox spirit,” “foxy charmer”—these were actually affirmations of a woman’s charm.
Wumian retreated from the front, his handsome face dark, and turned to glare at Xiang Haikui.
“You didn’t ride your own camel beast, insisting on sharing with Senior Brother. Are you deliberately ruining Senior Brother’s reputation?”
Xiang Haikui shook her head.
“How could that be, Third Senior Brother? I initially wanted to share with you, but you refused me!”
Wumian was momentarily stunned.
It seemed that was true, which made him even more annoyed.
“So you were planning to ruin my reputation then?”
Xiang Haikui paused, then looked back seriously.
“Third Senior Brother, what reputation do you have?”
“I…” Wumian was stumped.
He was a half-demon discriminated against by the human race in Central Continent.
He was a belligerent who felt uncomfortable if he didn’t fight all day long.
Before Xiang Haikui came to Silver Sand, he was the biggest stain on Silver Sand’s Grand City Lord Xiang Heng, constantly subjected to pointing fingers.
Reputation, that thing, he truly didn’t have.
Wumian awkwardly pointed at him, then patted the back seat.
“Now I agree. Come over and ride with me.”
Xiang Haikui wouldn’t go.
You refuse when you want to refuse, and you want to share a ride when you want to share a ride? Don’t I have any dignity?
“What are you dawdling for? Come here!” Wumian reached out to grab her shoulder.
She moved sideways to dodge him.
Meng Xilou turned his head to reprimand Wumian, “We’re about to enter the city. What’s all the fuss about?”
Wumian was intimidated by him and quickly withdrew his hand.
“Senior Brother, didn’t you hear…”
Meng Xilou interrupted, “Did you forget what Master taught? If one’s conduct is upright, why fear rumors?”
“Oh.”
Wumian drooped his head like a chick and responded, falling back behind the two.
Xiang Haikui couldn’t help but glance at Meng Xilou’s tall back, a thought stirring in her mind.
He seemed quite righteous.
“Senior Brother, I apologize. I accidentally tarnished your reputation.”
“It’s fine. I don’t really care about reputation.”
Meng Xilou paused for a moment, then continued to transmit, “Everything I do is so Tianqing can have a stable environment to grow up in, because I am her biological elder brother from the upper realm.”
This sudden twist caught Xiang Haikui completely off guard; she was stunned for a moment.
Meng Xilou said calmly, “Tianqing reincarnated to undergo tribulation, while I privately descended to the lower realm as a clone, possessing this physical body. That’s why I gave up entering the Jinling Academy and came to the frontier to guard Tianqing.”
Xiang Haikui: …
She had planned for everything, but he never expected him to expose himself!
He wasn’t Xiang Tianqing’s family servant; he was actually her biological elder brother.
Xiang Haikui remained silent.
When you can’t figure out the other party, silence is the best approach.
It’s like what the boss often says: “If the enemy doesn’t move, I don’t move.”
“Little Junior Sister’s expression looks quite intriguing, somewhat both reasonable and unexpected?”
Amidst the greetings of the gate guards, the camel beast entered the main thoroughfare of Silver Sand City.
It was already night, and the city was ablaze with lights.
More eyes turned towards Meng Xilou, and discussions arose one after another.
Meng Xilou’s divine sense focused on studying the young girl’s face behind him.
Although she quickly composed her expression, she was still just a mortal girl, not even a fraction of his age.
With his proactive approach, he could see right through her.
Her return to Silver Sand this time was indeed well-prepared, having received guidance from an “expert” behind the scenes.
Previously, Meng Xilou hadn’t considered Xiang Haikui a threat, even when Huaimei returned and said she wielded Tiankuang.
He didn’t care.
It wasn’t until he questioned the guards present at the time that he realized she wasn’t just relying on the divine sword in her hand.
Her cunning sword techniques, elusive movements, and quick reactions all indicated that she had received very superior training.
Meng Xilou: “Little Junior Sister knows Tianqing’s identity, which you must have learned from the ‘expert’ who gave you the Tiankuang Sword, right?”
Xiang Haikui remained expressionless, looking up at the moon.
Meng Xilou smiled faintly: “Of course, you don’t have to answer me. I’m being frank today simply because I don’t want you to be deceived or used. My family has many enemies in the upper realm; there are always those who try every means to trip us up. My purpose in descending to the lower realm is to guard against them.”
“I have diligently worked in Silver Sand for a hundred years, and Master’s trust in me is evident to all. Little Junior Sister is still young and easily deceived by malicious people. I hope you see clearly soon, lest it cause pain to loved ones and joy to enemies, hurting Master’s heart.”
Someone who rarely spoke and often maintained a stern face suddenly said so much with a gentle expression.
If Xiang Haikui hadn’t glimpsed the future in her dreams, she would have truly been taken in by him.
What was he trying to do by exposing himself now?
There were five days left until her father’s first minor cycle.
Did he want to shake her vigilance?
Or did he think she was young and easy to deceive, wanting to extract information about the “expert” behind her?
It was both.
But mainly the latter.
Now, Meng Xilou believed that knowing who was secretly causing trouble was more important than torturing her to death to drive Xiang Heng mad and help his sister take the first step on the path of merit.
“Oh, and Little Junior Sister, the room Master prepared for you seems to have been smashed by your sword energy.”
“Hmm.”
“I’ve ordered people to repair it. For now, you can stay in my courtyard. Since I’m from the royal capital, the style of the courtyard is quite gentle; I think you’ll like it.”
“Thank you.”
Xiang Haikui didn’t refuse.
Although she didn’t know what he was planning, with two underworld bigshots following her, his invitation at that moment was perfect.
After returning to the City Lord’s residence, Xiang Haikui stayed in the room opposite Meng Xilou’s.
Just as he said, the courtyard had a Southern Garden style, quite different from other areas within the City Lord’s residence.
Many maids stood inside and outside the house, swiftly serving tea and water.
Xiang Haikui accepted everything, as the more people around her, the better.
As soon as she sat down to drink some calming tea, Meng Xilou’s servant came from outside to invite her for dinner.
Xiang Haikui thought for a moment, then picked up her sword box and went over.
Upon entering, she froze.
It was clear Meng Xilou wanted to please her; the entire table was filled with her favorite dishes.
Most of them were snake meat!
Normally, she would eat it all, but now the mental repeater in her mind hit the confirmation button again: “Xiang Haikui, you’re going to die!”
She never wanted to eat snake meat again, ever.
Meng Xilou walked in from the back hall.
“Little Junior Sister has just arrived; I, your Senior Brother, haven’t yet officially welcomed you.”
“Actually…” Xiang Haikui looked up, her gaze fixed.
In a short while, Meng Xilou seemed to have bathed and changed into a fresh robe, emitting a faint scent of incense.
“Please sit,” he said, taking a seat at the dining table.
Xiang Haikui sat opposite him, her sword box on her back, puzzled.
Meng Xilou paid no mind to her wariness.
“Wine or tea?”
Xiang Haikui: “Tea.”
Meng Xilou personally brewed tea.
“I only gradually got used to the tea of the mortal realm in the past two years…”
After the door was locked, only the two of them remained in the parlor.
Meng Xilou spoke of his life in the upper realm.
In his words and gestures, he exuded the demeanor of a noble young master.
Then, he took off a necklace-like ornament from his neck.
A crystal-clear oval stone hung from the chain.
“Has Little Junior Sister ever seen this item?”
Xiang Haikui had seen it; Xiang Tianqing had an identical one.
Meng Xilou sat upright.
“It’s a life-saving item, painstakingly brought down from the upper realm. There are two in total: one for Tianqing, one for me.”
He placed it on the table and pushed it towards her.
“I’m giving this to you as a welcome gift for your arrival in Silver Sand.”
Xiang Haikui wouldn’t accept it.
“This gift is too precious; I can’t take it.”
“I know you’ve been provoked by that person and remain deeply wary of me. I don’t know what they said, nor do I want to know. Time will prove everything.”
Saying this, he stood up, picked up the pendant from the table, and walked over to Xiang Haikui.
What on earth was he doing?
Tiankuang remained silent, indicating he had no killing intent at the moment, but Xiang Haikui still wanted to stand up, unwilling to turn her back on him.
He, however, reached out and forcibly pressed her back down.
Xiang Haikui was a little annoyed, and Tiankuang also seemed restless in its sword box.
“Senior Brother, you really don’t need to…”
Meng Xilou forcibly cut her off again.
“I never take back gifts I’ve given. If Little Junior Sister doesn’t like it, just throw it away when you leave.”
Xiang Haikui: …
He bent slightly, forcibly helped her put it on, and as he straightened up, Meng Xilou murmured in a deep, husky voice close to her ear, “I, your brother, don’t particularly like disobedient girls.”
Xiang Haikui: ?
It belatedly dawned on her: he was trying to flirt with her!
This stupid bastard must think he’s some kind of domineering CEO in the cultivation world, right?
