A smile can topple a city

Chapter 45

Ye Xiao's Identity (Part 2)

Luo Qingcheng went out the back door and found Ye Xiao on the small hill behind the house. She was leaning against an apricot tree, lost in thought. A large branch of apricot blossoms was right next to her, as if adorning her hair, dazzling and beautiful. The gentle spring breeze stirred the strands of hair on her forehead, softly touching Luo Qingcheng's heart.

He walked up to Ye Xiao, reached out and smoothed down her wildly flying hair, and whispered, "Xiao Xiao... what are you thinking about?"

Ye Xiao looked up and snapped out of her daze. Seeing his affectionate gesture, she remembered the scene from last night and her face quickly flushed red. Somewhat embarrassed, she gazed into the distance. Spring was in full bloom, everywhere was lush green, everywhere was vibrant with life. Flowers bloomed on the green silk-like fields, birds sang and fluttered among the clouds, and two dogs chased each other happily, then suddenly piled on top of each other and began to do some strange things.

Ye Xiao seemed somewhat surprised, glanced at Luo Qingcheng, and pointed out the two dogs to him: "Look, what are they doing?"

Luo Qingcheng blushed slightly, chuckled softly, and leaned close to Ye Xiao's ear: "Gou Liandan... Xiao Xiao hasn't seen him before?"

His breath carried a faint smell of alcohol. Ye Xiao frowned, pulled him closer to smell it, and sighed, "You've been drinking? Are you also troubled?"

Suddenly, the apricot blossoms on the tree lost their color. Luo Qingcheng's eyes were fixed on her face; every smile, every frown, every sigh—every expression was utterly adorable. He could no longer restrain himself, and he pressed her against the tree, kissing her lips. It was a long, lingering kiss, intensely tender, lingering and unforgettable. Ye Xiao felt her mind go blank; she couldn't think of anything. Her whole body trembled slightly, constantly wanting to escape, yet unwilling to let go, only hesitatingly moving along the tree trunk. Suddenly, there was nothing behind her, and she fell flat on her face.

Luo Qingcheng chuckled again, patted her waist, and then rolled down the hillside, stopping behind a patch of low bushes to hide their bodies.

"Here...no one can see...Xiaoxiao, I'll teach you something...something more fun than those two dogs..." Luo Qingcheng was a little out of breath, especially when he thought of those two dogs, his mind went completely blank. Xiaoxiao...

A twig grazed Ye Xiao's arm, bringing her back to her senses. She suddenly remembered some things she had been pondering and said to him, "This morning, Miss Long found me...she said she wants to marry you..."

Luo Qingcheng hummed in agreement and chuckled softly, "Miss Long?"

Ye Xiao looked at his handsome face and suddenly felt a little inferior. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Yes... she is not as good-looking as Miss Shen, but she is still very beautiful. Besides, didn't you want to use the power of Lonely Cloud Fortress to take revenge? She has half a castle as dowry... If you can marry her, your revenge will be achieved very soon."

Luo Qingcheng looked at Ye Xiao with some surprise. In such a blissful moment, how could his Xiao Xiao ask such a serious and boring question? Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind: "Marry Miss Long? Okay..."

Ye Xiao felt a pang of bitterness in her heart and nodded, saying, "Okay... I'll tell her you're willing..." As she spoke, she was about to get up, but Luo Qingcheng pulled her down and pinned her to the ground.

Luo Qingcheng continued to kiss her gently, and after a long while, he smiled and said, "Xiaoxiao...aren't you Miss Long? I want to marry you..."

Ye Xiao looked up, somewhat confused: "What?"

Luo Qingcheng continued to chuckle, his deep eyes sparkling like the bright stars in the sky: "Xiaoxiao, you still lied to me... I guessed it long ago. I met your wet nurse, Aunt Zhang, who said that Miss Long started venturing into the martial world at a very young age. But last night I asked Miss Long, and she's never even left the Long family compound. Also, do you remember Yang Dui I told you about? The night I captured Huang Tingfeng at Langjing Manor, I was injured and unfortunately captured by the herbalist. I was thrown onto a deserted island with Yuan Peixin, and Huang Tingfeng disappeared that night. Later, Yang Dui rescued us and gave Huang Tingfeng to me as a hostage. That's how I was able to save you and Master Yuan. At the time, I suspected that Yang Dui and the herbalist were in cahoots, and that they both wanted to protect you. Today I met Yang Dui and discovered that he was actually a Golden Armor Guard from Guyun Fortress."

Ye Xiao listened quietly, having some questions but not interrupting him. Luo Qingcheng continued, "So I understand now, you are actually the young lady of Guyun Fortress. Yang Dui, who has been away for years, has been secretly protecting you. Your safe return to Guyun Fortress, and his return as well… it's not a coincidence. I just saw my Aunt Zhang and heard many stories about your childhood… Xiao Xiao… you are the young lady of Long, aren't you? You've been lying to me all along…" Suddenly, he leaned down and kissed her passionately, his lips slowly sliding down her moist lips, across her neck, and further down…

Ye Xiao struggled to maintain her composure amidst a dazzling halo in her mind, finally managing to speak: "I...when have I ever lied to you...you've never asked about my background...you haven't told me about your own either. Yes, I am the daughter of Long Aotian, the lord of Guyun Fortress, but I haven't lied to you...I'm not Miss Long. I take my mother's surname. Guyun Fortress has always had two young ladies, one is Miss Long, and the other is Miss Ye...Miss Long is actually my aunt..."

Luo Qingcheng paused slightly, but didn't stop, continuing to gently nibble at her neck. Her skin, smooth and tender like tofu, was intoxicating… As if possessed, he reached out a hand and deftly loosened her sash, so lightly that Ye Xiao didn't even notice. Of course, even if Ye Xiao had noticed, she wouldn't have known his thoughts; she was preoccupied with whether or not to tell him the truth.

Luo Qingcheng led her deeper into the bushes, making sure no one would spot them, whether near or far. Then, he brazenly ripped open Ye Xiao's clothes and plunged in, ready for a wild ride. He heard Ye Xiao's troubled voice: "Are you... only so nice to me because I'm the young lady of Guyun Fortress? Do you think marrying me will get you Guyun Fortress's help...? Actually..."

Luo Qingcheng felt as if he had been struck on the head and then given a dose of muscle relaxant. His head was spinning, his mouth tasted bitter, all his enthusiasm vanished, and his whole body went limp, leaving him completely powerless. He slowly sat up, covered her clothes, and stared blankly into space.

"Actually... in order to roam the world freely, I made a gentleman's agreement with my father. From the age of ten, I temporarily severed ties with Lone Cloud Fortress and could no longer use a single soldier, penny, or item from Lone Cloud Fortress. So, it's useless for you to come to me... unless the agreement is nullified..." Ye Xiao continued in a low voice, but unfortunately, Luo Qingcheng was stunned by her previous words and his mind was in turmoil. He didn't hear what she said after that.

Ye Xiao received no response from him for a long time, which strengthened her belief that Luo Qingcheng's motives were solely to gain the help of Guyun Fortress, and that his sudden kindness towards her was nothing more than a pang of sadness. Seeing him lost in thought, she couldn't help but ask, "Qingcheng... what are you looking at?"

Luo Qingcheng was stunned for a long time before blurting out, "Look at the apricot blossoms..."

"Apricot blossoms? Are they beautiful?" Ye Xiao felt a pang of sadness. If only she could grow up to be like an apricot blossom, she could forever attract his attention.

Luo Qingcheng smiled faintly: "Is it beautiful? I just suddenly felt like indulging in some refined pursuits and composed a poem that I thought would suit this scene perfectly..."

"Poetry?" Ye Xiao asked, somewhat surprised.

"A mouth on top of wood is the character for 'dull' (呆), a mouth below wood is the character for 'apricot' (杏). A dumb person looks at apricot blossoms, and a tree of apricot blossoms laughs at the dumb person. It suits me quite well... I'm just a piece of wood, with a mouth on top, but I can never say what I want to say... I'm just a dumb person... just stupid..."

Ye Xiao was even more confused; the poem was really not very good… Seeing his face growing paler, she didn't quite understand his feelings. Even if he was disappointed in her, it shouldn't be to this extent. Finally, she remembered something and wanted to change the subject to comfort him: "You just said you'd teach me some fun things, what are they?"

Luo Qingcheng looked up and saw the two dogs still engrossed in their affectionate display. Suddenly, he found it irritating and broke off a branch, striking the dogs with it. The dogs cried out in pain but couldn't separate, so they could only whimper and struggle away, piling up together. "Spring has come... I was just in heat, saying some nonsense. Actually, I... have no right to say these things. I haven't avenged the blood feud I bear... I don't even know if I'll live or die tomorrow... and I still want to... hehe..." He chuckled as he spoke, then realized his laugh was fake and shut his mouth.

Ye Xiao looked at him with confusion, then at the two dogs: "Why did you hit them? What were they doing?"

Luo Qingcheng said in a low voice, "Jealousy... A person's life is worse than a dog's... I've been in Guyun Fort for too long, and I haven't done what I should have done. It's time for me to leave..." He slowly stepped out of the bushes, paused for a moment, and then suddenly and resolutely pulled away Ye Xiao's hand and walked away quickly.

Xiao Xun carefully divided the things in front of him into three parts. Suddenly, he heard a bang on the door and Luo Qingcheng walked in with a dark expression and began to pack his things.

"Second brother! The kitchen sent over a lot of things today. I carefully divided them into three portions, leaving one for you and the eldest brother... Why are they so kind to us? I really want to stay here and never go back... I'm just afraid my mother will worry about me."

Luo Qingcheng said calmly, "What's so strange about that? Xiaoxiao is the young lady of Guyun Fortress. Although she signed some gentleman's agreement with her father, saying she wouldn't accept any help from Guyun Fortress and would venture into the martial world on her own, Guyun Fortress has always sent people to follow and protect her... Otherwise, how could she have remained unharmed since she started her journey in the martial world at the age of ten? And how could she still be so naive? Now that the young lady has returned, although everyone is hesitant to be overly enthusiastic due to that agreement, a little flattery is still acceptable..."

Xiao Xun was taken aback. Watching Luo Qingcheng quickly pack his things, he asked, "What are you doing? Why are you packing your things all of a sudden?"

"I have to go... Xiao Wan's injuries have fully healed... I have many things to do and need to leave here."

Xiao Xun was slightly taken aback: "Aren't you coming with us?"

Luo Qingcheng didn't look up: "This is my private matter...it has nothing to do with you, and it's dangerous too. You'd better not get involved. Besides, you'll only cause trouble and won't be of any use...take good care of the boss. I'll come to see you again in the future, if I'm still alive..."

After tidying up his things, Luo Qingcheng sat by the window, recalling what his wet nurse, Aunt Zhang, had told him about Ye Xiao's childhood.

How was the Dragon Buster forged?

According to Aunt Zhang, Ye Xiao's childhood was extremely lonely. A funeral was held in the Long family compound when she was five years old, and it suddenly lost all its warmth and liveliness. Her maternal grandparents moved away, and the huge Long family compound suddenly became empty, leaving only her somewhat eccentric father and her cousin, Miss Long, who was seven years older than her.

The father was strict and extremely busy, rarely home throughout the year, though he would occasionally show his loving side to Ye Xiao. Miss Long herself was still a child, spending her days teasing Ye Xiao. Any food or toys Ye Xiao liked would inevitably fall victim to her aunt's cruelty if she wasn't careful.

Miss Long's parents died, and she was raised by Long Aotian and his wife. As the eldest brother, Long Aotian spoiled his beloved cousin, fostering her arrogant and domineering personality. By the time the already somewhat proud and headstrong Lord Long realized this, it was too late; it was almost impossible to correct her. All he could do was restrict her movements to prevent her from causing trouble, and try to keep the family scandals outside the family circle. He was also exceptionally strict with his daughter, hoping she wouldn't follow in her aunt's footsteps.

Ye Xiao's life at home was almost unbearable due to her father's strictness and her aunt's domineering attitude. The poor girl had no choice but to bring back some playmates from outside to play with her. However, strange things happened: whenever she brought back a boy, he would disappear after staying in the Long family compound for one night.

Just like when Ye Xiao once brought home a handsome boy a few years older than himself, and very kindly arranged for him to stay in the comfortable east wing. In the middle of the night, a figure crept into the east wing and began groping the boy. The poor boy woke up in terror, thinking he had encountered a ghost, screamed, and fled, never daring to appear in Ye Xiao's sight again. He didn't know that he had actually encountered a once-in-a-lifetime female ghost that night, missing a golden opportunity to get rich overnight.

Just like when Ye Xiao brought back a boy, she still treated him very well and arranged for him to stay at her home. Again, it was the middle of the night. This time, the boy got up on his own, quietly gathered up some valuable trinkets from the room, packed them into a bundle, and carried them out the door. He didn't go far when someone stopped him. The poor boy, having made a fatal mistake, became a thief, and was caught red-handed. Shame and anger welled up inside him, and he disappeared from Ye Xiao's sight.

There were those who had passionate affairs with Miss Long, and others whom Lord Long suspected had ulterior motives—all of them mysteriously disappeared. Ye Xiao was unaware of the mystery; all she knew was that every morning when she happily went to play with her friends, carrying her favorite toys, her friends would inexplicably vanish.

She wanted to cry but couldn't. She gradually realized that her father and aunt had done all this, although as a child she couldn't understand why they did it. In her little heart, she always felt that her father and aunt were always against her.

However, like her mother, young Ye Xiao possessed remarkable perseverance and tenacity, never easily admitting defeat. She quickly learned to deal with the domineering Miss Long and her strict father in her own way, soon becoming known as Long's nemesis in Lonely Cloud Fortress. Perhaps it was through these battles of wits with her aunt and father that Ye Xiao's intelligence was truly developed and amplified.

Flowers in full bloom, trees casting swaying shadows, Xiao Yexiao walked happily along the path in the back garden, holding two things in her hands. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept by, and the things in Xiao Yexiao's hands vanished. Then came a triumphant, sinister laugh; Miss Long stood by the roadside, holding the things she had just snatched from Yexiao's hands.

"Freshly baked pastries? You're just as motherless, so why do they always treat you better than me? They always let you choose the best things first? Hmph! What's the use? In the end, they all come to give to me as a gift!" Miss Long looked at Ye Xiao with jealousy.

Ye Xiao didn't answer, but simply clapped his hands nonchalantly and turned to leave. Miss Long was somewhat surprised, looking down at the thing in her hand, which was wrapped in tin foil and tightly bound by Ye Xiao with thin rope.

"That brat! What's she up to? It's not like I'm tying up a rice dumpling!" Miss Long glanced at the object in her hand, sneered, and tried to pull it off with brute force, but couldn't break free of the ropes. Finally, she became annoyed, and with a whoosh, pulled out a dagger and slashed at the object, intending to quickly cut the ropes and peel off the foil. Unexpectedly, as the blade passed through, a stream of red liquid spurted out, shooting directly into the young lady's eyes.

Miss Long let out a scream of pain, clutching her burning eyes and rolling on the floor. Not long after, Long Aotian, having received the news, rushed over and sent men to bring Ye Xiao, who was leisurely eating snacks in her room, over for rigorous questioning. Ye Xiao then lowered her head and whispered, "I just put some chili water in there..."

Seeing Miss Long's swollen, peach-like eyes, Long Aotian was furious. He immediately summoned a doctor to treat her eyes and ordered Ye Xiao to be locked in the woodshed, forced to face the wall and reflect on her actions, with no food until she admitted her mistake. Three days passed, but Ye Xiao remained silent in the woodshed. When Long Aotian finally couldn't contain himself and rushed in, Ye Xiao was nowhere to be found. In the corner of the woodshed was a dog hole with a thin strip of cloth tangled in it; it was determined to have fallen from Ye Xiao's clothes…

That was Ye Xiao's first time running away from home. Several days later, when an enraged Long Aotian found Ye Xiao, she was happily following a group of children of similar age, led by several adults, heading towards the scenic, misty Jiangnan region. Without a word, Long Aotian grabbed his daughter like a chick and took her back to Guyun Fortress.

Ye Xiao's first foray into the martial world ended in failure. Unbeknownst to her, at that very moment, a rumor spread throughout the martial world that a large-scale human trafficking gang had been completely wiped out, and many abducted children had been rescued. It was said that this gang had offended a powerful figure in the martial world…

After that, Miss Long toned it down a bit and never dared to steal Ye Xiao's things again, but she still didn't miss any opportunity to bully her. On a freezing winter day, Miss Long grinned maliciously and quietly chipped away at the thick ice on the ditch, hiding behind a tree to watch Ye Xiao suffer. After a while, little Ye Xiao appeared, happily jumping onto the ice again to skate around, when suddenly a crisp snapping sound rang out, and poor Ye Xiao had fallen into the icy water.

Amidst Miss Long's unrestrained laughter, Ye Xiao shivered as she crawled out of the icy water, cowering back to her room without uttering a word. However, the very next day, Miss Long received her retribution. She found a man she adored, and they spent the night in a near-frenzied embrace in bed. But just as they were deeply in love, lost in their passion, a loud crack was heard, and the once sturdy sandalwood bed collapsed.

The two poor souls were stuck in a pile of sawdust, unable to move, and were eventually carried out by the servants below, who were trying not to laugh. Long Aotian felt utterly humiliated and, with his keen eyes, noticed that the bed had been tampered with. Without a second thought, he dragged Ye Xiao, who was pretending to be dead under the covers, out and threw him into the dark ancestral hall to scare him.

After locking her up overnight, Long Aotian went to check on the results of his "education" and found Ye Xiao burning with fever. The experience of being soaked in ice water, combined with the exhaustion of working all night carving a bed, and the fear of being alone in the ancestral hall, finally caused Ye Xiao to develop a high fever. Long Aotian was filled with regret and immediately took his daughter to a room for medical treatment. After recovering, Ye Xiao disappeared again. This time, Long Aotian searched for her for three whole months. Three months later, Long Aotian single-handedly challenged all the elders of the Beggars' Sect, defeated the sect leader, and pulled the emaciated, barely breathing Ye Xiao from a crowd of beggars before leaving triumphantly. The various leaders of the Beggars' Sect still couldn't figure out the origins of this suddenly appearing peerless master, or his entanglement with one of their sect's lowest-ranking disciples.

After that incident, Ye Xiao became immune to all poisons and became a true nemesis of dragons. The arrogant and domineering Miss Long no longer dared to bully her and would avoid her whenever she saw her. Unfortunately, after dealing with Miss Long, Ye Xiao's heart became wild, and she lost all interest in Lonely Cloud Fortress. She repeatedly ventured into the martial world, only to be captured and brought back by her father time and time again.

After Long Aotian caught Ye Xiao again, he finally began to reflect on his failed parenting methods and started trying to reason with Ye Xiao.

"Xiaoxiao, it's not that your father won't let you make friends, it's not that your father won't let you roam the world, but think about it, you're only associating with bad people and swindlers... You'll keep getting deceived and bullied..."

"People in this world are a mixed bag... I don't have the discerning eye to see through other people's hearts," Xiao Ye said with a smile, unconvinced.

Long Aotian patiently persuaded, "It's not that there are good and bad people mixed together. Think about it, last time you met a swindler and almost got sold to a brothel. The time before that, you met a thug who robbed you of all your money... The world is a dangerous place. Xiaoxiao, you're still young now. When you grow up, your father will definitely..."

Ye Xiao seemed thoughtful: "That's true... I will keep your teachings in mind, Father!"

Long Aotian was finally overjoyed, looking at his beloved daughter with satisfaction. But then he heard Ye laugh and say, "I won't assume all wine in the world is bitter just because I drank a cup of bitter wine… just like what Father told me before…"

Long Aotian nearly fainted with anger. He clenched his fists and forced out the words through gritted teeth, "Hmm. But you've drunk more than one cup of bitter wine; you've already drunk nine cups..."

Ye Xiao looked at her father with some surprise: "So many? Father, don't worry, I will definitely keep trying, never give up, and find that tenth cup of fine wine..."

With a bang, Long Aotian finally smashed a stone table. He struggled to calm his anger and came up with a new plan: "Hmm... if you really want to roam the martial world, fine, but you can't go out using the name of the young lady of Guyun Fortress, lest you tarnish the reputation of Guyun Fortress. You mustn't use any of Guyun Fortress's money or power. Everything must be done by yourself, so you can have enough to eat and wear..."

Ye Xiao gave a cheerful "Oh," and immediately tried to run off happily, leaving Long Aotian no time to back out. Fortunately, Long Aotian didn't give in easily and calmly told his daughter, "If you really want freedom, then we can make a gentleman's agreement. If you can earn the amount I set before you turn twenty, I'll set you free. Otherwise, you'll stay in Lonely Cloud Fortress for the rest of your life, at my beck and call..."

Ye Xiao quickly replied with a "Okay!" Long Aotian regretted it for a moment, then immediately smiled and said, "Alright, this year's quota is one hundred and twenty-five taels of silver. If it's not enough this year, it will double next year... and so on, until you turn twenty."

Ye Xiao exclaimed, "So many..."

"How much? Then... how about staying in the fortress?" Long Aotian asked calmly.

Ye Xiao opened his mouth slightly, and finally nodded reluctantly.

"A gentleman's word is his bond..." Long Aotian looked at the somewhat dejected Ye Xiao with a hint of smugness, but then heard Ye Xiao shout, "A swift horse, a whip!" He quickly grabbed his small bundle and dashed out of Lonely Cloud Fortress, indeed running faster than a horse...

Long Aotian was filled with remorse when he heard a cheer from upstairs: "Long Kexing is gone! Now I can do whatever I want with Guyun Fortress!" He looked up and saw Miss Long cheering: "Handsome man... I'm here..." She jumped out of the window and landed with a thud in a net, struggling desperately: "You brat! You stinky brat! You're gone and you're still causing me trouble!"

The servants nearby quickly explained to the bewildered lord, "This... is the young lady's dragon-trapping net... and there's also a dragon-tripping rope and a dragon-firing cannon... Lord, you must be careful..."

Lord Longbao finally sighed, waved his hand to have everyone clean up the mess, and stared blankly in the direction Ye Xiao had gone.

And so, Ye Xiao signed a gentleman's agreement with his father and began his life of wandering the martial world. When Aunt Zhang told Luo Qingcheng all this, she said to him, "...Alas, my young lady is actually very pitiful... If it weren't for the fortress lord being so strict with her, and Miss Long constantly bullying her, how could she have ended up wandering the martial world at such a young age, living a life of hunger and hardship... You must take good care of her. My young lady is kind-hearted, but she hasn't been very lucky; she hasn't found many true friends..."

After hearing Ye Xiao's childhood story, Luo Qingcheng was filled with tenderness and excitement, wanting nothing more than to find his Xiao Xiao and cherish her. But even after finding her, things turned out the same way.

Or perhaps she simply didn't like herself very much, or didn't care much about herself?

Parting is always painful for those with deep feelings (Part 1)

Ye Xiao returned to the Long family compound, looking dejected and humiliated. The eldest young lady of the Long family watched her coldly and jealously from behind. She remembered how she used to be the only young lady of Guyun Fortress, the center of attention and the apple of everyone's eye. Then one day, a little bundle of joy appeared out of nowhere, and all the love and care vanished in an instant, given to that little one who only knew how to whine and cry. She felt incredibly resentful and took every opportunity to bully the little one, eventually turning her into a notorious nemesis of the Long family. Ye Xiao herself couldn't gain the upper hand against her anymore… It was truly frustrating…

Miss Long remembered telling Ye Xiao that she had feelings for Luo Qingcheng. The fleeting look of sorrow and desolation on her face greatly satisfied her dark, gloating desire to see him fail. So, Miss Long took a desperate gamble, telling Ye Xiao she wanted to marry Luo Qingcheng, only to be secretly delighted to see Ye Xiao's face quickly turn ashen. Heh, it seems the nemesis who never flinched even when bullied has finally gotten something she likes and wants? Miss Long gave a sinister snort, determined to ruin this! She wanted to see Ye Xiao's frustration…

Thinking of this, Miss Long stepped forward and blocked Ye Xiao's path fiercely. "So? Did that kid agree?" Miss Long tried her best to appear indifferent.

After a long silence, Ye Xiao shook his head sadly. Miss Long immediately jumped up: "What? No? Why? I'm beautiful and passionate, and by the way, I have half of Lonely Cloud Fortress as my dowry. Your father used both soft and hard tactics to force me to marry, even offering half of Lonely Cloud Fortress as my dowry. At the time, I liked being free and doing whatever I wanted, so I didn't fall for his trick. But this time I've changed my mind... It's rare to see such a handsome man, and I can't even get close to him... I really want to marry him... Shouldn't you listen to your father and find me a suitable husband? Are you hiding something and unwilling to introduce him to me? Xiao Xiao..." Seeing Ye Xiao's face growing increasingly pale, Miss Long almost couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Ye Xiao shook off her aunt with some annoyance and strode towards the backyard. After taking two steps, she suddenly stopped. A woman was leaning against the wall, her bright eyes and delicate eyebrows like distant mountains. Even in simple blue clothes, her charming beauty could not be concealed.

"Miss Shen... Miss Shen, your injuries are all healed? Be careful not to stand in the wind, or the wind will leave a scar..." Ye Xiao stammered, looking at Shen Wan's flowing robes, ethereal and fairy-like, and felt utterly ashamed of herself. Only a beauty like this could be worthy of a handsome man like the second brother, only a beauty like this could make Luo Qingcheng fall in love...

“Miss Ye, I heard from Brother Luo that you are actually the eldest daughter of Lonely Cloud Fortress… I have come to say goodbye and depart…”