“I have already informed your father-in-law to go to the cave to pick you up. He is your father’s sworn brother. Although he is impulsive, he is trustworthy! Child, remember, the Heavenly Sparrow Sword is the proof that you recognized each other. That sword is of utmost importance to you and must never leave your side.”
"Yes, Mother, but... that sword is so big and heavy."
Li Juxin smiled, a smile that could melt the hardest ice. "Child, you are also a member of the Xiao family, right? You must be as proud and unyielding as your father... as free and easy." When she spoke of her husband, love welled up in her eyes.
"Yes!" Xiao Juyuan nodded emphatically.
"Your future husband, Pei Junwu..." Li Juxin smiled. How much could a six-year-old understand about men? It didn't matter if she didn't understand, as long as she remembered her words. "Your senior uncle praised him for his exceptional talent and unparalleled handsomeness. That's the highest praise I've ever heard him give someone. It's just that the child is mature beyond his years, too composed. It will naturally be good for you in the future, but he might lack a bit of romance." She smiled because she thought of her senior brother, Zhu... he was just that kind of person.
"Child, the most crucial sentence: the secrets of the Xiao family can only be known by the Xiao family members, understand?" Li Juxin said solemnly, her face hardening.
"Then... can I tell my husband?" Xiao Juyuan asked innocently.
"The Pei family is reliable, but their surname is Pei!"
“Mother, your surname is Li, but you also know this secret.” Xiao Juyuan was a little unconvinced.
Li Juxin smiled, a hint of emotion in her voice. "So... your father was a lovesick fool." It was because of his passionate love that she chose him, married him, and loved him. "He told me the secret, like handing me the hilt of a knife while he held the blade himself. I could have stolen the Xiao family's treasure anytime, couldn't I?"
Xiao Juyuan was a little confused, "But, Mother... why would you steal things from your own home?"
"You'll understand when you grow up."
Growing up, growing up! Do we have to wait until we grow up to understand everything?!
"Father trusts Mother. Revealing this secret is tantamount to taking a huge risk. If I betray him, he will suffer the pain of losing both the treasure and his lover. My child, you must not take that risk! Besides... men are sometimes more unreliable than women!"
"All right."
"Yuan'er, you must remember this! This secret can only be told to your child, understand? The mantra I always taught you must be firmly etched in your mind, and you must not tell anyone. Even the Xiao family would have to pay a bloody price to find out this secret, let alone others. You must not tell anyone!"
Mom's a bit nagging today.
"Soon, your eldest uncle will also come to the Pei family to find you, child. Remember, you must make him go and save the woman named Xiao Ji who is with Gao Tianjing. She is a great benefactor of our family. You must repay her well in the future! You cannot live without her, understand?"
Xiao Ji? Okay, I'll remember.
"Never again will you mention that you are a member of the Xiao family. Possessing a treasure is a crime, possessing a treasure is a crime... It's so tiring, so tiring! Now it's good that someone is willing to bear this pain for our Xiao family! Child, if your father and mother's... mutual destruction can bring you a peaceful and tranquil life, then we will have died a worthy death!"
"Mother... I didn't understand."
"It's okay... as long as you can grow up happily and live a happy life."
The Smiling Flower, Part 3: Fire Attack on a Rainy Night
Gao Tianjing kept a cold face, trying hard not to frown, which was really difficult!
One hundred and sixty-six people have died in the Chrysanthemum Immortal Trail set up outside Xiao Family Village... which means that he has less than forty people left by his side! Qin Chuyi is indeed formidable!
The formation he taught Li Juxin was so fierce, even fiercer than his own!
"My lord." A burly man in black stepped forward anxiously. There was no time to delay! Li Juxin's senior brother, Zhu Liancheng, was about to arrive. Once he arrived... everything would be over!
Gao Tianjing finally frowned, and with a flick of his hand, stopped him from continuing. He knew the situation perfectly well—regret! Hatred!
He regretted that he had been tempted by greed and wanted to take advantage of the chaos caused by Wang Xiaobo and Li Shun's uprising to launch a surprise attack on the Xiao family and steal their treasure.
He hated that damned woman beside him who tipped him off! Saying she couldn't sleep soundly next to him?! Didn't that woman beside him also ruin him? And that ruin has caused him lifelong harm!
He could have taken advantage of the chaos to steal a colossal treasure and returned to the north to live a life of luxury. But now? They've laid a trap for him, waiting for him to suffer heavy losses!
Sigh... what was originally intended as "stealing" has unfortunately turned into "robbing"!
Worst of all, the entire martial arts world knows he tried to steal the Xiao family's treasure. Whether he got anything or not, he's already tainted with shame. Now... he's in a bind!
Going back empty-handed, he'd be dead, wounded, and utterly humiliated—clearly, he was afraid of Zhu Liancheng! He'd become a coward, and people would suspect he'd taken advantage of them and stolen their treasure! He'd never have peace for the rest of his life!
There's only one road!
"Use fire!" A murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
Burn it all, kill it all! He can still become a powerful and ruthless figure! His ruthlessness might even intimidate some people.
Xiao Mingyu sat in the main seat of the hall, gazing at Li Juxin, who was dressed in a light purple dress, with fascination. She looked good in anything!
She was distributing silver to dismiss the servants. When she smiled and handed the silver notes and jewelry to the bowing servant, he felt as if he had seen Guanyin Bodhisattva!
Qin Chuyi's prized disciple, Ju Xin, happened to marry a man with mediocre martial arts skills. Many people say she loved his money, bullshit! Ju Xin loves money, but she doesn't have to marry him.
His martial arts skills were like an eagle compared to her senior brothers—alas, he probably couldn't even compare to a quail, at best he was just an old hen. He couldn't even beat her senior sister… It's said that Qin Chuyi considered her senior sister's martial arts skills a lifelong disgrace, and she died so young, probably from being angered to death by her good-for-nothing senior sister!
There's nothing we can do; the old man is in love with someone else's mother!
Qin Chuyi was practically born an immortal. It was said that there was nothing he didn't know, nothing he couldn't understand, and nothing he couldn't learn. He was arrogant and conceited his whole life, yet he fell in love with a woman from Xixia.
The old man suffered a loss; he didn't seem to gain much advantage. The Western Xia woman died, leaving behind a lively character who insisted he take her as his apprentice. One wrong move led to another, and who would have thought that this once-great star would be angered to death by his own apprentice?
This old man is too serious! If he can't learn it, then don't teach him. Just let him be, calm down, and live a few more years. Isn't that better than anything else?
After Li Juxin finished distributing the gifts, she gracefully walked back to the head of the table. Xiao Mingyu couldn't resist putting his arm around her and letting her sit on his lap.
The servants of the Xiao family were already used to their master's "licentiousness," and none of them showed any shock or embarrassment. They all lowered their heads and listened respectfully to his instructions.
Li Juxin patted his head like she was comforting a child. This young master Xiao who never grew up... She smiled and shook her head at him. What she had to say today was too important to do in such a casual manner.
She simply stood up and stood to the side of Xiao Mingyu.