"After all these years, you still wear the token of our love that I gave you. I knew then that we were in love with each other." Jian Wuxin exclaimed happily, wanting to hug Xue Qing.
Xue Qing pushed him away forcefully: "Brother, I think you've misunderstood something!" Liu Ying timely placed her sheathed sword between the two of them, the tip of the sword pointing at Jian Wuxin.
Jian Wuxin patted his head and laughed: "I know, you girls are shy, I was being presumptuous."
"Aunt, do you know each other?" Cocoon Butterfly asked from the side.
"Mm." Xue Qing forced herself to nod. This body was causing trouble again.
"No wonder you said you wanted to marry someone like him; this is what Mother meant by 'officials protecting each other'."
Cocoon Butterfly, you've misunderstood! Really! And you're using the wrong idiom!
Jian Wuxin's automatic filtering system only heard the first half of the sentence, and he was even more delighted: "You really said that? You, I'm so happy, but don't praise me like that in front of outsiders in the future, or people will be jealous."
Xue Qing was both amused and exasperated, and promised, "Okay, I definitely won't praise you anymore."
"My sweet little Qingqing, you came to see me, didn't you? When did you arrive? You didn't even tell me so I could have come to pick you up." Jian Wuxin said with a doting yet coquettish expression, which made Xue Qing's head buzz.
"Ah, right," Xue Qing then remembered the purpose of her trip: "There's something I'd like to ask Broken Sword Manor for help with, is that alright?"
“There’s no reason why I can’t grant my sweet little Qingqing’s request. Come on, let’s go back to Broken Sword Manor first.” Jian Wuxin gestured for him to leave, his messy collar sticking out, and he still smelled faintly of perfume.
"Can I really go with him? What if we get kidnapped?" Xue Qing asked Liu Ying in a low voice with a forced smile.
"Probably not. Broken Sword Manor is upright and has a high reputation in the martial arts world. However, I would agree if my martial uncle is unwilling to go," Liu Ying replied softly.
Xue Qing gritted her teeth: "Now that we've come this far, how can we back down?"
"Excellent! I'll go fetch the horse right away. I recently spent a fortune to buy a rare divine horse that I caught in the desert. It has a noble appearance and amazing stamina, perfect for a beauty like my dear Qingqing to ride with me." Jian Wuxin finished speaking and went to fetch the horse. Although Xue Qing didn't intend to ride with Jian Wuxin, she was quite curious about what the rare divine horse he had bought at such a high price looked like. Ancient people were as picky about horses as modern people are about cars. Although Xue Qing's little white horse had also cost a lot of money, it was bought from a post station and was only considered a high-priced taxi. Xue Qing had never seen a real Akhal-Teke horse before.
A short while later, Jian Wuxin returned leading the Desert Divine Horse. It was indeed different from ordinary horses; it looked more like a sheep than a horse, with fluffy, snow-white fur all over its body, small triangular ears, and a beautifully smooth, curved back. Its melancholy little eyes and its contorted, pained expression startled Xue Qing. This horse truly deserved the title "divine." The ignorant people of South America called it an alpaca, but the great Chinese netizens had already confirmed that it was indeed the king of the Gobi Desert, the alpaca.
"Alive! Alive! I've seen a live mythical beast!" Xue Qing rushed over and hugged the alpaca's melancholy face tightly.
Seeing Xue Qing's delighted reaction, Jian Wuxin became even more smug: "How about it? This horse is very special. I've never seen another one like it. Riding it with me will definitely make us the center of attention and the envy of everyone."
"No need, Young Master Wuxin, we have a carriage. Liuying, hurry and bring the carriage over," Xue Qing urged Liuying, believing that her humble life was not qualified to ride a divine beast.
"Yes, Uncle-Master."
"Hey, this horse is too small, it can't fit two people?" Cocoon Butterfly asked as she circled the alpaca.
“If you hug me tighter, you can sit down,” Jian Wuxin replied without blushing.
Fortunately, the carriage was not far away, and Liu Ying quickly drove the small carriage over. Xue Qing climbed into the carriage and waved to Jian Wuxin: "The carriage is more stable. Young Master, you can ride the Desert Beast yourself."
Jian Wuxin flicked open his robe and gracefully straddled the alpaca. The little alpaca followed closely behind the carriage with light steps, lifted the carriage curtain and spoke to Xue Qing: "My dear little Qingqing, I'll go and propose to your senior sister tomorrow, what do you think?"
Liu Ying subtly tugged at the curtain cord, pulling the curtain down completely to separate Jian Wuxin and Xue Qing. Xue Qing, inside the curtain, shouted at Jian Wuxin through the curtain, "Brother Wuxin! You're my own brother! No!"
The carriage sped up, almost flying, and the alpaca beneath Jian Wuxin was not to be outdone, its hooves scraping the ground until it was smoking, displaying the kingly demeanor of the horse. Because of Liuying's reckless driving, the carriage lost its usual smoothness; Xue Qing felt her bottom bouncing between the woolen cushions and the wooden planks. Jiandie, also feeling uneasy, couldn't help but ask Xue Qing, "Auntie, what's wrong with Brother Liuying?"
Xue Qing guessed that Liu Ying was jealous, but if she said this to Jian Die, Jian Die might ask questions like "Why are you jealous if you didn't eat dumplings?" So she said, "Your brother Liu Ying didn't expect that Wu Xin Gong Zi's mount was so cool, and he was scared."
“Oh, the horse of the Heartless Young Master is indeed very rare. I’ve lived in the Desert for so long and this is the first time I’ve ever seen one,” Cocoon Butterfly exclaimed.
"Yes, Broken Sword Manor is indeed a place where dragons and tigers dwell." Xue Qing nodded admiringly. As a man who rode an alpaca, Jian Wuxin would forever be recorded in Xue Qing's heart.
They arrived at Broken Sword Manor at twice the usual speed, much earlier than expected. The carriage stopped at the manor gate, and several servants gathered around. One of the servants asked, "May I ask what brings you to Broken Sword Manor? I need to go in and inform them."
Xue Qing lifted the curtain to speak when Jian Wuxin arrived on his alpaca. He said to the servants, "Open the gate and let them in. This is my future wife and her two children."
"Second Young Master, you're back!" Several servants bowed to Jian Wuxin in unison, then turned and bowed to Xue Qing in unison: "Greetings, future Second Madam."
"Don't call me that! I can't take it!" Xue Qing was furious. Jian Wuxin's words were too ambiguous. Although Jian Die and Liu Ying were her children in terms of seniority, saying it like that made it sound like a divorced mother with two burdens.
The servants split into two groups and pushed open the large iron gate of Broken Sword Manor. The carriages and alpacas were handed over to the servants to be led to the stables to graze. Xue Qing and the other two followed Jian Wuxin into Broken Sword Manor. Broken Sword Manor was planted with large, lush hibiscus trees. In October, the hibiscus trees were past their flowering season, and the trees were full of pods of all sizes.
Before they even reached the main hall of Broken Sword Manor, a servant rushed over, bowed, and said to Jian Wuxin, "Second Young Master, the Eldest Young Master is waiting for you... He doesn't look too well."
Jian Wuxin, however, didn't seem to care: "When has he ever looked at me with a pleasant expression?"
The servant bowed deeply again and said, "Second Young Master, please have mercy. Even if you're just pretending, please go along with the Eldest Young Master's wishes. If you anger the Eldest Young Master, we'll be the ones who suffer!"
Jian Wuxin kicked the servant: "Do I need you to tell me what to do? Go do your work. You're clumsy and making the young master angry."
The servant, clutching his buttocks, ran while turning back to say, "Anyway, Second Young Master, you should be careful. The Eldest Young Master just scolded the maidservant who was serving you again."
Although Jian Wuxin is absurd, he's quite popular. When his brother loses his temper, someone comes to warn him. I wonder what kind of person the eldest young master of Duanjian Manor is. He sounds like he has a bad temper. Xue Qing will definitely have to meet the head of Duanjian Manor this time. The head of the manor is the eldest young master. I feel a little uneasy.
“Brother Wuxin, since your brother is in a bad mood, why don’t I come another day?” Xue Qing suggested.
“If you want to wait until he’s in a better mood before coming, you’ll have to wait until your next life. He’s in a bad mood every day,” Jian Wuxin said.
"That's terrifying... I think this sword is well-made with smooth lines, it'll do for now, but let's not change it." Xue Qing said softly, turning to walk back.
Liu Ying grabbed her, not letting her leave: "Uncle-Master, even if you don't change your sword, you should still see the Master of the Manor. It's a matter of etiquette."
"Damn all this red tape," Xue Qing cursed inwardly, continuing her walk dejectedly. After passing through a tree-lined path strewn with pods, she arrived at the main hall. The doors were open, and she could see a man sitting at the head table inside, drinking tea. He appeared to be around thirty years old, with sharply defined features (I won't say "knife-cut," I won't say "knife-cut"), sharp eyes, and a prominent nose. He exuded an unyielding aura of righteousness that nearly blinded Xue Qing.
"So you've finally decided to come back? Did you sleep in Miss Hongfang's room or Miss Yingying's room last night?" The young master of Broken Sword Manor put the tea back on the table and said, his tone as flat as a straight line. But Xue Qing couldn't help but think to herself: He's angry! He's angry! Is this the legendary "imposing presence without anger"?
Bang! Jian Wuxin, who had been nonchalant the whole way, suddenly knelt on the ground: "Brother, I was wrong."
The three brothers
The young master walked over to Jian Wuxin, who was kneeling on the ground, and kicked him: "Get up. There are guests here. Don't embarrass yourself." His tone was still flat, revealing no emotion.