The scene froze for a moment.
Yun Cuo looked at Xue Huai and whispered, “Hello, grandpa and grandma, my name is Yun… Yun Guo, a friend of Xue Huai, came to visit him this time and unexpectedly met the rain, and was trapped here. I’m sorry to trouble you two and Xue Huai ge.”
He stood far away from Xue Huai, his eyes not slanting with a polite and obedient tone. The only thing that didn’t look very convincing was the silver hair and crimson eyes that had been affected by the demonization—he was a man accustomed to coldness, so he didn’t know how to hide it, and even his smile was awkward.
The Murong old woman saw him soaked all over and said that it’s not good like this. She urged Yun Cuo to take a bath and change clothes, and she even personally went to find clothes for him by herself. Yun Cuo had never seen such a situation before. In front of the old lady’s enthusiasm, he couldn’t even say a word. He said awkwardly, “It’s okay with me, I’ll just dry it with a spell.”
The Murong old woman scolded him, “How can this be done? Young people nowadays rely on knowing a little magic to act recklessly all day long. Even the most powerful immortals, unless the world compounded, when it comes to origin, everyone is from the Mortal Realm, not everything can be conquered. If you catch a cold, it will damage your roots, and abusing your magic will also damage your vitality. Hurry up, there is ready-made water. Xiao Huai’s clothes won’t fit you. There isn’t much here for now. I’ll go find you the clothes that the old man used to wear when he was young.”
Yun Cuo was so rushed that he didn’t know where to put his hands and feet. As soon as the door opened and closed, he turned around to look at Xue Huai, and then he was taken away.
Xue Huai remained silent and stood honestly in front of Murong Jinchuan.
His grandmother is easy to deceive, but Murong Jinchuan is not easy to deceive. When his grandfather opened the Mountain Manor alone, balanced various parties, and navigated among various forces, not to mention Xue Huai, even Xue Zong was still searching for candy on the ground at that time.
Xue Huai was also aware that the scene where he and Yun Cuo—the scene of “hugging” and rolling in together—was definitely seen by Murong Jinchuan. He is now in a state of being unable to argue.
He decided to be more cautious and take action later.
Sure enough, Murong Jinchuan whispered, “You’d better explain what’s going on, Xiao Huai. Do you think you can keep it from me? Yun Guo, Yun Cuo, your grandmother doesn’t recognize him, do you still treat him as someone I don’t recognize? He’s the wild seed born to the Immortal Lord and the Demon Princess! Young Immortal Lord Yun Cuo, with a vicious temperament and ruthlessness, your father said he chose a good marriage for you a few days ago, and that’s how he chose a Daoist partner for you?! That father, that person, is unreliable, he harmed your mother and still came to harm you.”
Xue Huai said, “Grandpa, it’s not like this…”
“Then you tell me, tell me, ah, what’s going on?” Murong Jinchuan couldn’t help but get angry. After scolding his father, he began to be gentle with him. “Xiao Huai, Grandpa also knows you. You are a good child, hardworking, and calm in temperament. How could you get involved with this person? What did I tell you last time? You need to be calm, self-disciplined, and have a long-term vision! Look at you, Xiao Huai, what’s going on with you?”
Xue Huai said, “Actually…”
He spoke several times in a row, but was interrupted. Murong Jinchuan turned pale and scolded him incessantly for a while. Finally, he said he was tired and asked him to speak.
Xue Huai didn’t say anything about it. Instead, the conversation changed, and he blinked his eyes and asked his grandfather, “So you are still reading the letter my father sent? I thought you burned it directly.”
Murong Jinchuan：“……”
Before he could clean up Xue Huai, there was a faint sound from the door, as if Yun Cuo had finished washing up. Old Madam Murong was outside, slowly tossing him a change of clothes and rushing matters. It didn’t take long before they came over again.
Xue Huai quickened his pace of speaking, telling Murong Jinchuan, “Actually, it’s like this. He… will ascend to the position of the Immortal Lord in a few years, and the Shenhua Terrace is preparing to stand on his side. In order to stabilize the relationship, my father’s mind was not clear, so he made a marriage agreement for me. He said he would give the marriage certificate first and keep things for later. If I still don’t want to, then I will cut off the relationship here and return the dowry… Just, although I don’t quite understand what my father is thinking, the fact is not the same as you think, he and I…had nothing to do with each other… I don’t like him either.”
Seeing Murong Jinchuan still wanting to speak, Xue Huai quickly blocked him and said, “It was an accident just outside the door. He’s half-demon, and today the rain outside interfered with his spiritual vision, making it difficult for him to see clearly. When I brought him over, I accidentally stumbled on the door, so… it’s not very formal.”.
Murong Jinchuan’s face was still shrouded in dark clouds, and he didn’t know if he had heard it or not. Xue Huai just went out, in fact, half of his clothes were wet—he duly sneezed a small sneeze, finally causing Murong Jinchuan to rush him back to his room to change his clothes.
At this gap, he heard Yun Cuo coming through the door and being held up by Murong Jinchuan to ask where his home is, where his family is, what his age is, and what his plans are.
Murong Jinchuan didn’t care who Yun Cuo was at all. He used a tone of voice when he was scolding students that was even more aggressive than when he was talking to Xue Huai. Xue Huai was sweating for his grandfather in his heart—according to Yun Cuo’s stubborn and vengeful nature, this beam is estimated to be knotted, and in the future, he doesn’t know if this will be credited to the Murong Immortal Sect or not.
Yun Cuo also doesn’t like to talk to others. If someone questions him using this scolding tone, he will probably remain silent.
But what surprised Xue Huai was that Yun Cuo was really like an ordinary boy who was caught by his parents, answering each question seriously and cautiously—he didn’t even realize that he had helped him out already.
“How old are you?”
“Two months younger than Xue Huai ge, almost seventeen.”
“Where are you from? Where is your home? How did you get to know Xiao Huai?”
“Dongzhou, my home is also in Dongzhou. I met Xiao… Xue Huai during the thousand ghosts wandering the night.”
Apart from his name, he concealed his prominent family and terrifying resources, only saying that there was only one person and one cat in the house, and life was still decent.
Xue Huai’s grandmother clearly has a good impression of Yun Cuo: when she heard that there were no other people in Yun Cuo’s family, she would occasionally interject and say, “Hmm, but your hair color is not good. Should I go dye it black for you? And your clothes are still clean and neat, but the sleeve pockets are torn and not mended. Such good material ……”
Next came the sound of friction and competition between the fabrics. Yun Cuo lowered his voice and stuttered, “You don’t have to trouble yourself, no need…”
Despite being a cold and aloof immortal ruler who never showed his joy or anger in any difficult situation in his previous life, this time it seems like he has encountered some incredible problems.
After Xue Huai heard it, he smiled, but after finishing his smile, his mood became a bit complicated.
He once again realized that Yun Cuo seemed to be genuine.
He changed his clothes and pushed the door open when he heard Murong Jinchuan calling him, “Come here, Xiao Huai.”
Xue Huai obediently passed by and calmly faced the two parents.
He knew he had already explained it clearly to Murong Jinchuan, and they would no longer make things difficult for them, so he was far less nervous than Yun Cuo on the side.
“We won’t care about this matter anymore. You bring in the guest, so entertain him yourself. You can sleep in the manor anytime you want.” Murong Jinchuan asked, “But today, how do you plan to arrange it? Your fellow disciples have all gone back, and there is no one in the Immortal Sect. The location of the Warm Pavilion dormitory can’t be packed up and emptied temporarily.”
Xue Huai glanced at Yun Cuo and whispered, “He lives in the cave where I am practicing. I will give him a blanket later.”
As soon as the words fell, Murong Jinchuan rebuked, “Nonsense! Is this a courtesy for entertaining guests?”
Xue Huai：“……”
He said: “Then I’ll go sleep in the cave.”
He didn’t dare to say that he was planning to hide Yun Cuo, which is why he placed the person there.
He actually doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with sleeping in a cave. Lit a fire, had bedding and a bed, a cat nestled next to his pillow, and there was the sound of the rain and wind outside. In his previous life, he was on night duty and couldn’t even sleep in the cave, so he had to rely on the trees’ trunks to make do.
“No way.” Murong Jinchuan gave a death order: “Let him sleep in your room tonight. You’re already 17 years old. How come there is no sense of propriety in these matters? He has seen your father and us already, so it’s not good to neglect him. Go quickly.”
Xue Huai opened his eyes wide, “In one room? Grandpa, I just explained it to you. We’re just–”
Murong Jinchuan waved his hand to interrupt him, shook his head with a foul expression, and took his wife’s hand and left.
He said nothing at all.
Xue Huai: “???”
The door closed with a click, and Yun Cuo whispered behind him, “I’m sorry for causing you trouble. I’ll leave now.”
Xue Huai turned around to look at him—
Yun Cuo had no expression and looked over calmly, he couldn’t see any difference. There are no spare sect costumes in the right sizes at the school. He was wearing Murong Jinchuan’s robe when he was young, a white silk shirt embroidered with maple leaves and emerald birds with phoenix thread. Although it is flashy, it has a unique and charming charm.
He was still a little formal, and as if he were sorry, a little downcast—because he ran here to find him, and Xue Huai was discovered by his grandparents, and he thought he had something to do with it.
He also has no position to explain for Xue Huai.
He knew that the present Xue Huai disliked him so much and could not wait to retreat from him, as he had done in the last days of …… his former life.
Xue Huai sighed and said, “Forget it, it’s okay. Since you can’t leave now, why don’t you stay? Don’t do this kind of thing again, Yun… Young Master Yun.”
Yun Cuo whispered, “But if I didn’t come, what would you do if you were sick? The soul calming medicine hurts your spleen and stomach, and you didn’t eat well. No one is watching. You always make people worry.”
Xue Huai thought for a moment but did not refute.
Yun Cuo has become accustomed to his father-like tone. This time, he did not pay attention to his own problems. He was used to a lifestyle where he didn’t have time to take care of his body, and even in this lifetime, he still didn’t pay attention, he only knew how to cultivate.
He said, “I understand, thank you. I will pay attention to it in the future.”
Yun Cuo found a finely woven bamboo mat on the ground, and Xue Huai found a blanket for him.
Xue Huai looked at the quilt that his grandmother had brought and felt worried. “Grandma seems to be getting old and forgot to bring your quilt over. This quilt she just said she wanted to add to me. It’s cold tonight.”
Yun Cuo said, “I can do without covering the quilt. You use it. I’m not that cold.”
Xue Huai still took the quilt to him: “Well, it doesn’t matter. I’ll ask Grandma for a quilt tomorrow morning. You can make do with it first. If you want to eat snacks, you can take them from the storage ring. There are the Siren’s steamed buns and crab meat cakes.”
Yun Cuo remained silent, carefully stretched out the quilt, and then laid down very carefully.
His silly cat had been nowhere to be seen before, and now it had also crawled in through the window, swooshing into Yun Cuo’s arms.
Xue Huai realized that his grandmother had forgotten to bring a pillow—so he wrapped several of his books in cloth, folded them neatly, and also handed them to Yun Cuo.
He murmured softly, “Why is it all just for me alone? No quilt nor pillows, but your toiletries have all been delivered… here, I’ll put them for you.”
Yun Cuo said: “Okay.”
Xue Huai noticed a slight smile in his eyes again—but he didn’t know what Yun Cuo was smiling at and didn’t bother to ask.
He was a bit tired, so after turning over to bed, he turned off the light and wrapped himself in a blanket to sleep.
Yun Cuo didn’t say much, he was quiet, and even his breathing couldn’t be detected.
It turned cold in the middle of the night, and Xue Huai felt cold in the middle of his dreams. Just as he was about to wake up, he suddenly felt like someone had added a blanket and gently tucked him in.
He thought his grandmother finally remembered missing a blanket for them and rushed over to deliver it in the middle of the night, so he whispered, “You go back, don’t get busy, rest early, I’m not cold.”
The person stroked his head and then left.
Early the next morning, Xue Huai was struck by a thunderbolt out of the blue sky1晴天霹雳 refers to something that’s shocking..
When he woke up, Yun Cuo had not yet woken up. When Xue Huai got up, he turned his head and saw that the blanket had returned to him—the person from last night was not his grandmother.
Yun Cuo wrapped himself in his own robe, holding the little gray cat in his arms, still asleep.
Someone knocked lightly on the door.
Xue Huai put on his cloak, bypassed Yun Cuo, and reached out to open the door. As he passed, he casually threw both of his own quilts onto Yun Cuo’s body. The little gray cat was startled by him and quickly slipped out of Yun Cuo’s arms, following behind him.
She is a familiar junior sister to him and also a disciple of Murong Jinchuan. He usually treats her as his younger sister and is very familiar with each other.
Xue Huai was a bit surprised and asked, “You didn’t go home? Why did you come?”
The little junior sister blushed and said, “Shixiong, the Sect Master wants me to bring you soup.”
Xue Huai looked bewildered and asked, “Soup? What soup?”
The food box was handed over, and Xue Huai opened it. There were two drawers of steamed buns and a cup of white soup. The aroma was compelling.
The junior sister coughed a few times and said, “Xue Shixiong, dual cultivation emphasizes storing essence, harmonizing internal aura, and balancing the five elements. This Hengtian Grass Snake Soup has the same effect, as well as the effects of reducing swelling, astringent wounds, and restoring spirit. You… take your time to drink it.”
Xue Huai didn’t react at first and then felt his whole head buzzing—
He grabbed the little junior sister’s wrist and confirmed, “Dual cultivation? Me? Do you think he and I—?”
The young junior sister was startled and asked him, “What’s wrong, Shixiong? Isn’t he your fiancé? The Sect Master has said so.”
“Impossible! I just told my grandfather yesterday that we are only temporarily… Is it because he is getting old and didn’t hear what I said clearly?” Xue Huai said, “Anyway, don’t go yet. I’ll go with you to talk to Grandpa.”
The young junior sister calmed down instead, she held his hand, and said deeply, “Shixiong, don’t worry. The Sect Master has also told me these, and your reaction has been anticipated by the Sect Master. Let me explain it to you, okay?”
Xue Huai looked at her suspiciously.
The young junior sister cleared her throat and said, “Ordinary families get engaged, bring dowry to their doorstep, the in-laws receive dowry, both families sign an alliance oath, and the children on both sides are together. Isn’t that what it means?”
“But I didn’t—” Xue Huai was interrupted as soon as he spoke.
The junior sister asked him, “Has he given you the dowry?”
Xue Huai said, “Delivered.”
“Have you received it?”
Xue Huai thought of his unreliable father and said expressionlessly, “Put it away already.”
“Brother Xue Huai, your Shenhua Terrace is now collaborating with the Yun family, right?” asked the junior sister.
“En.”
“And then Young Master Yun also chased you here, right?” The little junior sister stared at him and clapped her hands. “That’s it. The two of you are in this state now, and it’s almost like being married! You said you’re actually not engaged, but who would believe it? Everyone knows you’re engaged, and you’re the only one who says you’re not!”
Xue Huai：“…………………………”
“Xue Shixiong, boil a frog in warm water. Have you heard of it? The Sect Master was still saying you’re foolish this morning, I think it’s true.” The little junior sister playfully blinked at him and quickly slipped away.
There were noises behind the door, and Yun Cuo rubbed his hair and got up from the ground, stretching his stiff body.
Xue Huai looked over and happened to bump into his line of sight.
Xue Huai：“……”
The older the ginger, the spicer. He had never figured out why Xue Zong wanted to do this before. He thought he had refused, so it was meaningless. Now he understands.
The boiled frog calmly brought in the food box and casually threw the bowl of soup out of the window.
Yun Cuo asked him, “What did you throw? You don’t like it?”
Xue Huai took a deep breath and said, “Don’t ask so many questions, just shut up and eat.”
