Seeing Song Yueyao's utterly shocked expression, Chai Xiaomi finally realized she had digressed too far.
She quickly got back to the point. So, Sister Yao, the person you are looking for is related to Ouyang Huai?
The person I am looking for is his long-lost daughter, Ouyang Rui's biological younger sister.
Song Yueyao pulled out a semi-circular jade pendant from her waist. It was a vibrant, translucent green, of excellent quality.
This was a task entrusted to her by Jiang Zhiyu.
These past few days, he had been so tied up with matters at the Ouyang residence that he could not get away. So, he gave her the jade pendant and asked her to find someone. It was said that Ouyang Huai might have another daughter living out in the world.
She was taken and raised by a farmer who lived in Willow Alley at the intersection of South West Street. The farmer was a widower.
The clues were clear; it should not have been hard to find her.
But after asking all the neighbors, everyone knew the farmer, yet no one knew he had a daughter.
Later, she spent some effort and found the farmer's older sister. As soon as she brought up the matter, the woman acted like a startled bird, making a huge fuss, playing the fool, and driving her out. Her behavior was truly abnormal.
After hearing this, Chai Xiaomi fell silent for a moment.
It turned out that Ouyang Huai's karma had quietly arrived long ago, but he had not taken it as a warning at all.
After a thought, she said, When Lili comes back, I will ask him to help find this girl.
By the way, Sister Yao, when we are in front of Hongxiao later, we absolutely must not mention Ouyang Huai again.
Song Yueyao did not ask for details, simply nodding in agreement. Alright.
That unlucky bastard was not worth mentioning anyway.
In a small courtyard surrounded by a bamboo fence, a red figure was sprawled over the stone table.
Lonely and listless, she was playing chess against herself.
The few days when Xiaomi and her friends came here to practice archery had been her liveliest time in these outskirts.
It felt as if the laughter and cheerful voices from just a short while ago were still right in front of her, but now, the opposite side of the chessboard was completely empty.
The day before yesterday on the street, she had left in such a wretched and hurried state.
She had not been able to say a proper goodbye to Xiaomi, and she did not know if their group had already set off to leave Qianwu Town.
If the Goddess of Santu could hear her, she hoped she would bless Xiaomi and the others with a safe journey.
Let her think, what should she offer in exchange?
Just as she was agonizing over this, a shout suddenly came from afar, like the most melodious lark in the mountains:
Hongxiao!
Was she hallucinating?
Hongxiao froze for a few seconds before slowly turning her head.
Do not just space out! Come help us carry the food, it is so heavy.
She blinked blankly a few times.
There stood an adorable girl with a face like peach blossoms, and a handsome, heroic-looking girl.
Was it not Xiaomi? And her friend who had been practicing archery so hard under the sun, the one Xiaomi called Sister Yao.
Now, that friend had changed out of her men's clothing, yet she still could not hide her extraordinary aura.
Hongxiao had originally thought that after the archery competition, they would never come here again.
Not to mention, she had made such a fool of herself on the street.
Her nose tingled, and she hurriedly held back her tears, rushing over clumsily to help them carry their things.
Are you going to cook?
Hongxiao looked blankly at the large basket of vegetables and meat. Unfortunately, she was a demon and did not know how to cook.
Normally, she only needed to absorb life essence, occasionally catching live prey to eat. Roasting a rabbit was already the pinnacle of her culinary skills.
No need to cook properly, we just need a pot to boil it in.
Chai Xiaomi crouched down, taking the ingredients and seasonings out of the basket one by one. Her tone carried a barely concealed excitement:
We are having hot pot today! There are no troubles in life that a hot pot meal cannot solve. If there are, then two meals will do the trick.
In the small courtyard, the three girls sat in a circle.
One was busy setting up the bowls and chopsticks, one was crouching down sorting through the food, and the other stood blankly to the side, her eyes still a little red.
Chai Xiaomi's gaze fell on Hongxiao. Seeing the moisture in her eyes, her tone softened. In a few days, we will be leaving Qianwu Town. But Hongxiao, this is not a farewell dinner. Guess what kind of dinner it is?
Hongxiao scratched her head, unable to figure it out, and hurriedly cast a pleading glance at Song Yueyao for help.
However, Song Yueyao was also deep in thought.
Chai Xiaomi's eyes curved into a smile as she made finger hearts at their cheeks. Darlings, it is a meal to make you completely fall for me, hehe.
Even though the water in the pot had not boiled yet, Hongxiao and Song Yueyao both felt, as if by prior agreement, that something in their hearts had melted.
Song Yueyao could not help but think: No wonder Wu Li, who was usually so sharp-tongued and aloof, was completely whipped by Xiaomi.
Who would not be charmed by this?
Even she wanted to hold that pink, tender face and give it a big kiss.
Girls' friendships were often simple and passionate.
Halfway through the meal, steam billowed from the pot, and the chatterbox was completely opened.
There was only one slice of beef left, and three pairs of chopsticks dove into the pot at the same time.
After getting familiar with each other, where was there room for politeness? Six chopsticks engaged in a brawl inside the pot.
Chai Xiaomi rolled her eyes and came up with an idea. How about this: we each share a deep secret or dream. Whoever has the most shocking and impressive one gets this piece of meat.
Deal! Song Yueyao slapped the table cheerfully. I will go first!
She put down her chopsticks, and the heroic spirit between her brows suddenly lit up.
To tell you the truth, I could not care less about empty titles like princess. I just want to take back the military tally of the Nie Family Army and become the first female general of Liangya Prefecture!
Hongxiao clapped hard. Wow, a great general!
Chai Xiaomi said with certainty, You definitely will. You will achieve it right around the grand finale.
If she remembered correctly, near the end of the original novel, when the barbarians invaded Liangya Prefecture again, Song Yueyao was the commander-in-chief for that battle and returned in triumph.
Song Yueyao paused. Xiaomi, what did you say?
Oops. Almost gave a spoiler.
Chai Xiaomi was momentarily speechless, her chopsticks suspended in mid-air as she blinked.
Then, she curved her lips into an innocent smile and pretended to pinch her fingers together in calculation. I just did a little fortune-telling! Heaven and earth hear my plea, my Sister Yao will definitely succeed! Sooner or later, you will absolutely become a female general. By then, the barbarians will be beaten to a pulp, and I will be able to hear of your great fame all the way from my hometown!
Hongxiao continued to clap vigorously. Wow, Xiaomi, you even know how to tell fortunes!
Chai Xiaomi rubbed her forehead with a profound and mysterious look. Just a minor parlor trick, not worth mentioning.
Then let us talk about mine.
She suddenly looked serious, meeting Song Yueyao's gaze. She had long wanted to stop hiding this secret. Her sudden inspiration back then was just a ploy to tie Wu Li down.
Sister Yao, actually, I am not pregnant at all. She rubbed her bulging little belly. My stomach is just round every day from eating too much.
Song Yueyao burst out laughing. You call that a secret? I guessed it a long time ago.
Chai Xiaomi: Huh?
Once before, you came to me blushing and asked what to use during a menstrual period. You even said a friend of yours needed it and took a few new menstrual cloths from me. Song Yueyao unhurriedly picked up a vegetable leaf with her chopsticks. Along the journey, besides Wu Li, what other friend did you have by your side?
She looked up, a smile playing on her lips.
It could not possibly be him using them, right?
Chai Xiaomi was speechless.
The asking for a friend trick really did not work well.
The water in the pot bubbled and gurgled, as if it were laughing at her.
"Also, Wu Li and I haven't officially tied the knot yet. Before we leave Qianwu Town, I plan to hold a simple ceremony to fulfill his wish." She decided to get straight to the point. "When the time comes, Hongxiao, you have to be there too."
"Okay, I will definitely come."
Hongxiao seemed touched; her eyes were bright and shimmering with unshed tears.
"Then... then I want to declare my dream too!"
She suddenly tilted her head up to look at the sky.
Without them noticing, the sky had grown dark.
The sunset clouds had faded into a pale grayish-purple, like a stroke of ink bleeding across rice paper, caught in the twilight between day and night.
Gathering all her strength, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted toward the horizon, "You must be happy!!"
"Luo—You—An—!"
The three syllables echoed through the sky for a long time, and reverberated in their hearts as well.
She had originally intended to drain his life essence. Yet in the end, after absorbing the essence of so many men, his was the only one she hadn't touched, and she had even sacrificed all her own demonic powers for him.
As her voice faded, the red silhouette suddenly wavered and transformed back into a fluffy little fox.
It squatted on the table, tilting its little head up with wet eyes.
"Sorry about that. I can't maintain my human form for very long."
Song Yueyao wasn't frightened in the slightest, completely unfazed by the sight. "It's fine, as long as your mouth can still eat."
Chai Xiaomi's eyes were a little red, but she curled her lips into a smile. She gently picked up the slice of beef from the pot and placed it into the bowl in front of the little fox. "Your dream is the most amazing one. Here, the last piece is your reward!"
