Chapter 332

"Well now, little court lady, I have something to ask you today," a deep male voice sounded as the little court lady was tied up and blindfolded, preventing her from seeing them. Of course, these people didn’t know that the little court lady had already identified them by their scent. If they had known that she knew their true identities, they wouldn’t have let her live.

"W-what do you want to ask?"

"Today, many royal physicians from various regions have come here. They are trying to treat the princess. Do you still believe that the poison can only be cured by you?"

"I-I... I don’t know. There are many skilled people coming. If it were just the royal physicians from Hu Region, I’d be confident. But now, there’s someone terrifying here."

"Someone terrifying? Who is it? Is it the woman named Mu Yueqian?"

"Y-yes!"

"I see. Then we’ll have to deal with her first. Bring me some good poison. I want to play with that woman a little," the owner of the voice said. The girl shuddered slightly at the thought of the woman she had met earlier in the evening.

"Hmm? Why are you silent? Oh... or are you thinking of defying me? Little girl, do you even know what defiance is?"

Slap!!

His large hand struck the little girl’s small face. She recoiled in shock. The memories of previous beatings were too terrifying, and they haunted her to this day.

"Answer me. Are you thinking of defying me?"

"N-no, master, not at all."

Slap!!

"Not at all? You dare to deceive me? Do you want to die?"

"No, master, I haven’t defied you."

"Haha. What you’re doing right now is defiance!" The man’s furious voice made the little court lady immediately think of the bright yet stern faces of a man and woman she had met. Her small lips moved slowly.

"Could you... please trust me?... Ugh!!”

Not waiting for her to finish speaking, the big figure punched her in the stomach. He kicked the chair she was sitting on, knocking it over in frustration.

"Trust? Trust an idiot woman like you? Haha. Ridiculous! Bring me the poison. The poison you used on the princess—bring it to me again," he said, squeezing the little court lady’s mouth.

The girl trembled, her mind seemingly disconnected. She couldn’t even speak. The same scenes of violence from her childhood played over and over in her mind. Seeing her condition, it was clear that she wouldn’t be able to talk coherently anymore, so the soldier who brought her spoke up.

"M...Master, I think the girl has lost her senses. We’ll bring her back tomorrow. If we harm her too much, she might not be able to make the medicine." Even with this intervention, the master was not satisfied. He kicked the little court lady in the stomach again to vent his anger before leaving.

"Bring me the poison I need by tomorrow. Otherwise... you will die," he threatened and then left, leaving the little court lady to be carried out by the soldiers and placed in front of the kitchen.

Her dazed eyes changed as she looked up at the sky. She saw the Mu family, which looked very pleasant... She wondered if they could be her guiding light, like the mother she had lost...

The next morning, Yueqian received news that her mother and brother had taken refuge from the Qin family in the Hu Region. Although it was called refuge, they seemed to be quite happy, just as she had hoped. To let them see her son, she planned to visit after many years of not seeing each other.

"Xihao, are you dressed yet?"

"Yes, Mother, I’m ready."

"So what are you doing?" Yueqian heard only her son’s voice, but he still hadn’t come out of his room. So, she couldn’t help but wonder what her little Xihao was up to.

"Oh, Mother, it’s good that you came in. Help me choose which gift to give to Grandmother and which to give to Uncle," Xihao asked, his chubby fingers touching his chin, mimicking an adult. It was quite adorable.

Yueqian looked at the talismans Xihao had written himself. It seemed that his interactions with spirits had given him some strange knowledge that even she couldn’t comprehend.

"Your uncle is a man, so give him the red one. As for your grandmother, give her a color that feels comforting," Yueqian suggested, though she didn’t know what each talisman meant.

"Okay," Little Xihao replied, picking out two colored talismans. He then packed all the other talismans into his bag, just in case he needed them in the future.

Seeing the serious expression on her son’s face, Yueqian couldn’t resist patting his head. Even though Xihao, like her, had come from another world, this little boy was much more adorable than she had ever been. When she was his age, she didn’t have the chance to play like this. Her childhood was filled with the tedious performances expected in the manor. She was fortunate to have married Mu Heng; otherwise, the manor would have been much more chaotic.

As Yueqian thought about how her son was enjoying drawing his talismans, Xihao’s eyes sparkled. His mother had a good eye indeed.

The red talisman was for summoning a demonic servant, which could be used to curse someone. The demon would carry out the task until it was completed and then be released.

In fact, these demons were actually just regular spirits that had become corrupted by darkness after death, making them mindless. However, once released, they would either become normal spirits or return to the afterlife to prepare for rebirth if they had no lingering attachments.

The yellow talisman, which he intended to give his grandmother, was for summoning a golden spirit. These golden spirits were kind-hearted and would bring good fortune or dispel evil spirits when summoned.

Both talismans were valuable and difficult to create. If not for his ghost teacher, Xihao wouldn’t have this knowledge.

Yueqian was unaware of her son’s extraordinary abilities. She focused on the nourishing items she was preparing for her elder brother and mother, mostly supplements and some herbs. Their current life was much better than it had been in the Qin family in the Du Region, so they probably lacked for nothing.

Not long after the little troublemaker had finished his preparations, everyone else was ready as well. Mu Heng accompanied them as a bodyguard, even though he didn’t have warm feelings towards these two people.

When he first got married and had to visit the Qin manor, he realized how inscrutable Yueqian’s brother and mother were. Seeing them leave the Qin family before the war indicated they were not ordinary people; they must have had connections that informed them of the impending conflict in the Du Region.

"Who goes there?" A guard at the manor asked. Yueqian immediately showed her identification.

"A royal physician from the Bai Region? May I ask which master you have business with, so I can inform them correctly?"

"I have business with your master and his mother as well."

"Hmm? What business do you have, Royal Physician?"

"Just inform them that Yueqian has come to visit." When she said this, the two guards looked at each other before one ran inside. Yueqian looked at Xihao, who was visibly excited, and gently patted his head.

"When we go inside, don’t be mischievous, understand? Your grandmother is very strict," Yueqian said with a smile, which only made Xihao even more nervous.

"Don’t scare him," Mu Heng couldn’t help but defend his son when he saw his reaction. Yueqian covered her mouth, laughing. It was rare for her son to show his childish side, as he usually acted more mature than adults. She wanted to tease him a little.

Who would have thought that Xihao, who was over a year old in the previous world, would still feel excited about meeting his uncle and grandmother? He wasn’t even afraid of seeing countless ghosts. This child was truly peculiar.

"Look who’s here," the teasing voice of the manor’s master called out as the servants stepped back.

"Oh, you’ve aged quite a bit," Yueqian greeted. The two stared at each other intensely, neither willing to back down, but ultimately, Qin Mazhu was the first to look away.

"Such sharp words. How could you call me old when I am in my prime and so handsome?" He walked over to inspect his sister, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time. He nodded approvingly, raised his fan to cover his face, and looked down at the little boy holding his sister’s hand tightly.

At first, his eyes showed a trace of displeasure that he couldn’t hide. But upon closer inspection, didn’t this little boy’s face resemble his sister’s quite a bit? Even though he was a boy with eyes like that impoverished man who married her for money...

"And this is...?"

"Uncle, I am Xihao," the little Xihao let go of his mother’s hand and respectfully greeted Ma Zhu like an adult. The man’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Oh, is this my little nephew? Quite clever, but a bit small, aren’t you?" He poked Xihao’s cheek. Although his eyes sparkled with delight, his words remained as sharp as ever!

"I’m not small. I’m only one year old," Xihao retorted, which made Qin Mazhu even more excited.

"Hmm? Only one year old and already this aware? Very smart. As expected of my nephew," he said, then lifted Xihao into his arms.

"Alright, since you’re too short, I’ll carry you myself. Otherwise, my neck will get sore," the young man continued teasing Xihao, still managing to provoke the boy even with his excuse for carrying him!

"I-I can walk by myself," Xihao pounded on his chest, clearly not impressed with his uncle.

Still, Qin Mazhu had no intention of letting go. He carried the boy with an expression of great excitement and happiness. If not for his sharp tongue, Xihao might have let him carry him willingly.Qin Mazhu led the way inside, while the servants watched them quietly. This was the first time they had seen the manor’s master behave like this. Wasn’t this guest someone who had just arrived? Yet he had come out to welcome them personally, despite his busy schedule! This clearly showed how important the guests of the manor were...