A Less Than Pleasant Meeting

A Less Than Pleasant Meeting

"Miss, it is time to get up."

A shadow like black mist poked its head out from the rafters, its low words traveling along threads of Dou Qi.

"Mm."

Xun Er opened her eyes at the sound, looking as though she had never been asleep at all, without the slightest trace of grogginess.

Though in truth, she had not slept peacefully.

The heat that appeared from time to time roamed through her body, like boiling water being poured into her blood vessels and into her marrow. How could she possibly sleep soundly?

The flame has settled down.

Xun Er covered her heart and sank her thoughts inward to sense it. The Blazing Gold Flame slept quietly inside her, no longer struggling in a frenzy.

"Ling Ying?"

"Yes, Miss."

"Bodyguard?"

"Yes, Miss." Ling Ying glanced at the ancient mark in his palm. He could hardly be considered any sort of guard. "But to be more precise, I should count as Miss's servant."

On ordinary days, he obeyed orders and carried out tasks. At critical moments, he rushed up to block blades and call for reinforcements.

Otherwise, with Miss's status and position, how could a job like bodyguard ever fall to a Dou Emperor like him?

If not for thirty generations of his family serving the Ancient Clan for life, drawing the External Affairs Elder to personally select him, he would still be sweeping streets inside the Gu World right now.

A Dou Emperor?

What the Ancient Clan lacked least was pills and resources. Even a pig could be stuffed all the way to Dou Zong. As a Dou Emperor, he really was only fit to do odd jobs and run errands after his superiors.

"Then that makes you a nanny." Xun Er slapped a fist into her palm, suddenly enlightened.

Uh... as long as you are happy.

Ling Ying said, "Yes, Miss."

"Oh, right."

Xun Er sat at the edge of the bed and looked around. The room's interior was so plain it seemed as though no one lived there, with only a few little things tucked into the corners giving it some life. "Was someone living here before?"

"Of course. This was originally the room of the Xiao Family Third Young Master. You went to sleep early last night, so you did not see him come back."

Ling Ying thought of that strange child. "He is very unusual... He is clearly still only at the Dou Qi stage, yet he has awakened the Soul Power that only Dou Zhe possess—perhaps because his soul is comparatively strong?"

Xun Er nodded slightly to show she understood.

Though she was not very old, she had seen plenty of things like geniuses. The Gu World was full of them, so a mere abnormal soul was nothing worth being surprised over.

"He's here."

Ling Ying gave a reminder.

A knock on the door came with it.

"One moment! I'm coming." Xun Er hurriedly reached for the floor with her feet, got out of bed, and ran over with thudding little steps to open the door.

"Mm."

Outside the door, Xiao Yan responded.

He had changed rooms to sleep last night, but he had only changed beds. The things he usually kept on the table and in the cabinets still needed to be tidied up.

The Ancient Clan's eldest young lady... sigh~

The moment he thought of having to deal with someone like that, Xiao Yan felt his head ache.

Had the original work described anything special?

Her personality, hobbies? Aside from the base-level code of liking the protagonist, it had not said even half a word about anything else! And she was probably the sort to reject outsiders. He did not even know how to raise her favorability.

"So annoying—"

Creak... ya...

The wooden door opened with some difficulty.

Xiao Yan stood outside and watched quietly. Inside the door, a little loli was almost completely hanging off the door, straining onto her tiptoes as she slowly shifted it.

She looked just like a cloth doll.

Xun Er detached herself from the door and habitually straightened her clothes. "Is something the matter?"

Someone who absolutely did not like lolis kept sizing her up the whole time.

Yesterday, he had only taken a few looks before Father kicked him out. Now, this counted as the first time he was seriously examining this so-called eldest young lady.

Her figure was frail, her face deathly pale, and the shadows under her eyes were dark with a bluish tint. She did not look malnourished, but she was definitely sickly. At a glance, she seemed like the type who hopped back and forth around the Gates of Hell every day.

"What is it?"

Xun Er instantly grew nervous.

It was not only because this person was a stranger. The rather irritable boy before her looked, at a glance, like someone who was not easy to get along with.

She stared without saying a word, her gaze not exactly friendly. Both her hands were wrapped in worn bandages, and her whole body gave off a feeling like stone.

Cold, silent, stiff.

"Uh..."

Xiao Yan immediately withdrew his gaze and coughed dryly a few times to hide his awkwardness. "This room is mine. I left some random bits and pieces in here, so I came over to tidy them up."

"Ah, actually, I didn't mean to..."

"What's wrong?" Xiao Yan turned back and asked, not knowing what this little one needed.

"N-no, nothing."

Xun Er instead took a step back, pursing her lips as she looked at him without saying a word.

"How weird."

Xun Er took another step back and shrank by the door, making no sound, only quietly watching him tidy up those little trinkets and stuff them all into a cloth bag.

They were a little far apart, so she could not see clearly what they were. Though she was indeed curious, she did not dare ask.

"All right, that's it."

The tidying was done.

Certain Xiao clapped his hands, like some punk who had just robbed someone of their pocket money, and even tossed out a line before leaving: "If anything comes up in the future, you can come find me. I guarantee I'll handle it for you."

In the end, he did not get even the slightest response. Xun Er only hid half her body behind the door, staring at him without a word.

No way, was she really this hard to talk to? Xiao Yan scratched his hair. "Did Father show you around the house? You should know the way, right?"

"I was planning to go." On account of that not-very-reliable uncle, Xun Er was at least willing to speak.

"...If you need maids or anything, you have to call them yourself. The more you order them around, the more they're paid, and it's deducted from the allowance assigned to you. That's just how the Xiao Clan does things. They won't wholeheartedly spoil anyone... huh?"

Xiao Yan, who had still been counting on his fingers and rambling, froze for a moment. "No way. Father didn't have anything major to do yesterday."

"It isn't Uncle's fault. It's my own problem..."

Xun Er was unwilling to say more. After that half-sentence, she shut her mouth.

With that, Xiao Yan suddenly remembered how she had looked last night. Even while asleep, her limbs had twitched from time to time.

So that was it.

"You're usually in a lot of pain, aren't you?"

"No..."

"Really not in pain?" Xiao Yan reached out and placed his hand on top of her head, rubbing it.

"..."

Xun Er lowered her head without replying. Before Xiao Yan could say anything else, her thin shoulders began to tremble.

"Sniff... uuu... cough, ugh..."

Xiao Yan:

No, I only asked a question! You don't have to react like this, do you? If someone sees this, won't I be done for? "Xun Er? Xun Er—" A loud voice rang out.

Xiao Yan turned his head with what could only be described as an earthquake in his pupils.

What he feared had come true.

The next moment, Xiao Zhan stepped into the courtyard carrying a bag of things. "Uncle Xiao Zhan brought you something, Xun Er..."

Xiao Yan followed his gaze and slowly turned back around. As if he had been electrocuted, he pulled his hand away and jumped several steps back.

"Dad. Uh, I, I didn't do anything, really!"

"Yan'er, come here~" Xiao Zhan set the things down and beckoned to him with a loving expression. "Your father has a few heartfelt words he wants to say to you."

"No! I'm serious, you have to believe me!" For every step Xiao Zhan took forward, Xiao Yan backed up two.

"Don't worry."

Xiao Zhan casually snapped off a tree branch. "Your father has his own judgment."

Creative liberties were taken. ()

It couldn't be the same as the original, right? If it were written out in detail, there was an eighty percent chance it wouldn't pass review.