See You Again, Elder Wang

Bei Zhi was fine, but Xiao Xiao's mouth twitched. Is this what they call a family's misfortune?

"No! No need!" Zheng Li immediately refused. After all, Wang Lao was his benefactor. Besides, agreeing would only make things awkward.

Xiao Xiao nodded to himself at Zheng Li's answer.

At least the kid had decent character.

"Oh." Wang Xin'er didn't insist. If she got caught, she'd definitely be scolded. To be honest, she was rather afraid of her great-grandmother, even though most of the time her great-grandmother was very kind.

Flying wasn't allowed within Xingluo City, but Xiao Xiao had the right to do so. He took Zheng Li and Wang Xin'er with him and flew toward the inner city.

Bei Zhi and the others had to travel by ordinary means. Xiao Xiao probably couldn't grant them permission to fly.

Xingluo City was vast, as mentioned before, but a Soul Douluo could fly extremely fast. A little over half an hour later, they landed in front of a mansion.

The mansion was very close to the imperial palace—or, one could say, right next to Star Luo Imperial City. Its grounds weren't particularly large.

"Kid, don't throw up here!" Seeing Zheng Li's condition, Xiao Xiao hurriedly warned him.

Before Zheng Li could say anything, Wang Xin'er glared at Xiao Xiao. "Uncle Xiao, this is my home. If I say he can throw up, then he can!"

Xiao Xiao: "..."

She wasn't wrong. He'd only followed Wang Lao because the Medical Immortal Douluo had saved his life when he was young, and he'd had nowhere else to go at the time.

Wang Lao was the deputy head of the Imperial Palace Offering Hall. He wasn't. He only took orders from Wang Lao.

Although he lived in the mansion in front of them, it didn't belong to him.

The young miss had every right to say that.

As it happened, Zheng Li only retched a few times. Once he stood up, he said with a bitter expression, "I already threw everything up. What else is there to throw up..."

His stomach and head both felt awful.

Wang Xin'er smiled awkwardly. "Haha, um, Zheng Li, let's go inside. It's all right that you threw up. I'll have a feast prepared for you, and you can eat later."

Zheng Li was speechless.

Eat after throwing up? He had no appetite for that.

As he entered the mansion, Zheng Li's first impression was that the air was much fresher, with a sweet fragrance to it. Then he felt the presence of life.

Instead of an empty courtyard, he saw a path lined with flowers of all kinds and colors. They were beautiful, and he was slightly surprised.

Even the path was paved with colorful stones, like a rainbow road.

"It's a little strange to have this kind of view right at the entrance, but it's beautiful..."

Hearing Zheng Li's praise, Wang Xin'er looked a little embarrassed. "I pestered my mother into changing it when I was little and didn't know any better."

"It's nice. Besides, you're still young," Zheng Li said with a nod.

"You... Hmph! I'm not going to argue with you."

Wang Xin'er knew perfectly well that Zheng Li was talking about her age.

At the end of the path stood a wooden bridge. Beneath it, a stream shimmered in the sunlight, its water exceptionally clear.

Beyond the bridge lay a bamboo grove. The stream separated it from the sea of flowers. Every stalk of bamboo looked translucent, like jade. It didn't seem to be ordinary bamboo.

Compared to the flower field, it felt like an entirely different world.

The air here felt cool and refreshing with every breath. Zheng Li's still-uncomfortable head cleared up considerably.

Xiao Xiao explained, "These bamboos are all Spirit Beasts called Emerald Bamboo—more or less, anyway. They haven't even reached ten years old yet, and Wang Lao keeps them restricted. If you pay close attention, you'll notice there's no heaven-and-earth energy in this bamboo grove, so you can't recover or cultivate here."

They were all Spirit Beasts? There were so many bamboo stalks here! Even if they were less than ten years old, that was still astonishing.

Zheng Li said quietly, "...I'm a little curious. Is there not a single gatekeeper at this enormous mansion?"

"No, and none is needed." Xiao Xiao shook his head, looking proud. "With Wang Lao here, who would be foolish enough to come looking for trouble at the Wang Mansion?"

Zheng Li was taken aback, then thought that made sense.

Wang Xin'er chimed in, "Don't listen to Uncle Xiao. The flower field and bamboo grove are the outer grounds. There are guards in the inner grounds. We'll reach them once we're past the bamboo grove."

Sure enough, after passing through the bamboo grove, Zheng Li and the others went through an arched gate and entered the inner courtyard.

Beside the bamboo grove, in front of the arched gate, stood a main building. An old man in the bamboo house greeted them kindly.

Wang Xin'er said he was the guard captain, a powerful Soul Master. His strength definitely didn't exceed that of a Titled Douluo. Unlike Xiao Xiao, the old man held a title of nobility bestowed by the imperial family.

The inner courtyard was much more ordinary, with rockeries, flowerbeds, ponds, and the like. It resembled the royal residences of ancient times in Zheng Li's world, though there were still differences.

The buildings also looked much older than those in Xingluo City.

"This mansion was built according to my great-grandmother's wishes. It's not bad, right?" Wang Xin'er said with a smile, her tone carrying a hint of pride.

Not bad? Zheng Li was speechless. It was so much better than his dormitory that there was no comparison.

"Rather than saying it's not bad, I'd say it's really nice."

"Right?"

At Zheng Li's praise, the little girl's eyes narrowed into crescents, and she looked delighted. Then she said hesitantly, "Um... Zheng Li, could you let Big Sister Xiao Nai out? I want her to see this too. There shouldn't be any danger here..."

Zheng Li: "..."

You're the biggest danger here! Little girl, do you think I don't know how you feel about Xiao Nai?

"Zheng Li, don't be stingy. I haven't seen Big Sister Xiao Nai for days. I miss her."

Zheng Li: "??"

What did she mean, stingy? Still, letting Xiao Nai out would be nice. She loved beautiful scenery. The inner courtyard wasn't as breathtaking as the flower field and bamboo grove they'd just passed, but it was still quite lovely, with plenty of flowers and plants. It seemed Wang Lao really liked them.

"All right."

Just as he agreed and was about to call Xiao Nai out, a gentle, elderly voice came from deeper within the mansion:

"Xin'er, you only miss your new big sister? Don't you miss your great-grandmother?"

Passing through one old-fashioned building after another, Zheng Li and the two girls reached the far end of the mansion.

Before them was a small courtyard with a wooden house. Its timber was pale green—the natural color of the wood, Zheng Li was certain.

There were plenty of plants in the courtyard, giving the whole place a cozy feel.

Wang Lao sat on a round tree stump on the left side of the courtyard. There were four such stumps arranged around a round wooden table.

What truly surprised Zheng Li was the life force filling the little courtyard. It felt as if a single breath could prolong his life.

Of course, that was just Zheng Li's impression; it wasn't really that powerful. But cultivating here over a long period would certainly bring great benefits.

"Great-grandmother!" Wang Xin'er cried and threw herself at her, her voice full of grievance.

"What's wrong, Xin'er? You're back now. Why are you crying?"

The Medical Immortal Douluo, Wang Xian'er, gently patted Wang Xin'er's back. Zheng Li and Xiao Xiao hadn't seen her crying, though.

"I wanted to cry, so I cried."

Zheng Li: "..."

She must have been so happy to see her family after being in danger that she finally felt safe enough to cry.

"All right, Xin'er, don't cry. Your Uncle Xiao and this young fellow who came back with you are watching."

Wang Xian'er looked at Zheng Li and inexplicably found him familiar. It seemed as if she'd seen him somewhere before, though she was certain she hadn't. A Super Douluo's memory was excellent.

"That's strange."

Back in the Xingluo Great Forest, she'd seen Zheng Li as an adult. The difference was still considerable. People did say that boys changed a lot as they grew up.

Only then did Wang Xin'er seem to realize Zheng Li was still there. She hurriedly got up from Wang Xian'er's arms, rubbed her eyes, and blushed.

Xiao Xiao then took the initiative to recount what Wang Xin'er had told him about their experiences. Zheng Li listened quietly without interrupting.

Xiao Xiao had already gotten the full story on the way back.

After listening, Wang Xian'er nodded, her expression unchanged.

"So why did you bring this little fellow back?"

"Well..." Xiao Xiao wiped his sweat. He couldn't exactly say outright that he suspected Zheng Li's identity—or that the young miss had feelings for him...

Under Wang Xian'er's gaze, he could only look at the young miss, then at Zheng Li.

Wang Xin'er was confused. "Uncle Xiao, why are you looking at me? I wasn't the one who wanted Zheng Li to come along. I told you not to go out of your way. And now look—you're about to get scolded by Great-grandmother!"

￣￣゜Sweat

Xiao Xiao said helplessly, "The young miss is right."

"Xin'er!" Wang Xian'er called out.

"Oh." The little girl immediately understood and lowered her head.

"All right, I understand what you're trying to say. Xiao Xiao, thank you for your hard work this time."

There was no way she couldn't understand. Xiao Xiao's hint, along with Xin'er taking his side in front of her great-grandmother... After all, Xiao Xiao had watched Xin'er grow up.

"It wasn't hard. The young miss escaped thanks to her own good fortune. Otherwise..." Xiao Xiao gave a bitter laugh.

Otherwise, with his speed, the young miss would already have been dead.

"Xiao Xiao, that's not how you should look at it." Wang Xian'er gently shook her head. "All right, thank you for your help this time. Go get some rest."

"I wouldn't dare take credit, Wang Lao. I'll be going, then."

"All right."

With that, Xiao Xiao left.

"Young fellow, thank you for looking after Xin'er this time, too. Consider me indebted to you. If you ever need anything or have a request, you can come to this mansion and find me." Wang Xian'er turned her gaze to Zheng Li and spoke warmly.

"Thank you..."

"Also, I have no objection to you and Xin'er..."

Before Zheng Li could finish saying "thank you," Wang Xian'er added those words.

Zheng Li was instantly dumbfounded. What was she talking about, him and the little girl? He had no idea!

Had Wang Lao misunderstood something?

In the Sea of Consciousness, Xiao Nai tightened her arms around Baobao.

Baobao: "Chirp! You awful human woman, loosen your grip! You're going to squeeze me to death..."

"Great-grandmother, what do you mean by 'Xin'er and me'?" Wang Xin'er was even more confused.

"Oh?"

Now Wang Xian'er was puzzled. After a moment, she shook her head with a laugh. "That Xiao Xiao! Looks like I misunderstood. Just pretend I never said anything."

"..." Zheng Li was utterly speechless.

"Young fellow, my offer still stands. Rest in that room today. Tomorrow, you can decide whether to stay or leave. You're welcome to stay here as long as you like. The Wang Mansion will always welcome you." As she spoke, Wang Xian'er pointed to a small room on the right side of the courtyard.

"All right. Thank you, Wang Lao."

Zheng Li bowed slightly to thank her, then turned without hesitation and headed for the small room.

This was too awkward! It all felt so unnatural, so Zheng Li decided to go with the flow and leave this "place of trouble."

Wang Xin'er: "..."

He just left? Had he forgotten about Big Sister Xiao Nai? Of course, she wouldn't say that in front of her great-grandmother.

"What a pity..." Wang Xian'er muttered as she watched Zheng Li enter the room.

"Great-grandmother, what's such a pity?" Wang Xin'er asked curiously.

"What do you think, Xin'er?"

"How would I know?"

The little girl was puzzled.

Wang Xian'er smiled without answering, then reached out with her aged hand and tapped the little girl's nose. "It's a pity to miss out on such an excellent great-grandson-in-law. Xin'er, you'll have to work harder."

"Great-grandson-in-law?" The little girl froze. When she understood, her face turned bright red. Stammering, she said, "Great-grandmother! What... what are you saying? Zheng Li, that guy, is... is nowhere near being that little fellow!"