"Yo! Qinghe, it's been only a few days, but it feels like three autumns!"
Holding Dugu Yan, Yu Tianshuo headed toward Xue Qinghe, who was chatting with his sister-in-law.
When Xue Qinghe saw Yu Tianshuo, delight appeared on his face. But then he seemed to remember something. His face reddened, and he looked a little flustered and annoyed, though his expression returned to normal in the very next instant.
The gentle woman beside him hadn't noticed any of this, but Yu Tianshuo had seen it all clearly.
Seeing this, Yu Tianshuo couldn't help smiling. What had happened before had indeed been a little awkward, but they were partners now, so he'd let Qian Renxue beat him up for a while, and that had settled things.
She'd probably remembered some of what happened before as soon as they met today. Otherwise, her expression wouldn't have been so amusing.
The thought crossed his mind in an instant. By then, Yu Tianshuo had already reached the two of them. He first greeted his sister-in-law, then turned to Xue Qinghe.
"Qinghe, I'm planning to take Yanyan out for a stroll. Would you like to come along?"
As he spoke, he smiled and held Dugu Yan out a little toward Xue Qinghe.
Dugu Yan was quick-witted, too. She immediately smiled and called sweetly, "Brother Qinghe!"
At that, Xue Qinghe stopped caring about whatever had happened before. He smiled, took Dugu Yan into his arms, and nodded to Yu Tianshuo.
"Of course. Let's set off now."
He pressed his cheek against Dugu Yan's and rubbed it against hers. Dugu Yan giggled happily.
After Xue Qinghe agreed, Yu Tianshuo chatted with his sister-in-law for a couple of moments and asked her to take his senior brother back inside first. His senior brother was still stuck in his horse stance and couldn't get up.
Hearing that her husband still hadn't recovered, the woman covered her mouth and laughed. She nodded, reminded them to look after Yanyan, then hummed a tune as she went off to see her husband and have a laugh at his expense.
When Yu Tianshuo looked up, he saw envy in Qian Renxue's eyes.
But the moment their gazes met, her expression returned to normal, and she became Xue Qinghe once more, just as she was supposed to be playing him.
Yu Tianshuo was sharp. A single glance was enough for him to roughly guess what was going on.
Qian Renxue was probably envious of the life he had now: relatives who cared for and cherished him, with whom he could fool around from time to time.
His gaze softened at the thought.
He stepped forward, draped an arm over Xue Qinghe's shoulder, and grinned broadly as he teased him.
"Qinghe, since Yanyan likes you so much, you'll have to spend big today and buy her plenty of things."
Xue Qinghe was taken aback. His first instinct was to wonder whether Yu Tianshuo's words had some hidden meaning.
But Yu Tianshuo didn't give him time to think. He led Xue Qinghe straight out of the estate and toward the carriage waiting at the gate.
Once they were seated, Yu Tianshuo took Dugu Yan back from Xue Qinghe's arms. He teased her from time to time, then burst out laughing at her grumpy little expressions.
Watching them, Xue Qinghe's expression gradually softened, and envy returned to his eyes.
He no longer wondered whether Yu Tianshuo's words held some hidden meaning. He took them as a big brother who doted on his little sister asking someone to give her a few treats.
The carriage sped along, but the cozy atmosphere inside remained undisturbed.
Yu Tianshuo teased Dugu Yan while Qian Renxue watched enviously.
Only when the carriage came to a stop did they leave that warm atmosphere behind.
Yu Tianshuo turned to Xue Qinghe with a smile.
"Qinghe, we're here."
Xue Qinghe smiled back. "Mm. Let's go."
The two of them stepped out of the carriage one after the other.
As soon as she saw the market, Dugu Yan jumped down from Yu Tianshuo and dashed toward a little jewelry stall, her short legs spinning like windmills. As she ran, she urged them on.
"Brother, hurry! Yanyan wants to look at this!"
The two exchanged a glance and smiled, then followed behind Dugu Yan.
At the same time, a transparent film formed around Xue Qinghe. Once it had enveloped Yu Tianshuo as well, she returned to her female voice and asked him, "Your Soul Ring hunt went quite smoothly this time. You even managed to get your master a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring. Ask him later whether he'd like our Elder Hall to give him a token proving his identity."
"We can also prepare some Soul Bone rewards for you. If you're not in a hurry to get them, we can make the arrangements."
Only then did Yu Tianshuo remember that he still hadn't told his master about becoming an Elder Hall enshrined elder. He felt a little awkward.
Still, he smiled and cut Qian Renxue off, looking toward Dugu Yan as she fiddled with the jewelry.
"No need to talk about that yet."
"Our goal today is to relax. You should go see if there's anything you like, too. If not, we'll try another shop."
Hearing this, Qian Renxue stopped asking questions and quit overthinking everything.
She just stared at Yu Tianshuo in a daze, as though she couldn't understand anything he'd said.
Yu Tianshuo patted her on the back and nudged her forward a little, continuing, "That's it. Take some time to relax. Keeping your nerves taut all the time is exhausting."
Then he flashed her a broad smile, urging her to go take a look.
Qian Renxue didn't understand, but she still did as Yu Tianshuo said. She went over to Dugu Yan and began helping her choose jewelry.
Yu Tianshuo watched them, his expression warm.
But just then, a voice at his ear cut short his good mood.
"Kid, is it really a good idea to let the young miss pick out jewelry with a child at a roadside stall like this?"
"You could at least find a bigger shop. What's this supposed to mean? Do you look down on the young miss's wealth?"
Listening to Snake Lance Douluo's endless chatter, Yu Tianshuo merely picked at his ear.
As he watched Qian Renxue put jewelry on Dugu Yan, he spoke to Snake Lance Douluo, who was hidden nearby.
"As long as they like it, that's what matters. Whether it's expensive or precious comes second."
He flicked the finger he'd used to pick his ear and left Snake Lance Douluo with one last remark before heading toward the two who were waving him over.
"Besides, how long has it been since you last saw your young miss smile like that?"
Snake Lance Douluo stared blankly at Yu Tianshuo's retreating figure, stunned by his words.
That was true. How long had it been since the young miss smiled like that?
It seemed she hadn't smiled that way since leaving the Grand Pontiff's side.
Snake Lance Douluo stood there in a daze, watching.
He watched as the two women put a lady's headband on Yu Tianshuo—and saw the young miss's smile, one that came straight from the heart.
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