In This Troubled World, Only You and I (2)

She was here?

Qin Yi's gaze followed, and after more than a dozen breaths, he gradually heard the crackle of dead leaves breaking, accompanied by the rustle of clothing brushing against branches along the path.

Before long, the footsteps drew near.

Then—

Knock, knock, knock.

The crude wooden door was knocked upon, the sound dull and heavy.

The old proprietor's steady, measured voice came from the other side:

"Young Master, your family has come to take you home."

Qin Yi parted his lips, but the urgent voice from the girl beside him came first:

"Come in."

Creak—

The dilapidated courtyard gate was pushed open from outside.

Nie Junyue stood before the gate with a respectful posture, gesturing for those behind him to proceed first.

"The two of you, please."

A man and a woman stepped into the little courtyard over the dead leaves.

The man was handsome, clad in a deep blue-black robe. Every gesture carried the manners of a great aristocratic clan. He first gave Nie Junyue a light nod before stepping forward.

The woman appeared rather arrogant. Wearing a white dress embroidered with soaring cranes amid carved floral patterns, she strode straight past Nie Junyue with a cold expression and cast her gaze upon Qin Yi and Ruan Su within the courtyard.

Qin Yi wore a broad fur cloak, his black hair loose down his back. He stood where he was, silently examining the two of them.

Shang Jin and Fan You's gazes paused upon Ruan Su for a moment before they began assessing the handsome boy who was suspected to be the Eldest Young Master. They, too, said nothing.

In the end,

Ruan Su was the one who broke the silence.

"You... are Little Yi's family?"

"..."

Shang Jin and Fan You exchanged a look, seemingly hesitating over something.

Nie Junyue, dressed in fine brocade, also walked slowly into the courtyard. Outside, orderly ranks of armored guards could vaguely be seen. To demonstrate the importance he placed upon this handover, he had temporarily gathered nearly every capable hand from Immortal Guest House in Yellow Bamboo Town.

Nie Junyue cupped his hands in salute to those in the courtyard and spoke evenly.

"The two of you, this is the child I found according to your requirements. Would you like to use some method to verify him?"

"Yes!"

Ruan Su immediately took over, her voice sounding somewhat anxious. Turning back to the boy behind her, she said, "Little Yi, hurry and take out the jade pendant for them to see."

Qin Yi: "..."

Though he could discern Ruan Su's thoughts—she feared being abandoned, and so desperately wanted to prove her worth—in a situation like this, it would only reveal her shallowness and ignorance.

So he did not move. He merely gave Ruan Su a calm glance, telling her to keep quiet.

The other party should have taken the initiative now.

"..."

Swept by that glance, Ruan Su's heart trembled. She instinctively avoided his eyes, bit her lip, and lowered her head.

She... she seemed to have caused trouble again...

The winter wind swept down the last dead leaves clinging to the branches, its rustling carrying a bone-chilling cold.

Shang Jin looked to Fan You and gave him an almost imperceptible nod.

Fan You immediately stepped forward two paces, saluted Qin Yi, and said:

"We ask that you display the token."

Qin Yi drew a breath. Rather than doing as he was told, he asked slowly:

"Other than the token, do you have no other means of verification? I recall... there should be one, shouldn't there?"

As he spoke, he slowly tilted his head and looked directly at Shang Jin in her snow-white dress, asking with a faint smile:

"And you—has your clan never taught you proper etiquette, nor the distinction between high and low, judging by that look in your eyes?"

"..."

For an instant, their gazes met.

Looking at those deep eyes in that young face, Shang Jin lowered her gaze slightly and bowed to him.

She was astonished. She could not understand why a child who had wandered outside for so long possessed such bearing. From the moment he entered, even though the girl beside him was also extraordinarily beautiful, everyone's eyes had been firmly drawn to him.

Even the Second Young Master within the clan, who had a chancellor as his teacher, had never possessed such presence.

Taking a deep breath, Shang Jin quickly said:

"In reply to Young Master, there is indeed a method of verification. However, because of certain matters within and outside the clan, we are unable to obtain your life plaque, so we ask that you..."

At this point, she abruptly stopped, apparently not daring to continue.

Amid the bleak winter wind, a fallen leaf was swept up and struck the woman's luxurious hem. Silence gradually spread.

Nie Junyue silently watched the atmosphere in the courtyard shift in an instant. Glancing at the two people who remained bowed and did not dare straighten up, he shook his head almost imperceptibly.

Only after more than a dozen breaths did the child's voice sound again, carrying a faint trace of reproach:

"Who led this search? How did they handle matters? So many springs and autumns have passed. What if the token had been lost? Would you identify me by appearance? But you should only have a portrait of me as a child."

"..." Shang Jin lowered her head even further.

"..." Fan You seemed lost in thought.

Yet neither spoke.

After several more breaths,

Qin Yi gave a light sigh, took the jade pendant from his robes, and said:

"Look."

Hearing this, Fan You let out a breath of relief. He immediately straightened and stepped forward, intending to take it.

Qin Yi's dark eyes were half-lidded as he stared into Fan You's eyes.

"I said for you to look."

"..."

Fan You's body stiffened. He retreated more than half a zhang and answered:

"Yes."

Entering Spirit Realm vision, he examined it carefully for only a moment before realizing that this jade pendant was utterly beyond the level of someone like him to investigate. Yet its material was unquestionably that of a supreme treasure.

At that thought,

He simply dropped to his knees, bowing at the boy's feet, his voice turning humble and reverent.

"Eldest Young Master."

Upon hearing this,

Shang Jin immediately understood. She too knelt and echoed:

"Eldest Young Master."

After several breaths, Qin Yi unhurriedly put the jade pendant back into his robes before saying slowly:

"Get up. It's the dead of winter—how cold must it be kneeling on the ground?"

"Thank you, Eldest Young Master."

Fan You and Shang Jin rose from the ground. They did not bother dusting off their clothes, merely standing quietly in attendance as they waited for Qin Yi to speak again.

Seeing them become like this, Qin Yi thought, As expected, they're all just servants. He could only take the initiative and ask:

"Is the carriage ready?"

"In reply to Eldest Young Master, Mister Nie has prepared it for you."

Fan You was the one who answered, incidentally allowing the old proprietor to make an appearance as well. He likely knew absolutely nothing about the transactional relationship Qin Yi maintained with the old proprietor.

With that in mind, Qin Yi simply went with the flow and cupped his hands toward the old proprietor in salute.

"Mister Nie, thank you for your trouble."

Seeing this gesture once more, Nie Junyue was already somewhat flattered beyond measure. He hurriedly returned the salute.

"Young Master, it is merely my duty."

"..."

Straightening again, Qin Yi considered the strength of these two before looking at the girl beside him, who seemed as if her soul had left her body. His tone returned to normal, carrying a smile.

"Big Sister, time to go."

"..."

Ruan Su had remained in a state of panic over causing trouble for Little Yi. Hearing his call, she abruptly raised her eyes. When she saw the faint helplessness beneath the calm expression on the boy's face, her heart finally settled, and she hurriedly nodded hard.

"Ah... oh... alright! I... I'll go move the things!"

With that,

The girl happily prepared to return to the house to carry out those luggage cases. But at that moment, a somewhat abrupt female voice rang out—it was Shang Jin's.

"Eldest Young Master... we cannot bring a Calamity Seed back with us."