Coming?
Qin Yi's gaze followed suit. After more than ten breaths, he gradually heard the crackle of dead leaves breaking, accompanied by the rustle of clothes brushing against the branches lining 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 opened his mouth, but the girl beside him spoke first, her voice urgent:
"Come in."
Creak—
The dilapidated courtyard gate was pushed open from outside.
Nie Junyue stood at the entrance, his manner humble as he gestured for those behind him to enter first.
"You two, please."
A man and a woman stepped into the little courtyard over the dead leaves.
The man was handsome, dressed in a dark blue-black robe. Every gesture of his carried the etiquette of a great aristocratic house. He first gave Nie Junyue a slight nod before stepping forward.
The woman, meanwhile, appeared somewhat arrogant. Wearing a white dress embroidered with patterned flying cranes, she passed Nie Junyue with a cold expression and cast her gaze directly upon Qin Yi and Ruan Su in the courtyard.
Qin Yi wore a broad fur cloak, his black hair spilling loose behind him. He stood quietly where he was, sizing the two up without speaking.
Shang Jin and Fan You let their gazes linger on Ruan Su for a moment before beginning to assess this handsome boy suspected to be the eldest young master. Neither spoke.
In the end,
Ruan Su was the one to break the silence.
"Are you... Xiao Yi's family?"
"..."
Shang Jin and Fan You exchanged a glance, as though hesitating over something.
Nie Junyue, clad in fine brocade, also slowly walked in. Outside the courtyard, orderly ranks of armored soldiers could vaguely be seen. To show how seriously he regarded this handover, he had temporarily gathered nearly all of Immortal Guest House's best fighters in Yellow Bamboo Town.
Nie Junyue cupped his hands toward those in the courtyard and bowed, speaking evenly.
"You two, 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 toward the boy behind her, she said, "Xiao Yi, hurry and take out the jade pendant for them to see."
Qin Yi: "..."
Though he could understand Ruan Su's thoughts—she feared being abandoned and was thus desperate to prove her value—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 shut up.
The other side 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 only made things worse...
The winter wind swept the remaining dead leaves from the branches, its rustling carrying a bone-deep chill.
Shang Jin looked toward Fan You and gave him an almost imperceptible nod.
Fan You immediately stepped forward two paces, bowed to Qin Yi, and said:
"I hope you can show us the token."
Qin Yi drew a breath. Rather than doing as he was told, he slowly asked:
"Other than the token, do you have no other means of verification? I remember... there should be one, shouldn't there?"
As he spoke, he unhurriedly tilted his head, staring straight at Shang Jin in her snow-white dress. With a light laugh, he asked:
"And you—has your clan never taught you the proper etiquette of rank and respect, judging by that look in your eyes?"
"..."
Their eyes met for an instant.
Looking into those deep, youthful eyes, Shang Jin slightly lowered her gaze 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, though the girl beside him was also extraordinarily beautiful, the newcomers' gazes had remained firmly fixed upon him.
Even the second young master within the clan, who had taken a chancellor and general as his teacher, had never possessed such bearing.
Taking a deep breath, Shang Jin quickly said:
"In reply to Young Master, although there is a method of verification, due to certain matters within and outside the clan, we are unable to obtain your life plaque, so we ask that you..."
At this point, she suddenly stopped, seemingly 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 change in an instant. He glanced at the two people still bowed in salute, neither daring to straighten, and imperceptibly shook his head.
Only after more than ten breaths did the child's voice ring out again, carrying a faint, almost intangible reproach:
"Who was in charge of 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 my appearance? But you should only have portraits of me as a child."
"..." Shang Jin lowered her head even further.
"..." Fan You appeared deep in thought.
But no one made a sound.
After several more breaths,
Qin Yi sighed softly and took the jade pendant from his robes.
"Look."
At those words, Fan You let out a breath of relief. He immediately rose and stepped forward, intending to take it.
Qin Yi's black eyes were half-lidded as he stared into Fan You's eyes.
"I told you to look."
"..."
Fan You's body stiffened. He retreated more than half a zhang and replied:
"Yes."
Entering the Spirit Realm vision, he examined it closely for only a moment before realizing that this jade pendant was not something someone of his standing could possibly discern. Yet its material was undeniably that of a supreme treasure.
At that thought,
he simply dropped to his knees, bowing beside the boy's feet. His voice became humble and respectful.
"Eldest Young Master."
Upon hearing those words,
Shang Jin immediately understood. She too knelt on the ground and echoed:
"Eldest Young Master."
After several breaths, Qin Yi unhurriedly tucked the jade pendant back into his robes before slowly saying:
"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. Without brushing away the dust on their clothes, they simply stood quietly waiting for Qin Yi to speak again.
Seeing them turn into this state, Qin Yi thought that they really were nothing but servants. He could only take the initiative and ask:
"Is the carriage ready?"
"In reply to Eldest Young Master, Mister Nie has already prepared it for you."
Fan You was the one who answered, incidentally allowing the old proprietor to show his face. He apparently knew absolutely nothing of the transactional relationship Qin Yi maintained with the old proprietor.
At that thought, 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 again, Nie Junyue was already somewhat flattered. He hurriedly returned the salute.
"Young Master, this is all my duty."
"..."
Straightening again, Qin Yi considered the strength of these two people. He looked toward the girl beside him, who seemed as though she had lost her soul, and his tone returned to normal, carrying a smile.
"Sis, time to go."
"..."
Ruan Su had remained in a panic, convinced that she had caused trouble for Xiao Yi. Hearing his call, she immediately lifted her eyes. When she saw the calm yet faintly helpless expression on the boy's face, her heart finally settled. She hurriedly nodded hard.
"Ah... oh... okay! I... I'll go move the things!"
With that,
the girl cheerfully prepared to return to the house and carry out the suitcases. But just then, a somewhat abrupt female voice rang out. It was Shang Jin:
"Eldest Young Master... we cannot take a Calamity Seed back with us."
Before you continue