"Grandma, don't panic. Although everyone thinks that, I don't agree. Look, his robes are bloodstained, but they're clean and orderly otherwise, not as though he's been through a life-and-death struggle. And I saw his expression just before he fainted. He wasn't panicked or frightened. Clearly, no one was hunting him down..."
Though Xi Yan was only a young girl, she could quickly analyze so many things. She truly combined beauty and intelligence, making her all the more endearing.
"Now that you put it that way, it does make some sense. But even so, you brought a man home. What will people say about you? How will you ever marry?"
At the mention of marriage, the woman's expression stiffened, and worry rose to her face. Xi Yan's tender face, bright with excitement a moment earlier, also dimmed at once.
"With that man pestering me, what reputation do I have left to care about? Even if I throw my reputation away, I won't marry him!"
"What a sin. How did we end up entangled with a scoundrel like that? He makes it sound so nice, saying he'll take you as his wife, but how many good girls has he actually ruined?"
"How could I not see through his honeyed words? When enticements fail, he resorts to threats. My dear friend Qiao'er was driven to her death by him."
At this, hatred showed in Xi Yan's eyes.
"But his family is so powerful, there's nothing we can do..."
"Don't worry, my dear. If we can't afford to offend him, surely we can hide from him? At worst, we'll leave Sword City and go somewhere he can't find us."
"Grandma, how can you be so muddleheaded? How could any move we make escape his eyes and ears? I brought someone home today. I'm afraid