"Here's what happened."
"Oh! So that's how it was."
"Got it, got it."
Once they understood the whole story, they immediately forgave Cao Yu. They even thought he had done the right thing and could not resist planting a few kisses on his face.
Yet Cao Yu inexplicably felt as though they were staking their claim.
They were openly telling everyone else that they were his owners.
How helpless he felt!
The older girls' profound love suddenly made him feel a little guilty.
But the Cao Clan's ancestral teachings from his previous life told him to always live up to the spirit of his ancestors!
He could not forget the ancestral teachings.
Much less forget his roots!
Although they felt that the stunning beauty before them might well become a formidable rival, Xu Jiujiu, Tang Ya, and Ning Tian still sympathized deeply with Jiang Nannan's plight.
There was no helping it. Girls were emotional creatures.
Before long, they had become familiar with Jiang Nannan and started sorting themselves by age.
Still, they continued addressing one another by name.
Looking at this heartwarming scene, Cao Yu did not know what to say.
In the end, he could only lead Jiang Nannan and her mother to the Cao Hotpot Restaurant.
Several Cao River Snail Rice Noodle Shops were also open not far from the restaurant.
Business at these shops was now booming too.
However, river snail rice noodles had a smaller audience than hotpot. Those who liked them loved them to death, while those who disliked them could not get away fast enough.
The smell of river snail rice noodles really was hard to compliment, so it was no wonder some people disliked them.
This was much the same as in his original world, so Cao Yu had expected it.
After arranging work and accommodation for Jiang Nannan and her mother at the hotpot restaurant, Cao Yu hurried straight to the Star Luo Imperial Family.
Watching Cao Yu leave, Jiang Nannan clenched her slender hands tightly, her gaze resolute.
"I'll definitely earn enough money to pay you back!"
"But..."
Then another thought occurred to Jiang Nannan. If things really were as he had said, what would she do if she could not repay him?
"No! Impossible. I'll definitely be able to pay him back!"
"Hmph! Just you wait."
The Star Luo Imperial Family.
Guardian Douluo Cheng Gang and the others were sitting in the royal hall, savoring fine wine.
Xu Tianshui held a book in one hand and adjusted his glasses with the other. They had only a single lens frame.
Beside him, Cheng Gang could not stand watching any longer and shouted, "Hey! Listen, if we're drinking, just drink. Can you stop acting like some old pedant?"
"I, Cheng Gang, have hated those frail scholars more than anything all my life!"
Xu Tianshui calmly turned a page without responding to him.
Liu Kongzhu and Lu Xuanshui snickered at the side. Who told him to ask for a snub?
Served him right!
With no one willing to pay him any attention, Cheng Gang could only drink sullenly by himself, pouring cup after cup into his stomach until his face and ears turned red. It was unclear whether he was angry or drunk.
As soon as Cao Yu entered, he saw them gathered together drinking.
He could not help exclaiming, "What a leisurely retirement!"
His voice naturally alerted Cheng Gang and the others as they drank.
Only then did Xu Tianshui raise his head. Smiling, he slowly set his book on the table and stood up.
He said, "Hey! What brings you here, brat?"
Cao Yu replied, "Uncle Tianshui, I missed you, so I came to visit."
"Uncle Cheng Gang, drowning your sorrows again?"
"Uncle Mysterious Water, Uncle Hollow Bamboo, why aren't you talking him out of it? This has happened several times already."
Liu Kongzhu said with exasperated amusement, "Hahaha! He brought this on himself. You can't blame us."
Lu Xuanshui agreed. "Who told him to run his mouth? That's just his rotten temperament."
There was a slap against the table.
The man stood up.
"Hmph! What's that supposed to mean?" Cheng Gang snapped, his face growing even redder with anger.
At this point, Xu Tianshui stepped in to smooth things over and asked, "Go on, then. What have you come to us for this time?"
"Uncle Tianshui, uncles, come with me to the White Tiger Duke's Mansion."
"The Duke's Mansion? What are we going there for?"
"To show you a good performance and ask for two people while we're there. I might offend someone this time. Uncle, you understand."
All right! We have to help clean up someone else's mess again.
Only this time, the stakes were rather high, and they did not know whether they could handle it properly.
In any case, Xu Tianshui and the others had resigned themselves to their fate.
Someone else caused trouble up front, and they followed behind to wipe his backside.
The capital of the Star Luo Empire.
Fifty li northwest of Star Luo City.
Here stood an enormous mansion covering more than three thousand mu, displaying magnificent grandeur everywhere.
Its golden roof tiles and beams shone dazzlingly beneath the sunlight.
Inside the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.
People came and went, though it was no livelier than a city.
Within the mansion, a child of only nine knelt on the icy floor with his head lowered.
His hands braced against his thighs as he cried softly.
A lavishly dressed woman stood on the steps. Sunlight streamed through the doorway, but her long skirt blocked it, leaving this place somewhat dark and cold, without the slightest hint of warmth.
Looking at the child, the woman laughed contemptuously. "Haha! What right does someone like you have to live in this mansion?"
"Useless thing. All you do is disgrace us."
The child suddenly raised his head, wanting to say something, but the movement tugged at the wound on his mouth. It had been left by a whipping and had yet to heal completely.
Seeing him like this, the woman laughed even more brazenly.
A maid beside her said softly, "Madam, it's time to leave, or the duke will find out."
The woman turned to leave.
Suddenly, she looked back and said, "Don't forget, your mother is beneath even a servant."
"Hehe, remember to kneel and beg for mercy the next time you see us. Do you hear me?"
"Otherwise, we'll beat you every time we see you!"
After the woman left, the mocking laughter around him instead rang out without end.
It came from a group of servants.
"The lowest of the low!"
"You and your mother are both trash! Hahaha!"
He clenched his fists tightly, his fingernails digging into his flesh as drops of blood trickled down.
They fell onto the floor, without a trace of warmth.
Cao Yu and the others landed inside the White Tiger Duke's Mansion.
He had brought his Shadow Clone along again this time.
The trial card's effect had yet to wear off, so he could use it to bolster his presence.
Xu Tianshui and the others, however, landed behind him looking rather helpless.
Was he here to fight?
So Xu Tianshui hurriedly said, "Could you avoid killing anyone? Or driving anyone insane?"
Remembering how those two foreign princes had gone mad before made Xu Tianshui's teeth ache.
If this brat took a dislike to the White Tiger Duke and slashed him into insanity too, it would be difficult to explain to His Majesty.
"Relax! I'm only here to ask for people. Besides, this isn't the time to slash anyone. The timing's wrong. I won't do anything rash," Cao Yu reassured him.
Yet the more he listened, the more something seemed wrong.
What are you playing at?
So, according to that, you won't slash anyone now, but you'll do it later? Isn't that the same thing?
Hopefully, he would not act recklessly.
That was all they could hope for.
By now, the people in the White Tiger Duke's Mansion had also reacted.
Someone called out, "Young Master Cao, Your Excellencies Tianshui, Cheng Gang, and Mysterious Water Douluo, please wait a moment. We'll notify the White Tiger Duke to come at once."
They hurried away, calling as they went, "Your Grace, distinguished guests have arrived!"
(End of chapter)