Xie Xun was in no hurry to return to the capital. First, he was certain that the Prince's attention was now fully absorbed by the seal he had already unlocked from him, so he would not send anyone to disturb the Former Empress's tomb for a while.
Second, he was still waiting for news from the Yin Yang Office.
Ever since Jiang Xiaoxiao had beaten the examiner Zhu Yan to near death, there had been no word from Yanjing City.
Dean Gu, as the person in charge, had already sent a thousand-mile message inquiring about it, saying that news should arrive within the next few days.
Xie Xun had an even more important reason for not rushing off – the night of the full moon was approaching, when Jiang Xiaoxiao's curse would take effect.
If they left now, it meant Jiang Xiaoxiao would revert to a child form midway. No matter how well he concealed it, he would inevitably reveal signs of her secret.
The little girl's secret could not be known to outsiders.
...
Su Hai brought his guards and palace maids to stay at the inn. He would come over every day to probe Xie Xun's intentions and see when he would return to the capital, so he could make arrangements.
However, Xie Xun's response was indifferent. He went about his routine, attending the academy every morning as usual.
Su Hai could tell that the Third Prince harbored some resentment towards Yanjing City and the Emperor.
But he could not say much, so he simply stood guard outside quietly.
Ever since learning Xie Xun's true identity, Yang Ershun spoke to him in a much softer tone.
As he put it, he had never been so respectful even towards his own father.
That day, Su Hai came again.
Xie Xun had already gone to the academy and was not home.
Jiang Xiaoxiao was in the courtyard, supervising Yang Ershun's meditation.
The boy was unruly – whenever someone came, he would lose focus. Taking advantage of Jiang Xiaoxiao's momentary distraction, he peeked an eye open to glance at Su Hai.
Jiang Xiaoxiao swiftly pulled a black cloth over his eyes, then thought for a moment and stuffed cotton into his ears as well.
Yang Ershun muttered, "Sister, isn't that a bit too harsh?"
Jiang Xiaoxiao said, "If you aren't serious now, those bad people will treat you even worse when they beat you up later."
Yang Ershun pursed his lips, not daring to retort.
He couldn't even avoid his own father's beatings, let alone those from outsiders.
He'd better focus on cultivating!
Jiang Hai stood by the courtyard wall, holding a sword as he watched the two of them.
It was hard to imagine that the unruly, bright Third Prince would have a silly girl and a lively child around him.
But on second thought, the Third Prince used to have that temperament too, mischievous yet smart and endearing.
If not for that incident, he would have been a carefree prince today.
Unlike now, his heart filled with so much hatred and resentment that his entire being had become cold and aloof.
From a certain perspective, Su Hai did not quite agree with how the Emperor had handled things. But he was just a guard after all.
His master gave the orders, and he could only follow, not ask questions or make his own judgments.
Thinking of this, Su Hai sighed quietly.
At noon when classes ended, Xie Xun would return to cook for Jiang Xiaoxiao.
Dean Gu came back with him.
Seeing Su Hai there, Dean Gu was taken aback for a moment.
But Xie Xun acted as if nothing was amiss, washing his hands and heading straight to the kitchen.
The fire had already been lit by Yang Ershun, and the vegetables washed, waiting only for Xie Xun to start cooking.
Afraid that Xie Xun would call him over to help later, Yang Ershun obediently stayed in the kitchen to assist.
Previously he had called out "Xie Xun", but now he addressed him as "Your Highness".
Xie Xun disliked that title, finding it grating, so he told him to use another.
Yang Ershun scratched his head. "Well, you're a prince, so I can't very well call you 'brother', can I?"
Xie Xun gave him a sidelong glance. "Think harder."
Yang Ershun's eyes lit up. "Sister...brother-in-law?"
Since he treated Jiang Xiaoxiao as his sister, calling Xie Xun his brother-in-law wasn't too much, was it?
Xie Xun raised an eyebrow.
Seeing no objection from him, Yang Ershun took it as consent.
Suddenly having a prince as his brother-in-law, he could barely contain his delight.
In the main hall, Dean Gu was talking to Jiang Xiaoxiao.
"Lady Jiang, news has come from Yanjing City."
After Zhu Yan had been beaten to near death last time, Jiang Xiaoxiao had already given up hope of being admitted to the Yin Yang Office. She had made the worst preparations.
Since Xie Xun would soon return to the capital openly as a prince, even if she could not join the Yin Yang Office, she could find another way to help him in the future.
But to her surprise, Dean Gu's words took a turn. "It's a message from National Master Bai Cheng himself. He admires you greatly and wishes to invite you to join the Yin Yang Office under his name as a master. He has even sent his youngest disciple Qin Fengmian to escort you, Lady Jiang."
"The Master?" Jiang Xiaoxiao was astonished. "Shouldn't he be furious that I nearly killed his senior disciple?"
Dean Gu said, "I know a bit about National Master Bai Cheng's character. He has always valued ability above all. Knowing that his senior disciple was severely injured by you alone, Lady Jiang, his focus would undoubtedly be on your skills rather than Zhu Yan's injuries."
After all, he could take in new disciples, but a talent as extraordinary as Jiang Xiaoxiao was rare to find.
Had Dean Gu himself not witnessed it at the inn that day, no one could have convinced him that a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girl had beaten a disciple who had cultivated for over ten years to the point of shattering his bones.
"So he's not angry? He's a strange person," Jiang Xiaoxiao once again found the people in the mundane world inscrutable.
But she would not dwell on such matters.
As long as she could join the Yin Yang Office, it did not matter whether there were any conspiracies. After all, she had her blade in hand to cut down any who dared cross her path.
She much preferred using her fists to talk.
Qin Fengmian was National Master Bai Cheng's youngest disciple, a youthful lad of only sixteen. His temperament was completely different from his senior brother Zhu Yan.
When Jiang Xiaoxiao went with Dean Gu to meet him, he was sitting on the roof, holding a jug of wine and humming a tune, singing so out of tune that it was enough to make one's face fall.
Seeing Jiang Xiaoxiao, Qin Fengmian let out a hearty laugh. "Indeed, just as I imagined – an outwardly frail and delicate young lady, yet capable of beating Zhu Yan to the brink of death. Haha, how interesting, most interesting!"
Jiang Xiaoxiao looked up at him.
Qin Fengmian raised his eyebrows at her. "Little girl, I want to have a bout with you too."
Jiang Xiaoxiao showed no expression. "A bout of what?"
"Nevermind comparing martial arts – if you could defeat even Zhu Yan, I'm certainly no match for you."
Qin Fengmian said, "How about you come up here, and we have a drinking contest instead? I'm renowned for being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. If you can beat me, I'll grant you one request."
Dean Gu frowned upon hearing this, "Mister Qin, isn't this joke going too far?"
Qin Fengmian remained silent, only looking at Jiang Xiaoxiao.
Dean Gu said in a low voice, "Miss Jiang, the National Master himself has invited you to join the Yin Yang Office, which means he has acknowledged your abilities. There's no need for you to compete with Qin Fengmian now.
This fellow is just a drunkard. You're a young lady - what business do you have drinking alcohol?
Besides, if the Third Prince finds out about this, I won't be able to explain myself!"
Jiang Xiaoxiao barely listened, only responding to Qin Fengmian on the roof with a simple "Okay."
Dean Gu was dumbfounded.
Even Qin Fengmian didn't expect her to agree so readily, "Are you sure you want to compete?"
Jiang Xiaoxiao said, "After Xie Xun enters the capital, he'll need a little attendant. I think you'll do well - if you lose, you'll go be his attendant."
Qin Fengmian didn't get angry. Instead, he laughed, "Little girl, what if I win?"
Jiang Xiaoxiao spoke in her usual calm tone, "If you win, you can name your terms."
"What if I want you to marry me?"
"Okay."
Dean Gu's face turned black with anger, "Qin Fengmian, you're going too far!"
"Hahaha..."
Qin Fengmian took a big gulp of wine, wiping his mouth with his sleeve in a bold and brash manner befitting his age.
"Why is Dean Gu in such a hurry? In our circle, ability is paramount.
My master has always favored those with great talent and strength, and I am no different.
A powerful practitioner like Miss Jiang is hard not to be attracted to!"
Dean Gu had lived many years but had never seen someone so shameless. His old face was black with anger.
However, before he could say anything, Jiang Xiaoxiao had already flown up to the roof.
Qin Fengmian smiled sweetly at her, "Since Miss Jiang is so eager, I won't decline. Servants, bring the wine!"
An hour later, a long row of wine jars was arranged on the roof.
Qin Fengmian handed one to her, "If you can't drink anymore, just say so."
Jiang Xiaoxiao took it, opened the lid, and tilted her head back to pour the contents into her mouth.
Soon, the entire jar was empty.
Jiang Xiaoxiao reached for the second jar.
Qin Fengmian hadn't taken a single sip yet, and the confident expression on his face gradually turned to disbelief.
Because the second jar was already empty, and Jiang Xiaoxiao was opening the third.
This was strong liquor - even if she drank it like water, it would be understandable.
But the key issue was, how could she handle chugging so much liquor at once?
Qin Fengmian was utterly baffled. Even if it were just plain water, drinking that much so quickly would make most people vomit, right?
Yet Jiang Xiaoxiao not only didn't throw up, she didn't even show the slightest sign of being drunk from the alcohol.
What kind of devilish drinking ability and tolerance was this?!
Dean Gu, who had been watching from below, was also astonished by Jiang Xiaoxiao's drinking capacity.
This young lady never ceased to surprise him.
Jiang Xiaoxiao was about to open the fourth jar.
Qin Fengmian grabbed her wrist, "Enough, enough, I concede. Don't drink anymore, or something bad might happen."
Jiang Xiaoxiao looked at him, "So are you going to be Xie Xun's attendant now?"
Qin Fengmian produced a folding fan from somewhere and used it to fan her, "As long as he doesn't mind keeping a romantic rival by his side, I have no objections."
