Tang Youxi revealed a flustered expression after Tang Ruiyang left, pacing back and forth in the living room, muttering repeatedly, "What to do... what to do... what to do..."
"Big Sister, stop pacing. You're making me dizzy watching you go round and round," Erya said, resting her chin on her hand and tilting her head as she looked at Tang Youxi. "If anyone's bothering you, tell me, and I'll kick their butts!"
Hearing Erya speak like this, the worry lines on Tang Youxi's brow eased slightly, a smile appearing at the corners of her mouth. Then, she sighed heavily, clearly troubled by the current situation.
Her injuries had not yet healed, and if she rushed back, it would likely only be a path to death.
But if she continued to cower, the Tang family's ancestral foundation might truly be handed over to those beasts. How could she be reconciled?
Did she truly have to risk everything...
"Actually..." Xia Qingtian said, leaning against the soft cushion of the sofa and propping her chin with one hand, "it's not like there's no way."
Upon hearing Xia Qingtian's words, everyone else in the living room turned their heads in unison towards her.
"The Lei family will give me an invitation. You can all enter with me at the auction. If those people from the Tang family dare to bring that fake family head, you can stop them in time. Moreover, everyone present will be a prominent figure. If the Tang family truly wanted to harm you, they wouldn't act at that moment. And at the auction, you can gauge the attitude of various families towards that treasure map and choose reliable people to cooperate with, which will help you reclaim the Tang family."
After a pause, Xia Qingtian narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "It's just that afterward, you might not have much time to recover."
Once Tang Youxi appeared at the auction, the Tang family and those behind the scenes would be on high alert. Any subsequent capture or assassination attempts would be unavoidable.
Tang Youxi was still seriously injured and not fully recovered. Whether she could remain safe was truly uncertain.
"What are you afraid of!" Erya declared with a small fist, snorting. "As long as I'm here, who dares to bully Big Sister!"
Big Sister was her twin sister, and bullying Big Sister meant bullying her, Erya.
In this world, no one could bully her, Erya—that's what Master said!
"Yes, let's do it this way." After a pause, Tang Youxi asked hesitantly, "But will this cause you trouble?"
"It doesn't matter. If that fake family head is who I suspect, then this enmity has long been established. What's one more incident?" Xia Qingtian raised an eyebrow slightly, her gaze icy.
She hadn't yet avenged Shi Xingwu's injustice.
"I'm going out for a bit," Xia Qingtian said as she stood up. "If we're going to make a scene at the Lei family's auction that day, I'll need to find some external help."
"I'll go with you!" Erya immediately said. "I can find external help too. Let's find external help together and kick their butts!"
"You'd better stay put," Xia Qingtian said, poking Erya's forehead. "This is a society governed by law. If you're caught red-handed, even I won't be able to protect you. Be good and go play somewhere else."
"Mmm..." Erya folded her hands over her forehead, looking aggrieved as Xia Qingtian walked away. She mumbled discontentedly, "Big Sister! Look at her!"
If she were to marry Xia Shang in the future, then Xia Qingtian would have to call her 'little aunt.' How dare she treat her like this!
"Alright..." Tang Youxi looked at Erya and smiled helplessly. "I appreciate your kind offer, but you really can't help with this. Why don't you go play with something else, be good."
After saying this, Tang Youxi went upstairs with Shen Yao. Now that they were in the same boat, discussing some details wouldn't hurt.
"Always treating me like a child... I can help too! Hmph!" Erya watched their retreating backs, puffing out her cheeks. Her round eyes flickered, and Erya clenched her small fists. "Just you wait! I'll surprise you then! See who dares to treat me like a child! Hmph!"
With that, Erya skipped out the door.
Meanwhile, Xia Qingtian had arrived at her destination.
To protect Tang Youxi and escape the Lei family's auction unscathed, Xia Qingtian needed to find a sufficiently reliable and powerful backup.
Therefore, she had come to visit the Wen family.
Making a spontaneous visit at this hour, Xia Qingtian felt a bit embarrassed. But the situation was urgent, and she couldn't help it, so she bought many gifts on the way.
The Wen family was somewhat surprised to know Xia Qingtian had come, but there was no reason to turn her away.
After Xia Qingtian entered the main hall, before she could apologize for her abrupt visit, she saw someone on the Lei family's sofa whom she absolutely never expected: "Hmm? Pavilion Master Shi?"
"Miss Xia?" Pavilion Master Shi also hadn't expected Xia Qingtian to visit the Wen family and sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "What a coincidence, isn't it?"
"Why are you here? Where is Shi Xingwu? How is he?" Xia Qingtian immediately asked.
"He's fine, he's fine. He's awake now, but the locations of those two shots were quite dangerous. He can't eat anything yet. His mother and the others are with him," Pavilion Master Shi said, waving his hand. "I'm here to visit relatives, and incidentally... to handle some personal matters."
"Visiting relatives?" Xia Qingtian then looked at the person sitting opposite Pavilion Master Shi. He appeared to be a bit older than Pavilion Master Shi, dressed in a sharp suit with a square face, giving him an appearance of integrity.
"This is Shi Xingwu's maternal uncle," Pavilion Master Shi introduced, then looked at the man opposite him and introduced Xia Qingtian. "This is the sister of my little apprentice that I just told you about."
"Hello," Xia Qingtian nodded and greeted him. "My visit is rather abrupt and presumptuous."
"It's alright. You're here about Shi Xingwu's matter, aren't you?" The man sized up Xia Qingtian and said, "We appreciate your intentions, but the Lei family is not something that can be swayed with a simple word."
"It wasn't the Lei family who injured Shi Xingwu," Xia Qingtian immediately stated. "I went to the Lei family this morning. From them, I learned that Young Master Lei San only electrocuted Shi Xingwu; the one who fired the shots was someone else."
"Who was it!" Pavilion Master Shi asked immediately.
"It was..." Xia Qingtian paused, genuinely unsure how to explain. "It was another group. The situation is a bit complicated. I actually came to the Wen family to ask Wen Jiu for help."
"Wen Jiu is not temporarily at the Wen family," the man replied.
"Then what about Wen Yao?" Xia Qingtian asked immediately. If it were Wen Yao, her combat prowess should be able to help.
"Unfortunately, neither of them is here temporarily," the man replied. "They'll likely be back next week at the earliest."
"Next week..." Xia Qingtian frowned slightly. By next week, it might be too late.
"Why are you looking for Wen Jiu?" Pavilion Master Shi asked.
"The Lei family's auction is in three days. The group that injured Shi Xingwu will be attending. I want to find someone trustworthy to help me," Xia Qingtian answered truthfully. "The matter is quite troublesome and might offend quite a few people. After much thought, only Wen Jiu is suitable."