"I heard Meng Qinghua brought back a girl. Where is she?"
Nangong Li and Bai Yu Lan returned from an outing and, upon hearing the doorman speak a few words at the entrance, hurried inside.
At this moment, Meng Xiangxiang was still by the bedside of the young woman. Hearing the commotion, she quickly called out to stop them.
"Keep your voices down, don't wake her up."
After administering the antidote, she had also checked the young woman's pulse. Perhaps due to fatigue, her body was very weak, so she fed her some warm, nourishing soup and let her sleep soundly.
Bai Yu Lan pushed the person to the door, her eyes warning him not to speak further.
"Which young lady is she? I only heard at the door that a beautiful older sister had arrived inside."
She was also curious.
Three days prior, Meng Qinghua had been summoned away by a letter from Gu Qianying, and they had not received any news from him in the following days.
She had been planning to go to Nanyi Kingdom to check on things if there was still no news after a few more days.
Unexpectedly, before she could act, she heard that Meng Qinghua had brought a woman back.
She craned her neck to look at the bed. Although her eyes were closed, upon closer inspection, she was indeed a beauty in the making.
Meng Xiangxiang walked to the door with the medicine bowl.
"She was brought back by my brother, but it was Qianying who asked my brother for help to bring her back."
This made the two even more astonished.
"Qianying, what is her relationship with this woman?"
Although the gossip had subsided, Bai Yu Lan was still eager to know the details.
"I don't know much about that either. Brother only received a flying arrow message from Qianying asking for help to save this girl. We can wait for her to wake up before asking for more details; it's not too late."
She had rushed in with great excitement, only to find that she hadn't gathered any useful information.
Bai Yu Lan pouted and pushed Nangong Li away.
In the evening, after coaxing her son to sleep, Meng Xiangxiang remained by the woman's side. Fortunately, before the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), the young woman on the bed finally woke up.
After fumbling in the darkness for a long time, Su Yu Xi finally sensed light. She suddenly opened her eyes and saw an unfamiliar woman looking at her with concern.
"Who are you?"
She shook her head, asking about the situation with confusion.
"You're awake, miss. My brother saved you. Oh, right, my brother is a friend of Gu Qianying. Don't worry, you are safe here, and you will no longer be in danger."
Her words were like a calming pill.
Su Yu Xi looked around the room.
It appeared very elegant. There was a screen separating her from the rest of the room, which was filled with books. The incense burner nearby emitted a calming fragrance.
She coughed lightly, sat up, and bowed.
"My name is Su Yu Xi. Thank you for saving me."
Seeing her politeness, Meng Xiangxiang quickly helped her sit upright.
"You don't need to be so formal. Qianying asked my brother to save you, so she must consider you a friend. Since she is your friend, you are our friend too. You've slept for a day, are you hungry?"
Her gentle words made Su Yu Xi pause for a moment.
In Nanyi Kingdom, due to the nobility of women, their status was determined from birth. Because most people there were arrogant and overbearing, there were few women as gentle as this.
Seeing her silence, Meng Xiangxiang did not rush, assuming she was hesitant to speak due to unfamiliarity with her surroundings.
"Miss Su, you can rest here for now. I'll go cook some porridge for you. This is where Qianying used to live. If you're bored, you can walk around, but it's getting dark. Be careful when you go outside, lest you get lost."
Although Yi Jing Pavilion was not far from Nanyi Kingdom, they were on a remote island. If someone who didn't live there often went out, it was easy to get lost.
Su Yu Xi bowed slightly. She naturally wouldn't wander around carelessly.
This was the first time she had left home since she was a child. She was still somewhat wary of unfamiliar environments.
Seeing that she had responded, Meng Xiangxiang left the room.
This was truly a superb place. Su Yu Xi walked to the door.
Although the night was dark and the outside could not be seen clearly, the areas illuminated by the lights were still a scene of blooming flowers.
It was already late autumn, yet there was such a place with abundant blooming flowers.
This was truly more beautiful than the imperial gardens in the palace.
Su Yu Xi's gaze was momentarily captivated by the beautiful scenery under the moonlight, and her steps unconsciously moved outside.
"Who's there?"
A man's voice came from the flower bushes, and Su Yu Xi immediately became vigilant.
However, as she reached for her waist to draw her whip, she realized she no longer had her personal weapons.
A primal sense of hostility surged within her. She casually picked up a long plank nearby and walked towards the source of the voice.
Just as her footsteps reached the edge of the garden, a sword shadow pierced through the heart of a flower and shot out.
Su Yu Xi raised the plank to meet the sword light.
The moon hid behind the clouds at this moment. In the darkness, the two cautiously tested each other, yet they also pressed forward step by step.
The commotion here finally attracted Meng Xiangxiang's attention.
She abandoned the porridge in the pot and rushed into the courtyard.
Under the lamplight, she saw the two figures flying up and down.
"A Chun, stop fighting! This is Miss Su Yu Xi, whom Qianying asked my brother to save. She's one of us."
The mention of Qianying successfully drew the attention of both parties. They flew out from the flower bushes and landed in the lamplight.
Only then did Su Yu Xi see clearly that the person she had been fighting was actually a man.
How could a man know martial arts? Moreover, judging by the expression of the woman beside him, their relationship seemed very close, with the man taking the lead.
Su Yu Xi looked at Meng Xiangxiang with confusion. At this moment, she had already walked to the man's side.
"A Chun, this is Miss Su Yu Xi, whom Big Brother brought back this morning."
After introducing him, she walked back to Su Yu Xi.
"This is my husband. Don't be afraid. He always ties bamboo tubes in the garden before sleeping to collect the morning dew. I was also foolish and forgot to tell you about this while I was busy."
After speaking, she bowed slightly.
And the next moment, she quickly covered her mouth.
"Oh, my porridge! Miss Su, please wait here for a moment. My porridge seems to be burning."
The fire she had set earlier had been a bit too strong. Hearing the noise, she had rushed over, forgetting to turn down the heat.
Seeing his wife rush away in a hurry, Du Chun shook his head dotingly, then extended his hand to invite Su Yu Xi into the house.
"Miss Su, is it? I am also a friend of Qianying. It's late and the dew is heavy, please come inside and sit."
Su Yu Xi had never met such a distinguished gentleman.
Her gaze darted slightly, and she quickly walked into the house, lifting her skirt.