Looking at Zhen Lingrong's hopeful eyes, Shen Xiaoyan felt a sense of immense pressure and was momentarily at a loss for words.
To call her "mother" again felt somewhat difficult.
She turned to the white fox instead, feigning calmness and said, "I'm asking you a question."
Zhen Lingrong watched Shen Xiaoyan's awkward demeanor, her eyes full of amusement. She didn't feel sad at all.
Since there was a good start, calling her mother was only a matter of time, wasn't it?
The white fox glanced at Zhen Lingrong and then said, "The King's mother is naturally the Queen Mother!"
"Pfft... Ha!"
Shen Xiaoyan burst into laughter. This answer was indeed what she had expected.
Seeing Shen Xiaoyan laugh so heartily, everyone felt a bit strange.
Although the title "Queen Mother" was a bit odd, did she really need to laugh like this?
Only Zheng Wei watched Shen Xiaoyan with a smile. Here, perhaps, only he knew why Shen Xiaoyan was laughing.
Shen Xiaoyan laughed for a long time before stopping. She composed herself and looked at the white fox, "Young man, stop joking."
Unexpectedly, the white fox shook his head upon hearing this and said with extreme seriousness, "I am not a young man; I am already over a thousand years old. And, I am not joking with you; I am very serious."
"..."
After examining the white fox from head to toe, Shen Xiaoyan said, "Are you a thousand-year-old fox spirit?"
The white fox's face lit up with joy upon hearing this, "How did you know?"
Shen Xiaoyan desperately wanted to say that she knew nothing, but this was not the place to talk.
Looking out the window, most of the people outside had already left. They should also depart.
However, Shen Xiaoyan's gaze fell upon Xi He, who was scorched black on the ground.
Her foolish and naive nature was truly something. Xi He had actually remained unconscious until now.
Now that they were leaving, should they take her along?
Or should they just abandon her here?
Perhaps Shen Xiaoyan's intention was too obvious, as Xi Jin and Xi Yin suddenly rushed out from a corner. The two knelt directly before Shen Xiaoyan, crying and begging, "Please, Miss, do not abandon my mother here. Today, she was blinded by greed and did wrong. It was her fault, and her current state is deserved and self-inflicted. We will watch over her from now on and never let her appear before Miss's Palace Master again. Please, give her a chance."
The two wept bitterly and spoke with utmost sincerity.
Shen Xiaoyan looked at the two of them and found it amusing.
Clearly, the two wished Xi He would die, yet now they were running out to beg without any regard for their dignity. Why was this? Everyone present probably knew.
They were afraid that if Shen Xiaoyan directly abandoned Xi He here, they would have no reason to return to Changqiu Palace with her.
After all, they could stay in Changqiu Palace solely because Xi He was Zhen Lingrong's maid.
If Xi He were gone, would Zhen Lingrong still take them with her?
Having thought of this, they naturally could not let Shen Xiaoyan abandon Xi He here. Even if they hated her and were unwilling, until they found a way to make Zhen Lingrong treat them even better, they could only let Xi He continue to live.
Suddenly, Shen Xiaoyan felt a pang of sadness for Xi He.
To be used by her own children, to live to this point, was truly unique.
"Carry her and follow," Shen Xiaoyan said, then turned to hug Ruan Ruan.
She wanted to see if, without Xi He charging ahead, the feelings between this brother and sister could still be so good.
The group bustled out of the private room. Not far outside stood the attendant who had led them earlier.
They followed the attendant out of the auction house but did not return to their previous residence.
"Tell your master that this Palace Master will return soon."
Zhen Lingrong said this and then took out her spiritual boat.
The spiritual boat rapidly enlarged in mid-air. Shen Xiaoyan and the others flashed onto the spiritual boat.
After everyone boarded, the spiritual boat turned into a streak of light and disappeared into the sky.
The attendant stared blankly in the direction the spiritual boat had vanished for a long time before snapping back to reality.
Now that Palace Master Zhen and the others were gone, how should he explain to his master?
The attendant stood in a daze for a long time, unable to come up with a coherent explanation. In the end, he withdrew his gaze and walked towards a certain direction.
On the spiritual boat, Shen Xiaoyan and the others were all resting with their eyes closed. They had been busy for most of the night.
Only when they returned to Changqiu Palace did they open their eyes and disembark.
"Elder Lin, arrange accommodations for everyone. Today, just rest well. We'll discuss any matters tomorrow," Zhen Lingrong instructed.
Lin Xin took the order and left with Yuan Heng and the others.
Zhen Lingrong was preparing to return to the bamboo building with Shen Xiaoyan, Shen Xiaoming, Zheng Wei, and Ruan Ruan, but unexpectedly, the white fox also followed.
Shen Xiaoyan looked at him in confusion, "Why are you following us? Go rest with Elder Lin. We'll discuss matters tomorrow."
The white fox firmly shook his head, "No, I must follow the King and be responsible for the King's safety."
"This is Changqiu Palace; it's very safe. Besides, I, Zheng Wei, and... Xiao Ming are here to protect." Shen Xiaoyan explained.
But the white fox still shook his head, refusing to agree.
Seeing this, Shen Xiaoyan looked at Zhen Lingrong. Zhen Lingrong was also helpless.
Just then, Shen Xiaoming spoke, "Big Sister, let him follow."
Alright, since Shen Xiaoming had spoken, Shen Xiaoyan couldn't say anything more and could only let the white fox continue to follow.
The group returned to the bamboo building and prepared to go to their respective rooms to rest.
The night passed uneventfully. When Shen Xiaoyan woke up again, it was already the next morning.
Sunlight streamed through the bamboo window onto the bed and Shen Xiaoyan's face.
Shen Xiaoyan rubbed her sleepy, blurry eyes before slowly sitting up.
Perhaps due to her cultivation, although she had felt very tired before sleeping, after only two or three hours of sleep, she was already full of energy, and all fatigue had vanished.
Zheng Wei and the three children were no longer in the room. Shen Xiaoyan gave a wry smile, never expecting that one day she would be the one to oversleep.
After Shen Xiaoyan got dressed, washed up, and went downstairs, she saw Zhen Lingrong playing with Ruan Ruan and the three children.
Seeing this scene, Shen Xiaoyan smiled knowingly.
It was evident that Zhen Lingrong genuinely loved children.
Of course, a part of this was due to her and Shen Xiaoming not being by her side since childhood.
Ruan Ruan was the first to see Shen Xiaoyan. She stood up and ran to Shen Xiaoyan, giving her a big bear hug.
Naturally, due to her small stature, she could only hug Shen Xiaoyan's legs.
Even so, she was very happy.
"Mother, why did you oversleep! The three of us didn't oversleep."
Shen Xiaoyan felt embarrassed. To be questioned by her three-year-old daughter about why she overslept, could it get any more awkward?
Fortunately, Shen Xiaoyan considered herself thick-skinned and didn't blush because of it. Instead, she said earnestly, "It's because Mother was too tired tucking you three in last night, so I overslept! If you all behave when you sleep and don't kick off your blankets, I'll wake up early to play with you."
Ruan Ruan listened and nodded very seriously, "Mother, Ruan Ruan understands. Ruan Ruan will never kick off her blanket again, and the two brothers won't either."
Shen Xiaoyan looked at her serious little face and felt a little sheepish.
Zheng Wei came out of the kitchen carrying breakfast and heard Shen Xiaoyan earnestly spouting nonsense, with her daughter cooperating so well. He couldn't help but laugh, "Ruan Ruan, come and eat!"
Only when they sat at the dining table did Shen Xiaoyan realize that Shen Xiaoming and the white fox were both there.
She hadn't seen them earlier and thought they hadn't woken up yet, but she didn't expect that they were actually helping Zheng Wei make breakfast.
Shen Xiaoyan knew Shen Xiaoming could cook, but the white fox?
Was he pretending to protect Shen Xiaoming while just standing by and watching?
As if sensing Shen Xiaoyan's thoughts, the white fox smiled and said, "I can cook too. These, and these, were all made by me."
As he spoke, the white fox pointed to two plates of exquisite steamed dumplings on the table.
These two plates of steamed dumplings looked crystal clear, their skins as thin as a transparent veil, and the filling inside was clearly visible.
"So, you made these?"
She had thought that Zheng Wei and Shen Xiaoming's cooking skills had improved significantly!
Picking one up and putting it in her mouth, the taste...
Shen Xiaoyan had always considered her own cooking skills to be excellent. She truly did not expect that there was always someone better.
"White fox, I finally understand the meaning of your existence."
Shen Xiaoyan swallowed the steamed dumpling in her mouth and quickly said this, then ate another one.
The white fox grinned upon hearing this, "Since everyone likes it, I will make more in the future."
Seeing the white fox's willingness, Shen Xiaoyan felt even happier. Such a willing person was truly rare.
Oh, wait, she had forgotten again. The white fox was not human.
Not long after finishing breakfast, Yi Zhixie and the others arrived.
Shen Xiaoyan asked, and Na Muzhong said they had already eaten breakfast, which they had also made themselves.
Since that was the case, everyone sat down, ready to continue the conversation they had not finished the previous night.
Shen Xiaoyan suddenly remembered that while she was focused on eating, she hadn't noticed that after the white fox cleaned up and changed his clothes, he was actually so charming and captivating.
He still had a pair of white mink ears on his head, and his nine snow-white tails still swished behind him.
Wearing a light purple brocade robe, he appeared even more exquisitely beautiful.
And it was a beauty that transcended gender!
With such a face that could topple nations, it was no wonder that the people attending the auction yesterday were so frenzied.
Imagine, not only could one easily increase their cultivation, but they could also enjoy such stunning beauty. Who wouldn't be moved?
The white fox felt a shiver run down his spine as Shen Xiaoyan stared at him. He leaned back and stammered, "W-why are you looking at me like that?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Xiaoyan chuckled softly, "You said you were a thousand-year-old fox spirit?"
The white fox frowned, "Not a fox spirit, I am a fox demon."
Shen Xiaoyan rolled her eyes, weren't they the same?
It was just a different way of saying it.
"Then where do you come from? As a thousand-year-old fox demon, you're living too miserably! Even so, you still said you wanted to take Xiao Ming away?" Shen Xiaoyan said, her suspicious gaze sweeping over the white fox.