Bai Yulin frowned. He had passed the blame precisely to avoid this situation, yet it had somehow become his responsibility again.
However, he always paid attention to his image and quickly put on a smile. He looked at Xing Yuan warmly and said, "Since that is the case, why doesn't the young lady stay at the manor for a while! Your master is exceptionally skilled in martial arts, so I presume you are no less. It would be good if you could teach my daughter a few moves to strengthen her body in your free time!"
Hearing Bai Yulin agree, Xing Yuan's face showed a hint of joy. She said humbly, "My martial arts are not as good as my master's, but I believe I can still protect your daughter."
Bai Yulin nodded, indicating he was tired, and asked them to leave.
Xing Yuan had achieved her goal and had no reason to stay longer. She pulled the still somewhat dazed Bai Qingyue away.
A while later, Bai Qingyue came back to her senses. Realizing she was being pulled by Xing Yuan, a blush appeared on her face. She then stopped and pulled her hand away.
By then, they had reached the vicinity of the Prime Minister's manor's garden. There was no one around.
Although Bai Qingyue found Xing Yuan a bit strange and her own attitude somewhat inexplicable, she still cautiously brought up the matter that concerned her most, "Uncle, when did he pass away?"
Looking at Bai Qingyue's expression, Xing Yuan suddenly realized that she cared about her relative even more than she had imagined. No wonder that half of the jade pendant had been so effective.
"When I was seven or eight years old, when I met him, he was already severely injured. He taught me internal energy and martial arts, and finally gave me this half of the jade pendant, telling me to find the person with the other half and unconditionally do three things for her." Xing Yuan did not want to lie to her, and besides, she had the right to know the truth.
"Is that so?" Bai Qingyue lowered her head, hiding the tears in her eyes. It was true, if her uncle were still alive, he would not have been unheard of for so many years. In her heart, he was a person more important than her father.
"So, yesterday you knew my identity and deliberately approached me?" Bai Qingyue adjusted her emotions and calmly analyzed.
Xing Yuan did not know why she would suddenly think that, but she felt it was indeed a good reason, so she nodded and admitted it.
"Yes! I had to see what kind of person my master's dying wish was about! Moreover, I heard that the other half of the jade pendant fell into someone else's hands. How could I be sure that person was truly you?" Xing Yuan's tone carried a hint of jealousy as she thought of this.
Bai Qingyue couldn't tell if she was disappointed or relieved, but hearing her mention the jade pendant, she couldn't help but emphasize, "I will get it back."
Xing Yuan didn't quite understand her persistence. It was just a dead object, why care so much? Thinking this, Xing Yuan asked.
Bai Qingyue was silent for a moment, then said, "You don't understand! This jade pendant has a very special meaning to me, so I must get it back."
"I can help you!" Xing Yuan offered proactively. "My martial arts are good, so helping you snatch the jade pendant back should not be a problem."
Bai Qingyue looked at Xing Yuan with some surprise, but still shook her head. "After all, it was my own carelessness that caused the jade pendant to fall into someone else's hands, so I should naturally get it back myself."
"Alright!" Xing Yuan did not argue further on this matter. Since Sister wanted to do it herself, then she could go and get it herself. Anyway, with her by her side to escort her, even if there were a few blind fools, Xing Yuan was confident she could protect Sister.
Bai Qingyue was unaware of her inner thoughts and was still immersed in her grief over failing to protect the only gift her uncle had given her. Perhaps she was truly incapable.
"Why are you following me?" It was only when they reached her own courtyard that Bai Qingyue realized Xing Yuan had no intention of leaving.
"Of course, I'm going to live here. You have several rooms here, just give me one!" Xing Yuan said as a matter of course. Since she had finally managed to get in, she naturally wanted to live in the same place as Sister.
Bai Qingyue frowned, her face clearly showing reluctance.
"The manor has guest rooms specifically for entertaining guests. If you don't know the way, you can ask a maid to take you."
"But, I just want to live here." Xing Yuan's voice softened. "Don't worry, I won't disturb you usually. Besides, didn't Sister promise me yesterday that she would be my friend? Why is Sister driving me away today?"
Xing Yuan looked at Bai Qingyue with accusing eyes, her tone pitiful as if she had been abandoned.
Bai Qingyue had always been outwardly cold but inwardly warm. If Xing Yuan had insisted on living there, she definitely would not have agreed. But when she spoke to her in such a pitiful tone, Bai Qingyue's heart softened uncontrollably, and she agreed before she could react.
By the time she realized what was happening, Xing Yuan was already acting as if she were home, tidying up the room and politely asking a maid to bring her some bedding.
Bai Qingyue didn't know how things had suddenly developed to this point, but seeing Xing Yuan awkwardly using cleaning tools to clean, she couldn't help but say, "Let me help you!"
"Okay!" Xing Yuan happily gave Bai Qingyue a smile. Yay! One step closer to Sister completely softening.
Bai Qingyue was never a young lady who couldn't do manual labor. On the contrary, because her mother had passed away early, she had learned many things. Thus, with their joint efforts, Xing Yuan's room was quickly tidied up.
There were few maids and servants in Bai Qingyue's courtyard. She liked quiet, and she was worried that the little ones might be bought over by Madam Yue, so she didn't have many people she particularly trusted.
The Prime Minister's manor also had daily necessities, so Xing Yuan didn't need to go out.
The news in the manor basically couldn't escape Madam Yue's eyes. As soon as she saw the maid from Bai Qingyue's courtyard coming out to tidy things up, Madam Yue knew someone was going to move in.
After Bai Yulin made his decision, he quickly informed Madam Yue. His original intention was to have someone arrange accommodation for Xing Yuan and warn her to pay attention to Xing Yuan's martial arts skills and not to do anything too extreme.
Unexpectedly, among so many important matters, Madam Yue's attention was drawn to the fact that Xing Yuan was a disciple of the deceased former mistress's brother. Although the person was dead, and it wasn't her who had secretly acted, Xing Yuan was, by all accounts, the disciple of that ferocious person. She knew very well how she had treated Bai Qingyue over the years, so after learning this, she felt a wave of unease.
Especially after hearing that Xing Yuan was moving into Bai Qingyue's small courtyard, she quickly stopped some of her previous plans. She understood Huangfu Song's strength and personality, but she had never met this disciple. With her cautious approach, she naturally had to understand thoroughly before taking action.