Chapter 54: Clamor

“No need, I can manage on my own,” the old woman refused gently.

“But it’s only right,” Li Xintian replied, turning to the servant. “I’ll return this evening.”

“Yes, Scholar Li,” the servant responded with a nod.

Li Xintian walked along the street, supporting the old woman with his hand.

“Granny, who was the one you fought with that night? And what were you fighting over?” Li Xintian asked as he helped her along.

“He’s called Hu Xin, and he’s cultivated for nearly a thousand years. In order to break through that threshold, he resorts to absorbing people’s essence and gouging out their hearts. And stop calling me ‘granny’—my name is Hu Xingniang,” she replied.

“Granny Hu, where is that Hu Xin from? And where did you come from?” Li Xintian felt a sense of curiosity.

“Hu Xin comes from Qishan. I myself am from a certain Hu estate. I have two daughters at home, but telling you more wouldn’t mean much—you wouldn’t know the place,” Hu Xingniang said with a laugh.

Qishan was two hundred kilometers from the county.

“I do know someone with the surname Hu. Do you know a Hu Qiuyan?” Li Xintian recalled and asked.

“She’s my daughter! You’ve met her? How is she doing?” At the mention of Hu Qiuyan, Hu Xingniang’s voice trembled with excitement.

Li Xintian recounted how he’d met Hu Qiuyan, describing the ordeal their family faced during the heavenly tribulation. As he spoke, Hu Xingniang gripped his hand tightly, only relaxing when she learned all was well.

He also explained that the tribulation had been resolved, and that Hu Qiuyan was still with him, now staying at the Hong estate—though he omitted mention of the scoundrel Yang Zhenye.

“By the way, Granny Hu, why didn’t you go home that day?” Li Xintian asked once he’d finished recounting the events.

“Ah, it’s a shameful thing—if not for being delayed by certain affairs, I’d have returned long ago. I’m relieved to know my daughters are safe. Thank you, Young Master Li, for your help,” Hu Xingniang said gratefully.

“Isn’t it time you started calling me something else?” Hu Xingniang then added with a smile.

Though Li Xintian hadn’t explained exactly how he resolved the tribulation, she trusted him deeply.

“You’re right, Auntie,” Li Xintian replied, smiling as well.

“Good, good!” Hu Xingniang could tell he was a responsible and respectful young man. She mused that her daughter Hu Qiuyan had chosen well, and felt reassured by her judgment.

“Why don’t you bring Qiuyan to visit me tomorrow? We’re almost home,” Hu Xingniang suggested as they reached the entrance to a courtyard.

“Certainly, I’ll take my leave then, Auntie. Please be careful in the coming days. I fear Hu Xin’s cultivation has reached the millennium mark; if there’s any danger, come find me. You go on inside,” Li Xintian said, stopping at the gate.

“Why not come in and sit for a while? There’s no rush to leave—share a meal with us before you go,” Hu Xingniang invited.

“Then I’ll accept your hospitality, Auntie,” Li Xintian replied, clasping his hands in thanks.

Hu Xingniang stepped forward and knocked on the door.

“Madam!” A maid opened the gate and, seeing Hu Xingniang, bowed respectfully.

Li Xintian noticed the maid’s skirt bulged at the back—a tail.

“Go prepare some dishes. We have a guest,” Hu Xingniang instructed.

“Yes, Madam,” the maid replied, hurrying away.

“Auntie, her transformation isn’t complete yet, is it?” Li Xintian asked after the maid left.

“Come in first,” Hu Xingniang said, taking his hand and leading him inside. The gate closed behind them. “Little Hui was enlightened by me, but she’s not cultivated a full hundred years yet, so she’s still left with a tail.”

“Young Master Li, is there anyone else in your family?” Hu Xingniang asked as they walked.

“My parents are both alive, and I have a younger brother,” Li Xintian replied, realizing he couldn’t avoid the customary inquiry about one’s household.

“Oh, that’s good. If my younger daughter weren’t already married, we could have become relatives.” Hu Xingniang chuckled.

“My younger brother is still underage, but already engaged, so there’s no need to worry, Auntie,” Li Xintian quickly lied for his brother Li Shangyun—he was indeed underage, but the engagement was fabricated. It was one thing for him to fall into a trap, but he wouldn’t let his brother follow.

“Is that so? What a pity,” Hu Xingniang said with genuine regret.

“I was going to recommend a distant niece of mine,” she added.

Li Xintian broke into a cold sweat.

After dinner, Li Xintian didn’t linger. Hu Xingniang’s relentless questioning about his background left him feeling besieged, and he beat a hasty retreat from the household.

“Little Hui, what do you think of the young man who just left?” Hu Xingniang asked the maid massaging her shoulders.

“Madam, I couldn’t quite tell, forgive me. I haven’t seen much of the world. Please, you tell me,” Little Hui replied as she massaged.

“In my view, Young Master Li is quite good. He didn’t look down on us; he saw my true form last night and wasn’t frightened. When we met today, he greeted me warmly. Clearly, he’s a man of uncommon abilities.”

“And since he’s with my eldest daughter Qiuyan, he surely knows her identity as well,” Hu Xingniang said, startling Little Hui.

“Oh no! Doesn’t that mean my identity is exposed too?” Little Hui exclaimed.

“Are you trying to scare me to death with your fussing? If Young Master Li isn’t afraid of me, do you think he’d fear a little demon who hasn’t even cultivated a hundred years?” Hu Xingniang tapped Little Hui on the forehead, exasperated.

Little Hui stuck out her tongue and grinned.

At the Hong estate.

“My lord, she must leave today, or I’ll end my life along with your child,” Yu Bao said, caressing her swollen belly.

“My lord, I didn’t do it—I truly didn’t,” Yang Surong protested, glancing at the medicinal herb on the table, recognizing it as an abortifacient.

“I saw it with my own eyes this time. Still want to deny it? You’re just afraid I’ll have a son to carry on the Hong family line, so you stoop to such vile tricks to make me miscarry. How cruel you are!” Yu Bao wept, dabbing her tears with a handkerchief. “My lord, it’d be better if mother and child were dead.”

“Nonsense! If I hadn’t begged my lord to take you as a concubine, how would you have entered the Hong estate?” Yang Surong’s heart ached, her eyes red with tears.

“Surong, why don’t you leave for a while? Once Yu Bao has given birth, we can make further arrangements,” Hong Tianyun said after some hesitation, ultimately siding with Yu Bao and her unborn child.

Hearing this, Yang Surong turned and fled the Hong estate in tears.