Shu He had no intention of going, but seeing Xiao Yi'er’s glistening eyes fixed on Baili Moqing’s departing back, she couldn’t bear to refuse.
When they reached the western courtyard, Nan Qi summoned Uncle Zhang. At the sight of the woman covered in blood, Uncle Zhang turned pale with shock.
"Uncle Zhang, prepare some water and clothing so she can wash up and change," Nan Qi commanded.
The blood on her was an eyesore that bothered his Master.
Shu He cast a dissatisfied glance at Nan Qi. Why should she take orders from him?
Nan Qi read the look in her eyes and retorted indignantly, "Do you want your daughter sleeping next to you while you're covered in this filth and blood?"
Shu He looked down at herself; it truly was repulsive.
"Give the child to me."
Seeing her looking at him with suspicion, Nan Qi huffed and "snatched" Xiao Yi'er from her arms. "If I wanted to harm you, why would I have saved you? Look at yourself, reeking of blood—aren't you afraid of scaring the child?"
Shu He froze.
He was right. In the heat of killing, she had completely forgotten about Xiao Yi'er’s feelings. Looking back now, a lingering fear gripped her.
What if Xiao Yi'er had actually witnessed that scene? Would she have been so terrified that she would never dare to be close to her again?
Watching Xiao Yi'er’s wide, innocent eyes, Shu He felt a pang of heartache, yet she couldn't help but worry. "She's still just a child..."
She wanted to say: She is still a child, so no matter what mistakes she might have made while I was away, please don't blame her!
But Nan Qi didn't wait for her to finish. He barked at her, "No kidding! Do you think I don't know she's a child? I'm not blind!"
Shu He: ...
It had been twenty years since she completed her training, and she hadn't been yelled at like that in a long time! Nan Qi, you've done it now!
"Nan Qi! How are you speaking to the lady? Where are your manners?"
Uncle Zhang happened to walk in to tell Shu He that the water and clothes were ready, only to overhear Nan Qi speaking to a woman in such a tone. He was displeased. Nan Qi was usually so polite; what was wrong with him today?
Nan Qi pursed his lips, thinking, *Uncle Zhang, you don't know this woman. She’s no ordinary woman! Can an ordinary woman decapitate someone as if she were chopping vegetables?*
He picked up a pastry from the table and pressed it into Xiao Yi'er’s hand, his expression turning gentle. "Here, your name is Xiao Yi'er, right? This pastry is delicious, try it!"
Xiao Yi'er looked at her mother, then at Nan Qi, and finally let her gaze rest on Baili Moqing by the window. "Fairy Brother, eat!"
The words "Fairy Brother" made the corner of Shu He’s eye twitch. Xiao Yi'er was calling him brother—the seniority seemed a bit off...
Baili Moqing looked up. Meeting those innocent eyes, he felt a sudden stir within him, as if a chord in his heart had been quietly plucked. A sense of "familiarity" rose from somewhere within.
He unconsciously set down his book, staring blankly at the child. Seeing how thin and bony she was, he felt a flash of heartache.
He was surprised, and puzzled. Why did he feel such complex emotions toward a child?
"Wow, Xiao Yi'er is so well-behaved!" Nan Qi’s peach-blossom eyes crinkled with a smile. The child was impossibly sweet and sensible. It was his first time seeing a child this small who neither cried nor made a fuss in his arms; the feeling was simply marvelous!
"Brother, you eat too!" Xiao Yi'er smiled and held the other piece of pastry up to Nan Qi’s lips.
Perhaps because this was the first time she had felt kindness from a stranger, Xiao Yi'er had completely opened her heart and smiled at Nan Qi.
Baili Moqing watched that radiant smile, and for some reason, the corners of his own lips lifted.
Shu He happened to catch this scene and was stunned. It was a smile she hadn't seen in a long time; it was breathtaking.
"What are you staring at?" Sensing Shu He’s gaze, Baili Moqing’s internal resistance toward women surged again. "Don't you realize how much you stink?"
The smile that hadn't yet formed on Shu He’s face vanished instantly.
Stink?
Did she stink?
She had always been a clean person... well, fine, she was quite dirty at the moment.
She followed Uncle Chen to wash up, and it took quite a bit of effort to scrub the blood from her skin and hair. Before her damp hair could even be pinned up, she hurried toward the study.
She stopped in her tracks before she even entered the room. Rubbing her eyes, she doubted what she was seeing. But no matter how many times she looked, Xiao Yi'er’s petite frame was resting in the arms of the man in the wheelchair! Not only that, but the two of them were smiling with warmth and sweetness! What, what was going on?
How, how could he be holding Yi'er?
Could it be that he had discovered something?
Shu He wasn't the only one stunned; Nan Qi was also frozen like a statue. He had been with his Master for eighteen years and had never seen him smile like this! This gentle expression, these careful movements, as if he were afraid of breaking the little doll! Surely even Bei Ji, who had been with him for twenty years, had never seen this!
Was this still his Master?
"Fairy Brother, you’re so warm, so comfortable!" Xiao Yi'er said, burrowing deeper into his chest, her tiny hands clutching his clothing tightly with a look of peace and contentment.
Baili Moqing was stiff. He didn't know what had come over him. When Xiao Yi'er had said, "Fairy Brother, hold me," he had acted on instinct and taken her. Even though the child smelled a bit, he felt no disgust—only pity for the girl who was nothing but skin and bone.
"You shouldn't call me brother," he said softly, shifting her slightly in his arms. He had just realized how thinly dressed she was.
Xiao Yi'er looked up from the crook of his arm and asked, "Then what should I call you?"
Baili Moqing looked down and noticed up close that her eye sockets were sunken and her dark circles were bruised, which looked terrifying. How could there truly be a child in this world as thin as this?
"Does your mother not feed you? Why are you so frail?" Baili Moqing reached out to touch her cheek; he felt only a thin layer of skin over bone—not a trace of flesh. Her cheeks, which should have been chubby, were raw and red from the wind, with visible broken capillaries. A flash of anger surfaced. "Is this how she acts as a mother?"
Startled by his suddenly raised voice, the smile on Xiao Yi'er’s face turned into panic and terror.
She waved her little hands in front of Baili Moqing’s chest, crying and pleading, "No, no, don't hit Mommy! Yi'er is good, Yi'er will wash the clothes, My Lady, please, don't hit my mommy..."
Baili Moqing’s calm, steady face showed a flash of confusion. He glanced at Nan Qi, at a loss. Nan Qi was also baffled—why had she suddenly started crying in fear?
Shu He felt a sting in her nose. She ran into the study and scooped Xiao Yi'er from Baili Moqing’s arms, soothing her gently, "Yi'er, don't be afraid. There's no mean lady here. Mommy is here. Open your eyes and look, it's Mommy!"
Xiao Yi'er was sobbing uncontrollably, and given her severe injuries, she only managed to open her eyes and look at Shu He once before fainting.
"Yi'er!"
"Xiao Yi'er!"
Shu He and Nan Qi cried out at the same time, and even Baili Moqing’s face turned icy cold.
Nan Qi grabbed a sword from somewhere and pointed it directly at Shu He’s throat. "Tell me, did you steal this child? Why have you been abusing her?!"
Shu He turned, her gaze as cold as a Rakshasa crawling out of hell. "Get out of my way!"
Looking into those eyes, Nan Qi suddenly remembered the image of her cutting off the bandit leader’s head with a single stroke. For some reason, a chill ran down his spine, and a deep, instinctive fear rose within him. He had only ever felt this kind of presence from his Master four years ago.
Baili Moqing noticed Shu He’s hands as she held Xiao Yi'er—they were covered in chilblains, red and swollen, the hands of someone who had done rough labor for years. Could there be some hidden story here?
"Nan Qi, stand down."
Nan Qi glanced at his Master and withdrew his sword. But even after pulling back, he felt a flash of anger. This woman’s martial arts were not even half as good as his—how had he let himself be intimidated by her?!
Shu He laid Xiao Yi'er on the long couch in the study and pulled out her needle kit to begin acupuncture.
A moment ago, she had been rattled by Baili Moqing’s shout, believing she was back at the West Suburbs estate and that the man before her was the vicious Mother Chen, which was why she had broken down in tears.
After a few needles, Nan Qi saw that Xiao Yi'er’s furrowed brow had finally smoothed out. He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "You know medicine!"