With those words, Zhao Qiao'Er had agreed to let Lu Yuan stay.
The old butler and the others standing to the side stared at Zhao Qiao'Er, dumbfounded.
"Madam… are you really letting the young master stay here?"
After all, Lu Yuan wasn't a real Traveler. He was just relying on a few old family heirlooms.
'He won't be much help, will he?'
Zhao Qiao'Er just stared at Lu Yuan and shook her head with a resigned sigh.
"Look at that shameless mug on him. Who would dare try to kick him out?
I see it now. You stubborn little mule, you're determined to die with your aunt, aren't you!"
Lu Yuan wasn't the least bit bothered by Zhao Qiao'Er's words, just grinning as he replied:
"Dying together sounds great to me!
To die with a great beauty like you, Auntie, and then turn into a pair of butterflies to fly away together for eternity… what could be better?"
Lu Yuan's words made Zhao Qiao'Er blush a deep crimson.
'And with so many people watching!'
She couldn't help but let out a little "pfft" at Lu Yuan before saying:
"But let me make one thing clear: you are not to go anywhere.
You will stay with me inside the Array!
Got it?!"
In response, Lu Yuan just chuckled.
"That was my plan from the start.
Auntie, you didn't really think I'm not afraid of ghosts, did you? That I was going to go out and hunt them with the old butler and his men?
Of course I'm going to stay right by your side and not go anywhere!"
Zhao Qiao'Er's beautiful eyes widened in a glare.
"You're afraid of ghosts, yet you insist on staying!"
Lu Yuan just gave a slight shrug.
"Well, it's your fault for getting into trouble. If I don't stay here, I wouldn't be able to rest easy anywhere else."
Zhao Qiao'Er was naturally very moved by his words, but she was also irritated that he refused to listen to her.
In the end, Zhao Qiao'Er grabbed Lu Yuan by the collar.
The beautiful woman was already tall, and now she looked like she was hauling a little chick as she dragged Lu Yuan out, saying:
"Just wait until this is all over. See how your aunt deals with you then!"
The old butler and his men watched this scene, exchanging glances.
'Deals with him?'
'After this business is over, the Madam would probably be ready to offer up her own sweetheart, spleen, and lungs to that close nephew of hers.'
Finally, the old butler pursed his lips and said:
"Alright, stop gawking. Time to get to work!"
...
「Changliu Village.」
On the main road in the distance.
Su Liyan's mother had walked the entire stretch of road from the village to the main thoroughfare.
The sand, dirt clods, and whatnot in her basket had all been scattered completely.
Standing by the side of the road, Su Liyan's mother emptied the last of the sandy soil from her basket as she gazed into the distance.
She could see the intermittent glow of torches along the road coming from the direction of Taiping City.
Seeing this, Su Liyan's mother couldn't help but mutter to herself.
'Just how much stuff did they buy…'
The more she thought about it, the more a flicker of resentment grew in her heart.
'That daughter of mine, honestly!'
'Why didn't she talk some sense into him?!'
'You just got married, and the man buys you gifts and takes you out to restaurants.'
'He even said he'd host a banquet for you.'
'That's already more than generous.'
'Why does he have to make such a big deal out of it?!'
'Is his family's money not real money?!'
'How can they be so careless with their finances!'
'What's gotten into my daughter? Even if his family is rich, you can't just squander it all like that!'
'No matter how delicious or fragrant all that food is, the pleasure only lasts while you're eating it.'
'Once it passes through your stomach, doesn't it all just turn into crap?'
'Tsk, honestly…'
'I heard my son-in-law's family doesn't have a mother-in-law figure. With no elder around to keep an eye on them…'
'...it's just no good.'
'Sigh…'
Just as Su Liyan's mother was thinking about how she would have to give her daughter a good talking-to when she saw her tomorrow, a flash of light in the distance caught her attention.
This light was different from the others. The others moved slowly, leisurely—clearly belonging to horse-drawn or ox-drawn carts.
This one, however, was approaching at great speed.
And even from far away, she could hear someone shouting.
"Guild business! Mortals and ghosts, make way!"
"Guild business! Mortals and ghosts, make way!"
Su Liyan's mother froze for a moment, then quickly looked around her and whispered:
"Hurry up and hide!"
As she finished speaking, a gust of eerie wind blew past. Su Liyan's mother lowered her head and started walking back toward the village along the road.
Soon, the sound of galloping hoofbeats echoed through the air.
But just as the hoofbeats drew near to her, they came to a halt.
Some of her past experiences made Su Liyan's mother's heart tremble with fear.
Then, a voice called out from behind her:
"Ma'am, is that Changliu Village up ahead?"
Su Liyan's mother was taken aback. She immediately turned to face the Traveler who was sitting atop a fine horse, holding a torch.
"It is, Sir. Changliu Village is just up ahead."
The Traveler watched Su Liyan's mother as she spoke, but instead of moving on, he raised an eyebrow.
Then he brought the torch in his hand a little closer.
This made Su Liyan's mother's heart clench with anxiety.
After studying her carefully for a moment, the Traveler suddenly asked:
"Ma'am, what is your relationship to Lu Yuan and Su Liyan?"
Su Liyan's mother paused, startled, then quickly replied:
"They're my son-in-law and my daughter. Sir, may I ask why?"
Hearing this, the Traveler immediately leaped off his horse and, to the utter astonishment of Su Liyan's mother, gave a deep bow.
Then he said:
"Ma'am, your son-in-law asked me to deliver a message to you.
Don't be in a rush to prepare the banquet. Your son-in-law and daughter won't be able to return for a while.
It seems they'll have to stay in Taiping City for a few days."
Hearing this, Su Liyan's mother nodded repeatedly in acknowledgement.
But after a moment, she blinked her eyes and asked:
"Then… Sir, may I ask… why is that?"
The man thought for a moment. It didn't seem to be a secret.
After all, plenty of people already knew about it.
He immediately explained:
"Your son-in-law, Lu Yuan, is our Madam's nephew.
Our Madam has run into some trouble. A Da Xingzi is planning to harm her tonight, so it's naturally not a good time for a banquet.
Once this matter is dealt with, your son-in-law and daughter will return.
Don't worry, it won't take long. It should be resolved in a few days."
With that, the Traveler swung himself back onto his horse.
"Ma'am, now that the message is delivered, I must be going.
There's trouble in the city tonight, and I need to get back to help."
Snapping out of her daze, Su Liyan's mother nodded repeatedly.
"Alright, alright. Please be careful on your way, Sir."
The Traveler gave a wave of his hand in farewell and galloped off.
He left Su Liyan's mother standing alone, lost in thought.
After pondering for a moment,
she closed her eyes, pinching her fingers together as if making a calculation.
A few seconds later, her eyes snapped open.
"Oh, dear… This isn't good…"
"Xiao Yunyun, come out, quickly."
At her soft call, an adorable little porcelain doll
peeped out from behind a large nearby rock and floated out.
"Granny~"
Su Liyan's mother grew anxious and scolded in a low voice:
"No floating! Get down and walk!"