Chapter 17: The Hong Family

It was early winter, and another rain had fallen last night, leaving Xiao Shuang shivering uncontrollably under his quilt.

However, with the Hong family expecting distinguished guests soon, he dared not delay important matters. Gritting his teeth, he crawled out of bed and wrapped himself in two layers of cotton clothing before he felt any better.

The rain had not yet ceased outside the door, and the vibrant beauty of the flowers in the Hong family estate had lost some of its luster. Rubbing his hands together, Xiao Shuang ran toward the inner rooms through the light drizzle.

"Have the guest rooms been prepared?"

When the subordinate replied "Yes," Hong Qisheng's expression softened slightly. This rain had come at an inopportune time, knocking the flowers in the courtyard to the ground and adding a sense of desolation to the scene.

When Xiao Shuang entered, Hong Qisheng had just finished giving instructions regarding the banquet. Sitting with a white porcelain tea bowl, he lifted his eyelids to glance at him and said, "There is much to do these next few days. Keep a close eye on things; do not let any mistakes occur."

He paused, then added, "Tell Qianqian to behave herself as well. Do not let her be impolite in front of the distinguished guests."

The closer they got to the day of the marriage proposal, the stranger his daughter became. Hong Qisheng had been worn down by her whims; he bought her whatever she wanted to keep her satisfied, but there was one thing: the matter of the marriage proposal could not be postponed.

Xiao Shuang nodded in agreement and stood silently to the side, helping Hong Qisheng review the ledgers.

"I do not wish to force her, but how can anyone have everything go their way in this world? I don't know how many people in this city are watching me. I must choose someone good for her, lest villains take advantage of the situation.

"People say I don't dote on her, but she is my only daughter. How could I not keep her in my heart and cherish her!"

Hong Qisheng rambled on, and Xiao Shuang listened through it all. He was a servant bought by Hong Qisheng when he was only twelve or thirteen; since then, he had learned to read and do arithmetic, and in a blur, more than ten years had passed as he took on the role of housekeeper.

Outside, the plane trees had long since grown into lush canopies. The swing built for the young lady had a broken rope; she was now a bride-to-be, no longer the little girl swinging her feet on the swing.

"Master! The guests have arrived!"

Lost in their own thoughts, the two did not realize anyone had entered the room until they heard the voice. Hong Qisheng sprang up, saying urgently, "Go, go, go! Quickly, come with me to greet them!"

The rain had come so abruptly that Zhao Chun and her group were unprepared. It was the inn waiter who brought out bamboo hats so they wouldn't end up looking a mess from the soaking.

Seeing Feng Sanchu present a token, the Hong family servants hurried to welcome the group inside, served hot tea, and dispatched someone to deliver a message to Hong Qisheng.

He arrived quickly; after all, he had been an escort in his youth. Zhao Chun observed that he was physically powerful and moved with a brisk, wind-like stride, not looking like a man over fifty.

"Distinguished guests from the Lingzhen Sect have arrived, and I, Hong, failed to greet you promptly. I hope you will not take offense!"

"Fellow Daoist Hong, you say too much; it is we who have intruded!" Respect is a two-way street. Feng Sanchu returned the salute, and Zhao Chun and the Liao siblings also cupped their hands in greeting.

Meng Han, however, sat in his chair with a swaggering, commanding posture, the tea bowl in his hand looking excessively small, like a toy.

"And this is...?" Hong Qisheng was a shrewd man. Seeing Meng Han's lack of restraint, he sensed the man's identity was not simple.

Feng Sanchu knew his senior brother's temperament—he was a rogue who feared nothing. He smiled and said, "This is my senior brother, Meng Han. He was originally heading to Huiming Villa to seek spiritual treasures, and as it happened, we were traveling the same way, so we came together."

To progress from Qi Refinement to Foundation Establishment, cultivators need to refine spiritual objects from heaven and earth to serve as their spiritual foundation. Huiming Villa, located three hundred miles outside the city, nurtured a precious tree of earth-attribute spiritual fruit, which was most suitable for earth-attribute cultivators to establish their foundations. Lacking the strength to protect the precious tree alone, Huiming Villa used the spiritual fruit as a bargaining chip with the three nearest major sects, agreeing that any earth-attribute cultivator from these three sects who reached the late stage of Qi Refinement could visit the villa to receive a portion of the fruit. This was precisely why Meng Han had traveled with them.

This matter was not a secret; even rogue cultivators knew of it. How could Hong Qisheng not understand? He hurried forward with a bow and said respectfully, "To think a senior from the late stage of Qi Refinement has arrived! I, Hong, was blind and failed to recognize such a great figure! I shall prepare a modest banquet in my home later today to welcome Senior Meng and the other fellow Daoists! I hope Senior Meng will grace us with his presence; I will certainly prepare my home to welcome you!"

Meng Han merely gave a perfunctory wave of his hand and continued to play with the tea bowl. Hong Qisheng understood this as an acceptance and tactfully stopped bothering him, turning to Feng Sanchu. "I still do not know the names of the fellow Daoists."

"These two are Liao Duanyi and Liao Xiaoyi, a pair of siblings. And this..." Feng Sanchu moved his hand down to rest on Zhao Chun's shoulder, saying, "Although Junior Sister Zhao Chun has not yet broken through to the third level of Qi Refinement, her talent is extraordinary; she reached the second level in less than a year after entering the Dao."

How could Hong Qisheng not be impressed? He praised all three of them. Zhao Chun, having developed a thick skin from being raised by the laborers at Xuancao Garden, remained unperturbed, but Liao Xiaoyi, being shy, lowered her head in embarrassment.

After a period of pleasantries, seeing that Meng Han was becoming increasingly impatient, Hong Qisheng quickly shut his mouth and had the servants lead them to the guest rooms to rest. The marriage proposal was set for seven days later; during this time, they could explore Jicheng.

Unaware that a late-stage Qi Refinement cultivator would be coming, the banquet Hong Qisheng had previously prepared was indeed "modest" by now. He rushed back to his room, ordering the staff to double the preparations based on the original scale, and opened the storehouse to prepare lavish gifts, hoping to forge a good connection with Meng Han.

Zhao Chun did not know how anxious Hong Qisheng was; her own trouble was a girl who had failed to climb over a wall and was now stuck on an old, leafless tree by the wall.

Liao Xiaoyi had never encountered such a thing and stood stunned beneath the tree, staring at the girl.

"Can you go and call someone for me?" the girl asked, clutching the tree trunk.

Liao Xiaoyi let out an "Ah," not knowing how to help. Zhao Chun walked over, opened her arms toward the girl, and said, "Jump down, I'll catch you."

"Little sister, how old are you? I'm afraid I'll hurt you!" The girl refused to move and urged, "It's better to call someone. Over by the main house, a tall person with a round face, named Xiao Shuang!"

Zhao Chun looked at her and blinked. "Let go first!"

Confused, the girl pulled her hands to her chest and sat on a branch. She saw Zhao Chun take two steps back, turn around, and deliver a heavy kick to the tree trunk. The old tree shook violently, and the girl let out a scream as she fell, only to be caught by Zhao Chun's arms about half a foot above the ground.

Still shaken, the girl rolled onto the ground and pulled at Zhao Chun's arms to confirm there were no injuries before clutching her chest and saying, "That was so scary! So scary..."

"How did you do that? You're so small!" she asked in astonishment, then suddenly realized, "You're just like my father—you must be the guest he mentioned!"

The girl scrambled up from the ground, straightened her disheveled hair, and smiled. "My name is Hong Qian. Welcome to Jicheng!"

Zhao Chun pointed to herself. "Zhao Chun." Then she gestured to her side. "This is Senior Sister Liao Xiaoyi."

"Oh!" Hong Qian smiled brightly. "I didn't expect you all to be so young! Unlike the immortals in the city, who are almost ancient."

Liao Xiaoyi was only about fifteen or sixteen, petite and looking like a child.

Just as Hong Qian was about to speak again, her father suddenly burst in and pulled her away. "Look at you! What kind of manner is this? Hurry back to your room to wash and dress. Don't let the immortals see you looking like this!"

Hong Qisheng had rushed over upon receiving the news, only to see his daughter, whose clothes were covered in dirt, chatting with two guests. He was instantly livid, his beard bristling as he apologized to the two: "My daughter is reckless and has offended you both. I will take her out immediately so as not to disturb your rest!"

Without waiting for a response, he swept his daughter out of the door like a whirlwind.

Zhao Chun's gaze followed them, landing on the third person. The "tall person with a round face named Xiao Shuang" that Hong Qian had mentioned was following far behind the father and daughter, walking with a hunched back in an attitude of extreme humility.