Chapter 5: Proposing Marriage

Before long, she watched with her own eyes as the boy sucked the blood from her finger. His complexion slowly turned from red to white, and the blackness on his lips and fingernails gradually faded.

No way! Her blood could actually detoxify. In truth, she had just had a sudden whim and was merely acting on an impulse to try it out; she never expected such a strange thing to happen.

How could she have known that because of the Spirit Pearl and the Profound Spirit Ginseng within her body, her blood could neutralize a hundred poisons!

She only wondered if that inexplicable flash of light in her mind just now meant that this boy was not meant to die, or if fate had guided her to hitch a ride on this lucky break.

After the boy's poison was neutralized, he felt very grateful to Xiao Xi. Wanting to repay her, he decided to teach her a peerless martial art. To his surprise, Xiao Xi was a complete waste when it came to martial arts, possessing no talent for training. Thus, the boy gave her an encyclopedia of lock-breaking. Once learned, it would not only allow her to pick everyday locks but also break through any formation.

Xiao Xi took the book, feeling incredibly excited. In her agitation, she called the boy "Master." The boy smiled, thinking the girl was simply too young and was just calling him that casually. How could he have known that although Xiao Xi looked only six years old on the surface, her mental age was already sixteen?

The boy did not stay long. Before leaving, he pulled out a glittering golden pill and gave it to Xiao Xi. "This is the Golden Armor Pill; taking it will benefit you for a lifetime. It can form an invisible protective layer on the surface of your body. In the long run, it can both ward off the cold and alleviate pain."

"So magical!" Hearing this, Xiao Xi's eyes lit up. She stared intently at the glittering golden pill in the boy's hand. If she had it, wouldn't she be able to avoid dressing like a panda in the winter? And when the old man had the servants beat her again, she wouldn't have to wail in pain!

"Of course!" The boy smiled and fed the pill into Xiao Xi's mouth. Xiao Xi did not hesitate for a second and swallowed it directly. After swallowing it, there was no unusual sensation. It was only later, when she returned here, that the unfortunate old man punished her again, causing her to be absent for an entire night.

Lying on the ground after receiving twenty heavy strokes, even though the flesh on her buttocks had split and was a bloody mess, it didn't hurt very much. In the past, whenever she encountered such a situation, she would always pass out immediately. But this time, she actually hummed a little tune quite leisurely while being beaten. This left everyone in shock, thinking she had been beaten senseless!

Xiao Xi turned and walked toward the woodpile, picking up a relatively small wooden stick. Hmph, she thought they believed a different large lock could keep her contained! She inserted two fingers directly into the gap, and with incredible precision, she guided the small stick into the keyhole. Without much twisting, the crisp sound of the lock opening could be heard.

With a face full of joy, Xiao Xi removed the lock, threw it on the ground, opened the door, and strolled out leisurely.

However, her luck was truly terrible today. As soon as she stepped out, she ran into several older sisters who had formed a group specifically to come and watch her for amusement. Xiao Xi was the seventh child in the family; above her were the eldest sister, second sister, third brother, fourth sister, fifth sister, and sixth sister. Among them, only the eldest sister had already married. The rest of the sisters were still unmarried. When they had nothing to do, they took pleasure in teasing and bullying Xiao Xi.

Seeing them from afar, Xiao Xi turned to flee. A wise man makes use of circumstances; unable to provoke these self-proclaimed young mistresses, she could only hide. But the sharp-eyed sisters had already spotted her and quickly ordered the maids following behind to capture the fleeing Xiao Xi. "Oh! Seventh Sister has successfully escaped the confinement of the woodshed again today! I really don't know who you learned this lock-picking skill from; it's a waste of talent not to become a thief!"

"None of your business!" Seeing that she could not escape a bout of humiliation today, Xiao Xi also pulled a dark face and bared her teeth at this second sister.

Upon hearing this, the second sister flew into a rage and immediately wanted to rush forward to slap Xiao Xi. The fourth sister stepped in to stop her, giving her a meaningful look. Then, she walked up to Xiao Xi and asked with a beaming smile, "Xiao Xi, your grandfather has been released, did you know?"

"Really?" A surge of joy rose in Xiao Xi's heart. It seemed that Ouyang Mo had not broken his word. As long as Grandfather was fine, it was all right!

"Wasn't it you who found a way to save your grandfather?" The fourth sister continued to stare at Xiao Xi with a pleasant face, trying to see if she was lying.

Xiao Xi blinked, her mind racing through several thoughts. Did it matter to these wicked young ladies whether she was the one who saved her grandfather? Since when did these wicked young ladies care so much about her affairs? Could it be that the incident with Grandfather was actually a scheme designed by these very sisters? At the thought of this possibility, Xiao Xi said, "Don't think that just because you framed my grandfather so sneakily, I won't be able to catch you."

The fourth lady's expression froze for a moment. She suddenly raised an eyebrow and laughed coldly, "That's right, your grandfather was indeed framed by us sisters! So what? What can you do to us?"

As expected, it was them who had caused Grandfather to suffer in prison despite his advanced age. If she hadn't seen Ouyang Mo last night, wouldn't Grandfather have...

Xiao Xi looked expressionlessly at these half-sisters who had taken pleasure in bullying her since childhood, her heart filled with both hatred and loathing. If given the chance, she would surely repay their malicious behavior in kind.

At this time, the second lady stepped forward again, grabbed Xiao Xi's hair, and asked impatiently, "Tell me, did you find a way to save your grandfather yourself? Just who did you beg for help?" The second sister detested games that were interrupted by someone spoiling the fun. The sisters had come here today specifically for two reasons: first, to humiliate Xiao Xi, and second, to find out exactly who was helping Xiao Xi behind the scenes.

They did not want Xiao Xi to have a backer. If she did, they would use any means necessary to bring that backer down. In their eyes, Xiao Xi was a useless waste with no status in the Tang family. Her only capital was, at most, a bit of looks; however, as long as a man was hers, the sisters would find every possible way to make that man betray and abandon her. The thought of Xiao Xi receiving such treatment one day filled the sisters with excitement.

Xiao Xi remained silent, staring at the second lady with eyes full of calm and contempt. "Does who I begged for help have anything to do with you?"

"You stinky girl, do you think having a backer now means you don't have to marry that idiot Wang? Keep dreaming! The best part is yet to come!" The second lady of the Tang family wore a look of schadenfreude.

"Then let's sit back and watch the show!" Xiao Xi did not back down. She wondered what kind of bad luck had caused her to transmigrate into the Tang family and encounter such perverted sisters.

"Miss!" Just as Xiao Xi finished speaking, a maid came running urgently from not far away. By the time she reached them, she was panting heavily. "Miss, the Master has summoned the second lady, fourth lady, fifth lady, and sixth lady to the main hall!"

"What is it? Why the rush?" the young ladies asked.

While panting, the maid said, "Mr. Ou, the richest man in the Four Kingdoms, has sent people to the manor to propose marriage!"

"What!" For a moment, all the young ladies lost their composure. Surprised expressions flashed across their faces, and their eyes began to shine. Could it be a proposal for them? Each of them felt a secret joy, speculating inwardly. "Is he in the front hall now?"