Chapter 7: Where Are You Taking Me?

Fang Jun heard this and immediately nodded in agreement. He then ordered men to carry away the large chests of gold, silver, and jewelry.

Seeing this, Ally Tang nearly suffered a qi deviation from sheer rage. This spendthrift girl had actually let the wealth that was within reach fly away. No, it hadn't flown away; it had gone straight into her own pocket. She was truly ruthless!

His eyes went blank, and his lips trembled with anger as he watched helplessly while those chests of gold, silver, and jewelry were moved away. The splendor and luster of the hall vanished in an instant.

Finally, Fang Jun bowed slightly to Xiao Xi before preparing to depart. Xiao Xi suddenly called out to him, "Wait, you must leave someone here to protect me. Otherwise, I can't guarantee that I won't be dead and gone by the time your Master comes to marry me!"

"Of course, of course!" With a wave of Fang Jun's hand, a dark figure emerged from nowhere and stood behind Tang Xiao Xi, following her like a shadow.

The corners of Xiao Xi's lips curled upward as she watched with satisfaction as Fang Jun and the people from the Ou Estate departed.

Ally Tang had originally intended to take advantage of the Ou Estate people leaving to have a proper talk with this brat about terms—and if negotiations failed, to suppress her with power. Little did he know, this girl wouldn't give him the chance at all.

The young ladies were even more livid, their faces turning green with rage, but having just witnessed the prowess of that dark figure, none of them dared to provoke her again. They could only temporarily swallow their anger, watching with eyes burning with resentment as that brat swaggered out.

Xiao Xi thought that since she was to marry into the Ou family in three days, she should at least go to the Ou estate to scout it out.

In any case, she held the jade pendant given by Ouyang Mo, which allowed her free entry and exit from the Ou mansion. Reaching the courtyard gate, she turned around and said to the dark figure following behind her, "You don't need to follow me anymore. Go protect my mother! I'm afraid that once I head out, that old man might do something unfavorable to her!"

The dark figure nodded and then silently flashed past her eyes, taking up a guard post in the northernmost courtyard of the Tang residence.

After slipping out of the Tang residence, Xiao Xi headed straight for the Ou mansion. After walking for about half an hour, she finally arrived at the Ou mansion, which was marked by two large stone lions at the main gate.

She took out the jade pendant, and the gatekeeper didn't even ask who she was looking for, allowing her to enter directly. This made her feel even more that this piece of jade was extraordinary.

She intended to conduct a secret investigation of the Ou residence and couldn't afford to alert the enemy. Thus, she first blended into the crowd of maidservants to gather information. To her surprise, the Ou estate was truly massive, many times larger than the Tang residence. Not long after she entered, she lost her way.

She had no interest in admiring the pavilions and lakeside structures within the estate; she simply wandered aimlessly following the paths by instinct. Ahead, it seemed she had reached the Ou family's back garden.

The garden was filled with many varieties of flowers, all in full bloom. The clusters of blossoms, the lush green lawns, and the towering, sky-reaching trees were enough to make anyone linger.

Walking further, she reached the center of the garden. In the center was an artificial lake, with a pavilion built over the water for people to rest and enjoy the view. In the lake, cute little fish swam freely under the warm sunlight.

From a distance, it looked as though someone was in the water pavilion. Xiao Xi wanted to go over and ask for directions, as she had been wandering in circles until her head felt dizzy.

Just then, two maidservants were walking over from another path on the side. The two seemed to be chatting about something, their faces wearing inscrutable expressions. Out of curiosity, Xiao Xi hid to the side to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Our Master is the most outstanding man in this world; no woman under heaven wouldn't want to marry him. However, I heard a rumor that Master is impotent!" The maid speaking let out a soft sigh, sounding as if it were her own husband who was impotent, somewhat lamenting her fate.

The other maid also let out a long sigh, sounding quite indignant. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly: "Master has married eight wives, yet he never spends a single night in any of their rooms!" Her words served as indirect confirmation of the first maid's claim.

Hiding in the shadows, Xiao Xi's eyes curved into crescents as she laughed, nearly unable to stop herself from bursting out loud. Ouyang Mo was impotent? Just who started such an absurd rumor! Seeing the two maids, who were discussing their master's impotence behind his back, walk into the water pavilion with looks of regret, Xiao Xi finally stepped out from the shadows.

Just what was Ouyang Mo up to? To think he married eight wives as beautiful as immortals only to use them as mere decorations.

Lost in thought, someone in the water pavilion suddenly shouted loudly at her, "Who is there? Come here!"

Xiao Xi looked up. The bead curtain was lifted, and inside, a woman dressed in extremely luxurious clothing waved her over. Not knowing what was happening, Xiao Xi could only walk over sheepishly. "May I ask what Madam requires?"

The woman in the magnificent clothing pointed to a flowerpot nearby and said to Xiao Xi, "Carry this one out!"

Xiao Xi saw that the two maids who had just entered were kneeling on the ground, repeatedly slapping their own faces. Sitting upright in front of the maids was a very pretty woman who appeared to be angry, glaring at the two maids with fury.

Xiao Xi did not want to get involved in their family matters, so she bent down, picked up the flowerpot, and prepared to walk out. "Wait!" Suddenly, the noble seated woman called out to her. "Which house are you from? Why have I never seen you before?"

"To answer Madam, this servant has only just arrived today." Xiao Xi lowered her head and eyes, being extremely cautious. Her intuition told her that this woman was definitely one of Ouyang Mo's eight wives, and furthermore, she seemed to be an extremely sharp and observant woman. Such women were usually quite domineering!

"A newcomer!" The woman looked at her suspiciously, and after a moment, said, "Lift your head, let me see!"

Just as little Xiao Xi was hesitating whether or not to lift her head, in another water pavilion connected by a short corridor, a man was walking toward this direction with an unreadable expression. He had only cast a casual glance this way just now, but his eyes instantly brightened. That graceful and beautiful figure seemed familiar.

The corners of his lips curled slightly as he approached her side with composure. As he drew closer, the sense of familiarity grew stronger. With a thick smile hanging on his lips, he thought: *This girl is actually so impatient to come to the estate. Did she come early to familiarize herself with the surroundings? Or did she come specifically to ask about something? Or is she here to see me?*

Ignoring the Fourth Madam, who sat there dumbfounded and shocked, Ouyang Mo reached out, snatched the flowerpot from Xiao Xi's arms, and tossed it aside. Then, he took the equally stunned Xiao Xi by the hand and strode out of the water pavilion.

Seeing this, the Fourth Madam's face turned green with rage!

As soon as they stepped out of the water pavilion, Xiao Xi pushed his hand forcefully and shouted, "Let go of me!"

"Since you wanted to see me so much, why act so contrary to your heart?" Ouyang Mo turned his head and looked at her with a smile.

"Who wants to see you!" Xiao Xi found herself unable to explain herself; he surely thought she had come here specifically to see him. "Eh? Why have you turned back into your middle-aged appearance again?" Hadn't he said she could see his true face? Why could she not see it now?

Ouyang Mo patted her head and looked at her with a beaming smile: "To this day, you are the only one who can see through my illusion technique with the naked eye. I had to quickly strengthen the measures, lest you become even more infatuated and lose your mind upon seeing my original face."

"Tch!" Xiao Xi stuck out her tongue, though his true face was indeed peerless and incomparably handsome. He was as tall as a celestial being and as perfect as a man in a painting. If she truly had to see such a handsome face every day, it would be the ultimate visual feast.

"I heard from the butler that you returned all the betrothal gifts and demanded they be exchanged for banknotes. Are you that short on money?" Ouyang Mo raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile on his lips as he looked into her eyes.

"Those gold and silver treasures can be exchanged for a lot of money; naturally, I want to use that money in the most useful places." Naturally, she couldn't let that large crowd of young and old in the Tang family, who took pleasure in bullying her, get it for cheap. Moreover, she wanted to use this money to do big business. Having traveled from a new era, she understood one principle very clearly: a woman must be economically independent and fight to build a stable and solid position for herself. Even if she lost a man's favor in the future, she could still live a prosperous life!

Ouyang Mo quietly watched the trace of resentment and hatred flash in her eyes, wondering what kind of family this girl lived in to possess such complex emotions. Although the Tang family's business had shrunk significantly since Ally Tang took over as head, and they had been relying on the ancestral wealth to maintain their high-society lifestyle, it shouldn't have come to being this short on money!

"Very well then! I will have the butler deliver the banknotes to you tomorrow!" After saying this, Ouyang Mo prepared to lead Xiao Xi to Mo Garden, where he resided.

"Where are you taking me?" Xiao Xi struggled, not wanting to follow him obediently. Just as she turned around, someone came rushing toward them from ahead. Xiao Xi recognized him; it was the man who had called her upstairs to see Ouyang Mo last night at Chun Yi.