No wall is impervious, and news of Xu Mu’an’s departure spread like wildfire just two days after he left. With the main figure absent, various matchmakers inundated Xiao Jingting with their presence, causing him endless annoyance.
Xiao Jingting felt bothered, and Xiao Xiaodong was even more vigilant, fearing someone might take advantage of Xu Mu’an’s absence.
Every time Xiao Xiaodong saw these matchmakers, he would glare at them with his younger brother, but their children’s intimidating stares had little effect, as the visitors completely ignored them.
There was constant hustle and bustle at home, with people often knocking on the door early in the morning, causing a lot of disruption.
Feeling pressured, Xiao Jingting came up with a solution. He made two simple water guns out of bamboo for Xiao Xiaofan and Xiao Xiaodong.
Xiao Xiaofan and Xiao Xiaodong, who had a dull childhood with no toys, couldn’t put down the water guns once they received them.
Each day, Xiao Jingting would leave early, and Xiao Xiaofan and Xiao Xiaodong would play with their water guns in the yard. When someone came to the door, they would spray them with water guns, leaving the visitors soaking wet like drowned rats. After a day of this, the number of visitors decreased significantly, with half as many showing up the next day.
Meanwhile, Xiao Jinfeng’s whereabouts remained uncertain until Xu Mu’an luckily discovered his trail seven days after setting off.
Upon finding Xiao Jinfeng, Xu Mu’an learned that Xiao Jinfeng was not injured but poisoned.
Xiao Jinfeng had been poisoned by a kind of colorful phoenix spider venom, which gradually eroded the victim’s spiritual energy, rendering them powerless.
The antidote to this venom, a level four Detoxification Pill called Bixindan, was valued at one thousand taels of silver. While this sum was significant for some small families, it was inconsequential for the wealthy Xiao Family.
With the family’s leadership now in the hands of Xiao Jinfeng’s eldest uncle’s family, Xiao Jinfeng’s situation became more complicated.
Upon returning to the Xiao family, Xiao Jinfeng was outwardly treated with concern by Xiao Chengfeng, but secretly, his treatment was delayed. When Xiao Jinfeng was accused of rape, Xiao Chengfeng scolded him and eventually expelled him from the Xiao family.
“Come back with me, second brother. It was Jingting who asked me to pick you up. We can think of a solution for your poisoning after we meet up with him, okay?” Xu Mu’an suggested.
Feeling despondent, Xiao Jinfeng hesitated, unsure of his brother’s willingness to help.
Reflecting on his brother’s situation, Xu Mu’an said, “Second brother, Jingting has changed a lot. You’ll understand when you see him. Let’s go.”
With a heavy heart, Xiao Jinfeng agreed, realizing that he had little hope of receiving help from his brother.
Seeing Xiao Jinfeng’s resigned demeanor, Xu Mu’an said, “Don’t lose hope, second brother. There may be a solution to this yet.”
Despite feeling grateful for Xu Mu’an’s concern, Xiao Jinfeng couldn’t shake off his sense of despair.
“Second brother, listen to Xu-shao. Let’s find your younger brother first. After all, you’re brothers, and blood is thicker than water,” Mu Shuyu added, breaking the tense atmosphere between the brothers.
Xiao Jinfeng nodded silently, his heart heavy with thoughts. A few months ago, he was the young master of the Xiao family, a captain in the mercenary squad, with friends all around. Now, he had become a pariah, shunned by former friends. Only Mu Shuyu, who had always been indifferent to him, remained by his side, taking care of him in his hour of need.
“Yeah, second brother, your younger brother is different now. You haven’t seen him, but trust me, you’ll understand when you meet him,” Xu Mu’an assured him.
Xiao Jinfeng nodded again, resigned to the situation. “Okay.”
Mu Shuyu watched Xiao Jinfeng with sympathy, knowing that Xiao Jinfeng didn’t hold much hope for his younger brother’s help. “Don’t lose heart, Jinfeng. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Maybe there will be a turning point in this situation.”
Xu Mu’an led Xiao Jinfeng and Mu Shuyu back to the Xiao family’s courtyard in Tuqiu Village. Xiao Jingting was in the yard bathing Xiao Xiaofan.
Xiao Xiaofan sat naked in a large wooden tub, while Xiao Jingting poured water over him with a ladle. Xiao Xiaofan was enjoying himself, splashing in the water, while Xiao Xiaodong watched with a displeased expression, disapproving of this “indecent” scene.
Seeing Xu Mu’an and the others enter, Xiao Jingting quickly wrapped Xiao Xiaofan in a towel and asked Xiao Xiaodong to take Xiao Xiaofan inside to get dressed.
Xiao Xiaofan, reluctant to leave, kicked his slippers and protested, “I don’t want to get dressed! Father said I’m still young, so it doesn’t matter. Brother, you should ask Father to bathe you too! Bathing is so comfortable!”
Blushing, Xiao Xiaodong replied, “I’ll wash myself.”
“Okay.” Xiao Xiaofan sprawled on the bed, rolling around, while Xiao Xiaodong watched him with envy.
The atmosphere between the brothers was tense as they met in the yard.
“Second brother, come inside,” Xiao Jingting said awkwardly.
Xiao Jinfeng nodded and followed him into the house. After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Xiao Jingting settled Xiao Jinfeng and Mu Shuyu in his own room and then brought Xiao Xiaodong and Xiao Xiaofan some snacks for them.
Seeing Xiao Jinfeng looking tired, Xiao Jingting didn’t ask too many questions and urged him to rest.
“You went to pick up your second brother, right? How come you brought two people back?” Xiao Jingting asked, puzzled.
“Mu Shuyu owes a debt of gratitude to your second brother for saving his life. He’s been taking care of your second brother during this time,” Xu Mu’an explained.
Xiao Jingting’s eyes flickered as he thought to himself: “There’s a saying on Earth that goes, ‘Gratitude for saving a life should be repaid with marriage.’ These two seem to have developed feelings!”
“What are you thinking about?” Xu Mu’an asked, noticing Xiao Jingting’s pensive expression.
“I was thinking that we only have three rooms at home. I originally planned to give my room to my second brother, and you, me, and the kids would squeeze into the other two rooms. But now we have an extra person,” Xiao Jingting said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Hearing Xiao Jingting suggest that they share a room, Xu Mu’an couldn’t help but blush. Although they were husband and wife and had two children together, their relationship was still quite tense. They had only been intimate twice before…
All of this happened after Xiao Jingting got drunk.
“That Mu Shuyu seems to be quite close to my second brother. It might not be appropriate for them to share a room,” Xiao Jingting said.
Blushing, Xu Mu’an replied, “Actually, when I found my second brother, he was already living with Mu Shuyu.”
Xiao Jingting nodded and said, “I see. That’s good then.”
“How is my second brother doing exactly? He doesn’t seem to be in good shape, but I didn’t ask for details,” Xiao Jingting asked.
Xu Mu’an explained, “Your second brother’s mercenary group worked hard to kill a Level 5 monster, but Zhou Kangqi came and claimed it was his first. He demanded that the mercenary group give the monster to him. Of course, the mercenary group, having put in all the effort to kill it, refused. This led to a confrontation, and your second brother, being hot-tempered, ended up severely injuring Zhou Kangqi.”
“They parted ways unhappily, and Zhou Kangqi, nursing a grudge, arranged for someone to poison your brother. Already injured and now poisoned, your brother’s strength has greatly declined.”
“At this point, the Zhou family began pressuring the mercenary group and offered them benefits to expel your brother. Unable to withstand the Zhou family’s influence without your brother’s backing, the mercenary group falsely accused your brother of stealing the Zhou family’s young master’s prey and expelled him.”
“Despicable!” Xiao Jingting exclaimed angrily.
Shaking his head, Xu Mu’an said, “With the entire mercenary group’s testimony against him, your brother couldn’t possibly clear his name. Besides, your second brother isn’t skilled in rhetoric.”
Xiao Jingting gave a cold smile. Ultimately, it all came down to the fact that the original host’s parents were no longer around. Without their support, how could they have fallen to such depths of framing Xiao Jinfeng?
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