SPMT : Chapter 56: News from the Xiao Family

Mu Shuyu carried the child over to Xiao Jinfeng. Although he had given birth to a little ger, Xiao Jinfeng doted on this son very much, which greatly comforted Mu Shuyu.

“Drinking again – you’re covered in the smell of alcohol. Your son is going to dislike you,” Mu Shuyu complained with a smile.

“How can you blame me for that? You can only blame Mu’an for brewing better and better wine – it feels so good going down,” Xiao Jinfeng said.

Mu Shuyu nodded and said: “That’s true enough.”

The best wine brewed at home was all kept for their own family to drink. The wine they sold was what they’d eliminated, but even this eliminated wine had caused a huge sensation in Wind City. The reason everyone in the family could advance so quickly was all due to frequently drinking spirit wine.

“Let me hold him,” Xiao Jinfeng said, reaching out toward Mu Shuyu.

Mu Shuyu handed the baby in his arms to Xiao Jinfeng.

“Xiaofu is so cute! This nose looks like mine,” Xiao Jinfeng said with a face full of smiles.

Mu Shuyu looked at Xiao Jinfeng and said mischievously: “Let’s hope when he grows up, he won’t be an alcoholic like you.”

Xiao Jinfeng smiled awkwardly.

Xiao Xiaofu moved close to Xiao Jinfeng’s mouth and sniffed lightly. Xiao Jingting said somewhat proudly: “I smell very nice – our son really likes me.”

Xiao Xiaofu slapped Xiao Jinfeng across the face. Mu Shuyu burst out laughing and said: “Yes! He likes you – likes hitting you.”

While Xiao Jinfeng and Mu Shuyu were joking at home, the sound of a dragon horse neighing came from outside.

“Where’s that dragon horse sound coming from?” Xiao Jinfeng said, completely puzzled. Dragon horses were demon beasts that great families mostly raised for travel – there shouldn’t be any in the small town.

Xiao Jinfeng walked out the door and looked toward the approaching person. He was somewhat surprised to discover that it was actually someone he knew. “Third Steward Xiao, why have you come?”

“Young Master Jinfeng, I’ve come under Second Master’s orders to escort you and Young Master Jingting back to the Xiao family.”

“Second Master – my father?” Xiao Jinfeng stared wide-eyed in complete surprise.

……

News that the Xiao family had honored guests visiting spread throughout Earthmound Village in an instant.

“Father and Mother-father are actually still alive,” Xiao Jingting said with great surprise.

Xiao Jingting had been exiled to Earthmound Village for almost a year now. From Xiao Ping’s occasional letters, Xiao Jingting knew that this past year the Xiao family had been engaged in fierce internal strife, and the four great families of Desert City were also in constant conflict. He and Xiao Jinfeng, who had been expelled from the family, had basically been completely forgotten by everyone.

The original host’s parents had gone out with friends to do a mission, but were betrayed by the friends they were doing the mission with and fell off a cliff. The people who had done the mission with the original host’s parents returned saying that his parents had met with misfortune, and everyone believed it.

As it turned out, after almost a year, the original host’s parents came back alive. It seemed they had gained some opportunities at the bottom of the cliff, and both their cultivation levels had advanced to Eighth Layer Qi Refining.

The person with the highest cultivation in the Xiao family currently was the old master at Ninth Layer Qi Refining. The original host’s parents were much younger than the old master, so advancing to Ninth Layer Qi Refining was just a matter of time for them.

After the original host’s parents returned, they learned that their eldest son was being ostracized at the academy, their second son had become everyone’s target, and their youngest son had been driven out of the Xiao family. They immediately flew into a rage.

Perhaps to establish their authority, or perhaps to stand up for Xiao Jinfeng, the original host’s parents immediately had Xiao Muhong’s concubine named Feng Xue’er publicly whipped to death upon their return. The reason was that Feng Xue’er harbored ill intentions – a lowly person who dared to seduce the Xiao family’s second young master, was promiscuous by nature, and liked to speak nonsense and slander the second young master.

It was said that when the original host’s mother took action, Xiao Muhong stood right beside her and didn’t dare say a single word.

Xiao Jingting secretly shook his head. So-called truth was never anything more than what the victors wrote. During this period, the Xiao family had been engaged in endless internal strife. With the original host’s parents’ return, the family’s power structure would have to be reshuffled again.

……

Xiao Xiaofan lay sprawled on the table, saying listlessly: “I don’t want to go back.”

For Xiao Xiaofan, the Xiao family really wasn’t a good place. When he was at the Xiao family, children his age always bullied him, and he could only eat what others had left behind. Xu Mu’an, fearing that Xiao Xiaofan would be bullied, often kept Xiao Xiaofan and Xiao Xiaodong locked up.

Xiao Xiaodong kept his head down – he didn’t want to go back either. Although Earthmound Village wasn’t as prosperous as the Xiao family, it was free and unrestrained. Xiao Xiaodong only felt that his recent days had been lived with great success and vigor. He had no fondness whatsoever for the Xiao family, that place full of conspiracies and schemes.

“Why doesn’t Xiaofan want to go back?” Xiao Jinfeng asked gently.

Xiao Xiaofan rested his chubby little hands under his chin and said gloomily: “There are many bad people there who want to hit Xiaofan.”

Xiao Jingting rubbed Xiao Xiaofan’s head and said: “You can hit them back!”

“Xiaofan can’t beat them,” Xiao Xiaofan said dejectedly.

“Daddy will help you,” Xiao Jingting said.

Hearing Xiao Jingting’s words, Xiao Xiaofan’s eyes immediately lit up.

Xu Mu’an helplessly glanced at Xiao Jingting.