487 Xiaobao’s Schemes
Ever since Yu Wan moved into the Helian Manor, her days had been too comfortable. She woke up later than usual. When she opened her eyes, the three little fellows had already gone to Old Madam’s room to play. Yan Jiuchao had also gone to take a medicinal bath. Now, in order to suppress the poison, he had temporarily stopped taking the medicine and changed it to acupuncture and a medicinal bath.
Yu Wan slowly sat up. Zi Su pushed open the door and entered. “Madam, you’re awake?”
“Mhm.” Yu Wan lifted the curtain.
Zi Su caught the curtain in her hand and hung it with a tent hook. She opened the cabinet and chose a lake-blue dress. “How about this today?”
“Is this my clothes?” Yu Wan’s gaze landed on the fresh and elegant dress. “Why don’t I remember having this set of clothes?”
Zi Su smiled knowingly. “The Grand General asked the embroiderer to make it. The Grand General called the embroiderer to the courtyard and asked me about your size and preferences. He asked the embroiderer to rush to make a few sets of clothes for you. Four sets were sent over yesterday, and four more are still in the works in the embroidery building. The Grand General also made them for the Princely Heir. The Princely Heir’s is not that fast. There’s also mine and Fu Ling’s. The Grand General said that I’m your and the Princely Heir’s personal maidservant, so I’m also a maidservant of the Helian Manor. In the future, we’ll also follow the rules of the Helian Manor and make four sets of clothes a season.”
The Divine General of Nanzhao, who had a million soldiers, actually knew how to take care of such trivial matters in the house. Yu Wan imagined Helian Beiming sitting in a wheelchair and explaining everything to the servants. For some reason, she burst into laughter. This uncle was really surprisingly cute.
Although Old Madam was crazy and Madam Tan was no longer around, there was always a butler in the manor. Helian Beiming could have been a hands-off owner, but he did not. It was said that serious men were the most charming. Now, she felt that Uncle Helian was also very charming.
Yu Wan washed up and dressed neatly to greet the Old Madam. The embroiderer came again and was squatting in front of the three little fellows to measure them. They looked different every day, and Zi Su could not say how big their clothes were.
“Come here, come here!” The Old Madam waved at Yu Wan with a smile.
Yu Wan walked over. When the three little black eggs saw their mother, they couldn’t care less about measuring and pounced over. Dabao and Er’bao had the advantage in stamina, so they squeezed Xiaobao to the back. But Xiaobao was not afraid. He had a Dharma treasure!
“Mom, hug!” Xiaobao stretched out his little arm.
Yu Wan picked up the little fellow. Dabao and Er’bao looked at him resentfully. Scheming brother! Xiaobao stuck out his tongue. Lo-lo-lo-lo!
Yu Wan pinched his face in anger and amusement. “Are you teasing them again? It’s not enough that you were taught a lesson by your father, you came to provoke your two brothers.” This little thing was originally the most introverted and honest, but now he was the most mischievous.
“Mom, Mom! I like Mom! Xiaobao likes you the most!” Xiaobao lay in Yu Wan’s arms and acted coquettishly, coaxing Yu Wan until she was confused. Soon, she forgot that she was reprimanding this little fellow.
Dabao and Er’bao were furious. Damn it, he needed to be taught a lesson!
Yu Wan had breakfast in the Old Madam’s room. Then, she heard the carriage move. After a while, Fu Ling entered the room and said that Jiang Hai and the others had returned.
“Grandmother, I’ll go to Xixia Garden first,” Yu Wan said to the Old Madam.
The old lady waved her hand generously. “Go, go.” Without their mother around, her great-grandchildren could only stick to her!
Yu Wan went to Xixia Garden. They stayed in the forest for three days and three nights. Jiang Hai could not stand the smell and went to take a bath with hot water. Ah Wei and the other two sat in the old man’s room and discussed serious matters with him.
“Grandma.” Qing Yan was the first to speak. “We’ve obtained the item. What should we do next?”
According to the plan, they first helped Yu Wan and Yan Jiuchao obtain the first two herbs. After obtaining enough trust from them, they will lie that the remaining two herbs were in the Ghost Clan and use this to kidnap them back to the clan.
However, after Qing Yan asked, everyone in the room fell silent.
Ah Wei said, “I think we should implement…”
“Shut up!” Qing Yan and Yue Gou scolded him in unison.
Ah Wei shut up with a dark expression. The first day he came, they enslaved him. The sixth day he came, they were fierce to him. The great villain Ah Wei remembered everything!
“Grandma!” Yu Wan knocked on the door and asked, “Is Qing Yan and the others back?”
Qing Yan glanced at Grandma. Seeing that he did not object, he stood up and opened the door. The corners of his lips twitched as he said, “We just returned. Why are you up so early?”
“It’s getting late. The sun is already shining on your butt.” Yu Wan looked into the room. “You’re all here? How is it? Did you get the snow toad?”
Qing Yan cleared his throat and said seriously, “We’ve got it. Let’s go in and talk.”
Yu Wan entered the room. “Grandma, Yue Gou, Ah Wei.” Yu Wan greeted them one by one. The three of them nodded at her and called out to Ah Wan.
“Have a seat,” Qing Yan said.
Yu Wan sat down beside Grandma and asked them, “How is it? Did the trip to Gu Mountain go smoothly? Was anyone injured?”
“No,” Qing Yan said. “We met the people from the Queen Manor, but it’s already been resolved. We didn’t let them suspect us.”
“That’s good.” It was not that Yu Wan was afraid of the Queen Manor, but at this critical juncture, there was no need to openly confront them. Their current situation was most suitable to cause trouble in the dark.
“Where’s the snow toad? Can I take a look?” Yu Wan asked.
Qing Yan opened the bag on the table and took out a jade box the size of a small bowl. “Here.”
Yu Wan took the box and opened it without a word. Qing Yan was so frightened by her quick movements that his eyebrows twitched. Just as he was about to say be careful, he remembered that this girl was carrying the holy artifact of Nanzhao. The one who should be careful should be that little thing.
As expected, the moment the box opened, a white light flashed out of Yu Wan’s sleeve and flew towards the snow toad in the box. Ah Wei quickly closed the box. The white light missed and flew back into Yu Wan’s sleeve.
“How did this happen?” Yu Wan was puzzled.
Ah Wei said, “The holy artifact wants to eat the snow toad.”
This was the nature of Gu worms. The weak were prey to the strong. However, at the level of a holy artifact, ordinary Gu Kings were no longer worthy of its attention. If Fei Luo’s Gu worm that was infinitely close to the Thousand Gu King was a tasteless grain of white rice, then this real Thousand Gu King was a fat piece of meat that looked, smelled, and tasted good.
“That was close. I almost let it eat it just now.” Yu Wan held her chest and did not dare to touch the box anymore. She looked at her sleeve and said, “You’re the Gu King after all. She’s the Gu Empress and a girl. Can’t you be a little more gentlemanly? Can you not think about eating her everyday?”
Ah Wei: “It’s a male Gu.”
Yu Wan : “…”
Yu Wan handed the snow toad to Ah Wei for safekeeping. Then, she asked about the third medicinal primer. “By the way, where is the third medicinal primer? Is it also in the Capital? Or is it somewhere else?”
Ah Wei: “It’s in…”
“In the Capital,” the old man said.
Ah Wei’s eyes were cold. The script wasn’t like this. Don’t frame me.
The old man said, “The last Saintess died of old age in the Capital. Her inheritance has been destroyed since then, but the handwritten notes about the Saintess Hall are still intact in the Myriad Book Pavilion. As long as we find it, we might be able to find a clue.”
Yu Wan said thoughtfully, “The clues you’re pointing at are…”
The old man pondered for a moment and said, “There has always been such a rumor in the pugilistic world. The reason why the inheritance of the sorcerer and the saintess was destroyed was because they had enmity with each other and fought. In the end, both sides were injured and neither of them could survive. However, I once heard another saying from my grandmother. The saintess and the sorcerer became dao companions. Their marriage was cursed by the gods, and it was the gods who destroyed them. If what my grandmother said is true, then they might still have some descendants. As long as we find their descendants, we can get the last two herbs.”
Yue Gou said naively, “But what if it’s the first…”
“Don’t jinx it!” Qing Yan glared at him.
“Oh.” Yue Gou obediently stopped talking.
Yu Wan thought for a while and asked, “Can we find the answer if we go to the Myriad Book Pavilion?”
“It’s not that simple,” the old man said. “All these years, many people have been searching for the answer, but the Myriad Book Pavilion has always been controlled by the State Preceptor Hall. Other than the State Preceptor and their trusted aides, no one can enter.”
“The State Preceptor Hall…” Yu Wan touched her chin.
“I’ll go!” Jiang Hai pushed open the door and walked in. He took a shower and changed into dry clothes. He felt extremely refreshed. He glanced at Yu Wan and the others and said seriously, “I’ll go to the Myriad Book Pavilion and steal the handwritten notes!”