Such a lovely young girl would have easily drawn extra attention from Huo Xiao Di on any other day. But in his current state of turmoil, he only inwardly admired her beauty for a fleeting moment before letting his gaze drift indifferently away.
The boy, however, scrutinized Huo Xiao Di from head to toe, then broke into a cheeky grin. He leaned toward his sister and whispered mischievously, “Sister, didn’t you see that handsome young man across from us sneaking glances at you?”
Though his voice was low, Huo Xiao Di, with his “Whisper of Flowers Heard Overnight in the Tower” inner skill, caught every word. His brow twitched slightly. What followed—the subdued conversation between the boy and his sister—reached his ears as clearly as if it had been spoken aloud.
The boy, grinning slyly, said, “Sister, how could I have been up to mischief? You’ve been watching me so closely on this journey that I wouldn’t dare misbehave even if I wanted to.”
The young woman replied, “You were gone for most of the day, and now you’re back so late. If it wasn’t mischief, what were you doing? You said you went to the inn to retrieve a forgotten bundle, but I’m certain you were just looking for trouble with that bald innkeeper.”
Her voice, gentle and warm, was so melodious that even in her displeasure, it sounded delightful to the ear.
The boy, seemingly holding back his delight and laughter, said with mock seriousness, “That bald innkeeper in San Cai Town hasn’t offended me. Why would I look for trouble with him? Besides, don’t you remember what Uncle Zhong said before we left? ‘The less trouble we cause on this journey, the better.’ I’ve kept that advice in mind the whole way.”
The young woman said, “You’ve got some nerve bringing up Uncle Zhong’s words. Since you mentioned him, what exactly did he say to you before we left the capital? Wasn’t it ‘Avoid trouble as much as possible and hurry to Xiang Yang to meet the Third Young Master’? If you weren’t causing trouble, how could fetching a bundle take so long? Your lies might fool others, but they won’t fool your sister.”
Huo Xiao Di’s heart jolted at her words.
– Were this brother and sister traveling from the capital to Xiang Yang?
The boy replied, “Sister, I’ve kept Uncle Zhong’s words firmly in mind, but you saw what happened in San Cai Town today. That Hero’s Pavilion owner may just run a restaurant, but why does he act so tyrannical? Those two beggars were just asking for a bite to eat at his door. Even if he didn’t want to give them food, fine, but why did he have to beat them half to death and force them to eat rice off the ground?”
He muttered under his breath, “If the Third Young Master were here, he’d have done something about it too!”
The young woman said, “So you made up an excuse about leaving your bundle at the inn just to go back and cause trouble for him? Did you purposely leave the bundle behind at the San Cai Town inn so you could have an excuse to return and create chaos?”
The boy, realizing he could no longer deceive her, grinned mischievously and said, “Since Sister already guessed, why say it out loud? I know you’re not really mad at me. Otherwise, when I told you about the bundle earlier, you wouldn’t have let me go back for it.”
The boy’s sharp wit allowed him to see right through his sister’s thoughts.
The young woman was silent for a long time before finally letting out a soft sigh. “Sometimes I really don’t know how I ended up with a brother like you.”
The boy, smirking, said, “I know Sister is anxious to get to Xiang Yang. Do you think I don’t want to see the Third Young Master as soon as possible? But you must admit, I’ve been very restrained on this journey. If that bald, fat innkeeper hadn’t gone too far, I wouldn’t have stirred up trouble for no reason, delaying your trip and making you worry.”
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