Xiaobai went to find the old madam.
Yesterday’s initial confrontation had already made her realize that her cheap father, Shang Ruling, was a tough nut to crack who wouldn’t yield to either soft or hard tactics. There was no point in clashing head-on with him; it would be better to relieve the besieged by besieging the base of rescue—starting with the old madam. Since her father had forced her to take medicine and she could no longer suddenly cough up blood to play pitiful, she could only work on her appearance.
However, the situation was even more severe than she had imagined. Before she even entered the courtyard gate, she heard the cheerful laughter of women. The old madam sat in the main seat, with Miao Sanxiao and He Qiman seated on her left and right respectively. The two of them worked together to coax the old madam into beaming with joy, and Xiaobai immediately had a bad feeling.
Sure enough, as soon as Miao Sanxiao spotted Guo Tongxia following behind Xiaobai from afar, she immediately shifted the topic: “If you ask me, those wild men outside can’t compare to childhood sweethearts who grew up together, know each other inside out, and share a deeper bond than anyone else.”
Xiaobai was so startled that she made a detour, pretending she was just passing by. After scaring off a group of servants, she stepped onto Guo Tongxia’s shoulder and climbed onto the wall to eavesdrop, curious about what these two women were up to.
“Sister Sanxiao makes a good point, but I think sometimes knowing someone too well makes it hard to feel a spark. Some might think it’s fine to live a life of mutual respect, but I believe if one goes out more and meets more men, then no matter who they choose in the end, their heart will settle,” He Qiman said with a smile on her face, yet holding the opposite opinion.
Xiaobai felt some admiration for He Qiman. She had suffered such a blow just yesterday, yet today she had recovered her composure and come to undermine Miao Sanxiao’s efforts. Just this temperament alone surpassed many men.
As for why He Qiman was undermining Miao Sanxiao, the reason was simple. Although the major forces under the Shang family currently cooperated and benefited each other, prolonged interaction inevitably led to friction. If Miao Sanxiao’s son truly caught the old madam’s eye and became the Shang family’s live-in son-in-law, the balance between them would be disrupted. Compared to allying with Miao Sanxiao, He Qiman preferred someone from outside.
After all, no matter how close the alliance, Guo Tongxia was not her son. He Qiman respected Shang Ruling and was willing to assist him with all her strength, but that didn’t mean just any Tom, Dick, or Harry could order her around.
This was good news for Xiaobai, because a young lady from a boudoir had no way of coming into contact with young men from outside. Therefore, He Qiman would undoubtedly support her wholeheartedly in venturing into the jianghu.
“The Shang family is different from other noble families after all. If the young master is to inherit the family business in the future, he will inevitably need to travel far and wide to temper himself. Only then can he develop the decisiveness of a leader. Who knows, he might even meet his ideal gentleman while roaming the jianghu. Getting engaged now is simply too early.”
After saying this, He Qiman raised her eyes and looked at Xiaobai, who was eavesdropping on the wall, smiling without showing her teeth.
“Sister He makes a valid point,” Miao Sanxiao naturally saw Xiaobai too. Not only was she not angry, but she laughed heartily. Women from Nanmang were known for their straightforward and bold nature. “However, the jianghu is treacherous, and there are many smooth-talkers who deceive young girls. If the old madam doesn’t mind, my son is willing to accompany the young master. Even if he isn’t the young master’s future match, he is willing to devote all his strength to protecting the young master, even at the cost of his life.”
He Qiman was taken aback. She hadn’t expected Miao Sanxiao’s vision to be so broad. This way, whether it succeeded or not in the end, Guo Tongxia would become the future family head’s trusted aide, securing his position as the chief escort of the Golden Lion Escort Agency.
However, this meant that before Xiaobai got married, Guo Tongxia could not be engaged to any other girl either, and she feared he might end up too old to find a suitable wife.
Yet this was still a worthwhile trade-off. After all, how many extraordinary women like Miao Sanxiao, capable of supporting their husbands, existed in this world? Compared to an unknown future daughter-in-law, the young mistress was naturally far more important.
He Qiman secretly resented that her Cloud-Weaving Atelier consisted entirely of women. Even if she tried to find a young man to groom now, it was already too late.
Hearing this, Xiaobai knew she had arrived a step too late. Frustrated, she stomped on Guo Tongxia, who was serving as her stepping stool. Though not as sharp-eared or keen-eyed as Xiaobai, his years of martial arts training allowed him to hear his mother’s words clearly. However, he only understood that his mother had told him to take good care of the young mistress from now on. When she kicked him, he quickly steadied her, afraid she might fall.
Just as Xiaobai was about to leave, the old madame, who had been smiling silently, finally spoke: “Aman and Sanxiao both make good points, but my Xiaobai has been spoiled since childhood. I fear she might wrong little Guo.”
“Old madame, you flatter me too much. For my son to follow the young mistress is a blessing he could not earn in three lifetimes. I only ask for a chance for him to protect her.”
Miao Sanxiao was insistent. After all, Guo Tongxia was the only son in their family. If he became a live-in son-in-law, the Guo family would suffer a significant loss. While her actions were partly meant to pave the way for Guo Tongxia’s future, they were mostly driven by gratitude for the master’s kindness to her and her husband. She absolutely could not allow any harm to come to the young mistress.
The old madame was visibly moved: “Sanxiao, you are very thoughtful. However, last night, Mr. Song specially wrote a letter and had it delivered to me. In it, he recommended his third brother, Yuan Xiao.”
Upon hearing this, Miao Sanxiao, He Qiman, and even the eavesdropping Xiaobai inwardly cursed, “That scoundrel!” Song Wanting was truly too despicable!
Of course, Song Wanting would not sit idly by. If he were a woman who could enter the inner chambers, he could move heaven and earth. Fortunately, this time, it wasn’t his foolish elder brother who came from the Shark-Merfolk Gang, so there was still a chance to salvage the situation. Their Shark-Merfolk Gang lacked nothing except an abundance of men!
But after counting them all… Song Wanting broke into a cold sweat. It seemed only he was the most handsome—no, there was also his third brother. Yuan Xiao was quite adorable when he wasn’t speaking. Feeling guilty and knowing that his third brother’s intellect couldn’t compete with others, he deliberately changed his wording in the letter and proposed a rather bold suggestion.
He suggested that the old madame arrange multiple engagements for Xiaobai. As for who would remain until the end and be chosen by the young mistress, that would depend on their own abilities. Although his family’s Yuan Xiao was unworthy of the young mistress, he was willing to follow her and prevent unscrupulous individuals from approaching.
The letter Mr. Song painstakingly crafted gained support from everyone except Miao Sanxiao. People like Dou Shenghou and Jingjing knew full well that the young mistress would never take a liking to their own juniors, but they would absolutely recommend various factions to join in and make trouble for Miao Sanxiao. As for Guo Tongxia’s father, he was quite straightforward. Having witnessed how fierce Xiaobai could be, he had no desire for his son to marry into the Shang family and thus strongly supported the idea.
Old Madame Shang’s thinking was also unusually unconventional. She actually approved of this seemingly unreliable suggestion. After all, she was an iron-willed woman who had established her own household in her youth and was remarkably free-spirited.
She knew the Shang family had plenty of money, and many people sought marriage alliances out of greed for Xiaobai’s position as the young mistress. But so what? No one understood her own granddaughter’s ability to torment people to death better than the old lady. If a bodyguard was offered up for free, why not take it? When the time came, her precious girl could choose whomever she wanted. She refused to believe that, in the end, they couldn’t bring back a husband to carry on the Shang family line!
Although this demand was quite unreasonable, Miao Sanxiao hadn’t held much hope to begin with and agreed quite readily. He Qiman expressed agreement on the surface, but only she knew what she was really thinking.
Over there, Xiaobai was utterly dumbfounded, nearly losing her footing and tumbling down. In the end, Guo Tongxia ended up cushioning her fall.
Her gaze was deep and unmoving, and Guo Tongxia beneath her didn’t dare make a sound. After a long while, she gave Little Guo’s head a hearty slap and declared cheerfully, “Don’t worry, Little Guo! From now on, you stick with me. I promise I’ll find you a wife as fierce—I mean, as heroic and spirited—as your mother!”
Guo Tongxia winced from the slap, and a vague sense of danger made him choose to nod silently. He had a feeling that if he said anything at this moment, the young mistress might become terrifying.
Knowing that the old lady’s place had already become a battlefield for women—a place she couldn’t interfere with—Xiaobai reluctantly headed back. On the way, she had a sudden inspiration and took Guo Tongxia with her to Shang Yu’s place.
As a family servant born into the household, Shang Yu’s home was within the Shang residence, with a small courtyard of their own. However, both his parents were out working, leaving him alone at home.
When Xiaobai arrived, she noticed his condition was far from good. Dark circles hung under his eyes, his lips were chapped, and the food placed before his door had long gone cold. Yet he was still copying texts over and over again. A thick stack of papers had piled up beside his desk, but even so, his writing wasn’t sloppy. The characters he penned were small and delicate, more like those of a young lady in a boudoir than a young man.
This was unavoidable, after all. Everything he knew had been learned by observing the young mistress. That he had managed to figure things out to this extent was already quite impressive.
In previous dynasties, paper had been expensive, but the Yue Dynasty had discovered a low-cost papermaking technique. Later, the Pearl Trading House and the Heavenly Art Workshop collaborated to refine the process, producing snow-white, fine-textured paper. This greatly improved the Yue Dynasty’s tendency to prioritize martial prowess over literary pursuits and earned imperial attention for academies across the land.
When Shang Yu saw Xiaobai, he was filled with trepidation. He whispered, “Young Mistress, I still have twenty-eight copies left…”
As he spoke, he reached for a whip to offer her for punishment. Amazed by his efficiency in her heart, she kicked the whip aside and said, “I only told you not to come see me. I never said I couldn’t come supervise you. Go on, Little Guo, check the ones he’s finished for me.”
Guo Tongxia immediately felt a headache coming on. As a young escort chief, he was certainly literate and had read some books, but he had little interest in tedious essays and poetry. He’d rather run ten laps around the Shang residence than sit still and finish reading a book.
Nevertheless, he obediently began flipping through the pages. Soon, he realized that what Shang Yu had written was quite unusual. Surprise and conflict flickered across his face, eventually settling into a subtle expression—exactly the effect Xiaobai had intended.
“What are you staring for? Keep writing! If you don’t want to eat, then don’t,” she first scolded Shang Yu, picking up a steamed bun and tossing it at him. Then she instructed Guo Tongxia, “Read carefully. From now on, not only will you have to memorize this, but you’ll also need to carry a copy with you at all times to review.”
Guo Tongxia trembled, his face crestfallen. “Do I really have to memorize it?”
“If you can’t even memorize this, what kind of attendant are you? I, Shang Xiaobai, don’t want a fool who can’t memorize a few books,” she said, patting Guo Tongxia’s shoulder encouragingly. “Memorize it well. If you do a good job, you’ll be the one teaching others in the future.”
The future Mrs. Guo would surely thank her profusely.
Xiaobai gleefully had someone bring her a soft couch. Chewing on snacks, she watched their sorrowful or haggard faces, and her gloomy mood eased.
Who cared what kind of marriage her grandmother arranged for her? With her unyielding spirit, Shang Xiaobai could surely handle those freeloading men. Becoming the young master wasn’t all bad—at least no one could stop her from venturing out into the world. She began to covet Shang Ruling’s martial arts.
Her father could face Lou Baidie head-on and retreat unscathed (ignoring some minor, unimportant details). He was clearly a low-key, peerless master. With such excellent skills, who else would he pass them on to if not her?
Author’s Note: This plot is the core. With the groundwork laid by the grandmother arranging marriages everywhere, everyone can later appreciate Xiaobai’s frantic efforts to sabotage the engagements and the miserable, tormented state of her fiancés—money truly can make you do whatever you want.
The source of all evil, Mr. Song, absolutely refuses to take the blame.
Let me clarify here: this book is not a “buy stocks” story (I absolutely despise “buy stocks”—as a perennial failure in that regard). The ending has already been decided. I said this is an open-ended story focused on Xiaobai’s adventures in the martial world. There is no marriage ending in this story. Even if you frantically invest in a young hero’s “stock,” he won’t marry Xiaobai. At most, he’ll get a little more screen time and might appear after the ending. (Also, some of you said Guo Tongxia resembles Guo Jing, but when I wrote him, my mind was filled with Guo Furong memes, hahaha.)
【Mini Theater】The Pillar of the Shark-Merfolk Gang
Song Wanting: I, Song Wanting, represent the face of our entire Shark-Merfolk Gang. I am also the strategist of our gang. The men of our Shark-Merfolk Gang never admit defeat!
Miao Sanxiao: Damn you, you little bastard! Don’t you dare sneak around sending secret letters!
He Qiman: Sister Sanxiao is quite fast too. Young Master Guo must have been waiting outside the young master’s courtyard before dawn, right?
Guo Ding’an: I dare not say, but—Mr. Song, I support you.
…
The leader of the Shark-Merfolk Gang: Why hasn’t Second Brother returned after all this time?
Yuan Xiao: Second Brother did send a letter this morning, but I couldn’t understand what he was writing…
Leader: Let me see… Hmm… Uh…
Yuan Xiao: Big Brother?
Leader: It probably means Second Brother is doing fine, no issues.
Yuan Xiao: Oh, okay.
Today, the pillar of the Shark-Merfolk Gang is still fighting alone.
Thank you all so much for your support. I will continue to work hard!