This time, Hu Jiuchi was genuinely amused. He snorted arrogantly a few times and said, “What heart knot could this old man possibly have? I live freely and happily, I…”
“The grave of the person you’ve been searching for is at the foot of West Mountain,” Shen Xia interrupted calmly.
Her words instantly froze the smile on Hu Jiuchi’s face. It was as though his soul had left his body.
“The person you’re talking about…”
“The one who gave you that wine gourd,” Shen Xia replied softly. “Your wife.”
She pulled over a chair and motioned for him to sit.
Hu Jiuchi’s voice trembled.
“You… how do you know that?”
“I have my own ways of knowing things, just as I know Murong Ke’s personality and know that remnants of the Jiang Family still stand behind Li Xiao.”
Holding his wine gourd tightly, Hu Jiuchi laughed and cried at the same time.
“West Mountain… So it was West Mountain. I searched for so long, and it was there all along. But she hated West Mountain the most. Why would she be buried there?”
He did not doubt Shen Xia’s words.
After all, no one knew about his wife, not even his friends from the martial world.
Over the years, people assumed he wandered freely because he loved traveling and sightseeing, unaware that he had been pursuing another purpose all along.
Shen Xia did not pressure him for an answer.
She merely said softly, “Take care of yourself, Senior.”
Unexpectedly, he was a deeply devoted man.
…
Meanwhile, Li Xiao returned to his room.
After closing the door, his face was hidden in the darkness of the night, while countless thoughts churned in his mind.
Earlier, while Shen Xia and Hu Jiuchi had been talking, he had secretly listened from afar.
So she really did know about the remnants of the Jiang Family.
No matter how much he thought about it, he could not understand how she knew so many things.
Who exactly was she? What did she want from him?
Still, he seemed to have confirmed one thing.
She bore him no ill will, at least not for now.
Everything she had done had been to help him.
And today, he had actually… misunderstood her.
Just then, movement came from outside his door.
“Li Xiao, are you inside? I left your dinner at the door. Come get it yourself.”
She had even brought him dinner?
Li Xiao remained silent, unable to describe the emotions swirling inside him.
Pressing his ear against the door and confirming there were no sounds outside, he finally opened it carefully.
Sure enough, a food box sat outside.
After hesitating for a moment, he reached out for it.
But suddenly, a shadow appeared before him.
Shen Xia leaned forward and grinned.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in? To prevent any further misunderstandings, I’ve decided not to wait until tomorrow. I’ll explain everything tonight.”
Li Xiao froze in surprise.
Meanwhile, Shen Xia had already picked up the food box and walked inside.
The dishes had just come from the kitchen through Qianzhu and were still steaming hot.
Li Xiao sat across from her, his fingers tightly gripping the edge of his clothes.
Licking his dry lips, he raised his head.
He had countless questions, yet none of them would come out.
Shen Xia glanced at him before taking the initiative to explain.
“You guessed correctly. I did deliberately take you out today to attract attention. But my real goal was to catch Murong Ke’s eye. I had no idea Tang Wen and the others would show up.”
“When I saw them humiliating you, I simply went along with the situation and used them to make the matter even bigger.”
“And earlier in the woodshed, when I suddenly hugged you, it was because Murong Ke’s people were hiding nearby. I did it on purpose.”
“I stepped into the game myself and convinced Murong Ke that we have a close relationship. He ordered me to monitor you and lure out your grandfather’s former subordinates, and I agreed.”
“But don’t worry. The person I truly intend to help is still you. Besides, after all this commotion, the Shen family won’t dare trouble us anymore. I can openly protect you now. If anyone bullies you again, I’ll help you fight back.”
Shen Xia explained at length while watching his reaction carefully.
Li Xiao felt as though someone had tightened a grip around his heart.
Wasn’t she afraid of dying?
The Murong family was ruthless. Had she made even the slightest mistake, she would have died there today.
Or was it that…
For the sake of helping him, she was willing to disregard her own safety?
His sleeve became covered in wrinkles from how tightly he gripped it.
Unable to contain the emotions inside him, he lowered his head and asked in a muffled voice,
“Why are you helping me?”
Why give unrealistic hope to someone like him, someone trapped in a swamp and already half dead?
“I want to escape the Shen family and leave Nanli Island. Helping you is helping myself,” Shen Xia answered calmly.
She had explained everything so clearly now.
Would Li Xiao finally believe that she meant him no harm?
Even as Shen Xia worried about that question, Li Xiao suddenly seemed to reach a decision.
He quickly lifted his head. His eyes were red as he said in a trembling voice,
“Alright, I believe you.”
He wanted to try trusting her.
Perhaps she was the first person since his mother’s death who genuinely wanted him to live well.
Once he came to that realization, the heavy burden pressing on his chest these past few days finally lifted.
Hearing his answer, Shen Xia also breathed a sigh of relief.
If he was willing to trust her, then getting along in the future would be much easier.
With the issue resolved, even the food tasted better.
“Come on, eat. Afterward, I’ll take you somewhere.”
Focused on her meal, she failed to notice that Li Xiao was gripping his chopsticks so tightly that his knuckles turned white, while an unsettling obsession flickered in his eyes.
This was the first time since the deaths of his mother and the Jiang Family that he had chosen to trust an outsider.
If she really was deceiving him, then she had better keep deceiving him forever.
She must never let him discover the truth.
She must never give him hope only to destroy it afterward.
Otherwise…
He truly would drag her down into hell with him.
“Why did you bring me here?”
Standing in a secluded and chilly alleyway, Li Xiao turned toward Shen Xia.
Shen Xia reached out and ruffled his hair.
“From now on, we’re partners. I’m older than you, so you should call me Sister.”
Under the moonlight, her expression carried a rare gentleness.
Yet Li Xiao felt as though she were petting a child.
Awkwardly, he took a step back.
“No. You’re only two years older than me.”
This little wolf cub really did have quite the temper.
“Oh, fine then. So you think I’m a commoner while you’re a prince, and that I’m not worthy of being your sister. You’re looking down on me, right?”
Shen Xia sighed and deliberately put on a disappointed expression.
“No, that’s not what I mean. I’m not looking down on you.”
Li Xiao hurriedly explained.
A prince?
If he had a choice, he would rather never have been born into the imperial family at all.
“If you’re not looking down on me, then that means you agree. From now on, I’m your sister.”
Suppressing her laughter, Shen Xia clapped her hands, looking extremely satisfied.
“I…”
Li Xiao wanted to argue further, but Shen Xia had already leaned closer.
With practiced ease, she pinched his cheek and smiled.
“My little brother is really handsome.”
Feeling her warm breath brush against his face and catching the faint floral fragrance lingering on her body, Li Xiao’s face instantly turned bright red.
His gaze darted everywhere except toward her.
At that point, he no longer had the heart to argue.