Chapter 6.2

“Thank you, Daoist.” Xiao Youning sat right across from him and expressed her gratitude again. She reckoned the ascetic was actually not as unapproachable as he appeared to be. First, he had helped her escape the fire and even brought her into his carriage. He was not obligated to do it, after all, they were strangers to one another, and no one would question his morality had he left her behind. As much as he seemed glacial and aloof, he did possess some redeeming qualities.

Ye Shen’s gaze swept over the handle of the fan she had held, he casually threw it at her side. Raising his eyelids to stare at her face, he rolled his eyes and said, “No need to thank me, you can also be considered to be coming up to me in good faith to make a complaint.”

Though his words were indifferent and lacked all humane touch, the first smile of the night graced Xiao Youning’s lips. “Daoist Master is generous enough not to bother with those small thoughts of mine.”

The meaning that Ye Shen’s words held was quite simple. Right from the moment she had sought him, despite being garbed as a man, she had made no efforts to conceal her femininity. The soft, delicate tone of voice, characteristic of a woman, was easily discernible to anyone that cared to listen. As such, she had made no efforts in maintaining the charade and instead, been honest. In his ever discerning eyes, this spontaneous act accorded merit.

Although his words were terse and sparse, Xiao Youning couldn’t help but feel that this Daoist was more than he met the eyes. Belying his frosty facade was quite a kind heart, willing to believe that there was a sincerity in her in persuading him to leave.

She had lived her entire life donning the role of the pampered young miss of the wealthy family. However, the last few days, she had never subconsciously relaxed. If anything, her senses were on a high alert, tingling at the slightest change. Thus, upon learning that the bodyguards had not returned from feeding the horses, she had quickly realized that she had been abandoned in the village with the odds stacked firmly against her. She had swiftly analyzed and weighed her options, concluding that the pair of men lodging together next door were her only ray of hope. Even if they were strangers, she could be jumping from the frying pan to the fire, but there was no worse situation than the one she was in. Besides, there was no turning back.

For now, it seemed, she was still betting right.

Xiao Youning surreptitiously sized up the man in the coach again. The monk had returned to his reticent self as soon as she had said her piece.

In the dimly lit interior, she could still notice his shut eyes, seemingly resting. Hesitant more than unwilling, she withdrew her gaze and resigned to herself. Bending over, she gently stroked and pressed her aching foot, gingerly rolling her fingers in a circle around the top. Not even a moment into it, she almost let out a scream of pain and swiftly withdrew her hand, not daring to touch it again. Slowly, she slid to one corner of the carriage and curled up against the wall. She had no way of telling how severe her injury was, but the excruciating pain would torment her, nonetheless. She willed herself to recount the happenings of the day in a bid to distract herself from the pain.

If she had to put a finger on it, she could safely say it had all started from the moment the refugees appeared. Somehow the seemingly pitiable plight of the homeless and destitute had left her unsettled. She had never once put her guard down, even when the bodyguard tried to ridicule her she didn’t fall for it. It turned out, she had her instincts to kowtow to or she would’ve been stuck in a predicament, unable to ask for help.

Yes, the bodyguards seemed a bit odd … But why would those men who had been assigned to escort her want to harm her? … Especially, when it was her second uncle who had hired them? Or … had the Li Family gotten wind of it and bribed the bodyguards of the Xiao Family’s second branch?

Although that was her line of thought, the person she was most suspicious about was still Second Master Xiao. If this estranged uncle of hers hadn’t shown up and then carelessly mentioned Da Tong, she probably wouldn’t have thought to go find her father and brother in person.

Thinking up to her, she felt she was too naive. Even if you had someone to protect you, Da Tong was a long way away. So, who could guarantee that there wouldn’t be any mishaps, to say nothing about being intentionally plotted against. Moreover, it was she who put the cart before the horse, willingly walking into a trap and serving herself up on the chopping board.

In her desperation to seek her father and brother, despite the odds and ferocity of the situation, her determination to see them alive never once dimmed. If anything, with every passing moment, it soared. But it was this very despair that had dominated her decision to unearth the truth herself, or at least gather the most accurate news. And no matter how slowly the news made it to the capital, how could it be slower than her distant journey to Da Tong.

In her haste, she had overlooked a crucial fact- the capital was the place where she would receive news the fastest. Alas, she had set off on the wrong path even before she knew it.

The more she mulled, the starker was the contrast between her naiveté and her second uncle’s duplicity. It had never occurred to her that even after she had already indicated that he could use her dowry as a thank-you gift, she would still be schemed at by him.

In this world, where she was once held like a pearl on the palm had been mercilessly tossed to the wolves … and by the able hands of her seemingly kith and kin nonetheless.