My Gentle and Pure Sect Leader Husband - Chapter 40

When Hua Manlou heard the voice, he raised his head with a hesitant expression: “…Lu…Xiaofeng?”

Before the recognized Lu Xiaofeng could express his delight, Hua Manlou had a look of sudden realization. “So you’re a girl!”

Seven-year-old children had not yet developed, and their voices were all childishly clear. Although there were gender differences, some girls had slightly lower voices.

Lu Xiaofeng was choked up for a moment and even stopped struggling, appearing deeply offended.

Hua Manlou sighed and said disapprovingly, “Miss Lu, you shouldn’t climb walls next time. It’s very dangerous for girls.”

Lu Xiaofeng: “…”

The corner of Ximen Chuixue’s lips curved subtly.

Yu Luocha burst into laughter, then walked over and vigorously rubbed little Hua’s head, saying in a good mood, “Ah Lou is right!”

Lu Xiaofeng, who had been waiting for an opportunity, seized the chance. His neck turned at a strange angle, and that small patch of skin pinched in Yu Luocha’s hand slipped away like a swimming fish. In the blink of an eye, the “little girl” in pink clothes had slipped into the crowd of onlookers that had gathered around and disappeared from sight.

Yu Luocha merely brushed his sleeve with some disgust, looked at the hardened candy on his clothes, and pouted. “This little troublemaker…”

Yan Hongyin had been standing by with folded arms from the beginning. If she and Yu Luocha truly wanted to stop him, Lu Xiaofeng wouldn’t have escaped from their grasp even with ninety-nine more chances.

“Wait, hold on.”

Yu Luocha suddenly reacted, “Ah Lou, what did you just say about climbing walls?”

Ximen Chuixue glanced at his slow-witted uncle and answered, “Climbing our wall.”

Yu Luocha immediately rolled up his sleeves. “So it was that little brat?!”

Hua Manlou quickly hugged Yu Luocha’s arm, raising his small face brightly towards the sun, and smiled~

Yu Luocha immediately picked up Hua Manlou, pressed their cheeks together, and then whispered near the little one’s ear, “You did that on purpose?”

Although Hua Manlou’s ears were not as keen as those of grandmaster experts like Yu Luocha and Yan Hongyin, after some intentional and unintentional training from Yu Luocha during this period, they were much more sensitive than those of second-rate martial artists. How could he not distinguish whether Lu Xiaofeng’s voice was that of a boy or a girl—especially after what Yu Luocha had said.

Yan Hongyin’s eyebrow twitched as she sighed softly and said, “Let’s go to the clothing shop first to buy a change of clothes.”

That once adorably cute, fair, and tender child now looked like a white dumpling covered in black sesame seeds. It was truly easier to learn bad habits than good ones; this mischievous streak was somewhat reminiscent of Yu Luocha’s nature.

Yan Hongyin felt guilty toward Hua Ruling, but Yu Luocha was extremely proud. With one arm holding little Hua and the other forcibly holding little Ximen’s hand, he strode toward the clothing shop across the street like a peacock with his head held high and chest puffed out.

He had Hua Manlou study Buddhist scriptures, but certainly not to make the child become a monk.

From the Buddhist scriptures, he understood that all beings are born to suffer, that neither gods nor Buddhas deliver salvation, and Rakshasas must save themselves. Hua Manlou would certainly not walk the same path as him, but regardless, Yu Luocha hoped this child could maintain that surprisingly admirable warm heart while also possessing the ability to distinguish right from wrong and protect himself.

Too much evil is a sin, but so is too much kindness.

The world doesn’t need gods who pity all beings or Buddhas who deliver universal salvation; it only needs ordinary people with various desires in the mortal realm.

…..

Ximen Chuixue was naturally cold in temperament, and since learning medicine, he had absorbed a medicinal scent. Now as he sat across from Yan Hongyin, the large and small figures truly shared a harmonious similarity.

It wasn’t from their features, but from their temperament.

Yu Luocha and Hua Manlou came out from the inner changing room and turned around in front of Yan Hongyin and Ximen Chuixue, showing off their new clothes.

“Wife, how do we look?”

“Big brother, how do we look?”

Yan Hongyin: “…Acceptable.”

Ximen Chuixue: “…Passable.”

Yu Luocha and Hua Manlou both sighed, revealing an “I knew it” expression.

Then Yu Luocha looked at Yan Hongyin and Ximen Chuixue’s clothes, his eyes flickered, and his lips curved slightly. “Wife, since our family is out together, how can we dress so formally? Come, let Husband choose new~ clothes~ for you and Ah Xue~”

Yan Hongyin took a sip of hot tea, expressing refusal. “No money.”

Yu Luocha spoke confidently. “I’ll pay!”

Unaware that the family’s finances were kept separate by the two adults, Hua Manlou made a hissing sound nearby and whispered in a reverent tone, “Uncle Yu, you dare to keep private savings?”

In the Hua family, if his father dared to keep private savings, he would have to kneel on an abacus for two hours!

Yu Luocha was stunned for a moment, his eyes rolling. He directly pounced on Yan Hongyin and, before she could counterattack, held her wrist and stuffed the silver note purse from his sleeve into hers. Then, as if nothing had happened, he stood up, brazenly pulled on Yan Hongyin’s sleeve, and pleaded in a low voice.

“Wife, buy two more~ just two more~”

****

Meanwhile, Lu Xiaofeng, feeling lucky to have escaped from the clutches of the dangerous beast, leaned against a wall in a small alley. Before he could catch his breath, he heard a large man’s voice from above. “The little thief is here! Quickly go down and surround her!”

Lu Xiaofeng: “!!!”

He immediately realized what had happened, reached up to touch his head, and found the stolen golden phoenix hairpin firmly inserted in his bun. The tassel had been deliberately wrapped around the phoenix’s beak twice to prevent it from falling out during his escape.

Seeing the brothel bouncers jumping down from the second floor and approaching from the alley entrance to surround him, Lu Xiaofeng shed bitter tears inwardly.

So it wasn’t that all people in white clothes were fierce, but rather that all those with green in their eyes couldn’t be trusted!!

The top courtesan from Cihuan Tower was the Jinling Prefect’s son’s cherished female confidante, and this golden hairpin was a love token given to the top courtesan by the prefect’s son. Although Lu Xiaofeng hadn’t found out what else was involved, judging by these people who had chased him for two days and nearly turned Jinling City upside down without giving up, it was clearly not just a matter of romance.

Lu Xiaofeng tucked the golden hairpin into his bosom. When one of the large men lunged at him, he nimbly squatted, rolled over, and extended his leg to trip the two behind him. Then, covered in dust, he got up from the ground and rushed toward the alley exit.

—Fortunately, these were just ordinary bouncers. If there had been some martial artists among them, he might have truly become a dead phoenix.

The little girl in pink clothes darted through the crowd ahead, with the burly men shouting and relentlessly pursuing. Lu Xiaofeng was about to turn into another alley when he spotted silhouettes at the entrance from afar. He quickly changed direction and fled another way.

He hadn’t gone far when he collided with something dark blue.

Lu Xiaofeng looked up, rubbing his aching forehead, to see who had such a hard body, and saw a familiar yet demonic face leaning down, slowly raising an eyebrow at him. “Oh~”

Lu Xiaofeng: “!!!!”

Lu Xiaofeng used all his might to escape from the fierce beast’s jaws and ran for his life in another direction.

…..

A quarter of an hour later.

Lu Xiaofeng encountered the family of four again outside a pastry shop.

He fled.

…..

Two quarters of an hour later.

Lu Xiaofeng encountered the family of four in front of a lantern shop.

He fled.

…..

Three quarters of an hour later.

Lu Xiaofeng saw the family of four about to enter a restaurant, his gaze gradually becoming numb.

Yu Luocha raised his hand. “Oh~ You’re here?”

Yan Hongyin turned to look at the “little girl” in pink clothes standing across the street, as well as the bouncers chasing him from not far away, and narrowed her eyes. “He’s being deliberately driven toward us.”

Yu Luocha made an affirmative sound from his nostrils. “Mm-hmm.”

Jinling City wasn’t small, and the four of them were wandering randomly. How could it be such a coincidence that no matter how Lu Xiaofeng ran, he would run into them in such a short time?

“Lure him over to play?” Yu Luocha turned his head and leaned close to Yan Hongyin’s ear, mischievously suggesting.

Although Yan Hongyin’s eyebrows moved slightly, she didn’t avoid Yu Luocha’s movement. Instead, she remained motionless and quite naturally made an “mm” sound.

Yu Luocha’s amber eyes flashed with surprise, but before he could say anything more, his ear twitched, catching the sound of Lu Xiaofeng’s footsteps running toward them from across the street.

Yu Luocha: “?”

Lu Xiaofeng looked at the bouncers who stuck to him like mud and couldn’t be shaken off, closed his eyes, steeled himself, and rushed across the street toward Yu Luocha.

“Father! I am your long-lost child bride!!!”

This sentence stunned even the normally theatrical Yu Luocha.

Yan Hongyin’s expression became strange for a moment, her gaze slowly, slowly circling over Hua Manlou and Ximen Chuixue.

Yu Luocha was still Yu Luocha after all. He turned around and picked up Lu Xiaofeng, then waved his hand. “Well said! Look, here are my two sons. Which one do you like, Miss Lu?”

Hua Manlou wanted to speak but hesitated.

Ximen Chuixue’s temple tensed.

Lu Xiaofeng, being held by the dangerous beast, sniffled and, compromising, said in a very small voice, “…Not the fierce one, the handsome one.”

….

Lu Xiaofeng successfully infiltrated the family of four and even managed to get a sumptuous dinner at the best restaurant in Jinling City.

To be honest, it tasted so much better than the buns on South Street!

After all, although the buns at that shop on South Street were cheap, they had thick skin and little filling, and the meat flavor was too bland when eaten.

Yu Luocha looked at Lu Xiaofeng eating like a starving ghost and said solemnly, “Wife, our family might not be able to support such a child bride. Maybe we should…”

Lu Xiaofeng, who was focused on eating, didn’t raise his head as he took out the golden phoenix hairpin from his bosom and placed it on the table, pushing it toward Yu Luocha while the chopsticks in his other hand continued to deliver food to his mouth.

This formed a stark and tragic contrast with little Hua who was eating politely next to him and little Ximen who was picking up food with cold restraint.

Yu Luocha took the golden phoenix hairpin that he had just casually reinserted for Lu Xiaofeng and turned it in his hand.

This hairpin was a rare fine piece; both its craftsmanship and the embedded gems were first-class goods. But beyond that, Yu Luocha didn’t find anything particularly remarkable about it.

Though the hairpin was valuable, it wasn’t valuable enough to make him take special notice.

As he was thinking, a hand reached over and slowly pulled the golden phoenix hairpin from Yu Luocha’s hand.

Yu Luocha had indeed seen many fine things, but in terms of insight into certain items, he couldn’t compare with Yan Hongyin, who had grown up in the imperial palace in the capital.

Yan Hongyin carefully examined the somewhat familiar-looking hairpin from different angles. Sure enough, under one of the phoenix’s tail feathers, she found a small lacquer seal.

Judging by the large phoenix form, this hairpin already violated regulations. Apart from nobility and titled ladies, other women who wore phoenix hairpins could only wear small ones, with restrictions on the number of tail feathers. This hairpin, in terms of form, gems, and craftsmanship, approached the tribute items from the Imperial Household Department.

—Not to mention the Imperial Household Department’s lacquer seal imprinted on the hairpin.

“Where did this come from?” Yan Hongyin asked Lu Xiaofeng.

Lu Xiaofeng’s attitude toward Yan Hongyin was completely different from that toward Yu Luocha. He seemed to respect Yan Hongyin greatly, and when facing her question, he even put down his chopsticks and remembered to wipe his mouth.

“This is a love token given by the Jinling Prefect’s son to the top courtesan of Cihuan Tower. That courtesan hasn’t received clients for half a month, saying she was waiting to be taken into the mansion as a concubine.”

Jinling Prefect…

Yan Hongyin pondered silently, planning to ask Hua Ruling for information about this person later that night.

****

As night fell, the little disciple was detained in the house separated by a wall.

The woman still sat at her dressing table. She had changed to a new lip rouge, not a gorgeous red but the most natural light pink, perfectly complementing her cold, moon-like face.

The window was open, and the wind howled past, carrying away the silhouette of the Jinyiwei who slipped away toward the other side of Jinling City in the dark night.

His disciple Xiao Feng’er was so careless, being captured to be a child bride. How could he, as the world’s greatest master, sit idly by?

He wondered if this Western Demonic Sect Leader would be more interesting to fight than those good-for-nothings.

The white-clad woman smiled a faint, sweet smile at the bronze mirror, like a quietly blooming flower.