The Inside Job

"Miss, he has returned."

A side courtyard of the Ye family.

A figure completely hidden in the darkness knelt on one knee, respectfully reporting to the young woman seated in the main seat.

The young woman had her back to him, her face unseen. Only a waterfall of black hair cascading down to her waist could be seen. With a waist as slender as a willow, her back alone was enough to be called a peerless beauty of the mortal realm.

She gave a soft response.

"Mhm."

Seeing that his miss did not have much of a reaction, the shadow guard thought his report was too vague, so he emphasized again, "Miss, the son of the Ye family's patriarch has returned."

Zhao Zhixia said indifferently, "I know. You may step down."

???

The shadow guard was momentarily stunned.

This reaction wasn't right. Logically, shouldn't his miss really like that boy and rush out to see him?

Why... is she so calm?

"Is there anything else?"

Seeing him lingering, Zhao Zhixia finally turned her face, her eyes cold.

The shadow guard shuddered and quickly took his leave.

"This subordinate will take his leave."

However, just as he was truly about to leave, Zhao Zhixia suddenly spoke again.

"Wait. There is one more thing."

"Please give your orders, Miss," the shadow guard immediately bowed.

"That token of the Ye family... it's time to seriously look for it. I have been truly slacking these past few years, always tied down by thoughts I shouldn't have." Zhao Zhixia gently stroked a wooden bracelet on her pale left wrist, then softly took it off.

The shadow guard froze, his eyes full of disbelief.

That was given to the miss by that Ye family boy when they were children. Although it was worthless, the miss liked it very much and had always worn it, never taking it off.

And now... she actually took it off?

The sun has truly risen from the west!

Following this, the shadow guard was overjoyed.

The miss had finally thought things through!

He could never understand what was so good about the young master of a declining family. Even if their ancestors were once prosperous and, like their Zhao clan, were one of the Eight Great Families, now they couldn't even produce a single Nascent Soul cultivator. He was completely unworthy of the miss.

But his words carried little weight, and he didn't dare to speak out of turn.

Now that the miss had figured it out herself, it was naturally excellent. He could also let go of his restraints and act boldly.

Truth be told, this token was difficult to find.

In the past, to prevent the tokens from being stolen, the patriarchs of each family forged them into different styles and added seals to them. Only the patriarch of each family knew what it was and how to unseal it.

So, although they knew the token was hidden in the Ye family, they didn't know exactly where, and could only search for it slowly.

But things were fine now. The miss was finally willing to put her mind to this!

"This subordinate will go handle it immediately!"

The shadow guard turned into a dark silhouette and disappeared into the shadows.

After the shadow guard left, Zhao Zhixia slowly took a step, moving gracefully to sit by the window. Through the lattice, she looked at the boy who was being pulled along by a chattering little maid.

The young woman watched.

A flash of understanding and a trace of resignation passed through her eyes.

Outside the window, Ye Xiaosu held Ye Shu's hand, skipping happily along the road like a joyful little butterfly.

"Young Master! Xiaosu really missed you!"

"Oh?" Ye Shu laughed and teased, "How much is 'really missed'?"

"Just really, really missed you." Ye Xiaosu looked as if it was a matter of course. "Missed you in my dreams, missed you while sleeping, even when I was just dozing off!"

Looking at Ye Xiaosu's serious face, Ye Shu couldn't help but smile.

"This maid of yours is quite interesting." Danxia's voice rang in his mind, carrying a hint of amusement.

Ye Shu smiled.

"Not a maid, a little sister."

The two talked and laughed, gradually walking further away.

Along the way, Ye Xiaosu talked excitedly without stopping. Mostly it was her speaking and Ye Shu nodding, but even so, it was enough to make Xiaosu happy.

There were also some blind fools who came looking for trouble.

But Ye Shu simply stepped on their heads and shoved them into the dirt without losing his good mood.

Soon, the two arrived at an independent small courtyard.

"Young Master, welcome home!"

Ye Xiaosu pushed open the courtyard door and waved at him excitedly.

The courtyard was not large, but it was very tidy. At a glance, one could tell it was frequently cleaned. There were two trees inside.

The one on the left was a willow tree, and the one on the right was also a willow tree.

"Ta-da!"

Ye Xiaosu opened her arms wide with a proud look on her face.

"While the Young Master was away, I, Xiaosu, cleaned it every day!"

"Good, good, good, our Xiaosu is the best."

Ye Shu affectionately patted her head, then took large strides toward the small house.

As soon as the door opened, he froze.

Just like the outside of the courtyard, the inside of the house was also very clean. But the problem was... it seemed a bit too clean.

"Um, Xiaosu."

He pointed at the empty room. The place where the bed should have been now only had a few bare pieces of wood left. The place where the table and chairs should have been was now completely empty.

The whole house looked like a brand-new, unfurnished room.

"Was our house robbed?"

"It was those bad guys from the second and third branches. They moved everything away while the Young Master was gone. They didn't even spare the bed and blankets," Ye Xiaosu said with absolute certainty.

"Really?"

Ye Shu instinctively frowned.

Even if the other branches looked down on him, they shouldn't have the guts to touch his things. After all, no matter what, his father was the patriarch of the Ye family.

Touching his things was like slapping his father's face!

However, under the protagonist's halo...

It wasn't entirely impossible.

"Ah~" Ye Xiaosu suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Ye Shu's hand, and interrupted his thoughts. "Young Master, don't think about this anymore. If the old doesn't go, the new won't come. We can just ask the Master for a new set."

That logic seemed to make sense.

Ye Shu's brow had just smoothed out.

Ye Xiaosu suddenly started taking off his clothes, muttering to herself:

"Young Master, you just returned from the Magical Beast Mountain Range, your clothes must be all dirty, right? I'll take them off and change you into new ones. I'll take the old ones to wash. Otherwise, if you go see the Master like this, you'll definitely get scolded."

"And these shoes, they have to come off too."

"I'll go fetch a basin of water to wash you up. You rest well, and then go see the Master..."

In just a moment of daze, everything was arranged.

Ye Shu couldn't even get a word in, so he could only smile awkwardly and sit on the bed that only had its frame left, enjoying Ye Xiaosu's service.

Xiaosu's hands were soft and very gentle.

She brought a basin of water, placed Ye Shu's feet into the basin, and washed them carefully, as if afraid of hurting him.

"Young Master, is the water temperature alright?"

"Mhm, it's just right."

Ye Xiaosu smiled happily.

"That's good."

"Tch, what's so good about it." Xiaobai, who had been sitting on Ye Shu's shoulder the whole time, curled her lips in a somewhat jealous manner. "Acting as if no one else knows how to wash feet."

Ye Shu ignored her and just silently enjoyed it.

Since returning from the Magical Beast Mountain Range, it had been a long time since he felt this kind of simple warmth.

Outside the door, the moonlight was like water.

Xiaosu kept her head down, washing earnestly.

Ye Shu looked at her serious side profile and was momentarily entranced.

Time flowed by quietly.

"Young Master, all washed."

Ye Xiaosu raised her hands, took Ye Shu's feet out of the water, dried them with a towel, and then brought a new pair of shoes to put on him. Looking at the completely refreshed Ye Shu in front of her, she finally nodded in satisfaction.

"Now you can go see the Master, Young Master."

"By the time you return, Xiao Su will definitely have your new bed made. You can go straight to sleep!"

"I'll leave it to you then."

Ye Shu smiled and rubbed her little head, a rare hint of warmth flowing through his heart.

Afterward, he strode out of the room.

It was about time to go see that deadbeat old man of his, otherwise, people would start gossiping about him being an unfilial son.

She waited until his figure completely disappeared from the doorway.

Only then did Ye Xiaosu withdraw her gaze. Suddenly, like a tiger pouncing on its prey, she dropped to the floor and fiercely grabbed the boots Ye Shu had just taken off. Holding them to the tip of her nose as if they were an absolute treasure, she took a deep, heavy sniff, an intoxicated expression washing over her face.

"It's the Young Master's scent~"