Let Me Explain, Fairy

Chapter 1123 - 703: The Profligate Ladies

Chapter 1123: Chapter 703: The Profligate LadiesUnder the curious and fearful gazes of the Imperial Capital’s residents, the Huge Eagle Palace crossed the Great Formation without any obstacles, arriving above the Prime Minister Mansion within mere moments before descending amid a gusty wind.

Stepping down from the staircase etched with formation patterns, Xu Yuan did not receive anything like the welcoming ceremony he had imagined.

After creating such a commotion upon his return to the capital, he saw neither Lou Ji, Xu Changge, Hua Hong, nor any other high-ranking figures—he didn’t even see his own Little Four, let alone his father.

Standing under the eagle were merely the Prime Minister Mansion’s general steward and several attendants from the Beast Taming Department.

However, after a brief sensing, Xu Yuan felt at ease.

Even the perception of an ordinary Transcendent Master was exceptionally sharp, let alone someone like him who possessed Spiritual Vision.

His timing upon return was far from ideal; all the senior figures of the Prime Minister Mansion were convening for a meeting at the Mo Hidden Pavilion.

Still, his father wasn’t completely unprepared—he’d left instructions with the mansion’s general steward, asking Xu Yuan to wait for him in the study inside the Inner Courtyard.

Xu Yuan felt a hint of regret about this.

If it weren’t for his father’s message, he would very likely have gone straight to Mo Hidden Pavilion to see that group of self-important old fogeys who once mocked him during his youth.

It wasn’t for the sake of showing off,

it was mostly because introducing one’s cultivation level to each of them individually was too much trouble.

After giving the general steward some instructions regarding the matter of the three from Feng Xianru, and asking him to arrange guest quarters for Su Jinxuan and the other woman, Xu Yuan went to the Inner Courtyard alone.

The Wrapped Chest Princess and the Big Ice Lump had gotten approval from his father to enter the Inner Courtyard. As for Su Jinxuan and her companion—they hadn’t been recognized yet, so it was better not to bring them in for now.

Returning to the familiar grounds of the Prime Minister Mansion’s Inner Courtyard, he looked down at the familiar brick-paved floor and inhaled the comforting aroma of earth. Xu Yuan took a deep breath and chuckled softly.

Everything in the Inner Courtyard remained unchanged from when he had left.

For some reason,

just walking within it made Xu Yuan feel lighter, with all his burdens seemingly fading away.

Before stepping into the Inner Courtyard, he had been preoccupied with mulling over Di’an’s unfolding situation,

pondering why Li Zhaoyuan’s troops were the only ones stationed outside the city,

considering the Emperor’s stance, and the possible reactions of the sects.

But the moment he entered the Inner Courtyard, the crushing pressure weighing on his heart vanished without a trace.

It seems,

the sense of reassurance upon returning home has nothing to do with cultivation...

Lost in thought, Xu Yuan silently appeared within the study’s courtyard. Suddenly, his lowered gaze caught a glimpse of a figure sauntering around the corner of the courtyard gate, holding a large stack of semi-transparent thin paper.

He froze briefly, then raised his eyes.

And then,

Xu Yuan’s gaze met with a pair of panda-like dark-rimmed eyes.

This girl didn’t attend the meeting?

The heavily sleep-deprived Xu Xinyao stared blankly at her brother, who had suddenly materialized in the courtyard, for several seconds.

When Xu Yuan started walking towards her, Xu Xinyao finally rubbed her eyes as if belatedly realizing something, tilting her head and murmuring in a dazed voice:

"...Third Brother?"

"Ah."

"Ah?"

"......."

Xu Yuan gently raised a hand to brush aside the bangs of the delicate young girl, placing his palm on her forehead with a hint of curiosity:

"How many days have you gone without sleep?"

"Third Brother, you’re back!"

Xu Xinyao belatedly exclaimed in surprise, her bright eyes widening as she loosened her grip, causing the translucent papers in her arms to scatter.

Xu Yuan casually gathered the papers using Origin Qi, then flicked her softly on the forehead:

"Stop being so jumpy. What’s all this?"

Xu Xinyao, nursing the spot he flicked, looked up at him with a hint of grievance and replied softly:

"It’s the design blueprint for the Soul Storage Ring, Third Brother... have you forgotten?"

Xu Yuan suddenly remembered investing in that project long ago. But upon seeing the stack of paper nearly two fingers thick, he couldn’t help expressing surprise:

"All of it? This much?"

"We lacked the proper materials and had to use sub-layered reconstructive structures to manufacture it, but..."

"Enough, enough. I can’t understand any of that jargon."

Xu Yuan cut her off mid-explanation and took out the remaining half piece of Dragon Transformation Essence from his Sumeru Ring, displaying it in his palm.

Xu Xinyao blinked her wide, brilliant eyes:

"What is this? Xinyao has never seen such a material before."

"Dragon Transformation Essence..."

Whoosh—

The Dragon Transformation Essence instantly vanished.

Xinyao was briefly stunned before realizing he’d pocketed it, and Xu Yuan couldn’t help but chuckle.

Over mere months, his Little Four had turned into a hamster-like hoarder.

Under his amused gaze, Xu Xinyao’s face grew slightly crimson as she neatened her stray bangs and quickly changed the topic:

"Third Brother... why didn’t you mention in advance that you were coming back?"

Xu Yuan took one look at her panda-like dark circles and smiled:

"I’m pretty sure Father told you, but you weren’t paying attention."

"Ugh..."

Xu Xinyao averted her gaze guiltily.

She tended to ignore her surroundings whenever engrossed in drawing formation patterns.

Xu Yuan snorted lightly, flicked at the stack of design blueprints in his hand, and with a cheerful tone, asked:

"You’ve been working so diligently. How’s progress on the project I invested in?"

Xu Xinyao raised her left hand to squeeze her right arm with earnest eyes:

"Almost successful."

"...."

Seeing her characteristic gesture of lying, Xu Yuan flicked her forehead yet again and laughed:

"Xinyao, tell me the truth."

Having endured two flicks from a Transcendent Master, her smooth forehead now bore a visible redness as she lowered her gaze:

"It’s... it’s just the same as when you left, Third Brother..."

Xu Yuan wasn’t upset upon hearing this.

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