Chapter 6: Younger Brother?
"Borrow money?" Nie Liu likely already knew why she was here, but he still feigned a look of surprise and paused for a moment.
"Yes..." Although this cousin was a close relative, asking to borrow money right after meeting still made Nie Xiaofeng uncomfortable. She nervously fiddled with the corner of her clothes like a child who had done something wrong.
"Sister..." Seeing Nie Xiaofeng acting so innocent, like a blank sheet of paper, made Nie Yun's heart ache.
'If I hadn't been reborn, this innocent girl might have been brutally raped in just a little while. If I hadn't been reborn, she would have died a tragic death in half a month, becoming a cold corpse that would never speak again!'
'Nie Liu, for scheming against our family and my sister like this, no matter what your motives are, I will make you and your entire branch family disappear from this world completely!'
The thought that Nie Liu would dare to target such a naive sister made Nie Yun's eyes flash with a bone-chilling coldness.
The Blood Prison Demon Venerable, whose reputation was built on "a sea of blood and a mountain of corpses," was no empty title. When he struck, he would never leave behind any loose ends. He wouldn't even spare a dog or a pig.
This wasn't cruelty. After years of fighting the Demon Race, Nie Yun knew that if you annihilated a Demon Race clan but left even a single dog alive, they could use special methods to find out who the killer was and enact a fierce revenge.
If you don't pull out the roots when you cut the weeds, they will grow again when the spring winds blow.
Having been betrayed by his brother and lived two lives, this Nie Yun was even more ruthless than in his previous life.
"How much do you need? Our two branches have always been close. I can make the decision on a loan of eight hundred to a thousand silver taels!" Nie Liu said with a smile.
Nie Yun knew that if his sister had heard the news of the punishment from the Elder Group, how could Nie Liu, the Young Master of the Nie Long Branch, not know? Therefore, although his words sounded generous, they effectively shut the door on her. He could approve eight hundred to a thousand, but his sister needed to borrow ten thousand taels.
"I..." Sure enough, upon hearing this, Nie Xiaofeng's face turned even redder. She lowered her head and said in a voice so quiet she could barely hear it herself, "I need to borrow... ten thousand taels!"
"What? Ten thousand taels? You..." Nie Liu feigned shock. "Xiaofeng, you know I'm just the Young Master, not the true Patriarch of the branch. I really don't have the authority to lend out ten thousand taels... How about this? If you're in a hurry, I'll go ask my father right now and get back to you with an answer!"
"I... I do need it urgently. In that case, thank you so much, Cousin Nie Liu!" Hearing that he was going to ask Nie Shengyuan, Nie Xiaofeng's jet-black eyes lit up. However, the thought that he was about to leave without even having eaten made her look apologetic.
"Hehe, it's no trouble. We're both struggling branches of the family; it's only right that we help each other!" Nie Liu chuckled, then turned to Feng Xiao. "I'm just sorry about today, Brother Feng. I was supposed to keep you company..."
"No worries. You take care of your business first. My matter is a small one," Feng Xiao replied with a laugh, showing none of the arrogance expected of a great family's heir.
"Alright then. Little Sister Xiaofeng, you can help me by keeping Brother Feng company while he eats. I'll be right back!" Nie Liu arranged.
"I... Alright." Nie Xiaofeng wanted to refuse, but remembering he was doing this for her, she sat down, her knuckles white from how tightly she clenched her fists.
"Brother Feng, my apologies. I'll drink a cup as a penalty!" Nie Liu stood up and ordered, "Pour the wine!"
Nie Yun saw how flawlessly Nie Liu had arranged everything and snorted coldly in his mind. Holding the wine pot, he gently twisted the lid slightly to the right and filled Nie Liu's cup. Then, just before pouring for Feng Xiao, he twisted it slightly to the left. The movements were minuscule, and combined with the concealment skills he'd gained from two lifetimes of experience, no one in the private room noticed a thing.
'According to the Steward, twisting to the right dispenses the wine laced with the Thousand Desire Flower, while twisting to the left is normal. I, disguised as the wine steward, just reversed it for him. You want to scheme against my sister? Well, I'll just scheme against you right back and make you drink this Thousand Desire Flower wine... hehe!'
After pouring the wine, he saw Nie Liu glance at him furtively, as if asking about the result. Nie Yun sneered inwardly but put on a look of success and gave a slight wink.
"Haha, Brother Feng, I'll drink this whole cup! You can drink as you please!" Seeing his "subordinate's" confirmation, Nie Liu felt completely reassured. He let out a great laugh and tilted his head back, downing the wine in one go.
"Brother Nie, you're too kind! I'll finish mine as well!" Feng Xiao had no idea he was being played. Thinking Nie Liu was just being a hearty and loyal friend, he felt it would be rude to drink less, so he also opened his mouth and drained his cup.
"Brother Feng, you're a real sport! Well then, this little brother will take his leave!" Nie Liu shot a meaningful look, signaling for Shopkeeper Nie Lin and the others to head out. As he passed Nie Yun, he commanded, "You stay here and serve Young Master Feng Xiao! If you neglect our noble guest, just see how I'll deal with you!"
With that, he walked out.
Nie Liu had a reason for leaving the "wine steward" behind. Something like rape... always needed a witness, right? And afterward, all he had to do was kill the "wine steward" to both prove his own innocence and earn the other party's gratitude. It was killing two birds with one stone, so why not?
"Yes, sir!" Seeing his task was complete, Nie Yun had been considering whether to keep Nie Liu there. But upon hearing this command, his thoughts shifted, and he agreed.
'Judging by this whole string of arrangements, this guy is incredibly calculating,' Nie Yun thought. 'If I expose him now, Feng Xiao probably wouldn't believe me at all. And since my current strength isn't enough to intimidate everyone, acting rashly could do more harm than good. I'm better off using his absence to win Feng Xiao over to my side!'
"Xiaofeng, Brother Feng, take your time eating. I'm off!" Nie Liu turned, closed the door, and the corner of his mouth curled into a cold, confident smile.
According to his plan, everything was perfect. All he had to do now was sit outside and wait for it to conclude flawlessly.
Of course, this was because he had no idea the wine steward had been replaced. If he knew that the very same wine steward had made him drink the wine laced with the Thousand Desire Flower, he would probably go berserk on the spot.
"Hehe, you must be Young Master Feng Xiao. I've heard so much about you. It's an honor."
Seeing that Nie Liu had even closed the door, Nie Yun dropped his disguise, chuckled, and sat down directly at the table.
"Hm?"
Seeing the wine steward act with such disrespect, both Feng Xiao and Nie Xiaofeng couldn't help but raise their eyebrows in disapproval.
In this world, the distinction between master and servant was taken very seriously. For a wine steward to be so rude to a young master's guest was something that would anger anyone.
"Don't be in such a hurry to get angry. After I'm done talking, I suspect even if you are angry, it won't be at me."
Nie Yun swiped his right hand across his face, and the disguise fell away, revealing his true appearance to the two of them.
"Nie Yun? What are you doing here? You..."
Nie Xiaofeng was startled, never expecting the wine steward to suddenly reveal her younger brother's face. But then a thought struck her, and her face turned deathly pale.
'My brother has a withdrawn personality, but he hates it when people act on their own,' she thought. 'You can tell just from how he is about Nie Tong's situation!'
'I was planning to borrow the money quickly and give it to Auntie (Nie Yun's mother) in secret so he would never find out. I never imagined he was watching my every move!'
'Acting on my own and sneaking out to borrow money... I don't even have to think about it. He's definitely going to scold me to death!'
At the thought of being scolded by her younger brother, Nie Xiaofeng wrung the corners of her clothes, her delicate body trembling slightly.
If Nie Yun knew that upon seeing him, his sister's first thought wasn't to wonder how he had woken from his coma, but to fear his scolding, he would probably feel even more regret.
"Sister, I'll explain why I'm here in a little while. First, I need to say something to Young Master Feng Xiao."
Nie Yun gave Nie Xiaofeng a smile before turning his head to look at Feng Xiao.
'What? My little brother wants to explain... and he smiled at me? Am I seeing things?'
Seeing the young man's expression, Nie Xiaofeng's previously tense body shuddered. Her beautiful eyes went wide, and she shook her head hard, a look of deep confusion on her face.
Her younger brother had grown up right before her eyes, and she knew his personality better than anyone. He was gloomy and withdrawn, constantly trapped in the shadow of their father, unable to break free. No matter what he did, even if he was wrong, he would never offer a single word of explanation. His face was always taut, and his attitude toward everyone was as cold as snow.
'A person with that kind of personality... how could he smile at me?'
'Smile at me... I think the last time I saw him smile was when he was four years old...'
'I must be seeing things...'
Shaking her head, Nie Xiaofeng thought to herself.