"Miss, my name is Qin Xue. Your new quarters have been prepared. The Patriarch sent me to wait on you and see if there is anything you need to bring over. Please, just give the order."
A girl of eighteen or nineteen, with bright eyes and pearly teeth, was quite beautiful. Her gaze was gentle, and the look she gave Qin Hanyue and her son was sincere.
Qin Hanyue glanced at the girl. As the former Little Princess of the Qin Family, she knew that handmaidens of such beauty were specially trained by the family for important purposes. For her father to actually part with one to serve her… even if it was only temporary, it was enough to prove how much importance Qin Hongyuan placed on her and her son.
Qin Hanyue suddenly found it all a bit absurd. 'At one time, did the man I admired most truly care about my son and me? If he truly cared, why did he ignore us for thirteen years? If he truly cared, why did he let a widow and her orphan son suffer so much injustice? If he truly cared, why has he only just come to his senses today?'
In her heart, Qin Hanyue didn't actually resent her father, but she understood Qin Hongyuan's temperament extremely well. If there was no benefit in it for him, he absolutely would not have bothered with her and her son! Back then, when Qin Hongyuan had driven her out to live in the servants' quarters, his subsequent indifference was, in a way, a great kindness, as it had also put him under some pressure.
Therefore, Qin Hanyue herself didn't mind doing some things for her father, as long as it didn't involve being given away. Her real worry was her son, Qin Li! Qin Hanyue clearly remembered the look in her father's eyes as he looked at Qin Li before leaving, and his words of praise. She couldn't help but overthink it.
While Qin Hanyue was lost in thought, Qin Xue stood in the room with her hands naturally at her sides, a faint smile on her face. She showed no sign of impatience; it was clear she was a well-educated girl of high caliber.
Qin Li thought to himself: 'A person like this should know what ought to be said and what ought not.' So, without any reservation in front of Qin Xue, he directly asked Qin Hanyue, "Mother, are you planning to leave the Qin Family now?"
Qin Hanyue paused, then shook her head. "No, not right now at least."
Qin Li smiled. "Then what are you hesitating for? Within the Qin Family's sphere of influence, do you have the power to refuse the Patriarch's arrangements?"
At this, Qin Xue suddenly raised her head, quickly sizing up Qin Li, who had been the center of attention today. To Qin Xue, killing someone was no big deal. At best, he was just a little brat who had been pushed too far, a simple case of a common man's fury. Therefore, Qin Xue hadn't paid him much mind before. Although this disdain had nothing to do with Qin Li's status, disdain was still disdain.
But when Qin Li expressed such a view right in front of her, Qin Xue was finally a little moved. It wasn't a particularly profound statement, but for it to come from a thirteen-year-old boy... Recalling the two people Qin Li had killed today, and the words the Patriarch, Qin Hongyuan, had given her before she came, a glimmer of understanding seemed to appear in Qin Xue's eyes.
"Qin Xue, from this day forward, you are Qin Li's personal handmaiden! He is your Young Master. You are to obey his commands in all things. Do you understand?" As Qin Hongyuan said this, his eyes shot a cold, harsh glare, staring into Qin Xue's. He then added, enunciating each word, "Furthermore, you are not to report his affairs to anyone, including me! Even if he orders you to assassinate me, the Patriarch, you are not to warn me!"
Qin Xue's heart skipped a beat. She was no longer a child; she naturally understood what the Patriarch meant by "in all things." But did she have a choice? She had known her fate since she was little. Still, the resolve in Qin Hongyuan's tone stunned her, and she wondered, 'What kind of potential has Qin Li shown to make the Patriarch invest so heavily in him?'
Now, hearing Qin Li's words, Qin Xue began to understand. No matter what, this Qin Li had undergone a fundamental change from the powerless little bastard people used to whisper about.
And so, Qin Li and his mother finally moved into Zichen Garden.
When Qin Hanyue once again set foot in the courtyard she hadn't seen in thirteen years, tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. This strong woman had never cried while raising a child alone through thirteen years of hardship; she hadn't cried when she was abandoned by all her relatives and friends, who avoided her like the plague; she still hadn't cried when she suffered their vicious taunts and scornful looks.
But today, Qin Hanyue had no idea how many tears she had shed. She felt pathetic, especially in front of her son, but the tears were like an open floodgate that simply couldn't be closed. In the end, Qin Hanyue decided to just let them be, letting them flow for as long as they wished.
Qin Li didn't say much. After familiarizing himself with the layout of Zichen Garden, he shut himself in his room and instructed Qin Xue not to disturb him.
This room, compared to the one he had lived in before, was like the difference between heaven and earth.
Everything in the room, from the large tables and chairs to the small decorative items, including the bedding on the bed, was the height of luxury, yet it wasn't ostentatious. It was a display of a great family's deep-seated heritage.
Qin Li couldn't help but sigh to himself. 'It seems that no matter which world you're in, the luxuries enjoyed by the rich are beyond the imagination of the poor.'
On the large, stately, dark-colored table in the room sat a brush holder. Having learned a thing or two about appraising antiques from the old Daoist, Qin Li could tell with a single glance that the object was definitely an antique, and an incredibly valuable one at that.
Qin Li sorted through his emotions, sighed, and slowly shook his head. Then he sat cross-legged on the bed. Feeling its soft comfort, Qin Li's mind became a sea of clarity.
As the saying goes, one doesn't accept rewards for no merit. Right now, all of this felt like a dream to Qin Li and his mother. If someone claimed Qin Hongyuan wanted nothing in return, no one would believe them.
'But even if Qin Hongyuan really does want something, do I have the power to resist right now? Although I've opened my Ren and Du Meridians and can use many of the skills from my past life, I have yet to see a true powerhouse of this world. Even Qin Yong could pose a certain threat to me, and Qin Yong is just a minor character.'
'Therefore, the most urgent task is not to figure out Qin Hongyuan's motives, but... to increase my own strength!'
Having made his decision, Qin Li immediately began to circulate the Innate Purple Qi Technique. 'I can't believe the Cultivation Technique that old Master created himself is actually this miraculous. It's a shame he couldn't see it with his own eyes.'
As Qin Li circulated the Innate Purple Qi Technique through his meridians, slowly nourishing them and strengthening his soul, he had already discovered that the Innate Purple Qi Technique could also make his spirit more vigorous.
As Qin Li entered a state of Meditation, the sound of a fierce argument erupted from Qin Hanyue's room nearby.