"From Fengyue Building, to Cyan Dragon Avenue, and then to last night when he dodged your sword—Lianyi, do you really think he avoided it by accident?" Luo Xinlan's eyes gleamed with wisdom as she said softly, "He's lying. I don't believe him."
"Ah? Then, My Lady, why did you..."
"It's true he's my child, but he also needs his own privacy. If he doesn't want to talk about it himself, why should I, his mother, force him?"
"The Young Master has been... acting a bit strange lately. It seems to have started from... the Star..." Lianyi trailed off and quickly shut her mouth.
Luo Xinlan nodded slightly, a trace of weariness on her face. She said softly, "Yes, since that day, his behavior has been a little abnormal. The Seven-Turn Foundation Establishment Pill... When I was at the sect, I used to eat them like snacks. They aren't that amazing."
"Then why does My Lady have to go back?" Lianyi looked at Luo Xinlan, her gaze filled with reluctance.
"The Seven-Turn Foundation Establishment Pill is a vital resource of the sect and is never shared with outsiders. This time, I swallowed my pride and begged for a single pill. I promised my Master that as long as Luo'Er's constitution could be changed by it, I would return to the sect to serve as an Instructor for five years. Now that Luo'Er's constitution has indeed changed, I must naturally honor my promise."
Luo Xinlan smiled lightly and said, "It's only five years. It will pass quickly. Everything there is familiar to me. It's just that I've grown accustomed to this comfortable life, so I'm a little reluctant to leave this home."
"If My Lady hadn't gone to the sect, and the Young Master's constitution still changed, then My Lady wouldn't have to leave!" Lianyi murmured tearfully.
"No, Lianyi, you're wrong."
Luo Xinlan said, "My trip to the sect this time was perfectly timed, almost as if it were fated! Otherwise, with Xiaoluo's sudden change and the Empire's failure at the Star Festival... how do you think the Royal Family would view Xiaoluo? And how would they view our Xu Family?"
Lianyi trembled and said with horror, "They would..."
But she didn't dare continue. A topic concerning the fate of the nation was too vast and too heavy for a girl like her to discuss.
"I must return to the sect. From now on, I'm leaving this home in your care. The General and Su'Er are at the front lines and cannot be distracted. So, Lianyi, you'll have much more to take care of."
"My Lady, please don't say that!" Lianyi stood up, knelt before Luo Xinlan, and cried, "I have been an orphan since I was young. If My Lady hadn't taken me in, I would have died in the wilderness long ago, without even my bones left to show for it. The Master and My Lady have never treated me like a maid. My Lady taught me martial arts, acting as both my teacher and my mother. How could I not be willing to repay you with my life?"
"Alright, get up. None of this talk about death. I see you as a daughter, and you see me as a mother. This home is your home. From this day forward, you will be my, Luo Xinlan's, adopted daughter. Lianyi, are you willing?"
"I am willing, I am willing! I've dreamed of this for a long time, but I never dared to say it..." Lianyi fell to her knees before Luo Xinlan once more, answering through great sobs.
"Well then, aren't you going to hurry up and call me 'Mother' so I can hear it? I've been hoping for a daughter for so many years!"
"Mother!"
"Yes!" Luo Xinlan helped the tear-streaked Lianyi to her feet, her own eyes red-rimmed.
Adopting Lianyi as their daughter had been an idea Xu Ji and his wife shared many years ago. However, back then, Xu Luo's constitution was too weak. He needed someone to take care of him, and he was most inseparable from Lianyi.
And so, the matter was set aside.
Now that Xu Luo's constitution had changed and Luo Xinlan had to honor her promise to return to her sect as an Instructor for five years, adopting Lianyi as their daughter became the natural next step.
Lianyi didn't want to make a big deal out of it, not out of low self-esteem, but because she felt it was unnecessary.
But Luo Xinlan was firmly against that. She wanted everyone in the Imperial Capital to know that from now on, Lianyi was the eldest young lady of the National Guardian General's Mansion. Anyone who dared to look down on Lianyi would be provoking the National Guardian General's Mansion!
Xu Luo, of course, had no objections to this. On the contrary, he was very happy, because for all these years, Lianyi had been like an older sister, protecting and caring for him.
Afterward, the National Guardian General's Mansion sent out invitations to a banquet for everyone on good terms with the Xu Family, to celebrate the Lady of the National Guardian General taking Lianyi as her adopted daughter!
In an instant, the eyes of the entire Imperial Capital once again... focused on the ancient mansion on Vermilion Bird Avenue!
...
"Lianyi, from now on, you'll have to call me 'Big Brother'!" Huangfu Chongzhi said with a wide smile, presenting her with a pair of jade bracelets. "A small token. Consider it a greeting gift from your big brother!"
"Eldest Pr— ah, Big Brother, thank you for the gift!" Lianyi started to say "Eldest Prince" out of habit, but changed her words when she saw Huangfu Chongzhi's smiling face.
"Yes, that's more like it. Now I have another little sister. If you ever need your big brother's help with anything, just ask," Huangfu Chongzhi said with a gentle smile.
Huangfu Chongzhi had always been fond of Lianyi and truly saw her as a younger sister in his heart. But this world had a rigid class structure where the lines between noble and commoner, senior and junior, could not be crossed in the slightest.
It was just as how Luo Xinlan had always seen Lianyi as a daughter; as long as Lianyi was not formally adopted, she remained a maid in the National Guardian General's Mansion. No matter how much power she wielded, that fundamental status would not change.
Now that she was the adopted daughter of the National Guardian General, everyone had to treat Lianyi as a member of the Xu Family!
Anyone who dared to belittle Lianyi would be provoking the entire National Guardian General's Mansion!
Therefore, Huangfu Chongzhi and the brothers—Xu Jie, Sui Yan, and Liu Feng—all immediately gave Lianyi the respect she deserved. Xu Jie and the others also presented their own gifts, treating her as Xu Luo's biological older sister.
Of course, the happiest of all was none other than Xu Luo.
Ever since they were children, this girl, not much older than him, had always been by his side, caring for him with meticulous attention.
Back then, Luo Xinlan and Xu Ji had considered adopting Lianyi and arranging for other maids to serve Xu Luo. But Xu Luo had driven them all away, refusing anyone but Lianyi.
Thus, Xu Ji and his wife's idea was snuffed out, and the matter was never brought up again until today.
"Young Master..." While she could easily change how she addressed others, when it came to Xu Luo, Lianyi would always subconsciously call out those two words. It was as if they were integrated into her life, engraved on her very soul, making it too difficult to change.
"Call me Xu Luo, or Xiaoluo. Don't call me 'Young Master' anymore, my dear sister..." Xu Luo reminded her with a grin.
"Forget it. No matter what happens, you'll always be my great Young Master. I can't change it." Lianyi rolled her eyes. She couldn't blame anyone else; it was her own habit.
The Xu Family did not have a wide social circle. If the residence of a Grand General of National Guardian were truly as bustling as a marketplace, the Emperor would have become restless long ago.
Therefore, the guests were mostly the families of military personnel, as the men themselves were largely at the front lines.
Luo Xinlan and Lianyi naturally received the female guests, while the male guests were left in the care of Huangfu Chongzhi, Xu Jie, and the other brothers.
Luo Xinlan's invitations were sent almost exclusively to these families on good terms with the Xu Family. As for the Royal Family and the like, she hadn't even considered them.
Firstly, Luo Xinlan still harbored resentment toward the Emperor. 'On what grounds could he say such things about my son?'
Just as the Emperor himself had said, a mere title was nowhere near enough to quell the anger in the hearts of the Xu Family.
Secondly, an event concerning an adopted daughter, or even matters related to Xu Su and Xu Luo, was not significant enough to warrant inviting the Royal Family.
An invitation would only be appropriate for an event concerning Luo Xinlan and Xu Ji themselves.
But, to everyone's surprise, the Emperor actually sent His Highness the Crown Prince to offer congratulations in person...
"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived—" As the gatekeeper of the National Guardian General's Mansion announced in a clear, ringing voice, nearly everyone inside the Xu Mansion was stunned.
"What's the Crown Prince doing here?" Little Fatty Liu Feng curled his lip in displeasure. "I can't stand these princes!"
Sui Yan nudged the Little Fatty in the ribs and said expressionlessly, "There's a prince standing right next to you, you know. Watch what you say!"
"Tsk, he's my big brother!" Liu Feng shot back quickly, his reflexes sharp.
Huangfu Chongzhi just smiled faintly and said, "Just don't treat me like a prince."
The flicker of disappointment deep in Huangfu Chongzhi's eyes was well hidden, but Xu Luo happened to catch it. The corner of Xu Luo's mouth twitched. He wanted to say something, but in the end, he remained silent.
'If one day I become powerful enough,' he thought, 'I will definitely push you onto that throne!'
'And then I, Xu Luo, will insist on becoming the Prime Minister!'
'The Civil Servants' Rice Bowl? I'll snatch that rice bowl right out of your hands, what are you going to do about it?'
A young man in a bright yellow robe embroidered with coiling dragons, wearing a golden coronet, walked in slowly. He was as handsome as polished jade, and the gentle smile on his face was as warm and pleasant as a spring breeze.
There wasn't the slightest hint of arrogance about him.
"Hmph, hypocrite!" Liu Feng grumbled under his breath.
Xu Luo shot him a glare. "Don't talk nonsense!"
"I, on behalf of my Father Emperor, have come to offer my congratulations to Madam Xu on adopting her daughter. I have brought some gifts as a small token of our sincerity. At the same time, I also bring a decree from my Father Emperor..."
Xu Luo blinked, and a thought suddenly occurred to him: 'A couple of days ago, the Sixth Prince suddenly sent a heap of precious treasures for Lianyi as an apology to calm her fears. Now, a few days later, the Crown Prince shows up with another pile of treasures to win people over. It seems this Royal Family is quite skilled at these sorts of maneuvers!'
'At least Lianyi won't have to worry about her dowry in the future...'
"Eldest Daughter of the Xu Mansion, Lianyi, please receive the decree!" the Crown Prince said with a gentle smile, unfurling a Holy Decree.
Lianyi bowed respectfully.
"By the Mandate of Heaven... I hereby confer upon the Eldest Daughter of the Xu Mansion, Xu Lianyi, the title of Princess of Vulture...!"
This decree was like a clap of thunder, exploding through the National Guardian General's Mansion!