New Tenant?

Feeling better today, so new chapter)

Hu Mei

The guests were certainly intriguing—a blonde woman with hair so pale it bordered on silver, her gaze distant and dreamy, and a strikingly bronze-skinned brunette with an intense, unreadable expression. I'd never seen anyone with her complexion before. The blonde seemed lost in her thoughts, while the brunette's piercing eyes were fixed on Xia Tao, though it was hard to discern her intentions.

Li Meiying noticed the brunette's stare and swiftly positioned herself closer to Xia Tao, wrapping her arms around him possessively and tilting her chin up defiantly. The brunette, Zhen Yinglong, simply huffed and ignored her, focusing on Xia Tao.

"So, you are Xia Tao" Zhen Yinglong said, her voice smooth as silk. "We didn't get a proper introduction last time. I'm Zhen Yinglong" she continued, sauntering towards him with a sway in her hips, blatantly disregarding Li Meiying.

"And I'm Li Meiying" Li Meiying interjected, her tone dripping with false sweetness. "I see you're traveling with Ye Chen, who I believe is your betrothed? There's been so much gossip about the two of you, such a lovely couple. Everyone's eagerly waiting for the pitter-patter of little feet" she said, her words laced with a barbed undertone.

Zhen Yinglong shot an annoyed glance at Li Meiying before refocusing on Xia Tao. "Oh, we're just friends. How could I possibly take a friend's betrothed? Besides, my tastes are quite different" she said, her voice thick with insinuation.

As their voices grew increasingly saccharine and venomous, it was clear a storm was brewing. Xia Tao must have sensed it too. Taking Li Meiying's hand in his, he began to gently stroke her fingers, trying to diffuse the tension.

Xia Tao

"Hu Mei, could you show the ladies around and give them a little tour?" Xia Tao asked, not entirely sure if Ye Chen wanted them in on the conversation.

"I don't mind if they stay" Ye Chen said. "I trust them."

"Alright, if you say so" Xia Tao replied, gesturing towards the veranda where a small table stood, a spot he often enjoyed sitting at. "Let's sit down over there."

"You all chat; I'll be back soon" Swiftwing said, and sprinted off towards the strawberry patch.

"Some people never learn" Xia Tao remarked.

Ye Chen merely sighed in response.

As they all settled at the table, I looked questioningly at Ye Chen, who nodded in return.

"Alright, as you wish" I said, taking a book from ring and placing on the table, book had been repaired and now looked new with crystals embedded into its cover. "The original, restored. I've already made a copy, and here is the box with the promised crystals." I added, placing the box on the table. "Now, I expect great things from your expedition and some neat treasures."

Ye Chen, ignoring the box, immediately reached for the book and attempted to read it, his expression turning puzzled when he couldn't make sense of it. He looked at me with a questioning gaze.

"So, what have you found out?" he asked curiously.

"I can tell you it's something related to illusions. We've started looking for people who can be trusted with the translation, but we don't have results yet" I explained, noticing Ye Chen's slight disappointment.

"And once it's translated, you'll share the findings with me, right?" Ye Chen asked.

"In general, it is possible, but there is one nuance: the contents of this book will not go beyond you and your family" I said, clutching the manuscript in my hands.

"Even to the goose?" asked Ye Chen, raising his eyebrows.

"He can know, but only if he vows not to share this information with anyone, including his family" I replied, recalling the complicated history with his clan. Honestly, I didn't feel like helping them develop.

Ye Chen pondered. "I need to think about it" he said, looking away.

"Take your time, but it's either this or nothing. This applies to any knowledge exchange since we have no shortage of enemies. If this information falls into the wrong hands, it can harm us. For instance, your friend the goose. We don't have the best relationship with his clan, and I have no interest in strengthening those who might want to settle scores with us. You're an adult, think it over and let me know. There's no time limit" I said, watching his reaction closely.

Ye Chen fell silent, deep in thought. We continued drinking tea in silence. The bronze-skinned girl, whose name I forgot, listened with genuine curiosity, not fully grasping the details. The blonde, Liang Nuwang, seemed to be daydreaming.

"You have so many animals here, this place is wonderful" the blonde suddenly said, her eyes glowing with joy.

I looked at her with interest. It was curious that she noticed this, as all the animals had hidden when the guests arrived and had not shown themselves. Even I couldn't see most of them now.

"Where?" Ye Chen asked, glancing around, as did the bronze-skinned girl, trying to spot them. Apart from us, there was no one around, except for the fish swimming in the pond.

"How can you not see, silly? They're everywhere" Liang Nuwang said, smiling.

"And you, dear, should take the offer. It's the best thing you can do in this world. Plus, I like this place; I want to visit more often" said the blonde. I looked at her in surprise. She was strange, for sure, but curious. The bronze-skinned girl stared at the blonde with wide eyes, and I wondered what she was thinking.

A few minutes later, Lin Qing approached us, carrying an unconscious goose. "I believe this is yours," she said and dropped the goose at Ye Chen's feet. I looked at the goose, then at Lin Qing with a questioning expression.

"He ended up in the Cave of Despair" said Lin Qing with a smile. That's what we called the cave where students who were tied up by spiders and taken to bees to be stung ended up. The students themselves had come up with the name. I looked at the goose with sympathy—poor thing must have passed out from the pain.

"I gave him a few drops of honey tincture; he should wake up soon."

"I wonder if he'll try again next time" I asked.

"What is the Cave of Despair?" broze-skinned girl asked curiously. Lin Qing glanced at me, and not seeing any reaction, she said:

"It's a place where our mountain's students end up if they're very unlucky. Nothing serious."

At that moment, a small crash sounded, and we all turned our heads toward the mini-fortress from which the noise came. The building, about half a kilometer from us and four stories high, had simply collapsed.

"An attack?" Ye Chen asked, jumping up, but seeing us sitting calmly, he stayed put and looked at us questioningly.

"No, don't worry, it's just a student competition" I said, sipping my tea.

I received two astonished looks from Ye Chen and the bronze-skinned girl. The blonde, meanwhile, had somehow found a manul, placed it on her lap, and was petting it, completely ignoring the destruction.

"Sigh" said Liang Nuwang, releasing the cat and standing up from the chair. "Take that ugly duck, dear, and we need to go if we want to make it."

"Where to?" Ye Chen asked, stunned.

"I don't know, somewhere in that direction" she said, pointing to the desert. "We need to go there."

"I don't understand where we need to go and why" Ye Chen said, frowning.

Ye Chen

Ding.

[Urgent mission: Save the stranger in distress]

1- Of course, save the stranger! He's a obviously will become my brother in the future, of course, I'll save him!

2- What brother? I'm an orphan, I have no relatives! The stranger will die!

Choosing the first option and getting a sense of the direction, which roughly matched where Liang Nuwang was pointing, I said, "Well, it seems we really do need to go." I stood up and turned to Xia Tao.

"I'll think about your proposal."

Overall, his proposal sounded reasonable, but I felt a bit offended on behalf of the goose. It sounded a bit strange, as if he didn't trust me. Maybe it's a bit childish, but after everything we've been through, his distrust hurt me.

"I would like to stay here for a while, as a guest, if no one minds?" Zhen Yinglong asked.

Hahaha, it seems she finally got what she wanted. Ever since she came to visit me, she has been buzzing in my ear about Xia Tao, wanting to know more about him. What attracted her to him so much, I could not understand.

"Well, you can stay as a guest, though there are some areas where access is forbidden to you. But other than that, you can stay" said Xia Tao.

In the end, taking the goose and Liang Nuwang with me, I set off. It seemed we didn't have much time.