Chapter 21 - 9: The Blind-Eyed but Clear-Hearted Young Marquis
"Could this woman be a Mountain Spirit Monster? I’ve seen that underground pit; it’s bottomless, and there’s no way to climb up. An ordinary person would undoubtedly die falling down there, let alone climb back up. Yet she brought Ning’er back safely. And look at her attire and demeanor; I feel even the late Empress Dowager couldn’t match her poise," said Xiao Anning’s father, Xiao Shengsheng, frowning.
The name Xiao Shengsheng was also a source of pain he preferred not to mention, blaming himself for being unable to speak when he was just born, resulting in his father giving him such a shameful name, against which he had no power to resist.
"So what if she is a Mountain Spirit Monster? She saved Ning’er! I don’t care who she is; saving Ning’er makes her our great benefactor!" The Commandery Princess of Yong’an, with her usual fiery and straightforward demeanor, angrily addressed her husband, "A Mountain Spirit Monster, you say? Why not guess she’s an immortal? What, your son returns safely, and you think that’s not right?"
In a sense, the Commandery Princess of Yong’an was indeed close to the truth regarding Tianmiao’s identity.
"No, no, no! How could I think that way? Please calm down, my lady. Our Ning’er is blessed with good fortune, which is why a master saved him. It’s my fault for not speaking well. I guess this young lady must be an expert who happened to be down there in seclusion or training and conveniently rescued our Ning’er." Xiao Shengsheng, seeing his wife’s eyebrows raised, hurriedly soothed her in a gentle voice; he didn’t want to sleep on the floor tonight.
"Where do all these tales of Mountain Spirit Monsters and celestial demons come from in this world? Still, this girl indeed doesn’t seem like an ordinary person. Just ask Ning’er what happened, and you’ll know." The Commandery Princess of Yong’an calmed down as her husband humored her.
"Anning, tell us, what exactly happened?" The Duke glanced at his foolish son with a hint of relief. Oh, his son wasn’t entirely hopeless; he finally considered something sensible. Xiao Shengsheng felt a bit uneasy under his father’s glance, as if it carried a mix of disdain and relief.
"It was Tan Weizhi who pushed me down. He must’ve planned it long ago, and I wasn’t on guard at the time," said Xiao Anning in a deep voice. "I thought I would surely die falling down, but instead, Miss Tian saved me. Her martial arts are exceptional. But why she was there, I also don’t know."
Xiao Anning instinctively concealed what happened at the Shop of All Things; the experience was too incredible, and revealing it would only bring trouble to Boss Tian. Moreover, Xiao Anning had a gut feeling that the reason he wasn’t injured after tumbling into the pit was precisely because of Tianmiao. So saying Tianmiao saved him was not a lie.
"That Tan Weizhi, what courage! Who gave him the gall to harm Ning’er so viciously?" The Commandery Princess of Yong’an gnashed her teeth in anger, "I will never forgive him, nor the Tan Family!"
𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"First interrogate him, ask him why he dared to harm Ning’er so vilely." Suddenly, the silent grandmother spoke in an icy voice. As she spoke, the gentle and virtuous image of Ji Liruo appeared before her eyes. The root of it all might be because of that young lady. It’s just unclear if this matter is related to her.
"Tomorrow, we must properly thank Miss Tian and ask her if she has any wishes. Whatever we can do, we’ll do it with all our might." Xiao Shengsheng was deeply grateful to Tianmiao, not daring to imagine what would become of their family if anything had happened to Anning. The entire family would have been destroyed.