The Uninvited Guest and a Blushing Bride

“Knock, knock! Young Master Xu, the guests will be arriving soon. Master is calling for you.” The maid outside, her face flushed, knocked hesitantly on the door.

‘Had Young Master Xu finished his playing, she wondered?’

However, Uncle Zhang had invited many people, and Xu Qingzhu, as the sole male heir and the protagonist of the day, simply couldn’t afford to be absent. Welcoming the guests couldn’t be delayed.

“Alright, just a moment.” Xu Qingzhu, his interest waning, tapped a few acupoints on Su Mo, allowing her to rise. Miraculously, she found all her strength restored.

Gathering the account books, Xu Qingzhu whispered,

“Remember the path of that warm current in your body. In the future, by circulating your spiritual energy along that path, you can activate your Nine-Tailed Body.”

Patting her flushed cheeks, Su Mo indeed felt a warm current flowing within her, tracing an abstruse path through her body. With each circuit, it brought her a subtle enhancement; her consciousness grew clearer, and her memories sharpened beyond anything she had experienced before. In an instant, her fluffy white fox tail receded back into her, and that alluring aura also settled down.

‘Would I have to wear split pants then? Otherwise, where would the fox tail go?’ Su Mo mused for a moment, then immediately shook her head in refusal. What if one day a little girl laughed at her, saying:

“Big Sister? Why are you wearing split pants too?”

‘That would be mortifying!’

“Remember, don’t use it casually.” Xu Qingzhu reminded her once more, then pushed open the door and left.

Su Mo pondered, ‘Whose covetous gaze would a Nine-Tailed Body attract?’

‘Xiao Yao is one, but Xu Qingzhu emphasized repeatedly that it’s not that simple,’ she mused inwardly. ‘She had a persistent feeling that the developments were quite different from what was written in the book.’

“Miss, your servant is coming in to help you prepare…”

“?!” Su Mo gasped in surprise, immediately sitting down in a chair to conceal the torn hole in her pants. Feigning composure, she poured tea, her face turned to the side, eyes downcast, presenting an image of serene tranquility.

“Click.” Closing the door, the petite maid secretly observed her while simultaneously preparing various ornaments.

‘Miss Su is truly beautiful,’ she thought to herself, unaware that her gaze was practically glued to Su Mo. It wasn’t until Su Mo cleared her throat a few times that the maid was startled awake from her reverie.

“Are you from the Zhang family?” Su Mo broke the silence, watching the maid gently pull back her hair from behind the round mirror.

“No, I’m not. The Zhang family kindly bought me back; they saved my life.” The maid, combing Su Mo’s soft hair, found it so smooth, warm, and cottony that she wished she could bury her face in it.

“The Zhang family? Isn’t Xu Qingzhu the young master here?” Su Mo asked, puzzled, looking through the mirror. That casual glance, surprisingly, made the young girl blush.

“…”

“Oh, no, that’s not it. Years ago, the Xu family went off in search of immortals, entrusting all their earthly assets to Old Master Zhang. I heard they were long-time family friends… Actually, I’m not very clear on the details myself. I was almost terminally ill a few years back, and only the Zhang family was willing to buy me and save my life.” As the maid spoke, her eyes welled up with tears. Every sentence she uttered revolved around the Zhang family, clearly showing what good people they were.

‘In contrast, the Su family… sigh.’ She couldn’t understand why everyone in the Su family insisted on following a “cold-blooded” path. The entire manor felt oppressive, devoid of much warmth or human kindness. ‘Perhaps that was one of the reasons for their demise?’

“What’s your name?” Su Mo asked casually, watching her insert a hairpin.

“Madam Su, your servant is now called Xia Ling’er.” Xia Ling’er replied with a sweet smile.

“Mm.”

After a thorough preparation, Su Mo applied her lip rouge and gazed at her reflection, feeling as though she were a bride about to leave her maiden home, ready for her wedding procession.

“Miss, shall we change your dress?”

“Alright.” Su Mo stood up, immediately sensing something was amiss. Turning around, she saw the maid, Xia Ling’er, staring at her backside, her hand clapped over her mouth in shock.

“Heavens! Young Master Xu and Madam Su certainly have a lively way of playing!” she almost exclaimed.

Her mind momentarily froze, but Su Mo, her face devoid of expression, turned and gestured for her to continue. Fortunately, having been a maid for several years, Xia Ling’er still understood the rules.

When Su Mo finally emerged in a pink long dress, she touched the lace trim, feeling awkward no matter what. Clutching the skirt, Su Mo asked uncertainly,

“Does it truly look good? I feel so uncomfortable…”

“Of course! With Madam’s gentle temperament, pink suits you best.” Xia Ling’er replied without hesitation. As she spoke, she even pulled out a mirror, allowing Su Mo to examine herself. At that sight, Su Mo herself was stunned. Usually, when she was on the run with Xu Qingzhu, she was always covered in dust and never paid attention to her appearance. Now, with a little embellishment, she truly possessed the ethereal beauty described as among the top-ranked in the book.

Her face slightly flushed, she actually averted her own gaze, thinking,

‘Pink actually suits me quite well.’

“Crackling and popping!!” Outside, there was a lively commotion, with firecrackers exploding incessantly. Even before stepping out, Su Mo could imagine the lively scene. According to Xia Ling’er, twenty tables had been set up, with gentry and officials attending. Everyone who had received favors from Zhang’s Pharmacy in the past had come.

She had only taken a few steps when, hearing the astonished whispers around her, Su Mo nearly buried her head in her chest.

“Immortal Big Sister!”

Following the sound, she saw it was the same little girl from yesterday, Uncle Zhang’s only daughter. Now, blinking her eyes, she dared to embrace Su Mo.

“What’s your name?” Su Mo quite liked children.

“Zhang Jingmeng.” She clung to Su Mo’s thigh like a sloth.

Patting her little head, Su Mo asked sweetly,

“Where’s your daddy?”

“Over there…”

Following her small finger, Su Mo saw several elders standing at the manor gate, among them Xu Qingzhu. She couldn’t tell if he simply disliked greeting guests, or if he had stopped his duties the moment she arrived. Standing there in a black long gown, a smile on his face, he gazed at her from afar, as if no one else existed.

‘He’s not greeting guests, just standing there foolishly,’ Su Mo cursed him inwardly, reluctantly approaching. She exchanged courtesies with numerous unfamiliar elders, deliberately drawing out the process, before finally meeting Xu Qingzhu’s expectant gaze. His dark eyes met hers, crinkling with amusement at the corners.

“Madam, your beauty today far surpasses that of any other day.” He leaned in, his head just a bit taller than Su Mo’s. Tilting her head up, her eyes slightly narrowed, Su Mo forced a smile.

“Mm, my husband is quite handsome too.”

He chuckled even more delightedly, making Su Mo want to slap him. ‘There are too many people here; I won’t play along with you,’ she repeatedly admonished herself. She was truly fed up with the endless formalities and etiquette. And then, when it was finally time to eat, merciful heavens, she still couldn’t just eat freely!

‘This is a disaster! How did he trick me into coming back?!’ Su Mo grumbled inwardly, yet with a cheerful smile, she clinked glasses with Xu Qingzhu as they toasted the guests.

“Qingzhu has married a wonderful wife!”

“A talented man and a beautiful woman! A match made in heaven! Excellent!”

“Hey! You must come to our house for a meal sometime!”

“My respects to all.” Xu Qingzhu handled the greetings with ease, which, surprisingly, left Su Mo with considerable leisure. Trailing behind him with a pout, Su Mo, famished, rubbed her stomach. Who knew he had noticed, and subtly reminded her:

“It’s the last table; it’ll be gone soon.”

“It’s all because of you!” Su Mo glared at him.

However, things didn’t go as planned. When Su Mo and her ‘husband’ finally reached the last table, someone began to sneer:

“Heh heh, Little Xu truly hasn’t been back in so long that he’s forgotten all about us.”

Squinting, Su Mo saw a sharp-voiced woman, holding her husband down, launching into a tirade against Xu Qingzhu. Listening from the side, Su Mo understood. It turned out they were relatives with whom Xu Qingzhu had a poor relationship in the past. The cowering, henpecked man was his paternal uncle. After he married his wife years ago, he hadn’t returned for a long time, and his relationship with Xu Qingzhu’s family had steadily worsened.

“Not at all. It’s just that Auntie came uninvited, something your nephew didn’t anticipate,” Xu Qingzhu said, a fake smile plastered on his face. He was adept at feigning cordiality, speaking to a person with words meant for a ghost.

“Hmph! So you married a vixen, and your upbringing has completely vanished?” The sharp-tongued aunt turned, astonishingly shifting the conflict onto Su Mo. Su Mo’s eyebrow twitched; she was truly giving this woman too much leeway!