At the source of the peony-embellished roots was a young woman. She looked around the age of sixteen and stood proudly with a gutsy elegance. Dark, charcoal hair was braided intricately at the roots before locks fell gracefully down her prominent chest. The simple, pale-blue robe that she donned didn't match the dauntless charm she exuded.
The crowd gawked at her beauty. Had a goddess descended from the Heavens?!
Xinyu eyed the intruder curiously.
With bright eyes, rosy cheeks, and well-defined lips, this girl could easily be deemed the most beautiful female human Xinyu has ever encountered—if not for her short stature. Except, she wasn't a normal human. Xinyu could sense the strong unworldly aura that flowed from the girl.
An immortal? No—she still had the essence of a mortal… a halfling?
The beauty took a purposeful step towards the commotion and darted her black orbs from Xinyu and the man. Finally, her gaze settled on Dou Luyi.
"Dou Luyi, explain to me what is happening here." Her voice was girlish but refined.
"Lady Mudan, I-" He stuttered frantically.
Xinyu could sense the shame—and perhaps fear—in his voice as he tried to explain himself.
"You are a subject of the Immortal Liu House, yet you are here beating a lady and fighting a child," she interrupted, "You embarrass my father." There was no malice in her voice, but her matter-of-fact tone made the ugly man's face flush with disgrace.
Father?! This little girl is a daughter of the Immortal Liu House?!
The crowd gasped at the realization. Their hearts shook in both fear and awe. Never in their measly lives would they have thought that they would meet not only a subordinate of the Immortal Liu House but even a family member of the esteemed Immortal Liu House! Much less, on the same day!
Xinyu, on the other hand, did not share their admiration. Instead, she was a bit indignant. Her brows furrowed in discontent.
How dare this little girl her a child? She may look younger than her by a few human years, but she could easily be her mother! Or even grandmother!
However, unless she wanted them to discover her true identity as a spirit, this Xinyu would keep her mouth shut. As a wise man once said, "One moment of patience may ward off a great disaster as one moment of impatience may ruin a whole life."
Dou Luyi fell to his knees and knelt before Mudan. "Dou Luyi deserves death! I have dishonored the Immortal Liu House!" He cried and bowed several times, hitting his head against the ground.
He had never expected that Head Immortal Liu's beloved daughter would be here. What was she doing here? Wasn't she supposed to be at her sect? He heard that they were preparing for an event soon. Why was she here in Shuijing City?
Xinyu looked at this pathetic bug in purple silk and secretly hoped he would keep smashing his head, but sadly, that did not happen.
"Enough, Dou Luyi. You are only bringing more shame to my father's name," Mudan barely rose her hand as a gesture for him to stop. "It is not me you should be apologizing to. Kowtow to the lady three times and to the girl once, and then you may leave."
Ah, so it seemed this young lass actually had some conscience!
Xinyu looked at the girl appraisingly.
It was unfortunate that she could not get three kowtows too though. After all, she was the oldest one here! Nonetheless, a kowtow was a kowtow. All Xinyu wanted to do now was to quickly get this over with so that she could flee from this scene and return home. She could already see Aunt Yanfei's worried face as she paced about the house.
"But Lady Mudan! How could I kowtow to—to a mere prostitute!" Dou Luyi raised his voice in grievance. "And a child too? That's too much!" It would be utter humiliation if word got out that he was forced to kneel to a prostitute and a child!
Mudan did not care for his reputation. Her pearly eyes narrowed dangerously. "That was not a request, Dou Luyi. It was an order. Are you disobeying my orders now?"
At her hardened voice, Dou Luyi's heart sank. What was left of his will shrunk into that of a bug.
Suddenly, an invisible force pushed onto his body, threatening to flatten him onto the dirty ground. The air in his lungs was sucked dry as he desperately grasped at his throat. He lost support from his limbs and fell to the ground disgracefully. His body violently jerked and trembled, struggling to grasp for the air that seemed to be nonexistent.
"What's this?" Xinyu thought as she studied the man wriggling like a fish out of water. "Is this the renowned powers of an immortal? How scary!"
Xinyu gulped. She shouldn't underestimate this little girl! She would definitely not dare to offend her, no matter how small she was!
Thankfully, she hadn't spoken out against this scary immortal when she had called her a child. Xinyu wanted to give herself a pat on the back. Indeed, patience was a great virtue.
Dou Luyi continued to kick and wrench in vain. Just when he was on the verge of his last struggle, Mudan released her pressure on him. Air quickly rushed to fill his shriveled lungs. Dou Luyi gasped loudly when he was finally granted the ability to breathe again.
Immediately, he went to kneel at Mudan's feet despite feeling like he had lost all his limbs.
"Thank you for having mercy on me, Lady Mudan! Dou Luyi has learned his lesson. Your kindness will be remembered forever by this subject!" He cried with a hoarse voice and bowed several times before the girl.
It was a funny sight, because if Dou Luyi stood next to the girl, she would definitely be over a head shorter than him! Yet, it was him who was shaking in fear, as timid as a mouse upon the sight of a cat. What a funny sight, indeed.
"Now my order?" Mudan only replied.
"Of course!" Dou Luyi nodded frantically and crawled over to the woman who was being treated for her wounds. He touched his head to the ground three times before crawling over to Xinyu's feet and kowtowing once.
As soon as he finished, he bowed and mumbled another thank you to Mudan before scrambling to his feet. Dou Luyi scurried away without another word. The seven bodyguards who had turned silent before Mudan quickly trailed off after their master.
If Xinyu didn't know any better, she'd have thought they were running away from the ghost of an angry ancestor!
"Long Yi!" Mudan called and a tall man dressed in black came to her side immediately. They whispered to one another secretly and did not pay attention to anyone else.
Xinyu sighed in relief. It seemed the girl would not be punishing her for initiating a fight with her subordinate.
Now that everything was settled, it was her time to scurry away too.
Xinyu looked to the horizon; the Sun was nowhere to be seen as the last remnants of its lights dusted the line that separated the Sky and Earth.
"Aunt Yanfei's gonna be one angry pine in the arse when I get home," Xinyu grumbled to herself in exasperation as she walked dejectedly towards the small alley that led home.
That was until a certain girly voice called out to her. "You there, what's your name?"
The voice made Xinyu's hair stand on its end.
It was the immortal! What did she want now?