At this moment, a little girl walked out of the ranch and caught sight of the trio.
She looked to be no more than eight years old and sported a cute bobcut. Her clothes were simple, but also sufficiently thick to keep out the cold of early spring.
"Eh?" she rubbed her eyes before taking another look.
When she realised that it was not just her imagination, the little girl immediately beamed with joy.
"Elder sister is back!" the little girl shouted before running over.
"What did you say?" a louder voice came from within the house.
A window opened, and a middle aged woman could be seen peering out.
Just like the little girl, the woman widened her eyes in surprise upon seeing the trio in the distance. She quickly shut the window, and loud conversations could be heard going on within the house.
Before long, the door opened, and three people rushed out.
They were a middle aged couple and a young boy who seemed to be only slightly older than the little girl.
Gu Qiansi got off the horse, and the little girl ran straight into her embrace.
"Elder Sister!" the little girl called out while hugging Gu Qiansi tight.
"Haha! Have you been well, Qianshan?" Gu Qiansi picked up the little girl and spun her around before putting her back down.
"Yes! I've been a really good girl!" Gu Qianshan nodded profusely. "Have you been well, Elder Sister?"
"As if you've been a good girl! You were just complaining about breakfast earlier!" the young boy told on her while running over.
"Oh? Is that true, Wanzheng?" Gu Qiansi asked.
"He's lying! I did not complain!" Gu Qianshan retorted.
"You definitely did!" Gu Wanzheng insisted.
"I did not!" Gu Qianshan raised her voice in anger.
"All right, don't bother your elder sister with such things," a calmer, deeper voice sounded out this time as the couple walked over.
"Dad, Mum," Gu Qiansi greeted with a smile.
"Mm," Papa Gu nodded. "How long will you be staying this time?"
"Not for long," Gu Qiansi answered truthfully. "We have something to do at Moonrise City and just decided to pop by since it is on the way."
"Is it that urgent? Can't you at least stay for a night?" Mama Gu asked before turning towards Zhao Yunxiao. "Yunxiao, you are here as well?"
"Yes, Auntie," Zhao Yunxiao answered as he and Lu Zhiying got off their horses too.
From the way they addressed each other, it would appear that this was not Zhao Yunxiao's first visit.
"And this is?" Mama Gu looked at Lu Zhiying.
"Nice to meet you, Auntie!" Lu Zhiying quickly bowed towards Mama Gu. "My name is Lu Zhiying. I am Senior Martial Sister Gu's junior at the Black Tortoise Sect!"
"Junior Martial Sister Lu is a close junior martial sister," Gu Qiansi added.
"Is that so?" Mama Gu nodded. "I will have to trouble you to help take care of our Qiansi then."
"Leave it to me!" Lu Zhiying patted her chest in assurance. "I will make sure to keep Senior Martial Sister Gu safe and sound!"
"Then I will have to thank you in advance," Mama Gu nodded.
"All right, let's stop chatting out here," Papa Gu said. "It looks like it is about to rain, so why don't you continue your chat in the house instead?"
"Yes, you are right," Mama Gu nodded in agreement before ushering the group into the house.
"Okay, let's go in!" Gu Qianshan pulled Gu Qiansi by the sleeve.
While Gu Qiansi was being dragged in by the excited Gu Qianshan, Zhao Yunxiao and Lu Zhiying made sure to take care of her horse, bringing all three horses into the ranch to shelter them from the impending rain.
Taking this opportunity when the group was separated, Mama Gu quickly whispered to Gu Qiansi, "Don't worry. That Junior Martial Sister Lu of yours might have quite a pretty face, but you are not ugly either. In any case, your figure is much better than hers, so guys will like you better!"
Gu Qiansi: "..."
What on earth was her mother talking about?
And her mother had only just met Lu Zhiying too!
"Then again, I guess there's not much to worry about," Mama Gu continued. "Yunxiao has already known you for so long, so you already have a headstart anyway."
"I've already told you many times that our relationship is not like that," Gu Qiansi rolled her eyes. "I am not interested in Zhao Yunxiao, and he is not interested in me either."
"Never say never!" Mama Gu lightly slapped her on the back. "In any case, you are already twenty years old this year. Back when I was your age, I was already about to give birth to you!"
"Back when you were my age, you would still need to wait a few years before giving birth to me," Gu Qiansi corrected her.
"A few years is nothing!" Mama Gu retorted. "I was already together with your father by then anyway. Where's your progress?"
"Let's go play, Qianshan!" Gu Qiansi ignored her and picked up Gu Qianshan instead, running ahead into the house.
"Okay!" Gu Qianshan cheered happily.
"Me too!" Gu Wanzheng quickly followed.
"Tch!" Mama Gu clicked her tongue in irritation, but she was helpless if her daughter did not care about what she said.
Following Papa Gu's lead, Zhao Yunxiao and Lu Zhiying did not take long to put away the horses.
In fact, Zhao Yunxiao did not even need Papa Gu's help. This was not exactly his first visit, so he was already rather familiar with the place.
After which, the duo returned to the house while Papa Gu remained in the ranch to finish up some work.
When they entered, they could see the two kids sitting on each of Gu Qiansi's sides as they updated one another on their lives.
"Is Auntie in the kitchen?" Lu Zhiying asked.
"Yeah, she's probably cooking up some ingredients that Gu Qiansi brought," Zhao Yunxiao whispered in response. "Every time she visits, Gu Qiansi will bring along some spiritual herbs that are mild enough for ordinary mortals to consume. Of course, she would still have to process them in advance to make it possible for Auntie to cook them without causing them to lose their nutrients. But as a result of consuming these spiritual herbs, the family's constitution has improved by leaps and bounds."
"That's nice..." Lu Zhiying's words trailed off for a moment as she watched Gu Qiansi chat with her excited siblings.
"Are you all right?" Zhao Yunxiao asked when he noticed the longing expression on her face.
"Hmm? Yes, of course! What can be wrong? Are you imagining things, Senior Martial Brother Zhao?" Lu Zhiying's expression immediately returned to normal. "But then again, I have to admit that you seem really familiar with this place. Have you been here a lot?"
"As long as I can afford the time, I will drop by whenever I am in the vicinity," Zhao Yunxiao answered.
"Even if Senior Martial Sister Gu is not with you?" Lu Zhiying asked curiously.
"That's right," Zhao Yunxiao nodded. "That anti-social plant obsessed freak seldom leaves the sect grounds, after all. So she is naturally not with me most of the time."
"Is that so?" Lu Zhiying rubbed her chin in contemplation. "Maybe I will do the same in the future as well."
"I'm sure Gu Qiansi would appreciate that," Zhao Yunxiao said. "Just don't go out of your way to do so, or Gu Qiansi might start to feel bad about it."
"Got it! Come to think of it, her parents are farmers as well," Lu Zhiying suddenly realised. "That explains where Gu Qiansi got her agricultural skills from!"
"Perhaps," Zhao Yunxiao said. "Auntie's cooking is quite good as well."
"Oh, right. I should go help Auntie with the cooking!"
With that, Lu Zhiying ran off before Zhao Yunxiao could say another word.
Zhao Yunxiao let out a helpless sigh upon seeing this.
He was certain that what he saw earlier was not just his imagination. There was no doubt that Lu Zhiying's expression had looked rather depressed, even if just for a short moment.
But if Lu Zhiying did not want to talk about it, he naturally would not force her to do so, either.
At this point, Papa Gu returned to the house.
"Sorry, Yunxiao. I still have a delivery to make and won't be able to make it back by tonight, so I won't be able to entertain you much this time," Papa Gu told Zhao Yunxiao. "Please feel free to make yourself at home, and see you again next time."
"A delivery? But it is about to rain," Zhao Yunxiao was surprised to hear that. "Why don't I go with you then? That will make things faster and easier."
"Yeah, Dad," Gu Qiansi overheard their conversation and shouted over. "It looks like this rain will be quite a heavy one as well. Why don't you let Zhao Yunxiao do it for you instead?"
She would do it herself if possible, but her two younger siblings would probably be rather upset if she were to suddenly leave now.
"What are you saying, silly girl? This is my job, so how can I ask Yunxiao to do it for me?" Papa Gu declined without hesitation. "Don't worry, Yunxiao. I have been doing this for a long time, and have long gotten used to it. If you really want to help, do me a favour and stay over tonight instead of leaving so soon. My wife would love that."
"This... all right, then," Zhao Yunxiao agreed.
He had known Papa Gu for years now and understood how stubborn the latter was.
Since Papa Gu had already made up his mind, there was no point in insisting any longer.
Anyway, they do have some buffer time for their mission. Considering the circumstances, it would not hurt to spend a night here.
"It's decided then," Papa Gu was satisfied with Zhao Yunxiao's response. "In that case, I'd better get going soon to avoid as much of the rain as possible."
"Bye, Uncle!" Lu Zhiying ran out from the kitchen to bow towards him. "I will be coming to visit more in the future as well, so please remember me!"
"Haha, of course, of course!" Papa Gu laughed. "How could I ever forget a pretty young lady like you?"
"Hehe, it's a promise then!" Lu Zhiying grinned.
"Be careful during your delivery!" Mama Gu shouted from inside the kitchen.
"I'll be going now!" Papa Gu shouted back.
"Bye, Dad!" Gu Qiansi said.
"Bye, Dad!" her siblings echoed.
With that, Papa Gu left the house.
Papa Gu went over to the ranch and drove a horse carriage out, controlling the reins from the front of the carriage.
Thankfully, there was a shelter attached to the horse carriage, which would be able to shelter both him and the farm produce behind.
After waving goodbye to everyone through the window, Papa Gu promptly left.
In the meantime, Mama Gu finished cooking for the family with Lu Zhiying's help, and everyone came together to enjoy a simple yet delicious meal.
Zhao Yunxiao had no idea what Lu Zhiying did, but he noticed that after they spent some time cooking together, Mama Gu seemed to have suddenly grown especially fond of Lu Zhiying.
In the past, Mama Gu would always keep asking after him, expressing concern about whether he was well or whether he liked the food she prepared.
This time, her target had completely shifted over to Lu Zhiying instead, only addressing Zhao Yunxiao once or twice throughout the meal.
Gu Qiansi noticed this as well, and could not help but become speechless.
After all, her mother had still been talking about Lu Zhiying as though she was her daughter's competitor just a few hours ago!
Of course, she did not mind it too much.
In fact, she was actually glad that her mother had grown to like Lu Zhiying as well.
Unbeknownst to Mama Gu and the two kids, each bite of the seemingly ordinary vegetables was filling their bodies with boundless vitality.
Just by having this meal alone, the effect on their physical constitution was even better than taking decades worth of tonics!
Boom-!
Just as they finished their meal, a thunderous clap sounded, followed by the pitter-patter of a heavy downpour.
The dark clouds overhead had finally reached their limit, and were no longer able to hold back the heavy rain.
The moment they heard the thunderclap, all three of Gu Qiansi's family members simultaneously jolted in response.
But among the three, only Mama Gu's response was to be expected, as she revealed a look of shock.
On the other hand, Gu Wanzheng and Gu Qianshan actually looked more excited than anything else.
"There's lightning!" Gu Wanzheng exclaimed as a glint of anticipation flashed across his eyes. "Let's go watch!"
"Let's go! Let's go!" Gu Qianshan added while tugging on Gu Qiansi's sleeves.
"All right, let's go watch," Gu Qiansi said with a helpless chuckle, allowing her younger siblings to drag her to the window.
"I will go prepare some tea," Mama Gu said after recollecting herself.
With that, she smiled meaningfully to Zhao Yunxiao and Lu Zhiying before heading into the kitchen.
"What's going on?" Lu Zhiying whispered to Zhao Yunxiao in confusion. "Do they enjoy watching lightning or something?"
Children were usually afraid of lightning instead, so she found the two kids' reactions rather fascinating.
"There's a story behind this," Zhao Yunxiao started to recount what Gu Qiansi had told him in the past. "This was the case with Gu Qiansi as well. Back when she was young and still staying here, Auntie would call for her whenever it rained, even going to the extent of waking her up from her sleep. Along with Uncle, the three of them would then sit at the window with hot tea at the ready, listening to the tranquil sound of rain while waiting to see if any lightning will appear. Over time, seeing lightning and hearing the corresponding thunder eventually became a source of joy for her, as though it was a reward for having waited patiently."
"So, that's the case..." Lu Zhiying nodded in understanding before realising something. "Wait, something doesn't add up here. Auntie didn't seem to like it too much when she heard the sound of thunder, though."
Earlier, she definitely looked more frightened than happy to hear the sound of thunder, a huge contrast to the two kids.
Since that was the case, how could she have enjoyed watching thunderstorms with her kids?
"Not liking it is an understatement. Auntie is actually terrified of thunder," Zhao Yunxiao smiled wryly. "Apparently, by waking her kids up and pretending that she loved thunder as well, it was Auntie's way of trying to prevent her kids from growing up to fear thunderstorms like her. Of course, Gu Qiansi only came to realise that after she grew older. All along, she had thought that her mother genuinely enjoyed watching thunderstorms as well."
Lu Zhiying revealed a look of surprise upon hearing that and could not help but glance over at Mama Gu.
Right now, she was busy serving up hot tea for her three excited kids who were sitting by the window.
On closer examination, Lu Zhiying could see that Mama Gu's current expression was rather awkward, a testament to how she was likely suppressing her fear to act all nonchalant.
"So, this is what a real family is supposed to be like...?" Lu Zhiying muttered subconsciously.
"...What do you mean? Is your family no longer around?" Zhao Yunxiao asked carefully.
His words caused Lu Zhiying to snap out of her daze and look over at him with a playful smile, "You are starting to sound like all those other senior martial brothers who are interested in me, Senior Martial Brother Zhao."
Zhao Yunxiao: "…"
I was genuinely concerned about you!
And you have only been here for a month! Just how many of those senior martial brothers have you talked to during this short period of time?
"What are you doing?" Gu Qiansi called out to them at this point. "Come over and join us!"
"Coming!" Lu Zhiying answered and gestured to Zhao Yunxiao. "Let's go!"
She did not bother waiting for his response before skipping over to join Gu Qiansi.
Seeing this, Zhao Yunxiao could not help but let out a smile before slowly walking over to join them as well.
Perhaps there was no need to ask about Lu Zhiying's family.
So what if they were still around, and so what if they were not?
Even if they had lost their past families, what's important was that they were now all part of a new big family in the form of the Black Tortoise Sect!