After they finished bathing, the excited Xiyadie wanted to dress Quinlan quickly. However, Quinlan himself was also still "excited," so his legs felt like jelly, and wouldn't listen to his commands.
"We really should report this to the family head! Although, to think it'd have an adverse effect on your current body..."
Xiyadie was both celebratory and worried at the same time. After all, while Quinlan was freezing several spots on the bath, his nose started to bleed without warning. In the spur of the moment, he said that it's the strain from using his cultivation, but in reality...
"I-I still think we shouldn't tell him," Quinlan muttered, his tongue still feeling tingly. "I fear for what he'll think of it since I can't show him proof at will."
Although he was freezing places in the bath, it wasn't like he magically had a grasp of Qi already. He was still as clueless as Xiyadie was regarding how he did it.
"Xiyadie, can I trust you to keep this secret? I know it's impossible to keep it under wraps for long, so... ten days. After ten days, I'll tell him." He pleaded, his eyes filled with a sense of reason and duty. "In exchange, I'll also teach you how to cultivate!"
Meng Yinuo actually gave Quinlan a single task: to let Xiyadie enter the path of cultivation alongside him. From her past, her family died a mere decade after she was taken in as a disciple. It was due to some murky power struggle, and Xiyadie was dragged into it, dying in the process.
'To think she'd ask for Xiyadie rather than her mother, father, or siblings...' Quinlan couldn't help but shake his head internally.
Among her entire family, only Xiyadie was someone who could be called a "friend" by Meng Yinuo. She was the one who raised her from a young age, after all. She was together with Xiyadie more than she was with her mother, to the point that she couldn't even recall her mother's face anymore. 'Familial love wasn't something that existed for her family, it seems.'
Hearing Quinlan's proposition, Xiyadie's face turned serious. She went quiet, her hand on her chin, as she started to consider her options. Of course, Quinlan didn't bother moving his gaze from her figure. It wasn't because she was still naked, as she was deep in thought, but rather because he wanted to convey his seriousness through his unwavering gaze.
"Ah, Young Lady, your nose is bleeding again!" Xiyadie quickly moved, picking up a white towel from the shelves and wiping Quinlan's nose. "With your body being this weak, I'm worried about when you begin cultivating in earnest... Then, at least, let me accompany you!"
Mission complete!
Quinlan didn't think it would be that easy to complete Meng Yinuo's request. It's a different matter altogether whether she could successfully cultivate or not, however.
After getting her promise to not spread the information to others and keep it secret between the two of them for ten days, they finally started to dress up. Xiyadie was only wearing a loose robe over her body as she fixed Quinlan's new dress. It was a similar-looking Hanfu to the one he wore earlier, but the pattern and color were slightly different.
After the two of them were finished, Xiyadie then guided Quinlan to the dining room. It was already time for dinner after all their delays, so she had no choice but to go there directly.
Along the way, Xiyadie muttered in a low voice, as if talking to herself.
"It seems that the documents saying hearing the Voice of Heaven changes one's actions are true. To think that the rowdy Young Lady Meng Yinuo is now acting all quiet and mature... A mystic change, indeed."
"..."
Quinlan was speechless. Of course, the Meng Yinuo that he spoke to was like that too, chatty and headstrong. She even had a foul mouth, which Quinlan couldn't even imagine copying. If he did, he could tell that his words would end up feeling weird and strained!
'I was simply lucky my bluff worked on Xiyadie. If this continues, then everyone will probably notice the small changes in my gesture eventually...'
He can't tell them the same excuse yet, so when interacting with the rest of Meng Yinuo's family, he could only try his darndest to mimic her manner of speech.
Soon enough, the two of them reached the dining hall. Inside, everyone but Quinlan was already sitting around a long, wooden, rectangular table. At the head of the table sat a man with a prickly atmosphere. It wasn't hard to guess who it was: Meng Yinuo's father and the family head.
To his immediate right was a woman seemingly in her thirties. Her face was a spitting image of Meng Yinuo's, and Quinlan was amazed for a moment. To the family head's left was another woman. This one he had absolutely no idea about.
In the succeeding seats, ten more were seated. Their ages varied, with men and women seated alternatingly. Some looked to be in their late teens, while the rest were still children about 6 years old and below.
A common trait among them was the cold stare they turned to Quinlan as he came late. From that alone, he could really tell how "dry" this family was. It was as if they didn't care about each other, living their lives in their own little worlds.
Without wasting another second, Quinlan quickly headed for the nearest chair and sat down. As if waiting for his presence, the family head cleared his throat roughly, like a growling lion.
"Before we eat, first, Yinuo. I have good news for you."
Quinlan's eyebrows twitched upon hearing his words. The deep frown on his face, which was turning into a slightly joyous smile, was giving him nothing but warning signals.
"The Xin Family finally approved of our proposal. In twelve days, you would set off to their manor as their sixth son's bride," he stated with a hint of joy in his voice. "Don't you feel honored? You're finally becoming useful for the family!"
Xiyadie's face turned dark upon hearing this. After all, the sixth son of the Xin family had nothing but bad reputation circulating about him. Furthermore, he might be the sixth son, but he's already a 40-something-old man who had three wives before; they all died of mysterious causes.
Quinlan had heard that Meng Yinuo's engagement was the impetus that pushed her to leave the house, but he didn't hear anything about the other party since Yinuo didn't bother telling him that. It wouldn't matter, after all, since ten days was the time limit before her master would come.
Quinlan smiled—the sweetest smile he could muster—and replied with an elated tone. "It's an honor, father."