"What?!" The woman in her thirties, who had unknowingly shouted out in surprise, looked at the two youths with wide eyes.
The youths waited for a response as they stared at the woman, who stood frozen in shock for a few moments before regaining her composure. Then she asked, "Are you the young master and young lady of the Han family?" while looking at the pair.
Han Fang's sister replied with a gentle, friendly smile on her face, "Yes, can you take us to the guest area?"
When the woman heard their confirmation, her face flushed with embarrassment. "Of course, please follow me," she said.
The two Han youths began to follow her. As they walked, Han Fang, his face curious, moved closer to the woman and asked playfully, "So... what were you gossiping about?"
The young woman hesitated at first, but seeing the chubby young master's kind smile, she decided to share what they had been discussing earlier.
"A little while ago, we saw Young Master Lee Zhong and Young Master Han Fei's servants enter the house with Earth-Horses. That's what we were talking about," she explained, speaking as she walked without looking at Han Fang.
"Earth-Horses?!"
The two Han siblings shouted in shock at the same time.
The young woman, now more comfortable speaking, continued naturally, "Yes, and not just one—there were several of them. Someone even saw Young Master Han entering the stables with Young Master Lee."
"Wow!"
"Entering the stables?"
The Han siblings murmured in astonishment almost simultaneously. Han Fang, his face serious and his eyes wide open, asked the woman, "So you're saying my brother Han Fei entered the Lee family's stables?"
"Yes, well, I didn't see it myself, but that's what they're saying," the young woman replied, nodding slightly as she met Han Fang's gaze.
After dropping such a peculiar piece of information, the young woman continued walking as if nothing had happened, while Han Fang and his sister walked silently, lost in thought.
Their surprise was entirely justified. In martial society, horses had held significant importance since ancient times. Over time, entering another family's stables had become almost a taboo.
In martial society, there were only two reasons someone from another family would be allowed to enter a family's stables. One was if the person entering was so insignificant that they weren't worth worrying about. The other was if the family trusted the person as though they were one of their own.
Considering these widely known facts, the sibling duo's reaction was entirely reasonable.
'Wow... So they trust us that much?'
'Hmm... The situation must be pretty serious.'
With different thoughts in their minds, the siblings continued walking in silence for a while.
A short time later, the young woman broke their reverie by saying, "Young Master, Young Lady, we've arrived. This is the guest area."
"Is it that open-doored place?" Han Fang asked, pointing to a large area ahead with its doors wide open.
"Ah! Yes, that's the largest guest room, Young Master. But your father and our family leader should be there," the young woman replied, looking at Han Fang after seeing where he was pointing.
"Hmm. Alright, then. Thank you. You can go now," Han Fang said, nodding slightly with a smile.
The woman bowed lightly to the pair before leaving. As she walked away, Han Fang's sister sighed deeply and said, "I hope this is the place. I'm exhausted."
As his sister spoke, a grin spread across Han Fang's face. "Don't worry, Sis, this is the place. I can hear Father's voice even from here," he said.
"?!"
Han Fang turned to his sister, who was staring at him in surprise. "What are you waiting for? Let's go inside," he said before heading toward the large guest room.
"Oh! Alright!" His sister quickly followed him as he walked.
The moment the siblings reached the door and stepped into the room, they heard a stern voice shout, "Understood, Master!"
Standing on the threshold, the siblings looked up curiously in the direction of the voice. They saw two figures walking toward them.
By the time the siblings realized what was happening, the two figures had reached them, bowed slightly, and left the room without a word.
Han Fang frowned as he watched them leave. 'That... wasn't that my brother's head servant, Da Bai? And the other swordsman must've been from the Lee family,' he thought.
As Han Fang turned his gaze forward, he saw two men seated around a table a few steps ahead. Just as he noticed them, his sister exclaimed excitedly, "Father, we finally found you!" and nearly ran toward the table.
"Hahaha! My precious daughter, how have you been?" The middle-aged leader of the Han family embraced his daughter happily.
Han Fang thought, 'Tch... Sis never acts her age,' as a crooked smile appeared on his face.
After waiting a few more seconds to let his sister and father ease the longing they felt, which had lasted no more than half a day, he greeted the two family leaders with a calm expression and a respectful tone, saying, "Father, Martial Uncle Lee, good evening."
Hearing his voice, the Han family leader turned to him, while the Lee family leader, who had already been looking at him, chuckled. "Hahaha! Martial Nephew, welcome! You've grown so much since we last met."
Hearing the Lee family leader's warm words, Han Fang replied, "Haha! You flatter me, Uncle. It's only been a month since we last saw each other."
Meanwhile, the Han family's eldest daughter, realizing her earlier behavior had been inappropriate, quickly said, "Martial Uncle Lee, Han Fang has been saying that the situation would get chaotic soon, so I've been worried. That's why I might've acted a little excited. I hope I didn't offend you."
The Lee family leader turned to the young woman, whose face was slightly flushed with embarrassment, and smiled gently. "It's nothing, my dear niece. Don't worry about it."
A brief silence followed, broken when the Lee family leader sighed deeply. "Time really flies. Seeing you youngsters grown up makes me feel old. You're all of marriageable age now, yet it feels like just yesterday that you were born..."
The Han family leader glanced at the Lee family leader upon hearing his words. Seeing the faint melancholic haze in his eyes, he couldn't help but smile bitterly and respond in a low voice, "Brother Lee, when it comes to aging, of course, we'll grow old. We're not those immortals from the legends. As for the other matter, we'll discuss it again tonight after the victory."
Hearing their father mention "the other matter," the two siblings grew curious but remained silent. A few seconds later, the Han family leader broke the silence, asking, "Han Fang, Han Qi, tell me, why did you come so early?"