Chương 20: To Meet a Friend!

Splash!

"Uhh!" Xiao Xuan jolted awake, scrambling backward until his back hit the cold wooden frame of his bed. He was completely drenched, freezing water dripping from his hair and soaking through his sleeping robes. Sputtering, he forcefully wiped his face with both hands, clearing the water from his eyes. As his vision adjusted to the morning light pouring in through the window, the silhouette of a petite woman came into focus. With the sun already up behind her, she cast a dark, looming shadow over his shivering form.

"Xinyue! What the hell are you doing?!" Xiao Xuan yelled.

"How did you even enter?!" The nosy maid was standing over him, grinning from ear to ear. She was casually holding a large wooden water bucket, now empty save for the last few drops dripping onto the floorboards. Xiao Xuan snapped his head toward the entrance. He remembered very well that he had securely locked the heavy wooden door last night before starting his secret alchemy session.

"What the…?!" The door wasn't just unlocked; it was busted open. The metal latch had been forcefully ripped from the wood, hanging by a single, bent screw.

"Did you seriously break my door just so you could throw water at me?!" Xiao Xuan demanded, pointing a trembling finger at the splintered wood.

"Are you crazy?!"

"I was told to get you to breakfast immediately," Xinyue replied, her grin instantly vanishing into a blank, innocent expression.

"I did what I had to do to obey the First Miss's orders. If a door was in the way of my duties, then it had to be removed."

"Tsk." Xiao Xuan gritted his teeth. He sincerely wanted to pull her ears and spank her right then and there for her audacity. But he was far too weak to wrestle with a cultivator maid who could probably bench-press a horse. Just wait Xinyue, Xiao Xuan thought bitterly, wringing out his wet sleeves. Once my cultivation is high enough, I'm going to make you scrub the entire courtyard with a brush.

"Don't dawdle, you are already late," Xinyue scoffed, turning on her heel and marching out of the ruined doorway. Xiao Xuan groaned, pushing himself off the floor. He quickly stripped off his soaking clothes, grabbed a fresh set of crisp blue main-family robes from his wardrobe, and threw them on. Skipping his usual morning stretches, he sprinted down the long corridors toward the grand dining hall. When he finally arrived, panting slightly, he found the heavy dining hall doors firmly shut.

Standing just outside in the corridor were Su Luoyang, Xinyue, and Wei Tu. Su Luoyang looked as breathtakingly flawless as ever in her pristine white and silver robes, but her crystalline eyes carried a sharp chill.

"Why are you late?" Su Luoyang asked grimly, her voice devoid of warmth.

"I was… extremely tired and overslept," Xiao Xuan replied sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. Su Luoyang's face remained an unreadable mask of ice as she folded her arms.

"Mother was furious that you failed to show up for the morning gathering. She ordered that you are not allowed to have breakfast today, so that you do not repeat this irresponsible behavior in the future." Xiao Xuan's face instantly went pale, his jaw dropping.

"Wait, what?!"

"You are to continue your studies with Wei Tu immediately," Su Luoyang finished, turning away. He had exhausted his body and mind to the absolute limit last night. While his Qi had recovered during his sleep, his mortal stomach had not. He was famished. Standing just behind Su Luoyang, Xinyue was trying to suppress a triumphant grin. Wei Tu, on the other hand, stood nervously off to the side, staring intensely at his own cloth shoes as if they were the most fascinating things in the world.

"Darling wife, you must be kidding, right? Please…" Xiao Xuan shamelessly begged, stepping forward and clasping his hands together in prayer.

"I promise I won't be late again! Just a single steamed bun? Half a bun?!" Su Luoyang did not even pause her stride. She ignored his pleading, walking away down the corridor with her regal posture. Xinyue followed closely behind her mistress, but not before turning her head over her shoulder, looking Xiao Xuan dead in the eye, and childishly sticking her tongue out at him. Xiao Xuan stood frozen, flabbergasted.

"Young Master…" Wei Tu mumbled, slowly shuffling over.

"It is best we get to your studies in the library now. If you miss your morning lessons, Madam Shufen will likely bar you from having lunch today as well."

"Uh!!" Xiao Xuan let out a long, dramatic groan, massaging his temples. He was not interested in sitting in a dusty room reading basic trade ledgers.

"Forget it! I'm not doing that today," Xiao Xuan declared, his demeanor shifting from pathetic to strictly business.

"I have some other work to take care of, and you are coming with me. Let's go." This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Xiao Xuan spun around and started walking briskly toward the estate's exit. Wei Tu swallowed hard, a look of panic crossing his face. He nervously jogged to catch up with his master.

"W-Where exactly are we going, Young Master?" Wei Tu asked, his voice trembling slightly. Xiao Xuan looked back over his shoulder, a confident, gentle smile spreading across his face.

"To meet a friend!" … They headed directly to the carriage grounds… The new carriage guard, having clearly heard the rumors of what happened to his predecessor, nearly broke his own neck bowing when he saw Xiao Xuan approach. The guard personally prepped the sleek wooden carriage adorned with the secondary crest and brought the driver around in record time.

Xiao Xuan and Wei Tu climbed in, and a short, comfortable ride later, the carriage rolled to a smooth stop in front of the grand, opulent gates of the Tang Auction House. As soon as Xiao Xuan stepped down from the carriage, an elderly manager in gray robes spotted him. The elder's eyes lit up in recognition, and he hurried over, bowing deeply.

"Greetings, Young Master Xuan! It is an honor to welcome you back to the Tang House," The elder said warmly.

"Madam Zefei informed us to treat you with the utmost hospitality should you return."

"Elder, it is my honour," Xiao Xuan replied, adopting a polite posture.

"Is Madam Zefei available?"

"She is currently caught up in her work, but she will certainly make time for you. Please, follow me." The Elder personally escorted Xiao Xuan and Wei Tu into a luxurious private waiting room. The floor was lined with plush beast-fur rugs, and the air smelled faintly of expensive lotus incense. Wei Tu took his usual place, standing respectfully behind Xiao Xuan's chair, though his eyes were wide with awe at the sheer wealth surrounding them.

A young maid quickly entered, pouring Xiao Xuan a cup of steaming, high-grade spirit tea.

"Please have some tea, Young Master. Madam Zefei will be with you shortly," the maid said, bowing gracefully before exiting. Xiao Xuan nodded, picking up the delicate porcelain cup. The tea was warm and fragrant, soothing his empty stomach just a fraction. A few moments later, the heavy rosewood door clicked open. Tang Zefei walked in. She wore an elegant, form-fitting crimson dress that projected both authority and mature beauty. Xiao Xuan immediately stood up, offering a polite smile.

"Young Master Xuan," Tang Zefei greeted, her lips curving into a smile as she took the seat across from him.

"I must admit, I am pleasantly surprised to see you so soon. What brings you to my Tang House today?" Xiao Xuan chuckled, leaning forward slightly.

"Madam Zefei, aren't we friends now? There's really no need for such stiff formalities. You can just call me Xuan, and I can call you Zefei, right?" Tang Zefei blinked, taken aback. In this rigid society, only a direct kin, such as a father or elder brother, a husband or, in some cases, a teacher, had the right to use a woman's given name so casually. A faint blush spread across her cheeks.

"I… suppose that is fair," she agreed, clearing her throat to regain her composure.

"Very well, Xuan. How may I help you today?"

"Well—" Before Xiao Xuan could reach into his storage ring to pull out the medicinal vials he had spent all night slaving over, the door was abruptly pushed open. An exasperated-looking elder rushed into the room, bowing hastily.

"Excuse me, Madam Zefei, but I must interrupt! Young Master Zu insists on meeting you immediately, and he is causing quite a fuss in the main appraisal hall!" Tang Zefei's composed expression cracked. She let out a long, exhausted sigh.

"Fine," she massaged the bridge of her nose.

"Tell him I will be there shortly." The elder nodded in relief and quickly left the room, shutting the door behind him.

"You seem to be busy," Xiao Xuan noted, putting his hand back on the table.

"We can always talk later. I don't want to intrude on your work."

"No, no, Young M— I mean, Xuan," Tang Zefei corrected herself, a little blush forming on her cheeks again due to the unfamiliar way of addressing him. She offered a tired, apologetic smile.

"It is just the usual headaches of running this establishment. Please, continue. You were about to say why you came today?"

"Right. Well, I came here today because I need your help with something. You see, I—" RUUUUMBLE. A loud sound echoed through the quiet VIP room. Wei Tu flinched. Tang Zefei froze. Xiao Xuan abruptly stopped talking. He looked down at his own stomach, which was actively warring against his ribs, before slowly looking back up into Tang Zefei's eyes. He offered her an innocent, sheepish smile, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head as he averted his gaze downward.

"Ha ha… I, uh… I woke up a bit late today and missed my breakfast," he admitted, a shy blush of embarrassment creeping up his neck. Ha ha ha! Tang Zefei was stunned for a solid three seconds before she broke character. She threw her head back and burst out laughing, a melodic sound that filled the room. The two maids stationed by the door were also stunned by the thunderous stomach rumble, but unlike the Manager, it was out of their place to laugh.

They simply swallowed their giggles, their shoulders shaking as they stared intently at their own feet.

"Oh, heavens," Tang Zefei gasped, wiping a small tear of mirth from her eye as she brought back her professional composure. She looked at Xiao Xuan with a gentle fond smile.

"How about this, Xuan? You first have breakfast here. Meanwhile, I will go, wrap up my work with this difficult client, and then we can discuss your business on a full stomach."

"Hehe, I'll take you up on that," Xiao Xuan nodded vigorously, his eyes sparkling at the mention of free food. With a subtle signal from Zefei, one of the maids immediately stepped forward to escort him to a dining pavilion, while the Manager gracefully headed out the door to deal with her crisis. … Ten minutes later, Xiao Xuan was seated at a beautiful stone table in one of the Tang House's private garden pavilions. Before him was a feast fit for a king.

There were steaming bamboo baskets filled with perfectly folded pork dumplings, bowls of rich, savory spirit-rice congee, plates of thinly sliced roasted duck, and sweet lotus-seed buns. Xiao Xuan didn't care about aristocratic etiquette. He descended upon the food like a starving refugee. He happily munched on a dumpling, sighing in bliss as the warm, flavorful broth exploded in his mouth.

"Young Master, please eat slower, you might choke," Wei Tu whispered nervously from behind him. By the time the plates were cleared, Xiao Xuan felt like a new man. The mild spiritual energy infused in the high-grade ingredients coursed through his body, soothing his fatigued muscles. He wiped his mouth with a silk napkin, fully satisfied, and stood up to head back to the waiting room with Wei Tu following behind. Just as they reached the hallway, a butler approached them, looking slightly stressed.

"I apologize deeply, Young Master Xuan," the butler bowed.

"Madam Zefei is not done yet. You may wait for her back in the VIP room, and I will have more tea sent up."

"Oh? Is it something serious?" Xiao Xuan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I can always come back tomorrow…"

"Oh, no, no, Young Master," the butler quickly clarified.

"It is just that she is caught up with Young Master Zu. He came here to sell his medicinal concoctions in the auction."

"Oh?" Xiao Xuan's eyes instantly lit up. A wide, highly intrigued smile spread across his face.

"That's fascinating," Xiao Xuan said, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"Could you lead me there? I am here for a similar purpose and I would love to understand the appraisal process by seeing it myself."

"Um…" the butler hesitated, looking torn. He was told to inform Xiao Xuan of the delay and have him rest in the waiting room, but Madam Zefei had also previously ordered the staff to provide this young man with full assistance if he ever visits the house.

"Sure, Young Master. If you wish to observe, I can take you there," the butler finally agreed.

"Right this way…" As the butler led the way down the sweeping corridors toward the main hall, Xiao Xuan fell into deep thought, his hands clasped behind his back.