Settling In

Early the next morning, Bai Qingxue went to the royal palace again.

This time, she went straight to the King of Nanhuai’s study.

When she arrived, the King of Nanhuai was having breakfast. Seeing Bai Qingxue enter, he nearly dropped his chopsticks.

The King of Nanhuai hurriedly stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and forced a smile, though the panic in his eyes was deeper than yesterday.

“Immortal Master... are there any other instructions?”

Bai Qingxue did not sit down. Instead, she said:

“The ruins require manpower.” Her tone was as cool as ever.

“She will stay with me.”

The King of Nanhuai was stunned for a moment.

He knew exactly who “she” was. He also knew that the excuse of “requiring manpower” was a sheet of paper so thin it was translucent.

If the Immortal Master needed help, she could pick any number of guards or servants from the palace. Why would she insist on a ten-year-old princess who knew nothing?

But what made him even more relieved was something else.

He had initially thought the Immortal Master would pursue the matter of the house arrest, hold him accountable, or demand punishment for the Heir Apparent.

Fortunately, she hadn’t.

She only wanted a person.

Once the person was given, the matter would likely be considered settled.

A smile spread across the King’s face—deeper than usual, with fine lines bunching at the corners of his eyes. His voice carried a light, relieved tone: “The Immortal Master is right. For Nanyuan to... stay by your side and be of use is her good fortune. I will immediately send someone over with her belongings.”

Bai Qingxue looked at him.

The smile on his face was very sincere.

But it wasn’t out of reluctance to part with his daughter; it was out of celebration for his own narrow escape.

He had used a daughter he didn’t favor to exchange for the Immortal Master’s lack of accountability.

The King of Nanhuai was very satisfied with this trade.

Bai Qingxue said nothing.

She turned and walked out of the study.

Bai Qingxue did not look back, but the moment she stepped out the door, her brow furrowed slightly.

It was a very slight movement, so subtle that no one would have noticed.

Bai Qingxue hated people like this.

It wasn’t just because he treated his daughter poorly, but because he took that “poor treatment” for granted, viewed “abandonment” as wisdom, and packaged “selfishness” as helplessness.

She had seen too many people like this—in her previous life and in this one as well.

Every time she saw them, she felt uncomfortable.

It was just like stepping into a patch of sludge.

When she returned to the guest courtyard, Xiao Nanyuan was standing in the yard.

Xiao Nanyuan had changed into clean clothes—not the ill-fitting palace dress from before, but a set of pale green cotton robes. The sleeves were still rolled up twice, but she looked much more tidy.

Her hair had been tied back again with a plain cloth strip, hanging behind her head.

Xiao Nanyuan stood under the old locust tree, looking up as the leaves fell one by one.

Hearing the courtyard gate open, she turned around.

Seeing Bai Qingxue, her eyes suddenly brightened. Her lips moved as if she wanted to call out “Immortal Sister,” but she held back.

She simply stood there, hands hanging in front of her, fingers twisting the hem of her clothes.

Bai Qingxue glanced at her. “The side room from before. You will stay there from now on.”

Xiao Nanyuan nodded and followed behind Bai Qingxue.

Bai Qingxue walked inside and picked up the newly delivered bedding, which was wrapped in blue cloth and folded neatly.

Bai Qingxue placed the bedding on the wooden bed, unwrapped the cloth, shook out the pallet, and spread it over the bed.

Her movements were neither fast nor slow, no different from how she made her own bed.

Xiao Nanyuan stood at the door, watching Bai Qingxue make the bed for her, momentarily stunned.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say “I’ll do it myself,” but her throat felt blocked, and no sound came out.

Bai Qingxue finished spreading the pallet, then folded the quilt at one end and placed the pillow on top.

She straightened up and glanced at Xiao Nanyuan.

“What are you standing there for?”

Only then did Xiao Nanyuan step over the threshold and walk in.

She walked to the bedside, lowered her head, and looked at the neatly spread bedding, her finger gently touching the edge of the pallet.

The pallet was made of cotton and was much warmer than before.

Bai Qingxue said nothing more and turned to walk outside.

Xiao Nanyuan followed her.

She wasn’t going to do anything; she was simply following.

Bai Qingxue walked into the yard, and she followed into the yard.

Bai Qingxue sat down at the stone table, and she stood right beside it, her eyes never leaving Bai Qingxue.

Looking at Xiao Nanyuan who kept following her, Bai Qingxue poured a cup of tea, took a sip, and asked, “Aren’t you going to finish tidying your room?”

Xiao Nanyuan lowered her head, hesitated, and whispered, “...It’s finished.”

Bai Qingxue glanced at her.

Aside from the bedding, there was nothing else in the room.

Xiao Nanyuan stood to the side, her fingers rubbing back and forth against the cover of the breathing method book.

After a while,

she looked up, glanced at the door of the main room, then at the door of the side room, her lips moving slightly.

“Immortal Sister,” she called softly.

“Yes.”

“Can I... can I... like last night...” Xiao Nanyuan didn’t finish. She was a bit ashamed to say it.

But she truly didn’t want to stay in that room alone.

Although the door wasn’t locked and her freedom wasn’t restricted, whenever Xiao Nanyuan was alone inside, she still thought of that side hall.

Xiao Nanyuan didn’t want to stay in that place.

Bai Qingxue put down her teacup and looked at Xiao Nanyuan.

Xiao Nanyuan stood there, appearing thin and small.

Bai Qingxue said nothing.

She stood up, walked into the main room, took out the old pallet from the cabinet, folded it, tucked it under her arm, grabbed a pillow, and spread it on the floor again.

Xiao Nanyuan followed behind her, watching the pallet on the floor, momentarily stunned.

“Same as yesterday,” Bai Qingxue said. “On the floor.”

Xiao Nanyuan nodded vigorously.

Bai Qingxue didn’t look at her again and turned to walk out of the room.

Bai Qingxue held her teacup, watching the leaves of the old locust tree fall one by one.

She didn’t know how long Xiao Nanyuan would stay here.

But she would likely stay until the day Bai Qingxue left Nanhuai.

Bai Qingxue wasn’t certain.

But the one thing she was sure of was that the child would sleep beside her again tonight.

Bai Qingxue finished her cold tea, set down the cup, and walked into the main room.

Before she even stepped through the door, she heard a very soft voice floating out from the crack.

“...Immortal Sister.”

Bai Qingxue paused.

“Yes.”

There was a moment of silence behind the door. Then that voice spoke again, even softer than before, as if only saying it to herself: “Goodnight.”

Xiao Nanyuan curled the corners of her mouth and buried her face in the quilt. Without waiting for Bai Qingxue’s answer, she drifted into a dream, lulled by the faint scent in the room.