From the family treasure tree to build an eternal family

Chapter 117 Xiao Xi
There were no candles in the dilapidated temple; only a few rays of moonlight shone through the cracked roof and window cracks.

Meng Jiaojiao huddled in the corner, trembling, with a cloth bag lying beside her.

The drawstring of the bag was untied, revealing a girl inside who was unconscious and about the same age as Meng Jiaojiao.

The mysterious figure shrouded in a black robe took out a gourd-shaped object from his robes, opened the lid, and pointed it at Meng Jiaojiao's three-year-old sister.

The child struggled a few times, then his body stiffened and he fell silent.

"Ah~"

This scene terrified Meng Jiaojiao. Her trembling hands covered her mouth tightly, and her scream was stuck in her throat, turning into a "woo-woo" sound. Large tears dripped from her terrified eyes.

She knew the slave trader had deceived her whole family; the wealthy man who wanted a daughter and needed a maid was all a lie.

That person was clearly the demon from the rumors who ate people's souls!
She saw the man turn and look at her, and was so frightened that she covered her head with her hands and buried her face between her legs. She didn't know what death felt like.

She spent a few moments in suspense, but the man did not kill her.

She didn't dare to speak, and just huddled in the corner waiting.

In the dead of night.

Zhao Shuai dug a hole in the wasteland behind the dilapidated temple and buried the body of the three-year-old child.

They then grabbed Meng Jiaojiao and another girl and flew them to a desolate mountain more than ten miles away.

Deep in the most secluded, desolate mountains, there is a cave.

Zhao Shuai brought the two girls here and called out in a low voice, "Grandma Yin."

A moment later, an old woman with flowing silver hair emerged from the cave. Her face was full of wrinkles and she looked extremely old.

She reached out her thin, bony hand with sharp nails and grabbed Meng Jiaojiao and another girl, looking them over: "Just ordinary people again, don't you have any good prospects?"

She had no name; those in the demonic cultivation circle called her "Grandma Silver" because of her silver hair. She also had a companion with even higher cultivation, who had a full head of yellow hair and was known as "Grandma Gold."

"Good seedlings are all from wealthy families and are not easy to find. Those with spiritual roots are even rarer, one in ten thousand."

Zhao Shuai's Infant Soul Vessel only requires children around three years old, while these older girls are what the person in front of him needs.

"I'll be very grateful if you could put in the effort. You'll be very happy to repay me afterwards."

As she spoke, Granny Yin took out two spirit stones and handed them to Zhao Shuai, then turned and led the two girls into the cave.

Meng Jiaojiao was thus sold back and forth like livestock. Upon entering the cave, she saw dozens of other girls inside, all around ten years old.

They were either conscious or unconscious, their faces filled with terror and confusion, unaware of what fate awaited them.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

a few days later.

In Tonggu County, it was still dark at dawn.

Nine-year-old Xu Zhongxi got up as usual, washed up with the help of a maid, and then went to his backyard to practice his stance training.

Her father, Xu Xiaogou, had already started practicing stance training; the Grandmaster-level stance training made his fists and feet whistle through the air.

Her second brother, Zhonghuai, came with her to practice stances.

She was practicing the second level of the Five Elements Stance Technique, which consisted of ten static stances. Under the guidance of her sixth uncle, she had become quite proficient in the stance training.

As she practiced each stance, the medicinal power of the Qi and Blood Pill and the Five Elements Pill within her body was absorbed, and her progress in the stance training gradually increased.

She's Chungcheol's sister, how could she lack resources?

Her older brother always gave her special treatment, often giving her a few more nourishing pills before she had fully digested the effects of the Qi and Blood Pills and the Five Elements Pills in her body.

An hour and a half later, the practice session ended, and it was already broad daylight. The family gathered for dinner.

"Mom, why is there no glutinous rice cake again?"

Xu Zhongxi noticed that there was no glutinous rice cake on the table, which was his favorite. Instead, there were light dishes such as steamed egg custard, millet porridge, and steamed buns, as well as meat soup dumplings and a few vegetarian dishes.

"It's not good for children to eat so many sweets. They can't eat sweet cakes every day. Eat up, look how much your second brother is enjoying it."

Fu Zhiyi noticed that her daughter was too picky about food and wanted her to change.

"Let her eat if she wants to."

Xu Xiaogou said indulgently.

But Fu Zhiyi rolled her eyes at him: "Shut up, you're the only one who knows how to spoil kids."

There were no sweets that Xu Zhongxi liked, so she ate a few bites and put down her chopsticks: "Dad, there's a market in the county town today. Will you come with me to the market?"

"Let your second brother accompany you. Father has important business to attend to today."

Xu Xiaogou is going to have a sparring session with several Grandmaster-level martial artists from Tonggu County today; the date was agreed upon a few days ago.

Xu Zhonghuai looked up: "I invited some friends today."

"Which friend? Have I met them before?"

Fu Zhiyi inquired out of curiosity and found that she knew most of her son Zhonghuai's friends.

"She's a beautiful woman, I've seen her before."

Xu Zhongxi said with a grin.

"No, she's talking nonsense."

Xu Zhonghuai blushed and buried his head in his empty rice bowl.

Fu Zhiyi understood and didn't ask any more questions. She looked at Zhongxi and asked, "Then shall your mother accompany you to the fair?"

"No."

Xu Zhongxi pouted and shook her head. Going to the fair with her mother was too boring. She wouldn't let her eat this or buy that.

"Your sixth uncle will be here in a little while; let him keep you company."

Xu Xiaogou knew that Liu Zi had been coming to the county town a lot lately.

"Yay! I love Uncle Six the most!"

Xu Zhongxi liked it best when Xu Xiaohou played with her.

Fu Zhiyi laughed and scolded, "You don't like Mom, huh? Whatever. I'm going to play cards with someone else in a bit."

"I'll get busy first."

After filling his stomach, Xu Xiaogou got up and left. Behind him came Fu Zhiyi's voice: "All you do is practice martial arts all day long. You don't even spend more time with your children."

Her father was a martial arts fanatic; when he was young, all he knew was how to practice martial arts.

She married a husband who was also a martial arts fanatic.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After a while, Xu Xiaohou arrived.

"Sixth Uncle! You've finally arrived!" Xu Zhongxi, who had been waiting for a long time, jumped up and hugged Xu Xiaohou's arm.

"Why are you the only one?"

Xu Xiaohou found that apart from the maid, there was no one else in the house.

"Father has something to do, Mother went to play cards with some ladies, and Second Brother made an appointment with a pretty lady... Sixth Uncle, please take me to the fair, it will be over soon."

"Okay, let's go right now."

Xu Xiaohou originally had other plans, but how could he refuse Xiaoxi?

The two walked out of the courtyard and headed to the county town for the gathering.

They arrived just as the gathering was at its most lively.

Several straight and wide streets stretched from one end to the other, with only a constant flow of crowded people in sight.

Many people came from villages around the county town to visit the market, resulting in a large crowd.

The streets are lined with all sorts of vendors, from street performers to vendors selling all kinds of snacks, gold and silver jewelry, clothing, hats, shoes, swords, and more.

The shouts and calls of vendors rose and fell in waves.

Young men and women dressed up came and went, while hungry children drooled around the food stalls.

Xu Xiaohou practiced martial arts from a young age and never lacked food. He grew up to be tall and upright, and had an outstanding presence in a crowd.

He held Xu Zhongxi's hand tightly to prevent them from being separated by the crowd.

A moment later, Xu Zhongxi tugged at Xu Xiaohou's arm: "Sixth Uncle, let me sit on your shoulders."

She was only nine years old and could barely see anything in the crowded throng, only the front and back of other people.

"..."

Xu Xiaohou hesitated. He had often let Xu Zhongxi ride on his neck and sit on his shoulders when he was a child, but that was when they were children.

"Sixth Uncle~~"

Xu Zhongxi shook Xu Xiaohou's arm and said coquettishly.

"Ok."

Xu Xiaohou's heart softened, and he squatted down to let Xu Zhongxi ride on his neck: "Hold on tight."

After her sixth uncle stood up, Xu Zhongxi's field of vision suddenly opened up, allowing her to take in the surrounding scene. Her sixth uncle was at the third level of innate cultivation, and his broad shoulders were more stable than a horse's.

"Xiaoxi, you're all grown up now. You need to understand that men and women shouldn't touch each other, okay? You can't ride on someone's neck."

Xu Xiaohou did not forget to educate her.

"Okay, okay, you're my sixth uncle, not just anyone. Sixth Uncle, go buy some glutinous rice cakes over there..."

Xu Zhongxi happily swung his legs, pointing the way for Xu Xiaohou.

"Sixth Uncle, there's a pretty lady peeking at you over there."

She was perched high up with a wide view, and pointed to a young woman in a floral dress not far away, speaking loudly.

"..."

Xu Xiaohou looked embarrassed and quickly walked away. His appearance was the most outstanding among his brothers, and with the added advantage of being born with the aura of a martial artist, he stood out in the crowd, so it was normal for him to attract the attention of the girls.

The two of them strolled around for a while.

Xu Zhongxi held a half-eaten brown sugar glutinous rice cake in her left hand and a few candied hawthorns left in her right hand. She wore a newly bought bright silver bracelet on her wrist and a brand-new gold hair accessory in her hair.

"Sixth Uncle, here's some glutinous rice cake for you, I can't eat anymore."

She handed the glutinous rice cake to Xu Xiaohou below.

"it is good."

Xu Xiaohou raised his hand, took the brown sugar glutinous rice cake, and ate it in a few bites. He didn't need to buy it for himself; he was full after eating what Xu Zhongxi had left over.

Just then, he sensed an unusual aura.

Reiki?

He looked over in confusion and saw a young girl dressed in equally exquisite and elegant clothes walk past him.

The girl looked to be about the same age as Xu Zhongxi.

Beside him was a pretty girl in her early twenties.

"A Qi Refining cultivator of such a young age?"

Xu Xiaohou was surprised.

Logically speaking, if a Qi Refining cultivator does not use spells or deliberately conceal their aura, it is extremely difficult to determine their identity based solely on their appearance.

However, the young girl was too young and did not conceal her aura, so Xu Xiaohou noticed her as she passed by.

Just as he was wondering, he saw a middle-aged man in the crowd.

The middle-aged man was alone, his gaze vaguely following the little girl from before; he didn't seem to be there to browse the fair.

"It looks familiar."

Xu Xiaohou remained calm and carefully recalled the events.

He promised his father he wouldn't get involved in the Demon Subduing Division's affairs, but Jing Zhuo still gave him some information and asked him to assist in the investigation.

So these days he frequently travels between the county town and various villages, searching for the whereabouts of the demonic cultivator and his subordinates.

He had seen the portrait of that middle-aged man before.

"His name seems to be Li Mang. He used to be a demon-slaying guard under Director Jing. I don't know how he ended up working for the demon cultivators and kidnapping people for them."

With his target within reach, Xu Xiaohou didn't want to miss the opportunity.

He is currently very short of spirit stones. Relying solely on his five pseudo-spiritual roots and meager spiritual energy for cultivation, his Qi Refining realm will never catch up with his martial arts realm.

"Xiaoxi, I have something urgent to attend to. We've stopped here for today, you should go home first."

Xu Xiaohou squatted down and gently put Xu Zhongxi down from his shoulders with both hands.

"Ah."

Xu Zhongxi had eaten her fill and bought quite a few things, and she was satisfied: "Then I'll go back by myself?"

"Okay, be careful on the road, and don't talk to strangers."

"Know it."

Xu Zhongxi walked towards his home through the crowded throng.

(End of this chapter)