People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 425, Did You Say Thank You?

Tian Mi's affected mannerisms and the open and seductive upper body contrasted sharply with her restrained lower body, making Xu Qing feel that Tian Mi was like a little maid who pretended to be charming and seductive but was actually steadfast and unyielding, which made him unable to resist the urge to bully her.

"Tian Mi? I heard from Xia Kui that you voluntarily wanted to serve by my side?" Xu Qing said calmly.

"Yes, this disciple is no match for the other five disciples in terms of either strength or status. To repay the kindness of the farmer and the appreciation of the chivalrous leader, I can only do what I can."

Tian Mi opened and closed her small mouth slightly, her voice soft yet tinged with nervousness as she spoke.

Although she had investigated Xu Qing from multiple angles and knew that he was not a gentleman, Xu Qing's previous words and cold expression made her begin to doubt whether the information she had previously investigated was true.

This made her afraid to reveal her own methods, and she could only cautiously test Xu Qing's attitude towards her.

Looking at Tian Mi, who seemed to be unintentionally showing off her strength, Xu Qing smiled. After being specially trained by his trendy female demon, he was already immune to such tricks.

However, given Tian Mi's delicate and nervous appearance, if she were to be frightened further, I wonder if she would burst into tears.

"Really? Why did the chivalrous leader tell me that you wanted to stay by my side to atone for Wu Kuang's sins?"

Xu Qing smiled knowingly and looked at Tian Mi meaningfully.

"Yes~"

Upon hearing this, Tian Mi trembled all over, her eyes filled with tears that seemed to materialize, and she pursed her lips and said softly.

"It is said that women from Chu have slender waists, women from Wei have sweet voices, women from Zhao are graceful, and women from Qi are passionate. I didn't quite believe it before, but now it seems that women from Qi are indeed passionate. With just a word of atonement, their deep affection has become like that of siblings, right?"

Xu Qing's gaze turned slightly cold, and he spoke with a strange undertone.

Sensing the change in Xu Qing's gaze and expression, Tian Mi was startled, and almost dropped the teacup in her hand.

Xu Qing knew about her relationship with Wu Kuang, which was something she never expected. Faced with Xu Qing's imposing aura, Tian Mi couldn't help but panic and began to think about how to answer Xu Qing's question.

"Why are you silent? Are you thinking about how to deceive me? Or is there another purpose behind your approaching me?" Xu Qing said in a deep voice.

Startled by Xu Qing's words, Tian Mi, who was already feeling guilty, leaned backward and fell to the ground, dropping her teacup and wetting the floor beneath Xu Qing's feet.

Tian Mi had a very graceful figure, with a shapely and undulating shape. Moreover, her waist was not as slender as the beauty that women of the time generally admired, but rather slightly plump, with a unique fleshy beauty. Her fall caused a ripple.

"I wouldn't dare. How could I possibly deceive the Grand Master? It's just gossip from the outside world."

“I am a weak woman with no one to rely on outside. There are many people with ulterior motives. Although Tian Mi comes from a humble background, she knows propriety and shame, so she refuses to submit. As a result, some busybodies spread rumors and try to tarnish my reputation.”

"The farmhouse is nice, but it is not my home. I will serve you willingly, only asking that you allow me to stay by your side at all times, even if it is just as a maid, serving you tea and water and taking care of your daily life. That would be enough for me."

Tian Mi lay half-reclined on the floor, tears streaming down her face, making her already charming and delicate face look even more pitiful. Her pink eyes looked pitifully at Xu Qing as she spoke, half-jokingly.

She admitted that she had to maneuver among the various core disciples of the Farmer's Clan in order to rise to a higher position, but she was only doing it to survive.

Although she was from a farming family surnamed Tian, ​​she was from a very small branch of a larger family, and her parents were just the third generation of farmers, with no status or power whatsoever.

If she had been born ordinary, with the protection of her parents who were disciples of the Three Trees, she would have been happy and fulfilled, if not extremely wealthy. But she was born with a face that could bring ruin to a country and a delicate and charming temperament.

Ever since she was old enough to understand, she has been able to clearly sense the undisguised greed of outsiders towards her.

In farming families, people with the surname Tian hold absolute power and status, and people with other surnames only have two paths to take if they want to get ahead.

The first option is to become a representative of outsiders who maintain stability within a peasant family, like Chen Sheng of the Zhu family, by virtue of their outstanding abilities or by having a teacher. However, there are only six positions for the head of a hall, and only two or three of them can be given to outsiders, so the competition is fierce.

Compared to the first path, the second path is much easier: marriage alliance.

As long as someone marries into the Tian family, the Tian family will consider that person as part of the Tian family, even if it's just the outer circle. At least they will gain trust and have the opportunity to access power.

However, when it comes to marriage alliances, if a woman from the main branch or a close relative of the main branch is married into the family, it is equivalent to inviting a powerful deity home. Therefore, inconspicuous collateral branches like Tian Mi become targets for outsiders.

As a member of a collateral branch and possessing stunning beauty, Tian Mi became a target for outsiders from a young age, and even many within the Tian family desired to possess her.

Fortunately, even though her parents weren't of high status, their surname, Tian, ​​was enough to protect her and prevent these people from using force. However, this didn't last long. When she was thirteen, some people couldn't wait any longer and began plotting to murder her parents.

After her parents died, she had no one to rely on anymore. From then on, she only had two paths: either follow her parents to their deaths, or become prey for those people and stepping stones for them to reach higher power.

Just when those people were waiting for her to come to them, she chose a third path: to survive in this chaotic world on her own.

The death of her parents made her realize that only power and status could protect her, and that as a woman, the only way she could gain power was through herself.

The greed of outsiders made her realize just how alluring she was to men, and how she could use methods to turn what she initially considered a disadvantage into an advantage.

So she used her beauty to gather a large group of young talents to protect her, and finally "successfully" got rid of those villains and personally killed the people who had plotted against her parents.

However, when she looked back, she was no longer the carefree, innocent girl next door, but had become a seductive vixen who used her beauty to seduce men.

Men lust after her beauty, but behind her back they loudly humiliate her, calling her a worthless slut who climbed the social ladder by using her body.

But when she beckons, these men will crawl over like dogs, at her beck and call, helping her gain a higher status among the farmers and the Tian family.

The women in the farmhouses envied Tian Mi's looks and figure, and were jealous of her rise to power. So they secretly cursed Tian Mi as a shameless slut, a vixen, and even more despicable than a prostitute. They even fabricated rumors about her and many of the farmhouse disciples.

But no one ever cared whether she really wanted to become like this, and no one ever asked how much suffering and grievances she had endured over the years.

Tian Mi never felt she had done anything wrong; she was just trying to survive.

Just like noblewomen who could live in a stable environment from a young age, learning poetry, literature, etiquette, and music. As long as they were obedient and well-behaved, they would be loved by their parents, and even if they were sent to marry into a powerful and influential family in the future, their partners would still be high-ranking nobles.

Tian Mi once thought of being a well-behaved and obedient good girl, but in her world, a good girl would only become a plaything, to be eaten and chewed up until not even bones were left.

So, in order to survive, she had no choice but to resort to methods that others considered despicable, to carve out a path for herself from the bottom. Recalling her experiences over the years, tears streamed down Tian Mi's face, dripping onto the ground and mixing with the tea on the floor.

Looking at Tian Mi's genuine emotions, Xu Qing's eyes were slightly moved. She slowly got up from her seat and took out a handkerchief from her bosom.

Although Xu Qing didn't know what Tian Mi had been through, he could see resentment, pain, and indignation in her eyes. A beautiful woman in this chaotic world would probably turn into dust long ago if she didn't fight with all her might to survive.

"Beauty is not a blessing to you, but more like a curse. Since you want to stay by my side, then follow me."

Xu Qing squatted down in front of Tian Mi, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and said in a calm voice.

A hint of surprise flashed in Tian Mi's charming pinkish-purple eyes, and she subconsciously flinched back twice, but then the handkerchief was wiped on her face again. Xu Qing's movements were very gentle, and her gaze was so calm and serious.

"Don't be afraid of me. In chaotic times, everyone has their own way of surviving. Beauty is both a blessing and a curse, but you have successfully turned both into a weapon to survive. That's remarkable."

"Since I promised to keep you here, I will not go back on my word. I will not hurt you, nor will I let anyone else hurt you."

Xu Qing softened his tone as he spoke.

"me."

Tian Mi's body trembled slightly as she looked up at Xu Qing's gentle face with disbelief.

Although Xu Qing's words were calm and unlike the solemn vows of the others, they gave Tian Mi an unprecedented sense of security.

"Woooooo~"

Tian Mi opened her arms and hugged Xu Qing's neck, buried her head in his shoulder, and burst into tears.

Xu Qing glanced at Tian Mi, who was crying and trembling in his arms, opened his arms and hugged her, gently stroking her back. Her pink hair brushed against his fingertips, and a faint fragrance lingered in the air.

After about half a cup of tea's time, Tian Mi's crying gradually stopped, and she released the embrace she had been so reluctant to leave.

"Your Excellency, I have been impolite. Please forgive me."

Tian Mi was a little embarrassed to look at Xu Qing, because her makeup had been ruined by tears, and a shy blush appeared on her face. Her restless little hands wanted to place on Xu Qing's chest, but then she withdrew them.

"Etiquette is for outsiders to see; I've never cared about such empty formalities."

Xu Qing looked at Tian Mi's slightly reddish pink eyes and shook his head slightly.

"outsider?"

Tian Mi looked surprised. Did they consider her one of their own?
He had been scaring her like that before, but now he treated her like one of his own? What was he doing? Was that a test for her? Or was he just deceiving her? Her past experiences wouldn't make Tian Mi trust anyone so easily.

But did Xu Qing need to lie to her? Why would he lie to her? He could take advantage of her anytime he wanted, since she had decided to stay by Xu Qing's side and was prepared to sacrifice herself.

They even claimed that the other side knew she was an undercover agent and wanted to use this method to turn her against them?
Tian Mi couldn't help but turn her head to look at Xu Qing. Looking at his handsome and peaceful face, and the gentleness in his bright eyes, Tian Mi's face turned even redder. She gently clenched her small hands and quickly turned her head to the side.

She was probably overthinking it. She wasn't worth Xu Qing deceiving her at all. Someone as powerful as him wouldn't need to lower himself to deceive her.

At this moment, Tian Mi felt two conflicting thoughts battling in her mind. For a moment, she couldn't figure out what Xu Qing was thinking, and the chaotic thoughts made her feel a little dizzy.

"Xia Kui and the others are coming back. Get up."

"Oh, yes."

Xu Qing looked at Tian Mi, who seemed a little dizzy, and couldn't help but find it amusing. He reached out and helped Tian Mi up.

After Tian Mi got up, she clutched the hem of her clothes with her small hands, not daring to look up. Her makeup was completely ruined from crying. For Tian Mi, who was used to using her charming and delicate appearance as a protective shield, she didn't dare to let Xu Qing see her true self.

"Dai Liangzao, it's me."

Tian Mi was about to apologize again, but Xu Qing interrupted her before she could finish speaking.

"You can go down now. I don't think you'd want to meet Xia Kui and the others with your makeup all messed up."

Xu Qing placed the handkerchief in Tian Mi's hand, bent down to pick up the teacup from the ground, and said calmly.
"Remember to wash the handkerchief thoroughly."

"Yes."

Tian Mi looked at the handkerchief in her hand, now covered in cosmetics, and then at Xu Qing, whose expression was calm. It was as if Xu Qing's gentleness and trust just now were all just a dream.

After experiencing intense emotional ups and downs, Tian Mi's mind was in such a state of confusion that she had no other thoughts. After memorizing Xu Qing's orders, she took the handkerchief and walked outside.

Just as Tian Mi stepped out of the house, Xu Qing, who was sitting at the table, spoke again.

"Don't be so nervous when serving tea next time. Also, I like my tea to be about 60% hot, so don't forget that next time," Xu Qing said, looking at Tian Mi's graceful figure.

"Yes, I've noted it down. Grand Master, do you have any other instructions?"

Tian Mi's mind cleared up a bit, and she turned to look at Xu Qing, asking softly.

"Anything else?"

Xu Qing looked thoughtful, then glanced at Tian Mi and said...

"Did you say thank you?"

Tian Mi's alluring eyes showed a hint of confusion, as if she doubted whether she had misheard, but she still gave a slight bow and said...
"Thank you."

(End of this chapter)