CHAPTER 553: CHAPTER 10: REUNION WITH AN OLD FRIEND

When departing from the Sky Port, dusk was approaching and only a few wisps of thin clouds remained in the sky, and there was still some distance to travel before entering the main city.

Fortunately, the Imperial City is prosperous, and the security on Skyport Avenue leading to the main city is very good, lined on both sides with brightly shining lamps all carved from stone.

Hong Yao was just about to arrange for a few carriages to head back to the Duke Mansion first, when a carriage came rattling down the road at the junction ahead.

The carriage was unmanned, it was incredibly spacious, and it was drawn by a pair of pure-blooded Dragon Horses, with not a single stray hair on them.

As the carriage brushed past Yue Jinghua and her companions, she subconsciously felt a sharp gaze land on her from within the carriage.

Although the moment was fleeting, Yue Jinghua, keen as she was, immediately sensed it.

By the time she wanted to figure out who was inside the carriage, the vehicle, drawn by two golden-saddled Dragon Horses, had already sped off into the distance.

All that was left on the road was a trace of the herbal fragrance that had not yet dispersed.

Yue Jinghua couldn’t help but frown, when at this moment, Hongling joyfully called out to someone ahead, "Dad, you’ve come."

Upon hearing this, all the women looked up towards the direction Hongling was calling.

The housekeeper Hong Shan from Duke Xueying Mansion arrived with a carriage.

He instantly recognized his daughter Hongling, whom he hadn’t seen for many years. Noting that both her complexion and figure had become more remarkable than in earlier years, his face immediately showed an expression of delight.

Then, setting eyes on Lady Lie Rou, Hong Shan hurriedly dismounted and stepped forward to pay his respects, but was stopped by Lie Rou as she took his arm.

"Housekeeper Hong, there’s no need for formalities. You’ve had a hard time these past years, running back and forth, looking after Minzhi," said Lie Rou, looking at her loyal servant with a sense of poignancy.

After the Duke Mansion went bankrupt, the Yue Family was laden with debts, and Lie Rou was not adept at managing affairs, forcing her to sell off her dowry and dismiss many family guards and servants.

However, as a son born and bred within the family, Hong Shan, no matter what, refused to leave the Yue Family. He claimed that the Duke Mansion had not been unkind to his own family, and even without any payment, he would stay to take care of Lie Rou and her young children.

Hongling’s character was completely like her father’s, being foolishly loyal. Once she acknowledged her master, she would never leave in her lifetime.

Yue Minzhi was forced to stay in Imperial City. Concerned for his lady and young mistress traveling alone to the distant Shang Kingdom, Hong Shan gave all his savings to his only daughter Hongling, defying both the separation from his flesh and blood and Lie Rou’s strong opposition, insisting that Hongling accompany Lady Lie Rou on her journey.

Over the years, with no income from the lands and no rental income from shops within the Imperial City, and with Hong Shan frequently traveling to Fengdan County to inspect the local tax situation, his continuous travel prematurely bent his back and whitened his temples, making him look at least ten to twenty years older.

Seeing her father’s weathered appearance, Hongling secretly lamented her unfilial ways and couldn’t help but feel tears welling up in her eyes.

As Hong Shan reflected on his circumstances, he noticed a handsome and upright young man standing beside Lie Rou, smiling at him.

"Who is this?" Hong Shan was puzzled. When Lady Lie Rou went to Shang Kingdom, she had taken the young lady and young master. How come on their return, there was no sign of the two?

And who were these young men and women standing behind Lady Lie Rou?

"Uncle Hong, you don’t recognize me?" the genuine "Yue Jinghua" still had some memories of Hong Shan. The old servant, who bore two short beards and was undyingly loyal to the Yue Family, was not a simple character.

He himself had reached the Dark Earth Peak in cultivation and was also skilled in business management. Without his help, it’s likely that Yue Nian would have squandered away the Duke Mansion’s assets more than a decade earlier.

That he managed to keep the Duke Mansion and Yue Min standing proudly in Imperial City after its bankruptcy, empty-handed, certainly demonstrated his capabilities.

Yue Jinghua pondered that, in a few days, once everyone was settled down, she would ask Hong Shan to find out the true circumstances of the Yue Nian’s bankruptcy.

"You are... young," Hong Shan really couldn’t be sure who this young man in front of him was. Logically, it should be Young Master Yue Nian, but this young man obviously looked older than the young master.

Looking at the age... Hong Shan looked back and forth, his aged face filled with embarrassment, which made Hongling beside him burst into laughter, "Father, it’s the young lady, the one who used to love to tug on your beard when she was little."

"Ah, Miss," Hong Shan gasped in surprise. He then saw Yue Jinghua, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit with a Great Sword slanting behind her, her posture tall as bamboo, eyes gleaming with sharp intelligence. Although her Cultivation was not overtly displayed, it was evident she was no easy opponent.

And on her face, she wore a mask, half of her cheek as translucent as a Jade Plate.

Those eyebrows, that smile, rather than saying she resembled the Lady, it would be more appropriate to say she resembled the Duke, exuding confidence and an unruly spirit, like a sharp sword freshly drawn from its scabbard, shining brightly even in the dimming twilight and dark night.

"Housekeeper Hong, Huahua is being naughty. To make traveling easier, she disguised herself in men’s clothing," Lie Rou scolded with a smile and pulled Yue Jinghua forward to greet him.

"Miss, this old servant is short-sighted, please forgive me," Hong Shan stepped forward to pay his respects, but Yue Jinghua stopped him with her hands.

Hong Shan intended to test Yue Jinghua’s strength and applied a bit of Dark Power, but once his Dark Energy met hers, it vanished like a clay ox into the sea without a trace.

The Miss’s Cultivation? It seems even stronger than the young master’s.

Hong Shan was shocked, and by the time he recovered, he had already been helped up by Yue Jinghua.

"Master, the carriage has been prepared," as the master and servant exchanged pleasantries, Qian Luo had already jumped onto the carriage brought by Hong Shan.

Hong Shan did not know that Yue Jinghua would be traveling with so many people and had only brought a simple gray carriage.

Having ridden in Xie Yu’s carriage, Yue Jinghua deeply felt that one must enjoy life while they can, so whether it was the Titan or the carriages that accompanied them, comfort was the priority.

After a temporary modification by Qian Luo’s Spatial Array, the carriage had been substantially expanded.

Hong Yao and the others neatly moved the array of household items taken out from the Desire Gourd by Yue Jinghua onto the carriage.

In a short while, the carriage transformed from a rudimentary vehicle into an extremely comfortable luxury coach.

As Hong Shan was in awe, what followed nearly made his eyeballs pop out of their sockets.

Suddenly, two Qilins appeared next to the Lady, one on each side, replacing Hong Shan’s two thin horses.

It was then that Hong Shan realized, it was not only Miss Yue Jinghua who seemed different upon this return, but even the Lady herself had changed.

If this had happened a few years earlier, faced with such a sentimental reunion, the Lady would have inevitably been moved to tears. Yet, on this night, the Lady, guarded by the two Qilins, had a normal expression on her face.

The two Qilins were one gold and one silver, with tiger-like eyes and lion-like manes, their bodies clad in thick armor – indeed a rarity in the current world.

Hong Shan vaguely remembered that such auspicious beasts, even in the Imperial City, were only to be found at National Guardian General Residence, so how did the Lady suddenly conjure up a pair out of nowhere.

Having taken a look, Yue Jinghua then nodded in satisfaction, "Hehe, with this, our Yue Residence now also has a Kirin Treasure Ship."

As she spoke, the women voiced their agreement in unison, and for a moment, Hong Shan felt an unprecedented rush of emotion. In his heart, a long-dormant and inexplicable sentiment seemed to surge anew. He had a vague feeling that with the return of the Miss and the Lady, the Duke Mansion was bound to undergo profound changes.