CHAPTER 379: CHAPTER 372: I’M JUST A FACE-LOVER 14

Several days later, Mrs. Xiao arrived at the Xu Family.

She was specifically there to discuss with Mrs. Xu the marriage between Xiao Yuan and Anning.

As soon as she mentioned that she wanted to marry Anning off as soon as possible, Mrs. Xu felt somewhat reluctant to part with her.

"The marriage has been agreed upon by both families for a long time, and by rights, they should marry early."

Mrs. Xu, with a smile on her face, said: "It’s just that there has been a lot going on in our family recently, and I haven’t prepared for the wedding. You see, let’s not set the date too soon. Otherwise, we really won’t be able to manage."

Mrs. Xiao smiled, too: "Understandable. Our family checked the calendar, and it’s the eighth day of the tenth month. If it’s agreeable, let’s set it then, but if you feel it’s too rushed, we can push it back a bit, to the sixth day of the eleventh month, which is also an auspicious date."

What else could Mrs. Xu say to that?

After thinking it over, she said: "Then let’s do it in October. Ningning’s dowry has been prepared by her father long ago, and we’ve kept it sealed in the storeroom for years. The old jewelry now looks a bit outdated, so I’ve added some new pieces for her. Our family head also said, as we regard Ningning as our own daughter, we’ve prepared a dowry for her too, so that doesn’t need any further preparation. As for the rest... after all, the He Family doesn’t have many people left, and there won’t be that many guests, it won’t be too busy to prepare."

Mrs. Xu had thought of many things and took Mrs. Xiao’s hand, speaking softly: "Ningning has lived with our family for many years, and I’ve raised her like my own daughter. It’s quite sudden for her to be leaving the household, and I am a bit reluctant. Mother-in-law, let’s not talk about other things. If Ningning ever does anything in the future, good or bad, that upsets you, feel free to criticize her, but please, don’t hit her. If it really can’t be helped, you come and talk to me..."

As she spoke, Mrs. Xu’s eyes turned red, and she found it difficult to continue.

Mrs. Xiao was a straightforward person and knew that Mrs. Xu was feeling distressed, so she quickly comforted her: "Don’t worry, Mr. Xiao and He Juren were also close friends. I really like Ningning and certainly won’t mistreat her."

Mrs. Xu smiled: "Then I am relieved."

The two agreed on the arrangements and in the evening, Mrs. Xu told Xu Pengju about it.

The next day, Xu Pengju went to discuss with Mr. Xiao and sorted out all the details, only then returning home.

The person whom Xu Bao’er had saved was able to get out of bed in less than two days.

He knew that Xu Bao’er had saved him and personally thanked her.

He had lost his memory and didn’t know his own name, nor how to address himself.

Later on, he suggested that since he was saved by the Xu Family, he might as well take the Xu surname. Xu Pengju heard this and was quite amused, promptly giving him a name, Xu Xingsheng, meaning although he had forgotten his past, he would have a good future, like being reborn.

This was actually to comfort Xu Xingsheng, encouraging him to look on the bright side of things.

Xu Xingsheng had nothing to his name, nor did he know where his home was, so he ended up staying at the Xu Family’s home.

Being a grown man, he wouldn’t just live at the Xu Family’s for free; he didn’t have any other skills but was proficient in martial arts. After his complete recovery, he began to train the Xu Family’s house servants and set many security arrangements within the Xu Mansion, ensuring its safety.

Besides martial arts, Xu Xingsheng was also literate. Although he could not compose poetry or essays, he could understand military strategies, and he had read the Four Books and Five Classics. Xu Pengju showed him books, which he could remember after one reading, presumably because he had read them before, which now resurfaced his memory.

These instincts were intact, and he remembered the things he had learned, but he just couldn’t recall who he was.

Later, Anning also observed him, noticing that Xu Xingsheng and Xu Bao’er got along quite well. When Xu Bao’er left the house, Xu Xingsheng would automatically follow her to ensure her safety.

Sometimes, Xu Bao’er would even send maids to bring food and necessities to Xu Xingsheng.

Gradually, the two grew closer.

Xu Pengju seemed to have intentions of bringing the two together, turning a blind eye towards their interactions, hardly intervening at all.

The weather cooled day by day, and the day of Anning’s marriage to Xiao Yuan was drawing near.

Recently, Xiao Yuan had stopped coming to talk to Anning, who spent her days helping Mrs. Xu with household chores and at night, began to practice her Cultivation Technique.

This night, while Anning was sitting cross-legged on the bed practicing her Cultivation Technique, she suddenly felt a wave of bone-chilling cold.

She got out of bed, pushed the window open, and looked outside, only to see the entire Xu Family enveloped in dense Evil Qi.

And the Evil Qi was heaviest in her courtyard.

Aside from the Evil Qi, she also felt some strange noises in the room.

Anning furrowed her brows, then flicked her right hand, and a faint sound was heard. She lit a candle to inspect and saw a white insect lying dead on the table.

Anning held the candle and examined it closely; after looking at it, she was instantly furious.

Someone was plotting against her.

Anning had once been a Gu Witch from the Miao Region; in that lifetime, she was best at raising various poisonous insects, and she had even raised a King Gu, so she was extremely knowledgeable about all sorts of Gu.

She recognized this type of insect at a glance.

This was a love poison, and moreover, a mature child poison.

If one was afflicted by this type of love poison, they would become utterly obedient and exclusively fixated on the bearer of the Mother Poisonous Insect. They would passionately love that person regardless of who they were, unable to extricate themselves from the love, and would feel heart-wrenching pain if separated even slightly from that person.

She didn’t know who wanted to use such a Gu on her; that person’s thoughts were very malicious indeed.

Anning sneered, picked up the Gu.

As soon as she touched it, the plump white insect began to wriggle, seemingly not dead yet.

This little creature was quite clever, even pretending to be dead.

Anning smiled and tapped the insect, "Quite smart, aren’t you? Stop moving. I’ll find you a nice place, and from now on, I’ll take good care of you. How about we reverse the roles of child and mother?"

When it came to raising Gu, Anning could be considered an ancestor; in this world, there probably wasn’t anyone more adept than her.

She took a box and placed the Gu inside, then pushed the door open and went out.

As soon as she stepped out of the courtyard, she saw Xu Xingsheng.

"Brother Xu."

Anning nodded to Xu Xingsheng.

Xu Xingsheng frowned: "Miss He, you better go back. It’s not very safe here."

"What did Brother Xu discover?"

Anning asked with a smile.

Xu Xingsheng shook his head: "I haven’t discovered anything, but I feel uneasy as if something big is about to happen."

"Come with me to find Uncle."

Anning suggested.

Xu Xingsheng thought for a moment and agreed.

Together, they went to look for Xu Pengju.

Upon seeing Xu Pengju, Anning asked: "Uncle, have you ever offended any Feng Shui Masters or the like?"

Xu Pengju was startled for a moment: "No, I haven’t. How could I dare to offend such people?"

Anning furrowed her brows: "But why is it that tonight, our home has suddenly been filled with such evil energy?"