Taking roots after the misty rain

Ch-2

(Warning: Description of panic attack towards the end. Please skip to the next chapter if you are triggered easily after the second warning.)

"Jin Gongzi, it is that establishment." Meng Yao said and pointed towards the biggest brothel in Yunping.

Jin Zixuan descended a few li outside Yunping. As they walked, he noticed Meng Yao was fumbling with his outer robe, as he was nervous about something but he was trying to hide it.

"Don't worry. Zixian has arranged for the best doctor in Yunmeng to treat your mother. She won't ever have to suffer again." He said and tried to reassure his half-brother.

"Why are you doing this?" Meng Yao asked.

"What do you mean?" Zixuan asked.

"Why help me and my mother? What do you want?" Meng Yao asked, his tone neutral and with an appropriate amount of accusation.

"Because I want to. It is my father's fault that you and Madam Meng must suffer like this. The entire Jianghu knows how lustful and power greedy my father is. I wouldn't be surprised even if I find out that I have six other half-siblings." Zixuan answered dejectedly. He had been disappointed in his father ever since the sunshot campaign in his past life and now he was disappointed in himself that he did not see his father's true nature before, or should he say, he chose to be blind to it.

"I apologize for overstepping my bounds but I still think there is more to it. You are the legal heir, you have every right and mean to ignore my existence. Why help us?" Meng Yao asked.

"After pondering on it for a while, I feel no opposition to it. A while ago, I would have been 'ignorant', as you worded it, but with the way things are right now, I cannot, I won't be ignorant. In fact, if you do become sect leader in the future, I will do my best to help you. At least, I wouldn't have as many duties and will have more time to spend with my family."

Meng Yao was confused. Jin Zixuan sounded sincere but he still felt that what he just heard wasn't the complete truth. There was definitely something more to it. He decided to think about it later. For now, Meng Yao couldn't wait to get to his mother.

They continued walking for a while. But the red-light district was still quite a distance from the two's current location.

'I think that you landed too far.' Meng Yao thought and lightly sighed with impatience

"We couldn't fly among commoners at night. We could have injured someone while landing." Zixuan explained, guessing and hoping that this was indeed what Meng Yao was thinking about.

So, they continued walking. After a while, they finally reached the brothel. As soon as they set foot in the establishment, the madam of the brothel rushed to them. Jin Zixuan was dressed finery and Meng Yao was standing behind him with his head lowered. To any outsider, it looked like Jin Zixuan was a rich young master and Meng Yao was his servant.

"Gongzi, welcome to Lan Yan tower. Is there a particular lady you would like to serve you or would you like to have an introduction of the various beauties we have here?" She asked.

"N- No. Th- thank you." Jin Zixuan stammered.

Even though he was mentally a married adult man with a family, currently he was a fifteen-year-old teenager. It is naturally very embarrassing for such a young boy to hear such words. Especially for someone as socially awkward as Jin Zixuan.

'Is he stammering because he can't resist women like his scum father?'  Meng Yao thought.

Jin Zixuan cleared his throat and spoke,