"So it was you."
A handsome youth walked out of the bamboo forest. He was wearing an ivory robe trimmed with silver thread. As compared with the white dumpling, it was very elegant. He walked to Shen Miao and stopped in front of her as he looked down at her with probing eyes. This youth was very tall as Shen Miao only came up to the height of his chest. As if he was looking at a child, there was an unruly laugh on his lips, but because of his handsome face, it was in no way offensive. If it was an ordinary female, their heartbeats would have increased and their ears would have blushed.
But Shen Miao, after all, was not a true budding beauty. She glanced at that person and did not say a word. The youth's lips hooked up and suddenly there was a sophisticated short sword in his hands. He pointed the scabbard at himself and used the sword shaft to lift Shen Miao's chin, forcing her to raise her head.
Shen Miao had no choice but to look at the other person. The youth was in his teens, but his brows were exceptionally bright and his eyes were like autumn water, smiling and moving. But the depths of his eyes made others cold and it was a pair of sharp eyes that could almost see one's heart. This kind of person, even with an appearance of frivolous, would be like a piece of ice internally.
She took a deep breath and took a step back so that the shaft of the short sword would be away from her chin. She warmly said, "Little Xie Marquis."
Xie Jing Xing smiled but his tone was unclear, "You know me?"
"In Ding capital, there is no one who do not know about Little Xie Marquis." Shen Miao lightly said. There seemed to be some sarcasm in the words but when she said it, there was actually an unusual seriousness which made one unable to differentiate the tone.
"I don't recognize you." Xie Jing Xing gave her a glance and then looked at the shivering dumpling on the ground, "It was you who let Su Ming Lang pass the message to the Su family."
"Pass the message?" Shen Miao looked at him and suddenly smiled, "It is only to teach him a method to not get reprimanded by his father, by diverting his attention. How can it be to pass a message? Little Marquis mustn't overthink."
"Overthink?" The youth pondered over those words before suddenly approaching and forcing Shen Miao back to the tree. His expression was very ambiguous, but his tone was clear, "If I did not overthink, I would be deceived by you."
Shen Miao frowned.
There was not too much regulations between male and female in Ming Qi, but to do such an action in broad daylight would be lacking in manners. In particular there were so many nobilities in Guang Wen Tang and if they were to see this it would not be good. She did not mind this could destroy her reputation, but her father Shen Xin would then be shamed due to her. In her previous life, because of her, the Shen family collapsed. Only then she was able to see all the care and thought her parents gave. Now with another lifetime, she decided to protect her family, so how would she tolerate others mentioning anything bad about the Shen family? Especially if it was caused by her.
Thinking of that, Shen Miao became somewhat impatient, "For Little Marquis to attack with condemnations, what is the actual purpose?"
Xie Jing Xing watched attentively the young female in front of him. He had always been very sensitive to his intuition, thus was able to see the undercurrent of things in the surface. This was how he lived for the past ten over years. To kill others in battle and to fight the treacherous battle under the surface of Ding capital. Also, including the hidden plotting in the back courtyard of his residence. He looked like he grew up just as such, but it was not entirely by luck. There are so many noble children in Ming Qi and there would be many reasons for their disappearances.
He would never take anything for granted.
Su Ming Lang's words, Su Ming Feng would definitely not think any more and Master Su would also think that it was an inadvertent reminder from his son. But in his view, it was not. To be able to grasp this opportunity so accurately, there were not many coincidences in the world. Most of the coincidences were man-made. He could conclude that someone had taught Su Ming Lang to say these words, but for what purpose? He did not know. He planned to meet this person for a while. When he really met this person, he was actually surprised.
Xie Jing Xing thought that to be able to come out with such deeply significant words, and in Guang Wen Tang, it would be some court official's son, most likely one who would be entering the official circles soon. Perhaps it was to win over the Su family or perhaps it was to loosen the reins only to grasp better. But when he saw this person, he thought that Su Ming Lang was up to some mischief. It was only when the young female spoke that he was sure he was right.
The young female in front of him was not tall and only reached his chest. Her looks were not moving and, at most, considered adorable. She looked like a eleven-years-old with a double-loop bun on her head, a round face and round eyes with small lips, that just stood there like a little lost deer from the forest. But she stood straight and dignified, and each spoken word was slowly worded as if she was taught from the women in the Palace. Did she want to be an Empress? If he did not see it for himself, Xie Jing Xing would have choked on his saliva.
Looking up then down, looking left then right, she was just a silly little girl.
Until she said those words.
Her features were child-like but her tone was steady and there was not even a trace of panic that was revealed but some impatience instead. This was actually the first for Little Xie Marquis. If other females saw him coming close, they would have long blushed which was totally not interesting at all. Most likely, her age was too small and she would not understand anything. But how would she understand the words of the Su family?
One of his hands was placed on the tree trunk behind Shen Miao thus from someone looking at it, it looked like he was embracing Shen Miao. Xie Jing Xing lowered his head and leaned very closely to her.
"You are not afraid of me."
"Little Marquis is not a monster who eats people up, so what is there to be afraid of?" Shen Miao said lightly, "If there is nothing else, I will go back to class first." Finishing she got ready to leave.
"Stop right there." Xie Jing Xing lifted his arms and Shen Miao's hair streaked across his palm making it itch like ants crawled by. He withdrew his hands and took a few steps back to lean against the tree as he folded his arms across his chest portraying the usual frivolous expression.
"What is your intention for warning the Su family?"
His sharp words were like his eyes, which never conceal his sharp approach and direct impulsiveness, yet contain profound meaning.
Shen Miao sighed slightly in her heart. Xie Jing Xing was even smarter than she had imagined. One sentence from Su Ming Lang, he ended up here. Not only ending up here, he could also question the purpose of it. She only knew, from her past life, that he had a wide perspective, but it seems from today that he was also someone with penetrating thoughts.
How to hide one's true intentions when dealing with smart people? Unfortunately, she never wanted to hide.
"No other reasons. Just for self-preservation."
After finishing her words, she gave a slight greeting to Xie Jing Xing and turned around to leave without caring about anything else.
Xie Jing Xing would understand these words.
Behind her, the youth's lips hooked up as he played the short sword in his hands.
"Su Ming Lang, what is her name?"
