"You actually managed to figure that out," the man scoffed. "Since you know about the Southern Border, it seems you're not entirely unrelated to the princess."
Su Yunmo frowned. "What exactly do you want here?"
The man didn't answer, clenching his fists in an offensive stance. "I intended to observe for a few more days, but it seems that's no longer necessary."
His words confirmed that he was indeed the one who had been tracking her.
Su Yunmo narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms. "Before I beat you black and blue, I suggest you stop wasting your efforts."
"You think you can defeat me?" the man sneered. He didn't even consider this small sprout of a person a threat.
Su Yunmo extended her tiny fingers and wiggled them. "It's not me, it's him."
The mute servant delivered a punch.
The man narrowly dodged it.
The fist grazed his shoulder and smashed into the ground, creating a large crater. The man's face turned ashen.
The mute servant swept a leg, generating a fierce gust of wind. Despite his large frame, his movements were incredibly agile.
The man, caught off guard, was kicked in the shoulder and sent flying. He slammed heavily against the wall, letting out a gasp before he even hit the ground. Coughing violently, he clutched his shoulder, his body curling up. His left shoulder hung at a grotesque angle, clearly indicating a shattered bone.
Su Yunmo toddled over, squatting down and resting her chin on her hands as she looked at him. "Uncle, children are very impatient. You'd better answer my questions quickly."
The man glared at her through gritted teeth, enduring the intense pain in his shoulder. "When the time comes, you will know. That will be the time you serve the Southern Border."
He suddenly blew a whistle.
Something descended from the sky, lunging towards Su Yunmo. Su Yunmo startled, looking up to see a narrow face.
The mute servant strode forward, grabbed Su Yunmo by the collar, and pulled the little bundle of energy closer. Seeing that he couldn't capture Su Yunmo, the assailant quickly changed direction, grabbing the man instead. With a few leaps, he fled.
The little bundle, dangling in mid-air, flailed her tiny legs in annoyance. "I finally caught him!" She hadn't expected them to have so many people. She had been too careless; next time she'd bring more people and capture these scoundrels.
"Return to the manor," the mute servant said, lifting her by the collar.
The little bundle grew agitated. "I know, let's go back."
This time, the mute servant didn't dare put her down midway. He carried her back to the manor as if she were a little chick.
As soon as they entered the manor, Su Siyuan came running from a distance. His face was bruised and his jaw was deformed, clearly having been beaten again. But he looked happy, clutching two candied hawthorns. "Momo, you're so lucky. If you had come back any later, the sugar would have melted."
The mute servant gently placed the little bundle on the ground. Su Yunmo cupped Su Siyuan's face, her voice filled with anger. "Third Brother, who did this to you?"
"It was that bastard Han Jisi," Su Siyuan gritted out.
A glint flashed in Su Yunmo's eyes.
Su Siyuan shoved a candied hawthorn into the little bundle's hand and patted her head, looking proud. "But he looks worse than me. We fought one-on-one, and he lost." He had a great time at the martial arts school today, beating up those brats. When he went back this afternoon, he'd see who dared to provoke him again.
Su Yunmo looked surprised. "Third Brother, are you sure you won the one-on-one?" She thought it was a group fight. Han Jisi, despite being injured, had some real skill. Her Third Brother, apart from his stamina training when being chased by their father, knew nothing about martial arts.
"You underestimate Third Brother. While Third Brother couldn't beat him with just his bare hands, he still has his mouth," Su Siyuan huffed.
Su Yunmo understood. Whispering tactics.
"Third Brother, you're amazing!" The little bundle gave him a thumbs-up, genuinely praising him. It wasn't easy to recover so quickly. Now that he was fine, she needed to deal with the second branch. She couldn't let Third Brother suffer for so long for nothing.
"Eat, eat. I waited in line for a long time to buy this for you. This one is for you too," Su Siyuan said, giving her his own candied hawthorn.
Xie Hongfei poked his head out from the main gate, shouting, "Didn't we say we were going to eat out? Everyone's here, why aren't you leaving?"
"Coming, what are you rushing for?" Su Siyuan yelled back, then affectionately ruffled the little bundle's hair. "Momo, do you want to join us for the victory banquet?"
Su Yunmo didn't feel like going out to eat today. "Momo won't go. Third Brother, you go."
"Alright, then Third Brother is leaving. Finish your candied hawthorns," Su Siyuan patted her shoulder, then thought for a moment, lowered his head, bit into a candied hawthorn, chuckled, and waved goodbye.
The little bundle raised her candied hawthorn, waving goodbye to him. After he left, she walked towards the courtyard, sucking on the candied hawthorn.
"Little Miss, you're finally back," Qian Xue emerged from the courtyard, her face beaming. "I've been looking for you all morning."
Su Yunmo puffed out her cheeks, speaking indistinctly. "What for?"
"Our master has invited you to the palace today to visit Consort Liang," Qian Xue said, striding over.
"Invited me?" Su Yunmo didn't recall receiving such an invitation, and besides... "I didn't see your master's carriage at the manor entrance."
Qian Xue scooped her up. "The carriage is at the Imperial Prince's manor. As soon as you get there, we'll depart."
Su Yunmo was suddenly lifted, and one of the candied hawthorns fell to the ground. The little bundle's face immediately turned stern. "Hey!" What was with everyone today? She was a child, not a kitten, and they were all treating her like one!
Qian Xue couldn't afford to pay attention to that. The master must be waiting impatiently. She used her Qinggong to return to the Imperial Prince's manor, where a carriage was parked outside. Qian Xue lifted the carriage curtain and handed the little bundle in her arms to Ye Jingyu inside. "My Lord, forgive me, I'm late."
Ye Jingyu took the little bundle, holding her as if she were an accessory. "Let's go."
Qian Xue nodded and climbed onto the carriage, driving towards the palace. The little bundle, still clutching something, gnashed her teeth.
Ye Jingyu glanced at the object in her hand and frowned in confusion. "Why are you holding a bamboo stick?"
At that moment, Su Yunmo desperately wanted to poke his eyes. "This is a candied hawthorn, you idiot!" The fruit had all been flung off! Third Brother had bought it for her specifically, and she had only taken one bite!
Ye Jingyu lifted the curtain on his side of the carriage, pulled the bamboo stick from her small hand, and threw it outside. "No swearing." Young as she was, she was learning bad habits.
Su Yunmo clenched her fists, feeling an overwhelming urge to hit someone.
Ye Jingyu lifted the little bundle from his embrace, turned her around, and placed her on his lap. "I have matters to attend to this afternoon and cannot accompany my mother. You must go in my stead." He paused, then added, "There is a flower viewing banquet in the palace this afternoon."