Shen Xiaoyan shot him a look, "If you can't speak properly, don't speak. My story wasn't meant for you to trample on like this."
She certainly didn't consider being Zhen Lingrong's daughter an honorable thing.
Xihe naturally heard their conversation, but her focus was on the word "sister-in-law."
She knitted her brows and asked unhappily, "He called Eldest Miss 'sister-in-law.' Are you... married?"
Shen Xiaoyan nodded noncommittally, "Naturally. At my age, if I'm not married, I'd be considered an old maid in Da Chu. The reputation of an old maid isn't very good."
Xihe's forehead was covered in black lines, her displeasure growing.
How old could Shen Xiaoyan be? Xihe could see it clearly.
She was only in her early twenties, yet she claimed that not being married meant being an old maid.
What kind of place was that Da Chu?
She hadn't heard of such a place in the Holy Spirit Continent. Could it be a small world?
Shen Xiaoyan seemed to know what she was thinking. Seeing Xihe look at her, she nodded seriously, "That's right. I was previously in a small world, and it was a small world under the jurisdiction of the Sun Heat Sect."
"In a remote village in a country within a small world, we lived by hunting in the mountains. If not for my husband, I might have turned to dust long ago."
Hearing Shen Xiaoyan say this, Xihe's expression became even more displeased.
This time, when she returned to Changqiu Hall and reported the matters here to the Hall Master, the Hall Master readily admitted that she indeed had a daughter.
Not only did she have a daughter, but she also had a son.
Xihe's gaze swept across the faces of everyone in the room, stopping at Shen Xiaoming.
Logically speaking, Shen Xiaoyan and Shen Xiaoming weren't very alike. However, they were siblings, and having depended on each other for so many years, they inevitably grew to resemble each other more and more.
Moreover, to outsiders, as long as there was a slight resemblance, they would be considered very alike.
Therefore, Xihe was certain without asking that the Shen Xiaoming before her was the Hall Master's younger son.
A gentle smile appeared on her face as she slowly walked up to Shen Xiaoming. With a flip of her palm, she produced some snacks.
Shen Xiaoming looked at the candies in Xihe's palm with a bit of exasperation.
He wasn't a three-year-old child that could be easily won over with candy.
No, it wasn't about being easily won over.
It was that he could tell from Xihe's gaze that her eyes were kind towards him.
Although it was warm, it felt completely different from how others liked him.
Shen Xiaoming's face instinctively softened a little, but when he caught sight of Shen Xiaoyan frowning from the corner of his eye, he forcefully made his softening expression colder and icier.
Shen Xiaoyan was very satisfied with Shen Xiaoming's reaction. She then looked at Xihe and asked with a faint smile, "Just state your purpose directly."
Xihe heard this, put away her candies, and looked at Shen Xiaoyan with some helplessness, "How can you say that? What can I do? The Hall Master entrusted me with the task of bringing you back this time."
Hearing the assertive tone in her voice, Shen Xiaoyan immediately felt unhappy.
Even if she was Zhen Lingrong's daughter, she had no intention of returning to Changqiu Hall.
No, that wasn't quite right. Changqiu Hall had nothing to do with her. Why should she use the word "return"?
"I won't go with you. I'm shy and don't like going to unfamiliar places," Shen Xiaoyan said coolly.
Hearing Shen Xiaoyan's words, everyone in the room twitched their lips.
Xihe, in particular, felt like crying and laughing at the same time.
This person had caused chaos throughout the entire continent single-handedly, and yet she claimed to be shy?
Xihe still patiently comforted her, "The Hall Master said that when you were lost outside, there was nothing you could do. But now that you have your mother, shouldn't you go back?"
Shen Xiaoyan shook her head, "I don't want to go back. When Wang Dahong asked who I was, I told him my own guess. Who knew he actually went to Changqiu Hall to ask. I apologize for disturbing your lives. How about this, you just forget about me."
Towards the end, Shen Xiaoyan nodded seriously, as if to increase the credibility of her words. She then raised her eyebrows and looked at Xihe, "What was your Hall Master doing all this time? Now that she sees I'm living well, she wants to come and take a share, is that it?"
"This... what kind of talk is that?"
Xihe's eyes widened in shock at Shen Xiaoyan's words, completely taken aback that Shen Xiaoyan could say such a thing.
Think about the identity of their Changqiu Hall Master.
To put it bluntly, in the Holy Spirit Continent, what did their Hall Master not have in terms of food, clothing, or entertainment?
With their Hall Master's strength and status, would she need to acknowledge a daughter and a son just to "take a share"?
Xihe felt she was about to be amused to death.
"Miss Shen, please don't be like this. Everything I said just now was serious."
"You haven't seen your mother for years, and you've been living poorly raising your younger brother alone. Now that you suddenly know you have a mother of noble status, it's understandable that you might have some resentment. I can fully understand that."
"But you can't deny your own biological mother because of this resentment."
"Besides, even if you don't consider yourself, you should consider your little brother, shouldn't you?"
"As a girl, and already married, whether you acknowledge her or not, it doesn't matter much to our Hall Master; it's just a name, and our Hall Master will provide more support."
"But your little brother, Shen Xiaoming, is the Hall Master's son. Once he acknowledges his mother, Shen Xiaoming's status will be different."
"Don't you want your little brother to be looked down upon in the future, or to not be able to marry a good wife?"
"If you come back to Changqiu Hall with me, any woman he desires will be available to him."
After speaking, Xihe looked at Shen Xiaoyan with conviction.
She believed that her speech just now was flawless.
Any good sister would not abandon her younger brother.
And since she had to take care of her younger brother, she would definitely accept her proposal.
But as time ticked by, she did not receive a response from Shen Xiaoyan.
Not only Shen Xiaoyan, but everyone in the room did not look at her.
This feeling of being ignored made Xihe very agitated. She glanced at the calm Shen Xiaoyan, then at the others, and finally her gaze fell on Shen Xiaoming.
She said in what she thought was a gentle voice, "You must be Xiaoming, aren't you? You truly are the Hall Master's son. Just looking at your face, you are indistinguishable from the Hall Master."
Upon hearing this, Shen Xiaoyan let out a scoff.
That was a really low-level lie.
Shen Xiaoming, however, said with a cold face, "You didn't say that when I saw you the other day."
Compared to Shen Xiaoyan's scoff, Shen Xiaoming's words put Xihe in an even more awkward position.
She hadn't expected Shen Xiaoming to speak like this.
"Xiaoming, I had something on my mind the day before yesterday, so I didn't look closely. Now that I look, I find that you and the Hall Master are carved from the same mold. If the Hall Master saw you, she would be overjoyed."
Listening to her earnest nonsense, Shen Xiaoyan just wanted to laugh heartily.
This person really dared to say anything. No wonder she could hold her current position.
Her strength was probably not much; it was all in her mouth.
"You're so eloquent, does your Hall Master know? If she knew you were spouting nonsense outside, do you think she wouldn't tear your mouth apart?"
Shen Xiaoyan's sudden interjection startled Xihe.
After hearing what Shen Xiaoyan said, Xihe's face changed multiple times.
Did Shen Xiaoyan know something?
But looking at her, she shouldn't know anything. Otherwise, why would she react like this?
Xihe felt uneasy, and it showed on her face.