Chapter 455: Tang Xiao’s Return

"Yu Xiaoling, Zhao Yuxian, and Jessica are my husband’s women, though they aren’t his official wives. He had a fairly good relationship with them in the past, but they made a fatal mistake and ended up becoming his servants." Situ Lingxi, Xuanyuan Yueyao, and Ruo Ruo looked at Mu Qingge with a mix of surprise and curiosity. "There is also a woman named Ouyang Qing, but she isn’t a cultivator like us, and she stays in our private quarters."

"Who is Ouyang Qing?"

Mu Qingge shook her head. "You will find out about her soon, Lingxi."

"Are they beautiful?"

"They’re quite beautiful, Lingxi." Situ Lingxi turned to Xuanyuan Yueyao. "In my opinion, Yu Xiaoling is the most beautiful among the three of them. Jessica is still young, but I feel she is a little strange. Zhao Yuxian is the oldest among them, and she already has twin daughters."

"Twin daughters?"

"Their names are Ran Xue and Ran Yue, and they are my husband’s cousins." Situ Lingxi, Xuanyuan Yueyao, and Ruo Ruo were stunned when Mu Qingge mentioned that. "Zhao Yuxian is his mother’s sister, and her husband caused the death of his parents."

Situ Lingxi and Xuanyuan Yueyao felt that Tang Xiao’s life was far more complicated than they had previously thought.

"Can you explain to us the correlation between the deaths of Tang Xiao’s parents, Zhao Yuxian, and her husband?"

Mu Qingge had no issue explaining the matter to Situ Lingxi, as she would soon become Tang Xiao’s official wife; however, Xuanyuan Yueyao’s status was different, and it was not certain whether she would become his wife.

Seeing Mu Qingge’s expression, Xuanyuan Yueyao signaled her subordinate to leave, and Ruo Ruo did not refute her master.

Mu Qingge contacted Tang Xiao and asked for his permission. After that, she explained the matter to the two women, shocking both Xuanyuan Yueyao and Situ Lingxi. "That’s the reason my husband captured her and made her his servant."

"I never thought Tang Xiao would have witnessed such a cruel incident when he was little." Xuanyuan Yueyao muttered in a low voice.

Situ Lingxi agreed with her. "That incident was too horrific for a child, and he’ll never forget it for the rest of his life."

Apart from that matter, there was another issue weighing on Xuanyuan Yueyao’s mind; she wanted to ask her about it, but she wasn’t sure if Mu Qingge would be willing to explain.

"Do you have any other questions for me, Yueyao?"

"Yes." Xuanyuan Yue took a breath. "Why does Tang Xiao have that kind of relationship with Tang Yin and Zhao Yuxian? I mean, many cultivators in this realm have that kind of relationship, but I feel strange about it."

Mu Qingge could understand her concern. "Yueyao, I can’t explain the matter in too much detail because it concerns my husband’s secret, but I can tell you that he is no longer related to them by blood."

"No longer related by blood?"

"His late master did something to his body to save him, and his relationship with Tang Yin and Zhao Yuxian changed from then on." Xuanyuan Yueyao was confused by that. "That’s all I can tell you for now, but you’ll know more once you have a deeper relationship with him."

Xuanyuan Yueyao understood what Mu Qingge meant, and she did not force her to explain. "Alright, I’ll wait for Tang Xiao to come back."

After that, the three women talked a lot, and Mu Qingge invited Tantai Lingyan to join them.

.

.

.

Night fell quickly.

Taixu Wuxian met his parents in the study room, and he spoke to his mother directly. "Mother, I heard from Aunt Xianyin that you’ll be meeting Tang Xiao on Chen Hongde and Su Xiulan’s wedding day. Can you bring me along at that time?"

"Why do you want to meet Tang Xiao?" Situ Lingshan asked curiously.

Taixu Wuxian scratched his head. "My cousin is in love with him, and she joined the Nine Profound Sect for him, so I want to get to know him."

"Tell me your real reason, Wuxian." Taixu Wudie was familiar with his son’s character, and he couldn’t possibly want to meet Tang Xiao because of his relationship with Situ Lingxi.

"Haha," Taixu Wuxian laughed awkwardly. "Father, I didn’t lie to you, okay? My first reason for meeting Tang Xiao was because of his relationship with my cousin, and he will be part of our family if they marry in the future. My second reason is Huo Mianmian; I’ve liked her for a long time, but she chose Dugu Cangxu in the past. Since their engagement has been called off, I want to restart our relationship, and I hope I can convince her to accept me."

As a father, Taixu Wudie had long known that his son liked Huo Mianmian, but feelings could not be forced. She chose to get engaged to Dugu Cangxu because of the ties between the Dugu and Huo clans.

Situ Lingshan looked at her son with a serious look. "I can take you to see Tang Xiao, but I won’t interfere with your feelings for Huo Mianmian. That little girl is beautiful and intelligent, and her demeanor is no inferior to that of the young misses of the prominent clans. If she is willing to accept you, and the two of you end up getting married, your father and I will be happy to have a daughter-in-law like her."

"Thank you, Mother." After that, Taixu Wuxian left the study room.

Taixu Wudie looked at his wife. "Do you think our son and Huo Mianmian can become a couple in the future?"

"I don’t know." Situ Lingshan shook her head. "I haven’t met Huo Mianmian, so I can’t guess her feelings after her engagement to Dugu Cangxu ended. Another problem is Tang Xiao; he saved her from the Shangguan Clan, and he also removed the effects of the potion from her body, so I’m worried she might develop feelings for him."

Taixu Wudie agreed with his wife. "I’m worried about that too, but I believe our son isn’t that weak. If Huo Mianmian truly has feelings for Tang Xiao, I’m certain our son won’t have any trouble accepting the reality."

"I hope you’re right, Husband."

.

.

.

After cremating Sun Weitian’s corpse, Sun Yuheng gathered key members of the Sun Clan, such as Sun Yanzhi, Ning Zhiya, Zhan Ningxi, Sun Qingyao, and several others.

Ning Zhiya already knew what her father-in-law would discuss with them, and she was ready to accept everything. After all, her son was dead, and she had no other children.

Sun Yanzhi could already guess his father’s decision, but he could not take sides with either Ning Zhiya or Zhan Ningxi. In the past, the former had a higher status than the latter because of Sun Weitian, but he was already dead, and his corpse had been cremated.

Zhan Ningxi’s face did not show any expression, and there was an inexplicable thrill in her heart. She was a member of the prominent Zhan Clan, but she was forced to become Sun Yanzhi’s second wife because she only had one daughter, and Ning Zhiya had Sun Weitian.

Sitting at the side, Sun Qingyao maintained a calm expression, but she often glanced at Ning Zhiya; there was a hint of disdain and contempt in her eyes.

Sun Yuheng looked at them one by one; his gaze focused on Ning Zhiya for a while. He supported her more than Zhan Ningxi, but the situation changed with Sun Weitian’s death, and he was forced to shift his support to his second daughter-in-law.

After some time, Sun Yuheng started talking to them, and he conveyed his decision regarding the change in the status of his two daughters-in-law. From that day forward, Zhan Ningxi replaced Ning Zhiya as the matriarch of the Sun Clan, but the latter retained control of all their clan businesses.

Zhan Ningxi’s smile froze as soon as Sun Yuheng said that; that meant she would become the matriarch without power, and Ning Zhiya would still take care of everything as usual.

Sun Qingyao’s expression turned ugly; she stared at Ning Zhiya hatefully. She wanted to protest to her grandfather, but her mother stopped her.

Zhan Ningxi had long realized that Ning Zhiya was far superior to her in many aspects, be it cultivation or business, so she wasn’t surprised that Sun Yuheng handed over all the Sun Clan’s businesses to her.

Even though she didn’t like it, Zhan Ningxi didn’t dare protest to Sun Yuheng. First, her abilities were inferior to Ning Zhiya’s. Second, her child was a daughter.

Meanwhile, Ning Zhiya breathed a sigh of relief; Sun Yuheng’s decision had not significantly altered her situation, and she could still help the Ning Clan prosper.

After the meeting, Ning Zhiya returned to her room to pack her personal belongings because she had to switch rooms with Zhan Ningxi. While she was disappointed, her disappointment was much less because her father-in-law still supported her.

Zhan Ningxi didn’t feel the joy of occupying the master bedroom because she couldn’t get rid of Ning Zhiya, but she wouldn’t accept Sun Yuheng’s decision just like that, and she contacted her parents in the Zhan Clan.

.

.

.

Two days passed quickly.

Tang Xiao and his group finally returned to the Nine Profound Sect, and they immediately went to the mission hall to report. After everything was finished, they returned to the inner disciple courtyard.

Yao Meiqing and Fei Changyu immediately packed their personal belongings and left the sect again.

Tang Yin and Xing Xing returned to their bamboo house, and Zhao Xuenning welcomed them. They already knew she was a member of the Song Royal Family, but her demeanor surprised them; she was not aloof and distant.

"Huo Yan, you should go back first, and I’ll meet Mu Qingge."

Huo Yan said nothing and entered their bamboo house, while Tang Xiao went to the core disciple courtyard to meet Mu Qingge and Situ Lingxi.