Chapter 66 Little Ancestor?

Xue Yao slipped back into her room as quietly as she had left it. She paused just inside the doorway and looked around before letting out a small breath of relief.

Everything looked exactly the same. Honghong was still curled up beneath her little blanket on the couch, sleeping so soundly.

The servants outside hadn’t come looking for her either.

A smile slowly spread across Xue Yao’s face. ’See? Perfect crime.’

She walked over to the couch and looked down at Honghong with obvious satisfaction.

’I even managed to hide the evidence. Unless someone starts digging under random trees for no reason, nobody will ever know.’ The thought made her feel rather proud of herself.

She reached out and gently poked Honghong’s fluffy little head. "You’d better wake up soon," she whispered. "I can’t keep watching over you forever... I might suddenly get tired from eating rabbit and might crave bird meat."

Honghong didn’t react in the slightest. "...You’re lucky you’re cute."

Xue Yao quietly returned to the bed and lay down, folding one arm beneath her head while staring absentmindedly out the window. The rabbit had finally settled the rebellion inside her stomach, and without hunger constantly distracting her, the courtyard suddenly felt much quieter than before.

’Now what?’

She couldn’t cultivate because the physician had specifically warned her not to use her spiritual energy. She couldn’t leave the Eastern Courtyard, and She couldn’t investigate anything.

She couldn’t even wander around the palace without someone following her.

’This really is house arrest.’ She rolled onto her side with a lazy sigh. ’At least if they were going to lock me up, they could’ve left the fish.’

Thinking about the Dragon Golden Fish made her lips twitch. She still couldn’t believe all of this had happened because of six fish.

’Who raises fish if they don’t expect someone to eat them?’ She frowned at the ceiling. ’And how was I supposed to know they could become dragons? They looked exactly like fish.’

The more she thought about it, the more wronged she felt. ’Honestly... if someone had put up a sign saying "Do Not Eat," none of this would’ve happened.’

She imagined a little wooden sign standing beside the pond.

Dragon Golden Fish. Absolutely Not for Eating.

Xue Yao nodded to herself. ’See? Problem solved.’

Her thoughts drifted from one ridiculous idea to another until the warmth of the afternoon sun gradually moved across the room. Before she realized it, hours had quietly slipped by. No one came to disturb her. Honghong remained asleep, the servants outside kept their distance, and the entire Eastern Courtyard settled into the peaceful silence that arrived just before sunset.

The golden light slowly faded from the wooden floor, replaced by the cool blue glow of evening. Xue Yao stretched lazily across the bed, enjoying the rare moment of peace.

Then... Rustle.

She paused. Her eyes slowly drifted toward the window. For a second, everything was quiet again. ’Probably just the wind.’

She relaxed, closing her eyelids.

Another Rustle.

This time the sound was louder.

It wasn’t coming from the front gate where the servants were standing. It came from the back of the courtyard.

Xue Yao slowly sat upright. ’Someone’s there.’

The thought instantly chased away every trace of laziness. Her eyes narrowed as she listened carefully.

The bushes rustled again.

Then came what sounded like someone muttering under their breath.

She quietly climbed off the bed without making a sound. ’Please don’t tell me it’s those elders again.’

Her hand immediately reached for the nearest thing that looked remotely useful.

A sturdy wooden stick leaned against the wall beside the door. She picked it up and gave it an experimental swing. It felt... acceptable.

’Good enough.’ She tightened her grip around it, her eyes narrowed dangerously.

’If it’s another elder trying to search my memories, I’m hitting him first and asking questions later.’

Trying to keep her footsteps as light as possible, Xue Yao quietly crossed the courtyard. She stayed close to the walls, moving from one patch of shadow to the next until she reached the rear garden. The bushes beside the back wall shook again, followed by the unmistakable sound of someone struggling.

"...Come on..." A small voice grumbled from the other side. "...Almost..."

Xue Yao stopped several steps away and raised the stick.

The branches hanging above the wall suddenly bent. A small white figure clumsily climbed over the wall before completely losing his balance.

"Whoa...!"

Thud!

"Ow..." The little wolf immediately slapped both hands over his mouth and looked around nervously, as though hoping nobody had heard him.

Xue Yao stared with a frown. "...Little Ancestor?"

The little boy jumped so hard that he nearly fell over again.

"You scared me!" He accused with a whisper shout.

Xue Yao slowly lowered the stick and looked from him to the broken branch hanging sadly from the top of the wall. ’Now what is this bundle of trouble looking for in my courtyard?’

"You climbed into my courtyard." Xue Yao asked without hiding the annoyance in her voice.

"Yes, you can see." Little Ancestor said removing the dirt from his body.

She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, what are you doing here?"

The little wolf followed her gaze until he noticed the broken branch.

He coughed awkwardly. "...It was supposed to be quiet until the branch attacked me."

Xue Yao looked at him, almost rolling her eyes. "The branch attacked you?"

He nodded with complete confidence. "It was a sneak attack but I was able to fight against it with my prowess."

She couldn’t help staring at him for another few seconds before letting out a long sigh. "...You’re unbelievable."

’I can’t even decide who is more shameless between him and I.’

"I hear that a lot." He dusted the dirt from his robes as though nothing unusual had happened, then flashed her a proud grin.

"You didn’t answer my question, what are you doing here? I don’t remember inviting you over." Xue Yao let out a tired sigh.

"I came to save you." Little Ancestor said, flashing her a mischievous smile.

Xue Yao folded her arms, staring at him condescendingly. "Save me from what?"

"Starvation." His expression immediately became serious. "I know Brother." He nodded as though he possessed some great wisdom. "He’ll actually make you go hungry."

Xue Yao’s eyelids twitched. "...Unfortunate for him."

Little Ancestor looked around dramatically before sneaking a few steps closer. He lowered his voice until it became little more than a whisper.

"So...I know a place with really, really good meat."

Xue Yao’s eyes brightened despite herself. ’Meat?’ She quickly caught herself before she looked too interested.

"...Go on." She said nonchalantly.

The little wolf grinned, convinced he had her full attention now.