Volume 3, Chapter 350 – Did She Say Something to You?

“Sister…”

Lu Zhuxin tilted her head back slightly, her eyes veiled in a mist of unshed tears.

Chi Xiyan looked at her and felt a quiet ache in her chest.

What had this girl done wrong? She was the most innocent person in this entire affair.

Chi Xiyan reached out and ruffled the girl’s hair gently. “Don’t worry,” she said in a soft voice. “I won’t let things come to that.”

Lu Zhuxin’s eyes reddened. She nodded firmly. “Sister! I trust you!”

Chi Xiyan said with quiet gravity, “Father cannot possibly be unaware of how important the Sword Dao Sacred Physique is.”

“We have already made no small enemy of Lingxiao Sword Sect. Would they truly let us go?”

“I am going to ask him. Ask him what exactly he is thinking.”

“Sister!” Lu Zhuxin quickly grabbed Chi Xiyan’s arm. “Don’t go!”

“What’s wrong?” Chi Xiyan asked.

Lu Zhuxin’s expression grew complicated. She felt somewhat at a loss for words.

Was Chi Xiyan being serious?

If Chi Jingwen truly intended to hand Chi Muxue over, marching up and confronting him directly would be tantamount to betraying her own ally.

Groaning inwardly, Lu Zhuxin kept her outward expression one of mild concern. “Sister… going to ask him directly like that would make the family head angry, wouldn’t it?”

Chi Xiyan lowered her gaze slightly. “I know.”

As the Chi family’s eldest daughter, no one understood the family head’s temperament better than she did.

He was a pure merchant, more cold-blooded than anyone.

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As long as there was sufficient profit to move him, there was nothing he would not put on the table.

Was the marriage contract between the Chi family and the Song family not proof enough of that?

He was the sort of man who never said something twice, and who despised nothing more than being defied.

If she went to confront him directly, it would only bring harm to Muxue.

The thought darkened Chi Xiyan’s eyes further.

She had been running around outside all these past few days and had not been paying attention to what was happening inside the residence. She had not expected things to reach this state.

Not a single one of her trusted attendants had said a word to her about Muxue’s situation.

Was that a coincidence? Or was there another reason?

“…”

Chi Xiyan did not want to think about it further.

There was an unease stirring quietly in her chest, though she did not let any of it show.

Instead, she kept the light, easy smile on her face and turned to the girl before her with reassurance in her voice.

“Don’t worry, Little Xue’er. I know Father’s temperament well. I’ll be careful. I won’t provoke him.”

Chi Xiyan raised her hand and gently brushed the tear tracks from the corners of the girl’s eyes with one finger.

“Wait for me. I’ll be back shortly.”

“Mm.” Lu Zhuxin gave a firm nod.

Chi Xiyan was no fool. Reading people and situations was a skill no merchant could do without.

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The only question was how much ground this girl could hold in front of that old fox.

…

Chi Xiyan left Lu Zhuxin’s courtyard.

She had not noticed before, but now that she had been made aware of Chi Muxue’s situation, the wrongness of the courtyard became apparent to her.

The moment one stood within it, countless unseen gazes converged from every direction. Every flower, every blade of grass in this courtyard was under someone’s watch.

Chi Xiyan kept her expression unchanged, but inside, something sank slowly in her chest.

Was this any way to treat a daughter of a noble household?

Chi Jingwen. What exactly was he trying to do?

Was he that afraid Chi Muxue would run?

No matter how unusual Muxue’s physique was, she was still only a Qi Refining cultivator who had just barely stepped onto the path. How could she possibly have the ability to flee from a sealed Chi Residence?

Chi Xiyan drew a quiet breath. Beneath her sleeves, her hands balled into fists, but her face revealed nothing.

Under the watch of the guards, she walked slowly out of the courtyard.

Chi Xiyan made her way to the main building of the Chi Grand Mansion, to Chi Jingwen’s study.

It was as quiet and still as ever.

For all that he was the one who held power in the Chi family, Chi Jingwen had never remarried after the passing of his wife.

The world said that the Chi family’s patriarch was a man devoted to one love.

But Chi Xiyan had always been doubtful of that. She could not picture Chi Jingwen ever truly caring for any woman.

His not remarrying was perhaps simply a matter of never having encountered a woman who could bring him sufficient advantage.

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Still turning this over in her mind, Chi Xiyan pushed open the door and stepped into the study.

She found Chi Jingwen sitting behind his desk, exactly as always.

His expression was calm. There was not a trace of unease on his face.

Seeing that, the weight in Chi Xiyan’s chest grew heavier still.

The Chi family was in the middle of a crisis, and its family head was this composed. Had he truly already made up his mind to hand Chi Muxue over?

To simply give up a Sword Dao Sacred Physique just like that. Was it truly worth it?

Chi Xiyan’s fist tightened imperceptibly, then slowly relaxed. She stepped forward into the room.

“Father.”

Chi Jingwen looked up and smiled. “Xiyan, did you just go to see your sister?”

Chi Xiyan’s expression showed no surprise.

With that many people watching that courtyard, it would be strange if Chi Jingwen did not already know.

“Yes, Father.” Chi Xiyan said. “I have been busy for the past few days and hadn’t had a chance to see my sister. When I got back, I went to look in on her.”

Chi Jingwen continued, “And what did you two talk about in there?”

“I hear she has been crying and making quite a fuss, insisting on seeing you.”

Chi Xiyan lowered her head, her gaze sharpening slightly.

These past few days, she had been running herself ragged for the sake of the Chi family.

And yet the family head before her seemed entirely unconcerned with any of that. Instead, his first move was to ask directly what she and Muxue had said to each other.

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A chill settled over Chi Xiyan’s heart.

She knew Chi Jingwen was a merchant. In order to take hold of the Chi family, in order to work within his temperament, she had always shaped herself accordingly.

But even so, in a moment like this, she still felt a cold dread at his callousness.

Chi Muxue was the Chi family’s true-born daughter. Chi Jingwen’s own flesh and blood.

If it were anyone else, would they push their own child into ruin without so much as a ripple of feeling?

“Father.” Chi Xiyan pulled her own smile onto her face. “Muxue is at an age where children are a little mischievous. She hasn’t been able to leave the residence these past few days, and she hasn’t had anyone with her. Being alone all this time, of course she’s grown a bit restless.”

“Is that so…” Chi Jingwen narrowed his eyes. His gaze was fixed on Chi Xiyan as he studied her. “What sort of private words require retreating into a room and sealing it with talismans to keep out prying eyes?”

Chi Xiyan’s pupils contracted the smallest fraction. Her palm clenched again without thinking.

Chi Jingwen’s surveillance of Muxue extended even to her own bedchamber?

She was the Chi family’s daughter, after all.

“Father, what do you mean by that…” Chi Xiyan pressed her lips together. “Muxue and I were having some private talk between sisters…”

“It wasn’t the sort of thing fit for others to overhear…”

Chi Jingwen kept his gaze fixed on Chi Xiyan.

He noticed the fine sheen of sweat that had appeared at her brow.

“I find myself curious. What kind of talk between sisters would need to be kept from others?”

“Or rather…” Chi Jingwen’s gaze sharpened. “Did that girl say something to you?”

At those words, Chi Xiyan’s breath seized.