Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 842 - 527: Early Morning on the First Day of Qing _2

Chapter 842: Chapter 527: Early Morning on the First Day of Qing _2

"Third Brother... why did you hit me?"

"Hmph."

Xu Yuan gave a light snort, not bothering with her, scooped water to continue stooping to clean his long hair, and quietly asked:

"What did Father just say?"

The warm sun shined on the snowy ground, the reflection somewhat dazzling.

Pursing her lips, Xu Xinyao shifted her gaze away from her third brother’s bare torso, stepped forward with a soft voice, and said:

"Father wants you to stay in the inner courtyard today, the Emperor might visit the mansion."

Just as Xu Yuan scooped a spoonful of clean water, his movement paused slightly. Bowing his head, he watched the water drip down from his hair onto the snow; he fell silent for a moment, then chuckled:

"Is the Emperor admitting defeat?"

Xu Xinyao’s political acumen was not high, but even she could understand such an obvious matter. Approaching Xu Yuan, she said softly:

"After all, we can’t really have Father retire... Third Brother, would you like me to help you wash?"

Hearing this, Xu Yuan casually handed the ladle to his younger sister.

Washing long hair was a hassle, and usually, wealthy families would keep maids and servants for such tasks. But the Prime Minister’s inner courtyard did not allow them inside, so Xu Yuan often had Xu Xinyao help him.

Xu Xinyao took the ladle and pulled out a Jade Bottle from the Sumeru Ring, pouring out some Yin Yang Flower fragrance essence. She modestly worked it into his hair, all while speaking in a low voice:

"Father also told me to pause the research on the Xi’en Emperor’s corpse today, probably worried that the Emperor might notice something during his visit..."

The study of the Xi’en Emperor’s corpse was probably one of the most important secrets of the Prime Minister’s Mansion in the past ten years, and the battle that had erupted over Di’an that night had attracted too much attention. To keep it secret and to avoid trouble, they did not move the research to the Geometry Institute near Di’an but instead started it right at the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

Xu Yuan, with his head bowed and his body slightly bent, chuckled softly:

"Is it possible that Father just wants you to take a break, considering today is the first day of the new year?"

Xu Xinyao’s eyes flickered, her lips curving into a smile:

"That’s true... but after finally making some progress, Xinyao doesn’t really want to stop, and besides, we’re tight on time."

Xu Yuan let out a light sigh:

"Besides Father, the busiest person in the mansion now should be you, my little girl. You’ve barely started with the Soul Ring affair, and now you’re called upon to research the Xi’en Emperor’s corpse."

Xu Xinyao chuckled, her voice carefree:

"Who made Xinyao more capable than you, the idle one?"

"Hmph, cheeky girl."

Xu Yuan gave a light snort, paused for a moment, then asked with renewed interest:

"What progress were you talking about? The Soul-avoiding Clothes, or the Xi’en Emperor’s heart?"

Xu Xinyao gathered his long hair into a bunch, pressing and kneading it with the fragrance as if she were kneading dough. She then picked up the ladle, pouring water while speaking softly:

"There isn’t much to study about the Soul Evasion Clothes, the Formation Patterns on it have already been replicated by the master. To reverse-engineer this new Formation will take a long time, and the material of the clothes also requires analysis by the smithing department of the Geometry Institute."

Feeling the chill of the ice spring water, Xu Yuan replied softly:

"So it means that these Soul-avoiding Clothes can’t be made anytime soon?"

Xu Xinyao hummed lightly, her voice tinged with amusement:

"Third Brother, do you think Formations are as simple as cooking, that they’re so easily made?"

Great, she was still holding a grudge about being thrown out of the kitchen last night.

Xu Yuan cleared his throat:

"What about the Xi’en Emperor’s heart then?"

As he spoke, Xu Xinyao had finished washing his hair. Her slender hands gathered the long hair, gently wringing it dry before placing a cotton cloth handkerchief directly onto Xu Yuan’s head.

After doing this, Xu Xinyao took a step back, her gentle voice taking on a hint of solemnity:

"That heart is being handled by Lou Ji and myself. Although that Saint’s body is enveloped by death, there is still some vitality within the heart.

"We stimulated it with medicines and various types of energy in over a hundred experiments and discovered that the heart reacts most to the essence blood of Cultivators."

"Huh?"

The handkerchief carried the girl’s fresh scent, and Xu Yuan stood upright, using it to wipe the water from his face as he asked, puzzled:

"What do you mean?"

Xu Xinyao pondered her words for a moment, then explained in a way that Xu Yuan would understand:

"Injecting Cultivator’s essence blood into the heart through special tubing made from Marrow-refining Vines would cause that Saint’s corpse... to move. The movements were slight, but it indeed moved."

As she said this,

Xu Xinyao pursed her lips, looked into Xu Yuan’s eyes, and said softly:

"Third Brother,

"That heart... it seems it can be transplanted into a High-Rank Cultivator.

"Lou Ji... has already prepared to conduct human experiments with death-row inmates from the Black Prison."

"..."

Hearing this, Xu Yuan had an inexplicable sense of déjà vu.

The current affairs in the Prime Minister’s Mansion closely resembled those of a villain in a past life’s movie, who, for the sake of profit, researched taboos, only to end up losing control and destroying the world.

After pondering for a moment, Xu Yuan casually tossed the cotton brocade handkerchief back to Xu Xinyao and said,

"Actually, I think I may be able to help with this."

"...."

Xu Xinyao caught it in a bit of a fluster but did not respond.

While circulating his cultivation technique to dry his damp hair, Xu Yuan looked at Xu Xinyao with a smile and said,

"Have you forgotten? If it comes to stimulating the body of the Xi’en Emperor’s corpse, there’s probably no one more suitable than me. I merely transmitted some will-spirit, and the headless body directly raised its hand."

Xu Xinyao shook her head and replied in a soft voice,

"This matter, I deliberately chose not to mention it to Sister Lou Ji."

Looking at the girl with downcast eyelids, Xu Yuan placed his hand on her head,

"Worried about me, huh?"

"Mhm...."

"Hehe, that’s quite the improvement. Back in Wanxiang City, it would take you a long time to come up with an answer."

"....." Xu Xinyao did not respond.

The recent assassination attempt that almost cost her third brother his life and had him sent back to Di’an in a near-death state had shaken her immensely. Perhaps it was then that her mindset underwent some subtle changes.

But Xu Xinyao kept all these things to herself, hidden deep within her heart.

Looking at the silent Little Four, Xu Yuan sighed lightly and put on a brocade robe, smiling as he said,

"Let’s leave this matter for another time. It’s the new year; let’s keep things festive and not dwell on these issues."

"Okay....."

Xu Xinyao obediently responded, lifting her eyes, "Will you have breakfast today, third brother?"

"What, you want to cook again?"

"...."

Xu Xinyao stamped her foot in annoyance, kicking up a burst of snow dust,

"No, not that. Big brother got up this morning and made dumplings, asking me to call you."

"Xu Changge made them? That’s fine, then."

Xu Yuan replied cheerfully. As he spoke, he glanced back at the room and called out loudly,

"Are we going to eat those sweet glutinous rice balls? Actually, my elder brother’s cooking skills are not too bad, right?"

Xu Xinyao, with her gentle, watery eyes, showed a hint of puzzlement and tugged at the edge of his clothes, asking softly,

"Third brother... who are you talking to?"

Xu Yuan pondered for a moment and then spoke softly,

"It should be considered one of your sisters, I suppose."

"....."

Xu Xinyao’s pupils contracted, and her lips parted,

"Ah...?"

Xu Yuan chuckled and nodded toward the room,

"Look for yourself."

A girl in dark robes, whose presence was quiet and aloof, stepped out of the shadows of the room and stood on the snowy ground, making the entire courtyard seem all the more cold because of her.

Ran Qingmo looked at the siblings and nodded slightly,

"Good morning, Xinyao."

Xu Xinyao, seeing the girl who had emerged from Xu Yuan’s room, was a bit bewildered. She looked at Xu Yuan and then at Ran Qingmo, unable to speak for a good while, until Xu Yuan flicked her on the forehead. She clutched her head in pain and softly responded,

"Sister Qing Mo..."

After that, Xu Xinyao tugged at Xu Yuan’s sleeve again and muttered softly,

"Third brother, weren’t you not supposed to tell Sister Qing Mo that you were still alive?"

Xu Yuan rolled his eyes and transmitted his voice softly in response,

"How should I have known? I just woke up to find her lying beside me."

Xu Xinyao appeared slightly worried,

"So what are you planning to tell Sister Qing Mo?"

Xu Yuan replied carelessly and in a low voice,

"Don’t worry, Ran Qing Mo won’t ask."