17 Drive the bees away

One did not know how did Yu Jie Xing's subordinate arranged but the entire way, Jiao Yu did not encounter anyone at all. Even upon reaching the outer part of the forest, she did not see any people insight, going after her.

This rain kept falling for the entire night.

In the quiet forest, the rain finally rest, everything was withered but it was cooler after the spring rain. The air was filled with a moist aroma and early in the morning the people in the city started to to do their businesses.

The low and soft knock from the door awaken the person who was sound asleep. Jiao Yu opened her eyes. She could not sleep peacefully the entire night as she kept thinking about the encounter last night and finally fell asleep near dawn. When she woke up, her forehead was filled with sweat.

"Is young lady awake?"

"Come in." Jiao Yu replied.

Jing Chu went up to Jiao Yu and offered a towel, "To wipe on young lady's face."

After washing up and getting dress to a new pair of clothes, Jiao Yu looked up the opened window. The peace was restored after the rain last night and the birds were cheerfully chirping away. "Are there any new news?"

Smiling brightly, Jing Chu said, "Answering to Young lady, Master has returned."

Jiao Yu's head turned and looked at Jing Chu. It had been several days since she had not receive any news about Liu Sheng Xiao, and after last night's event, she was extremely worried about his safety and thought of some way to retaliate to the people who caused this.

Yesterday, her mood was grim and gloomy but today it was brighter and in high spirits.

Jiao Yu looked at the mirror in satisfactions. Naturally she felt good. After hearing that Liu Sheng Xiao had returned made her day cheerful.

She asked, "Is he in his study?"

With Jing Chu nodding her head for affirmation, Jiao Yu did not waste time to go and visit him. On her way to the Eastern courtyard, where Liu Sheng Xiao, the master of the residence was staying, she saw several people in the entrance of the courtyard.

These people were, the Third Master Liu Hao Yan, Zhang Yi.

She didn't stop walking and went directly to the courtyard. The atmosphere in the courtyard was not as bright as her mood and there were an unbearable silence in the Eastern Courtyard, even with several people standing here.

"Greetings to Second uncle. Older cousin." A fluttering light voice sounded in the silence. Liu Hao Yan was surprised and thought that the voice came from the inside of the room but heard Zhang Yi speaking, "Youngest cousin."

Liu Hao Yan looked at his niece and saw the beautiful face of Jiao Yu. In these past few days, his niece had been filial and been visiting the old matriarch's courtyard, which they had the chance to see her face for the first time. Without the veil covering her face, it was indeed difficult to look at her without feeling admiration but he knew that this young female was his niece. Though, he was surprised to see changes in her features as it was not the same as the Liu family's and after thinking of the woman who gave birth to this young female, he justified it as his niece took after her mother instead of her father.

Today Jiao Yu wore an all-pink silk dress and covered with a white peony designed hair ornament on. After getting used to seeing Shen Miao wearing dark purple and blue clothes, this simple attire looked definitely elegant. Coupled with her slightly cold and gentle expression, it had a somewhat moving feeling.

"Did Jiao er sleep well?" He said.

"Uncle is right, the rain yesterday was disturbing last night but one has slept well." Jiao Yu smiled gently.

Under the bright light from the sun and the refreshing wind in the spring and with Jiao Yu smiling cheerfully, the people who saw it was breathless and was somewhat dis-functioned by the sudden attack, especially the two other male. Zhang Yi was truly stunned to see this type of Jiao Yu.

He was slightly suspicious about his youngest cousin because aside from the honey brown eyes, she did not look the same as she was when they were child. However, Zhang Yi shuts down his suspicion as there was no way, his youngest cousin's feature to not change during these years and him not recognize her, when it had been years since he had seen her face.

"Youngest cousin must have come to see uncle." Zhang Yi said.

Jiao Yu smiled gently, "Older cousin is right, one had been missing father but father was preoccupied with work and out."

"Did Third uncle and older cousin have come to see father too?" She asked.

Liu Hao Yan shook his head and smiled gently at his niece, "We were just leaving after seeing him, one also should come inside. Though, winter has come to an end, the cold air in the spring is still not good for your body."

Out of all the people in the Liu residence, the people from the third household and her uncle Liu Buwei was the only one who had shown her kindness, even after seeing her face. However the females inside the Liu residence was not that kind and had been showing fake smiles and only acted kind when someone are watching. But it did not matter to Jiao Yu as she did not really care about them, regarding the matter in the qinwang's birthday, it was a small matter and it need not for her to go berserk about it.

And the matter about Liu Sheng Xiao missing was kept only in the first household and was never spoken out and no one knew of it. The Second and Third household naturally did not have any knowledge of it and only thought that Liu Sheng Xiao was out to a trip for his work.

"Then, we'll go on ahead."

With that, Liu Hao Yan and Zhang Yi left with their servants following them.

Jiao Yu waited for their figure to disappear from the view before she went inside the closed doors of Liu Sheng Xiao's study.

In front of her was Liu Sheng Xiao who's face was pale and sweats drip from his forehead, he looked like he aged ten years older than what his age seemed to be. There was an old man by his side,the old man was the same person who have treated her three years ago. and it seemed like he was checking Liu Sheng Xiao's pulse.

The bright and cheerful aura of Jiao Yu slightly diminished as she saw the countenance her father had.

Jiao Yu went up and worriedly said, "Is father okay?"

"I'm fine, just exhausted after a long trip and work." Liu Sheng Xiao said.

"Tie Yi, see Physician Pei out."

The stern and expressionless Tie Yi guided the old physician out, which Jiao Yu awkwardly looked at and the two father-daughter pair was left alone in the study.

"I must've caused you great worry, I'm sorry." Liu Sheng Xiao faintly said as he tried to look alright even with the pain boring in his left arm.

Jiao Yu walked over, lowering her body and sat on the couch beside Liu Sheng Xiao. Shaking her head, she said, "You're here already, there is no need to worry anymore and there's nothing to be sorry about."

"But,... what exactly happened?"

Liu Sheng Xiao's expression was in distress as he narrated what happened the past several days. After the qinwang's birthday celebration, he had received an order from the organization to verify the previous matter or mission regarding the death of the son of one of the target. Once he was done, he was about to go back after staying out for two days however, he was called in the palace to receive the new concubine sent by Sui immediately. It was so sudden that he was not able to send a note to Jiao Yu.

When he was travelling just a distance away from Jing capital, he and his entourage was ambushed by bandits and got chased away from their own route, which led them to take a longer way to get to the location of the new concubine. But during the confrontation with the bandits, he was able to know that they were coming after his daughter. He did not know who they were nor what they needed from Jiao Yu but he knew that danger is coming for Jiao Yu. Liu Sheng Xiao was also wounded during the confrontation and was left immobile through the journey back.

That explains why there was a lock of hair in the envelope Jiao Yu received and from what was explained by Liu Sheng Xiao, they used someone that looked like him to threaten her and to trap her, making her want to meet with them.

Throughout the narration of Liu Sheng Xiao, Jiao Yu's eyes turned colder by a degree and when she opened her palm, there were five crescent marks left marked on it. She did not know how those people were able to find her and Liu Sheng Xiao nor does she thinks that they would stop going after her, now that she was exposed and they might use Liu Sheng Xiao to meet their goals.

Seeing his daughter like this made Liu Sheng Xiao sad and didn't know how to comfort her, he did not know what happened in her past or why or how did she end up in that river, he also could not get an answer from Jiao Yu as whenever he asks about it, she would always try to change the topic or her eyes would turn cold.

Liu Sheng Xiao held both of her hands in his rough and big hands and said, "After taking off the veil, Jiao er must have attracted many bees."

"It seems that I have to get you another guard to drive the bees away."

Jiao Yu only stared at Liu Sheng Xiao silently, "......"