Sheng Weiqiao was not aware of Xu Baomo"s motives. After he left, she was going to visit Gongsun Yingjiang, but then she thought, “Earlier, I told Miss Gongsun I am on my way to visit her uncle. If I go back to her place now and talk her around, she"ll definitely suspect her little uncle of speaking ill of her.”

Sheng Shuihe put herself in Gongsun Yingjiang"s shoes. If she had worn so little and danced in front of her uncle in the middle of the night, no matter it was on purpose or out of stupid respect, she would have been ashamed and enraged by the fact that her uncle told this to a strange aunt, and she would surely have resented Sheng Shuihe for this!

Sheng Shuihe was not even Gongsun Yingjiang"s biological uncle. Sheng Weiqiao weighed for a long time and finally decided to put this conversation on hold for a few days until her father Sheng Lanci came to Daimao Island.

In that case, even if things did not turn out well for both, Sheng Weiqiao could always turn to his father to find a way to remedy everything.

“I am not doing this for that son of a mistress!” Sheng Weiqiao let out a sigh of relief, then squeezed her fists and hummed, “Since I am in Daimao Island, it will bring me no good if I make the daughter of Sea Master mad. That"s right!”

She made up her mind and waited for her father to come. Although she already wrote him a letter on the day that she boarded on Sheng Shuihe"s ship, due to various reasons, it took Sheng Lanci five days to arrive in Daimao Island with many ships.

The first thing he did upon his arrival was to visit his precious daughter.

Gongsun Family had long-term cooperation with Sheng Lanci, so they knew how much he spoiled his only daughter.

In spite of the stare from the crowd, he held his daughter in his arm and nearly cried. Gongsun Su and the others found the look on his face amusing: after all, Sheng Weiqiao greeted her father joyfully. However, if she had been hurt in any way, then their reunion would have been anything but amusing.

“I heard that you killed a pirate single-handedly, sweetheart?” Sheng Lanci finally put himself together and rubbed the corners of his eyes after taking the hint of his servants nearby. He smiled and said, “Your grandfather was so pleased to hear that and said you inherited his bravery! He is so proud of having you as his granddaughter! He even promised he would give you the short sword bestowed by the emperor when you come back home!”

Speaking of which, Sheng Weiqiao was a delicate and vulnerable girl but preferred weapons like short swords and daggers, in which girls from prestigious families would not be interested. In fact, she was influenced by Senior Master Sheng. He had preferred the eldest branch, so he also adored Sheng Weiqiao deeply since she was the daughter of the eldest branch. When she was little, she was often held by him on his knees and listened to his stories.

Nine out of ten stories told by Senior Master were about Beijiang, and they usually shared similar endings, “When I showed my strength and power, I was capable of beheading countless lives and saving a huge crowd.”

Over time, though Sheng Weiqiao did not grow the ambition of becoming a boy and fighting on the battlefield, she became somewhat interested in weapons and horses. She had been coveting Senior Master Sheng"s short sword bestowed by the imperial family for a couple of years, but Senior Master Sheng treasured this piece of art the most. He was determined to pa.s.s on this short sword within Sheng Family. He adored his granddaughter, but he knew she was going to marry someday and did not agree to give it to her.

The reason why Senior Master changed his mind was not entirely that Sheng Weiqiao demonstrated extraordinary bravery like he did but that she went into a coma for four days after she killed a man.

When Sheng Family first heard the news, Sheng Lanci and Madam Feng nearly pa.s.sed out on the spot!

At the time, a fever could take a man"s life away, not to mention suffering a coma for four days in a row!

Even though the subsequent letter delivered by a pigeon stated that Sheng Weiqiao was recovering from the fever and was out of danger, Sheng Lanci and Madam Feng were still very anxious, “Our sweet little girl is so vulnerable and has never even killed a chicken before. She killed a man! This coma lasted for so long, and how could it be that she caught a cold because of the wind? She must be shocked!”

As for the couple, they wanted to find their daughter as soon as possible and then pamper her in every possible way to ease the terror and shock her daughter went through.

Their thought was quickly vetoed by Senior Master Sheng, “That is such a bad idea! Only people like you who never killed a man and never saw bleeding will find it good! It has been days since Weiqiao killed that man. Even if you are not there for her, Shuihe and the boy from Xu Family and Gongsun Family will try to comfort her. But what"s the use of comforting? It can only ease the shock temporarily. If things like this happen again in the future, even in dreams, she will get scared all over again!”

As to how to comfort a fresh killer, Senior Master Sheng shared his rich experience, “When I was training new recruits in Beijiang, I"ve encountered this too many times. Most of the new recruits vomited and had nightmares after they returned from their first battle. Their bodies went numb. And that was the battlefield, who would comfort them there?”

“I used to tell these recruits if they didn"t kill them, then our enemies would break through our defense, kill our innocent citizens, rape our daughters and wives, destroy our farmland and home. So, killing, a matter of course, was perfectly justified! Killing meant success in one"s career, contribution to the nation, and consummation of a marriage and a family!”

Senior Master Sheng said aloud, “When you meet Weiqiao, do not comfort her. Just praise her! She deserves compliments. Considering your parenting style, I think it is surprising she got the courage to behead the pirate. I told Old Xu she is the most promising one of all my grandkids, and I was right about her just based on this courageous act of hers!”

After the discussion, Sheng Lanci took the opportunity and asked, “Father, why don"t you give the short sword to Weiqiao? Otherwise, how will she know our admiration for her action?”

Senior Master knew Lanci was taking advantage of the situation and gave him a kick. However, he was also worried about his granddaughter and agreed to give the short sword to her as a present. Of course, Sheng Lanci would keep this from his daughter. Seeing the look of surprise on her face, he thought to himself, “Dad was right. Compliments work!”

When Sheng Weiqiao woke up from the coma, fear came over her whenever she looked back at the event. After she learned from Sheng Shuihe that Shen Jiuniang and Sheng Weirao were likely to be taken into captivity by Han Family, she wished she could tear Han Family down. Since then, she no longer felt scared or frightened just because she killed Young Master Han.

Surely, she was glad that she could finally have the long-coveted short sword.

She did not let this distract her from getting down to the business. However, the people around them began to grow impatient. After their reunion, Gongsun Su greeted them with a smile, “The dock is windy. Miss Sheng just recovered from the illness, and the wind does her no good. Why don"t we go inside?”

Sheng Lanci agreed and exchanged a few words with him. He then said to his daughter, “I brought you Lvjin and Lvqi as well as things you might find useful. You must have caused inconvenience to Gongsun Family during your stay here. You should thank them for their hospitality!”

Sheng Weiqiao wanted to mention Shen Jiuniang and Sheng Weirao, but then she saw Sheng Shuihe standing behind Gongsun Su and shaking his head slightly toward her. She hesitated for a moment and replied, “Okay.”

But right after they left, she felt something went wrong, “Why should I listen to him?”

Sheng Weiqiao was upset with the thought and told her maid Lvjin about it in the hope of getting her input on this. “It"s so windy on the dock. You just recovered from the illness recently, and your body is still very vulnerable. That"s why your judgment is clouded.” Lvjin comforted her, “Don"t worry about it! I"ll find a kitchen later and cook you chicken soup. Once you have a few bowls, you will feel refreshed and no longer be swayed by him!”

Sheng Weiqiao was simmered with anger and brought maids to the courtyard where Gongsun Yingjiang lived.

The minute they entered inside, two maids started unpacking and putting items Sheng Weiqiao used in Sheng Family in place. Although Sheng Lanci came to take his daughter away, he and Madam Feng believed even if Sheng Weiqiao would only stay in Daimao Island half of the day, they still wanted her to spend the time with the utmost convenience and comfort. Or what would be the point of having so many servants?

Lvjin asked where the kitchen was and went to cook the chicken soup with the ingredients they brought with the ship.

“When the chicken soup is ready, I will bring some to Miss Gongsun in person and take the opportunity to talk with her about the boundary issue.” Sheng Weiqiao put on her own clothes and jewelry. Her spirit was lifted by the everyday items around her. She thought, “Maybe I should wait till she finishes the soup. Otherwise, she might throw it at me if she is p.i.s.sed off at what I said!”

Although she did it without a hitch to Sheng Shuihe, she did not want to be treated the same way by Gongsun Yingjiang.

Sheng Weiqiao thought she was very considerate and took the chicken soup to the residency of Gongsun Yingjiang, only to find that changes always went beyond plans: Gongsun Yingdun was there!

He did not have the faintest idea that he sabotaged Sheng Weiqiao"s plan and was pleased to taste the soup, “I"ve never tried the delicacies made by cooks from prestigious inland families. Today you made my wish come true! Thank you so much!”

Even though Sheng Weiqiao did not like him, his enthusiasm made her draw a smile, “Lvjin is only my maid, hardly a cook. This pot of soup serves as nourishment, and it might not live up to your expectations!”

After they finished the soup, Sheng Weiqiao thought Gongsun Yingdun would part from them. To her surprise, Gongsun Yingdun did not leave and even started a conversation about inland life, “I"ve never been there. My uncle said inland was different from Daimao Island. I am wondering whether it is true or not. Can you tell us about it?”

Sheng Weiqiao was bothered by him. Suddenly an idea came to her, and she thought to herself, “I can"t talk with Miss Gongsun alone now, but I can give her a gentle hint!”

So, she braced herself up. While describing the inland scenery, she emphasized the importance of the ethical standards and code of conduct. Notably, she stressed incest was forbidden, and people committing incest would be cast aside by the public and set off on a road of no return. Sheng Weiqiao was thirsty after the talk. She took a sip of tea to moisten her throat and looked at them expectantly, hoping they could be enlightened in some way.

Unexpectedly, Gongsun Yingjiang and Gongsun Yingdun glanced at each other and felt pity for people living inland, “Committing this would get oneself in such a trouble? No wonder uncles on our island are unwilling to go ash.o.r.e!”

“But fighting and killing cannot serve as a permanent solution to the problem!” Sheng Weiqiao added, “Don"t you think so?”

Gongsun siblings looked at her awkwardly. They wanted to be honest with her but were afraid honesty would hurt her feeling. After a while, Gongsun Yingdun said eventually, “But Gongsun Family has been fighting and killing for four generations. It became a long-term solution, don"t you agree?”

Sheng Weiqiao, “…!”

She pulled herself together and said, “Life ash.o.r.e is much peaceful than on the sea.”

As a matter of fact, she wanted to mention the death of Old Sea Master Gongsun, but she thought that was too presumptuous, and it was better to be tactful and indirect.

However, Gongsun siblings disagreed, “Ten years ago, Royal Preceptor Heng disappeared from inland. He held a prominent position in the royal court, and his disappearance only showed that one"s destiny was written already. No one can escape from his fate! If death is at hand, he has nowhere to hide; if not, then nothing can take his life away just like Little Uncle who always survives in dangerous situations. Last time we thought we might lose him forever, but he made it through!”

Gongsun Yingdun continued, “You were taken from inland to here, weren"t you? If not for our observant Little Uncle who discovered you were in danger and came back to save you and the Young Lord, it would be hard to say in what critical situation you two would have landed!”

“….” Sheng Weiqiao sulked with anger, “If not for your Little Uncle, I would have stayed in Nanfeng County!”

Gongsun Yingjiang noticed her anger and gave her brother a hint that he should stop annoying this precious guest. Just at this moment, they heard the sound of pounding footsteps coming outside the door. Then Yu Shan strode across the door in panic and said without saluting first, “Fifth Master was somehow injured and came to us!”

The looks on Gongsun siblings changed suddenly!