They had only exchanged pleasantries. Fortunately, it was not yet the New Year, so everyone did not dwell too much on what they had just been through. After the pleasantries, the main focus shifted to Ling Xiaoyou and Bai Shuanglian.
The reason they had taken on the form of a Demon Grand Duke was entirely because of Ling Xiaoyou and Bai Shuanglian, but they had yet to hear an explanation of what had actually happened.
Bai Shuanglian supplemented the account from time to time. So, Ling Xiaoyou explained her experiences, and Bai Shuanglian filled in the details.
After hearing this account, Hong Lingyan let out a long breath and looked at Ling Xiaoyou with pity, saying, “It must have been hard on you, having to go through so much.”
She rubbed Ling Xiaoyou’s little head with a pained heart. Their child was normally spoiled, and had never encountered such a thing.
Although she had anticipated that this incident would not be simple, actually hearing everything they had experienced still made her heart ache.
After all, it was a danger where a single moment of carelessness could mean death!
How could they let two little girls bear such a thing?!
Ling Xiaoyou patted Hong Lingyan’s arm, showing that she was still standing there fine. “Relax, relax, Sister Ling, see? I’m fine.”
Seeing Hong Lingyan looking so heartbroken and sad, as if she were already on the verge of death, Ling Xiaoyou felt it was a bit strange.
“Yeah, you should stop making that face all the time. It looks unlucky.”
Bai Qiuyin also offered a word of comfort from the side, but how should it be put—her comforting words somehow felt off no matter how one heard them, causing Hong Lingyan to immediately change her expression and raise an eyebrow at her, her eyes full of: if you don’t know how to talk, then don’t talk, no one thinks you’re mute.
Seeing this, Bai Qiuyin shrugged and did not continue speaking.
Master (主)
Her view was similar to Ling Xiaoyou’s. Although she also felt for what the two children had gone through, as Ling Xiaoyou had said, they were fine, and that was already the greatest comfort, was it not?
Hong Lingyan naturally understood this reasoning as well. She had merely lost control of her emotions for a moment. Their child had only come out to participate in a competition—how could she have encountered such a mess!
It was all that damned Demon Grand Duke’s fault, and the Imperial Capital Guild President’s.
Oh, they were dead? Then never mind. Let’s spit on them before we go.
Ling Xiaoyou’s gaze swept back and forth between Bai Qiuyin and Hong Lingyan, inexplicably feeling that the way these two elders interacted was strange, yet she could not say exactly what was strange about it.
It was somewhat like her and Bai Shuanglian?
As Ling Xiaoyou was pondering this, she heard the Southern King’s booming voice say, “Truly, heroes emerge from the young!”
That resonant voice immediately drew everyone’s attention. The Southern King laughed boldly and said, “Such a great merit! As an elder, I naturally must give some rewards as well!”
As he spoke, the Southern King rummaged through his Spatial Artifact, and then…
He rummaged again.
The Southern King’s smile instantly froze on his face. That stiff expression was just like going out to buy groceries, only to realize you had brought neither your Mobile Phone nor your wallet, while the Boss in front of you had already bagged your vegetables and was just waiting for you to pay.
Thanks. He was already feeling embarrassed.
Ling Xiaoyou’s habit of feeling secondhand embarrassment for others kicked in again. She complained inwardly, and was just about to say something to give the Southern King a way out.
But before she could open her mouth, she saw the Southern King give a light cough, smile awkwardly at Ling Xiaoyou and Bai Shuanglian, and say, “Apologies, I came out too hastily this time and did not bring any of those Spiritual Materials or Artifacts with me. How about you see if this will do?”
After saying that, the Southern King rummaged once more, and from his Spatial Artifact he pulled out—
Two helmets?!
They were two snow-colored helmets. The curved lines traced across them revealed profound subtlety, adorned with gorgeous gold-thread jade bands. Red and black gems were set respectively on the forehead area of each, and the surface of the helmets faintly flickered with impressive miniature Law Arrays. They looked valuable and precious, and at a glance, their craftsmanship was clearly extraordinary.
Ling Xiaoyou stared blankly as the two helmets were handed to her and Bai Shuanglian by the Southern King. The one in her hands was the one inlaid with a red gem, while the one in Bai Shuanglian’s hands was the one with the black gem.
Ling Xiaoyou lowered her little head, looked at the helmet, then looked up at the Southern King who was smiling awkwardly. Her heart was very complicated.
And that complication was basically all speechlessness—who gives helmets as a gift?!
Did she and Bai Shuanglian look like the kind of girls who would wear helmets?!
And what use was a single helmet anyway? If paired with the clothes she normally wore, it would look neither fish nor fowl. At the very least, there should be a matching set of armor to go with it!
Besides speechlessness, what remained in Ling Xiaoyou was confusion. Why would the Southern King keep helmets in his Spatial Artifact?
It was not that the Southern King could not put helmets in his Spatial Artifact. After all, as a Ghost King with an army, it was fairly normal for him to have a helmet on him.
What was abnormal was this: why were the helmets in this big shot’s Artifact a women’s style?
But when Ling Xiaoyou saw Su Lihua nearby, that unfilial daughter watching her own father make a fool of himself as if enjoying a show, and then looked at the two almost identical helmets in her hands and Bai Shuanglian’s hands, she suddenly understood something.
Ah, no wonder there were exactly two, and they even looked like a matching set. So these two helmets were originally meant for Su Lihua and Su Taosheng.
Southern King, you big shot, you’re really giving us the gifts meant for your daughters just like that. Is that really okay?!
Ling Xiaoyou complained inwardly with great speechlessness, though she did not show it on her face. She merely examined the helmet, putting on an expression of great interest.
What else could she do? A gift from an elder must not be declined. Even if the helmet was full of things to mock, the very polite Ling Xiaoyou still tried hard to give the Southern King a way out, so as not to leave him unable to step down.
“Hahaha, so how is it? Do you like it?”
The Southern King, a burly man, naturally did not notice Ling Xiaoyou’s little thoughts. Seeing her look the helmet up and down with such interest, he relaxed a little inside, and his smile was no longer as awkward as before.
“I really like it. Thank you, Lord Southern King.”
Ling Xiaoyou nodded her little head, hugged the helmet, and said in the manner of an obedient little white flower.
Bai Shuanglian also nodded, indicating she felt the same.
Seeing this, the Southern King was quite satisfied. Thank goodness he had thought quickly, and thank goodness there just happened to be these two helmets in his Artifact that he had originally planned to give as a surprise once his daughters returned. Otherwise, he really would have embarrassed himself badly this time.
But now that the surprise was gone, he would have to think of something new.
As he thought this, the Southern King glanced at his second daughter, who was off to the side enjoying the show, and immediately felt his old father’s heart take a blow.
Sure enough, perhaps this surprise should just go to her older sister only. A second daughter was no longer a qualified little padded jacket, but a winter vest!
Brr, cold, so cold!