Chapter 822: Bai Kou's Fury
Bai Kou sat by the window in the small second-floor lounge, pushing aside the hot tea in front of her as she read a book. She tapped the tabletop with her fingertip and instructed Mr. Dong, "Get me something cold."
Mr. Dong, who rarely showed any expression, said stiffly, "I just switched out the cold drink a moment ago."
"That last one was too cold." Bai Kou showed no self-awareness of being a nuisance. "Can't you use a thermometer? If you can't even manage something this simple, I think you should stop being a butler."
Mr. Dong expressionlessly picked up the tea and left.
Bai Kou cast a cold glance at his retreating figure, then turned her head to look at the little girl squatting in the flowerbed digging in the dirt, her hair tied up in a topknot that stuck straight up.
"You there, wash your hands and cut two flowers for me," she said.
Xiao Yuan turned her head to look at her, immediately dropped her tools, and ran off to wash her hands. After cleaning up thoroughly, she went to the garden and selected several large, blooming roses, wrapped them in paper, and brought them upstairs. She then fetched a vase and carried a pot of water.
As Bai Kou trimmed the flower branches, she said, "What are you staring at me for?"
Xiao Yuan blushed. "Big sister is really pretty."
Bai Kou glanced at her. "I don't like people who stare at me."
Xiao Yuan immediately lowered her head, only to hear her add, "And I don't like people who talk too much either."
The little girl quickly clamped her mouth shut, standing rooted to the spot in fear. After a moment, when she realized Bai Kou wasn't paying her any attention, she was about to sneak away when she heard her say, "Where's the other one? Call her over."
Xiao Yuan hurried off. The Painting Woman, who had been hiding in her room, came to the lounge with a mournful face and stood in a row with Xiao Yuan, both of them drooping their heads.
"Did you see the fallen leaves in the garden?" Bai Kou didn't spare her even half a glance. "The butler of this castle is useless. I hope you'll be of some use. Go clean the entire castle inside and out—don't leave a single cobweb."
Housework was something the Painting Woman was familiar with. She cheerfully took the cleaning tools and left, while Xiao Yuan returned to the garden to dig in the dirt.
Both of them were full of energy and even more meticulous than Mr. Dong, the castle's actual overseer, as if they wanted to scrub every crack in the floor.
When Xu Huo arrived, he saw the two of them working up a sweat in the garden.
"Teacher!" Xiao Yuan spotted him, immediately dropped her things, and ran over, stopping in front of him with a mix of joy and restraint.
The Painting Woman was different—she sprinted over and tried to throw herself directly at him. Xu Huo reached out and pressed his hand against her forehead, then looked up toward the building. He saw a black-haired woman sitting by the window, idly fiddling with the flowers in her hand.
Although she had changed her appearance, one look at her movements told him who it was.
The Painting Woman and Yan Jiayu knew each other. Both were a bit forward, and they got along warmly. Xu Huo introduced Xiao Yuan to her.
"I heard Xu Huo mention you on the way here," Yan Jiayu said, poking the topknot on her head. "Why do you have so many little braids?"
Xiao Yuan also had a choppy haircut. On the day she arrived, Mr. Dong had planned to call a hairdresser to fix it, but the Painting Woman, who had recently become obsessed with handicrafts, volunteered. Two snips of the scissors later, the hair was completely unsalvageable. To cover up her "crime," she designed this hairstyle that had nothing to do with beauty or ugliness. From a distance, Xiao Yuan looked like she had a bunch of mushrooms growing on her head.
Xiao Yuan didn't mind at all. Instead, she touched it happily. "Sister Xiao Chun tied it for me."
Yan Jiayu gave the Painting Woman a thumbs-up.
Xu Huo called them inside, but the Painting Woman cast a wary glance upstairs.
"It's fine. We can hire servants at home," Xu Huo said.
Mr. Dong stood at the door as usual, having prepared a towel and hot tea for him.
Yan Jiayu glanced around as she entered and said, "You're amazing! You've got such a big house!"
"There are rooms upstairs. Pick whichever you like." Xu Huo told Mr. Dong to arrange for a servant to show her around.
The Painting Woman followed along, but Xiao Yuan stayed put, unwilling to leave. Xu Huo smiled. "Go play."
Only Mr. Dong remained in the living room. Xu Huo took a sip of tea before saying, "Why is she here again?"
Mr. Dong, who had been relatively "pleasant," immediately turned sour. "I already told her the master wasn't home and couldn't entertain her, but she forced her way in and stayed."
It was frustrating to be outmatched.
Unfortunately, Xu Huo couldn't beat Bai Kou either.
And from the looks of it, the Painting Woman had also been dealt with.
"It hasn't been that long since I last saw you, but I didn't expect you to improve so much." Bai Kou walked down from upstairs, her attitude still fairly friendly. "He Pu didn't pick wrong when he chose you."
But her tone toward Mr. Dong was different. "Where's my tea?"
Mr. Dong gave a slight bow to Xu Huo and turned to head to the kitchen.
"You're this angry—didn't you catch the other members of the Eerie Sound Knights?" Xu Huo invited her to sit and poured her a cup of cold tea. "Have something cold to cool down."
"The game world is huge. It's easy to hide if you want to." Bai Kou was indeed a bit emotional, but it wasn't entirely about the Eerie Sound Knights. She sized up Xu Huo. "Open your spiritual realm and let me take a look."
Xu Huo's expression remained calm. "Let's talk about it in a couple of days. I want to rest."
He could tell she was looking for a punching bag, so he said, "If you're really bored, you could go bother the Black Epaulets. They're idle anyway."
Bai Kou narrowed her eyes slightly. After a moment, she said, "I plan to stay here for a while."
"Be my guest." Xu Huo checked the time and prepared to go upstairs to wash up, but as soon as he turned, the staircase in front of him stretched infinitely into the distance.
He turned back to look at the woman beside him. "No one from the Platinum Eye to play with you?"
Bai Kou's anger visibly swelled. She slapped her right hand in the air, and the floor of the castle immediately revealed a huge mouth—or rather, a giant metal interlocking chain, like a zipper opening down the middle. She and Xu Huo, who were in the living room, were instantly pulled into a pitch-black space.
Bai Kou was still sitting on the sofa. Only this piece of furniture from the castle had come in with her. She stared coldly at Xu Huo, as if considering how to kill him.
Xu Huo sat down as well. As he leaned back, a chair appeared behind him—this was his own item.
The two faced each other. He said to Bai Kou, "Is this castle really what you want?"
Bai Kou didn't speak, so he continued, "You've been to District 001. Didn't you find what Fan Xiao left behind?"
"You're quite clever." Bai Kou propped her head on one hand. "I did go to District 001. That old man left no loopholes. I followed him around since I was a kid, and he still pulls this trick on me."
Xu Huo's expression paused. "You thought that, given your relationship with him, you could easily find what he hid—to the point where you didn't even ask me for the key. And now you realize you were wrong. How does that feel?"
Bai Kou raised an eyebrow. "Trying to turn the tables on me won't work."
Xu Huo smiled. "Given your bond, if he wanted to avoid you, it would be simple. You know him, but he knows you too."
That was exactly why Bai Kou was so furious.
(Chapter End)