It took a while for Ning Yun to pinpoint where the inn she was staying at was, but when she got there, her father and aunt were having a meal. Seemed that there was something going on between the two. The air around the table was quite heavy. Were they in the middle of an argument? If that was the case, Ning Yun would rather head to her room rather than get in the middle of it. But, she did want a bath and didn’t know what her room number was. Actually, she’d been taking care of the injured man for a couple of weeks. To have enough money to stay at this high end inn for such a long time…There must be a large hole in Ning Qian’s wallet.

However, the plan to go back to the room wouldn’t work without asking either her father or aunt for the room number, so, at the end of the day, Ning Yun was going to have to get in the middle of whatever argument they were going through. It was a bit scary though. She was never good at getting in the middle of fights. She’d rather hide until the fire went out. Actually, she’ll go with her regular tactics and come back later. It wasn’t blazing hot outside nor was it freezing cold, so staying out wasn’t going to be a problem. She was still tired from all the walking to the inn, but she could just find a small tea stall to stop and rest her feet. Maybe even take a nap. Ning Yun yawned. She was a little tired.

Ning Yun woke up to the rattling of a carriage. She was sat up and leaning against her father’s shoulder. The carriage was dark with the smallest stream of light coming from a crack in the curtains. When her eyes finally adjusted to the light, she saw her pretty aunt sitting in front of her.

“Good morning,” her aunt smiled, “Can I draw the curtains?”

Ning Yun straightened her posture and nodded. The drawing of the curtains blinded her eyes, that she fixed with a little rubbing of her eyes. When her eyes adjusted, she looked outside the window. It was beautiful. The carriage was surrounded by a pond filled with lotus flowers. She looked out of the left window and the right and found nothing but lotus flowers. It was like the carriage was riding across them.

“It’s even prettier at night,” her aunt said. It made Ning Yun want to know what the pond looked like at night. But, would she even be here to see it? They were probably just passing through.

Ning Qian was unamused by the sight, “We won’t be around long enough to see it.”

Ning Mao sighed, “Stay for the night. At least let her see it once.”

There must be some bad family history. Probably has something to do with him becoming a wandering doctor. It wasn’t a favorable profession after all. A parent would rather their child become a eunuch and be recognized by the emperor. But Ning Qian, he just wanted to save people. Plus, Ning Qian was the type to not want his child to do anything that wasn’t necessary. So, at the end of the day, though Ning Qian didn’t want to stay, the decision was all to Ning Yun. And well, she was a little curious of the lifestyle she was dumping for a life on the road—not like she really had a choice though.

“Could we stay?” She asked. Ning Qian tried to dissuade her, “I’m sure there are plenty of other beautiful sights elsewhere.”

But, Ning Yun was set on this one. Or maybe, it was the lavish life she was about to throw away that made her want to taste it just once. She wanted to know what a silver spoon was like just once.

Seeing that his adoptive daughter was so set on the sight of the lotus lake at night, he really had no choice but to do what she wanted. She was his precious daughter and disciple after all.

“Just a night. Then, we have to go on our way.”

Ning Yun jumped. She really could make this good looking man do it wherever she wanted. Kind of made her feel like some all powerful, secret hidden boss character in a game.

“Thank you!”

Five minutes later, the lotus pond disappeared after a large stone gate, and Ning Yun was hit with the sight of a golden land carefully being tended to by pheasants who seemed to be nothing but curious about who was in the ox drawn carriage.

Startling Ning Yun, Ning Mao flung the carriage door open and stood with her head out of the opening of the door. Then, with her black, think hair flying vigorously through the moving winds, and a bashful and bright smile on her face, she yelled, “I’m home!”

Those simple words rang through the golden field, creating an uproar from the pheasants. There were multiple overlapping “Welcome back’s” scattered across the field as they raised their farming tools in the air cheering and congratulating the return of their Young Lady.

Ning Yun shrunk deeper into the carriage away from the open door. It was too much light to be thrown into her, and it was a bit scary. What if the carriage took a sharp turn and Ning Mei fell out? Wouldn’t she end up dead? There was already one dead person. They didn't need another.

Catching this, Ning Qian hushed his sister, “You’ve frightened the child.”

Laughing nervously, Ning Mao sat back down and closed the door of the carriage, “I forgot that you’re not used to our greetings. Apologies, but believe it or not, your father always begged me to let him do it instead.”

Well, there went Ning Yun’s dignified picture of her, but her father used to want to do that? He didn’t seem like the type. He seemed too introverted for that.

“Please stop telling her those old stories,” he sighed. Ning Mao pointed and laughed, “A-Qian is embarrassed!”

Ning Yun looked at her father. He was the youngest in the family? When coming to his sister, Ning Yun guessed that he gave off that vibe. Although, it was a little funny when they thought about it.

“Please be quiet.”

As the carriage continued on a straight road, Ning Yun saw as the golden fields turned into houses. Then those houses into businesses, hospitals, and public amenities. She had even caught sight of a school with a large group of children from all sorts of social status’ walking. This was a city unlike those talked about in all those history classes she took in her past life. This city was like the ones described in a fairytale. It was unreal.

The carriage stopped in front of a large area surrounded by a beautifully decorated stone wall, and right in front of the three, after getting out of the carriage, was a large wooden gate. The driver, like all of the pheasants on the golden planes, welcomed the three back home before driving off to take care of the oxen.

Ning Mao knocked on the door, and it was opened by two male servants. As soon as the door opened, Ning Yun was hit by the white colors of delicate roses. It was a peaceful, untainted courtyard never seen in her past life.

Standing there, in front of the opened gate, on the stone paved path through the flowers, were two figures, one male and one female. They looked like the lord of the house and his wife. Then, smiling, the madam approached the three, and viciously grabbed Ning Qian’s ear.

“What in the world were you thinking?! Running off the battlefield only to come back announcing yourself as a doctor and running off again! Did I raise you with half a brain?!”

She was quite the fierce woman. Honestly, Ning Yun was a bit scared. She didn’t even have her father to hide behind since he was the one being scolded.

“A moment, wife,” the male had walked right behind the angry lady, touching her should to somewhat soothe her anger, “He brought back a child.”

She looked to the side and saw Ning Yun standing there, positioned a little behind Ning Qian as if trying to hide herself.

What should she say? It was obvious that the woman in front of her was angry, and it wasn’t like she was a part of this household. Her name wasn’t on the family register after all. If anything, she was just a child who happened to have the same family name as them. Still, it was rude to just hide and say nothing.

“Good afternoon, Madam. My name is Yun. It’s a pleasure to be in your presence.”

It was best not to use the last name she was given. It would only stir up more anger in the woman in front of her.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“Ning Yun,” Ning Qian said, “Her name is Ning Yun.”

He pulled his ear away from the woman’s grasp, “She’s my daughter.”

The madam’s anger seemed to have lessened when hearing that. Actually, rather than being angry, she was actually a little perplexed.

“Child,” she looked at the new child with gentle eyes, “How old are you this year?”

How old was she? Well, somewhere around twenty-four, but if she was going to estimate the age of the body she was in then she’d have to be around, “I don’t know my birthday, but I think I’m around fifteen.”

It was true. She had no way of finding the birthday of the body she was in. Even when going through the memories of the person before her, she couldn’t find a single birthday celebration. It was a bit sad.

“Where’s her mother?” the other man said.

“She was alone when I found her,” Ning Qian said.

Well, of course she was alone. This body was around fifteen when she died, and there wasn’t a single person close enough to want to be buried with it. Even looking back at the memories left in the body, there wasn’t a single time with a mother, or a father, or even a sibling. For it’s entire life, this body and the soul inside it was left to fend for itself. It was a life Ning Yun never thought she could live through, but thanks to the man that was shielding her the smallest bit, she wasn’t going to have to live such a life. She hadn’t realized this, but Ning Qian really did save her.

He saved her from being stuck in the dirt for who knows how long, allowing worms and all sorts of critters to dig through her skin while her mind deteriorated to insanity. He covered her in beautiful clothes that were both comfortable and functional. He taught her a profitable way to live in this world. He gave her a house, a home, and a last name that allowed her to belong to a family. He covered her broken neck, and hid her mortifying secret from the world. She saw the beautiful side of this historical time because he was there to protect her from the other side. Without him, Ning Yun would’ve gone insane. If he abandoned her now…

Ning Yun found her hand reaching and grabbing onto Ning Qian’s sleeve with the smallest tug. Rather than shaking her off, he allowed her to do whatever she wished. While taking note of her actions, he said, “And I’ll make sure she’ll never be alone again.”

It was a lofty wish. With her body and mind both subjected to an almost eternal life, and him being a simple mortal, she knew that there was no chance that they would always be together. Second, they were father and daughter, not husband and wife. Whether he wanted it or not, Ning Yun was bound to step foot on a path that drew further and further away from him. That was the destiny of such a relationship. The bird was bound to leave the nest. Still, those words were comforting.

The madam slid her hands in her sleeves with a sigh, “If that is your choice. My Lord, see that this child is formally added to the family registry. I will have the servants prepare a room.”

As though it was her that ran the house, the lord nodded his head, “I will see that it is done.”

This family…It looked like the women had more power over the men, or maybe it was just that the husband was smitten with his wife to the point of doing whatever she wanted. Those were common situations in novels, so maybe she was in a place with predetermined settings, events, and characters. Maybe she was just too far from the main story to know which novel it was or maybe it was a novel she’d neve read before. There was no telling which it was. Still, as long as the events of the novel didn’t drastically affect her life in a negative way, then she had no reason to get herself involved if she wasn’t already.

“Come now, Ning Qian, we have to get her settled.”

“She might seem mean, but Mother is actually a kind person,” Ning Yun heard a whisper in her ear. She turned her head and saw her aunt who seemed to have a little mischievous smile. Was her grandmother some sort of strict lady that was soft when it came to her granddaughter? If it was something like that, Ning Yun hoped that she wouldn’t end up having a part time job as her granddaughter’s dress up doll.

“Okay…”

As she was led into the estate, Ning Yun never let go of the small piece of Ning Qian’s clothes that she was holding onto.

The estate was grand. It wasn’t like the western castles that were made of marble with both the rooms and hallways decorated in the assortment of sparkling gems and exotic statues. Honestly, Ning Yun had to admit that she liked his conservative style better. A house made of nice dark colored wood as the base color with a lighter wood to add color with simple yet beautiful furniture. There were all sorts of paintings and pottery that caught her eye but were subtle enough to not overwhelm her senses. It was the mature elegance that every child strived for during this time. It made her constantly wonder what her room was going to look like. Was it going to be decorated in bright colors like a child’s room, or was it going to hold the same elegance like the rest of the house.

“Ning Qian,” she tugged at his sleeve, but he didn’t respond or even look down. She tried catching his attention again, pulling his sleeve even harder. She called his name repeatedly, but, for whatever reason, refused to respond. It annoyed her. After announcing that she was never going to be alone, he had the nerve to ignore her like this. Pissed, Ning Yun let go of his sleeve and walked on her own two steps behind him. If he was going to ignore her, then she was going to replicate that same behavior.

Leading into the dinning room, there were already hot meals prepared and set in their respective positions. The expected and unspoken seating arrangements were obvious. There was a meal placed in front for where the lord was to eat, and there were two meals on each side for the rest of the family despite Ning Yun just stepping into this mansion. Going with the social norms she read in novels and manhua, it was obvious that Ning Yun was supposed to sit next to Ning Qian, but she didn’t want to. After being ignored, she wanted to take it a step forward. Instead of sitting where she was intended to, she decided to sit next to her grandmother, leading Ning Mei to sit next to her younger brother.

It would be a lie if Ning Mei said she hadn’t seen what led up to her brother looking so dejected. Truth be told, since she did see everything, it was clear that it was her brother’s fault. She looked at Ning Yu who seemed to be having a pleasant conversation with her parents while eating the food with a delighted look then back to her young brother who had a solemn look on his face while staring at the two. She took the moment to lean closer to her brother and whispered, “If you want something, try talking to her.”

It was obvious what he wanted, but if he didn’t express it, there was no way someone who’d only known him for a couple months, especially a child, wouldn’t pick up what he was putting down. Honestly, Ning Mei’s little brother had quite the childish personality. She could only shake her head and tease him when it came to things like this. Though, she had to admit that this revealed that Ning Yun had a petty part to her. It was going to be fun watching the father daughter pair interact awkwardly.

After dinner, Ning Yun was guided to her room by a servant and just a servant. She left without paying any mind to Ning Qian who seemed to want to go with her. Even if he really did want to go, he had to meet with his parents after dinner. Since it was his first time home in a while, it wasn’t like he could ignore it.

“We’re only going to ask you this once,” both the lord and his wife were looking at their son with serious faces. Whatever they said with that look on their face, they meant it. It was even more serious since it was his father talking and not his mother.

“Is there anything you want to tell us about the girl you picked up?”

Looks like their sixth sense had already figured out that there was something different about Ning Yun. He knew that there was no use trying to hide it from his family. They would be seeing each other every year after her being adopted. If they didn’t start suspecting why she didn’t grow any taller, or why her face never changed, they would be to idiotic to be considered the owners of this golden wheat land. No matter how much he tried to hide her, her secret was going to get past him. Other people were bound to figure it out. That his precious daughter, “In one of the villages I stayed in, she was beheaded by the villagers for practicing demonic cultivation techniques. I had sewn her head back on since I was the only doctor in the village and pulled her out of the grave just days later when I went to pay my respects. My daughter is a practitioner of demonic cultivation as well as a ghoul.”

Still, despite his daughter breaking the morals of the cultivation world which they’re family was prominent involved in, despite her being an evil existence, Ning Qian had made his decision the moment he saw that young girl be taken to the center of the village with her eyes full of confusion moments before her head rolled across the dirty floor. That girl who only knew how to bow her head with no shame and dig through the trash for food. The girl who offered herself in return for the simplest things. The girl who was killed without knowing the reason. He’d decided from the moment he saw her.

“However, that doesn’t change the fact that she’s my daughter. Whether you approve or not, I’ll protect that child with my entire being and teach her the ways of medicine to both save and protect herself when I’m gone.”

Hearing all this, his parents still weren’t satisfied with his words. This wasn’t like picking up a stray dog from the street. This wasn’t just dedicating himself to another craft. What he wanted to do was beyond that. It was a serious matter that, if it ever got out, their family would be executed.

“What if the other families catch wind of this and start targeting her? What will you, who’s disregarded martial arts, the you who is all but helpless in front of the sword. What will you do then? How do you plan on protecting her then?” his father asked.

“Anyone who wants to harm my child will face nothing but death. I’ll make sure of that. Medicine and poison are two sides of the same coin.”

“I see,” his father nodded his head, “Seeing as you have come to understand your parental duties, I see no reason as to why we cannot adopt her into the family. Besides, my wife and I have already made our preparations as grandparents.”

Ning Qian was starting to understand now. No matter what he said, that last sentence made it clear that the two of them were more than willing to accept Ning Yun no matter what her situation was. His mother already had arrangements for tailors to visit the mansion, and his father had already called in suitable teachers. This conversation wasn’t about her. It was about Ning Qian, and how he would be as a parent. If he didn’t respond as he did, Ning Qian was sure that he would’ve been kicked out of the house or forced to do extreme labor. His parents really were eccentric.

“One more thing,” his mother said, “children do not understand the ques of adults. Communication is key.”

Ning Mei said something similar to that during dinner. He really should’ve responded when she was calling out to him earlier. He thought that, if he waited long enough, she would call him her father. Guess it really was his fault for acting like that with a child. He’d better talk to her in the morning.