"Miss Mei Niang, why don't you sit down and have a rest first." After settling Xiao Qing, Bai Suzhen brought tea and snacks back to the living room to entertain the distinguished guest. This distinguished guest was none other than Hu Mei Niang, the woman who was rescued by Miss Ao on Phoenix Mountain that day. When Bai Suzhen and Xiao Qing returned to Bao'an Hall, Hu Mei Niang was already waiting in the living room, accompanied by Ziying. After Bai Suzhen sent Xiao Qing back to her room and took care of her to bed, she asked Ziying carefully and found out that Hu Mei Niang was not present when Ziying rushed back to the East China Sea to ask Miss Ao for help. After getting the news, she insisted on rushing to Jinshan Temple to help, but was eventually stopped by Ziying, who forcibly dragged her to Bao'an Hall to wait for news. Bai Suzhen felt that she had a good relationship with Hu Meiniang, a woman who looked very similar to herself. Seeing that she had been leaning against the door, looking out of the house with worry in her eyes, she shook her head gently, put down the snacks in her hand, poured a cup of fragrant tea herself, brought it to Hu Meiniang, and said to her in a comforting voice: "Miss Ao and the others are just going back to Jinshan Temple to look for the things they dropped. I believe they will not conflict with Fahai again. Miss Meiniang does not need to worry."
"Yes." Hu Meiniang nodded gently and murmured, "Sister Ningshuang has great magical powers. Even if she clashed with Monk Fahai, Monk Fahai would not be a match for Sister Ningshuang. Besides, the Second Princess is here. Even the heavenly soldiers and generals would have to give Sister Ningshuang and the others some distance."
Bai Suzhen heard Hu Meiniang call Ao Ningshuang "Sister Ningshuang" but only called Ao Qingmei "Second Princess". The difference in closeness between them was inadvertently revealed. She looked at Hu Meiniang thoughtfully, smiled knowingly, handed the fragrant tea in her hand to her, and said, "Miss Meiniang hurried here from the East China Sea. She must have worked hard on the way. Why don't you sit down and have some tea first."
"Thank you, Miss Bai." Hu Meiniang took the tea handed over by Bai Suzhen, thanked her a little stiffly, sat down on a chair beside her, lowered her head to take a sip of tea, raised her head, looked at Bai Suzhen, and said a little uneasily: "Miss Bai, you don't have to greet me, I will wait for her and the others here by myself, you should go and accompany Miss Xiaoqing quickly, she is injured and needs you to be by her side even more."
Bai Suzhen smiled slightly and said, "Qing'er is being taken care of by Ziying. I'll go to accompany her later." After a pause, she looked at Hu Meiniang and studied her for a moment. Bai Suzhen nodded secretly and said with a smile, "It seems that Miss Ao has taken good care of Miss Meiniang... Miss Meiniang's injury seems to have healed..."
Hearing this, Hu Meiniang couldn't help but smile, and she replied softly: "Well... Thanks to sister Ningshuang's careful care for many days, Meiniang's injury has healed so quickly." She glanced at Bai Suzhen. The smiling, gentle and kind woman in white in front of her was looking at her quietly, listening to her words patiently like an elder sister, which made her feel inexplicably kind. She smiled at her, lowered her eyes, stared at the teacup in her hand, and was stunned for a long time. Then Hu Meiniang said as if she was confiding or talking to herself: "Meiniang's life was saved by sister Ningshuang. I'm afraid that Meiniang owes sister Ningshuang a favor that I will never be able to repay in this lifetime... If possible, Meiniang hopes to stay with sister Ningshuang in the future, serve her tea and water, and take care of her daily life, in order to repay sister Ningshuang even if it is one ten-thousandth of her kindness..."
"Miss Mei Niang, there is no need to be like this. I think Miss Ao saved you not for any reward—" Bai Suzhen was about to say something, but suddenly heard very light footsteps outside the house and the voices of two women—
"Sister, what should we do next? Should we not return to the Dragon Palace for the time being, wait until we find the trace of the demon, eliminate it, and then return?"
"Let me think about this for a moment—"
Ao Qingmei and Ao Ningshuang seemed to be discussing something with each other. They walked into the living room while whispering. When they saw the two people waiting in the living room, especially Hu Meiniang, Ao Qingmei, the second princess of the East China Sea, raised her eyebrows, pursed her lips and smiled, then turned her head and gently called Ao Ningshuang beside her, reminding her: "Big sister, look who's here."
Ao Qingmei didn't need to remind her. The moment she entered the living room, Ao Ningshuang had already sensed something. She looked up, her gaze fixed on the woman beside Bai Suzhen who had always been on her mind.
"Sister Ningshuang, you're back!" Hu Meiniang couldn't help but exclaim in joy the moment she saw Ao Ningshuang. She quickly stood up and took two steps at a time to meet her at the door of the hall. "Sister Ningshuang, are you hurt?" She asked anxiously, with a look of nervousness and worry on her face.
Ao Ningshuang shook her head gently, looking a little tired, but with a faint smile on her lips. She stared at the woman in front of her quietly, looking at the genuine worry and nervousness on her face. Ao Ningshuang's calm eyes had an inexplicable emotion passing through them, but she calmed down in an instant. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Mei Niang, why are you here?"
Hu Meiniang said, "I heard from Miss Ziying that you and the Second Princess took the soldiers from the palace to Jinshan Temple to help Miss Bai. I was worried about you, Sister Ningshuang, so I followed Ziying to Bao'an Hall to wait for news from Sister Ningshuang and you."
Just as Hu Meiniang finished speaking, she heard Ao Qingmei sighing and saying, "Meiniang, you are too partial to one and ignore the other... You only worry about your eldest sister?"
Hu Meiniang blushed slightly, and said hurriedly: "Second Princess, I didn't..." She wanted to explain, but saw Ao Qingmei looking at her with a half-smile, with an understanding look in her eyes. Suddenly, Hu Meiniang felt guilty, and her confidence was instantly weakened. Her voice became lower and lower: "... I am worried about you, Sister Ningshuang and the second princess."
Ao Qingmei chuckled and said meaningfully, "Miss Mei Niang is very clear about who you are worried about." After a pause, she said no more, turned her head to look at Bai Suzhen, winked at her secretly, and said, "Sister Bai, how is my third sister's injury? I want to go see her, can you lead the way?"
Bai Suzhen understood, and smiled at Ao Ningshuang and Hu Meiniang, saying, "Suzhen will take the second princess to Qing'er's room first. If you have any instructions, just let her know. There are servants outside the room waiting for your instructions." After that, she said to Ao Qingmei, "Second princess, please follow me."
"Okay. - Mei Niang, I'll trouble you to take care of my elder sister for the time being." Ao Qingmei smiled and left the living room with Bai Suzhen, heading towards the backyard room, leaving the two people in the living room alone.