Chapter 454: A Show of Force

Eh! The holiday is still far off, why are they all kneeling before us?

The child's voice was crisp, with a hint of disdain.

The Gu clan members all lay on the ground, stunned.

The clan elder and several officials kneeling in front still dared not rashly lift their heads to look up.

They could only lie there, secretly exchanging glances.

What's going on?

Who knows what's going on!

Next, a young woman's cheerful, lilting voice laughed, 'Perhaps they're just being overly polite, eager to warmly welcome us.'

Hey, you should stand farther back; at your young age, be careful not to shorten your lifespan.

The child giggled a few times, 'Not afraid; being young doesn't mean low seniority.'

Isn't there a saying: 'To withdraw, the grandfather; with a cane, the grandson!'

Although I can't give out New Year's money now, I don't mind having more juniors.

Someone in the front row finally couldn't hold back, stood up and shouted, 'How is this kid speaking like that!'

Whose child are you!

This person is second in his family; because of his daring and impulsive nature, he has a 'second' spirit.

He is called Gu Er.

He is nearly forty, holding four large carts, two mules and two donkeys, forming a small transport team.

He usually earns money by taking on transport jobs from villages within ten li.

In the clan, whenever anyone needs help building a house or moving, they must politely ask him for assistance.

So even though Gu Er is not one of the officials, he can sit on equal footing with the clan elder and the officials.

Gu Er glared over with his bullish eyes.

Shitou wasn't afraid at all; instead, he laughed even more happily, 'You people are really strange.'

You don't even know who I am, yet you come running to kneel before me— isn't that putting me in a difficult spot?

Pfft. Lv Jing couldn't hold back her laughter and turned her head away.

Gu Er flew into a rage, leaping to his feet, 'Who wants to kneel to you? You little brat, stop spouting nonsense!'

Shitou stopped laughing, pursed his lips, 'Oh, so you weren't kneeling to me...'

Great! he patted his chest and exhaled, 'I don't want to have my lifespan shortened by you.'

Taking advantage and still acting innocent.

Gu Er was so angry his lips trembled, 'You!'

At that moment, the clan elder stood up, and everyone else followed.

The clan elder raised his hand, pressed it on Gu Er's shoulder, patted it, signaling him to calm down.

Gu Er could only suppress his anger and step back.

The clan elder looked at Shitou and said, 'Little one, you shouldn't talk nonsense.'

Where are your elders?

He turned his gaze toward the carriage ahead, somewhat sharply, 'Are you deliberately letting a young brat spout nonsense by hiding in the carriage and refusing to show your face?'

By now, the clan elder could be certain that the person in the carriage was definitely not Jiang Mingyuan.

That Jiang Mingyuan boy has grown up under his watch.

Even though he now holds the position of county magistrate, he wouldn't dare put on airs here.

Inside the carriage, Gu Xixi gazed at Mu Nan Zhao with a half-smile, shaking her head and sighing, amused.

Is there even a need to ask about this situation?

Someone had long ago arranged troops and formations, intending to give the Gu clan a show of force.

Mu Nan Zhao curled the corner of his lips, 'I didn't teach him how to breach a dike.'

But this child's on-the-spot performance... is not bad, quite reminiscent of my younger days.

Gu Xixi drew a deep breath, speechless, 'Still wind‑captivating! How can he still be so proud?'

Alright, what now?

Mu Nan Zhao unhurriedly said, 'So many people are expecting us to appear; let's go down then.'

The Gu clan members waited a while longer.

Seeing the coachman jump down, place a footstool, then pull out a long ebony metal hook and lift the curtain.

Then he stepped to the side of the footstool, standing with hands respectfully at his sides.

Everyone gazed curiously at the carriage.

First, a young man stepped out, his appearance stunningly beautiful, instantly breathtaking to all.

No one knew who he was, nor did anyone think to ask for clarification.

They all felt that rashly approaching him to speak would only bring shame upon themselves.

The crowd stared blankly as the handsome man set foot on the ground, then reached upward toward the carriage.

At that moment, they finally recognized a familiar face.

"Gu... Gu Xixi?" someone exclaimed, incredulous.

Around them, only the clear birdsong remained in the silence.

Gu Xixi alighted from the carriage calmly, expecting their reaction.

She smiled faintly, 'Elder, everyone, greetings.'

The clan elder looked her up and down, his eyes nearly popping out.

"This is……"

He pointed at the carriage, trembling, then looked at Gu Xixi: "You, this."

They didn't know what to say for a moment.

Gu Xixi frowned and sighed, "I've been really busy lately; I had a bit of heatstroke yesterday, and my head was still dizzy when I went out this morning."

"So I fell asleep on the way just now."

She innocently looked around and asked, "How come everyone is here?"

"Is it because I overslept, making everyone wait so long?"

Lv Jing and Shitou both struggled to keep straight faces, the corners of their mouths twitching slightly.

"Don't laugh, you dead mouth! We're in the middle of the act!"

The clan elder weakly cleared his throat, his expression turning to worry, "Oh dear, heatstroke is no small matter."

"Have you seen a doctor? You must take some cooling herbal decoction and rest properly."

First, no one present can verify whether what Gu Xixi said is true or false.

Second, nobody wants to bring up the embarrassing incident of everyone kneeling in welcome just now.

Third, they have something to ask of Gu Xixi, each harboring their own ulterior motives, so none of them dare to offend her first.

So everyone else could only pretend the unpleasantness never happened, echoing one another to express their concern for Gu Xixi.

The crowd escorted the guests inside.

Gu Xixi said, "I've brought three friends; I hope they won't cause any trouble for your family."

Again came a chorus of agreement.

"No, no."

"How could it be!"

"The more people, the livelier!"

Gu Xixi smiled, giving Mu Nan Zhao a meaningful glance.

Besides the clan elder, the person in charge, and a few prominent individuals, everyone else had to go work and prepare the banquet, so they could only disperse first.

After sitting down, Gu Er said with a forced smile, "Who is this youngster that Xixi brought?"

"I heard the man you bought ran away; could this be the new person you just bought?"

Gu Xixi chuckled, "Buy him? I couldn't afford to buy him, and even if I could, I wouldn't dare."

Shitou took a sip of the cooling drink and said bluntly, "Some people's identities, if they don't tell you themselves, it means you shouldn't ask; even if you find out, it won't do you any good."

"At such an age, you still don't understand this principle?"

Gu Er's face flushed red; he glanced at Gu Xixi and had to swallow his anger.

He gritted his teeth and gave a stiff laugh, "This kid's mouth is really sharp."

Shitou looked at him, somewhat sympathetically, and said, "No wonder my master always says, one should read more and broaden one's horizons."

"Otherwise you'd end up like you, uncle, so old yet only able to envy children's eloquence."

Gu Er was so angry he nearly fell backward.

But he thought of his own transport team, then looked at Gu Xixi again.

Once again, he held back.