"Little Qiu'er, don't you think the hairpin that woman wore today was quite nice?"
"Yeah, I've never seen such a thing before."
"So as girls, do you all like such nice little things?"
"Yeah, I like them quite a lot."
"Right, haha—I say—"
The voices of the two children faded away.
Zhao Shuning listened to what they said and a smile curled up on her lips. But her heart remained unsettled.
She always had a feeling.
Feng Xiaobai wouldn't be so well - behaved as to just play in the yard with his younger sister. Maybe when Little Qiu'er wasn't paying attention, he'd run out of the mansion alone.
He was highly capable.
If he ran out of the mansion, he'd probably be able to come back on his own.
Thinking this way, Zhao Shuning felt a bit more at ease.
Really.
Zhao Shuning's premonition was truly uncannily accurate.
However.
This time, there was a slight miscalculation.
After she finished taking a bath and came out, not only was Feng Xiaobai gone, but even the well - behaved Little Qiu'er had disappeared without a trace.
Zhao Shuning quickly asked people about the whereabouts of the two kids.
But the people in the Qi Mansion just looked at each other blankly. They had no idea when Feng Xiaobai and Feng Qiu'er had left their room.
Well, given Feng Xiaobai's skills.
If he wanted to slip out.
Even taking Little Qiu'er with him wouldn't be a problem at all.
"Benefactor, we'll send people to look for them right away."
Zhao Shuning was also in a hurry to rush outside.
Before she reached the outside of the mansion, she saw Feng Xiaobai rushing towards the Qi Mansion in a hurry.
Zhao Shuning looked behind Feng Xiaobai.
Her heart skipped a beat and sank like a stone to the bottom of a lake.
It was over.
Looking at Feng Xiaobai's expression, Zhao Shuning knew.
This kid had really gotten himself into a big trouble.
"The young master is back. It's good that you're back. It's good that you're back."
Zhao Shuning said nothing.
She looked at Feng Xiaobai.
Feng Xiaobai's face was as pale as a sheet, and his lips were trembling slightly.
Judging from his appearance, he must have been terribly frightened.
Seeing this, Zhao Shuning felt pity.
She stepped forward, hugged Feng Xiaobai into her arms, and gently patted his back, comforting him, "Take your time and don't be in a hurry. Where's your sister?"
The tear tracks on Feng Xiaobai's face hadn't dried yet.
When Zhao Shuning hugged him, she found that his body was already soaked with sweat.
She rolled up his sleeve and touched it.
Zhao Shuning was even more shocked.
On Feng Xiaobai's fair and tender arm, there was actually a very deep bloodstain.
"What happened?"
Qi Yurou quickly stepped forward.
Seeing the wound on Feng Xiaobai's hand, she quickly asked someone to call a doctor.
Feng Xiaobai's whole body was trembling.
In his current situation, Zhao Shuning couldn't leave him. But she also couldn't ignore Little Qiu'er's safety.
"Feng Xiaobai, you're the elder brother. First tell mother, where's your sister?"
Feng Xiaobai looked at Zhao Shuning with frightened eyes, which were filled with regret.
"Sister, sister is lost."
Feng Xiaobai was arrogant in his actions, but he never told lies.
As soon as Zhao Shuning heard this, she quickly asked, "Where did you lose her?"
"In the night market in the south of the city."
At this moment, Feng Xiaobai completely ignored the arm that was still bleeding. With a thud, he knelt in front of Zhao Shuning.
"Mother, hit me. Beat me. You can even chop off this hand of mine. Mother, I was wrong."
Zhao Shuning took a deep breath.
She quickly hugged Feng Xiaobai into her arms.
His body was frighteningly hot.
Zhao Shuning looked at Feng Xiaobai and said seriously and sternly, "Feng Xiaobai, you're the elder brother, right?"
Feng Xiaobai's eyes were filled with tears. He nodded firmly.
"You're injured now, but your sister is missing. Mother has to go look for your sister first. If I leave you here alone, are you afraid?"
After all, Feng Xiaobai was just a three - year - old kid.
No matter how strong - willed he was, he had never truly been separated from Zhao Shuning.
He would surely be afraid. But he knew.
All of this was his fault.
He had no right to be afraid now.
"Mother, I'm not afraid. You go look for sister first. I promise I'll stay here and won't run around anymore."
Feng Xiaobai's eyes were also seriously rare.
Zhao Shuning nodded.
She stroked Feng Xiaobai's black hair and said, "Transmit to me what you saw."
"But mother, you don't have—"
"Sometimes, when doing things, it's not necessarily about spiritual power and mental strength."
Feng Xiaobai nodded.
He closed his eyes and transmitted to Zhao Shuning everything that had happened after his mother had entered the room.
At this moment, Zhao Shuning felt extremely lucky.
If she didn't have the Soul - Condensing Pearl left by Zhao Huai, it would have been very difficult for three - year - old Feng Xiaobai to sort out this matter clearly.
When she opened her eyes again, Qi Yurou stepped forward.
She asked worriedly, "Benefactor, how is it?"
Zhao Shuning looked at her.
A fierce look flashed across her eyes for a moment. A mere double - headed snake dared to touch her precious daughter.
"Benefactor?"
Zhao Shuning came back to her senses.
She handed Feng Xiaobai in her arms to Qi Yurou and said, "Miss Qi, I'll leave Xiaobai to you for the time being. I have to go out."
"I'll send people to follow you, Benefactor. Qi Lin, you—"
"No need. Even if you go, you'll just be sending yourselves to death."
This double - headed snake should have also come for Xiaobai. There was no need to let these innocent people lose their lives.
"I hope Miss Qi can take good care of my son for me."
"Benefactor, don't worry."
At this moment, Feng Xiaobai's body was burning hot.
There was not a trace of color on his lips.
This was also the first time he had been so frightened. It couldn't be blamed on him. The double - headed snake was an extremely evil beast. Although it was not as powerful as the legendary Candle Jiuyin, its cruelty and evil were not comparable to that of ordinary ancient ferocious beasts.
However.
Even if it was the most powerful being in the world.
Zhao Shuning would never just stand by and watch her daughter become the food for the double - headed snake to replenish its energy.
"Stay here obediently."
Feng Xiaobai nodded weakly.
Zhao Shuning gently pushed aside the stray hairs on his forehead.
She planted a soft kiss on his forehead.
"Wait for mother to come back. Mother will come back to pick you up with your sister."
"Okay."
His weak body faintly uttered this word.
The moment Zhao Shuning stepped out of the room, Feng Xiaobai behind her struggled to straighten up and shouted, "Mother."
Zhao Shuning stopped in her tracks but didn't turn around.
"Mother, I'm sorry."
"There's no need to be sorry. You're my son, and Little Qiu'er is my daughter. You two are the dearest children to me. As children, you're bound to make mistakes. Feng Xiaobai, you just need to know that it's okay to make mistakes, but you have to correct them after making them."
Feng Xiaobai nodded. But then he remembered that his mother couldn't see him, so he quickly said, "I know, mother. I'll wait for you to come back."
Wait for you and sister to come back together.
"Okay."
Zhao Shuning walked out of the door.
Feng Xiaobai fainted in a daze.
If.
If he hadn't been so competitive.
If he had listened to his mother and hadn't coaxed Little Qiu'er to go out with him to buy a hairpin, would all of this.
Not have happened?
In a daze, Feng Xiaobai woke up several times and then fainted again.
At this moment, Zhao Shuning was holding the hairpin that Feng Xiaobai had stuffed into her hand earlier. This was the reason why he and Little Qiu'er had gone to the night market.
It was just to.
Buy a beautiful hairpin for her "unsophisticated" mother.
Hatred and anger welled up in her heart.
After becoming a mother, she finally understood.
These two children would become her greatest weakness.
The pain was deeply engraved in her heart.