Before they could continue talking, Xiao Yu knocked on the door and asked for permission to enter -- which was allowed by Yao Ling.

"Come in," Yao Ling said.

Yao Ling could see that there was something wrong with Xiao Yu. She didn't know why it was, but Xiao Yu didn't dare to look at her. It seemed like her face kept facing a certain direction, trying to hide one of her cheeks. With a sharp glance, Yao Ling could see that one of Xiao Yu's cheeks was a bit swollen. Yao Ling felt bewildered. Who dared lay a hand at Xiao Yu? Although she didn't have any powers, she was still a favored stepdaughter of Wang Luo Hai.

Did they think that she was so easy to bully? Or probably they couldn't touch her so instead they were targeting her maidservant? This was infuriating!

Xiao Yu never leaves the household today, so she was pretty sure that it was done by someone inside this household. She furrowed her eyebrows, contemplating. She felt so angry on Xiao Yu's behalf.

"Are you okay?" Yao Ling asked.

Xiao Yu felt touched by her young mistress' concern but also felt guilty at the same time. "This servant is okay," Xiao Yu smiled, but once she pulled her lips to smile, she felt the pain from Liu Li's slap. She wanted to hiss but she held herself back. She didn't want her young mistress to worry about her.

Yao Ling didn't push it any further, but she would get the bottom of this. "You can go rest early," Yao Ling smiled and waved her hand, dismissing Xiao Yu for the night. She could also see Xiao Yu's red swollen eyes and how tired she was. Something was definitely wrong.

Xiao Yu was grateful with Yao Ling's attentiveness. "Thank you, Young Mistress. This servant will go rest for the day." She curtsied politely, turned around, and head back to her own room. Xiao Yu felt really tired! She had enough problem for one day.

After Xiao Yu went back to her room, Xiu couldn't hold himself back anymore. He knows that he needs to talk to their masters today. He didn't want Xiao Yu to be hurt by that bastard, Liu Li. He rarely cursed, but that evil woman was suitable to be called a bastard. Tsk. She was really rotten to the core.

Xiu knocked on the door and asked for permission to enter the room, "Young Master, Young Mistress, can this servant come in for a while? This servant needs to talk about important things and this servant also needs Young Master and Young Mistress' help."

Yao Ying and Yao Ling looked at each other and frowned. It seemed something bad had really happened. Yao Ling asked Yao Ying, "Do you notice that something is wrong with Xiao Yu?"

Yao Ying nodded. "It seems like someone hurt her."

"Xiu also suddenly has an urgent matter to tell us. He probably knows something," Yao Ling pondered.

"I think so too." Yao Ying agreed and then he called Xiu in, "Come in."

Xiu came in nervously. He hoped that he made the right decision and both of their masters wouldn't be cruel enough by blaming Xiao Yu and discard her. She had no choice but to become a spy. Yao Ying and Yao Ling could see the nervousness in Xiu's somber demeanor. They looked at each other in undisguised curiosity. They didn't talk, but instead, they waited for him to tell them himself.

"Young Master, Young Mistress…" Xiu greeted them while gulping tensely. He didn't know how to start. Should he tell them about himself first? Or go straight telling them about Xiao Yu's difficulty?

"What's the matter, Xiu?" Yao Ying was the one who asked the question. He looked at Xiu encouragingly. It seemed like what Xiu wanted to say needed a lot of courage and he needed the motivation to talk.

What had actually happened? Xiu rarely appeared at night because he mainly stood guard outside, but this time, he even wanted to talk to them personally. If it wasn't important enough, the couple knew that Xiu wouldn't appear in front of them this late at night.

"Young Master, Young Mistress, this servant has important things to tell you and also need your help with…" Xiu finally had the courage to start the conversation.

The couple looked at each other and nodded at the same time. "Just tell us. What is so important that makes you this nervous? If we are able to help, of course, we will help you," Yao Ying told Xiu confidently.

Xiu bowed down and kowtowed in front of his masters. "I want to tell Young Master and Young Mistress about my true origin."

"Okay. Go on!" Yao Ying and Yao Ling started to get very interested in what Xiu was going to say next.

This servant was sent by Master Wang Luo Hai as Young Master's trusted confidante. Truth to be told, I am not an ordinary servant, but actually a hidden guard." Xiu decided to start with his true origin. If he didn't tell them the truth, he knew that they wouldn't fully trust him.

"Why do you decided to tell us now?" Yao Ying asked.

"This servant wants to come clean, because this servant knows that both masters are worrying about the spies in this courtyard. Besides, this servant knows that Young Mistress is trying to gather people secretly," Xiu explained.

Well... Yao Ying and Yao Ling realized that they could never hide a secret perfectly. They probably should go with the flow. Fortunately, it seemed like Xiu was on their side.

"Have you learned any martial art skills?" Yao Ying asked out of curiosity. Since Xiu already decided to tell him the truth, then he should ask all about him and satisfy his curiosity. If Xiu had great martial arts skills, then it would be a great advantage to him.

"Yes, this servant has martial arts skills," Xiu answered confidently. One thing that he was proud of was his qinggong [1] skill, and other than that, his level of martial arts skills was better than the current young master's ability. He had been trained by Master Wang Luo Hai's hidden guard trainer since he was able to walk.

"How good are you?" Yao Ying asked.

"Er—" Xiu didn't know whether to answer young master with the truth or not. Would his young master feel ashamed if he told him that he had better abilities than him? However as a hidden guard, if he said that he had low martial arts skills, wouldn't it make himself as a joke?

"It's okay! Just tell us the truth," Yao Ling also felt curious about Xiu's skills. No wonder he had a scar on his face, it was probably because he was hurt when he did his duty as a hidden guard – not as an ordinary servant. The scar was pretty deep and it was the result of sharp weapons, she believed.

"This servant is currently better than Young Master," Xiu finally admitted truthfully. He peeked at his young master, wanting to know his reaction. He really didn't mean to insult his young master, but he didn't have other people to compare himself with. 'I'm sorry ah~ Young Master, but currently, your martial arts skills level is pretty low,' Xiu thought to himself.

Contrary to Xiu's expectation, Yao Ying looked at him proudly and said, "Good!"

Xiu was taken aback and echoed his young master's word, "Good?"

Yao Ying raised one of his eyebrows and told him, "Of course it's good! You work under me and if you have good martial arts skills, then it will benefit me, right?"

If Young Master put it that way, well... yes... it was true. Xiu nodded and said, "Indeed, Young Master."

"For whom your loyalty belongs to?" It was Yao Ling who threw out the important question. The couple had no use for people who didn't give their sole loyalties to them.

***

[1]. Qinggong is a technique in Chinese martial arts. It's the technique for making the body extremely light in weight, by altering the distribution and flow of qi.