Chapter 35: Bad People, Leave!

Xie Yixing didn’t reach out to take the tray.

But the cold light in his eyes was even more piercing than the howling winter wind outside, radiating an untouchable warning.

Only then did the house physician recall that the young heir had a cleanliness obsession—he wouldn’t touch anything others had handled.

Quick to react, the physician immediately fetched steaming hot water and soaked the needles one by one. When Xie Yixing’s expression slightly relaxed, he had the medicine apprentice use chopsticks to lift the needles out and place them on a tray before presenting them again.

“Young Heir, here are the items you requested.”

The room fell into complete silence. Everyone’s eyes turned simultaneously to Xie Yixing, trying to guess what he was planning to do.

Even Wei-shi couldn’t help but be puzzled. Her son was never one to fight for attention; he usually avoided scenes like this altogether. Could it be…?

She lowered her head and looked at Yao Yao, who blinked playfully at her. The soft, round little girl’s chubby cheeks showed two shallow dimples. She gently took Wei-shi’s cold fingers in her small hand and comforted her sweetly, “Auntie Wei, don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you with Persimmon Brother.”

Though Yao Yao was only a child, her words carried considerable weight in Wei-shi’s heart.

Don’t be fooled by her young age—Yao Yao was so sensible it made Wei-shi’s heart ache with affection.

Even though Wei-shi was being targeted by her in-laws, Yao Yao still stood up to protect her. How could she not be moved?

Yao Yao’s voice was soft, but the room was so quiet that every word she spoke was crystal clear to everyone present.

Second Madam Xie, Yun-shi, let out a cold sneer. “Oh, sister-in-law, with this little girl defending you so fiercely, she’s not secretly your daughter, is she?”

Yun-shi’s comment gave the old matriarch a flash of insight. Her face, which had just been mourning a moment ago, suddenly twisted into viciousness. Her shrewd old eyes locked onto Wei-shi, and her words pierced like needles, striking without mercy.

“The eldest is rarely home, and you’re here in the manor alone. Who knows if you’ve been sneaking around with some man!”

The old matriarch, originally from a rural village, never changed her crude habits or speech—even though her eldest son’s success had given her a few years of good life.

Hearing her sister-in-law and the old lady both slander her, Wei-shi flushed with both shame and rage.

Though the Wei family had fallen on hard times, they were still a respectable, upright lineage. Raised with proper education, Wei-shi would never engage in such disgraceful behavior.

It was bad enough that they falsely accused her—but to drag Yao Yao into it as well? That made her blood boil!

Though Yao Yao was still young, she understood enough to know that what they said was hurtful to Auntie Wei. She placed her chubby hands on her hips, puffed out her cheeks, and tried hard to look fierce. “You’re not allowed to say bad things about Auntie Wei! I protect her because she’s kind—you’re the bad ones! Auntie Wei is not my mother. I have my own mother! Both my mother and Auntie Wei are beautiful!”

The more she spoke, the more agitated she became. Even her slender eyebrows trembled with emotion.

Xie Yixing had still been assessing whether the needles had been properly sterilized, but hearing Yao Yao get angry made him reach out and take the silver needle without hesitation.

The house physician cried out in alarm, “Young Heir, the tip is sharp—please don’t injure yourself!”

But before he could finish, Xie Yixing had already turned toward the bed, his gaze locked on Yao Wu.

His round, duck-egg-shaped face was as pale as paper.

Before anyone could react, the silver needle between Xie Yixing’s fingers pierced right into the center of Yao Wu’s forehead.

So precise and swift was the motion that even the seasoned house physician couldn’t help but gasp sharply.

Before he could even speak, the old matriarch screamed again, “Yixing! What are you doing?!”

“I’m detoxifying him,” Xie Yixing replied coolly.

He then took a second needle from the medicine apprentice. Without even probing for the acupoint, he aimed it directly at Yao Wu’s thick neck.

The old matriarch shrieked, “Stop him! Quickly, stop him!”

The needle was just a finger-width from its target when Yao Wu suddenly sat up in bed.

The needle in his forehead quivered three times with the movement.

Color returned to his once-ashen face in a rush.

He crossed his eyes to look up at the needle stuck in his forehead, ready to let out a wail—only to be interrupted by the physician. “Young Master, you must not get emotional! This needle is stabilizing your qi. If you get too agitated, the surge of energy might harm your nerves and turn you into an imbecile!”

“Ah! Then… then what do I do?”

Understanding the danger, Yao Wu immediately held back his tears and dared not move again.

Even the old matriarch didn’t dare shout anymore, terrified that one wrong move might turn her precious grandson into a fool.

Madam Xin, who had been crying nonstop, was both overjoyed and anxious to see her son awake and looking better. She timidly spoke, “Young Heir, you just jabbed your brother with needles—what if you missed the right spot…?”

His skill just now looked sharper than even veteran doctors.

Even the most experienced would not dare place needles so confidently without checking pulses.

One wrong move, and her son would be ruined…

She couldn’t help but be afraid.

“I don’t make mistakes.”

His eyes were cold as ice, the depths of them filled with indifference. The slight arch of his brow betrayed how little he cared about the people in the room.

Marquis Chengming and his wife were long used to Xie Yixing’s disregard for others, but for the old matriarch and her lot, this was a first.

Finally, Old Master Xie seized an opening to speak. “Yixing, your aunt isn’t wrong. You’re still young. If you make even a small mistake with the needles, your brother’s life is ruined. Apologize to him at once.”

Xie Yixing hadn’t paid any attention to the old man since entering. Only now, hearing the aged voice, did he glance sideways. “You want me to apologize?”

Old Master Xie’s face hardened. Seeing the boy still questioning him, his lips tightened into a stern line. His Adam’s apple bobbed with agitation. “Of course. Apologize to Yao Wu. Don’t tell me you won’t even listen to your grandfather?”

“Listen to you?” Xie Yixing finally gave him a full glance, his eyes bleak as winter’s end.

Old Master Xie’s barely suppressed anger surged upward, choking on a sputter of phlegm. “Are you trying to be a rebellious grandson?!”

Xie Yixing ignored him entirely. He tossed the second needle back into the basin. The servants immediately brought fresh hot water and clean towels for him to wash his hands.

Watching him use three full basins just to cleanse his hands, Old Master Xie grumbled again. “You’re still young. If you waste like this now, what will become of you in the future?”

Wei-shi, now thoroughly disheartened, said coldly, “If the marquis estate can’t afford him, I’ll take him back to the Wei family to raise.”

“Utter nonsense!” the old matriarch snapped, forgetting even the still-teary Yao Wu. She stomped and pointed at Wei-shi in fury. “Yixing is the eldest grandson of our Xie family—how can he be given over to your Wei clan?!”

Old Master Xie added, “I was only reminding him, not asking him to leave! What kind of daughter-in-law speaks like this? I truly regret agreeing to this marriage back then!”

Hearing the two elders shout at Wei-shi, Yao Yao immediately stood in front of her, puffed up with indignation. She pouted and enunciated clearly:

“This is Persimmon Brother and Auntie Wei’s home! If you’re going to bully them—you leave!”