After admitting her mistake, Qiao Xin immediately took on the role of an elder and started lecturing people.

She couldn’t reprimand the guards of the Fan family, but her “cheap son” was still within her authority.

With her arms crossed, she scrutinized Heng Wen. “Look at you just now—what difference is there between you and a bandit? You even kicked down the main gate. Fix it before you leave.”

Everyone knew their actions had been a bit extreme.

Normally, they arrested criminals this way, and it was just an instinctive reaction.

They didn’t think it was a big deal, but no one dared to argue with the old lady.

Even their Second Master had already bowed his head in apology—who were they to be more stubborn than him?

Heng Wen struggled to explain, “We saw so much blood on the road and were worried something had happened to you. That’s why we panicked a little. I’ll find someone to fix it later.”

The old man of the house dared not actually let them repair the door.

These people were not ones he could afford to offend.

He quickly waved his hands and said, “No need, no need. I can just fasten a few wooden branches myself. No trouble at all, young master.”

“That won’t do. Let him fix it—it’ll teach him a lesson. But since you all arrived just in time, we just dealt with a pack of wolves attacking the village. You might as well stay and help transport a few of them back to the city.”

Those who knew the truth were speechless at Qiao Xin’s words.

A few? She had practically wiped out the entire wolf pack!

Qiao Xin had someone take them to the courtyard where the wolf carcasses were stored, then went off to handle other matters.

Fan Jihua and Heng Wen were both stunned when they saw the courtyard full of bodies.

They were speechless.

Wang Dakuai chuckled foolishly, “We were just discussing how much we could trade these for in the city. Even if the price is low, it’s still worth it.”

But at that moment, Fan Jihua and Heng Wen had no time to care about his words.

What caught their attention first was that aside from a few corpses with chaotic wounds, nearly two-thirds of the wolves had been taken down with a single fatal strike—either a precise sword slash to the throat or a clean shot through the forehead.

The wolf king’s neck had been severed in one strike, its entire skeleton shattered.

Who could have such precise archery?

Even the best sharpshooters in the military weren’t this accurate!

“Who was the one shooting arrows? Can we meet them?” Fan Jihua asked eagerly.

He had to recruit such a person for the Fan family.

Wang Dakuai looked at them in confusion. “That was all done by Granny Qiao. She even threw the wolf king to its death. The ones with damaged fur were taken down by our village hunters. If the lady hadn’t come to buy a house today, our entire village would’ve been massacred.”

Heng Wen froze. “Lady hero?”

“Yeah, isn’t that your mother?” Wang Dakuai looked at Heng Wen with obvious disdain. “Are you really her son? You don’t even know how powerful your own mother is?”

Heng Wen awkwardly touched his nose, thinking to himself: Well, she’s not my real mother—I really didn’t know! But now that he did know, he wondered: Would Granny Qiao be willing to teach her “son” these skills?

Fan Jihua had the same thought.

Now that he knew the expert was Qiao Xin, he felt a tinge of regret—there was no way he could recruit her.

But… could he recognize her as his godmother and learn a few tricks from her?

After letting them inspect the game, Qiao Xin took Heng Wen to see the house she had chosen.

She was quite pleased. “What do you think? The place is spacious, right? Get familiar with it so you don’t get lost when you come back.”

Heng Wen looked at her in shock and muttered, “I can still live here?”

Qiao Xin smirked at him. “Oh? Turning your back on us already? Is this how you rich boys act? Or are you afraid that us poor folks will cling to you and never let go?”

Heng Wen quickly lowered his voice and pleaded like a child who had said something wrong. “Granny, you know I didn’t mean it like that. How could I be so ungrateful? I will never forget your kindness in saving my life. Before I left, my second brother spoke with me, and I also realized it was time for me to go. The future is uncertain—I don’t even know if we’ll meet again.”

“Don’t be so pessimistic. How old are you? You still have a long life ahead. Your second brother wasn’t lying to you—I did talk to him privately. The sudden climate change is real. Given everything that has happened, it’s actually more dangerous for you to be away from the mansion for too long. The intelligence of Dingbian Marquis’s household can’t be that bad, can it? It’s been over a month, and they still haven’t found their own son?

“If your father still hasn’t sent people after you, I hope you’ll stop holding onto false hopes and start preparing for the worst. Never let despair consume you. Think about the people who matter to you, and things won’t seem so overwhelming.”

Qiao Xin didn’t want to be too blunt, but the situation in the marquis’s household was already too turbulent.

Heng Wen couldn’t afford to remain naïve, or he’d lose his life at any moment.

She understood that this child hadn’t left yet because he still clung to the beautiful illusion he had lived in for over ten years.

But for someone like Heng Wen, such delusions were harmful.

The sooner he faced reality and grew stronger, the sooner he could build his own power and stand against his enemies.

Not wanting to upset him too much, she comforted him in a softer tone. “Maybe things aren’t as bad as they seem. Your father might really be tied up with something and unable to look for you yet.

“I’m not telling you this to pressure you, but simply because I understand as a mother—no parent wants their child to suffer. Even though our statuses are worlds apart, and we may never meet again after today, if you ever think of me and want to visit, my door is always open. I’ll always have a guest room ready for you.”

“Then why not prepare a separate bedroom for Yun Heng?” Fan Jihua suddenly suggested.

Qiao Xin looked at him in surprise, seeing that he wasn’t joking.

After a slight hesitation, she agreed readily, “Alright.”

Heng Wen’s phoenix eyes widened slightly as he looked at Qiao Xin.

A slow smile crept up his lips, though he looked a little embarrassed.

He turned his head to the side and walked straight out. “I’ll go check if they’re done.”

Watching his departing figure, Qiao Xin sighed helplessly. This brat, he’s satisfied now, but I’ll be the one worrying about everything! Oh well, raising one kid is raising a kid—raising a bunch is no different.

By the time Qiao Xin and her group returned to Weizhou City, the sun was about to set.

But five ox carts loaded with game rolling brazenly into the city still caused quite a stir.

After bidding farewell to the house agents, Qiao Xin, Heng Wen, and their company—Li Zhong, Wang Dakuai, and Fan Jihua—split up about a mile away from the city gate.