Immortal Reincarnation Tribulation

Chapter 8 The Boy in White

Yao Ruoxi brought her hands forward from behind her back, revealing a basket. With graceful steps, she placed it on the table and opened it, releasing a fragrant aroma of meat that filled the entire room.

A sudden "gulp" sound came from Xiao Hu as he swallowed.

Yao Ruoxi took out several plates of delicious food with unidentifiable ingredients, and at the bottom of the basket, she even found three bottles of wine hidden.

"These are rare delicacies that my second uncle brought back from another country. You can't get them in my Tianxiang Kingdom. Come and try them."

As Yao Ruoxi spoke, she was about to open a bottle of wine, but Du Fan stopped her.

"How old are you? Why are you drinking? Aren't you afraid of damaging your brain?"

"I'm thirteen years old, why can't I drink? This wine is a rare delicacy that I stole from my father's wine cellar. Don't you want to try it?" Yao Ruoxi protested at first, then her dark eyes darted around as she tempted him.

"A rare delicacy? If so, I might be willing to try it, but you still can't drink it." Du Fan's expression shifted, and before he could finish speaking, he took all three bottles of wine and ran out.

Yao Ruoxi was taken aback. She never expected that Du Fan, who was usually so honest, would do such a thing. A scream suddenly rang out.

"Du Fan, you're a scoundrel!"

Xiao Hu laughed heartily, and the three of them started playfully fighting, without any regard for their social status.

……

Spring goes and autumn comes; a year passes quickly.

Du Fan stood in the herb garden, gazing at the medicinal herbs, looking dazed. After a long while, he sighed.

For the past year, Du Fan has spent most of his time researching herbs.

Now that he oversees all the medicinal herb gardens in the Yao family mansion, the variety and quantity of herbs are incomparable to the single herb garden he once had. Du Fan has temporarily put all past events behind him and devoted himself wholeheartedly to the study of herbs. His understanding of medicinal herbs is now far beyond what it used to be, and he knows more types of herbs, which has enabled him to take a big step forward in his expertise in medicinal herbs.

Furthermore, the original planting was disrupted, and the herbs were no longer restricted by the region of the herb garden. After careful calculation, a large-scale transplant was carried out, and the herbs were rearranged according to their different properties. With the addition of symbiotic plants and fertilizers, the growth rate of these spiritual herbs increased by nearly two times. This shocked and delighted Steward Xiao and the head of the family, who then showed even greater favor to Du Fan, frequently rewarding him with gold and silver.

Xiao Hu has been quite impressive this past year. Besides helping Du Fan manage the herb garden, he spends the rest of his time leading Du Fan's guards to seek revenge and give those who bullied him a good beating.

Now, Ah Ping, Da Xiong, and the others who had offended him before are as terrified as mice seeing a cat when they see Xiao Hu. After being punished, in addition to physical injuries, they are also listless and dejected all day long. People who used to be on good terms with them have also cut ties with them, for fear of incurring the displeasure and attention of this evil star.

Steward Xiao was naturally aware of these matters, but after a nonchalant laugh, he ignored them. This forced those who were dissatisfied with Xiao Hu to swallow their resentment and curse their bad luck.

No one expected that the dull-witted Du Fan would have such a day. Everyone knew that Xiao Hu's prestige was all thanks to Du Fan, who was at the height of his power in the Yao family.

"Hey, I'm talking to you! Can't you see that big weed? Get rid of it!" Xiao Hu shouted at a servant he used to have a falling out with, while gnawing on a chicken leg. His expression was domineering, but his voice was muffled as he chewed the chicken.

Du Fan's thoughts were jolted awake by Xiao Hu's shout. After a moment of surprise, he shook his head and smiled bitterly.

"Du Fan, my Phalaenopsis orchid hasn't bloomed in a long time. When can you come over and take a look?" Yao Ruoxi carried a basket and walked gracefully towards Du Fan. She was a little more composed than a year ago, taller, and had a more curvaceous figure. Her delicate face was adorned with a sunny smile.

When the garden servants saw the young lady, they hurriedly bowed and greeted her, but their faces showed only respect and no surprise, clearly indicating that Yao Ruoxi often came here.

The moment Xiao Hu saw the basket in Yao Ruoxi's hand, his eyes lit up. He instantly dropped the chicken leg he was holding, wiped his greasy hands on his clothes, and ran off, his previous domineering demeanor replaced by a fawning expression.

"Young Miss, you've arrived." Running up to Yao Ruoxi, Xiao Hu bowed respectfully, a naive smile on his face.

"How many times have I told you to call me 'sister'? You've gotten fatter!" Yao Ruoxi first affectionately patted the little tiger's head, then frowned slightly.

"Here, eat less!"

Little Tiger cheered excitedly, took the basket, and sat down on the ground. He started eating in no time.

"This flower isn't suitable for the season right now; it will bloom in another month," Du Fan explained gently.

"Hey, Du Fan, why do you always look at me like that? You're only two years older than me, you're not allowed to look at me like that!" Yao Ruoxi was initially thinking about the orchid and nodding frequently, but when she saw Du Fan looking at her with that kind of loving elder's gaze, she was immediately annoyed.

"Ahem, um... oh, it's nothing." Du Fan coughed awkwardly. He was actually nearly thirty years old, while Yao Ruoxi was a genuine fourteen. She was cute and had a likable personality. Every time Du Fan saw Yao Ruoxi, he couldn't help but look at her with doting eyes.

"By the way, is the fertilizer I gave you working well?" Du Fan changed the subject.

"Well, the flowers I've been growing have grown much faster than before after I used the fertilizer you gave me. Even the Ice Valley Flower, which hasn't bloomed for many years, has already formed buds. Du Fan, how did you make this fertilizer?" Yao Ruoxi stopped dwelling on the fertilizer and asked with great interest.

"Ahem... This was made with some special materials. As long as it works, that's good." Du Fan coughed awkwardly again.

Little Tiger, who was sitting on the ground eating heartily, glanced at the two of them with a strange expression, thinking to himself, "If Sister Ruoxi knew that fertilizer was made from manure, what kind of expression would she have?"

However, Xiao Hu only thought about it. Despite his arrogant attitude towards the previous servants, he really didn't dare to say anything reckless in front of this young lady.

"No, you've already brushed me off about this several times. You have to tell me today, or I won't let you off the hook." With that, Yao Ruoxi grabbed Du Fan's ear and pretended to twist it.

"Nonsense! How can you be so disrespectful as to fight with servants!" A cold snort suddenly rang out. The voice was not loud, but it made everyone in the herb garden buzz in their minds, as if the voice came from the depths of everyone's heart.

A moment later, everyone in the herb garden stood up solemnly and greeted the newcomer with deep respect: "Patriarch."

Du Fan was also startled. He had seen this family head several times during the year, and he recognized him instantly upon seeing him.

Standing alongside Yao Batian was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in a white robe, with long hair flowing down his shoulders. He was handsome and extraordinary, and exuded an elegant temperament. He was smiling gently at the moment.

Anyone who sees this person will feel as if they are bathed in a spring breeze.

Xiao Yiming's head butler stood behind Yao Batian, his expression showing a hint of nervousness, something he had never seen before.

Behind the white-robed youth stood two other youths in blue robes, about the same age as the white-robed youth, but unlike the white-robed youth, they were not gentle and instead had arrogant expressions, as if they were superior to others.

"This is my daughter Ruoxi. I have failed to discipline her properly, and I apologize to Fellow Daoist Wu for making a fool of myself." Yao Batian's face darkened at first, but then he composed himself and turned to explain to the white-robed youth beside him, his expression surprisingly polite.

"Hurry up and come over here to greet your Senior Brother Wu, and see how I punish you tonight!"

"Oh." Yao Ruoxi pouted, looking a little aggrieved, and walked towards Yao Batian and his group.

"Patriarch Yao, Ruoxi is still young, so let's not make things difficult for her." The young man in white smiled gently and spoke in a voice as soft as jade, which was very pleasant to listen to.

"Fellow Daoist Wu has put in a good word for you, why don't you come over and thank him!" Yao Batian sneered at his daughter.

"Ruoxi greets Senior Brother Wu. Thank you for your understanding." Yao Ruoxi lowered her eyes slightly and gave him a respectful bow.

"Sister Ruoxi, there's no need for such formalities. It's been eight years since we last met, and I've often missed you." The young man in white spoke slowly. It was a rather frivolous remark, but coming from him, it didn't offend anyone at all, as if it were perfectly natural.

"Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Wu." Yao Ruoxi's cheeks were slightly flushed, and her eyes were somewhat evasive. After saying this politely, she stepped back to Yao Batian's other side and stood respectfully with her hands clasped.