The Abandoned Daughter's Second Chance

Chapter 298: Chapter 269: That’s the Feeling

Before the banquet began, Wu Xiaowen and Tian Xueqin didn’t get a chance to speak with Xiao Man. After greeting the grandmothers, Gu Shaojun led her away.

The reason was that Tang Qingshan had run into a very good old classmate and friend, a diplomat with the surname Pang. He was about to go abroad with a delegation within the next two days. Upon hearing that Tang Qingshan suddenly had a daughter, Pang, who was also unmarried, grew excited and insisted on seeing "our girl." Tang Qingshan couldn’t talk him out of it, so he had Gu Shaojun go and bring Xiao Man to the front hall.

Xiao Man was speechless. On the way, she asked, "Don’t tell me I’ll have to run all the way over to say hello every time one of Mr. Tang’s old friends shows up?"

Gu Shaojun chuckled. "Of course not. Apparently, they’ve known each other since kindergarten and have been through thick and thin together. They’re very close."

"Mr. Tang went through hardships too?"

"Of course. Don’t be fooled by Mr. Tang’s calm and carefree demeanor. He also started from the bottom and has experienced some very tough situations."

Xiao Man nodded, then suddenly looked up at Gu Shaojun with a smile. "I don’t think I’ve ever asked, Brother Shaojun. What was it like on the battlefield?"

Gu Shaojun smiled back at her. "It was exactly what you’d imagine. A hail of bullets under a sky of fire. You knew it would be, or you wouldn’t have given me such a powerful Amulet. Without it, I might have perished in those mountains, missed my chance with my Xiao Man, and become a... lonely, wandering ghost with a lifetime of regrets?"

"That wasn’t a possibility. You were always going to come back!" ’Just in a different form.’

"Xiao Man, from now on, no matter where I go, as long as you’re waiting for me, I’ll do everything in my power to come back!"

"Okay. I’ll hold you to that, so don’t you dare break your promise! Will you come back with me to the Tang Mansion tonight? I brought a few... trinkets for the family. There’s one for you."

"I want a proper token of your affection. A picture of you," Gu Shaojun said.

Xiao Man shot him a sidelong glance. "You already took several of my pictures."

"Fine. I have a camera, anyway. I’ll take some pictures of myself when I have time, get them developed, and give them to you."

"Don’t develop too many, and don’t just give your photo to anyone. If I find out, I’ll hunt them down sooner or later!"

"You know, for filling out forms at school and stuff, and later for work, I’ll have to submit photos."

"Those are ID photos. I’ll reluctantly allow those. But for any forms or student IDs, once they expire and you don’t need them anymore, you have to take the photos off and give them back to me!"

Xiao Man: ...

’Are we talking about your photos or mine now?’

Gu Shaojun ruffled Xiao Man’s hair. "Those Amulets—no matter how many you have or where you got them—you keep them for yourself. You need to protect yourself. You can give them to family, but don’t be too casual about giving them to others. Without the Amulets, everyone lives a normal life. But once something like this appears and people find out what it can do, who wouldn’t want one? You have to understand that the human heart is unpredictable. Our country is very peaceful and stable right now, so major accidents are rare, but to avoid causing unnecessary trouble for yourself, you absolutely must be cautious! If anything seems off, tell the adults immediately—the two grandpas, the two dads, or find Shaolian and the others. Any of them will do!"

"I understand. What do you mean, ’two dads’? I..."

Gu Shaojun chuckled. "Mr. Tang and my dad. If you include Uncle Qingyun, that makes three!"

"Hmph!" Xiao Man’s hair was getting all messed up. She shook her head back and forth, trying to escape his clutches, but Gu Shaojun wouldn’t let go, continuing to pat her head and lecture her.

"When we go into the front hall, you’ll see some rather unusual people, including Ancient Martial Practitioners from outside our families. Our Huaxia Country has a legacy of Ancient Martial Arts. While practitioners aren’t overwhelmingly numerous, there’s certainly a fair number of them. Naturally, these people all want to advance, achieve breakthroughs, and obtain extraordinary power. But in addition to talent, an extraordinary constitution, and perseverance, some rare herbs can also play a vital supporting role. Some of these herbs are incredibly hard to find and have astonishing effects—they’re known as Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures! The fact that you’ve inherited the legacy of a renowned physician, can cultivate rare herbs, and can produce such a peerless Cultivation Technique is more than enough to make any Ancient Martial Artist covet what you have. Secrets never stay secret for long. Now that you’ve made a public appearance, we can’t guarantee that someone won’t harbor ill intentions toward you. That’s why, Xiao Man, Grandpa and I have discussed it, and we want to arrange for people to follow you in secret and protect you at all times."

"I don’t need that. Besides, doing so would be even more conspicuous and attract more attention. Brother Shaojun, you have to trust me. If I can give you a Cultivation Technique like that, I can protect myself. In any situation, as long as I’m careful and don’t get dragged into a prolonged fight, I can get away completely unscathed!"

"Are you sure?" Gu Shaojun stared into her clear eyes. "I can’t take that risk! What if something unexpected happens and you make a mistake? Without you, I’d just be a walking corpse. My life would be meaningless!"