The silence stretched long that everyone slowly started getting uncomfortable, and Bai Lingling was totally fine with that.
She knew that most people were uncomfortable with silence so this was totally going her way.
Her Uncle Yun Haisheng must have felt the awkwardness in the air because he suddenly let out a laugh that sounded like someone stepped on a rooster.
"Yan Hai, why are you suddenly speechless after seeing your sister Qingqing?" he said loudly, like he was performing for the entire street.
"Qingqing, don't mind him. Yan Hai has always been shy. After leaving the capital for so long, he has been thinking about you every day. The moment he heard you arrived in Yunhe City he was so delighted he almost fainted from excitement."
Bai Lingling stared at him calmly, but inside her head she was already rolling her eyes into another dimension.
Thinking about me every day?
Sir, please.This man can barely look at my face without gagging. If he ever thought about me, it was probably because a fly flew past him and reminded him of ugliness.
But Bai Lingling didn't speak. She wasn't blind. Lin Xiaoyu, standing shyly behind her like a terrified rabbit with a broom, tugged lightly at Bai Lingling's sleeve and whispered, "Young miss… he doesn't look excited at all…"
Bai Lingling resisted the urge to pat Xiaoyu's head and say, "Exactly, sweetheart, exactly," but she held her tongue.
Yan Hai's lips moved a little, like he wanted to say something polite.
But then Yun Haisheng shot him a quick look the kind of look abusive parents give their children in public and Yan Hai instantly shut up and nodded stiffly like a puppet.
Bai Lingling watched their little exchange with mild boredom.
She could kill all three of them right here if she truly wanted to. Even with her core damaged and her strength crippled, she still had enough demonic instinct in her veins.
That instinct kept whispering in her ear ever since she woke up in this weak body:
Kill. End them. Remove the noise. Rip out the disrespect.
She shut the voice down with an irritated sigh.
Not now.
Killing them now would be too messy, and honestly, she was too hungry to deal with the aftermath. Also, she had barely started rebuilding her cultivation. If she let that demonic impulse rise too much, she might really lose control and bite someone's head off..
Lin Xiaoyu glanced up at her nervously. "Young miss… are you okay? Your eyes look… sharp."
"Oh, I'm fine," Bai Lingling said softly, forcing a gentle smile even though internally she was trying not to imagine slamming Yun Haisheng's head into the dusty chair behind him.
This entire conversation was wasting her time.
She wanted to cultivate.
She wanted peace.
She wanted food.
Not this nonsense.
But she continued standing there politely, letting them talk, waiting for the moment she could excuse herself before the demonic part of her brain convinced her to start her revenge arc early.
"How about this? Let us all take a seat and continue our conversation," Yun Haisheng said, as if he owned the place.
He wandered toward a chair like he was strolling in his own manor, ready to sit, but the moment he noticed the thick layer of dust on the seat, his entire face twisted as though he had seen a corpse.
Bai Lingling raised a brow, her patience already thinning.
So this man did know what disgust was?
Yet he still dared give her this broken, dirty residence as if she were a stray cat?
And now he even wanted to sit comfortably in the filth he had prepared for her?
She almost laughed.
Almost.
Yun Haisheng flicked his fingers sharply. "You two, clean it."
The two guards at the door stiffened. They absolutely did not like Yun Haisheng...even though this was their first time actually seeing him...but he was still technically the elder of their young miss.
Because of this, they swallowed their irritation, rolled up their sleeves, and stepped forward.
Lin Xiaoyu tugged Bai Lingling's sleeve desperately from behind, whispering so softly even rats would have to lean in. "Young miss, shall we… shall we give them a better cloth? This place is too dirty, what if the dust flies into your eyes…"
Bai Lingling gave her a flat stare.
Xiaoyu responded by hiding halfway behind a pillar again, clutching her imaginary courage like a pastry.
Just when the guards were about to touch the chair...
"I have been sitting the entire journey," Bai Lingling said suddenly, her tone light and gentle. "Now my legs are numb. Let us all simply stand and speak."
The guards froze at their young miss words, for a moment they almost thought their mistress had said it in purpose, but then they remembered all the news they had heard with their young miss being in love with Yan Hai so they quickly dismissed the bold thought.
Yet they still felt secretly happy about their young miss decisions.
Yun Haisheng froze. Even Yan Hai looked confused for a moment. In the past, Yun Qingqing would always rush to clean the chair herself, tripping over her own feet just to please them.
But now? She stood there calmly, not lifting a single finger. Yun Haisheng's smile trembled. Since their guest wasn't sitting, they of course couldn't either. He forced a laugh that sounded like it hurt his throat.
"Of course, Qingqing. That is fine. No need to sit."
The guards exchanged a glance full of admiration. Miss really grew up… she is no longer scared of them… But then they also felt sad.
Miss must truly cherish these people to speak so politely. She is too kind-hearted. She cannot even see that these people dislike her. Poor young miss, her heart is too soft…
Meanwhile, Bai Lingling kept her polite little smile, but inside she was already losing her patience.
Why were these people talking so much?
Did they think she summoned them here?
She didn't even want to see their shadows.
Her face may have looked calm, but in her heart she was already imagining one thousand ways to throw them out of her residence.
Preferably through the window.
She stood there quietly, pretending to listen, but all she truly wanted was some silence and maybe a bowl of warm porridge.
Yet here she was, trapped with two snakes and a peacock.
And Xiaoyu lightly tapped her sleeve again, whispering with righteous indignation, "Young miss, that uncle is too bold. He looked at you as if you were… dusty. Should I bring the pan again…?"