Chapter 40: Honestly, I Have No Idea

Xuanyuan Jin, "..."

Panting heavily.

Wang Zhong, "..."

Wang Zhong glanced from his young master to the little sugar宝贝—his heart clenched in silent dread.

This girl had more nerve than a firecracker in a storm.

Sure, he wanted his master to live a little more—breathe, laugh, maybe even curse once in a while—but not at the cost of turning him into a walking coughing fit!

He quickly stepped in with a grin, bowing slightly toward his master. "Young Master, Sugar Baby’s just a child—innocent, sweet, doesn’t know any better. Please don’t take it personally."

Besides, she’d just handed over a *Juzi Fruit*—a rare treasure that could make a cultivator’s eyes water with envy.

Xuanyuan Jin shot Wang Zhong a death glare so icy it could freeze a river.

Innocent? Sweet?

She was *insufferable*. *Unbearable*. *Unforgivable*.

Wang Zhong rubbed his nose, flashing a sheepish smile under the weight of those piercing eyes. Then, lowering his voice, he turned to the little girl.

"Sweetie… did you have any more of that fruit?"

Shaking her head vigorously, she chirped, "No no!"

Then, with a proud little flourish, she flipped open her tiny satchel for inspection.

Wang Zhong’s face fell. Disappointment painted his features like a faded ink stain.

"Alright… then… where’d you get it?"

Another head shake. "No clue."

Don’t ask. Don’t even think about it.

At her age, knowing was suspicious. Not knowing? That was normal. Natural. Expected.

Wang Zhong sighed.

Staring at the barely coherent little girl, he felt a dull throb behind his temples.

He turned to Su Liuhu.

"Su Young Master," he asked, eyes alight with sudden hope, "where did your sister get that fruit?"

Su Liuhu scratched his head thoughtfully, then shrugged. "Dunno. Maybe she just picked it off a bush somewhere?"

Wang Zhong froze.

That kind of answer was *not* acceptable when the topic was a Juzi Fruit!

"Picked it off a bush?" Wang Zhong nearly choked. "You think Juzi Fruits grow like wild radishes? You can’t just *pluck* one like it’s a berry!"

But Su Liuhu stood firm. "I swear, she just grabbed it! She found gold on the ground last week—why not a fruit?"

Wang Zhong blinked.

...Okay. That actually made sense.

Maybe this family had a knack for miracles.

Still, he’d need to dig deeper.

Perhaps a visit to the Su household was in order.

Meanwhile, the little sugar宝贝’s face twisted into a tiny frown. She pointed a chubby finger at the big black horse.

"Want to give… Red Red… some… but… no more…"

She meant to share the fruit with Red Red—but now there was nothing left.

The big black horse, suddenly remembered, let out a loud, indignant whinny.

Xuanyuan Jin’s face darkened like thunderclouds rolling in.

How dare she offer *horse food* to *him*?

And worse—he’d actually eaten it.

Not only that, he’d looked *regretful* afterward.

"What’s with that face?" Xuanyuan Jin snapped.

Little Sugar Baby stared at the disappointed horse, her expression pure sorrow. No mistaking it.

Xuanyuan Jin stared back.

Was he really less worthy than a beast?

"Rude! Impertinent! You—"

"Li xiang… will no friends!"
The little girl cut him off mid-rant.

"You’ll have no friends if you act like that!"

With genuine concern, she gave him a gentle warning.

Xuanyuan Jin froze.

Friends? He didn’t want friends. He didn’t *need* them.

Wang Zhong saw his young master turn red with fury again and frantically waved his hands at Sugar Baby.

Seeing the old servant’s pleading look, Sugar Baby decided to forgive the grumpy little boy.

"Six Guo guo… we go home…"

Su Liuhu didn’t understand much, but he caught the gist.

"Got it! Six Brother carries you home!"

He knelt down in front of her.

She didn’t like being held, so he’d carry her instead.

Sugar Baby settled comfortably onto his back, then turned around and waved goodbye to Wang Zhong.

"Bye-bye!"

"Goodbye, Sugar Baby! Come play again anytime—I’ll have Aunt Fat bake you cakes!"

Wang Zhong beamed, though a hint of sadness lingered in his voice.

"Uh-huh."

She nodded, then waved at the big black horse.

"Red Red bye-bye!"

The horse let out a long, mournful cry.

Xuanyuan Jin watched as the girl said farewell to a horse—ignoring him completely.

His jaw tightened.

So this was how it was going to be.

"From now on, she’s not allowed inside. If she sneaks in, no treats. Even if she eats, she can’t take anything home. Not a crumb."

Wang Zhong: "..."

Wait—was the rule *no entry*, or *no snacks*, or *no stealing leftovers*?

Sugar Baby glanced at her little basket, now empty except for crumbs.

Huh. Maybe this little brat wasn’t so bad after all.

Kind of cute, actually.