The Heiress’s Devoted Male Servant - Chapter 1:

Chapter 1: Beloved Family and Friends.

The morning light of June filtered through the broken window lattice of the Daoist temple, casting mottled shadows across the bluestone floor.

Xie Yuan knelt on the prayer mat and steadily placed the 3 sticks of incense in his hand into the incense burner. Wisps of pale smoke curled upward.

‘Master, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother.’

He silently recited each name in his heart, just as he had done every day for the past year.

For as long as he could remember, this Daoist temple, cut off from the outside world in the mountains and forests, had been his home. His master and his 6 senior brothers had been all the family he had.

But now, the row of spirit tablets had grown from 7 to 13.

When his master passed away, he was still too young to remember anything. When Eldest Brother died, he had only just learned to walk. By the time Second Brother and Third Brother died, he had begun forming memories. Then Fourth Brother, Fifth Brother, Sixth Brother…

One after another, he had sent them away. Until 1 year ago, when his 69-year-old Sixth Brother quietly closed his eyes beside him on a winter morning.

Xie Yuan lifted his head and looked at the names on the spirit tablets, then let out a soft sigh.

Before Sixth Brother left, he had said that Master once claimed Xie Yuan was destined to encounter a romantic blessing, and that it would work on only 1 person.

Once he met her, his next life would be rich and noble, free from worries over food and clothing.

However, today was his 12th birthday. In this vast Daoist temple, there was not even a single person to talk to him. Where was this so-called romantic blessing supposed to come from?

His stomach gave an untimely growl. Xie Yuan rubbed his sunken belly and stood up with a worried look.

The last half bowl of coarse rice porridge left from yesterday had already been finished. The rice jar was completely empty, so clean that he could not scrape out even a single grain.

At that moment, a low rumble came from the distance.

Xie Yuan frowned and walked to the entrance of the Daoist temple to look outside.

At the end of the dirt road winding through the forest, several black sedans were slowly driving along the bumpy mountain path.

He had lived in this mountain forest for 12 years, and the number of cars he had seen in total was no more than 5. Now so many had arrived at once, which truly left him confused.

The black sedans stopped in the open space in front of the Daoist temple.

The car doors opened. The first to step out were 2 young women in business attire. After getting out, they did not rush inside. Instead, they turned back and opened the rear door.

A pair of black high heels stepped onto the ground covered in gravel and weeds.

Xie Yuan followed those long, slender legs upward with his gaze. A black hip-hugging skirt, a fitted black suit jacket, a fair neck, and finally, a face that made him freeze.

She was an extremely beautiful woman. Her features were delicate and aloof, and there was a distant coldness between her brows that did not match her age.

Her long black hair fell behind her head, revealing a face so cool and restrained that it barely showed any expression.

She stood there, forming a strange contrast with this dilapidated Daoist temple, as if she had accidentally fallen from some unreachable place into this barren mountain wilderness.

The 2 women who had stepped out first were clearly her assistants, following behind her on the left and right.

The 3 of them looked over the Daoist temple before them, their eyes filled with unconcealed surprise.

The temple was indeed terribly run-down.

Vines had crawled all over the bluish-gray brick walls. Several wooden beams were exposed outside, blackened by years of wind and rain.

The leading woman withdrew her gaze from the Daoist temple and looked at the child standing at the entrance.

The child wore a gray Daoist robe that had been washed until it had faded pale. On his feet was a pair of straw sandals.

He looked no more than 11 years old. He was not tall, and he was as thin as a bamboo pole.

Yet his eyes were exceptionally clear. At that moment, he was watching her with wariness.

The woman raised her brows slightly, as if confirming that she had not seen wrongly.

She walked forward 2 steps. Her high heels made a crisp sound against the gravel as she asked, “You live here?”

Xie Yuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

He did not know who these people were, nor did he know why they had appeared here. However, his instinct told him that they had not come with good intentions.

The moment he nodded, the expressions of the 3 people opposite him became even more interesting.

The 2 female assistants exchanged a glance, both seeing disbelief in each other’s eyes.

Although the leading woman’s face did not change much, her raised brows still betrayed the surprise in her heart.

This mountain forest was uninhabited for several hundred kilometers. The nearest town was on the other side of the mountain, and even by car, it would take nearly 2 hours to reach.

On their way here, there had not even been a proper road, let alone any households.

Yet deep in these mountains, someone actually lived here, and it was a half-grown child at that.

This was the 21st century, after all.

After a brief silence, the woman quickly returned to that faint, indifferent expression.

She took a document out of her suit pocket and unfolded it in front of Xie Yuan.

“This mountain land, spanning several hundred kilometers, has already been purchased by my Song Family. Your Daoist temple was built on this land, so it counts as an illegal structure.”

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the temple roof. “In a while, this place will be demolished.”

Xie Yuan’s mind buzzed.

This Daoist temple was where he had grown up. It was the place his master and senior brothers had built bit by bit. It enshrined all of his family. Every tile here was soaked with more than 10 years of memories.

And now this woman was telling him it had to be demolished?

“Impossible!”

Almost instinctively, Xie Yuan spread his arms and blocked the front of the Daoist temple with his whole body. His eyes widened as he stared at the woman before him.

“This Daoist temple is my home and the home of my 6 senior brothers. If you want to demolish it, I won’t agree!”

The woman frowned slightly, as if this unexpected reaction had become somewhat troublesome.

She did not say much to Xie Yuan. She merely turned her head and glanced at the assistant behind her.

The assistant understood at once and lightly clapped her hands.

The doors of those black sedans opened again. This time, several tall, burly men in black uniforms stepped out.

Each one of them was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted. Just standing there, they gave off an invisible sense of pressure, forming a sharp contrast with the child before them, who was less than 1.5 meters tall.

The corner of Xie Yuan’s mouth twitched, and the arms he had spread out slowly drew back.

He had one advantage as a person. He knew when to bend.

It was just him against at least 6 or 7 burly men. If he insisted on fighting them head-on, he would not even be enough to get stuck between their teeth.

However, he could not just let the matter of the Daoist temple end like this. His mind spun quickly, and he blurted out almost at once, “No, Sister, listen to me. Those urns inside this Daoist temple are all my beloved family and friends, my brothers in life and death! If you demolish the temple, where am I supposed to put my senior brothers’ ashes? They lived here when they were alive, and now that they’re dead, you still want them to move out. That doesn’t seem right, does it?”

The woman had already been preparing to turn and leave, but when she heard this, her footsteps paused. She looked back at him.

There was a faint, almost amused look in those cold eyes. Clearly, she had taken Xie Yuan’s words as some kind of bargaining tactic.

“What do you want?” she asked directly, her tone carrying a faint trace of mockery. “How much money?”

Xie Yuan had only wanted to find an excuse to protect the Daoist temple. He had not expected her to talk about money right away.

His eyes shifted. He gave a dry cough, straightened his back, and tried hard to make himself look less miserable.

“I don’t want money. But if you’re going to demolish my home, you have to find me somewhere to live, right? Also…”

He rubbed his stomach, and his voice unconsciously grew softer. “Food included.”