The Huo Family's Troublesome Maid

Chapter 22: Chapter 22: The Library’s Secret

Xi Yunxui had nearly finished the gardening work when a servant hurried over to her.

”Miss Yunxui.”

Xi Yunxui straightened from the flowerbed she had been tending.

”Yes?”

”The Master is asking for you.”

Her hand paused.

The Master?

For a moment, Xi Yunxui’s mind immediately went to the events of the previous night.

Could it be about the book?

The ancient book she had repaired had produced that strange golden light. She had seen it with Huo Jingchen, and although he had told her not to mention it to anyone, his father had eventually discovered that something had happened in the library.

Did someone tell him?

She wiped her hands against her apron.

”Alright. I’ll go immediately.”

As she followed the servant toward the main residence, several possibilities ran through her mind.

Perhaps Huo Jingchen had told his father.

Perhaps his father had noticed something strange.

Or perhaps—

Maybe the Master just wants to ask me to clean something.

That was probably the most reasonable explanation.

Unfortunately, Xi Yunxui had already learned that nothing in this modern household was ever as simple as it looked.

When she entered the living room, she immediately saw Huo Jingchen’s father seated comfortably on the main sofa.

Beside him sat his wife, Su Meilan.

The couple looked relaxed, but Xi Yunxui noticed that the Master had a serious expression.

She walked over and stopped a respectful distance away.

”Good morning, Master. Good morning, Madam.”

Su Meilan smiled gently.

”Good morning, Yunxui.”

The Master nodded.

”Come closer.”

Xi Yunxui obeyed.

The middle-aged man studied her for a moment before asking,

”Were you the one who repaired the ancient book in the library last night?”

There it was.

The question she had been expecting.

Xi Yunxui nodded honestly.

”Yes, Master.”

The Master didn’t immediately respond.

Instead, a smile slowly appeared on his face.

Xi Yunxui couldn’t help becoming slightly nervous.

Was that a good smile?

Or the kind of smile people gave before asking difficult questions?

Then the Master reached into his pocket.

He brought out a small key.

Xi Yunxui looked at it curiously.

”This is the key to the library.”

Her eyes brightened.

”The library?”

”Yes.”

He placed the key in her palm.

”You said you wanted to tidy it after repairing the book. From today onward, you have my permission to enter whenever necessary.”

Xi Yunxui stared at the key.

For someone who had lived in an ancient era where books were precious and libraries were places she could only dream about entering freely, this was practically a treasure.

But she controlled her expression.

She simply lowered her head politely.

”Thank you, Master.”

Su Meilan chuckled softly.

”You look quite happy.”

Xi Yunxui immediately shook her head.

”No, Madam.”

Her expression was completely serious.

”I am simply grateful.”

Su Meilan smiled wider.

The Master shook his head in amusement.

”Go on, then.”

”Yes, Master.”

Xi Yunxui carefully closed her fingers around the key.

She couldn’t wait to see the library again.

---

A short while later, Xi Yunxui stood before the library door.

She inserted the key.

Click.

The lock opened.

The moment she pushed the door inward, she was greeted by the familiar scent of old paper.

Her eyes immediately lit up.

There were shelves everywhere.

Ancient books.

Scrolls.

Old manuscripts.

Some were neatly arranged, while others had been left untouched for years.

Xi Yunxui stepped inside.

”Beautiful...”

She quickly remembered herself.

I’m here to work.

She tied her hair back and got to work.

Dusting the shelves.

Cleaning the tables.

Sorting books.

Carefully arranging manuscripts.

Whenever she encountered an old book, she handled it with extreme care.

She had already been warned that these books were precious.

So she treated every one of them as though it were a fragile treasure.

After nearly an hour, the library already looked noticeably cleaner.

Xi Yunxui picked up another ancient book.

She wiped the cover gently.

Then—

Buzz.

She froze.

A faint golden glow appeared beneath her fingers.

Xi Yunxui slowly lowered the cloth.

”...Again?”

The characters written across the book began glowing.

Golden light seeped from between the pages.

She stared.

Before she could react—

Buzz!

Another book began glowing.

Xi Yunxui turned.

Then another.

Buzz!

Another.

And another.

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

One after another, the ancient books began illuminating.

Golden characters floated above their pages.

Some formed strange symbols.

Others resembled characters she had never seen before.

Within moments, the entire library was glowing.

Xi Yunxui stood in the middle of it all.

Her mouth fell open.

”What... is happening?”

The golden light reflected across the shelves, turning the entire library into something that looked almost like a sacred temple.

Yet strangely, there was no sound.

No explosion.

No wind.

Just light.

Xi Yunxui slowly took a step backward.

She looked toward the door.

Nobody came rushing inside.

The mansion was relatively quiet at this time of day.

Most of the family members were away, and only a handful of servants were moving around the residence.

Even if someone noticed the strange glow, they probably wouldn’t immediately realize where it was coming from.

Xi Yunxui swallowed.

Then, after several moments—

The glow gradually weakened.

One book stopped glowing.

Then another.

Then another.

Until finally—

Everything returned to normal.

The library fell silent.

Xi Yunxui stood there in stunned silence.

She slowly looked at the book in her hand.

Then at the shelves.

Then back at the book.

”Did...”

She blinked.

”...I imagine that?”

She rubbed her eyes.

Nothing changed.

The books looked completely ordinary.

Xi Yunxui frowned.

”System.”

No response.

”System?”

Still nothing.

She waited.

Eventually, the familiar voice finally answered.

[Yes, host?]

”Do you know why all the books were glowing?”

Silence.

A rather suspiciously long silence.

Xi Yunxui narrowed her eyes.

”...You don’t know?”

[Correct.]

Xi Yunxui stared at the ceiling.

For some reason, she felt that the system was hiding something.

”You’re lying.”

[...]

The system went silent again.

Xi Yunxui crossed her arms.

”I knew it.”

[The system is not lying.]

”Then why did you hesitate?”

[Because the system was analyzing the situation.]

Xi Yunxui raised an eyebrow.

”Analyzing?”

[Yes.]

Another pause.

[There is an unusual concentration of spiritual energy within this library.]

Xi Yunxui’s expression changed.

”Spiritual energy?”

[Yes.]

Her heart began beating faster.

The system continued.

[The spiritual energy here is considerably stronger than what is normally found in the surrounding environment.]

Xi Yunxui looked around the ancient library.

Her gaze slowly moved across the rows of books.

”So...”

She swallowed.

”Are the books reacting to the spiritual energy?”

There was another brief silence.

[Possibly.]

Xi Yunxui frowned.

”Possibly?”

[The system cannot determine the exact cause at this time.]

She wasn’t completely satisfied with that answer.

But before she could ask anything else, a strange thought suddenly occurred to her.

What if the books aren’t reacting to the library’s spiritual energy?

What if they’re reacting to me?

Xi Yunxui slowly looked down at her hands.

For some reason, the thought made her heart race.

She remembered the golden light from the previous night.

She remembered the strange ancient book restoring itself beneath her hands.

And now—

Every book in this library had reacted.

Xi Yunxui’s expression gradually became serious.

Perhaps her arrival in this modern world wasn’t as ordinary as she had initially believed.