Chapter 508 - 504: Lan Yuexin Invites Yun Qianyue
Chapter 508: Chapter 504: Lan Yuexin Invites Yun Qianyue
"Grand Shopkeeper?"
Fang Han was slightly taken aback.
His father, Fang Zheng, was originally from a side branch of the Fang Family and had never stood out in the clan. He had only served as an accountant in a small shop in the city.
Now, he had become a Grand Shopkeeper in charge of dozens of stores, managing the livelihoods of several hundred people. The change was nothing short of immense.
"Your father, well, he complains about being tired, but deep down, he’s overjoyed."
Lin Wan said with a smile.
"He left the house at the crack of dawn today. When I said a word or two about it, he had a ready excuse, saying, ’With our son being so successful, his father can’t go and embarrass him.’"
Hearing his mother imitate his father’s tone, Fang Han couldn’t help but chuckle.
Just then, a set of vigorous footsteps approached from outside the courtyard gate, accompanied by hearty laughter.
"Han’er, you’re really back? I thought the men were pulling my leg!"
Before the words had faded, Fang Zheng strode into the courtyard.
He was dressed in a brand-new, dark blue brocade robe, with a jade belt at his waist and black boots on his feet. He looked much more spirited than he had a few months ago.
"It’s good you’re back, it’s good you’re back."
Fang Zheng’s eyes swept over Fang Han from top to bottom before he clapped him firmly on the shoulder.
The hand was rough and strong, its palm calloused from years of holding a writing brush. The warmth of his palm seeped through the fabric, carrying the silent, profound strength unique to a father.
The family sat down in the main hall. A Maid served hot tea and pastries, then retreated silently.
Fang Ying nestled beside her mother, playing with the new pair of jade bracelets on her wrist. She would occasionally lift her hand to look at them in the light, her little face filled with delight.
Fang Zheng picked up his teacup and took a sip to moisten his slightly dry throat. He then set it down, his gaze returning to Fang Han as he began to recount, one by one, everything that had happened at home while Fang Han was away.
Fang Han listened quietly, nodding from time to time and occasionally interjecting with a question or two.
When Fang Zheng had mostly finished, Fang Han set down his own teacup and looked at his father.
"Dad, are you enjoying your work as Grand Shopkeeper? If it’s too tiring, it’s fine if you want to quit the job."
"My passive income alone is at least several hundred thousand silver a month now. It’s more than enough to cover the family’s expenses, so you can just relax and enjoy life."
Hearing this, Fang Zheng shook his head.
"It’s not tiring at all. I just occasionally visit the shops, look over the ledgers, and check the revenue. It’s quite a leisurely job."
"Besides, the pay is excellent, and there are many allowances. It’s far beyond what I could have ever earned as an accountant in that little shop."
He then added with a smile.
"If you made me sit idle, I’d just feel restless all over."
He picked up his teacup, took another sip, and set it down.
"You know, I’ve never had any great skills in my life. The height of my career was being an accountant for a small shop. Now I’m managing dozens of stores... to be honest."
Fang Zheng paused, a faint glimmer of light flickering in the depths of his eyes. It was a pride he rarely showed, the pride of a middle-aged man.
"I really do like this job."
Looking at his father’s face, wrinkled yet beaming with excitement, Fang Han didn’t try to persuade him further.
"Since you like it, Dad, then you should keep doing it. If you run into any trouble, just tell the Patriarch."
"I know."
Fang Zheng nodded.
Lin Wan sat to the side, watching the father and son exchange words, unable to suppress the smile on her face.
She took a delicate sip from her teacup, set it down, and let her gaze drift over Fang Han’s face before suddenly speaking.
"Han’er."
Her tone was unhurried, yet it carried a profound, suggestive weight.
Fang Han’s hand, holding his teacup, paused. He had a vague, sinking feeling.
Lin Wan set down her teacup, her gentle eyes looking at Fang Han.
"When your father was your age, he had already married me. You should start thinking about it, too."
Fang Han put down his teacup and gave a helpless smile.
"Mom, I’m only twenty. Why are you already pushing me to get married?"
"Twenty is still young?"
Lin Wan shot him a reproachful glare.
"Look around Liangshui City! Which twenty-year-old man isn’t already betrothed? When I was your age, you were already running around."
Fang Han opened his mouth, but for a moment, he was at a loss for a rebuttal.
"However, I’m not an unreasonable person."
Lin Wan changed her tune, her voice softening as a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes.
"Given your current status, choosing a wife can’t be done hastily. We’ll discuss it again when you’ve found a girl you like."
Fang Han fell silent for a moment. Unbidden, an image of a pair of cool, detached eyes surfaced in his mind.
The face was covered by a purple veil, revealing only the eyes, yet they were as clear as the waters of a frozen pool. Occasionally, when she looked at him, a faint, almost imperceptible glint would flash deep within them.
’Those are the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen.’
"Speaking of a girl I like... there is one, actually."
Fang Han said slowly, his voice a little softer than before.
Lin Wan’s eyes immediately lit up. She leaned forward slightly, her tone filled with impatience.
"Which family is she from? What’s her name? How old is she? What does she look like?"
This barrage of questions was a bit much for Fang Han to handle. He quickly raised a hand in surrender.
"Her name is Yun Qianyue. She’s a Sect Disciple who joined the same year I did."
Meeting his mother’s ever-brightening gaze, Fang Han did his best to keep his voice calm.
"Her personality is a bit cold, but she’s a very good person."
"Yun Qianyue..."
Lin Wan repeated the name softly to herself twice, growing more and more pleased with it the more she said it.
Although she didn’t know the girl’s family background, since she was a disciple of the Qingxuan Sect, her talent must be exceptional. And from Fang Han’s description, her personality was cold but not bad, so she must be a good girl.
"When will you bring her home for me to see?"
Lin Wan asked eagerly.
Her eagerness left Fang Han not knowing whether to laugh or cry. He shook his head.
"Mom, I need to discuss it with her first. If she agrees, I’ll bring her to meet you all at the end of the year."
"Good, good, good!"
Lin Wan nodded repeatedly, her gentle face beaming with joy, as if she were going to meet her future daughter-in-law the very next day.
Although Fang Zheng didn’t say much, the corners of his stern face were clearly turned up more than before.
Fang Ying, nestled beside her mother, listened with partial understanding. She only grasped that her older brother seemed to be bringing a "big sister" home. Her big, dark eyes darted back and forth before she suddenly asked in a clear voice:
"Is big brother bringing sister-in-law home?"
Her innocent words left Fang Han speechless. Lin Wan burst out laughing, pulling Fang Ying into her arms.
Fang Han shook his head helplessly, but the corners of his mouth turned up in an unconscious smile.
Night fell, and the countless lights of Liangshui City went out one by one.
Lying in bed, Fang Han listened to the faint sound of the Night Watchman’s clapper in the distance and Fang Ying’s even breathing from the next room. He slowly closed his eyes.
He slept soundly and dreamlessly through the night.
The next morning, Fang Han woke up. After bidding farewell to his parents and little sister, he pushed open the courtyard gate and disappeared into the streets of Liangshui City, bathed in the faint light of dawn.
Once outside the city gates, Fang Han stood by the main road, took out the full map of the Great Chu Dynasty, and spread it on the ground to have a look.
Wangxi County and Qingyang County were separated by five other counties.
Traveling through Donglu County was the most direct route.
However, he had made enemies of the Red Flame Sect and Thunderlight Pavilion back in Donglu County. Going that way would be like walking into a trap.
’I’ll take a detour through Songquan County.’
Fang Han folded the map, his gaze turning to the east.
Going through Songquan County would add nearly a thousand miles to his journey.
But it had the advantage of being safe, avoiding the risk of being ambushed and killed by experts from the Red Flame Sect and Thunderlight Pavilion.
With his mind made up, Fang Han no longer hesitated.
SWOOSH!
He activated Wind God Step, and his figure transformed into a barely perceptible streak of azure light, speeding down the main road in the direction of Songquan County.
The morning wind howled in his ears as the scenery on both sides blurred and receded.
’Wangxi County.’
’What exactly is hidden at the location marked on the Treasure Map?’
His heart filled with growing anticipation.
...
「In the Sub-Branch, at the first light of dawn.」
Yun Qianyue sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion in her Quiet Chamber. The aura around her slowly receded, returning to a state of tranquility like an ebbing tide.
She opened her eyes. A wisp of pale blue Essence flashed in their cool depths before vanishing.
Within her meridians, the flowing, pale blue Inner Qi had become even more condensed. She was now just a hair’s breadth away from the bottleneck leading to the Sixth Grade.
In less than three years since joining the sect, she had already reached the peak of the Late Stage of Seventh Grade. Looking across the entire Qingxuan Sect, or even among all the disciples of the same generation in the county, few could match such progress, save for Fang Han. She was truly worthy of being called a genius.
Yun Qianyue finished her cultivation as usual, stood up, and straightened her dress.
Just then, there was a soft knock on her door.
"Senior Sister Yun, are you there? There’s an invitation for you."
The voice was unfamiliar, tinged with a careful, restrained tone.
Yun Qianyue walked over and opened the door. Outside stood a young man in a servant disciple’s robe, holding a letter tied with a pale blue silk ribbon. He bowed and presented it with both hands.
"Who sent this?"
Yun Qianyue asked in her cool voice as she took the letter.
The servant disciple answered with his head lowered:
"Reporting to Senior Sister, it was sent by someone from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion in Qingxuan City. They said it must be delivered into your hands personally."
"The Hundred Treasures Pavilion?"
A flicker of light crossed Yun Qianyue’s eyes. She took a small piece of silver from her sleeve and handed it to him.
The servant disciple hurriedly thanked her, bowed, and retreated.
She closed the door, her gaze falling upon the letter.
The front of the envelope was addressed ’To Yun Qianyue, Personal’ in an elegant, small script. In the corner was a small peony seal—the very emblem of Lan Yuexin from the Hundred Treasures Pavilion.
She broke the seal and unfolded the letter.
The handwriting was graceful and gentle, the phrasing proper and sincere. It was an invitation from Lan Yuexin, the Steward of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion’s Qingxuan City branch. She wrote that she had long admired Yun Qianyue’s name and wished to invite her for a meeting at the Hundred Treasures Pavilion at noon that day.
’Lan Yuexin.’
Yun Qianyue closed the letter, a thoughtful expression appearing in the eyes visible beyond her purple veil.
The Hundred Treasures Pavilion was one of the top three merchant guilds in the county. As a Steward in charge of a region, this Lan Yuexin had recently opened a branch in Qingxuan City; of course, she had heard of her.
It was said that despite her youth, she was an exceptionally skilled businesswoman. The profits of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion’s Jinhuang City branch had multiplied several times over under her management.
’But I’ve never had any dealings with her. Why would she suddenly invite me to be her guest?’
She fell silent for a moment before putting the letter away.
’If I can’t figure it out, I’ll just go and see for myself.’