Chapter 442 - 274: Why Does He Hide
Chapter 442: Chapter 274: Why Does He Hide
Chen Yi, of course, had no idea that Immortal Bai had seen him out and about last night. Still, he wouldn’t doubt the accuracy of his intelligence prompts.
And so,
he was left with a sense of regret, like someone who could have taken both the watermelon and the sesame seeds but ended up with only one.
Even if Immortal Bai offered him no guidance, simply being on good terms with the man would be of great benefit to his future.
It was a matter of timing and fate.
Chen Yi shook his head to himself and put the matter out of his mind.
He glanced over at Chen Yunfan, thought for a moment, and asked, "Brother, you haven’t had lunch yet, have you?"
Chen Yunfan raised an eyebrow. "What, you finally remembered that I’m standing here under the eaves of your Jishi Medicine Hall?"
Chen Yi let out a surprised laugh. Without another word, he greeted Liu Quan and the others, then led his brother to the tavern next door.
It was the very same tavern Xiao Wan’er had brought him to before.
The shop was small, and the air thick with the heat and aroma from the kitchen.
The place was filled with smoke and heat, and packed to the brim with wandering martial artists.
People from all corners of the land were gathered together, and even the most reserved person couldn’t help but be swept up in the ordinary, bustling atmosphere.
They would exchange a few words, boast a little, then raise their cups with a hearty, "I’ve long admired your name!"
Evidently, these wandering martial artists, who had originally come hoping to catch a glimpse of Immortal Bai, were completely unaware of his arrival.
"Shu State has been really bustling lately."
"Immortal Bai is coming, and so are those horse bandits and barbarians."
"Don’t talk nonsense. If the Barbarian Race really invades Great Wei again, it’ll be a catastrophe for everyone."
"Right, let’s just talk about Immortal Bai instead..."
The two brothers, Chen Yi and Chen Yunfan, naturally had no interest in joining such gossip.
They had already met Immortal Bai.
And they had already discussed the matter of King Landu of Poshisu Country and the Barbarian Race.
So, for once, they set aside their usual playful bickering and ate in peace, only speaking a few words from time to time.
Though it was just small talk, with their combined insight and perspective, they could clarify a whole matter in just a few sentences.
After three rounds of drinks,
Chen Yunfan set down his cup and smiled. "Before I came to Shu State, the last time you and I sat at the same table was five years ago."
"Back then, Father had just departed for the Western Regions."
"You had just returned from Jinling."
"Mother had a full banquet prepared and invited you, me, Old Four, Old Six, and the others."
At this, Chen Yunfan looked at Chen Yi and continued, a touch of wistful emotion in his voice:
"To be honest, I thought our reunion would be in the Capital Prefecture. I even imagined seeing both our names on the imperial honor roll."
"I never imagined that after that dinner, I’d go off to pursue my studies, and the next time we met would be here, in Shu State of all places."
Chen Yi met his gaze with a smile. "It was a matter of timing and fate."
The scene from that night surfaced in his mind—
Cui Yu’s smile was gentle; she looked at him and his brothers without a hint of judgment.
Chen Yunfan was his usual boisterous self, constantly teasing "Chen Yi" about the farewell poem he’d written for their father, Chen Xuanji.
Old Four, Chen He, was half a year older than Chen Yi, born to another of Chen Xuanji’s concubines.
He had been strong and powerful since childhood, with an exceptional talent for the Martial Arts. By the age of fifteen, he had already reached Seventh Grade cultivation.
At every meal, he spoke the least and ate the most.
Old Six, Chen Yu, was a year younger than Chen Yi and Chen Yunfan’s full-blooded brother.
He had no interest in the Martial Arts or his studies, preferring to spend his time having fun.
It had been an ordinary dinner, yet unexpectedly, the very next day, the previous owner of his body was locked in the woodshed.
’Now that he thought about it, Chen Yi did recall something odd.’
’It seemed there was more to that incident than met the eye.’
Chen Yunfan, unaware of his brother’s thoughts, poured two more cups of wine, raised his, and said:
"Since things are as they are, there’s no point in me saying more. It’s all in this cup."
Chen Yi returned to the present, raising his cup to clink it against his brother’s.
CLINK.
They both downed their cups, met each other’s eyes with a smile, and then picked up their chopsticks to eat.
"I hear that ever since you married into the Xiao Family, Xiao Jinghong has been away?"
"Yes, she has military duties and can’t get away."
"Can she really not get away, or is she deliberately avoiding you?"
"Perhaps... a bit of both?"
"So, what’s your impression of her?"
"Wait, don’t tell me. Let me guess—you quite like her, don’t you?"
Chen Yi froze at his words, uncharacteristically hesitant.
After a moment’s thought, he admitted frankly, "I do."
Though he and Xiao Jinghong had only met a few times, he still remembered the first time he saw her one afternoon.
He had been standing by a pond, holding an earthworm in his hand.
And there, in the faintly golden sunlight, he saw a beautiful figure.
Valiant and striking, she was truly extraordinary.
’Even if he never said it aloud, the marriage was a done deal. Xiao Jinghong was his destiny in this life.’
’Besides, as carefree as his personality was, he wasn’t the type to repay kindness with malice.’
’At least, as long as the Xiao Family didn’t wrong him, he wouldn’t think of leaving.’
’Call him someone who just muddled through life, perhaps.’
’But this place was, after all, his home now.’
At that thought, Chen Yi looked at Chen Yunfan and changed the subject. "Enough about me. What about you and Miss Cui?"
Any thought Chen Yunfan had of continuing his teasing vanished. His voice grew wistful. "I don’t know."
He paused, then said with a serious expression, "Thinking about it, I don’t actually hate Qingwu. What I hate is the marriage alliance between the Chen Family and the Cui Family."
’A marriage alliance...’
Chen Yi suddenly understood. He had a good idea of what his brother was feeling.
’Perhaps in Chen Yunfan’s mind, a relationship tainted by family interests couldn’t be pure.’
"So, you don’t actually dislike Miss Cui?"
"I do! Of course I do."
Chen Yunfan said stubbornly, "You have no idea how annoying she is, pestering me all day."
"Like this trip to Shu State. I have no idea how she found out, but she followed me here. It’s just..."
Just then, a figure walked in from outside, shot Chen Yunfan a sideways glance, and asked: