Chapter 462 - 282: A Fortunate Man’s Blessing
Chapter 462: Chapter 282: A Fortunate Man’s Blessing
He walked out of Qingjing Residence.
Chen Yi glanced back, shook his head to himself, and then followed Third Steward Lu Guan, who was leading him and Wang Ji to Jiaxing Garden.
This trip to the Marquis’s Mansion had accomplished his objective.
The process had gone more or less as he’d expected, without many complications.
But the old master was, after all, a Marquis Wu who had fought on the battlefield for decades.
Most of his attempts to probe for information had gone unanswered.
At most, he could tell that the old master was displeased with Liu Hong and the Jing State Liu Family.
But the old master showed no reaction whatsoever to the "Financier" who had sent the Evil Demonic Dao from Bright Moon Building to the Three Towns.
Chen Yi suspected one of two things: either the old master simply looked down on those merchants, or he was willing but powerless to act.
Of the two, the latter seemed more likely.
As for Fu Wanqing...
Chen Yi had finally managed to offload this "hot potato" onto the Xiao Family.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to get involved in the matter.
He just didn’t want to bear the burden of this secret alone. Ultimately, the Xiao family needed to know.
Only then could he move forward unburdened.
Besides, Fu Wanqing was currently deep in the heart of Barbarian territory. Rescuing her and bringing her back to the Great Wei Dynasty would come at a tremendous cost.
Fu Wanqing might wait her entire life among the Barbarian Race, and a rescue party might never come.
’Under the circumstances, why should I take on this extra trouble?’
’It’s best to wait and see what the old master does next. I’ll act when the time is right.’
’Sigh... once I’ve dealt with this current mess, I’m definitely going back to the Chishui River.’
’I refuse to believe I can’t catch those damn fish with ’A Little Cold Plum’.’
Though Chen Yi’s mind was racing, his expression remained perfectly calm.
He followed Lu Guan toward Jiaxing Garden.
Just then,
[At the third quarter of the Si hour, Duke Dingyuan Xiao Yuan met with Chen Yi, owner of Hundred Herbs Hall. Chen Yi used Great Success Medical Dao to treat the Duke. Xiao Yuan learned that his daughter-in-law, Fu Wanqing, was not dead...]
[Reward: Military Strategy: *Seven Essentials of Martial Arts*. Opportunity +35.]
[Evaluation: Presence confirmed, reputation heard, decorum observed. Excellent performance.]
Before long, the three of them arrived at Jiaxing Garden.
Xiao Wan’er was already waiting at the entrance with Xie Tingyun, Shen Huatang, and a few others.
Strangely, Cui Qingwu and her maid, Huan’er, were also standing by her side.
The sight made Chen Yi frown inwardly.
Xiao Wan’er, however, didn’t give it much thought. Seeing "Chen Yu" arrive, she offered only a faint, polite smile.
She was wearing a plain white cloak, its collar of pure white fur encircling her pale neck, leaving only her rounded chin visible.
Thanks to the nourishing medicinal soups she had been taking, her complexion had a healthy color, a stark contrast to her previous pallor.
It was no longer pale but held a hint of pink, like a plum blossom.
She truly embodied the line from the poem: "Like Jade Steps and Jade Trees, a beauty such as yourself is a rare sight in this world."
"Young Master Chen, I trust you’ve been well."
Chen Yi stopped and gave a calm, slight bow. "Miss Xiao, I returned to Shu State several days ago. Please forgive me for not paying you a visit sooner."
As he straightened, his gaze did not rise above Xiao Wan’er’s waist, a perfect display of decorum.
However, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang—
The cultivation of these two top disciples of the Celestial Sect wasn’t profound, but their perception was keen.
’They’ve likely sensed my current level of cultivation,’ he thought.
Cui Qingwu and Huan’er, in contrast, merely sized him up without showing any particular reaction.
But Chen Yi knew that Cui Qingwu was undoubtedly comparing him to "Liu Wu."
’She’s probably still holding a grudge over the ’poisoning’ incident,’ he mused.
Oblivious to the undercurrents, Xiao Wan’er led him and Wang Ji into Jiaxing Garden and began the introductions.
"This is Miss Cui Qingwu."
"She happens to be visiting the mansion today."
Chen Yi offered a brief, indifferent cupped-fist salute. "Miss Cui. I’ve heard much about you."
Cui Qingwu glanced at him, tilting her head and raising her chin slightly. "Young Master Chen has heard of me?"
"I’ve certainly heard of the proprietor of Yunqing Building."
"Oh, of course. I’d forgotten that Young Master Chen is the owner of Hundred Herbs Hall. Our establishments are both in the West Market."
After a pause, Cui Qingwu let out a soft laugh. "It’s just that Young Master Chen is famously reclusive, so I’ve never had the good fortune to meet you."
"We should interact more in the future. After all, Yunqing Building still relies on the tea from your Hundred Herbs Hall."
Chen Yi simply gave a slight nod in response.
’This woman has completely shed her usual arrogance and is actively trying to make conversation,’ he thought. ’She’s clearly up to no good.’
’I’m not falling for it.’
Moreover, Hundred Herbs Hall had been limiting its tea sales recently, and Yunqing Building’s business had suffered as a result.
He didn’t have any extra tea to sell to Yunqing Building regardless.
Xiao Wan’er, unaware of these details, just thought it would be good for the two neighbors to get along, so she said with a smile,
"You’ve both achieved some success in Shu State City. You should certainly get to know each other better."
This was something she would never have said in the past.
But ever since she set her sights on her goal of "establishing a Medical Dao Academy," she found herself able to attempt things she never would have said or done before.
It was just like when she had accepted Cui Qingwu’s proposal to build the academy together.
A moment later.
They all took their seats, and the banquet began.
The feast was a lavish spread of delicacies from land and sea, none of which were new to Chen Yi.
Now, however, he feigned inexperience, keeping his head down and eating his meal in silence.
He ate as if he hadn’t seen food in two days.
Xiao Wan’er noticed his behavior, and though she didn’t understand the reason, she didn’t dwell on it.
Cui Qingwu, however, was not one to sit idle.
Besides, she still suspected that "Chen Yu" was actually "Liu Wu."
Thus, she spent the meal probing him with questions, asking where he was from, his age, and other such things.
Chen Yi remained silent for the most part, only offering brief, perfunctory answers when he couldn’t avoid it.
Seeing this,
a look of displeasure inevitably crossed Cui Qingwu’s face. She spoke again, "Young Master Chen, you must be a practitioner of the Martial Arts. Might I ask what your cultivation level is?"