Chapter 463 - 282: The Blessing of the Man of Qi
Chapter 463: Chapter 282: The Blessing of the Man of Qi
Chen Yi looked up at her and said flatly, "I only practice Martial Arts for the sake of my Medical Dao. It’s not worth mentioning."
"Then I wonder, what is your Medical Dao Realm?"
"Minor Success."
Cui Qingwu hummed in acknowledgment as some of the things Lou Yuxue had once said came to mind.
Back when "Liu Wu" first appeared at the Spring Rain Building, he had used his Medical Dao to gain Black Tooth’s trust.
’Could he really be "Liu Wu"?’
Cui Qingwu wasn’t sure.
Even with her keen eye, she hadn’t found any similarities between "Chen Yu" and "Liu Wu."
Their builds were slightly different; Chen Yu was a bit more handsome, a bit more upright in his posture.
Their auras were vastly different.
Chen Yu’s aura was faint. He had the cultivation aura of the Fifth Grade Realm, but it lacked the sharp True Spear Intent that Liu Wu possessed.
The most important thing was his eyes—from the very beginning, Chen Yu’s eyes had been as placid as still water...
’No, it was more like "ice."’
Whether he was facing her or Xiao Wan’er, the man’s gaze had never changed.
Neither had his tone.
It was flat, even cold.
In contrast, that fellow "Liu Wu" always had an extremely aggressive look in his eyes, and his tone carried a strange sort of arrogance.
Even when facing her and Lou Yuxue, two White Tiger Guard Silver Banner Officers, Liu Wu’s attitude had been the same.
As Cui Qingwu mulled this over, she continued, "With such skill in the Medical Dao, Young Master Chen, it’s no wonder Hundred Herbs Hall’s business is so prosperous."
Chen Yi grunted in acknowledgment and lowered his head to eat.
"May I ask who Young Master Chen’s master is?"
"My master is a recluse who shuns the mortal world."
"...And that’s it?"
Chen Yi gave her a strange look before lowering his head to eat again.
Seeing his attitude, Cui Qingwu didn’t get angry. Her eyes darted, and she changed the subject.
"I hear you’ve been short on medicinal herbs recently?"
"Miss Cui, you ask despite knowing the answer. If Hundred Herbs Hall had enough herbs, we obviously wouldn’t have reduced the supply of our tea drinks."
"Well... would you like me to help you think of a solution?"
"If there is a need, I will have Shopkeeper Wang go and ask for help."
Hearing this, Cui Qingwu secretly gritted her teeth. ’This man is truly impervious to persuasion.’
"You..."
Before she could speak again, Chen Yi put down his bowl and chopsticks and looked at Xiao Wan’er.
"Miss Xiao, I have matters to attend to later and cannot stay for too long. I hope you’ll forgive me."
Xiao Wan’er glanced at the displeased Cui Qingwu, and though she was puzzled, she didn’t intervene.
She only said, "It’s fine if you must leave first, Young Master Chen."
After a pause, she continued with a smile, "Qingzhou was supposed to be here today as well, but unfortunately, he had business at Guiyun Academy."
"Thank you for taking care of him on previous occasions, Young Master Chen."
Chen Yi nodded slightly and said, "I and Mr. Qingzhou hit it off right away. There’s no need to be so polite, Miss Xiao."
"That’s good to hear..."
Seeing that Chen Yi was about to leave, Cui Qingwu looked annoyed, but she couldn’t act out in front of Xiao Wan’er.
"Take care, Young Master Chen. If there’s a chance next time, Qingwu will certainly visit you at Hundred Herbs Hall."
"Of course."
Chen Yi stood, bowed, and motioned for Wang Ji to head outside.
But just as they reached the outside of the wooden building, they saw Xiao Shen of the Xiao Family’s third branch arriving at Jiaxing Garden with his men.
Seeing them, Xiao Shen’s gaze fell upon Chen Yi. "Young Master Chen, are you leaving?"
Chen Yi nodded with a slight hesitation. "I have imposed for too long today. It is indeed time for me to return."
Xiao Wan’er noticed his expression and took the initiative to say, "Young Master Chen, this is my third grand-uncle."
"Chen Yu greets Third Master Xiao."
Xiao Shen chuckled and waved his hand. "No need for such courtesy, Young Master Chen."
"I had only heard your name before, Young Master Chen. Seeing you today, you are truly as heroic and extraordinary as the rumors say."
Chen Yi didn’t understand what was going on, but his tone remained calm. "Third Master Xiao, you flatter me."
Xiao Wan’er was also a bit curious and said hesitantly, "Third Grand-uncle, Young Master Chen came today to visit Grandfather."
Xiao Shen smiled and said he was aware, then reached a hand out behind him. "I am here on the Old Master’s orders, to deliver a jar of wine to you all."
"Wine?"
"The finest Daughter Red Wine."
"Daughter..."
Xiao Wan’er stared at the wine jar with its aged paper seal, her eyes suddenly widening.
"This, this is..."
Seeing that she recognized it, Xiao Shen nodded slightly, his tone carrying a hint of suggestion.
"It is the very jar of wine your father personally buried in the ground."
Xiao Wan’er’s expression changed. Forgetting everything else, she asked anxiously, "This, is this Grandfather’s intention?"
"If the Old Master hadn’t given the word, I wouldn’t dare make this decision for you."
"But, but..."
Xiao Wan’er was clearly flustered. Her eyes darted toward Chen Yi, a blush already creeping onto her face. It wasn’t from shyness, but from anxiety.
Seeing this, Chen Yi naturally understood the Old Marquis’s intention and cursed inwardly, ’Does he absolutely have to play matchmaker?’
After a moment’s thought, he had no choice but to step forward and say, "Thank you for your kind intentions, Third Master. I have already imposed on the residence for too long today. As for this wine... perhaps you and the Marquis should keep it."
Xiao Shen was taken aback. He looked Chen Yi up and down and said, "Young Master Chen is not from Shu State, so you may not know, but this wine..."
Before he could finish, Xiao Wan’er seemed to let out a breath of relief and quickly said, "Third Grand-uncle, Young Master Chen has important matters to attend to and cannot stay long."
"I, I’ll see him out first, and then I’ll go with you to Qingjing Residence to pay my respects."
Xiao Shen glanced at her, fell silent for a moment, and then nodded.
Seeing him agree, Xiao Wan’er led the way without hesitation, escorting Chen Yi and Wang Ji out of Jiaxing Garden.
"My apologies for today’s events, Young Master. I... I... my apologies."
A hint of a smile flashed in Chen Yi’s eyes, and he feigned ignorance, saying:
"Miss Xiao, you don’t need to say more. I visited the Marquis today solely for the matter of expanding Hundred Herbs Hall."
Hearing this, Xiao Wan’er turned her head to look at him. As her gaze met his, she subconsciously looked away again.
"Take care, Young Master Chen."
For some reason, when she looked into those eyes, she felt a sense of familiarity again.
Just like the first time the two of them had met.
Chen Yi, of course, was unaware of her thoughts. He bowed to the surrounding people and then took his leave with Wang Ji.
Xiao Wan’er and the others stood still, seeing them off in silence.
Only Xie Tingyun called out, "Young Master Chen, thank you for taking care of my Celestial Sect disciples!"
She had been holding that sentence in for a long time, and at this moment, she couldn’t be bothered with whether it was appropriate or not.
Chen Yi’s steps faltered slightly. He turned to the side and nodded, then walked out of the rear residence without a backward glance.
Cui Qingwu looked between Xiao Wan’er and Xiao Shen, and the thought of leaving with them faded.
It was clear that she was now more curious about why Old Marquis Xiao favored that "Chen Yu."
He had even brought out the "Daughter Red Wine," which was only to be taken out for Xiao Wan’er’s engagement, to entertain "Chen Yu."
Seeing the situation, Xiao Shen sighed and said, "Wan’er, I’ll go report back to the Old Master first."
"Take care, Third Grand-uncle."
After Xiao Shen left with his men, Xiao Wan’er finally let out a breath of relief. She looked at Cui Qingwu apologetically.
"Please forgive me, Qingwu. I’m afraid I can’t discuss the matter of the Medical Dao Academy with you today."
Cui Qingwu smiled and nodded, then changed the subject. "Sister Wan’er, that jar of wine just now from the Marquis... was it for you and..."
She gestured in the direction Chen Yi had left.
Xiao Wan’er nodded with a wry smile. "I, perhaps..."
She never would have imagined that the Old Marquis would have such an idea.
She was even more puzzled as to what about "Chen Yu’s" visit today had prompted the Old Marquis to do such a thing.
Hearing this, Cui Qingwu asked teasingly, "So what do you think?"
Xiao Wan’er shook her head in a slight panic. "I, I haven’t thought about it."
Seeing her reaction, Cui Qingwu didn’t press the matter, but a few speculations formed in her mind.
At the poetry gathering at Guiyun Academy, she had noticed a certain ambiguous air between Xiao Wan’er and that Mr. Qingzhou.
Perhaps Xiao Wan’er’s reluctance to accept "Chen Yu" had something to do with Mr. Qingzhou.
’They both have the surname Chen, maybe... ’
With this thought, Cui Qingwu also took her leave.
"Since it’s inconvenient for Sister Wan’er today, I will come again tomorrow."
"Alright..."
...
「Elsewhere.」
Wang Ji, driving the carriage in front, couldn’t help but ask in a suggestive tone, "My lord, is the Marquis planning to have you..."
Chen Yi, sitting quietly in the carriage, cut him off in a flat tone, "To Hundred Herbs Hall first."
"Ahem... Yes, my lord!"
Wang Ji complied, quickly turning the carriage around and heading south along South Street.
Although he hadn’t gotten the answer he wanted, as someone who knew Chen Yi’s true identity, he was inwardly roaring with laughter.
After all, Chen Yi was the husband of General Xiao Jinghong.
If the Old Marquis really wanted "Chen Yu" to marry the Xiao Family’s eldest young lady, that would be truly...
’Truly the blessing of having two wives!’
Chen Yi was of course aware of Wang Ji’s sordid thoughts. A wry smile appeared on his face as he shook his head to himself.
’This Old Marquis is truly... muddled.’
’The "blessing" of having two wives isn’t something you enjoy like this.’
’At the very least...’
Chen Yi collected his thoughts, deciding that he would not go out under the identity of "Chen Yu" for a short while.
He had no desire to give the old man another chance to get ideas about him.
「Not long after.」
The carriage passed by the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office.
Chen Yi lifted the curtain, glanced out, and raised an eyebrow slightly.
’Is there news on Du Cang already?’