Chapter 500 - 298: "Dragon Tiger" Liu Wu!
Chapter 500: Chapter 298: "Dragon Tiger" Liu Wu!
Yan Jingzhen was beaming with smiles. He nodded and said, "I must say, Lord Liu’s older brother has raised an excellent daughter.
"Liu Zhaoxue has only been in Shu State for a few days, yet she has already made Xinglin Hall a booming success. I can begin making arrangements tomorrow."
"As long as Elder Yan is satisfied, that’s all that matters. Zhaoxue... well, that girl Zhaoxue is still a bit inexperienced after all," Liu Hong said with profound meaning. "In that case, I will quietly await Elder Yan’s good news."
"It will be my pleasure..."
In Spring Lotus Garden.
Although it was late at night, the courtyard was still filled with cheerful voices and laughter. With Xiao Wan’er returning safely, Du Cang killed, and the Xiao Family’s high alert lifted, Xiao Wuge was finally able to emerge from the secret chamber. As soon as he returned, he rushed straight to Jiaxing Garden without stopping. Upon seeing Xiao Wan’er, he naturally broke down into loud wails of relief. Xiao Wan’er offered him a few words of comfort and briefly explained what had happened, which finally helped him calm down.
Then, Xiao Wuge wanted to return to Spring Lotus Garden to share the good news with Chen Yi and Xiaodie. Xiao Wan’er, who was currently troubled by the old master’s arrangements, took the opportunity to say she would escort him back. That was how the current lively scene in Spring Lotus Garden came to be.
Although Chen Yi was a little surprised, after dispelling the Mental Realm illusion of his self-portrait in the study, he chatted and laughed with Xiao Wan’er as if nothing had happened.
Xiaodie was naturally overjoyed as well. However, seeing Chen Yi and Xiao Wan’er together reminded her of the poem she had overheard in the study earlier. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to pretend she hadn’t heard anything. She silently jotted down the line in her small notebook, being very careful not to note the date or the context. After all, such words—just like the poem Mr. Chen had previously written for Miss Wan’er—would not be good if they were spread around.
After chatting and laughing for a while, Xiao Wan’er stood up to leave with Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang, but not before secretly slipping a note to Chen Yi.
"Chen Yi, please don’t see us out. I... I’m fine," she said.
Chen Yi quietly tucked the note away. Noticing the slight unnaturalness on her face and guessing it had something to do with his secret identity, he offered some ambiguous comfort. "Wan’er, after surviving this ordeal, you should get some good rest in Jiaxing Garden.
"Even if the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up. You don’t need to worry."
He then looked at Xie Tingyun and Shen Huatang, smiling as he asked, "Wouldn’t you agree?"
Feeling a bit guilty, Xie Tingyun turned her head away. "I-I suppose so."
Shen Huatang, however, was more solemn. "Mr. Chen is too kind.
"It was my dereliction of duty this time. Fortunately, Miss Wan’er is kind-hearted and did not blame me.
"But such a thing cannot happen twice. From now on, I will do everything in my power to protect Miss Wan’er’s safety."
Hearing this, Xie Tingyun hurriedly nodded and patted her chest in assurance. "The same goes for me."
Xiao Wan’er shot Chen Yi a reproachful look before turning to comfort the two martial sisters from the Celestial Sect. However, she also understood the underlying meaning in Chen Yi’s words, and her heart settled slightly. She only hoped that things were truly as Chen Yi said. Otherwise... she really wouldn’t know how to face Xiao Jinghong.
After they left, Chen Yi instructed Xiaodie to attend to Xiao Wuge’s rest before heading to the study alone. He opened the note, read it, and couldn’t help but chuckle. "The old master’s habit of arbitrarily playing matchmaker is acting up again."
The note read: [Grandfather wants to betroth me to Chen Yu!!]
In the dried ink, a heavily scribbled out word "you" could faintly be seen just before the name Chen.
Chen Yi read it one more time before raising his hand and reducing the paper to ashes. "If I had known, she could have just listened to what I had to say before coming back."
Originally, he had intended to tell Xiao Wan’er everything, including what he had done under the aliases of Liu Wu and Chen Yu. Now that Xiao Wan’er had learned of his "Chen Yu" identity from the old master, it was inevitable that her imagination would run wild. This only complicated matters.
Sitting in silence for a moment, Chen Yi looked out the window at the dim courtyard, now free of thunder and lightning, and sorted through the entire chessboard of events in his mind once again. Once he was certain there were no mistakes or oversights, he finally let out a long breath and managed to relax slightly.
"Mrs. Chen’s return should be because of the matter concerning Liu Hong.
"Even if the old master arranged some private matters for her, she will have to deal with Liu Hong first, which means there are still a few days left."
Chen Yi stretched lazily, feeling an all-over exhaustion, and immediately got up to return to his room. "There is no rush. At worst, I’ll just disappear for a few days..."
He wouldn’t dare go see Xiao Jinghong right now using the identity of "Chen Yu" or "Liu Wu." Much like Xiao Wan’er, he was feeling somewhat guilty.
"However, after Mrs. Chen receives the news, she must be very anxious, right?"