Chapter 60 Midday Chat, Shangguan Mingnu

Seeing this, Lin Fanxiang politely spoke up, "Hello, Mr. Yun. We are heading to Youzhou. It's autumn and winter now. I wonder if there are any warm items at this auction?"

Yun Jiacheng laughed, "There really is one. There's a lamp at this auction with a spirit flame that burns eternally and can keep you warm in winter and cool in summer."

Qingyu couldn't help but smile, leaning towards Wen Chuan, "A friend of the Qingshui Wanfu plate?"

Wen Chuan glanced at her with a smile, then turned to Yun Jiacheng and said, "Hello, Mr. Yun. I'd like to ask if there are any strange things at this auction... like items with strange spiritual energy, or ordinary items that have spiritual energy."

Upon hearing this, Yun Jiacheng looked up at Wen Chuan. The young man's spiritual energy was extremely cold, and his cultivation was unfathomable. If it weren't for the people on the second floor saying that he was from a branch of the Wen clan, he would have thought that this young man was the true member of the Wen clan. Now, his words, the things he was looking for, and the man himself, made things even stranger.

Seeing this, Zhang Xuan chuckled. The boy sighed indifferently and said, "Brother Wen Chuan just likes those unclaimed things left behind in the world, especially those strange flowers and stones... Speaking of which, are those things even available at auctions?"

"Goo goo goo hook."

Cai Cai suddenly called out, and Yun Jiacheng snapped out of his reverie. He smiled and said, "Using a free-range chicken as a spirit pet... Actually, this group of teenagers are all quite strange... Perhaps it's the current trend. I'll talk to my sister about it another day. The inn needs to improve."

...

"Well, there are quite a few useful items at this auction, but if it's as this young master said... there's a stone."

Qin Tianshu: "Stone?"

Yun Jiacheng nodded, "I can't say more... Five days later at the Yunzhou Auction, to compensate everyone for your losses, you can place your orders in the private rooms on the third floor. The auction price is generally settled in gold or silver, but it would be even better if it were a spirit weapon or spirit pet, but we would need to evaluate it first."

He spoke politely and then bowed goodbye, saying, "I won't disturb your meal any longer."

The tall, polite young man turned and left. Qingyu looked at Qin Tianshu and asked, "Just who is this Yunzhou Inn? How come it has so many cultivators?"

Qin Tianshu smiled and opened his fan to tell the story of the peaceful origins of the cloud boat. After he finished speaking, the scholar added, "Back then, I was curious and stayed in this cloud boat for quite a few days. I got to know everyone in the Yun family of this generation."

"The one who just arrived is Yun Jiacheng, who is in charge of security on the first and second floors. The third floor is in charge of Yun Jiabai, who is someone you can't see."

Zhang Xuan: "Can't you see?"

Qin Tianshu nodded, "I can't see it."

He continued, "It is said that the wife of the previous head of the Yun family was a former bodyguard. That lady passed on all her skills to Yun Jiabai. Later, it was rumored that Yun Jiabai cultivated the Way of Shadows, always hiding in the shadows so that no one could see him."

"But it's nothing serious. Yun Jiabai won't come out unless something major happens."

As Qin Tianshu spoke, the boys began their lunch.

Lin Fanxiang put a piece of green vegetable into her bowl. Suddenly, she remembered something, looked up and said, "I remember now. That woman named Shangguan should be Shangguan Han, the second daughter of Shangguan Feng, the governor of Youzhou."

"Shangguan...Han?"

Zhang Xuan paused, then put down his chopsticks, his voice still tinged with anger, "No wonder I disliked her the moment I saw her."

Qingyu raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Lin Fanxiang: "It happened when I was a child. At that time, the governor of Youzhou went to Shengjing to report on his duties, and he took Shangguan Han and Shangguan Nan with him."

As she spoke, Lin Fanxiang glanced at Zhang Xuan, smiled, and began to speak in a calm and gentle tone.

“Back then, Zhang Xuan and I were playing in the palace. I was on a swing, and Zhang Xuan was pushing me around… Later, Shangguan Han came. Even though there was another swing nearby, she insisted on sitting on mine. I wouldn’t let her, and Zhang Xuan and she started arguing… Then Shangguan Han’s younger brother, Shangguan Nan, came and, when I wasn’t looking, pushed me off the swing…”

Qingyu frowned, her eyes filled with anger. "And then?"

Zhang Xuan snorted. "Then, I first drew my knife and cut off Shangguan Han's hair, and then kicked Shangguan Nan away."

Lin Fanxiang smiled faintly, "After hearing about it, my mother led a group of people to the governor of Youzhou and beat him up. After the beating, she threw him and the children out of Shengjing..."

“She also taught us a lesson,” Zhang Xuan said. “Back then, Her Highness the Princess even had my father beat me.”

Qin Tianshu smiled and looked at Zhang Xuan upon hearing this. He ladled himself a bowl of soup and said leisurely, "I hit you because you didn't protect Doctor Lin back then... Speaking of which, you've got a hair-picking feud with the eldest daughter of the Shangguan family, haven't you?"

Zhang Xuan watched the scholar's actions. The young man lowered his eyes and thought for a moment about the scene just now, and couldn't help but laugh. "It's not that I clashed with her, it's just that Shangguan Han is a woman who's always been so inexplicable."

"You don't know, back then, Shangguan Han not only wanted to occupy the swing, but also told me to push it as if it were her right. I argued with her then, and when I couldn't win the argument, I cried and said that I was bullying her."

Qingyu clicked her tongue and nodded. "That's right... Moreover, I still don't know why that Wen Gu branch attacked me. It seems it was also because of Shangguan Han."

Wen Chuan thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps it's because of her dog?"

Qingyu was speechless. "That... DouDou?"

Zhang Xuan asked in confusion, "What beans?"

Qingyu waved her hand and recounted the incident of the dog blocking the car. She also mentioned that Shangguan Han was really inexplicable. At first, he was crying in the middle of the road in front of the dog, but after standing up and seeing her, he was stunned. After Wen Chuan came out, he simply stood there without moving.

"But you can't blame me for the dog getting hurt. I've played with tigers since I was a kid, and I have a tiger's scent on me. Small animals usually avoid me... And I've toned it down a lot now, you can see that from Cai Cai. My scent usually doesn't frighten small animals into running away..."

Wen Chuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and the young man gently shook his head at her, his voice mild, "It's not your problem."

“I saw it. It was Shangguan Han who pinched the dog’s tail. The dog ran away because it was in pain. It wasn’t because of you.”

Zhang Xuan exclaimed, "Whoa! Why is she doing this?"

Is she alright? It's one thing to not be able to control her dog, but she also uses it as a barrier to stop people on the street and pinches her own dog. It's clearly her own problem, yet she comes to Qingyu seeking revenge. When she can't beat them, she blames them for being too strong. She can even turn white into black.

Qin Tianshu smiled upon hearing this, and the young man stirred the soup in the bowl with a spoon, his tone amused.

"It's just a psychological imbalance. There are many people like that. It's just that Shangguan Han has power and influence, and she also has a member of the Wen clan by her side. Naturally, she can do whatever she wants."

Wen Chuan finally had some doubts after hearing what he said. "It's common for those with power and influence to be arrogant and unreasonable, but where does all this inexplicable behavior come from?"

this……

Lin Fanxiang put down her chopsticks and said softly, "Perhaps, it's because of her sister..."

Qin Tianshu continued, "You mean, Shangguan Ming in Youzhou?"

The most beautiful woman in the North, a celestial-level zither master, Shangguan Ming.

Youzhou is a vast region with a harsh climate; even in the warm spring and summer, the snow-capped mountains and plains remain unmelted year-round.

This place is a place of arduous cultivation for many cultivators. To this day, of the three major families in Youzhou, the Shangguan family has entered the world, Wen Gujian is cultivating in solitude, and Murong Nuyin is infatuated.

The Shangguan family once made their fortune through poison cultivation, a practice often despised by cultivators. After the establishment of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the Shangguan family was among the first to submit to the imperial court.

Having shed his reputation as a poisonous cultivator, he came under the jurisdiction of the imperial court and enjoyed power and fortune. The current governor of Youzhou is Shangguan Feng, the head of the Shangguan family. He has two daughters and one son. Leaving aside his second daughter and son, his eldest daughter, Shangguan Ming, is a well-known figure in the north.

Legend has it that Shangguan Ming was an exceptionally beautiful and otherworldly woman, always appearing in public veiled. As the legitimate daughter of the Shangguan family, she studied under Murong in Youzhou City from a young age, seeking enlightenment in the snow. After reaching adulthood at sixteen, she traveled throughout the northern lands, upholding justice and leaving good deeds wherever she went. Finally, at eighteen, she returned to Youzhou City, adorned in white gauze and gold embroidery, a celestial-level zither master, her lament echoing through the world—

In the north, it is widely known that Shangguan Ming possesses the charm of a goddess, and is considered the most beautiful woman in the north.

goddess?

How dare they spread such a name so carelessly?

Zhang Xuan frowned, listening to Qin Tianshu's effusive praise of Shangguan Ming. The young man blinked, somewhat puzzled and disbelieving, "...So famous? I've never heard of him?"

Qin Tianshu glared at him irritably and said, "That's the rumor. I've never seen her, and the North is so vast that her reputation has actually diminished by the time we get to Jizhou."

Another point is that the further south you go, the more ordinary people there are. Cultivators always prefer to discuss these things with other cultivators, and they can't really connect with ordinary people.

Lin Fanxiang nodded, "I don't know about these rumors you mentioned. I only know about Shangguan Ming from what my mother told me when I was little."

"I don't know if it was because of that swing incident, but my mother later sent someone to Youzhou to investigate. At that time, Shangguan Ming was only seven or eight years old, but he was incredibly talented. It was said that Shangguan Han had always been jealous of this older sister."

"Moreover... Shangguan Ming later went to Jianxue City to cultivate. It is said that he endured the bitter cold all the way to Jianxue City at the age of eight."

Zhang Xuan was somewhat surprised when he heard this. "Really?"

"Are Shangguan Han and her sister really that different?"

Qin Tianshu shook his head thoughtfully, "Who knows... But this Shangguan Ming, I find him so strange."

Upon hearing this, Qingyu smiled. She had been listening to them in silence, and her feelings towards Shangguan Ming had remained indifferent.

"In the end, we've made enemies with Shangguan Han. Who knows, when we get to Youzhou, we might even get to meet this number one beauty. Once we meet her... we'll know everything."

Upon hearing this, Wen Chuan lowered his eyes. The young man didn't care about Shangguan Ming's situation; he was still thinking about what Doctor Lin had just said. The eldest princess had specially sent someone to Youzhou to investigate, presumably for the sake of Zhou Dynasty's political affairs. After all, Youzhou was too large and had too many cultivators, making it difficult for the court to directly control it.

However, this also illustrates a point: this official in Youzhou, even after entering officialdom, remains arrogant, wanting both the title of a cultivator and the power of a governor. It's quite interesting indeed.

In the end, what does it have to do with him?

He turned his head to look at Qingyu, a slight smile playing on his lips, "Are you full?"

Qingyu yawned, "Have another bowl of soup..."

The soup looked light and fragrant. Seeing that Qin Tianshu had already filled two bowls, Qingyu felt a strong urge to drink it too.

Wen Chuan nodded to Qingyu, and Qin Tianshu readily served Qingyu a bowl of soup, saying leisurely as he did so, "This soup is called Cuiying Beef Soup, a famous dish in Yunzhou. It's light yet flavorful, nourishing and beautifying."

Qingyu: "Isn't it just beef and lettuce soup..."

Wen Chuan took the soup that Qin Tianshu had served and placed it quietly in front of Qing Yu. Qin Tianshu was still arguing with Qing Yu, "It's different. This soup focuses on the seasoning and cooking time, and sometimes the simpler it is, the better the taste... You can ask Wen Chuan if you don't believe me."

Wen Chuan smiled somewhat helplessly, "Alright, everyone, go back to your rooms and rest after you finish eating. It's cold today, we'll see what to do tomorrow."

Qingyu nodded as she drank her soup, her eyes vacant. The wind whistled outside, but her heart was utterly at peace.

This soup is actually quite delicious.