Chapter 50 Returning to Changjin Mountain (Part 3)

Cheng Yuan carried Chu Jianshan back to Weimianju, lit a charcoal fire to warm him up, and even found two sets of his own old clothes for him to change into. He was quite diligent, but he remained silent and didn't look too well.

Feeling guilty, Chu Jianshan pulled the blanket up to cover himself, leaving only his head sticking out. His eyes followed Cheng Yuan's movements, and he was all too familiar with this atmosphere, which gave him a bad feeling.

After finally finishing packing, Cheng Yuan was about to leave without saying a word when Chu Jianshan, sensing something was wrong, immediately pulled his hand out from under the covers and grabbed him, asking, "Where are you going?"

Cheng Yuan replied coldly, "I have other important matters to attend to."

"No, you can't leave!" Chu Jianshan immediately resorted to shamelessness. He absolutely couldn't let him go now, otherwise it would be difficult to coax him later.

"I...I'm not feeling well! Will you stay with me?" Chu Jianshan looked at him pitifully and gave this flimsy excuse, but as long as the other person believed it, that was fine.

Upon hearing that he was feeling unwell, Cheng Yuan immediately frowned, turned around, and asked, "Where do you feel unwell?" He clearly remembered using his spiritual power to protect his heart meridian, so the cold air shouldn't have entered his body so quickly.

"Uh..." Where does it hurt? Where does it hurt? Chu Jianshan racked his brains for a long time, changed into clean clothes, wrapped himself in a thick quilt, and sat by the charcoal fire. Cheng Yuan did everything he could, and now he felt quite comfortable all over.

"I... have a headache! My back aches! In short, nothing feels right all over my body!"

When Cheng Yuan heard him rambling on like this, he immediately realized that Cheng Yuan was faking illness. However, this was a good thing, as he had learned to control himself. It was best to deal with emotions on the spot.

"Alright, stop pretending." Cheng Yuan flicked his forehead.

Chu Jianshan chuckled twice, but he knew he had made a mistake. He pulled Cheng Yuan back with both hands and made him sit next to him, blurting out, "I was wrong."

His attitude was extremely sincere, and his eyes were very serious.

Cheng Yuan then reacted, turning to stare at him and asking, "What did you do wrong?"

Chu Jianshan immediately sat up straight, his posture upright, and carefully analyzed the situation: "I shouldn't have caused trouble, I shouldn't have lied and said I was just strolling around nearby, I shouldn't have..."

"I didn't ask you that," Cheng Yuan interrupted him. "Knowing you were no match for them, why didn't you come to me? Why did you insist on fighting them?"

"Who says I'm no match for them?" Chu Jianshan retorted stubbornly, "I can take them down within ten moves!"

"Then why did you retract that palm strike?" Cheng Yuan suddenly asked.

Chu Jianshan's arrogance instantly subsided, and he avoided looking at him with his eyes darting away: "I was just... afraid of hurting him. You are someone the sect leader values, while I am an outsider you brought. If I had a disagreement with his disciple, it would put him in a difficult position."

"And what about you?" Cheng Yuan asked in return.

Chu Jianshan looked up: "What?"

"Aren't you in a difficult position?" Cheng Yuan looked at him. "I never knew you could be so patient. If staying here will cause you any injustice, I'd rather take you away."

Knowing that Cheng Yuan was worried about him, Chu Jianshan was inexplicably happy and said with a smile, "It's okay, it's nothing, I won't stoop to their level."

Seeing that Cheng Yuan was in a better mood, Chu Jianshan seized the opportunity, grabbed his arm, and looked at him with bright eyes: "Then can you stop being angry?"

Seeing him like this, Cheng Yuan could no longer be angry. He could only wrap him in the blanket and say, "You can rest here with me for today. I'll go and ask the sect leader for an explanation later."

"Oh, right," Cheng Yuan seemed to remember something and reminded him, "You can look around if you want, but the room next door is my master's room, so don't go in."

"Why should I?" Chu Jianshan frowned. Couldn't he even enter his own room? There was no such logic in the world. His stubbornness flared up again: "What if I insist on coming in?"

Cheng Yuan blinked in confusion: "Why are you so interested in my master's room?"

"I..." Chu Jianshan struggled to find the right words: "I've noticed you often talking about your master, and you forbid me from speaking ill of him or touching his Mo Yang. I'm incredibly curious about what kind of person he is."

"No way, Chu Jianshan," Cheng Yuan said with a smile, "you still hold a grudge?"

"Or perhaps," Cheng Yuan leaned closer to him, "you're jealous?"

Pshaw, jealous? Who would be jealous of themselves! But I am genuinely curious. So many years have passed, I wonder if the furnishings have changed.

Cheng Yuan continued to coax him, "If you're really curious, I'll take you inside to see it when we have time, okay?"

"It'll do alright, I guess." Chu Jianshan was relieved. The warmth of the charcoal fire made him sleepy again, and he refused to drink the brown sugar ginger tea that Cheng Yuan had brought him. That stuff was both sweet and spicy, and he didn't want to experience that strange taste again.

At the entrance of Tinglan Pavilion, Bai Qianfan was still locked in a stalemate with Mei Haoshi and his group, neither side willing to back down.

"What, are you planning to stick to your guns with us today?" Mei Haoshi still had that smug look on his face, and he was arrogant towards Bai Qianfan.

“Who said that?” Bai Qianfan crossed her arms. “I’m just here to chase away the animals.”

"You!" Mei Haoshi was about to curse him in anger, but Bai Qianfan stopped him in time.

"You, you, you! What do you mean 'you'? You're just a well-fed cow—a complete fool! People don't bother with you because you're so weak, but you think you're easy prey! When I was fighting demons, you were still drinking milk at home! Now you dare to act like a big shot in Changjin Mountain, relying on your status. The sect leader is too merciful to deal with you, so I'll teach you a lesson!"

After being berated, Mei Haoshi turned red with anger. The pampered young master had never suffered such humiliation. He wanted to curse back but couldn't think of any words. He could only point at Bai Qianfan with a trembling finger and keep saying "you, you, you".

Finally, in a fit of rage, all he could do was yell, "Anyone can talk a good game! Try touching me if you dare!"

Bai Qianfan snorted coldly and, without saying a word, thrust Fang Lan's sword forward. The three fools screamed in panic, but the sword didn't even touch them; instead, it stuck straight under their feet.

"You're already incredibly lucky to have even spoken a few words to me, and now I've spared your lives. Why don't you come over and kowtow to express your gratitude?"

"You!" Mei Haoshi was about to rush up and beat him up, but was pulled back in time by two people behind him.

"Boss, let's forget about it. This guy doesn't look like someone to mess with."

Mei Haoshi shook them off and roared, "Who have I ever been afraid of?! Come at me if you dare!"

Bai Qianfan remained unmoved upon hearing this, instead shouting, "Why should I go over there? If you're so capable, come over here!"

"No!" Although Mei Haoshi was arrogant, he wasn't brainless. He could tell from that sword strike that Bai Qianfan was far stronger than them. He wasn't going to do something that would lead to his death.

"Ha," Bai Qianfan laughed in anger. This person had the guts to cause trouble but was a bully who was afraid of the strong. He was really despicable.

He said to the three of them, "You guys are really cut out for a blacksmith shop!"

Mei Haoshi didn't understand and asked, "What do you mean?"

Bai Qianfan recalled his sword, held it against Mei Haoshi's neck, and said mockingly, "You're just asking for a beating."

"You dare to curse... Ah—!"

Before he could utter any threats, Bai Qianfan grabbed him and kicked him into the lotus pond. Water splashed everywhere, and several flowers were crushed. Chu Jianshan had to go through the pain he had suffered again; that was true retribution.

"Boss!" The two henchmen rushed over and pulled him out. When Mei Haoshi came out, he was still in a daze, with mud on his head.

"You..." Mei Haoshi was trembling with anger: "How dare you treat me like this! My master has never punished me!"

"Really?" Bai Qianfan raised an eyebrow. "Then why aren't you saying thank you?"

Mei Haoshi clenched his fists, his eyes bloodshot as he glared at Bai Qianfan, and shouted at the two people beside him, "What are you all standing there for! Get him!!"

The two men glanced at Bai Qianfan, hesitated for a long time before daring not to move. Only after being kicked by Mei Haoshi did they obey and rush towards Bai Qianfan. Bai Qianfan took a step back, ready to block, but saw that the two men seemed to have been tripped by something, and with a thud, they fell neatly to the ground at his feet.

Before Bai Qianfan could figure out what was going on, he heard a voice coming from the entrance of Tinglan Pavilion: "Qianfan, stop fooling around."

Upon hearing this, Bai Qianfan turned around and bowed to Chu Qinglan, saying, "Sect Leader's Wife."

Upon seeing the person in charge emerge, Mei Haoshi's arrogance immediately subsided, and he complained to Chu Qinglan, "Madam, he attacked first! You must stand up for me!"

Bai Qianfan laughed angrily: "I started it? So Chu Jianshan felt hot and jumped down by himself?"

Mei Haoshi then continued to argue, "But he was the one who spoke rudely first!"

"You...!"

"Enough!" Bai Qianfan was about to curse him a few more times, but Chu Qinglan stopped him: "This Tinglan Pavilion is not to be allowed to run wild here. You have disturbed our peace and quiet. Whoever started the fight should be punished!"

She turned to look at the disheveled Mei Haoshi, her face grim: "Since you came to Changjin Mountain, you haven't had a single day without causing trouble. Your master didn't punish you because of the bigger picture. Now you still don't know how to restrain yourself. Now that your bad behavior is too deep to be reversed, you need to be punished properly."

"Teacher's wife... I!" Mei Haoshi wanted to say something nice to get closer to her, but Chu Qinglan raised her hand to interrupt him.

"You'll be punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall. You're not allowed to come out until tomorrow, Ah Sheng's birthday."

Seeing that his pleas for mercy were in vain, Mei Haoshi had no choice but to grit his teeth and accept the punishment. She was just a madwoman who was not in her right mind. What was there to be afraid of? He would just tell his master that she had relapsed and that his master would definitely release him.

Mei Haoshi was taken away, and now only Bai Qianfan remains.

He seemed completely unafraid, and asked with a smile, "How will you punish me, Madam?"

Chu Qinglan couldn't bear to look at his frivolous behavior, so she turned around and left, saying as she left, "You're punished by having to bring me the porridge that's been heated up in the kitchen."

"Alright!" Bai Qianfan disappeared in a flash. The kitchen hadn't made any porridge today. The sect leader's wife was letting him go in a roundabout way. He couldn't let his wife's kindness go to waste.

[Author's Note]

I apologize to all my lovely readers. I've been incredibly busy these past few days, so the updates have been a bit late. If you can't read them right away, you can save them for tomorrow. Please don't follow my example and stay up all night; it's bad for your health. I love you all forever and ever!! [Sprinkling flowers]