Chapter 123 Is it possible for an older brother to kiss his younger brother like that when making up a story? Hmm…

Yunshui City.

On the first floor of the teahouse, in the center sat an old man with gray hair, slamming a gavel on the mahogany table. “Today we’ll tell a new story. Legend has it that the painting master Wu Daozi had a disciple who was exceptionally intelligent and talented.”

"Not long after becoming Wu Daozi's disciple, he was appreciated by Wu Daozi. But as the saying goes, 'Man proposes, God disposes,' and 'Man proposes, God disposes.' Sometimes, the moment one's talents are fully displayed is also the moment one's future is ruined."

"Because of his superb painting skills, he was so jealous that his peers blinded him in the middle of the night. After that, he could no longer paint and could only make a living by grinding ink for others."

The old man sighed as he spoke, and the attentive tea drinkers below asked him why. He frowned and said, "Alas, it is a pity that talented people end up as mediocre!"

“Why do you say that, sir? Throughout the thousands of years of history, there have been many talented people who have not been given the opportunity to shine. If we were to feel sorry for them all, wouldn’t we be crying every day? Besides, we don’t even know what their final fate will be.” The man was wearing a royal blue wide-sleeved long robe and looked very young, at the age when he was proud and arrogant. The old man glanced at him and continued to speak slowly.

"It means that one day this person wanted to continue painting, but was scolded by his master for spilling ink. He could neither paint nor see, and finally died by hitting his head against the wall. It's a typical tragedy!" A trace of regret appeared on the old man's face. A man in black sitting on the second-floor platform heard this, looked down at him, and picked up his cup to take a sip.

"You storyteller, you finally get to come to the teahouse, why do you keep telling me things that make people wet their pants? Can't you tell something nice?" A few people standing at the back were a little dissatisfied and started shouting, "Tell us something cheerful, that will make everyone happy."

"Sir, the stories we tell here are different every day. With so many guests, and mere ordinary storyteller, how can I guarantee that every single one of you will be satisfied?"

Seeing the commotion below, Jiang Yu, sitting on the second floor, seemed completely unaffected. Shen Jiuxu had put a veil over his face, covering it with a light-colored gauze, especially his deep, clear black and white eyes.

"I'm a little curious, how come these people are so well-informed, or are they hiding right among us?" Jiang Yu leaned his head on Shen Jiuxu's shoulder. He was dressed in a simple and plain blue robe, and no one would guess that this was the usual Jiang Yu. He looked more like a young man who came here to study.

Shen Jiuxu probably harbored some thoughts of wanting to be his older brother, so he deliberately dressed Jiang Yu up to look younger and took advantage of Jiang Yu's blindness. These days, he has been choosing clothes that Jiang Yu likes to wear, which has been quite a feast for the eyes.

"He deliberately chose this story so that I would hear it, didn't he? It just shows that you dressed us up too conspicuously today, and others recognized us."

Jiang Yu smiled as he spoke to Shen Jiuxu, grabbing Shen Jiuxu's wrist with one hand and stroking it lightly. "Didn't you say before you left that everything would be foolproof? Hmm, Sect Master Shen, it seems your prediction was wrong."

"Yes, it's my fault."

Shen Jiuxu withdrew his gaze from the people below. His expression was somewhat solemn, unlike Jiang Yu's relaxed demeanor. He said in a low voice, "Not many people know that there is a problem with your eyes, but there are also quite a few. Lian Quesheng, Xichuang, my grandfather, Sect Leader Lian, and Uncle Lu."

These people seem to have no flaws whatsoever.

“I believe in Lian Quesheng and my grandfather.”

"But we don't know about the others. Perhaps they are good people too, but they just didn't keep it a secret. Those around them can find out from snippets of conversation." Jiang Yu calmly analyzed, "Since they wanted us to hear it, now that we have, let's go!"

Aren't you going to say a few words?

Shen Jiuxu teased him, holding his hand as they went down the stairs. The two of them stood out from the crowd, like cranes among chickens.

The crowd, who had been arguing just moments before, fell silent instantly. Even without being able to see the masked man's face clearly, they could sense his extraordinary bearing, indicating he was no ordinary person. The attire Shen Jiuxu had given him was indeed different from Jiang Yu's usual style, yet it still achieved this effect, which could only mean that it was truly Jiang Yu's fault.

"Young master, what do you think?"

When the storyteller saw him come down, he didn't care about the person betting in front of him. He pushed the person aside and ran to Jiang Yu's side. "Young master, I see that you have an extraordinary figure. I think you must be well-read. Why don't you explain it to us? I don't know much about this disciple of Wu Daozi. It would be more appropriate to ask someone with deeper knowledge to tell the story."

Old Luo has been telling stories in this teahouse for decades. Rumor has it that he was a scholar who passed the imperial examinations in his youth. Later, he returned to the teahouse because he was tired of the intrigue and backstabbing in officialdom. He was very arrogant and proud, and the regular customers never saw him show any respect to anyone.

It was quite unusual for them to ask someone who was clearly much younger than themselves. In an instant, all eyes in the room turned to them.

"Really? How did you know I was so well-read and learned?" Jiang Yu couldn't help but laugh. Shen Jiuxu felt his hand on his wrist tremble slightly. Although there was a veil between them, Shen Jiuxu knew he was laughing.

"To be honest, sir, I've never been to school and I don't know a single character. Do you believe me?" Jiang Yu's words caused a stir among the crowd, who began to whisper among themselves.

"Does he really not know a single word? Judging from his clothes, he doesn't seem like it." "You really believe that? Maybe he's just being modest. These days, if someone can afford to wear fine silks and satins, surely they can go to school and know a few words?"

"Look at those clothes, and the guy next to him in black, they don't look like ordinary people at all. And look at me and yourself, are you in cahoots?"

"Young master is joking." Old Luo chuckled awkwardly, but Jiang Yu persisted, "I'm not joking. If you don't believe me, you can ask the man beside me. Brother, am I right?"

Shen Jiuxu froze when Jiang Yu called him "brother," but he gave Jiang Yu face in public by nodding with a serious and stern expression, making everyone who saw him think that he was incapable of lying.

"right."

“I have been blind since I was a child. My elder brother took great care of me and helped me grow up. He comforted me every day, telling me not to give up on myself because of my blindness. There are many people in this world who suffer, and I was able to recover a little. But I never expected that you, sir, would discover me.”

Jiang Yu's voice trembled with a sob. To outsiders, it sounded like Old Man Luo was deliberately reopening old wounds, but after being rejected, he still refused to give up until the young man couldn't take it anymore and recounted all the hardships he had endured since childhood.

“Oh dear, young man, don’t cry. Old Luo’s mind isn’t always right. He asks questions that make people uncomfortable. Don’t take it to heart. If you cry, your brother will definitely worry again.”

The kind-hearted old woman couldn't help but speak up and comfort her, "What family's child can stay healthy all the time? Even though you can't see, your brother has taken care of you since you were little and treated you so well. It's not easy for him. Please stop crying."

Jiang Yu leaned against Shen Jiuxu's chest at the right moment. The other man felt Jiang Yu's body trembling from secretly laughing, but his face remained calm and steady, while his arms held Jiang Yu tightly in his arms. "Don't cry, be good."

"Old Luo, how can you be like this? Just because you have some knowledge, you think you're so great? Look at how you've interrogated this young man, and you still won't let it go." The woman pointed at Old Luo and scolded him. After all, the balance in her heart was unknowingly tilted between a wrinkled man and a young, handsome man.

Moreover, it was Old Luo who was in the wrong to begin with, and the woman's words only fueled the discontent of the other scholars, who began to echo her sentiments.

"Exactly, what's the point of asking? They're figures from the past. Why not talk about something from the present? Who wants to hear about them? Or you could talk about Jiang Yu and Shen Jiuxu, or those guys from Huai Xian Sect. Aren't they all more interesting than them?"

"Exactly, exactly. You could also talk about the match between Young Master Jiang and Young Master Lian in the sect competition. Old Luo, didn't you used to love talking about these things? Why the sudden change of heart? You're going to talk about Young Master Jiang three times a day, digging up someone who's been dead for years."

Standing in the middle of the crowd, facing a circle of accusing gazes, Old Luo gradually felt something was wrong. He had been told to ask the two most eye-catching people in the crowd. Was he really that old and blind? Those two young men were indeed glamorous and looked like they were no ordinary people.

He wouldn't admit he's wrong, would he?

But the reaction was quite different from what he had expected! Old Luo felt strange and went to look at the two people from before, only to find that they had disappeared.

While everyone's attention was drawn to Old Luo, Jiang Yu tugged at Shen Jiuxu's sleeve and whispered in his ear, "Let's go."

The two walked several streets away and found a rock by the lake to sit down. It was very quiet there, and there were hardly any birds to be seen. Jiang Yu couldn't hold back any longer and leaned into Shen Jiuxu's arms, bursting into laughter.

"Hahahaha... Hahaha."

Jiang Yu laughed until his stomach hurt, and Shen Jiuxu, looking helpless, gently rubbed his stomach for him until he recovered after a while.

"Brother, why aren't you saying anything!"

"Stop laughing." Although Shen Jiuxu said this, he couldn't help himself and rested his head on Jiang Yu's shoulder, chuckling softly twice.

"How can you be so insensitive, brother? I've been wronged, shouldn't you comfort me properly?" Jiang Yu was so engrossed in his acting that his mind was now filled with the stories he had just made up.

Unable to persuade him, Shen Jiuxu had no choice but to lift Jiang Yu's veil and simply silence him with a kiss. It was just too shameful. These things, which originally only existed in Shen Jiuxu's fantasies, felt too shameful once they became reality.

The word "elder brother" was particularly powerful, and Shen Jiuxu felt a burning sensation on his face, behind his ears, and on his neck, making his heart pound uncontrollably. It was so fast that Jiang Yu, who was standing on his chest, could hear it clearly.

After the kiss ended, he smiled and asked, "Does an older brother kiss his younger brother like that, Hmm, Sect Leader Shen?"