Chapter 74 When I was young, Mother, look, handsome brother! ...

Several houses were situated on the very edge of the yard, with many ginkgo trees planted in the courtyard. Since it was still late summer, the lush green leaves had gathered together, completely covering the area, with only a few faint rays of light shining through the cracks in the windows.

"Waaaaah—"

Haitong's cries came from inside, followed by a woman's gentle whispers, soothing the crying child one after another.

The lights were much brighter, probably because someone had added more lamp oil. A broad, hunched figure pushed open the door, casually draped in an outer robe, and carrying a small basin, and walked towards the kitchen.

"call--"

The man added firewood to the stove and began adding water to the pot with a ladle. The flames were very bright in the dead of night. When the sound of boiling water appeared, he carefully ladled the water into a bowl, turned off the light, and returned to the house.

The figure moved back and forth, and there were rustling sounds.

About fifteen minutes later, the crying finally subsided, but the lights were still on. Jiang Yu stood outside and, although he couldn't see anything, he heard that familiar yet unfamiliar voice. It was the same voice of the child who had cried loudly in front of him three years ago.

The woman holding her child pleaded desperately, but to no avail.

"Let's go back."

Jiang Yu ultimately failed to step into the courtyard. He turned around, half of his face hidden in darkness. His eyes were clear and bright, but there was no trace of color in them. His long, smooth hair fell on both sides of his neck, making him appear gloomy and dejected.

Although Shen Jiuxu couldn't recall it, he knew a thing or two about what Lian Gu had said earlier.

"Return to Fuyou Palace."

Shen Jiuxu didn't say anything, but simply took Jiang Yu's hand, touched his slightly cool fingertips, took off his clothes and draped them over him. Xian Chen obediently flew into Shen Jiuxu's hand. Just as he was about to take the two of them back, Jiang Yu stopped him.

"Let's go back."

Jiang Yu's voice was low. There were hardly any people left on the street; even those who did business had mostly packed up their stalls and gone home. Hearing this, Shen Jiuxu put away Xian Chen and led Jiang Yu back, saying, "There are steps ahead, be careful."

"good."

He appeared calm, seemingly unaffected by Lian Gu's words, but Shen Jiuxu noticed his slightly wrinkled sleeves and pale fingertips.

Upon reaching the Fuyou Palace, the barrier automatically opened in front of the two. As they entered the courtyard, the enormous elm tree still stood in its original spot. Jiang Yu reached out to touch the branches, feeling the rough bark rubbing against his palm.

This tree was lush and green three years ago, but I never imagined that it would turn out like this in just three short years.

The house is cleaned regularly, so it's the same as before.

Shen Jiuxu asked Jiang Yu to sit aside while he changed the bedding. The two washed up and lay down on the bed. Jiang Yu felt Shen Jiuxu's quietness throughout the night, so she rested her head in his arms and whispered, "There used to be a family of three living in that house. The child was only four years old at the time, a handsome boy."

——

Orioles fly and grasses grow tall, and the mountains and fields are covered in greenery.

Recently, the streets of Shenwu have been teeming with people. Every morning, before dawn, vendors set up stalls on both sides of the road to sell their wares.

Zhou Qingnu carried a shoulder pole, with a three- or four-year-old child beside her. The child's clothes were simple but clean, and her hair was tied into two braids. "Stay close to your mother and keep your eyes forward, understand?"

"knew."

The boy nodded, holding a string of bright red, round candied hawthorns in his hand, eating them happily. When they arrived at their usual stall, Zhou Qingnu had the boy sit on a mat, while she began to call out to customers.

Half a month ago, the sect leader of Shen Wuke, Master Baiyue, passed away, and the position of sect leader was passed on to his youngest disciple, Shen Jiuxu.

Shen Jiuxu had already become famous several years ago, especially his story with Jiang Yu, which was written into a storybook and spread throughout the streets and alleys. Sometimes, you could even hear storytellers telling their story while drinking tea in a teahouse, and you could also hear the two of them singing in brothels.

The two handsome young men, both exceptionally talented, easily became the subject of everyone's after-dinner conversation.

"Hey, have you heard? It seems Jiang Yu has come too. My second aunt's brother's neighbor's aunt is in Shen Wuke. I heard she's a disciple of Shen Wuke and her swordsmanship is amazing. She said that Jiang Yu and Shen Jiuxu have been staying at Fuyou Palace these past few days, just the two of them, inseparable all the time. Do you think that's... that kind of relationship?"

As soon as Zhou Qingnu sat down, she heard several people around her talking in hushed tones.

"It must be. I heard they've reached the point of discussing marriage, and they came back this time specifically to talk to Master Baiyue about it."

The woman turned her head to the side, a small handful of sunflower seeds in her mouth. "But I'm quite curious, how did Young Master Jiang and Young Master Shen meet? How did all these outstanding people end up together?"

"You don't know this, but when Master Baiyue accepted Young Master Shen as his disciple, it seems that they already knew each other at that time."

Zhou Qingnu didn't sell anything; she was too busy listening to the two of them talking. She had never met the Young Master Jiang they were talking about, but she was somewhat familiar with Shen Jiuxu. When Master Baiyue accepted this disciple, he made a special announcement to the world and even held a banquet.

Master Baiyue was extremely talented and became famous at a young age, making him the youngest sect leader in Shenwuke.

Zhou Qingnu had seen Baiyue Zhenren and Shen Jiuxu go on a training trip together from afar. The tall and slender young man was dressed in a blue robe with a crystal-clear jade pendant at his waist. The sword in his hand was silvery and sharp. Baiyue Zhenren leaned against a tree, looking at his proud disciple, and couldn't hide the smile on his lips.

What kind of person could stand shoulder to shoulder with him, and whose name is so highly praised?

Zhou Qingnu suddenly wanted to meet Jiang Yu. She had recently heard many people mention this name, describing him as a young genius who defeated the young masters of several major sects with just one sword, a handsome and talented young man, and the most likely immortal lord to ascend to heaven.

He is like a mystery, possessing all the most beautiful riddles, yet no one knows what the answer to be, that would deserve so much praise.

"Mother, mother——"

The boy suddenly nudged her. Zhou Qingnu was startled and turned to look at him. "What's wrong?"

"Mom, look, handsome brother."

Zhou Qingnu almost laughed at his words. Following the direction he pointed, she saw two men walking side by side. The one on the left was Shen Jiuxu, whom Zhou Qingnu recognized. The man on his right was dressed in black, with a slender jade belt around his waist that accentuated his tall and slender figure. His fair face and beautiful, upturned eyes were looking in their direction.

With just one glance, Zhou Qingnu believed everything those people had said.

It turns out that there really are people with such appearances in this world. Looking at him and Shen Jiuxu, Zhou Qingnu felt that they were indeed a perfect match, a match made in heaven.

"Look, it's Jiang Yu and Shen Jiuxu."

A young woman's voice reached her ears, and Zhou Qingnu's lips unconsciously curled up. The thing she was holding was still suspended in mid-air until she watched as two people walked towards her. "What is this?"

"Wild fruits from the mountain."

Shen Jiuxu took a silver ingot and handed it to the boy who was staring straight at him, "I'll take this basket."

"......ah?"

Zhou Qingnu then came to her senses and looked at the gleaming silver. "You've given too much, Young Master Shen. This is really too much. It's all picked from the mountain and isn't worth much. It's just fresh these past few days, so I'm sharing it with everyone to make a little money. If you and... Young Master Jiang like it, you can just take it. We have plenty more at home."

"How can this be?"

She watched as Jiang Yu smiled and stuffed the silver into the child's hand, grabbed a handful from the basket, took out a handkerchief to wipe it a few times, and put one in his mouth. Zhou Qingnu subconsciously felt something was wrong and was about to stop him, but Jiang Yu had already taken a bite.

The sour smell that hit Jiang Yu in the head almost made him lose his balance. His hands trembled as he held onto Shen Jiuxu's shoulders. Zhou Qingnu whispered, "Young Master Jiang is not from here, so he may not know that this fruit is used to make wine. It tastes extremely sour and astringent, but the wine made from it is very delicious."

She looked at the man's furrowed brows and downturned lips, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Jiang Yu patted Shen Jiuxu and forced himself to swallow the small piece of fruit. It was so sour that his eyes were about to water. Shen Jiuxu touched Jiang Yu's hair, and Zhou Qingnu suddenly heard a few exclamations from the woman behind her.

After Baiyue Zhenren's funeral, Shen Jiuxu's succession ceremony was soon held. People from several major sects came, and Shen Wuke was packed with people. Zhou Qingnu quickly sold out of her things and was preparing to go back.

But then they suddenly learned from others that Lian Quesheng of Xingchenque had arrived in a grand procession with several carriages full of luggage, blocking a small section of the road to Qingyun Ladder.

She watched the sunset on the horizon and sat slowly on the rocks on either side, waiting. Because she couldn't get through, she heard many people muttering curses, but not long after, the disciples of Xingchenque gave each of them a heavy bag of silver.

"Actually, waiting a little longer won't hurt, since I'm not in a rush to go home for dinner anyway."

Zhou Qingnu smiled, exchanged a glance with the aunt next door, and the child she was holding chuckled incessantly.

"Didn't I prepare a gift?" She heard a wronged male voice. The man was dressed in fine clothes and was talking to Jiang Yu. Jiang Yu had actually come over. Zhou Qingnu was standing very close to them, so she heard everything they were saying clearly.

"Jiang Yu, you heartless bastard! How come I didn't know you two got together? I even heard stories about you two before, and I even argued with them, but it turns out you two are actually real."

"Hey, Sister Zhou, do you know? That's Lian Quesheng, the one who was defeated by Jiang Yu back then."

Zhou Qingnu became interested. So it turns out that he could get along so well with his previous opponents?

"Take the things away. Those people need to go back. We'll talk about the rest when they get back."

Jiang Yu rolled his eyes and said to Lian Quesheng, "Soon, the things were moved and the original path was cleared."

The number of pedestrians gradually decreased, and she saw Jiang Yu slowly descending from the Azure Cloud Ladder. Her clothes fluttered, and a fragrant scent wafted towards her. Jiang Yu smiled at her and said, "I'm sorry, my friend has kept you waiting."

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Author's Note: Jiang Yu: I've been tricked! Such a sour fruit. I'll trick Lian Que into eating one raw; we'll share the good times and the bad. [Sunglasses]

Lian Quesheng: It seems like someone is plotting against my teeth!