Chapter 69 A persistent ghost that never leaves.
Zhu He was startled by him, and peeked out from behind Bai Yuheng, asking timidly, "Brother Pei, why do you look so pale? Are you feeling unwell?"
Bai Yuheng looked over upon hearing this, her expression unchanged, and she couldn't discern anything different. She asked in confusion, "Could it be from the long journey?"
Pei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, suppressing the bitterness in his eyes. Hearing her concern, he smiled and said, "It's nothing, I just mistook you for someone else." As he spoke, his dark gaze swept over the bright young man behind her, and his lips drooped again.
Cen Ying immediately reached out and brushed Zhu He's hand away from her clothes, saying, "Let's go, let's go, the boat trip is exhausting! We haven't stopped for days!"
As she spoke, Cen Ying glared at Zhu He, her eyes conveying a warning not to covet Bai Yuheng, to which the latter rubbed his nose.
"Cui Mingcan, hurry up and arrange a nice suite for us! I really need to get a good night's sleep!"
Cui Mingcan didn't recognize the man in front of him. After nodding in acknowledgment, he led them to the carriage that had been arranged: "Absolutely! I'll take care of everything for you in Jiangzhou—your lodging, food, drink, and everything else! I guarantee you'll be so happy you won't want to leave!"
Li Tiankuo lagged behind, and Zhu He shook off his servants and followed: "Brother Li, have you caught all those bad guys?"
Li Tiankuo glanced at him sideways and hummed in agreement.
Where are you going now? Can I come with you?
Li Tiankuo paused upon hearing this: "What are you doing with us?"
Zhu He glanced quickly at the beautiful figure walking ahead, then laughed and said, "Of course, I want to be friends with you!"
Li Tiankuo frowned, naturally not missing that glance from him.
"Don't make a move on her."
"Why?" Zhu He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. He glanced at him and laughed, "Both are unmarried, so what's wrong with me pursuing her? Brother Li, who are you to her? Why do you have to interfere?"
"..." Li Tiankuo rarely showed his emotions, but when he heard what he said, he couldn't help but laugh. However, the laughter was somewhat ambiguous. It was unclear whether he was laughing at Li Tiankuo's wishful thinking or at himself.
Zhu He was also confused: "What are you laughing at?"
For some reason, Li Tiankuo became more talkative at this moment, and kindly reminded him: "We are from the Tianyan Sect, and she is the elder's personal disciple. Once we return to the sect, her cultivation will have broken through to the Golden Core stage, and it will be impossible for you two to be together."
"Why?" Zhu He, unfamiliar with these discussions of cultivation and immortality, asked somewhat unwillingly, "Why can't we be together?"
“She has reached the Nascent Soul stage, which is different from ordinary people or those who know some magic. Your lifespan is only a few decades, while she can live until the end of the universe. She is also a disciple of the Emperor. You and she are on different paths, and it is impossible and there is no chance for you to be together.” Li Tiankuo still gave him some face. It would be against the rules for immortals and mortals to be together. Even if there was nothing now, he didn’t say that once she really broke through and ascended, the elders of the Tianyan Sect would definitely not let her be deeply involved in lust. She is a rare talent, and no one would want to see a genius indulge in love. Protecting all living beings is their mission and duty.
Upon hearing this, Zhu He thought of the immortal and mortal couples in storybooks, and was filled with emotion, which also strengthened his resolve.
I stopped in my tracks and watched them leave.
The servant finally dared to step forward and advise him: "Young master, we should leave! Haven't you noticed how unlucky we are whenever we encounter them? Perhaps it's a warning from heaven!"
Zhu He remained silent.
"Young master, sir, let's hurry! The old lady is still waiting for you at home! Let's finish what we need to do quickly."
"You're so talkative." Zhu He glanced at him, flicked his sleeve, and left, returning to his carriage.
Seeing that he listened to advice, the servant felt relieved and quickly followed.
*
"Why don't you stay at my place? Staying at an inn is so shabby! It's definitely not as comfortable as my place!" Cui Mingcan stared at them, puzzled, and tried his best to persuade them. "I have plenty of room at my place! I won't treat you badly. Don't stay at the inn, come to my place!"
Cen Ying pushed away his face, picked up the bundle, and said, "This is so embarrassing! Besides, we didn't bring anything with us when we came to visit. How impolite! My father will definitely scold me if he finds out!"
Bai Yuheng also said, "We must be very tired today. Let's rest first before we visit your parents. That would be proper etiquette!"
“Yu’er is right,” Cen Ying agreed. “Don’t try to persuade us anymore. Go home and see your parents first. We’ll visit them after we’ve rested up!”
Cui Mingcan hung his head dejectedly: "No, if you guys don't come, I'll stay here for now!"
After saying that, he immediately asked the waiter to open another room.
"Why don't you go home?" Cen Ying laughed at him.
Cui Mingcan pouted: "You're right, we look really shabby right now. If my parents saw us, they'd be heartbroken. I need to rest and recuperate before going back!"
Bai Yuheng smiled and said, "Whatever you want. Get some rest and get up early tomorrow to buy some things to deliver."
Cui Mingcan laughed: "No need to buy anything, my parents will be so happy if you come directly to our door!"
Cen Ying: "That won't do! It's a matter of etiquette!"
Seeing their insistence, Cui Mingcan had no choice but to say nothing more, thinking that he should do his best to be a good host while they were in Jiangzhou.
The night passed peacefully.
The next day, the group got up early and went out to buy things. Cui Mingcan tried to pay secretly, but she was caught and strictly forbidden from leaving their sight.
The five people, carrying large and small bags, walked towards Zhuque Avenue, the most bustling and luxurious street in Jiangzhou.
Cui Mingcan was overjoyed, his face flushed and his eyes shining. He walked at the front with an air of superiority, leading the way up the stone steps and banging on the door.
The guard opened the door, paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he shouted, "Young Master! Young Master is back!"
"Quickly! Go and inform the madam!"
Upon hearing this, the servant dropped his broom and ran quickly to the backyard.
As he ran, he called out to the others, "Young Master is back! Young Master is back!"
The entire Cui family was on high alert, amidst cheers and laughter.
The butler arrived first. Seeing that Cui Mingcan was followed by several friends with an air of otherworldly elegance and extraordinary bearing, he was even more pleased. With a kind smile, he asked them, "Young Master looks much healthier!"
"Are these your friends from the sect? They are truly young talents!"
"May I ask your surnames?" the butler introduced himself. "My surname is also Cui. You can call me Butler Cui or Uncle Cui, as the young master does."
Cen Ying smiled and said, "My surname is Cen, you can just call me Cen Ying."
Bai Yuheng smiled and said, "Uncle Cui, my name is Bai Yuheng."
Li Tiankuo and Pei Yuan spoke one after the other: "Li Tiankuo/Pei Yuan".
"Alright, alright, everyone, please follow me."
As they walked through the long corridor and were about to reach the main hall, a woman with a noble face and extraordinary attire strode over. Upon seeing the person in front of them, their eyes instantly reddened.
Cui Mingcan hurriedly stepped forward and supported the woman's arm. His clear eyes reddened when he saw his mother.
"mother……"
He called out, then lifted the hem of his robe and knelt down with a thud, "Your unfilial son has been gone for so long without returning to see you..."
After saying this, he kowtowed twice more firmly, and was then pulled up by Madam Cui.
"Oh, my son!" Madam Cui looked Cui Mingcan up and down, her eyes blurry with tears, and choked out, "You've lost weight! You've gotten so dark!"
Madam Cui was about to say something when she caught sight of the people standing behind him. She immediately released her son, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and put away her concerned and reluctant expression. She changed into the dignified and composed demeanor of a mistress, smiled at them, and asked softly, "I didn't know that Na Na's good friend had come. I'm sorry you had to see this."
After saying that, she secretly pinched Cui Mingcan's strong arm, her dignified smile remaining unchanged: "It's all my fault for not informing you in advance. Please forgive me if the hospitality was inadequate."
This effortless control left Cui Mingcan speechless. He didn't know whether to let the tears well up in his eyes or secretly wipe them away.
“Madam Cui’s deep love for her son has moved us deeply, so how could we laugh at her?” Bai Yuheng bowed to her and said.
Cen Ying quickly added, "Yes, yes! Xiao Can is really something, she didn't even tell you we were coming to visit, which made us feel very impolite."
After saying this, the four of them bowed again.
Madam Cui quickly waved her hand and said, "It's alright, it's alright. I'm so glad you could come! How long are you going to stay in Jiangzhou? Why don't you stay here with us? We have plenty of guest rooms. You are all good friends of Na Na, so please make yourselves at home and don't be shy."
After Madam Cui finished speaking, Steward Cui said, "Madam, it's windy here. Let's go inside and talk. I'll have the servants bring tea."
Madam Cui clapped her hands and smiled apologetically: "Oh dear, I was so happy that I forgot. Come, come, let's go inside and chat. Uncle Cui, brew some of this year's good tea and have the kitchen make some more tea snacks that the young people like."
As Madam Cui spoke, she took Cen Ying and Bai Yuheng's hands on either side and led them into the flower hall. The mother and son, who had just been tearfully reunited and deeply moved, were now forgotten by Cui Mingcan.
"I haven't even asked you your names yet."
Bai Yuheng and the others repeated it one by one.
"How many days will you be staying this time?"
"Not too long, probably just a few days," Cui Mingcan replied from behind.
Madam Cui glanced at him, then asked with a smile, "I haven't asked you why you suddenly came back."
"The sect had a mission, and we just happened to be passing through Jiangzhou, so we came back to see you!"
Madam Cui rolled her eyes at him and said, "Don't interrupt, I didn't ask you anything."
Cui Mingcan pouted and said, "Asking me or asking them is the same..."
Madam Cui ignored him and asked them other questions with affection.
After chatting for a while, Uncle Cui brought out tea and snacks.
"Please try some of our tea garden's new harvest this year. It's mellow and rich. We only kept a little for ourselves; the rest was sent as tribute," Madam Cui said with a smile.
The group was happily drinking tea and eating snacks when Cui Mingcan suddenly realized that someone was missing.
He took a sip of tea and suddenly realized, "Oh right, Mother, where's my father?"
Madam Cui sighed noticeably, but didn't say much, only saying, "Your uncles and aunts are having trouble making decisions about some business matters and are pestering your father for advice!"
Cui Mingcan also noticed her unspeakable troubles and stopped talking at the right time, waiting to ask her in detail later. He couldn't help but feel a little worried, afraid that there might be trouble at home. Otherwise, it was just a matter of a few uncles and aunts, and his mother wouldn't be so worried.
Speak of the devil and he shall appear.
Uncle Cui walked in happily from outside and announced to them, "Madam, young master, the master is back."
He paused, then added, "It seems he brought a young boy with him."
As soon as he finished speaking, Cui Mingcan's father, Cui Shiyuan, a handsome middle-aged man with a beautiful beard, walked in from outside, speaking with a strong voice as he walked without stopping.
“Nephew, please stay with me for now. I will take good care of you on behalf of your family.”
Everyone in the flower hall looked over curiously.
Behind Cui Shiyuan, a young man who looked very familiar stepped forward, bowed to Madam Cui, and greeted her.
A young man named Zhu He, dressed in a green round-necked robe and standing tall and graceful, appeared before the five people. Zhu He smiled and winked at them with his narrow eyes, as if to say, "What a coincidence, we meet again."
Sitting next to Bai Yuheng, Pei Yuan frowned and looked coldly at the "persistent ghost" in front of him, almost crushing the teacup in his hand.
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