The girl gave a soft hum and said nothing more, but her face showed a satisfied expression; she was very pleased with Zhou Lue's words.
Then, a look of anticipation and shyness appeared on her face as she secretly glanced at the boy on the other side of the long table, her eyes shining.
Although Chang Lili was young, she was quite knowledgeable and had met many people. Seeing the girl's lovestruck expression, she immediately thought of Lu Ming and understood.
Zhou Lue turned around and whispered, "This little girl is quite capable, but she is Jiang Yingxue, the daughter of the Jiang family in Jiangnan. Her skills are all earned by throwing money at her, nothing special."
Chang Lili nodded knowingly, then turned to the drunkard and asked, "This senior was the first person to break through the trap formation, so he must have left his name in the martial arts world, right? What's his name?"
Zhou Lue pursed his lips and shook his head: "All he does all day is drink. I don't know what he did in the Light Machinery Department. He doesn't talk much. All we know is that his name is Saint Hall."
Chang Lili nodded thoughtfully. She had never heard of this name before. However, listening to Zhou Lue's words, Chang Lili thought to herself, "Zhou Lue also said that he didn't know why others joined the Light Machinery Department. She didn't know why he joined the Light Machinery Department either."
"Who is this kid? He seems quite extraordinary!" Chang Lili stared intently at the boy beside the long table, carefully polishing the mechanical legs in his hands.
The boy was perhaps too focused to hear what they were saying, but Jiang Yingxue did. Her face hardened, and she glared at Chang Lili, shrilly, "How can you talk like that? He's the young master of the Zhang family in Luoyang... what do you mean 'little kid'!"
As she spoke, she seemed to remember something, and her voice lowered, becoming somewhat less confident.
Chang Lili was puzzled. The young master of the Zhang family in Luoyang? Wasn't that Zhang Zicheng, the once-famous genius? And didn't Zhang Zicheng unfortunately lose his life while trying to break through the traps? How could he have come back to life?
Seeing her puzzled look, Zhou Lue mysteriously pulled her aside, lowered his voice, as if afraid that someone would hear a single word.
"You must be wondering, isn't Zhang Zicheng dead? How come he's standing here alive?"
Upon hearing this, Chang Lili nodded vigorously, her expression becoming tense.
“He’s not Zhang Zicheng, he’s Zhang Ziqing,” Zhou Lue whispered.
Chang Lili wondered again, who exactly is this Zhang Ziqing?
Then, Zhou Lue dictated another poignant story.
Zhang Zicheng is the young master of the Zhang family, and Zhang Ziqing is also the young master of the Zhang family, but one is born of the legitimate wife and the other of a concubine.
The Zhang family was a prominent family in Luoyang. Wealthy families valued reputation and face above all else. Zhang Ziqing was not only born out of wedlock, but his mother was also a courtesan who sang in a brothel.
Not long after Zhang Ziqing was born, his mother passed away, leaving him alone to grow up amidst hardship and uncertainty.
Although they are both descendants of the Zhang family, all the glory and benefits have been enjoyed by the eldest son, Zhang Zicheng, while even Zhang Ziqing's existence has been concealed.
The Zhang family made their fortune in manufacturing machinery, and all the family members were skilled in mechanics. Zhang Zicheng was a prodigy from a young age, and with his genuine talent, he became famous at a young age.
When he came of age, he insisted on going through that trap formation, but unfortunately lost his life in it.
The patriarch of the Zhang family had always enjoyed partying. He should have been in his prime, but his reckless behavior greatly damaged his health, and by middle age, he was unable to have children.
The Zhang family claimed to have only one son, Zhang Ziqing. It was only after Zhang Zicheng that the Zhang family had a chance to rise in the ranks, and they reluctantly put him in the position of heir.
However, Zhang Ziqing was arrogant and probably hated the Zhang family. He insisted on not becoming the heir of the Zhang family and went his own way, secretly breaking into the trap formation and succeeding.
From then on, the light machinery department became his refuge, and he never mentioned these things to anyone else.
"However, I only heard about these things. Back then, Zhang Ziqing suddenly appeared and was called the young master of the Zhang family, which caused quite a stir," Zhou Lue said with a sigh.
Chang Lili found it quite fascinating and secretly glanced at the boy's slender back. Unexpectedly, Jiang Yingxue saw this and before she could look away, she was glared at fiercely by Jiang Yingxue.
Chang Lili reluctantly withdrew her gaze, feeling that the days ahead would not be easy.
However, one can't help but sigh that Zhang Ziqing's cold and aloof personality is understandable.
It's truly remarkable that someone with such a complicated background could grow up like this. Although Xiao Lingshou is also caught in the undercurrents, he still has a mother to protect him, while Zhang Ziqing has nothing.
Zhou Lue continued rambling on about trivial matters, probably because he had been feeling stifled for too long and there was no one here to talk to.
Chang Lili suddenly remembered something and hurriedly said, "We've gone off-topic! We were talking about what happened between you and Meng Yuxiu, and you haven't told me yet!"
Zhou Lue was puzzled by the first half of Chang Lili's sentence, but upon hearing the second half, he slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Right, right! We haven't even talked about this yet! We really hit it off immediately, it's like we've known each other forever! It seems we'll have to have a long talk tonight..."
Chang Lili patted Zhou Lue's shoulder with a helpless yet heroic expression and said, "You should tell me first what exactly happened between you and Meng Yuxiu back then."
So Zhou Lue then returned to the main topic, saying, "Speaking of which, although I managed to get through the trap array back then, that trap array was truly bizarre, a place that devours people without spitting out the bones..."
As he said this, Chang Lili chuckled and interrupted him, saying, "Oh, right, speaking of which, I have a gift for you. I forgot to bring it today, but I'll definitely bring it tomorrow. I'm sure you'll like it."
She finished speaking with a mysterious look on her face, and even raised an eyebrow.
Zhou Lue rubbed his hands together, looking forward to it, and said expectantly, "There's a gift too! This little girl is so thoughtful, and my disciple is thoughtful too. Oh, I still don't know your name!"
So the two exchanged names, and Zhou Lue continued to recount the events of that year under Chang Lili's urging.
"Back then, when I came out of that trap formation, I was on the verge of death. Yet my unfilial disciple, upon seeing me, actually wanted to fight me! If I hadn't been injured, how could I have suffered such a humiliation at his hands?" Zhou Lue said indignantly.
Chang Lili looked puzzled, feeling that there was too much information conveyed in those words, and quickly said, "He wants to fight you? Why would he want to fight you? You broke through the trap array many years ago, and you actually lost to him in a fight?" Chang Lili paused, then sighed, "It seems that Meng Yuxiu was very powerful back then!"
Zhou Lue scoffed: "Taking advantage of someone's misfortune!"
Chang Lili blinked her big eyes and asked curiously, "I have another question. You know how to use mechanisms, so how did you open those doors? And how did you unlock those locks when you went in and out?"
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