Chapter 1020 Sibling Embrace [Seeking monthly votes at the beginning of the month!]
Inside the restaurant opposite the Red Dust Inn.
At a quiet table by the corner window, the atmosphere was somewhat still, a stark contrast to the bustling activity in the rest of the lobby.
If someone were to observe this area closely, they would notice a delicate-looking, aloof young Taoist nun at the dining table, with one of her small hands nestled into the arms of a fierce, one-eyed man, their behavior somewhat intimate and affectionate.
At this moment, under the watchful eyes of the Fang sisters, Ouyang Rong and Huang Xuan stared at each other for a while.
After a short while, feeling that Miaosi in his arms had stopped causing trouble, Ouyang Rong turned his gaze away and prepared to remove Huang Xuan's hand.
Fang raised his sleeve and winked at Huang Xuan, seemingly signaling her to back down.
“Brother Tanlang”.
Huang Xuan suddenly spoke:
“Xiao Xuan isn’t what you think, planning to force her way into Yunmeng to find you… I have a backup plan. You’ve forgotten that I’m now considered a wandering monk at the foot of Maoshan Mountain, and I can visit Yunmeng Sword Marsh in the name of an envoy of the Sanqing Daoist sect.”
Fang Juxiu originally thought that the little fairy would use the reason that "she was worried about her brother Tanlang and that's why she was confused" to appease Young Master Ouyang, but she didn't expect her to say these things.
However, upon further reflection, she immediately looked at Young Master Ouyang's face and expression, and suddenly realized that the explanation from this angle by the Little Fairy seemed more appropriate and easier to resolve Young Master Ouyang's dissatisfaction.
Sure enough, after Fang Juxiu saw Huang Xuan say this, Ouyang Rong looked at her for a moment, and his originally stern face softened slightly.
"You can't be so impulsive and reckless. Before I left last time, I repeatedly told you to wait for me to come back. If I didn't come back for a long time, it might be something important. Don't be impulsive. Putting aside whether it will cause trouble, is Yunmeng Sword Marsh an easy place to break into? If you rush over there and I'm not there, won't you be in danger?"
Ouyang Rong started to ramble on, glanced at the three women, and finally fixed his gaze on Huang Xuan, analyzing the situation seriously:
"Although your backup plan is good, what does it matter if you travel down Maoshan Mountain? The Three Pure Ones Sect won't give you much face, and neither will the Snow Candle Sect nor the Lady Queen Palace."
"Otherwise, Zhang Shixiu, who went to dissuade them before the Battle of Xunyang, wouldn't have been placed under house arrest, both openly and secretly. If your senior brother Zhang is treated like this, and he is a descendant of Huang Zi from the Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain, you should reconsider your own worth. At most, you are only equal to him..."
Huang Xuan first carefully observed her brother's softened expression, and then, under his earnest persuasion, she lowered her eyelids slightly and uttered softly:
"Yes, that's right."
Seeing that the atmosphere had eased a bit, Fang raised his sleeve and gently patted Fang Shengnan's forearm under the table, then said with a smile:
"Alright, some things are fine once they've been explained. Young Master Ouyang can be a bit too serious sometimes, which is a good thing, but it can also put a lot of pressure on people, haha... Young Master Ouyang just came down the mountain, haven't you eaten yet? Speaking of which, it's been quite a while since we ate together..."
Ouyang Rong nodded slightly, then picked up his teacup, took a sip, and began to pick up food with his chopsticks.
Huang Xuan also started eating, and the Fang sisters immediately followed suit.
The four of them, plus one expert, started eating and chatting.
Since it was inconvenient for Miaosi to come out, she could only reach out her little hand to touch the food outside. Huang Xuan would feed her from time to time, handing her snacks such as peanuts to her little hand.
Fang Shengnan looked around, then lowered her voice and asked:
"Young Master Ouyang, you came down the mountain so late this time, could it be that something happened at Yunmeng Sword Marsh?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head and said, "It's nothing serious. I recently infiltrated a forbidden area and it's not easy to get out, which is why I've been delayed for so long."
"Forbidden area?"
Fang Shengnan muttered curiously.
Huang Xuan and Fang Juxiu, who were feeding peanuts, both looked over.
Ouyang Rong, however, remained vague and simply buried his head in his food.
"Yes, I'll tell you about it when I have the chance. I just went in and I'm still exploring, but I've already made some progress."
Fang Juxiu also tried to smooth things over, rolling her eyes at her younger sister, Fang Shengnan:
"Why are you asking so many questions, Sheng Nan? Your curiosity has ruined things many times. Success is achieved through secrecy. I've told you this principle countless times, how come you still don't understand? You should learn from Young Master Ouyang. He does it so well."
Fang Shengnan scratched her forehead with her fingers:
"Isn't it curious...?"
She said with a hint of longing in her voice:
"Young Master Ouyang, sometimes I really envy you. You're an outstanding official who speaks up for the people, and now you're making such a splash in the martial arts world of Tiannan, just like the martial arts experience I've always dreamed of..."
Ouyang Rong's lips twitched slightly, and he said helplessly:
“Miss Fang, what kind of dreams are you having… I had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure and infiltrate Sword Swamp. Who in their right mind would enter in this way? If I could enter openly and honestly to deal with the Embroiderer’s matter, I would have chosen that path long ago.”
Fang Juxiu nodded in agreement:
“Young Master Ouyang is right. If we can take the main road, we should take it as much as possible. This applies to everything. This is the right way to solve problems, unless the situation doesn’t allow it, like the problem Young Master Ouyang is facing now.”
Fang Shengnan shrank back and said, "I understand."
Huang Xuan asked:
"Brother, is there something else you need to do?"
Ouyang Rong countered, "How did Xiaoxuan know?"
Huang Xuan smiled but didn't say anything.
Ouyang Rong skipped the pleasantries and went straight to recounting the story of Madam Chen, offering a brief explanation.
Fang Shengnan, somewhat displeased, said after hearing this:
"Who is that young lady? And she dares to coerce Young Master Ouyang?"
Huang Xuan also frowned slightly.
Fang Juxiu looked thoughtful, and after a moment asked:
"So, Young Master Ouyang's ability to descend the mountain every month is all through this young lady surnamed Chen?"
Ouyang Rong's expression remained unchanged: "Hmm."
Fang Juxiu seemed to understand everything, and sighed:
"There's nothing we can do about it. People are obligated to help others. She's probably just taking precautions. It might not be that she doesn't trust Young Master Ouyang, but rather that she's afraid of the worst-case scenario."
Fang Shengnan asked in a low voice, "For example, colluding with the Great Zhou Dynasty?"
Huang Xuan said softly, "Brother Tanlang is not a member of the imperial court. He just wants to find Sister Xiu Niang."
Fang Shengnan muttered to herself:
"That's what they say, but if this little wench surnamed Chen finds out about Young Master Ouyang's identity, things will get really bad."
"In her view, Ouyang Gongzi's identity is even more serious than that of a court spy. After all, the Queen's attitude towards Ouyang Gongzi is obvious to all. If she knew the truth, she would probably want to die together with Ouyang Gongzi."
Fang raised his sleeve and shook his head:
"There's no point in talking about this now. Let's think about how to deal with that Madam Chen. Since she didn't come to investigate herself, and even told Young Master Ouyang about it beforehand..."
"That means that, so far, she doesn't actually have much doubt about Young Master Ouyang. It's just a formality. Better safe than sorry. That makes things easier. At least Madam Chen didn't come with suspicion or prejudice..."
Fang Shengnan agreed:
“Sister is right, that makes sense.”
Fang raised his sleeve, tilted his head, and spoke to Ouyang Rong:
“In that case, Young Master Ouyang cannot stay too long. He must return before noon. Let’s make some preparations here. Bring her over so we can meet her and dispel any doubts she may have.”
"Um."
Fang Shengnan asked, "Did Young Master Ouyang tell them that his family consists of only Amei?"
"right."
Fang raised his sleeves and calmly said:
“Then we’ll choose one person to come out, and the other two will hide… As for where we’ll meet… since Young Master Ouyang has created the appearance of an ordinary family, let’s first rent an old courtyard in the city… and make it look like we just moved in.”
Huang Xuan suddenly said:
“We can keep this old courtyard. In the future, when Brother Tanlang comes down the mountain, we can meet in the old courtyard. We don’t need to come to the Red Dust Inn so often. There are too many people here, and it’s not very safe.”
"Good idea."
Fang Shengnan raised her hand and muttered a question:
"There's one last question: who should play A-mei?"
Fang raised his sleeves and looked directly at Huang Xuan.
Huang Xuan did not hesitate and addressed Ouyang Rong;
"Let me do it, Brother Tanlang."
Fang Juxiu nodded directly: "Only Little Fairy is the right age here, she looks like a young girl, Shengnan and I are still a bit too young."
Fang Shengnan, who had been ready to volunteer, immediately felt deflated, but she had to admit defeat:
"Little Fairy is indeed suitable, so let's go with Little Fairy."
"Um."
Ouyang Rong put down his teacup, indifferent: "Either way is fine, you can discuss it."
The four of them quietly discussed and refined the details for a while.
After the discussion, Ouyang Rong let out a long sigh, then grabbed a handful of peanuts, stuffed them into his pocket, stood up, said goodbye, and quietly left the restaurant, blending into the crowd on the street.
Shortly after he left with Miaosi, the Fang sisters and Huang Xuan also paid their bill and left.
Throughout the entire process, the four of them remained silent and did not attract much attention. Only one of the female immortals had her belly full of peanuts and was stuffed.
...
"Did you just yell at Xiaoxuan?"
Why aren't you saying anything?
"I'm telling you, you can be mean to anyone, but you can't be mean to Xiaoxuan."
"Hey, did you hear me, Xiao Rongzi?"
On the way back to Dongshi, Ouyang Rong had just switched back to his dazed young man persona from the dark alley when Miao Si took advantage of the fact that no one was around, ran out of his arms, grabbed his ear, and scolded him.
Ouyang Rong ignored her and shook his head. Food couldn't shut her up... He went straight to the East Market.
After purchasing the ingredients needed for the vegetarian meal in the East Market, Fang Juxiu came again, handed Ouyang Rong a note, and then left.
Ouyang Rong glanced at the address on the note, then crumpled it up and stuffed it into his pocket.
"Thank you, no thanks." Miaosi's polite voice came from inside her arms.
Ouyang Rong's lips twitched slightly as he turned and went to buy a pot of yellow wine and some snacks to go with it.
In the afternoon, at the agreed meeting place, Ouyang Rong encountered Madam Chen and her carriage who were waiting.
After having her servants put away the ingredients that Ouyang Rong had purchased, Madam Chen glanced curiously at the extra wine and dishes he was carrying, but didn't ask any further questions.
The two boarded the carriage together.
Taoyuan Town is considered the home turf of Madam Chen and her backer, Madam Chen, where carriages and servants are standard equipment.
Inside the carriage, Madam Chen asked curiously:
"Which way now?"
Ouyang Rong calmly gave an address, appearing quite familiar with the task.
Madam Chen lifted the carriage curtain, exchanged a few words with the coachman, and shortly after, the carriage turned into an alley and headed towards a poor neighborhood.
About fifteen minutes later, the carriage arrived at an old street. Ouyang Rong got off first, carrying wine and dishes in his hands, and Madam Chen immediately followed.
The two walked into the old street, with Madam Chen following closely behind Ouyang Rong, as they entered the depths of the old street.
Along the way, Madam Chen looked around curiously, and at one point, she couldn't help but ask:
"Brother Liang, does your family live here?"
"Um."
Ouyang Rong led her to a stop at the entrance of an old courtyard and gestured with his lips:
"We're here, it's inside."
Madam Chen looked around curiously, then followed Ouyang Rong through the door, muttering to herself:
"Brother Liang, you and your family are living in rather cramped conditions. Why don't you move in? Miss will arrange accommodations for your family..."
"Brother!"
Madam Chen suddenly stopped speaking, because the courtyard gate in front of her had been opened by a young woman with long, flowing hair. She seemed to be delighted as she called out to the two people at the gate.
"Sister, this is..."
Ouyang Rong greeted her and, seeing Xiao Xuan looking somewhat "unfamiliar" after changing her clothes, quietly stepped forward and handed her some snacks to go with her drinks.
However, Huang Xuan did something unexpected. She opened her arms and rushed towards him like a swallow returning to its nest, even though he was only halfway through his sentence.
Ouyang Rong's gesture of handing out the food and wine had to be altered halfway through, becoming a somewhat "wooden" opening of his arms.
Xiao Xuan immediately threw herself into his arms.
In front of the courtyard gate, the two embraced each other "warmly" like family members, right in front of Madam Chen.
Madam Chen was somewhat stunned and couldn't help but glance at the young woman in the arms of the dull-looking young man in front of her.
The young woman was about fifteen or sixteen years old, in the prime of her youth. She was slender in a coarse hemp skirt and had a pretty face with a somewhat aloof air. However, in her brother's arms, she was like a spoiled little girl, which softened her aloofness and made her seem much more lively.
The girl in the thorn skirt was overjoyed to see the dull young man, and the intimate embrace between the two seemed too real for two strangers to act.
In the otherwise monotonous black and white alleyways, the appearance of this young woman in a thorny skirt was like a bright splash of color, drawing everyone's attention...
Madam Chen couldn't help but take a few more glances.
Then she looked at Ouyang Rong next to her again. She never expected that Liu Aliang, who was like a rough man, could have such a beautiful and elegant sister. Well, it was like a beautiful flower stuck in cow dung. Madam Chen couldn't help but think that although the analogy was not very appropriate, it could roughly summarize her feelings at this moment.
Actually, Ouyang Rong, who was forced to hug Xiao Xuan at this moment, was also a little surprised. He did not expect that Xiao Xuan could pretend so well. Not only did she change her Taoist robe into a gray cloth skirt and her Taoist crown into a long, flowing hair, but her movements and expressions were also very similar to his true sister, A Qing.
"This...is your younger sister?"
After waiting for the two to embrace for a while, Madam Chen asked cautiously.
Seeing that Xiao Xuan showed no sign of letting go, Ouyang Rong had no choice but to gently push her away. He turned to Madam Chen and forced a smile, then introduced her woodenly:
"Yes, her name is... Xiaoxuan."
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
