Chapter 009 Me and My Enemy Father and Brother
It's late at night.
Maybe it was because he had slept too late earlier, but Chen Yunli tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep, the conversation he had just had with Chen Wenjian constantly surfacing in his mind.
After thinking over those words several times, Chen Yunli seemed to have touched a pulse. He sat up as if he had been electrocuted and knocked on the system in his mind.
"System, squeak, I have a question for you."
The system replied gently: "Auditor, please speak."
"The information you gave me focused on what would happen in the future, glossing over the past. As for the reason for Chen Wenjian's dark transformation, you only said it was due to various untold misfortunes. Could you tell me specifically what those misfortunes were?"
The system was silent for a moment, and unlike its previous habit of answering every question, it rarely refused.
"I'm sorry. Auditors should know that the future is a product of the past. If you want to change the future, you must start with the past. The key to change must be found, discovered, and modified by the auditors themselves. This is one of the themes of this paper: the important verification step of family affection's positive impact on life experiences. The system cannot provide you with this assistance."
After hearing the system's tactful but firm rejection, Chen Yunli exclaimed in his heart, "What a guy!"
He said that when he received the plot information, he felt dizzy and as if something was missing. It was both glaring and obscure. It turned out that it was waiting for him there.
"You hid it so well." Chen Yunli complained, "If I hadn't asked today, you would never have reminded me, right?"
The system apologized again.
Chen Yunli was not actually angry. This pit was not dug for him by the system. He was just complaining casually.
He lay back on the pillow, folded one arm and rested it on his forehead, thinking about his next arrangements.
It now seems that Chen Wenjian's blackening was not only due to his experiences after going down the mountain. Even before he went down the mountain and killed the Lord of the Sealing Sword Tower, many changes had pushed him in that direction.
Just imagine, if the restaurant incident really happened to him and developed as he speculated, he would inevitably be weak for a period of time after being poisoned. He would be taken away and detained by the government, and charged with murder under the calculations of others. Not only would he face extremely severe punishment, but he would also be retaliated by the relatives and friends of those practitioners.
Would the Sword Sealing Tower Master save him? Perhaps, but what would he do with him after rescuing him? Would he rebuke him for not being careful enough? Would he punish him for causing trouble by forcing him to cultivate in a more dangerous way?
But the greater possibility was that he wouldn't. His master wouldn't save him, but would only watch him struggle to survive amidst the calamity, perhaps even adding fuel to the fire, watching from a cruel and condescending perspective how much potential he could unleash.
If the restaurant tragedy had nothing to do with Chen Wenjian, and he was just overthinking it, something major would surely happen later that would put him in opposition to the Master of the Sealing Sword Tower.
He was not born evil. Perhaps, his life and choices were just a cruel joke played by fate on the world.
Chen Yunli sighed deeply.
This world is too real, too real to be fictional. Every passerby who passes by him is flesh and blood, vivid and alive, making it impossible for him to look at Chen Wenjian and this review task with just the mentality of a passerby.
This is what it’s like to have strong empathy, you often end up worrying about nothing.
Thinking of this, Chen Yunli shook his head and pulled the quilt around his waist.
"Don't think about it anymore, go to sleep!"
…
"Ahh! The omelets are so delicious!"
When he woke up early in the morning and ate the fragrant and crispy egg pancakes made by Chen Wenjian, Chen Yunli squinted his eyes with joy, and had long forgotten the troubles of last night.
Chen Wenjian walked out of the kitchen with soy milk and egg pancakes. He followed like a little tail, finished the first piece fresh from the pot in a few bites, and took another one.
After putting down breakfast, Chen Wenjian untied the scarf around his waist, rinsed it in the basin of water by the well, and then hung it on the long wooden pole next to him to dry.
Chen Yunli leaned on the edge of the table and called to him, "Come over and have breakfast. After that, we'll go down the mountain to investigate what you said yesterday."
Chen Wenjian nodded, reached out and picked up a piece of egg pancake, paused, and asked him: "Do you like the taste?"
"Of course." Chen Yunli nodded seriously, picked up the third pancake, and proved his love for it with his actions. "By the way, how do you know how to make pancakes? Have you learned it before?"
"Yeah. During the time I was wandering, I worked as a laborer and a waiter to make a living, and I also learned how to make various breakfast snacks." Chen Wenjian brushed aside the hardships of the past and raised his eyes slightly. The sunlight illuminated his pupils, making them clear, without a trace of sadness or depression.
Being stared at like this, Chen Yunli felt inexplicably nervous and lowered his head to eat the cake.
Chen Wenjian smiled and asked, "What do you want to eat tomorrow morning?"
Hearing this, Chen Yunli raised his head and asked, "Can I order food?"
"Well, tell me about it."
“Hmm…”
Half an hour later, the Master of the Sealing Sword Tower, who had a nightmare all night about being chased and kissed by a chili spirit, walked out of the room and saw that the room was quiet and deserted. There was only a plate on the stone table with two palm-sized egg pancakes on it and a bowl of soy milk next to it.
I've felt completely disappointed.
It was obvious that it was the breakfast prepared for him by his apprentice.
The Sword Sealing Tower Master: “…”
At the foot of the mountain, along the official road, there are two restaurants facing each other. One is called Jiangnanchun, specializing in light Jianghuai cuisine, while the other is called Shayan, which specializes in heavy-flavored dishes and grilled dishes.
Since the two companies have different business directions, there is no question of one taking away the other's business, and they have always coexisted harmoniously.
The accident happened at Jiangnanchun Restaurant yesterday. As it happened at dinner time, twelve civilians and three practitioners died. The bodies of the former turned into blood and the bodies of the latter were corroded beyond recognition.
Although the authorities had cordoned off the scene early on, the families of the deceased still gathered nearby, crying and wailing loudly, demanding an explanation.
There were soldiers guarding outside Jiangnanchun Gate, so Chen Yunli and Chen Wenjian couldn't get in. They could only mingle with the crowd of onlookers and ask around to find out what was going on.
At this time, Chen Yunli's affinity and social toughness can come in handy perfectly.
He approached a villager he had met yesterday, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then got straight to the point: "Hey, I heard something big happened here last night. I went to bed early and missed it. Can you tell me what happened?"
The villagers sighed and shook their heads regretfully, "It's a good thing you missed it. You didn't see the scene yesterday—the ground was covered in blood from corpses, and nearby were several bloody, rotten human figures. My neighbor's sister-in-law's niece went to Jiangnanchun to buy wine, and she fainted as soon as she walked in. She's still lying at home, screaming in fear when anyone speaks to her."
"Hiss... so terrifying?" Chen Yunli rubbed his arms, both in a show of support and genuinely terrified. "What do the authorities say? Have they found the murderer?"
"They're still investigating. I don't think it's going to happen." The villagers sighed. "Originally, the authorities suspected the murderer was Jiang Nanchun's boss. After a night of investigation, they discovered that the boss was the first to die. His body... no, his blood was spilled into the large iron cooking pot. It's said that the food eaten by those who died was contaminated by his... Oh, I won't say anymore. It's disgusting!"
The villager turned his head away and patted his chest, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Chen Yunli imagined the scene and felt his throat tighten. He quickly changed the subject: "You know a lot. Do you have connections in the government?"
"Hey, there's no way!" The villager waved his hand, nodding his chin at the sobbing families of the deceased not far away. "The deceased's family has been keeping vigil here all night, saying their loved one died so tragically that they'll wait here all day until the authorities find the murderer. The detectives had no choice but to investigate inside all night too, and whenever they found any clues, they'd come out and tell them to reassure them. That's how we know all this."
"Publicize the clues you've found," Chen Wenjian suddenly said. "Aren't the authorities worried about alerting the murderer and having him destroy the scene and evidence?"
The villager shook his head, indicating that he didn't know.
Chen Yunli thought for a moment and leaned close to his ear: "Maybe he did it on purpose, hoping to lure out the murderer this way."
Warm breath brushed past his earlobes. Chen Wenjian covered his slightly hot ears, appearing thoughtful, but actually looking away a little awkwardly.
But he didn't avoid it.
Suddenly, Chen Wenjian felt a gaze passing through the crowd and falling directly on him. He was sure that it was not an accidental or unintentional glance, but a scrutiny directed at him with a clear purpose.
He frowned and quickly looked towards the source of his gaze. About 10 to 20 meters away, at the boundary between the crowd of onlookers and the deceased's relatives, stood a gaunt, elderly man. He leaned on a cane, his back hunched, and stared at him with a pair of shadowy eyes. Beyond scrutiny, they held a look of intense shock and disbelief.
It was as if...his presence here was a huge injustice.
"What's wrong?"
Chen Yunli followed Chen Wenjian's gaze and also saw the old man: "Why is he looking at you like that?"
Just as Chen Wenjian was about to answer, he saw the old man turn around and walk away quickly. His legs were so nimble that he didn't look like an old man at all. In a short while, he disappeared without a trace.
"He must know something."
There was no time to explain, as an inexplicable urge drove Chen Wenjian to chase after him.
"Hey! Wait for me!"
Chen Yunli hurried to catch up.
The two ran one after the other in the direction the old man had left, away from the crowd and the village. Before they knew it, they had run to the woods they had passed by yesterday. A few steps further, in front of them was the stream with the floating bridge.
Although the old man was fast, he was no match for the two strong young men. Even though Chen Wenjian didn't use magic to stop him for some reason, he quickly caught up with him and was about ten meters behind him.
As the old man ran across the floating bridge, Chen Yunli caught a glimpse of a person sitting cross-legged on the bluestone by the stream. It was Ning Bufan. He was holding a newly made fishing rod that was obviously made of bamboo. He was untying the fishing line, hanging the hook on it, and was about to throw it into the water.
Chen Yunli shouted, "Mr. Ning! Help me! Stop that old man crossing the bridge!"
"Ah? Oh oh!"
Ning Bufan saw the three people chasing him from the front and back, and although he didn't understand why, he still agreed.
The old man was some distance away from him, and it would be too late for him to jump off the stone to stop him. So he simply took off the fishhook and put it aside. He swung the fishing rod, and the fishing line flew out in a circle and just wrapped around the old man's leg.
"Ouch!"
The old man fell to the ground unexpectedly, his crutch spun three meters away, and he fell face down with a mouthful of dirt.
Chen Yunli and Ning Bufan were both startled, fearing that the old man might be hurt, and hurried forward to check.
Chen Wenjian was one step faster than the other two. He grabbed the old man's arm and helped him up. Then he raised his hand and grabbed his hair, pulling it upwards skillfully.
With a "hiss", the wig and fake face on the old man's head were pulled off together, revealing his smooth and white cheeks. Looking closely, he looked no more than twenty years old.
Chen Yunli: “?”
Ning Bufan: “?”
I really like what the people of Yongxing Dynasty said: Ah?
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