Tianxiang Pavilion.
"Oh, if it isn't Young Master Chen! It has been quite a while since we last saw you." At the entrance, an enchantingly beautiful woman warmly greeted Chen Wuyou.
This greeting immediately drew the attention of many people on the street.
For no other reason than that Chen Wuyou was simply too famous.
On some level...
"Hehe, Lady Chunluo, it's just that I haven't been able to spare any time lately."
"Young Master, you do talk nonsense." The woman called Chunluo tilted her head, her tone carrying a hint of grievance. "Just the other day, I happened to hear about Young Master Chen's deeply affectionate exploits."
"Well, about that." Chen Wuyou somewhat awkwardly rubbed the tip of his nose, but a moment later, a flash of inspiration hit him, and he explained, "Actually, my feelings for that young lady of the Mu Family are purely out of admiration—after all, she is truly exceptional... But as for our ladies here, my feelings are entirely sincere."
"Really?" Chunluo remained half-sceptical.
"One hundred percent real." Meeting her alluring gaze mixed with doubt, Chen Wuyou smiled and said, "If Lady Chunluo doesn't believe me... how about this: I won't leave today, let that be my punishment. How does that sound?"
"Hmph, I think Young Master is just rewarding yourself, aren't you?" Chunluo gave a playful, coquettish huff, but naturally slipped her arm into Chen Wuyou's, her voice sweet and charming as she said, "Since Young Master has put it that way, you are not allowed to go back on your word."
"Our ladies have learned quite a few new tunes lately, you know."
"Is that so? Then I must thoroughly enjoy them." Smiling, Chen Wuyou let Chunluo lead him inside Tianxiang Pavilion.
And so...
The next day, Chen Wuyou emerged from Tianxiang Pavilion feeling refreshed and full of vigor.
"Ah, what a relief~" Chen Wuyou stretched lazily.
Although Tianxiang Pavilion was a place of wine and romance, the women there sold only their artistry and not their bodies; every famous courtesan was thoroughly versed in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
Since Chen Wuyou strictly adhered to the principle of appreciating without touching, and enjoying without taking responsibility, this place was practically paradise on earth for him.
What man wouldn't love a group of beautiful women dancing and playing music right before his eyes?
Unless something was wrong with him.
Right?
At this moment, it was early morning, yet the streets were already filled with endless cries of hawking vendors.
At this sight, Chen Wuyou felt a lingering sense of melancholy.
With the trip he was taking today, who knew how long it would be before he could return...
Reluctantly, Chen Wuyou cast one last longing look back at the pavilion that occasionally exuded an ambiguous charm, sighed softly, and then summoned his flying sword and sped away.
Bishui Peak.
Before Chen Wuyou had even landed, he spotted two young men dressed in yellow robes with refined demeanors, waiting quietly outside his door."Well, if it isn't Junior Brother Chen Long and Junior Brother Yun Qing, arriving so early." Chen Wuyou flew forward to greet them.
"Senior Brother Wuyou." The two men bowed to Chen Wuyou in greeting, after which Chen Long explained, "The Xuanyang Sect is quite a distance from Shangzhou City, and we were bound to encounter some unexpected delays along the way. That's why the old sect master had us set off earlier to avoid being late."
"The old man actually thought ahead for once." Chen Wuyou raised an eyebrow with a smile, then asked, "Where is he?"
"This..." The two men exchanged glances, unsure how to explain. They could only gesture behind them and replied, "You had better go see for yourself, Senior Brother."
At this, Chen Wuyou's eye twitched involuntarily. Puzzled, he cautiously stepped inside the courtyard.
Waaaa!!
To his astonishment, the moment Chen Wuyou crossed the threshold, he saw a tear-streaked little dumpling of a girl fleeing from the house, crashing straight into him.
"Mo'er?" Recognizing who it was, Chen Wuyou was startled at first, then scooped the girl up into his arms with a look of deep distress.
The moment she saw Chen Wuyou's face, the young girl froze. Her dark, glossy eyes rippled with emotion before the tears already brimming within them burst forth like a raging flood.
The young girl threw her arms tightly around Chen Wuyou.
"Wuuu wuuu wuuu, Brother Wuyou, I don't want you to leave!"
Hearing this, Chen Wuyou realized that Shangguan Mo must have found out about his impending departure. He gently patted the girl's slightly trembling back and comforted her, "There, there, be a good girl, Mo'er. Brother will be back in just a few days."
To be honest, Shangguan Mo's reaction was entirely within Chen Wuyou's expectations. Though he was often away from home on ordinary days, he could at least return from time to time, and Shangguan Mo was used to seeing him frequently.
Yet with this trip, who knew how many days he would be gone? It was her first time being apart from him for so long, so her heartbreak was entirely understandable.
Shangguan Mo was clearly not buying Chen Wuyou's comfort. Pouting her little lips with a look of profound grievance, she said, "You're lying, Brother Wuyou! I heard everything when Grandfather and Grandmother were talking just now..."
Hearing this, Chen Wuyou's expression inevitably darkened. He looked toward the house and saw Shangguan Danqing peeking outside. The moment Shangguan Danqing noticed Chen Wuyou turning his head to look, he hurriedly pulled his head back out of a guilty conscience.
That old man!
Chen Wuyou mentally cursed Shangguan Danqing a dozen times over.Helpless, Chen Wuyou could only gently stroke the girl's fluffy head and say softly, "Mo'er, big brother promises you that it won't be long before Master, Mistress, and I will all come home together... During this time, you must stay at home and be a good girl, and listen to Great-grandmother, okay?"
"Is big brother telling the truth...?" The girl still looked pitiful.
"Of course!" Gazing at that tear-stained little face, Chen Wuyou gently wiped away the girl's tears. "If it takes a long time, then when big brother comes back, I'll bring you a gift."
Hearing this, the girl finally stopped crying. Without speaking, she simply pressed her small body tightly against Chen Wuyou's embrace.
Perhaps for a very long time in the future, such warmth would be nothing more than an extravagant hope...
After a long while, Shangguan Mo suddenly jumped down from Chen Wuyou's lap and, under Chen Wuyou's puzzled gaze, took quick little steps and pattered into the house.
Just as Chen Wuyou was wondering what the girl was up to, she ran back out cradling a fiery-red ball of fur.
*Awooo.*
That ball suddenly let out a childish cry. Chen Wuyou looked closely and barely managed to recognize it.
"Is this Xiaoqiu?"
After being apart for just a day, this fellow had made its body even smaller, almost indistinguishable from a field mouse.
If not for that blazing red fur being far too eye-catching, Chen Wuyou wouldn't have recognized this little rascal at all for a moment.
"Mhm!" The girl nodded earnestly, lifted Xiaoqiu up, and said, "Big brother, let Xiaoqiu keep you company instead of me."
Hearing this, Chen Wuyou felt somewhat conflicted inside.
Originally, seeing Shangguan Mo looking so heartbroken, Chen Wuyou had already prepared to leave Xiaoqiu at home to keep the girl company.
Yet he hadn't expected...
Looking at the earnest and firm expression on that little face, Chen Wuyou didn't want to disappoint Shangguan Mo either, so he reached out, took Xiaoqiu, and gently placed it upon his shoulder.
Having done all this, Chen Wuyou saw the girl finally break into a smile once again, and couldn't help but let out a massive sigh of relief in his heart.
When this little girl cried, it really felt like a huge chunk had been gouged right out of his heart.
At that moment, Shangguan Danqing put on a pretense and slowly walked out from the house.
Chen Wuyou immediately cast a hostile glare in his direction.
*Ahem, ahem.*
Knowing he was in the wrong, Shangguan Danqing brought his hand to his mouth, dry-coughed a few times, then walked up to the two of them and said to Shangguan Mo, "Well, Mo'er, Grandfather has a few words to say with your big brother. You go inside first."
At that, the girl looked pleadingly at Chen Wuyou.
Seeing Chen Wuyou nod with a smile, Shangguan Mo obediently walked into the house.
Upon seeing this, Shangguan Danqing's expression instantly darkened, looking thoroughly displeased.
Yet unexpectedly, Chen Wuyou looked far more irritated than Shangguan Danqing at that moment. Without caring whether the old man would beat him up or not, he started complaining right to his face.
"Old man, your Spiritization Realm must be fake, can't you just use voice transmission to speak?"
"You brat!" Shangguan Danqing first glared at Chen Wuyou, but then remembered that he was in the wrong, so he silently withdrew his gaze and curled his lip. "This old man thought Mo'er was still playing with that little fellow, how could I have anticipated..."
Observing Shangguan Danqing's shifting gaze, Chen Wuyou knew the old man wasn't telling the truth. After all, with a Spiritization Realm cultivation base, Shangguan Danqing should have been able to detect even the slightest stirring of the wind across the entire Bingshui Peak with crystal clarity, let alone Shangguan Mo, who possessed very little cultivation.
However, since the other party intended to keep it hidden, Chen Wuyou decided not to press further.
After all, if he got the old man flustered, the one who would suffer for it was still him.
"Let's just assume what you said is true."
"What do you mean by 'assume', this old man never lies!" Shangguan Danqing turned his head and gave a couple of huffs, then cast another sideways glance at Chen Wuyou and said, "It's already come to this, you brat, it's about time you got on your way."
"Why do you sound like you're rushing me out?" Chen Wuyou said with an unkind tone. "My mission this time is so dangerous, can't you say something nice to bid me farewell?"
"A brat like you goes around acting all flippant all day long. The moment you're finally going to do something serious, if I praised you twice wouldn't you float right up into the sky?"
"What kind of talk is that, what kind of talk is that?!"
"All right... Everything that needed to be said has already been said these past few days. In any case, you brat... mind your safety."
Hearing this, Chen Wuyou couldn't help but lower his gaze and smile.
He complained when he complained, but he also knew that the old man had always been all bark and bite with a soft heart. Just hearing those few words was enough.
"...Go on and say goodbye to your Great-grandmother and Mo'er... Don't keep those two lads at the entrance waiting too long."
"Alright." Chen Wuyou nodded and walked past Shangguan Danqing.
Suddenly, Chen Wuyou halted his steps.
The old man and the youth stood back-to-back.
"Old man," Chen Wuyou's tone suddenly turned obscure and unreadable.
"Hmm?"
"I've been Mo'er's Wuyou big brother for ten years. Then a thousand, ten thousand years from now, no matter what happens, I still will be."
Shangguan Danqing spun around abruptly, his expression complex.
"......Got it, go on."