My Gentle and Pure Sect Leader Husband - Chapter 83

Lin’an Prefecture · Autumn

By September, Lin’an Prefecture had already been tinged with golden colors. Many flowers in the small tower had bloomed and withered, giving it a somewhat desolate feeling.

Hua Manlou tidied up the flower branches broken by last night’s wind and rinsed his hands in the copper basin nearby.

In the years that followed, he had not seen the two elders many times.

After the Grand Prince languished on his sickbed and finally died in winter, His Majesty personally appointed the Third Prince as the heir to the throne. The chaos that had plagued the capital for over a year finally settled.

Aunt Yan and Uncle Yu seemed to have settled in the capital, no longer frequently traveling or staying elsewhere as they had before, though the small courtyard in Jinling City was still regularly maintained.

Initially, the two elders would visit the small tower when they happened to pass by on business, but after he turned fifteen, Aunt Yan and Uncle Yu severed their connection with him, not even corresponding by letter.

Hua Manlou didn’t feel sad or unable to accept this. From a young age, he had guessed Aunt Yan’s identity, and in the following years, it wasn’t difficult to deduce Uncle Yu’s background.

A young child could be indulged in anything, but once he grew up and acted independently, he became the Seventh Young Master of the Hua family to the outside world. His every word and action represented the Hua family, and close association with Aunt Yan and Uncle Yu could potentially bring disaster to the Hua family.

The two elders were always considerate of him.

Nevertheless, Hua Manlou believed that fated connections in this world were predestined, and people who cared for each other would eventually meet again after twists and turns.

Just like him and Lu Xiaofeng, and him and his brother Ah Xue.

Speaking of which, he had heard news of his brother Ah Xue quite early. After all, rumors of a young swordsman from the northern frontier challenging famous swordsmen of the jianghu one after another had already spread from the distant northern border to every corner of other prefectures.

A youth in white, with a black-scabbarded long sword, and a residence in the bitter cold northern frontier called the Wanmei Mountain Villa.

This made Hua Manlou immediately recognize who it was when he heard the rumor in the restaurant.

That year, Ximen Chuixue was fourteen years old.

Also in that year, eleven-year-old Hua Manlou rescued a disheveled, filthy youth on his way back to the small tower.

****

After leaving the restaurant, Hua Manlou’s mood was quite cheerful upon learning news of old acquaintances, and his steps became much lighter.

When passing by an alley entrance, a cold wind suddenly tumbled down from the wall ahead.

Hua Manlou originally intended to dodge but stopped his evasive movement when he heard the sound of fabric brushing. He caught the unconscious youth in his arms and felt that his back was covered in sticky blood.

This place wasn’t far from Hua Manlou’s small tower, so he supported the youth and took him back there.

He found a servant to clean the youth up. Since the youth had an extremely deep knife wound on his back, Hua Manlou also called for a doctor.

Unexpectedly, before the doctor could touch the youth’s pulse, the youth on the bed woke up and called out in his direction—

“Ah Lou?”

Hua Manlou blinked, turning his face to “look” toward Lu Xiaofeng’s direction, and also smiled. “Lu Xiaofeng.”

He truly hadn’t expected that the first person to reunite with him would be Lu Xiaofeng, who had separated from him earliest and had been out of contact since.

Lu Xiaofeng also smiled, no longer resisting the doctor’s attempt to take his pulse, though he fidgeted restlessly on the bed, accidentally pulling at the wound on his back, making him wince in pain.

Upon learning that the injured person was Lu Xiaofeng, Hua Manlou put down the teacup he had been holding. His attitude noticeably hardened as he gently told the servant beside him. “Turn Young Master Lu over.”

So Lu Xiaofeng, with his injured back, was deprived of the right to lie normally and could only lie face down on the bedding, allowing the doctor to apply layer upon layer of medicine and finally wrap him up tightly.

After the doctor and servants left the room, Lu Xiaofeng relaxed, rubbing his chin against the pillow in his arms. He turned his head to look at Hua Manlou sitting not far away and chuckled.

Hua Manlou didn’t ask what he had been doing or what trouble he had gotten into. He just let Lu Xiaofeng stare at him while naturally continuing to drink his tea.

Then he heard Lu Xiaofeng sigh deeply. “I used to think that Ah Lou was so handsome as a child, wondering how many girls would be thinking of him when he grew up. Now it seems… tsk tsk.”

At this time, Hua Manlou could only be considered a youth, but his once childlike features had begun to mature, with a gentle and refined air about him. Standing there, he naturally possessed the bearing of a noble family.

Hua Manlou raised an eyebrow. “Hearing you say this makes me quite curious about your appearance now.”

Lu Xiaofeng was somewhat older than Hua Manlou, though not by much. He was only thirteen or fourteen years old this year.

Lu Xiaofeng moved himself further into the bed and said generously, “Then come and feel for yourself.”

Hua Manlou actually went over and touched him briefly, then pulled from Lu Xiaofeng’s sideburns a tuft of… hair?

Hua Manlou held the tuft with a strange expression, however he examined it, it seemed like half of a fake mustache.

But why would a teenager in his early teens need to stick on a fake mustache to appear mature?

When Lu Xiaofeng saw what was in Hua Manlou’s hand, he coughed awkwardly twice. “I was rushing to wash off my disguise, maybe it accidentally stuck to my hair…”

Thankfully this was discovered at Ah Lou’s place. If he had returned like this and his master had seen it, he would have received quite a scolding at the very least.

Hua Manlou shook his head helplessly, returned the fake mustache to Lu Xiaofeng, turned back to sit at the table, and pondered. “Your appearance…”

Lu Xiaofeng buried his head in the pillow and said in a muffled voice, “Stop! Don’t say it!”

He couldn’t understand why even adorable little Ah Lou had matured with well-defined features as he grew up, while he alone, after several years, still had a baby face!

“When I grow older, I will definitely grow a beard!” Lu Xiaofeng grumbled between his teeth. “You don’t know! Young ladies look at me with expressions of affection and motherly love, this is simply…”

Hua Manlou, who was raising his cup to drink tea, was almost choked by these words and laughed uncontrollably.

Lu Xiaofeng had been to many places over the past few years. He told Hua Manlou about the customs of those places and the interesting people and events he had encountered, telling whatever came to mind. Until he mentioned Hubei, he paused and said:

“Ah Lou, do you know about Ximen…”

Hua Manlou nodded calmly. “I know, but I haven’t met him yet. Is he well?”

“Quite well.” Lu Xiaofeng’s teeth ached at the thought of Ximen Chuixue. “The first thing he did when we met was to run a sword through the throat of the person drinking across from me! I hadn’t even finished asking my question!”

After saying this, Lu Xiaofeng’s eyelid twitched. Remembering the dispute they had once had over the Long Xiaoyun incident, he quickly added, “That man was thoroughly evil, killed his brother and took his sister-in-law by force, bullied decent people, truly deserved to die. I was only approaching him to investigate a matter.”

“Yes, I know.” Hua Manlou smiled gently.

“Cough, right, let me tell you about the evil wolves of the wasteland? Ah Lou, you don’t know, my master…”

…..

Lu Xiaofeng stayed in the small tower for nine days. Once his back injury improved, he dug up all the wine Hua Manlou had buried in the backyard and left without a sound.

When Hua Manlou heard from the servant that the wine buried under the trees in the backyard had been completely stolen, he sighed helplessly.

He was just learning to brew wine, and apart from the insufficient time, he didn’t even know if the taste was good or bad. This Lu Xiaofeng didn’t even fear getting a stomachache from drinking it!

Having someone fill in the shamelessly excavated pit, Hua Manlou shook his head.

—When he next saw Lu Xiaofeng, he would ask how the wine tasted.

****

Coming back from his memories, Hua Manlou smiled slightly.

After that time, he hadn’t expected that he would not see Lu Xiaofeng again until several years later.

At that time, he was investigating a case of counterfeit bank notes at the Datong Money House owned by the Hua family under his father’s orders. He discovered that Lu Xiaofeng had become involved with the fake notes, so he ransomed him out of the government jail.

Lu Xiaofeng, swaggering out of the dungeon, finally had two small mustaches on his lips, appearing like a romantic playboy. The moment they met, he asked for wine to drink.

Yes, he also met Zhu Ting, whom he had briefly encountered as a child.

Zhu Ting’s culinary skills had improved from before, but his temperament hadn’t changed at all. He still argued with Lu Xiaofeng on sight, except now his words were all about his beloved wife, annoying Lu Xiaofeng to the point where he couldn’t speak two sentences without feeling his teeth ache.

Suddenly, a commotion arose from the street below, followed by urgent footsteps approaching rapidly up the stairs of the small tower.

Hua Manlou turned around, facing the direction of the stairs.

Standing there was a girl with unstable breathing. A waft of delicate fragrance blew from the stairway, and the wind chimes by the window jingled crisply.

This wasn’t someone Hua Manlou knew, but his small tower always kept its doors open. Anyone in trouble could come for shelter.

So he spoke gently, smiling slightly. “Miss, have you encountered some trouble?”

The girl’s breathing was somewhat rapid, and she said anxiously yet hesitantly, “People are chasing me. They have knives and will really kill me. Can I hide here for a while?”

“Of course.”

Hua Manlou didn’t ask why those people would be chasing a young girl. He simply agreed to the girl’s plea for help without further inquiry.

The girl sighed with relief, then approached Hua Manlou and said, “Thank you. My name is Shangguan Feiyan. What should I call you?”

“My name is…”

Before Hua Manlou could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a dart shot through the window.

He instinctively raised his hand to catch the dart that was flying straight toward Shangguan Feiyan, running his fingertips over its surface while looking toward the window with a surprised expression.

“I knew you were going to deceive another honest person! You already have several paramours and still want more? Even Princess Shangguan Danfeng doesn’t have such grand demands. Who do you think you are, you impostor, expecting a different man to attend to you every day?”

A nimble little girl flipped deftly through the window. Her martial arts were excellent; if she hadn’t struck first, Hua Manlou might not have even detected the sound of her footsteps when she landed.

Just as Hua Manlou was about to say something, his left sleeve was pulled by the little girl, who moved him behind her for protection.

Hua Manlou: “…”

A trace of helplessness flashed across the handsome young man’s face, and he actually stood silently behind the little girl without saying a word.

“Who are you? I don’t understand what you’re saying!” Shangguan Feiyan’s face was almost distorted with rage by the little girl’s few sentences.

But due to Hua Manlou’s presence, her voice still sounded innocently charming with a pitiful tone. “Young Master Hua, this girl is…? She seems to have mistaken me for someone else. Such excessive language is really…”

Toward the end, her voice even carried a hint of tearful grievance.

But those large almond eyes contained a trace of malice and jealousy.

The little girl opposite, though appearing no more than seven or eight years old, had delicate features. A pair of turquoise eyes, unusual for people of the Central Plains, added even more beauty to her face. So pretty at such a young age, when she grew up…

The little girl rolled her eyes, too lazy to argue with her, and coldly snorted, “Are you sure you want to waste time here? Lu Xiaofeng has already set out early and is about to reach Lin’an Prefecture.”

A flash of surprise crossed Shangguan Feiyan’s eyes. The information she had received clearly stated that Lu Xiaofeng had been detained by his romantic interest Ouyang Qing, how could he…

But Lu Xiaofeng was ultimately more important than Hua Manlou. Without Hua Manlou as leverage, she had other methods to lure and force Lu Xiaofeng to work for her. The urgent matter now was to intercept Lu Xiaofeng as soon as possible.

Thinking this, Shangguan Feiyan was about to speak when those people “chasing” her had already rushed into the small tower, beginning their act.

Shangguan Feiyan gritted her teeth. Her plan to give Hua Manlou a hero-saves-beauty moment had been completely ruined, but…

“Young Master Hua is a good person. The flowers and plants in the small tower are so exquisite. Feiyan will absolutely not let these people destroy Young Master Hua’s hard work!” Shangguan Feiyan spoke with a resolute tone, not waiting for Hua Manlou to speak before running toward the stairs.

There was a chaotic clattering noise from below, and then the fragrant girl and the group of fierce-looking pursuers all disappeared from the small tower.

“Lu Xiaofeng will cry,” Hua Manlou sighed gently. “He has been looking forward to my wine for many days.”

Since Lu Xiaofeng completed his apprenticeship and encountered Hua Manlou on his first case, he had resumed contact with Hua Manlou, dropping by his small tower every few days to stay for a while, especially during autumn when Hua Manlou’s wine was ready—he would invariably make his way to Lin’an Prefecture.

“It doesn’t matter. Whether it’s Shangguan Feiyan or Shangguan Danfeng, they both look quite good actually,” the little girl waved her hand dismissively. “The intelligence reports all say that Brother Lu has always been vulnerable to beautiful women. He’ll definitely be happy.”

Hua Manlou paused, finding himself thinking this reasoning was quite logical.

The little girl seemed to remember something and clapped her hands. “I almost forgot the important matter.”

Hua Manlou: “?”

A letter was handed to Hua Manlou. Just as he reached out to take it, before he could open it, he heard the little girl in front of him say, “Brother Ah Lou, can I stay here for a few days?”

Although the little girl wasn’t very old, from the dart earlier and the way she addressed him and Lu Xiaofeng, Hua Manlou had guessed her identity.

Despite her young age, Hua Manlou still said, “You’re a girl. Staying at my place would harm your reputation. Perhaps…”

The little girl tilted her head, suddenly realizing something, and pushed the letter in Hua Manlou’s hand toward him. “Brother Ah Lou, read the letter first.”

Hua Manlou then pulled out the letter paper. The ink was heavy enough for Hua Manlou to easily feel the content.

The first half was in Uncle Yu’s handwriting, rambling on about a long string of family matters, making Hua Manlou unable to suppress a smile. The later part was in Aunt Yan’s handwriting, asking a couple of questions about his recent situation before mentioning the current case involving the Great Jinpeng Dynasty.

The general meaning was that the Great Jinpeng Dynasty case involved court affairs. Although Aunt Yan had sent a Jinyiwei there, this particular Jinyiwei had no jianghu experience and was a troublemaking rascal. Fearing too much disturbance, she wanted Hua Manlou to exercise some restraint over them.

As he read, Hua Manlou’s fingers suddenly stopped, his smile freezing—

“Beloved child….Yan Chuan?”

…Jinyiwei?!

The “little girl” who had defeated a Jinyiwei instructor at the age of five and became the youngest Jinyiwei dark envoy nodded, raising her hand to scratch her chin. She shook the jingling bells on her wrist, unconcerned. “Girls’ dresses are so pretty. Whenever I make a mistake, I dress up beautifully and act coquettishly, and mother definitely won’t punish me. She always goes to beat my father instead.”

“Sigh, unfortunately I’m growing too fast. In a few more years, this trick probably won’t work anymore.”

“Mother still prefers someone with the charm of a beautiful man like my father…” Yan Chuan, who had inherited her father’s eye color, tugged at the ends of her hair with a regretful tone. “Why didn’t I inherit father’s curly hair?”

Mother loves father’s hair so much!

Hua Manlou wanted to speak but hesitated, his expression subtle.

How to put this…

Somehow, it gave him a sense of familiarity.

It truly fit the interaction mode between Aunt Yan and Uncle Yu.