Chapter 52: Cui Yuanyong

CHAPTER 52: CUI YUANYONG

The waiter lay dead alongside the tavern keeper, freed at last from the torment of his severed arm. The patrons had long since fled. Zhao Changhe glanced around, curling his lip. "Just a moment ago, someone said they'd buy me a drink when they saw me—now they've bolted faster than a rabbit."

He helped himself to untouched wine and meat from another table, settling in the middle of the tavern to feast as if it were that man's treat.

From outside came a clear, cheerful laugh: "With a brawl leaving corpses on the floor, what decent soul would still sit here drinking? How about I treat you instead?"

Zhao Changhe didn't look up. "And you, Master Cui—are you not a decent soul either?"

Cui Yuanyong sat across from him, smiling. "Perhaps not."

"So who's really treating whom? A scion of a great house mooching a meal—hardly the mark of a proper gentleman." Zhao Changhe casually poured him a cup of wine. "Where's your sister? Why are you alone? Treating her to a meal is one thing, but you? That feels a bit odd."

Cui Yuanyong gave a faint smile. "What, taken with her?"

"No thanks. I've no interest in fools." Zhao Changhe rolled his eyes. "But foolish as she is, she's still a sweet young girl—easy on the eyes. You, on the other hand, are almost as handsome as I am, and that annoys me more."

Cui Yuanyong chuckled. "I suspect your resentment stems from the fact that I might have some connection with Yue Hongling."

Zhao Changhe chewed on beef, scrutinizing Cui Yuanyong from head to toe. After a long moment, he suddenly grinned. "I won't say whether you fancy her, but I know she won't fancy you—so there's nothing to resent."

Cui Yuanyong raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How can you be so sure? Because you think she's set her sights on you?"

"No." Zhao Changhe shook his head. "Her heart belongs to the jianghu. Who knows when she'll ever think of home? For now, she belongs to no one—not you, not me."

Cui Yuanyong smiled. "And what about you? Isn't it the same? Whether with Xia Chichi or Yue Hongling."

Zhao Changhe's face was expressionless. "If it were your sister who understood me so well, we might have something to talk about. But you? What are you after? I've heard your noble houses have certain... tendencies."

Cui Yuanyong met Zhao Changhe's gaze, unable to tell if he was acknowledging the judgment or brushing it off with a laugh. He didn't press further, merely smiling. "Those tendencies aren't limited to noble houses. In fact, they're even more common in some mountain strongholds—perhaps Chief Zhao is more familiar with them."

Zhao Changhe muttered, "Damn."

Cui Yuanyong finally raised his cup in salute. "First meeting. I am Cui Yuanyong."

"Pleasure." Zhao Changhe clinked his cup against it, signaling goodwill.

He had originally intended to ask Yue Hongling for an introduction; he didn't want tension with everyone. These noble houses were tied to his own path as a false prince and to unraveling the world's secrets, so he hoped for a proper exchange.

Besides, this fellow didn't seem half bad. He had fought a gentleman's duel with Yue Hongling, stopping at the touch, each respecting the other. Later, thinking she had been captured by bandits, he had come wounded to rescue her, and afterward, he hadn't blabbed about her being the bandit chief's wife. So far, Zhao Changhe had a fairly good impression of him.

Moreover, Cui Yuanyong had, intentionally or not, shouldered a burden for him. That night, he had tied up all the Beimang bandits and delivered them to the Mangshan city yamen, declaring that the once-dominant gang had been wiped out by the authorities—earning the local officials a great merit.

This might make people think Zhao Changhe had sided with the Cui family, that killing Fang Buping was a preemptive strike for them. But at the same time, the Cui family had taken on the role of "mastermind," drawing the attention of the Blood God Sect and even the Four Symbols Sect primarily toward themselves. Others who wanted to deal with Zhao Changhe would have to consider the Cui family's stance.

The journey so far had been plagued by petty ambushes, with few upright men in sight—this was why. The "false prince" business existed only in his and Xia Chichi's imaginations; others might not think that way. In truth, what decent people feared now was the Cui family. That was the reality.

For now, since everyone knew he had set out from Beimang, his location was clear. Anyone wanting to block him would lie in wait on the roads around Beimang, and they'd eventually catch their fish. That was why the path had been so thorny. But the farther he traveled, the harder it would be to track him. If Cui Yuanyong helped cover his tracks, he wouldn't have to stay so tense, jumping at every beggar and waiter. That kind of life was unsustainable.

If he hadn't read so many wuxia novels and kept an eye out for such tricks, he might have fallen into a trap long ago.

So this wasn't really their "first meeting." The siblings had been tailing him for days; Zhao Changhe's rear-sight had spotted Cui Yuanyong's face many times. He wondered why they hadn't approached until now, only coming today for a drink.

They clinked cups and drank. Cui Yuanyong took out a silk handkerchief and dabbed his lips leisurely. "Are you wondering why we followed you for days without making contact, watching you fight your way through thorns and brambles, only to show up now?"

Zhao Changhe eyed the handkerchief, twitching his mouth. He could only say, "I am curious. What were you thinking?"

Cui Yuanyong sighed. "If I told you it was just to let my sister learn a few tricks of the jianghu, would you think I was lying?"

Zhao Changhe's mouth nearly spasmed into a seizure. After a long pause, he said, "I think it might be the truth."

Cui Yuanyong laughed heartily. "It is the truth. I took her on the road, and we never ran into any trouble. The only incident was when you set up a checkpoint and robbed us—but in the end, you let us go. We had a good impression of you then."

"So those two travelers were you? I've forgotten what you looked like."

"In my clan, this generation is blessed with many sons, but only one daughter. She's been doted on by everyone since childhood, never seeing the darkness of men's hearts or the evil of the jianghu—utterly innocent. She has excellent talent but refuses to train seriously, and everyone indulges her, never speaking a harsh word. This time, she ignored my advice and sneaked out to attack Chief Zhao, only to be captured. Fortunately, though you're called a bandit chief, you're a gentleman at heart. That was her luck; otherwise, it would have been a lesson too harsh to bear."

Zhao Changhe lowered his head to sip his wine. "Indeed... she was a bit foolish."

"This time, Chief Zhao released her honorably and later faced a death sentence from your own helmsman for it. She was frantic with worry." Cui Yuanyong clasped his hands in thanks. "I feel she's grown up a lot overnight. Chief Zhao gave her an important life lesson. Cui hereby thanks you."

Zhao Changhe could only reply, "It shows she's kind at heart. And I must thank her for the medicine."

"That's true. Though a bit spoiled, my sister has always been kind." Cui Yuanyong said, "So when she saw you leaving Beimang alone, looking somewhat weakened, she kept pestering me to protect you. I told her, 'This is a tiger descending the mountain, a dragon entering the sea—how could he need protection?' Not only should we not protect him, but we should let her gain some experience along the way. If I tried to teach her through others, she'd just scoff. But with you, she was quite obedient."

Zhao Changhe: "..."

Cui Yuanyong drank another cup and sighed. "Do you know why I came to see you today without her?"

Zhao Changhe shook his head.

"Because she saw you navigate all the storms and treachery along the way, knowing she'd have died a dozen times in your place, while you shattered every demon and monster like a god descending to earth... I think I saw a change in her eyes. If I let her keep watching, she might not just gain experience—she might gain something else. So I had someone drag her home. She threw quite a tantrum at me."

Zhao Changhe coughed, lowering his head to drink in silence.

The Cui family had several masters on the Heaven and Earth and Human rankings. Cui Yuanyong himself was at the eighth level of the Profound Gate and third on the Hidden Dragon List—a man of renown. Yet his little sister looked at a mere third-level Profound Gate wild man and thought him a god descending to earth. Put yourself in Cui Yuanyong's shoes, and you'd spit blood. But Zhao Changhe had done nothing wrong; he was even his sister's savior. He couldn't cut him down, and he had to help him out.

Cui Yuanyong felt there was no greater fool than himself. At this point, he finally sighed. "Since my sister has gone home, I thought I'd sit down and have a proper drink with Brother Zhao, make friends, and ask what your plans are from now on."

Zhao Changhe said, "Is the Cui family still thinking of recruiting me?"

Cui Yuanyong shook his head. "Brother Zhao is not one to serve under another. That talk is meaningless. What we really want to know is... what exactly is your relationship with Chief Tang?"