Chapter 92

, Half Immortal

Looking at Young Master’s appearance, it seemed he was a distinguished guest. The gatekeeper did not dare to delay and quickly responded, hurrying off.

He ran all the way to the main gate, and respectfully said in front of the carriage, "Young Master invites you, esteemed guest, please follow me."

The coachman moved a stool from the carriage shaft and placed it on the ground as a step.

The carriage door opened, and a folding fan lifted the curtain. A handsome man emerged, standing straight on the carriage shaft, giving a striking impression like a plum branch in the snow, instantly catching the eye of the guards at the Zhong residence. He was a beautiful man with a slightly lazy charm.

The man kept one hand behind his back, and the folding fan in his other hand gently tapped his chest. He looked around the surroundings, and his gaze finally landed on the Zhong residence’s signboard.

The sound of hooves approached; it was Du Fei leading two attendants back from an errand.

The man on the carriage shaft turned to look at the source of the sound, then stepped down, calmly placing one foot on the stool and the other on the ground. Under the attendants' respectful invitation, he ascended the steps, the fan swinging in his hand, drawing circles.

Du Fei reined in his horse, jumped down, and handed the reins to an attendant. He walked around the guest’s carriage with a hint of suspicion, then slowly ascended the steps of the Zhong residence, still looking back every few steps. At the gate, he asked the gatekeeper, "Who is it, and who are they here to see?"

The gatekeeper replied, "I don’t know. The visitor didn’t report their name or origin, only saying they were an old acquaintance of the young master of the East Courtyard, and had received his permission."

"An old acquaintance of the young master?" Du Fei was taken aback, turning to look at the carriage again with a full face of suspicion as he entered.

Inside, the steward Li had just come out and, seeing his appearance, called out, "Old Du, what are you thinking about?"

Du Fei looked up and waved him over, asking, "Did you see the guest who just entered?"

Li Steward: "I saw him, just met him. He’s a strikingly handsome man. I greeted him, and he said he was the young master’s guest. This is the second guest this morning."

Du Fei: "Do you know who that person is?"

Li Steward: "Who else could the young master’s guest be? Probably a fellow examinee, like the one who came earlier."

Du Fei shook his head, "I’ve seen him before. He can’t possibly be a candidate for this year’s examination. He’s not, and he’s not just any candidate. Do you know what he does?"

Li Steward hesitated, "I just arrived, how would I know? Is there a problem?"

Du Fei looked around and whispered, "Yanzhou, the Zhao Hongshang from Shangping Prefecture, do you know her?"

Li Steward was taken aback, "I’ve heard of her, the richest woman in Shangping Prefecture. What are you trying to say?"

Du Fei: "When the steward was negotiating a deal with the woman from Shangping Prefecture, I was instructed to investigate her. I saw this man. He is her kept man, just a parasite."

Li Steward was instantly shocked, "Yanzhou and Liezhou are far apart. How could the young master know such a person? Are you sure you didn’t mistake him?"

Du Fei: "I won’t mistake him. His appearance is memorable. The carriage at the gate is also from the Zhao residence. There’s no way I could be wrong. I can’t remember his name, but I’ll check the records I made at the time."

Li Steward: "Could he be one of the old master’s people?"

Du Fei shook his head, "Given the old master’s integrity, he wouldn’t let his subordinates be parasites."

Li Steward was somewhat worried, looking in the direction of the East Courtyard, "I wonder if the young master knows this person’s identity. Associating with such a person could lead to gossip. Marrying the young lady already invites suspicion of being a parasite. It took a lot to pass the imperial examination and clear that suspicion. If he associates with such a person and gains a bad reputation, it would truly make him a scoundrel. We need to advise the young master to be careful!"

Who could disagree? Du Fei nodded silently.

In the East Courtyard, Xu Bo realized that this Scholar Shiheng had no intention of entertaining him. He didn’t know what guest had arrived to make Shiheng so delighted.

Fine, if that’s the case, he wouldn’t disturb him. Xu Bo put the slave registry of Chong back on the desk and took his leave.

"Hey, Brother Xu, I really don’t need it," Yu Qing called out, picking up the slave registry and about to catch up to return it, but at that moment, a new guest arrived at the main gate, making Yu Qing’s eyes light up, instantly forgetting about Xu Bo.

Xu Bo almost collided with the guest. The guest’s fan deftly pushed against Xu Bo’s chest, preventing the collision.

Xu Bo hurriedly apologized and quickly made way, but he couldn’t help but take a few more looks at the guest. He didn’t expect Shiheng’s guest to be such a handsome and graceful man.

Seeing Xu Bo take his leave, the gatekeeper who had led the guest extended his hand to invite Xu Bo to go together.

Chong stood by the door of the main hall, tears streaming down his face, his mind in turmoil.

He watched helplessly as Xu Bo left, wanting to follow but not daring to. He was no longer Xu Bo’s slave; according to the law, he was now the slave of Young Master Shiheng. But Shiheng had already made it clear that he didn’t need him, didn’t like him, and didn’t want him.

He couldn’t leave, and staying wasn’t welcome. Apart from crying, he didn’t know what to do.

Yu Qing paid no attention to him, already smiling and heading toward the handsome guest.

The handsome man was taken aback upon seeing him, standing still for a moment. When Yu Qing approached, he tapped Yu Qing’s forehead with his fan, "What are you doing here, you little rascal, just here to freeload?"

Yu Qing clasped his hands, about to greet him, but then remembered something and turned back, "Chong, make tea."

Though he didn’t want Chong, using him felt natural and habitual.

Chong wiped his tears, nodded forcefully, and went inside to work. He poured out the spirit rice, cleaned the teapot, filled it with water, and boiled it, a process he had become accustomed to while serving Yu Qing.

The handsome man, seeing Yu Qing’s appearance, understood. With others present, it wasn’t appropriate to speak. Given the subtleties of Linglong Temple, he didn’t say more, walking with his hands behind his back, observing the courtyard.

The two entered the hall, sat cross-legged at the low table, and just as Chong was about to serve the tea, he fished out a fire cricket from the boiling water, rinsed the teapot, and refilled it with water, then put the cricket back in.

Fishing a cricket out of the water to make tea? Cricket tea? The strange scene caught the handsome man’s attention, leaving him puzzled.

Soon, steam began to rise from the teapot, and the water started to boil.

The handsome man immediately looked down and up, his head moving back and forth, not seeing any charcoal fire under the teapot. He leaned in to look inside and saw the glowing, heated cricket, his surprise growing.

Yu Qing watched with a grin, knowing this would happen, which was why he had Chong make the tea for him, enjoying the look of a country bumpkin who had never seen anything like it.

The water boiled, and Chong fished out the fire cricket, put it back in the metal can, and began to serve the tea, offering a cup to each of them.

The handsome man looked at the steaming cup of tea in front of him, his face full of suspicion, and asked, "Is this tea?"

"Isn’t it tea, what else could it be?" Yu Qing extended his hand, "Please, have some."

The handsome man raised an eyebrow, tapped the table with his fan, and pointed at Yu Qing, "You drink first!"

Yu Qing rolled his eyes, "Is it really necessary? It’s not like I’d poison you." He picked up the teacup, gesturing for him to watch carefully, and gently blew on the hot liquid, sipping it slowly.

The handsome man really leaned in, stretching his neck, eyes wide, watching carefully, as if afraid Yu Qing would cheat.

Yu Qing was quite considerate, performing clearly and drinking a small half cup of the hot tea before putting it down, "Are you satisfied now?"

The handsome man: "Does this tea have any special flavor?"

Yu Qing: "No, you can drink it with peace of mind. It’s just normal tea."

The handsome man: "Why should I drink it then?" The implication being, have I never had tea before? Why must I drink such an unreliable tea?

Yu Qing was speechless, sighing, "Isn’t it to broaden your horizons?"

The handsome man: "Broadening horizons can be done with the eyes; there’s no need to taste it with the mouth. It’s disgusting."

"I..." Yu Qing was a bit frustrated, sighing, "Do you know what that cricket is?"

The handsome man didn’t speak, opening his fan and fanning himself, watching with a cold eye, waiting for him to finish.

Yu Qing, unable to create suspense, had to explain himself, "This cricket is called a fire cricket. It’s something the Dark Cliff wants to capture. Think about it, would the Dark Cliff want something that isn’t good? When I passed through the ancient tomb wasteland on my way to the capital, I picked one up. This thing is really good, even making tea is convenient."

Seeing him enter self-praise mode, the handsome man remained expressionless, continuing to fan himself, waiting for him to reveal his true intentions.

Sure enough, after a round of self-praise, Yu Qing got to the point, "Of course, though it’s a good thing, if you like it, I can offer it to you at a discount."

The handsome man, unmoved, said, "You, a bumpkin from a poor mountain, still have the earthy smell on you. Do you know what’s good? If it were really good, you’d keep it as a treasure. If you think it’s good, keep it for yourself. Don’t try to trick me for money. If you stop talking, I might give you a few taels of silver to buy candy."

A few taels of silver? Yu Qing’s eyes widened, about to slap down a silver note to show that he was no longer someone who could be dismissed with a few taels of silver.

But the handsome man was already focused on Chong, seeing him wipe his tears and continue working, sleeves wet, yet still orderly. He found it rare and smiled, "I’ve never seen this boy with a woman before. Girl, what’s wrong? Did he bully you? Did he sleep with you or eat you? Tell me, and I’ll help you get even."

Chong was instantly panicked, frantically waving his hands, not even bothering to wipe his tears.

Yu Qing almost choked on the words, slapping the table to remind him, "Can you be less disgusting? He’s a man, not a woman. What kind of eyes do you have?"

"Man?" The handsome man’s fan paused, his expression frozen, staring at the flustered Chong. He leaned in slightly, but Chong had stopped crying, so he said, "Tell me yourself, are you a man or a woman?"

Chong immediately said cautiously, "I’m a man."

Hearing this, the handsome man’s ears twitched slightly, then raised an eyebrow, fanning himself and staring at Yu Qing, "You, a bumpkin with eyes that can spot good things, are you sure he’s a man, not a woman in disguise?"