Chapter 735: Chapter 736: Face-off

"Yes."

A smile remained on Xun Cheng’s face.

"Didn’t I tell you before? The Shui Family is now considered the foremost family in Nanhu. As the Family Head, his name is legendary. I’m from Louyang, separated from Nanhu by just a border, so of course I’ve heard all about him. It would be hard not to."

He raised an eyebrow. "What? Did you see him?"

Ye Chutang’s eyelashes fluttered. "With a face that conspicuous, who could miss him?"

Xun Cheng seemed to realize something. "Ah, that’s right. There have long been rumors at the border that Shui Xingqiu has an androgynous, almost bewitching beauty. It’s no surprise you recognized him. But... he really came here just like that, without a Disguise?"

"The people in the capital don’t know what he looks like anyway."

Ye Chutang leaned back in her chair.

"He can be whoever he says he is."

The Capital City was thousands of miles from Nanhu. Very few people had even heard Shui Xingqiu’s name, and those who could recognize him were even rarer.

’So, I suppose there was no need for him to wear a Disguise.’

"But from the looks of it, this new Family Head of the Shui Family certainly has some nerve."

He looked to be barely in his twenties, yet his thoughts were deep and inscrutable, making him someone who couldn’t be underestimated.

Ye Chutang still remembered locking eyes with him—his gaze was like still water over an abyss, steeped in a chilling cold.

That was definitely the look of someone who had clawed their way out of life-or-death situations.

Xun Cheng seemed unconcerned. "Anyone who can secure the position of Shui Family’s Family Head is naturally no ordinary person."

As they spoke, Long Jiu came in carrying tea.

White steam curled up, and the rich, fragrant aroma of tea filled the air.

Ye Chutang picked up her teacup. Her slender, pale fingers gently rubbed the cup before she spoke, as if offhandedly.

"That Shui Xingqiu... I think he looks a bit like you."

CLANG.

For some reason, Long Jiu’s hand suddenly trembled, and some tea spilled.

Startled, he immediately bowed his head to apologize. "Forgive me, Master!"

Xun Cheng smoothly took the teapot and filled his own cup about seventy percent full. Then he joked, "How is it that the cup you poured for Second Miss Ye is fine, but you spill the one for your master? It looks like she finds you quite capable. Why don’t you go work for her instead?"

Long Jiu wiped the sweat from his brow, relieved to hear this. "How could I do that? The Master can’t be left without an attendant."

As he spoke, he deftly wiped up the spilled tea.

Ye Chutang’s gaze drifted between Xun Cheng and Long Jiu a few times before she clicked her tongue. "You’re getting harder and harder to serve. Long Jiu has been bustling about, dutifully attending to you all the way to the Capital City. He’s been nothing but conscientious. And now you want to kick him out over a little spilled tea?"

Xun Cheng sighed.

"True. I can’t compare to Second Miss Ye, with your great family and fortune now. Never mind."

He looked at Xiao Wu, who had been quiet and well-behaved ever since she came in.

"This girl was just a Little Point back then, but now she’s really grown up. The New Year just passed, and she seems to have gotten taller already. Oh, right, I remember she likes pastries. A pity I didn’t prepare any." He ordered Long Jiu, "Go to the next street and buy some peach blossom crisps. Oh, and get some chestnut cakes and mung bean cakes as well."

Ye Chutang: "...Xiao Wu’s appetite isn’t that big. Besides, we’re leaving soon, so there’s no need to trouble yourself."

Long Jiu had just taken a step out the door when he heard this and looked back at Xun Cheng.

Xun Cheng was surprised. "Leaving so soon? You’re not staying for a meal?"

Ye Chutang glanced around the room and said tactfully, "This place is practically bare. We’d better not."

Xun Cheng: "..."

Long Jiu: "..."

They’d never witnessed such open contempt.

Xun Cheng sighed helplessly. "Fine. To be honest, I don’t really have extra servants here, and Long Jiu’s cooking isn’t the best. If your little sister isn’t used to it, it would be a shame to impose on her."

Xiao Wu, who felt she had just inexplicably lost three plates of pastries: "..."

Ye Chutang put down her teacup and teased him with a curious air.

"Just now, I said you look a bit like Shui Xingqiu. Why didn’t you react?"

Xun Cheng chuckled. "What kind of reaction did you want? I’ve never seen him in person, so how would I know what he looks like? Besides, the world is a vast place. It’s perfectly normal for people to bear a resemblance to each other. Why should I care?"

He touched his face, looking thoughtful.

"But now that you mention it, I am a little curious. The rumors at the border all say Shui Xingqiu has an androgynous beauty—that he’s clearly a man, yet more beautiful than any woman. My face... could it really look like his?"

Xun Cheng had a completely different appearance and temperament.

His features were open and clear, his temperament gentle, making people feel as pleasant as a spring breeze. A truly proper and noble gentleman.

Shui Xingqiu, however, had delicate, almost otherworldly features and radiated an intangible but unignorable murderous aura.

Looked at this way, the two were indeed completely different.

But...

Ye Chutang just felt they were similar.

"It must be the bone structure."

Ye Chutang mused, her gaze still fixed on Xun Cheng’s face.

"At first glance, the resemblance is uncanny."

Xun Cheng let her scrutinize him, still smiling. "In that case, should I take that as a compliment?"

He had the air of a good-tempered person, one who wouldn’t mind being teased or judged.

’If I hadn’t seen him in action, I might have actually believed it.’

"It’s about time. We should go." Ye Chutang stood up, not intending to stay any longer.

’I’m not getting any answers from Xun Cheng, so there’s no point in wasting more time.’

"I’ll have someone deliver the rest of your medicine tomorrow. As for the wine..."

Ye Chutang paused.

"Since you know what you’re doing, I’ll leave it up to you."

Xun Cheng cupped his hands in a salute and smiled. "Then I must thank Second Miss Ye in advance for her generosity."

Ye Chutang led Xiao Wu a few steps away. When she reached the doorway, she stopped again and tilted her head slightly.

Long Jiu seemed a bit puzzled. "Second Miss Ye, is there anything else?"

"No." Ye Chutang’s eyebrow arched slightly. "Your master’s health has improved significantly lately. I imagine it’s largely thanks to your meticulous care."

Long Jiu bowed his head. "It is all thanks to Second Miss Ye’s miraculous healing skills. Long Jiu has only done what he ought to do."

Ye Chutang suddenly turned back and asked,

"This time you’ve come to the Capital City... how long are you planning to stay?"

A look of astonishment appeared on Xun Cheng’s face.

"Well... until I’m fully recovered, of course. You’re not planning to stop my treatment halfway through, are you?"

Ye Chutang: "..."

She glanced speechlessly at Xun Cheng’s legs.

’That really is an irrefutable reason.’

Xun Cheng paused, then said slowly, "If you’re really that reluctant to part with the wine, I suppose I could pay for it next time..."

Ye Chutang turned and left impatiently.

’Dealing with clever people is like this. Sometimes it’s easy, but if they’ve made up their mind not to reveal anything, you’ll get nothing out of them no matter how you ask.’

Xun Cheng lifted his head. "Long Jiu, aren’t you going to see her out—"

"No need."

Ye Chutang didn’t turn back, merely raising a hand in a wave.

"Also, since your legs are mostly better, you should stop covering them with that blanket all the time. Go out for a walk more often. The scenery in the Capital City is worth seeing."

A muscle in Xun Cheng’s brow twitched.

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