Chapter 258 - 178: Wenyuan Pavilion (Part 2)
Several carriages rolled in slowly.
A beautiful, buxom young widow and a woman in tight-fitting cyan clothes sat in one of the carriages.
If Fang Yue were here, he would have immediately recognized them. One was the village’s Widow Yu, and the other was her niece, Wen Lan.
The youngest girl was Widow Yu’s daughter, Nu.
"Mother, where are we going?" Nu asked, looking at the young widow beside her in the carriage, her voice full of confusion.
"To Grandpa’s house," Widow Yu answered with a gentle smile.
"Oh." Nu nodded and fell silent. Her spirits seemed low as she gazed out the window, lost in thought.
"Hey, Mother," Nu suddenly lifted her head, blinking as she looked at Widow Yu and mumbled, "do you think I’ll ever see Yue again? When will I grow up? I want to marry Yue."
Hearing this, the smile on Widow Yu’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a look of disbelief.
But before she could speak, the young woman beside her said curtly:
"Nu, what are you saying? That Fang Yue is just a mud-legged peasant. For all we know, he’s still in Shanyang Prefecture—if he’s not already dead. You’re our family’s little princess. You can’t be involved with someone like that. Besides, he’s more than ten years older than you! What makes him worthy of you?"
After speaking, Wen Lan curled her lip, her face filled with disdain.
At the same time, Nu’s words worsened her opinion of Fang Yue. ’He’s so old, yet he’s still tricking my little sister.’
’My sister is only twelve or thirteen. Back when Fang Yue was visiting her aunt, Nu was only five or six.’
’This man really has a character problem.’
The Wen Family was considered a Noble Family in Shanyang Prefecture, but in reality, the Shanyang branch was just an offshoot of the main Wen Family of Great Wei.
The main branch of the Wen Family resided in Yujing City and held a very prestigious position within the Great Wei dynasty.
With the recent chaos in Shanyang Prefecture, it was only natural for their family to return to the main branch.
Therefore, given her status, Wen Lan naturally looked down on a "mud-legged peasant."
But Nu didn’t stop. Pouting, she mumbled, "Yue is a good person. I just like being with him. Mother likes Yue too. When no one’s around, she’s always muttering his name. I’ve heard her."
Hearing this, Widow Yu quickly tugged on Nu’s sleeve. ’How can she say such things in front of an outsider!’
Widow Yu’s face immediately flushed red. ’How could she say something so embarrassing out loud.’
"Nu, what nonsense are you spouting! Be quiet!"
"Mother, what are you doing?" Nu said, annoyed.
"I told you to be quiet! Now be quiet for me!" Widow Yu snapped, flustered and angry.
"Mother, I just like Yue! Why do you have to stop me from liking him?" Nu’s eyes grew red as she spoke, her voice filled with grievance.
Fine. Widow Yu couldn’t help but rub her forehead. She could only look at Wen Lan awkwardly. "She’s just a child, don’t take her words seriously. At her age, she doesn’t know anything."
Wen Lan smiled faintly. "You’re right, Aunt. I don’t know anything."
Wen Lan agreed on the surface, but inwardly she couldn’t help but sigh. ’I originally thought it was just a child’s innocent chatter and that Fang Yue, that peasant, was shameless and despicable.’
’Now it seems both my aunt and her daughter have been completely bewitched by that Fang Yue.’
’But the good thing is, that peasant Fang Yue is probably trapped in Shanyang Prefecture. He might even be dead by now, so there’s nothing to worry about.’
’Of course, even if he isn’t dead...’
’...that peasant Fang Yue is probably stuck in some other prefecture. Yujing City isn’t a place his kind can just come to.’
Coming from a Noble Family, Wen Lan had an innate sense of superiority and utterly looked down on country folk like Fang Yue.
Even though he was a Martial Artist with a respectable level of cultivation, she still despised him.
Soon, the group arrived at Xinyi Square and settled into a manor.
This was just a courtyard estate belonging to the Wen Family in the Earth City, temporarily assigned to the branch family from Shanyang Prefecture.
~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Fang Yue had just walked out of Xinyi Square and was heading toward the central Yujing City.
It was then that he ran into Luo Wei.
They recognized each other without a word needing to be said.
Luo Wei was just about to make a move when he saw the token on Fang Yue’s person—an Inspector’s Identity Token from the Observatory.
Seeing this, he shot Fang Yue a cold glare, then turned and walked away.
Luo Wei might be savage and fierce, but he wasn’t arrogant enough to dare kill an Inspector from the Observatory in the middle of the street.
’He’s incredibly strong,’ Fang Yue mused. ’Is this a Secret Medicine Martial Artist whose Primordial Qi is about to transform, on the verge of becoming an Innate Grandmaster?’
Fang Yue couldn’t help but marvel as he watched the figure recede into the distance.
The mere impact of his aura made Fang Yue feel a tangible threat. The man’s strength was immense, enough to pose a significant danger to him.
After leaving the Earth City, it took Fang Yue only half an hour to reach the central Yujing City.
As usual, he went to the Observatory, but this time, instead of training, he headed to the Examination Pavilion.
"Fang the Kid, what brings you here today? Not training? You don’t have many vacation days left. In a few days, you’re off to Guangfeng Prefecture, and you won’t have these kinds of facilities there," the Examination Pavilion’s Steward, Hui Hengwu, said with mild surprise, followed by a teasing tone.
Fang Yue just smiled and explained his current predicament. He was about to leave the Earth City for Guangfeng Prefecture.
If Luo Wei were to find an opportunity to go after his family while he was away...
After hearing Fang Yue’s story, the Steward of the Examination Pavilion pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "Don’t worry, this matter isn’t too difficult to solve. First option: your Martial Arts become stronger than his, you find him, and you beat him to death. Second option: find a powerful faction to watch over things for you while you’re away."
At this point, Hui Hengwu slapped his forehead and quickly said to Fang Yue, "What a coincidence! You came at the right time. I have an old friend I can introduce you to. If you can build a connection with his family, that Luo Wei will be no trouble at all."
A look of surprise appeared on Fang Yue’s face. He was just about to ask for more details.
But Hui Hengwu had already stood up and was pulling Fang Yue along. "Stop dilly-dallying! If we’re late, you might miss this golden opportunity."
~~~~~~
Soon, the two of them arrived before a seven-story pavilion.
"We’re here," Hui Hengwu said, pointing at the pavilion for Fang Yue.
The pavilion was opulent and magnificent, clearly something no ordinary person could own.
The plaque above the pavilion’s entrance was inscribed with two characters: Wenyuan.
"Haha, what brings you here, you old coot!"
The moment they stepped into the building’s premises, a middle-aged man walked up to Hui Hengwu.
This middle-aged man was burly and powerfully built, exuding a fierce and domineering aura, along with a dense, malevolent Qi.
His cultivation was clearly profound, yet he was dressed in the long robes of a Scholar, affecting the appearance of a man of culture.
"Hehe, Brother Wen, what’s this, not happy to see me? I’m here to attend your literary gathering," Hui Hengwu said with a loud laugh.
Hearing this, Fang Yue couldn’t help but glance at the burly man. ’This person is actually older than Hui Hengwu.’
’You really can’t judge a book by its cover. As expected, when one’s Martial Dao cultivation reaches a certain level, extending one’s lifespan and slowing aging is a simple matter.’
’I didn’t notice it as much in a place like Shanyang Prefecture, but here in Yujing City, this sort of thing is much more common.’
At that moment, Hui Hengwu introduced Fang Yue and the middle-aged man to each other.
Only then did Fang Yue learn that the man’s surname was Wen. He was Wen Tailai, the head of the third branch of the city’s great Wen Family, a Noble Family. This man clearly had extremely high Talent for the Martial Dao and his cultivation was not low.
However, he completely lacked the Wen Family’s typical talent for poetry. But that didn’t stop him from feigning artistic taste and establishing this Wenyuan Pavilion.
"Haha, come in, come in." Wen Tailai laughed heartily and immediately invited Fang Yue and his companion inside.
Upon entering the main hall of the Wenyuan Pavilion, the scent of ink and painted scrolls immediately filled the air.