Chapter 28: First Sight
Tang Thirty-Six was covered in snowflakes, his face pale, with heavy dark circles under his eyes, looking utterly exhausted. Over the past two days, in order to uncover Chen Changsheng’s secret, he had racked his brains, neglected sleep and meals, and truly put in painstaking effort. He had even gone so far as to use two artifacts from the Wenshui Tang Clan to perfectly conceal his aura, finally catching Chen Changsheng in the act.
“Hahahaha!” His triumphant laughter echoed through the winter forest. Then he walked up to Chen Changsheng, his laughter abruptly stopping, and said in an extremely irritated tone, “Isn’t this a bit too much, putting a woman before a friend? Did you have to keep badmouthing me just to highlight your own purity? I was hiding in that snowdrift just now, and I heard you mention my name several times—not a single good word!”
“Huh, this umbrella is a bit strange.” Tang Thirty-Six’s gaze shifted down from the umbrella’s canopy, landing on the pair of young man and woman. He grew smug again and laughed loudly, saying, “You haven’t even sorted out that marriage contract issue, yet you’re already in the mood to stroll through the snow under an umbrella? You should know, that phoenix is awfully proud. If she finds out you’ve found yourself a girl, she’ll…”
He was about to use this matter to blackmail Chen Changsheng into signing a series of unequal agreements, but when his eyes fell on the young woman beneath the umbrella, he unconsciously stopped mid-sentence. For some reason, even though he had clearly never seen this young woman before, he felt she looked oddly familiar.
The snowy forest fell into an eerie silence. Tang Thirty-Six stared at the young woman, his expression growing more and more serious.
She was about fifteen or sixteen, in the bloom of youth, with ordinary but delicate features. The padded jacket she wore seemed plain but was actually made of the most precious thirteen-layer silk. Her eyebrows, shaped like willow leaves, were clearly drawn with the most extravagant Seven-Mile Fragrance eyebrow pencil. Even the hairpin casually tucked into her temple, if he wasn’t mistaken, cost more than all the clothes and shoes Chen Changsheng had ever worn in his life combined. Of course, what caught his attention most was her eyes. To remain so calm even after being teased like this by him—she was certainly no ordinary person.
He had initially wanted to mock Chen Changsheng’s taste, but now he realized that this young woman’s taste and temperament were utterly flawless.
Of course, only a noble young master like himself, born into privilege, could discern the young woman’s taste, temperament, and the indescribable nobility hidden in the details.
Someone like Chen Changsheng, a country boy and young Daoist, could never see such things. It was like casting pearls before swine, or letting a blind man appreciate a glance—that was exactly the case.
Who was this young woman? Tang Thirty-Six ran through all his distant female relatives and the young ladies of every noble house on the continent, but found no answer. Suddenly, a strong sense of unease and vigilance surged within him. He didn’t know where Chen Changsheng had met such a noble lady, and he worried that Chen Changsheng might be deceived.
“May I ask the young lady’s name—uh!” He looked at her, his expression cold as he began to speak.
But the sentence couldn’t be completed, interrupted by a sudden hiccup.
He stared at the young woman, his face filled with utter shock, his hand clutching his chest as if he were choking. He remembered hearing a crane’s cry earlier in the snowdrift, and Chen Changsheng’s explanation to her about what had happened that night. Then a possibility occurred to him—a possibility he had mocked and vehemently denied the night before.
“You…” He looked at her, mouth wide open, unable to get the words out for a long time. Finally, he turned to Chen Changsheng and asked, “Her?”
Chen Changsheng nodded.
Tang Thirty-Six’s body stiffened slightly. He looked at Xu Yourong again, his eyes filled with shock.
Chen Changsheng was also stunned at this moment. He had never imagined that this guy would go to such lengths to uncover his secret.
He was a bit worried about Xu Yourong’s feelings at the moment, so he looked at her and explained, “This guy…”
“Tang Tang, you can also… uh… call me Tang Thirty-Six.”
Unexpectedly, Tang Thirty-Six calmed down very quickly and naturally bowed to Xu Yourong, though there was a slight pause in his speech.
That was because he was still choking—the sound of hiccups.
Xu Yourong knew that this young master of the Wenshui Tang Clan was Chen Changsheng’s best friend, now the superintendent of the National Academy, and also… the new owner of Cheng Hu Lou.
Tang Thirty-Six composed his expression and said, “Greetings, Holy Maiden.”
Xu Yourong said softly, “No need for formalities.”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “I heard that when the Holy Maiden was in the capital back then, her favorite dish was the blue lobster from Cheng Hu Lou?”
Xu Yourong looked at him quietly, a hint of amusement in her eyes, as if she guessed what was coming next.
Sure enough, Tang Thirty-Six immediately continued, “Later, I’ll send someone… uh… to deliver the blue lobster to the Divine General’s residence. After you return to Holy Maiden Peak, I’ll have… uh… Cheng Hu… uh… Lou ship them directly from the coast, all year round, guaranteed… uh… nonstop.”
Xu Yourong said, “Thank you for your trouble, Young Master Tang.”
Tang Thirty-Six waved his hand and said, “We’re all family… uh… people, no need for formalities… uh… ties.”
His demeanor was natural, unrestrained, and full of boldness, yet his speech was punctuated by constant hiccups.
Honestly, it was quite admirable—despite hiccupping nonstop, he managed to complete this conversation with such composure.
Chen Changsheng watched from the side, thinking that this must be the benefit of having thick skin.
Xu Yourong said to him, “We’ll talk another day.”
Tang Thirty-Six dropped his smile and said, “The Holy Maiden may go as she pleases.”
Chen Changsheng raised the umbrella, shielding Xu Yourong from the snow, and walked toward another part of the winter forest.
As he passed by Tang Thirty-Six, they exchanged a glance, filled with countless questions and warnings.
“Don’t tell anyone about this.”
“Don’t worry, who do you think I am?”
Chen Changsheng and Xu Yourong walked several dozen zhang into the falling snow, while Tang Thirty-Six remained where he was, smiling and waving, maintaining his farewell pose. Whether it was the curve of his lips or the arc of his wave, everything was perfect—perfectly displaying the etiquette and depth of a noble young master.
Xu Yourong said softly, “Your friend is quite an interesting person.”
Chen Changsheng wondered where that came from—maybe interesting in a strange way?
Tang Thirty-Six watched their figures disappear into the depths of the snowy forest. Only when they were completely out of sight did he finally let out a sigh of relief.
He trudged over to a large tree, reached out to support himself, and then began hiccupping uncontrollably, far more frequently than when he had been speaking.
After some time, he truly calmed down, and the shock began to ferment within him.
He let out a strange cry, hugged the tree in front of him, and started complaining endlessly about Chen Changsheng and himself.
Just then, Xuan Yuan Po finished his morning training and emerged from the depths of the forest. Seeing him hugging the tree like a madman, he was quite startled.
“Usually, you always say I’m childish for smashing trees. What’s with you today, getting all cozy with a tree trunk?”
Tang Thirty-Six refused to let go of the tree, whimpering, “I’ve already embarrassed myself enough today. What’s one more embarrassing thing?”
In truth, Chen Changsheng had never really understood what the name Xu Yourong meant to the young men of the world. Although, because of the marriage contract and his friendship with Chen Changsheng, Tang Thirty-Six hadn’t developed feelings of admiration for Xu Yourong like most young men—such as the Demon Lord’s son—she was still Xu Yourong!
And what had he done? He had hidden in a snowdrift like a mischievous child, eavesdropping on their conversation, badmouthing her behind her back, hadn’t washed his face or brushed his teeth that morning, and had such heavy dark circles… He had never felt so humiliated in his life. He wished he could hug this tree and never let go.
Suddenly, Tang Thirty-Six turned around, looked at Xuan Yuan Po, and said, “They only met for the first time yesterday, so how are they already going out together today? And from the looks of it, even though they deliberately kept a fist’s distance between their shoulders, that very deliberation is suspicious!”
As he spoke, he formed a fist with his right hand and held it up next to Xuan Yuan Po, then sneered, “What a pair of adulterous lovers! Acting calm and thinking they can fool my sharp eyes? Who am I? Do you think I can’t see through your lovey-dovey act?”
Xuan Yuan Po had no idea what was going on and thought he was acting very strange. “Are you crazy or something?”
If it were any other time, hearing such an honest assessment, Tang Thirty-Six would never let it slide. But right now, his mind was entirely on the young couple who had just left. He looked at Xuan Yuan Po seriously and asked, “Do you believe in love at first sight?”
Xuan Yuan Po said, “In my tribe, people usually get married after the first meeting. Does that count?”
Tang Thirty-Six was speechless. He countered, “Do you think it counts?”
Xuan Yuan Po thought it over seriously, then said uncertainly, “I think… it probably counts?”
Tang Thirty-Six thought to himself, this guy is impossible to talk to. He left the snowy forest and headed straight to the small building. Pushing open the door, he asked directly, “Do you believe in love at first sight?”