Lu Yue was stunned, entirely failing to comprehend why Cen Xi had suddenly become an entirely different person. Furthermore, he had only visited that establishment a single time, and given that the two of them had already reached the stage of discussing marriage, there was truly no need for Cen Xi to act in this manner.
Lu Yue knelt on the ground and tugged at the corner of Cen Xi’s garment, raising three fingers to form an oath. “Brother Xi, I only went there once. I did not even have the chance to touch him before you arrived.”
Cen Xi forcefully flung him away, brushing his garment with a look of disgust. “What are you three standing there like statues for? Hurry up and drag him away.”
The three guards hesitated for a brief moment, but upon hearing Cen Xi speak so commandingly, they stepped forward to restrain Lu Yue, who was weeping uncontrollably on the ground. The young master’s demeanor did not appear as though he was merely throwing a tantrum; it seemed he had grown weary of the man once again. Given that preparations for the wedding were already underway this time, these trusted aides who followed the young master for numerous years had secretly discussed in private that the young master had truly fallen in love.
Never had they expected such a scene to unfold. One of the guards twitched his lips and discreetly delivered a kick to Lu Yue. Had it not been for the fact that it would disgrace the Cen household’s reputation, he would have loved to spit directly in the man’s face in public, viewing him as an ungrateful scoundrel.
Lu Yue’s heart was filled with dead ashes, and he wailed loudly, “Cen Xi, if I pass the imperial examinations with high honors this year, I will not spare you a single glance even if you beg me.”
Cen Xi was just about to depart, but upon hearing those words, he let out a cold laugh and gestured with his hand for the guards to release Lu Yue.
“Brother Xi, Brother Xi, I truly will never commit this offense again,” Lu Yue said, crawling forward frantically with a face drenched in tears, looking up with a desperate smile.
Cen Xi hesitated slightly and squatted down to meet Lu Yue at eye level. He suddenly grabbed Lu Yue by the hair with one hand and said with an expressionless face, “You know perfectly well in your heart how much silver it costs to support a scholar. Without my Cen family, how could you possibly be the person you are today?” Pausing for a moment, he continued, “Lu Yue, you are the one who took a wrong step.”
Cen Xi tapped Lu Yue on the cheek and said, “If not for this face of yours, how could I have possibly permitted you to hook up with people left and right directly beneath my eyelids?”
The look he directed at Lu Yue was highly complicated. He stared blankly for a long pause before releasing his grip, standing up to pull out a square handkerchief to carefully wipe his hands, adding, “Make him get as far away as possible.”
“Yes,” the guard replied, showing absolutely no leniency as he grabbed Lu Yue by the arms alongside his companion to escort him away.
Cen Xi turned around and spoke up with a smile, raising his voice, “I have disrupted everyone’s enjoyment tonight. Everyone who spends money at my Cen family restaurant this evening will receive a thirty percent discount across the board.”
Upon hearing this, the surrounding crowd instantly erupted into a lively clamor.
“As expected of the Cen family, what a grand gesture.”
“Let us go, let us head to the Cen family restaurant tonight.”
“I thought it would culminate in a beautiful tale, yet who would have guessed that this Lu Yue was actually an ungrateful wolf.”
The noisy chatter gradually dissipated. Cen Xi looked up, noting that the Mid-Autumn Festival moon hung upon the treetops, carrying a hint of isolation amidst the haze. He instinctively gathered his garments tighter around his body, the corners of his lips curling into a bitter smile.
Such a remarkably similar face, yet it had taken so much effort to locate.
After an unknown duration, three guards silently followed behind Cen Xi once more.
He came to a halt and inquired, “Has it been handled properly?”
The guard stepped forward and nodded. “He has already been thrown out of Qingyu County.”
Hearing this, Cen Xi continued walking forward. Remembering something, he said, “Tonight is the Mid-Autumn Festival, so you all ought to head home early to accompany your families as well.”
“Yes.”
Over on this side, Song Wenqing watched the entire sequence of events with great interest, not forgetting to offer a critique. “This Cen Xi is a ruthless figure.”
He refused to suffer even the slightest grievance, and in the end, he easily eliminated any possibility of those watching the spectacle from spreading malicious gossip.
“Ah Wen, let us head back,” Pei Jinrong said.
Song Wenqing pushed Pei Jinrong toward the inn, speaking cheerfully regarding his own deduction. “Cen Xi must have taken a fancy to Lu Yue entirely because of his face.”
Pei Jinrong expressed a bit of bewilderment. “Does Lu Yue possess exceptionally good looks?”
Song Wenqing shook his head with a smile. “Not at all.” He hummed a little tune, appearing in an excellent mood as he added, “He is looking at another person through him.”
As for who this person was, Song Wenqing naturally did not know, but witnessing Lu Yue make a fool of himself brought immense joy to his heart. He never expected to secure such a reward from a casual outing, making the trip to Qingyu County entirely worthwhile.
The following day, after packing their belongings, Song Wenqing and Pei Jinrong prepared to return home.
He had reached an agreement with Jishi Hall yesterday that from now on, the medicinal herbs would be delivered to Yunhan Village on the first day of every month. There was still nearly half a month left before the first day, so he needed to seize the time to hold free clinics. Once he established a reputation, opening a medical clinic in the future would become considerably easier.
Furthermore, the duration for the bayberry brandy he brewed had arrived, so he ought to make a tidy profit. Song Wenqing intended to use this sum of money to purchase winter rations and clothing, and most importantly, he needed to locate a bladesmith to forge a set of instruments required for surgical operations.
Calculating the expenses, very little silver would remain, let alone the fact that he had not handled a scalpel for a long duration, making him fear his movements had grown clumsy. He would also need to purchase pig skins to practice his suturing abilities.
Because Pei Jinrong had difficulty walking and Yunhan Village was located far from Qingyu County, the two of them could only hire a horse carriage to return, just as they had done when they came.
The sky had already turned dark by the time they arrived home. Before they even stepped through the entrance, Song Wenqing heard the whimpering sounds of Gray Ball.
Prior to their departure, they had requested the young ger next door to help feed Gray Ball and the chicks. Unsurprisingly, the moment they entered the gate, Gray Ball refused to recognize its owners, wagging its tail as it circled around the neighbor’s calf.
“Brother Wen, you have returned?” The ger said with a smile, setting down the meat bone he was using to tease Gray Ball. “I assumed you would return tomorrow.”
Song Wenqing closed the gate and bowed toward the ger. “I have troubled you these past few days, Brother Xuan.”
Brother Xuan waved his hand. “It was merely an easy task along the way.”
Pei Jinrong entered the inner room to prepare a meal, leaving only Song Wenqing and Brother Xuan in the outer courtyard. After exchanging pleasantries for a moment, Brother Xuan suddenly spoke up, “Brother Wen, did you happen to hear any news on your way back?”
Song Wenqing frowned, pondering for a moment before shaking his head. “I did not. Has some major event occurred within the village?”
“It did not occur within our village,” Brother Xuan said, glancing around for a moment before covering his mouth and whispering in a low voice. “It happened over at Spirit Mountain.”
Spirit Mountain was located exceptionally far from Yunhan Village, so it was a wonder how an event occurring there could transmit all the way to this area.
Brother Xuan continued, “Is there not a bandit stronghold over at Spirit Mountain? They committed every imaginable misdeed, so it is only fitting that retribution has finally arrived. A month ago, the bandit chief held a grand wedding, and the remaining individuals drank to excess. Who could have guessed that their lives would be taken away, as every single one of them was stabbed to death.”
Brother Xuan sighed with emotion as he spoke. “It was only discovered after an entire month had passed. If not for some dogs barking fiercely, it might have remained undiscovered forever. The bride had not even been sent up the mountain yet, so she escaped with her life. She is truly a person of hardy destiny.”
Song Wenqing dazed slightly upon hearing this. After a long pause, he inquired, “Is it still unknown to this day who committed the killings?”
“How could anyone possibly know? It has even alarmed the government officials. The entire nest of bandits is dead, with not a single survivor remaining.”
While Brother Xuan continued to speak, Song Wenqing was completely unable to process any of it further. A certain matter suddenly flashed through his mind: the garments he had washed for Jiang Zhi that day contained numerous bloodstains. In truth, because there was mud present, one could not discern it clearly without close inspection, but when he was washing the garments for Jiang Zhi at the time, the heavy scent of blood had struck him as strange.
He had not given it much thought then, assuming it was blood seeping from her own wounds, given that she was merely a young girl in her early teens.
Song Wenqing cast his eyes downward, showing no visible emotion on his face.