SES Chapter 170 Part 1

Chapter 170

By the time they reached Youwu Town, the streetlights were just coming on. Night had already spread across the sky, but it wasn’t fully dark yet. Perhaps because the town sat close to the mountains, there was a chill in the air that made it feel cooler than other places. Mu Dai rubbed her hands and legs, actually feeling a bit cold.

The GPS stopped being useful here. She started giving Luo Ren directions instead. “Turn here… then left… at the end, take that side road…”

Luo Ren liked this kind of town. It had traces of modern life, but it never lost its old-fashioned charm. The walls were mottled and weathered, ivy hung down in long strands, and the houses were built in older styles. Some homes even had double wooden doors, and you had to climb stone steps to enter. The old stone steps were worn smooth and glossy from years of foot traffic.

Halfway down the road, a big white goose waddled into the street. It swayed as it walked, neck stretched long. When it reached the middle of the road, it stopped and stared boldly at the Hummer. Its feathers fluffed up, looking ready to fight in a ridiculous show of bravery, like an ant trying to challenge a tree.

Luo Ren said calmly, “We’re guests here. Let it go first.”

It was strange—he wasn’t tense at all. No urgency, no anxiety. Being here made his mood feel peaceful.

He watched as the white goose strutted away at its own slow pace, disappearing into the dim shadows of a fence lit by warm lamplight.

Following Mu Dai’s directions, the car stopped in front of a large old residence.

Even though Luo Ren wasn’t an expert in architecture, he could tell this gray-tiled, gabled compound had once belonged to a wealthy family. There were inner and outer gates. The outer gate was shaped like an open “eight,” with three stone steps. In front of the door sat stone drum sculptures, and the couplet by the door was carved in stone:

“Peace in all things comes from virtue;
Harmony in one family brings a great new year.”

“Family harmony” was almost ironic here. Everyone knew Plum Blossom Ninth Lady lived alone, and the cleaning was done by hired help. The couplet clearly wasn’t her personal choice.

A yellowish lightbulb hung from the gate tower, lighting up the entrance. Under it sat a middle-aged man in slippers, holding a large sea bowl in both hands and burying his head in his food. At his feet sat a bottle of white liquor and a small cold dish to go with his meal.

Mu Dai called out, “Senior Brother.”

Before Luo Ren had even finished stopping the car, she pushed the door open and hopped out, running straight over. She bent down and casually picked up a peanut from the side dish and popped it into her mouth.

Zheng Mingshan said, “You’re here.”

After parking the car, Luo Ren glanced at Zheng Mingshan through the half-open window. The man was interesting—he had terrible posture, slumped shoulders, and a lazy, loose way of sitting. At first glance, he looked like a washed-out, dusty man who had achieved nothing in life.

But he only spoke to Mu Dai and never once looked toward the car. That meant he had zero interest in random outsiders. Even if Mu Dai had arrived in a tank, he probably wouldn’t have given it another glance.

Cao Yanhua got out of the car as well. The moment he saw this “martial household,” he felt a wave of reverence and grew awkward and stiff.

“Where’s Master?” he asked.

“She wasn’t feeling well. Took her medicine and went to sleep. I told her you’d probably arrive by tonight and asked if she wanted to wait. She said it wasn’t right to make an old person wait for young people.”

Then he looked at Mu Dai again. “You came with nothing? No luggage?”

Oh. Right. Luggage.

Mu Dai turned around. Cao Yanhua very thoughtfully handed over her plastic bag. It crinkled loudly as it rubbed together.

Zheng Mingshan clicked his tongue. “Your senior brother has many good qualities, but you didn’t learn a single one of them.”

Translation: You picked the worst habit.

Mu Dai shot back, “I think carrying a plastic bag and owning nothing looks pretty stylish.”

“I don’t have a car and it’s heavy, so I keep it simple. You said a friend gave you a ride, and you still pretended to carry a plastic bag. That’s just a cheap imitation.”

“At least you’re pretty. You’re the real beauty.”

“Sharp-tongued little brat. Careful, you don’t end up unable to get married.”

As he spoke, he lifted his eyebrows and finally let his eyes land on Cao Yanhua. “Who’s this little chubby one?”

He had met Cao Yanhua briefly in Lijiang before, but it hadn’t left much of an impression.

Mu Dai said, “My disciple.”

Disciple?

Zheng Mingshan looked Cao Yanhua up and down, still speaking to Mu Dai. “If you want fame, you should build your reputation first, then open a school, then take disciples—step by step. Why do you do everything backwards? You haven’t even stepped properly into the world, but you’re already taking students. By the way, I recommended you to Old Yan last time, and two months later, I heard he died. That wasn’t because of you, was it?”

“No,” Mu Dai said. “He did it to himself.”

“Well, that’s good. As long as it wasn’t you.” Zheng Mingshan had no interest in how Old Yan ruined his own life.

Luo Ren finished parking and walked over. His footsteps were calm, neither too light nor too heavy. The light slowly stretched his shadow toward Zheng Mingshan’s feet.

Zheng Mingshan looked up at him. After a moment, he slowly set the sea bowl down on the ground. His back straightened slightly, and a sharp glint flashed through his eyes.

He asked Mu Dai, “And who’s this?”

Mu Dai felt secretly pleased.

Her master had said that this senior brother always looked lazy and indifferent, and never took random people seriously. To make him sit up a little, the visitor had to be someone of equal caliber—friend or foe.

“My boyfriend,” she said.

Zheng Mingshan was a little surprised, but after thinking about it, it seemed reasonable.

After a pause, he asked, “Martial artist?”

“Yeah.”

He had a sharp eye. With just one glance, he could tell Luo Ren wasn’t simple. Being a martial artist wasn’t the key point—the real point was that Luo Ren carried a faint but familiar aura of a particular kind of dangerous life.

How did Mu Dai end up knowing someone like this?