Chapter 1130: You Look Like a Villain

After bidding farewell to Master Jin San, Chen Changsheng set off for Yan County.

Leaving the district, he stepped onto the official road.

It was the same road as in years past, though now the cobblestones bore far more moss. The unrest that had plagued the realm in earlier years had likely thinned the number of travelers.

Passing the site of the old tea stand, Chen Changsheng remembered the fortune-telling from all those years ago. Who could have guessed time would be so unforgiving? The old man was gone now. As for the three sticks of incense he had promised back then, he wondered if the man's descendants had ever found their prosperity.

He wanted to go and see for himself.

Walking, after all, was never as comfortable as riding in a horse carriage.

The memories of Headman Cao drinking Autumn Moon Brew were still vivid in his mind's eye, yet in the blink of an eye, they were all gone.

This lingering attachment to the past couldn't quite be called a habit. He simply thought of those days often, and just as often found himself lost in a daze because of them.

In Oulianfang, the lotus flowers bloomed in sweeping clusters, one after another.

Looking out, he saw the lotuses glowing beneath the sun and the gentle ripples across the water, where fish roamed the ponds in peerless leisure.

He entered the district.

Following his memory, Chen Changsheng found the candied fruit shop.

Inside, Liang Lianyu looked rather idle. Once summer set in, fewer people ate candied fruit, leaving her with little business. She made small batches each day; making too much meant it would spoil before it could sell, and that would be a waste.

"How much for the candied fruit?"

Fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan, Liang Lianyu saw someone approach outside.

"Coming."

She called out in response and rose to her feet.

Meeting his gaze, she asked, "Which kind would you like? The prices vary, but the more you buy, the cheaper it gets."

Chen Changsheng swept his eyes over the selection and pointed out a few.

"This one, this one, and..."

Liang Lianyu wrapped them up one by one. As she worked, she occasionally stole a glance at the man before her.

He looked inexplicably familiar. Only after he handed over the money did she finally ask, "You look familiar. Have we met somewhere before? Are you from Oulianfang?"

Chen Changsheng shook his head. "This Chen is not from Oulianfang. We did meet in our earlier years, however. Back then, a young woman brought this Chen here to buy candied fruit."

Liang Lianyu paused and searched her memory, but try as she might, she couldn't recall it.

"I see," she replied. "Then I'll count you as a regular and take off two copper coins."

Hearing this, Chen Changsheng smiled and thanked her.

Watching the man leave, Liang Lianyu propped her chin in her hand and continued to think.

Familiar—he really was familiar.

But she just couldn't place him.

A young woman?

Liang Lianyu racked her brains but couldn't summon any strong impression.

"Sigh..."

She shook her head, chalking it up to getting older and her memory failing.

An inexplicable wave of melancholy washed over her.

She couldn't help but touch her own cheek, sighing at how much she had truly aged.

...

Chen Changsheng arrived before the gates of Tang Manor.

After a moment's thought, he chose not to knock. Instead, he vaulted the courtyard wall and slipped into the ancestral hall.

Although Miss Yun had been close to him in their early years, nothing had ever come of it in the end. For him to simply waltz through the front door carrying gifts would ultimately be improper.

Thus, his only option was to enter in this improper manner.

It wasn't that he was being overly sentimental; he simply had these bouts of madness from time to time.

Chen Changsheng placed the candied fruit before Yunxiang's memorial tablet.

Then, he lit two sticks of incense.

After taking a seat, however, he didn't know what to say.

Or rather, there were many things to say, but he simply couldn't bring himself to speak them.

So, just as in years past, he chanted a scripture three times over.

He hoped she would be reborn into a good family in her next life.

After sitting there for half a shichen, Chen Changsheng left.

It wasn't good to linger too long.

That was what his heart always told him.

...

Tang Yuerong was brushing the fur of the cat in her arms when she suddenly sensed movement from the ancestral hall next door.

Setting the cat down, she headed for the ancestral hall.

She pushed the door open and entered.

She didn't find anyone inside. Just as she was about to close the door, her eyes caught sight of an oil-paper parcel resting on the table.

"Hmm?"

Tang Yuerong walked inside and approached the table.

Leaning in, she caught the scent. "Candied fruit?"

Tang Yuerong looked around but still saw no one. She couldn't fathom who would have left the candied fruit here.

Could it be that someone else had visited today without her knowledge?

She had, in fact, gone out for a trip that morning.

So, she went to ask the steward.

"No one came by."

The steward was equally clueless.

"Then this candied fruit..."

Tang Yuerong paused, a sudden realization dawning on her.

She thought of two people.

One was her little aunt.

The other was Uncle Chen.

The only one likely to deliver candied fruit was Uncle Chen.

"Miss?"

Tang Yuerong snapped back to reality. "Ah, it's nothing. Go back to your work."

Tang Yuerong returned to the ancestral hall.

She fixed her gaze upon Aunt Yun's memorial tablet.

She couldn't help but feel curious about exactly what had happened between Uncle Chen and Aunt Yun all those years ago.

The two of them clearly cared for one another, yet nothing had ever come of it.

Unable to make sense of it, Tang Yuerong pushed the thoughts from her mind. She shouldn't be dwelling on such things—it was highly inappropriate, especially since Aunt Yun was already gone...

After leaving Oulianfang, Chen Changsheng headed in the direction of Shangjing City.

His journey took him through the territory of the Demon Market.

Chen Changsheng stepped inside to pay a visit.

However, upon entering for the first time, Chen Changsheng didn't recognize the master of this Demon Market, nor did the master recognize him.

Thus, they exchanged few pleasantries. Chen Changsheng merely strolled through the Demon Market while the night bazaar was in full swing, buying a gourd of Monkey Wine to drink.

He had to admit, the wine brewed by the monkey demons of the mountains was truly smooth on the palate.

Sip after sip, Chen Changsheng couldn't help but feel a little drunk.

"Good wine..."

Chen Changsheng let out a laugh, swaying as he walked, not knowing where he had ended up.

Deep in a rural mountain ravine, he found a small temple and collapsed into slumber.

He slept straight through until the shifting of day and night.

The sky was an ash gray, the sun having only just begun to rise. The early morning mist had yet to fully dissipate, leaving the entire area cloaked in a hazy twilight.

Chen Changsheng stretched lazily.

Suddenly, he realized someone was sitting beside him.

Glancing over, he saw a figure sitting cross-legged, head bowed as if taking a brief nap.

It was a demon! Yet, it was entirely different from an ordinary demon.

Chen Changsheng gave the figure a single look, then packed away his Wine Gourd and prepared to leave, having no intention of greeting this demon.

Chen Changsheng's footsteps rang out, but the demon behind him immediately called out to stop him.

"Mister Chen, we can be considered old friends. Why leave without saying hello?"

Chen Changsheng looked back and said, "If you're waiting for me here, it's bound to be for nothing good. Why wouldn't I leave?"

Hearing this, Tu Hu lifted his head and laughed. "What kind of talk is that? Didn't I only come looking because Mister Chen collapsed and fell asleep in my temple?"

Chen Changsheng paused. Looking up, he indeed spotted Tu Hu's divine statue sitting upon the altar.

He clicked his tongue and said, "This statue of yours isn't carved very well. It makes you look like a righteous figure."

Tu Hu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Does Mister think I look like a villain?"

"What else would you be?"