Chapter 694: Impressions of Mister Chen

Mo Yuan looked at the circle of people—or rather, demons—surrounding Mister. Over the years, the number of companions by his side had grown considerably.

This was a good thing.

Mister rarely spoke, and he almost never put his joy into words.

Yet one could read the quiet delight on his face. It was an expression he had rarely shown back at Liuyun Temple.

Mo Yuan felt happy for him too. "Mister seems much happier than in years past," he remarked.

Hearing this, Ruyi asked curiously, "Was Uncle Chen unhappy before?"

Chen Changsheng replied, "When was I ever unhappy?"

Mo Yuan asked, "What was Mister Chen like in your eyes, Ruyi?"

Ruyi thought for a moment. "He loved to bully people, and he was a smooth talker."

"Huh?" Mo Yuan was deeply shocked.

Not just him—Mo Yu, Jian Shenghua, and Qing Tianyou all stopped in their tracks.

Their eyes were full of disbelief.

Ruyi blinked. "Why are you all looking at me? Well, actually, 'smooth talker' might be the wrong phrase. It's more like... um, anyway, he was... mischievous?"

That word seemed quite fitting.

At least, that was how she saw it.

"Isn't that a word for children?" Qing Tianyou asked.

Chen Changsheng smiled helplessly. "Is it really appropriate to talk about me like this right to my face?"

Qing Tianyou patted his shoulder and laughed. "Since when did Brother Chen ever care about such things?"

Chen Changsheng nodded in resignation. "True, This Chen does not care."

Qing Tianyou turned to Ruyi. "But speaking of which, was Brother Chen really as you described?"

Chen Changsheng thought about it. "Well... about that..."

He could not quite say for sure himself.

"It's true!" Ruyi insisted. "Uncle Chen, I remember everything from when I was little perfectly clearly. You always teased me and spouted all sorts of crooked logic."

"What do you mean, crooked logic?" Chen Changsheng did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"You did! Don't tell me you aren't going to admit it, Uncle Chen."

"I admit it. How could I not?"

Listening to their exchange, Mo Yuan murmured, "He really was different..."

Ruyi asked, "What was Uncle Chen like when you knew him, Brother Mo? Was he really quiet and boring?"

Mo Yuan thought for a moment. "It's not that he was boring. It's just..."

He paused and looked at Mister.

Meeting his gaze, Chen Changsheng said, "There is nothing you cannot say here. Speak freely."

Mo Yuan continued, "Back in Qiuyue Fang, Mister Chen spent his days cultivating in peace and reading. He wasn't mischievous, like Ruyi said. But it's not that he was a man of few words, either; most of the time, he felt like a refreshing breeze blowing through a scorching summer day."

Chen Changsheng laughed at his words. "Since when did you become such a smooth talker?"

Mo Yuan chuckled, though he was surprised by Mister Chen's reaction.

Mister had never been one to joke around in the past.

Qing Tianyou paused, then chimed in, "But..."

"When I first met Brother Chen, he gave me the impression of being free and easy, even a bit bold and unrestrained..."

"Everyone's impression is different," Mo Yuan noted.

Jian Shenghua spoke up then. "The Mister Chen that This Jian knows was a very busy man."

Lihua looked up and suddenly chimed in, "Chen the Good Man is very pretty, and..."

Hearing this, Mo Yu quickly interjected, "You can't compliment a man like that."

The group burst into laughter.

Even Chen Changsheng laughed aloud.

Lihua blinked. "Then how should I praise him?"

"Just calling me good-looking is fine," Chen Changsheng said with a smile.

"Oh, oh."

Lihua immediately continued, "Chen the Good Man is very good-looking, and he's very rich. He buys fish for me to eat, and even when he has no money, he'll catch fish for Lihua. There's dried fish, and pickled cabbage fish! The pickled cabbage fish made by Chen the Good Man is the most delicious."

"Mm, and..."

"And..."

"Ah!" Lihua remembered. "He is the best at talking total nonsense!"

Chen Changsheng was caught between laughter and exasperation. "Nonsense. When has This Chen ever spoken nonsense?"

"Chen the Good Man does!"

"No, I don't."

"You do, you do!"

Listening to Lihua's persistent hollering, Chen Changsheng finally gave up.

He waved his hand. "Alright, alright, This Chen also talks nonsense."

Mo Yuan chuckled. "Mister Chen truly spoils Lihua."

But thinking about it, it made sense.

Who wouldn't like a cat like this? Who wouldn't spoil it?

As they spoke, Lihua suddenly felt something.

"Ah, it's going to rain!"

Lihua announced.

Its friend was coming.

It was the Spiritual Energy lingering amidst the thunderstorm; Lihua could sense it.

Just as the cat spoke, bean-sized raindrops began to fall.

"Pitter-patter."

The trees rustled loudly as a strong wind swept toward Lake Mountain.

Chen Changsheng did not fear the rain, but he usually took shelter from it. Going by his usual habits, he would have hurried his pace, yet today, he felt like taking it slow.

With more people came more liveliness.

They hailed from all corners of the world, yet they had gathered here because of him.

They chatted and joked, occasionally bursting into laughter.

Such an atmosphere was a rarity in Chen Changsheng's long years; to him, it was especially precious.

That day, they walked back in the rain.

The journey was noisy and bustling with endless chatter.

They talked amid the downpour and bantered beneath the thunder.

Through each other's stories, they discovered different sides to Mister Chen, almost as if they were getting to know him for the very first time.

Ruyi listened to the words of these "elders"—in her eyes, they certainly counted as elders.

She grew even more curious about what Uncle Chen had experienced over the years. It turned out she had never truly seen the full picture of him. If they hadn't mentioned it, she never would have guessed that he had been like that in the past.

Ruyi's trouser legs got a little wet. Fortunately, Ping'an shielded her from some of the rain, and Lihua claimed it had asked its friend to keep the rain off her; sure enough, she barely got wet after that.

Lihua was extremely proud of this, its tail sticking straight up into the air.

Ping'an invited everyone back to the Jingzhaoyin Office.

The estate was grand, with who knew how many empty guest rooms.

In the blink of an eye, the Jingzhaoyin Office grew lively as the servants bustled about.

Mo Yuan sought out Ping'an and handed him a money pouch.

"Brother Mo, what is this..."

Mo Yuan said, "There are a lot of people today, so I'll have to trouble you. Buy some good wine and food, and let's liven up the estate."

Ping'an hastily pushed the pouch back. "I absolutely cannot accept this."

Mo Yuan replied, "Mister insisted that you take it, and I added a little bit of my own. It should be enough."

"This..." Ping'an hesitated.

Mo Yuan patted him on the shoulder. "Mister said that we are all family, so there's no need to act like strangers. Just take it."

Stunned, Ping'an stared at the money pouch in his hand for a long time.

Mo Yuan smiled. "Just keep it."

Only after Mo Yuan had left...

...did Ping'an slowly snap out of his daze. He opened the heavy money pouch and took a look inside.

Inside were several chunky gold nuggets, mixed in with a few silver taels.

"So much!"

Ping'an was startled.

This was probably enough to cover the estate's expenses for several years.