Chapter 771: Let's Not Meet in the Next Life

"Gentlemen, please..."

Seeing this, the owner of the candied fruit shop hurriedly intervened. "My shop might not have a mountain of candied fruit, but it's no small amount either. If you buy it all, you surely won't be able to finish it. My lord, how about leaving a little for this gentleman?"

Prince Wei scoffed. "Why should I?"

Chen Changsheng sighed helplessly. "Go ahead and buy it. This Chen will just find another shop."

Hearing this, Prince Wei immediately countered, "Ah, now I'm not buying it."

Chen Changsheng paused, then suddenly said, "This Chen seems to smell something burning."

Prince Wei looked at him, thoroughly confused.

Chen Changsheng said, "I advise you to hurry back and check. Your estate might just be on fire."

Prince Wei paused. "Are you out of your mind?"

Chen Changsheng merely smiled and said lightly, "Half a quarter-hour."

Prince Wei frowned, deeply bewildered.

"Dressing up as gods and playing with ghosts."

Chen Changsheng said no more, simply standing his ground in front of the candied fruit shop.

With their two customers bickering like this, the couple running the shop felt incredibly awkward and had no idea what to say.

They could only wait the stalemate out.

About half a quarter-hour later.

A group of people suddenly came sprinting down the street in a panic.

Spotting Prince Wei on the street, one of them froze for a second before frantically shouting.

"My Lord! My Lord!"

Hearing the familiar voice, Prince Wei looked back.

It was his estate's steward, trailing two guards behind him.

Prince Wei shot him a glare. "What are you doing? Running around so recklessly, where is your sense of propriety?"

The steward's face was pale. "My Lord, you need to hurry back and take a look! The estate is on fire! It's on fire!"

"What?!"

Prince Wei jumped in shock.

He immediately snapped his head back to stare at Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng remarked, "Oh, it really is your house."

"Is this your doing?!" Prince Wei demanded.

Chen Changsheng said, "Don't spout nonsense. When would This Chen have the time to go set fires at your estate?"

Prince Wei glared at him, but considering the situation, he had no mood to keep arguing.

"Let's go! Back to the estate, quickly!"

The steward, the guards, and Prince Wei scrambled away, rushing frantically back to the estate.

Only then did peace and quiet return to Chen Changsheng.

"I'll take some candied fruit."

The couple in the shop let out a heavy sigh of relief.

Running a small business like theirs, they were terrified of offending the wrong person.

Chen Changsheng had a bag of candied fruit weighed out. After paying the silver, he headed back to Boat Wind Alley.

Arriving at the courtyard gate, Chen Changsheng knocked on the door.

Yunxiang opened it.

Seeing her, Chen Changsheng asked, "Is Yu Hongjin not around?"

"Who knows where she's run off to play," Yunxiang said. "Please come in and sit down, Mister."

Chen Changsheng walked into the courtyard and handed over the bag. "The candied fruit I promised you yesterday."

Yunxiang reached out to take it. "This is a rare treat."

"What's so rare about it?" Chen Changsheng said with a helpless chuckle.

Yunxiang smiled. "Please sit for a moment, Mister. Yunxiang will go brew some tea."

She returned shortly with a freshly brewed pot of tea.

The two of them sat down in the courtyard pavilion.

"Have you eaten, Mister?" Yunxiang asked.

"I ate just a moment ago."

"Where did you eat?"

"There's a noodle stall outside the tea house. I ate there."

"Ah, Uncle Pu's stall..."

"You know that old man?" Chen Changsheng asked.

Yunxiang nodded. "After staying in Qingshan City for so long, I've naturally gotten to know a lot of people. I can name quite a few. Back when I frequently went to the tea house to check the accounts, I chatted with him a few times and ate his noodles twice, so we got acquainted."

"So that's how it is," Chen Changsheng said with a nod.

He paused for a moment. "Speaking of which, you are originally from Yan County, yet you've spent the better part of your life here in Qingshan City."

"I was never too familiar with Yan County to begin with," Yunxiang said. "Qingshan City is much better. I've been here so long that everything feels familiar. Isn't it just as much a home? More importantly, Mister returns often, and we can see each other occasionally. That's a wonderful thing, isn't it?"

Chen Changsheng let out a soft sigh. "What right does This Chen have to deserve such..."

Yunxiang waved a hand. "Mister, say no more. It is all in the past, so why dwell on it? Just like with Zhishu's situation—didn't you say the most important thing is that she feels it's worth it? Yunxiang feels the exact same way."

She gave a helpless smile. "It's quite funny when you think about it. Like mistress, like maid."

Knowing they couldn't continue down this path, Chen Changsheng changed the subject. "Where is Zhishu?"

"At the tea house," Yunxiang replied.

She continued, "This morning, I took her to pay respects to the City God and explained everything to him. The City God was quite helpless about it, but he wouldn't dare cause any trouble."

Yunxiang paused, then added, "The main issue is whether Zhishu can pass the hurdle set by the heavens. When it storms, she will still have to hide."

After all, she was practicing ghost cultivation. To heaven and earth, such an existence was considered filth. Whenever thunderclouds gathered, the heavenly lightning would naturally strike down at the filth in the Mortal World.

"Later, This Chen will craft an item for her to keep on her person. It should offer a bit of protection."

"Yunxiang thanks Mister on her behalf."

"It's but a small effort." Chen Changsheng sighed softly. "Truthfully, This Chen is more worried about how she will endure the future. A long expanse of time will eventually change a person."

"Who knows..."

Yunxiang sighed. "I can't say for sure what kind of temperament Zhishu will develop in the future, or what she might do. Besides, I might not even be around by then. I only hope that if Mister hears of her in the future, you will lend her a hand. And if she ever goes astray, I hope Mister will show mercy and spare her life."

"It shouldn't come to that," Chen Changsheng said.

But in truth, the possibility was very real.

Zhishu was not a cultivator. She didn't know the rules of this world. Beneath the grinding weight of time, no one was immune to making mistakes. And even if such mistakes were understandable, they could not escape the rules.

Yunxiang said, "I plan to have Zhishu visit Qingxian Temple in a little while. Going occasionally to learn a few more things will be good for her."

"That's a sound idea."

"Mhm."

Yunxiang nodded, then softly called out, "Mister..."

"Yes?"

"If I have a next life, let's not meet again."

"Why say something like that so suddenly?"

"Yunxiang was just thinking about how tired you must be, Mister."

Yunxiang sighed. "You clearly don't feel that way, yet your heart won't let you walk away."

Chen Changsheng stared blankly at her, completely at a loss for words.

Yunxiang gave a small smile. "Having this one lifetime is enough. Yunxiang hasn't counted exactly how many days we've had, but it's surely enough. Whether it was Zhu Qi or Yunxiang, we both feel it is enough."

Chen Changsheng remained silent. Holding his teacup, he didn't quite know what to do.

He couldn't answer her.

The desires of the human world were, without exception, entirely selfish.

Yet she was always thinking of him. From beginning to end, it had always been like this.

She rarely ever harbored a selfish thought for herself.