Chapter 861: Matters of the Past Life, Barriers of the Present

Terror appeared in the eyes of the four men.

However, their leader calmed down in an instant.

"Don't panic, don't..."

But before he could finish speaking, his vision suddenly went black.

Glancing to the side, he saw the other three had already passed out. After a brief struggle, his head dropped and he fell unconscious.

The underworld deputies stepped forward, cupping their hands in salute. "Greetings, Mister. The villains have all been subdued and are at your disposal."

Chen Changsheng returned the salute. "Thank you for the help, underworld deputies."

Flattered, the deputies quickly replied, "You are too polite, Mister. This is our bounden duty."

A short while later, the underworld deputies withdrew.

Everyone had their own duties. The underworld deputies were busiest at night, patrolling the streets until dawn. Because yang energy was weak in the dark, it was inevitable that ghosts or evil spirits would try to cause trouble.

Inside the inn, Chen Changsheng looked at the four unconscious men before him.

He thought for a moment but decided not to do much to them.

He patted one man's face. Shortly after, the man woke up.

"Shh," Chen Changsheng shushed him.

The man's eyes revealed pure terror. He opened his mouth but couldn't make a sound.

Chen Changsheng said, "Go back and tell your boss. Tell Zhao Wuji to come pick up his men personally, or This Chen will sink them into the West River."

The man nodded profusely.

Chen Changsheng then let him go.

He ran quickly, fleeing out the inn's window like a wisp of smoke.

Chen Changsheng, however, looked up at the hole in the inn's ceiling, momentarily at a loss.

"What to do about this..." Chen Changsheng muttered. "If the innkeeper finds out, won't This Chen have to pay for the damages?"

He shook his head and delivered a swift kick to each of the remaining three, waking them up.

The three men stared blankly.

The leader who had spoken earlier was among them. The moment he opened his eyes and saw Chen Changsheng, he immediately reached for his weapon.

But turning his head, he saw the Long Saber shattered nearby, completely ruined.

Chen Changsheng glanced at the three of them and asked, "Do you know how to fix a roof?"

The three froze, exchanging glances.

The moment Chen Changsheng raised his hand, one of them hastily shouted, "Yes!"

Chen Changsheng nodded, pointed at the ceiling, and said, "Fix it."

The three were dumbfounded.

Their leader was also entirely at a loss.

But recalling how this man had caught a bare blade empty-handed and even snapped a Long Saber in half, he couldn't help but feel a wave of lingering fear. He had walked the jianghu for so many years, yet he had never met anyone this formidable.

What felt most bizarre was that final moment when he couldn't move.

What exactly happened?

Was it some kind of demonic spell?

But he knew that whether he could figure it out or not, he was definitely done for today.

Seeing the three of them start to move, Chen Changsheng spoke up again. "By the way, are you going to run?"

The three froze and shook their heads frantically. "No, we won't run."

Chen Changsheng nodded. "Smart."

He didn't make any further threats. He simply lay down on the bed. Seeing the three men still in a daze, he called out, "What are you spacing out for? Fix the roof!"

"Right, right..."

The three finally spurred into action, gathering the broken tiles from the floor before climbing out the window to repair the roof.

They had entirely forgotten what they even came here to do tonight.

In the middle of the night.

Lihua, in Yunxiang's room, heard the commotion.

It slipped out the window and ran over to Chen Changsheng's room.

It immediately spotted the men on the roof.

Lihua hurried to Chen Changsheng's side and exclaimed, "Chen the Good Man, there are people on the roof! People!"

Chen Changsheng looked at it and said, "Why aren't you asleep so late, Lihua?"

"There are bad guys on the roof!"

"They aren't bad guys. They're people This Chen called over to fix the roof."

Lihua froze, a bit confused.

It finally noticed the smashed ceiling.

"How did it break?"

"The wind blew it away."

"Oh, oh..."

Lihua didn't press for details.

It hopped into Chen Changsheng's arms, nuzzled against him, and lay down. "Miss Yun isn't as warm as Chen the Good Man."

Chen Changsheng blinked in surprise before chuckling. "You even pick and choose where you sleep?"

Lihua said, "Just saying."

Chen Changsheng stroked Lihua's head. "You can't say that to Miss Yun. It will make her sad."

"Why?"

"This Chen doesn't age, but Miss Yun is different. As she gets older, she inevitably becomes exactly like you said—not as warm."

Lihua understood.

So when people grew old, they lost their warmth?

It paused, then asked, "Why doesn't Miss Yun practice Cultivation? Why doesn't Chen the Good Man teach her?"

"For Miss Yun, living a peaceful and stable life is all she wants," Chen Changsheng replied. "Besides, she already understands Cultivation on her own. She doesn't need This Chen to teach her."

In the memories Zhu Qi left behind, there were countless things related to Cultivation. Yet, to this day, Yunxiang had never practiced it. She simply aged year by year, living an ordinary life.

Lihua blinked. "Why? Doesn't Miss Yun like Chen the Good Man? If you like someone, shouldn't you be with them forever to be happy?"

Chen Changsheng was taken aback. "Who did you hear that from?"

Lihua blinked again. "Isn't Miss Yun your old flame?"

Chen Changsheng smiled helplessly, highly amused by the cat.

The exact same words had managed to make him laugh twice.

Lihua paused, then suddenly realized, "Ah, I know! Chen the Good Man definitely has other old flames, right! Hmph, Ruyi was right. There really are bad men!"

Chen Changsheng tapped Lihua's head. "What nonsense are you spouting? How is This Chen a bad man? And besides, there are no other old flames. None."

Lihua rubbed its head. "Miss Yun isn't your old flame?"

"No..."

Chen Changsheng paused, his words catching in his throat.

He sighed. "I suppose she is."

Hearing his sudden shift in tone, Lihua was confused. "What do you mean, 'suppose'?"

Chen Changsheng stroked its head and chuckled. "You've been around Ruyi for so long, even your temperament is starting to resemble hers."

Lihua thought about it and asked, "Is that bad?"

"It's not bad," Chen Changsheng said, shaking his head.

Lihua murmured an "oh," then pressed on, "Chen the Good Man still hasn't answered. Why did you say 'suppose'?"

Chen Changsheng explained, "Miss Yun and This Chen are simply two people who have fate, but no destiny. Logically speaking, the entanglements of a past life should find completion in this one. But for the two of us, the matters of the past life have become the greatest barrier. There are some words that can never be fully spoken, and some things that can never be clearly explained."

Lihua felt its head spinning from listening. "Mmm..."

Chen Changsheng patted its head. "Mao'er should think less about these things."

"Think about what?"

"Nothing."

Lihua shot him a suspicious look, not quite understanding.

Faint rustling sounds drifted down from the roof in the dead of night. The three men shivered in the freezing wind, carefully laying down every single tile. Their desolate silhouettes looked rather pathetic in the cold.