After parting from Lu Yaoyao and her group in front of the bustling inn, Zhong Wushuang didn’t linger outside and returned to the city lord’s manor. As he approached the entrance steps in front of a majestic gate, the vermilion gate slowly opened, and a man in grey-black attire appeared. Seeing Zhong Wushuang, his face lit up with joy, and he respectfully said, “Young Master, you’ve returned!”
Zhong Shishi carefully gauged his young master’s mood. Noticing his demeanor relaxed without any trace of gloom he had when he went out, Zhong Shishi felt a weight lift from his heart. As the personal servant to the young master, he was supposed to follow closely whenever the young master left the house, but the Young Master often chose to go out alone to eat when he was upset, and even the city lord couldn’t persuade him otherwise.
Seeing Zhong Shishi, Zhong Wushuang’s cheerful smile faded slightly. “How is Mother? How is she doing?” He inquired softly.
“The city lord is not angry with you, young master,” Zhong Shishi quickly replied. “She has sent away the Murong family’s people, but she is very worried about you…”
Zhong Wushuang paused as he was heading towards his living quarters, then turned towards the main courtyard, “I’ll go see Mother.”
The recent conflict between mother and son wasn’t actually a big issue. The lord of Luotian City felt it was time for her only son to marry and had intended to find him a suitable match.
The city lord wanted to find a well-matched, talented, and beautiful female cultivator for Zhong Wushuang, but as he was unable to cultivate and was merely a mortal with a bizarre appearance, even being the son of a powerful city lord didn’t make him desirable. In the end, only the Murong family expressed their interest in forming a match. The woman they sent over was from a minor, distant branch and wasn’t particularly talented in cultivation. Despite that, she was extremely arrogant and openly showed her disdain in front of Zhong Wushuang.
From the beginning, Zhong Wushuang had no intention of getting married, and even if he did, he would never choose someone like that as his wife. However, his mother was not willing to give up easily; even if the woman was from a side branch, the Murong family was the best among those interested. And so, the fiancee-to-be had come to Luotian City with a merchant caravan and stayed at the city lord’s mansion, which sparked the conflict between mother and son.
Zhong Wushuang, upset by the situation, had slipped out alone to relieve his troubles with good food. He had been quite depressed before, but now he was grateful for the drama; had he not felt bad and gone out that evening, he wouldn’t have met a kindred spirit and made himself a friend.
Thinking of this, Zhong Wushuang’s smile deepened.
“My son!” City Lord Zhong was ecstatic to see Zhong Wushuang and approached with cautious affection, “It was my lack of consideration that made you suffer. Don’t worry, you won’t see them again.”
Zhong Wushuang shook his head, “Mother, it’s alright. I know you care about me.”
“But with my appearance, it’s better not to drag others with me.” Zhong Wushuang was calm; ever since he was young, even the servants working for their family had not gotten used to his looks, only his mother never minded his ugliness.
As a child, he yearned to be close to other kids his age, but children don’t hide their reactions well, and upon seeing him, they would inevitably cry out in fright.
Over time, he had gotten used to it.
City Lord Zhong felt even more pity for her son. In her heart, her own child was always the best and deserved the best girl on the continent. The actions of the Murong family deeply displeased her. If they hadn’t actively sought a marriage alliance with her, showing genuine sincerity, she wouldn’t have easily agreed.
She felt it was already a compromise to match her son with a woman of low talent and from an insignificant side branch, only to be met with such terrible attitudes! It was the Murong family who initiated this marriage, not the Zhong family eagerly seeking it. And yet, their attitude upon their arrival was unbearably arrogant and condescending.
She had agreed to the marriage for her son’s sake, not for him to be mistreated. Thus, she decisively sent the Murong girl away.
“That is because they do not understand how good my son is,” the lord spoke softly. “My son is the best child in the world.”
“I know, mother. In your eyes, I am always the best,” Zhong Wushuang said, accustomed to hearing this over the years and not wanting to dwell on it further.
“Mother, I have made a friend!” His appearance became even more hideous as he displayed a joyful smile.
“Really?” City Lord Zhong was a highly beautiful woman. Her cultivation at the Soul Transformation stage kept her beauty at its peak, and there was nothing similar between her and her son when they stood together.
She looked at Zhong Wushuang with a loving gaze. His features seemed oddly misplaced as if someone had kneaded and shifted them, which looked quite bizarre. However, those present were used to these sights and found nothing unusual.
“Why didn’t you invite your friends to our home?” City Lord Zhong’s face showed happiness, but her heart was not pleased. Over the years, many had approached her son with ulterior motives, yet his heart remained pure and innocent. This time, someone had made her son so happy, and while she was pleased that he had made a friend, she was also worried that this was another person with ulterior motives.
“They have tasks to attend to and will be leaving tomorrow,” Zhong Wushuang thought for a moment, then added, “They are disciples of the Guiyuan Sect.” He was also aware of Lu Yaoyao’s identity, as her name was probably known throughout the three realms as the only daughter of Dao Venerable Hengwu. However, it was not for her status that Zhong Wushuang wanted to befriend her.
Hearing this, his mother’s expression relaxed. They are from the Guiyuan Sect? Then she felt reassured. The disciples of the Guiyuan Sect are known for their excellent character. Many disciples from various sects often passed through Luotian City on the way to performing missions, and the group Wushuang befriended were likely out on such travels.
“When they have time, you can invite your friends to our home,” she added softly.
Zhong Wushuang nodded, keeping it in mind. “By the way, Mother, who is in charge of the auction this time?”
“Your Uncle Peng, why do you ask?”
The largest auction house in Luotian City belonged to the city lord family, but Zhong Wushuang rarely concerned himself with family affairs, only listening when his mother mentioned them.
“Did you take a liking to an item there? I can have someone bring it back for you.” Her son’s unexpected interest in the auction brought her a pleasant surprise.
Zhong Wushuang shook his head, “I’m going to ask Uncle Peng about something, I’ll take my leave now.”
He didn’t stay for long and quickly left to find Uncle Peng. He remembered how his new friend seemed very interested in the auction house, so he wanted to learn more about it to avoid being caught unaware if she asked him about it again.
…
Lu Yaoyao’s group spent the night resting at Xianke Inn and prepared to leave early the next morning. As they stepped out, they were surprised to see someone waiting at the door.
“Wushuang?” Lu Yaoyao was quite astonished.
Zhong Wushuang, upon seeing Lu Yaoyao and her group, approached with a smile.
“Why are you here?”
“I came to see you… and your friends off.” Zhong Wushuang said warmly. He was so excited all night and unable to resist the urge to see them off. Too excited to sleep, he got up before dawn and had been waiting at the inn’s entrance.
“Have you been waiting long?” Lu Yaoyao glanced up at the sky, which was just beginning to brighten. It seemed like Wushuang had been waiting for a while!
“I just arrived,” Zhong Wushuang replied, looking at Lu Yaoyao, “You are leaving now, aren’t you?”
Lu Yaoyao nodded.
“Did I cause you any trouble?” Seeing Lu Yaoyao and her friends staring at him, Zhong Wushuang felt a bit uneasy.
“Not at all.” Lu Yaoyao waved her hands dismissively, “We are about to leave.” She moved her lips and finally smiled, “We are happy that you came to see us off.”
Zhong Wushuang breathed a sigh of relief, glad not to be a nuisance. He was afraid his new friends would reject him.
“Long time no see, Young Lord Zhong,” Yan Zihui remarked, then observed for a moment, silently marveling how the pitiful baby, who was once as black as tar and looked like a little monster, had grown up so much.
Zhong Wushuang looked puzzledly at Yan Zihui, “Pardon me, but you are…?”
“I am a disciple of Guiyuan Sect; we met once when you were young.”
Zhong Wushuang politely cupped his hands, still with a hint of confusion in his eyes.
“It’s normal that you don’t remember, you were just a month old baby at that time.”
“So you are a senior,” Zhong Wushuang cupped his hands again.
“There’s no need for such formality; you can call me Senior Brother Zihui, just like they do.”
“In that case, I respectfully obey. Wushuang greets Senior Brother Zihui.”
“Yes, nice to see you again, Junior Brother Zhong.”
The group didn’t linger at the inn’s entrance for long and soon invited Zhong Wushuang to join them in the carriage headed towards the city gate.
Zhong Wushuang sat between Wen Zixing and Yan Zihui, tightly squeezed between the two. He had never been so close to anyone other than his mother and was so nervous that his body stiffened.
“Don’t be nervous, young man. We won’t eat you,” Yan Zihui said, placing a hand on Zhong Wushuang’s shoulder, “How is your esteemed mother?”
“Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother Zihui. My mother has been doing quite well recently,” Zhong Wushuang replied stiffly.
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Translator’s note:
Hello everyone, I’m happy to announce that AerialRain now has gotten additional helps, which allow us to take two more projects! Let us introduce you to His Secret Guard and Marrying the Short-Lived Villain, both having historical settings. We are still adjusting our schedules here, so the two new titles will have irregular schedule for the time being. Hope you all enjoy them!
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I’m glad Zhong Wushuang’s mother isn’t so insistent on her son marrying someone to the point where she disregards his happiness. Considering the prospective bride was from the Murong family, though, I’m not surprised by her arrogance and disdainful attitude, especially when you look at Murong Liluo, lol.
Thanks for the chapter! 😀