Chapter 55: Junior Sister

The mountain path was canopied by tall trees that blocked out the moonlight. Yan Kuang held a torch and drove the carriage ahead, while Cheng Ruyi huddled tightly in his blanket inside the vehicle. Feeling bored, he periodically flicked open the curtain to tease Yan Kuang.

With beaming eyes, Cheng Ruyi chirped, "Master Yan, how many junior martial sisters do you have? Are there any junior martial brothers as well? In your martial sect, what is your... ranking?"

"By the way, you mentioned earlier that Lord Shen knows martial arts. I honestly couldn't tell; I figured all he knew was how to run his mouth... Who would have thought he's quite multi-talented... No, no, when all is said and done, our dear official is still the most impressive, surrounded by friends and family who are all peerless talents among men!"

"Enough..."

At the mention of running one's mouth, Yan Kuang finally couldn't help cutting in, "How do you even have the nerve to bring up Shen Nian? When are you ever going to drop that habit of yours? For a smart man, how did you end up with such a trait?"

With that, Yan Kuang did not forget to add a finishing blow straight to the heart: "It makes you look rather foolish."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Ruyi paused for a moment, then retorted with utter defiance, "When are you going to drop the habit of wearing a poker face? For such a great beauty, how do you manage to keep that habit? It makes you look..."

Just then, Cheng Ruyi felt a murderous gaze scrutinizing him.

Yan Kuang was staring at him expressionlessly. Illuminated by the flickering torchlight in the dark, it was genuinely rather terrifying.

Cheng Ruyi immediately backed down. The rest of his unspoken words were swallowed back into his stomach, and he couldn't help shivering involuntarily, stealthily retreating into the carriage to wrap himself up again.

Yet before long, Cheng Ruyi poked his head out of the carriage curtain once more: "I'm hungry... Does our dear official have anything to eat?"

Yan Kuang replied, "None. Look around inside the carriage."

"I searched through it long ago... There are only some pulp novels, look." With that, Cheng Ruyi pulled out a stack of books from behind him, squinting in the moonlight to make out the titles.

"Let me see what we have here... *The Peerless Honest Official*, *A Life of Corruption... Quick and Easy Tips? Three Sentences to Teach You Officialdom Tactics*, *The Untold Stories of One Hundred and Five Men and Three Women*..."

"What else... *The Mighty Heroine, The Dapper Scholar*?"

The more Cheng Ruyi flipped through them, the more animated he became, but Yan Kuang could no longer bear to listen. He pressed a hand down on Cheng Ruyi's: "Two choices. Either wait quietly until we reach the Shen residence, where my junior sister will personally be cooking tonight."

"Or else eat this stack of Shen Nian's waste paper."

"Miss Liang is cooking in person?!" Catching the crucial point, Cheng Ruyi put the books away and said with eager excitement, "I could tell her grilled chicken skills were practiced this morning, but I never expected she could cook as well... To think such a beauty exists in this world, possessing both formidable martial arts and such delicate, skillful hands..."

Hearing this, Yan Kuang's expression suddenly froze, complex emotions swirling in his eyes. He glanced sidelong at Cheng Ruyi and said coldly, "Do not harbor any inappropriate fantasies about my junior sister."

Cheng Ruyi was clearly startled for a moment, then laughed and said, "I was merely curious what kind of destiny could forge such a..."

Yan Kuang interrupted him, "My third junior sister comes from a family of military generals. She lost her mother at a young age and grew up alongside her father on the battlefield. Having experienced endless bloodshed, she has no liking for scholars."

"My lord, I... you."

Cheng Ruyi was torn between laughter and tears, but finding it amusing, he deliberately set out to tease Yan Kuang further: "Miss Liang is a heroine of extraordinary grace—poised, elegant, and gentle of temperament, skilled in both the kitchen and martial arts... You could truly say of her: *Advanced, she wields the long spear to guard the home and country; retreated, she lays down her armor to brew soup and tend the fields*!"

"Such a rare beauty is seldom seen in this world; how could one not be moved? Hmm?" With that, Cheng Ruyi raised an eyebrow at Yan Kuang in triumph.

Yan Kuang's expression darkened somewhat. Seeing this, Cheng Ruyi couldn't help laughing out loud and hastily patted Yan Kuang's shoulder. "I'm only teasing you."

Yan Kuang ignored him, keeping his eyes fixed ahead as he drove the carriage. Seeing this, Cheng Ruyi babbled on, "Oh my... why would I harbor any improper fantasies about your junior sister? Now, Young Master Han is a different story; earlier I distinctly saw him staring傻lessly at Miss Lin!"

At the mention of Lin Jiangyue, Yan Kuang could not help recalling the past—amidst the blooming mountain flowers, the young women in red and blue had chased and frolicked, tumbling together into the sea of blossoms.

"My fourth junior sister won't fancy Han Ning either," Yan Kuang said slowly. "Aiyue and Zhanying's fathers were bosom friends. Although the two elders served in civil and military posts respectively, their friendship was so close they practically swapped daughters to raise. Thus, Aiyue also followed General Liang onto the battlefield, while Zhanying received meticulous instruction within the Lin family household."

Cheng Ruyi nodded. "No wonder Miss Liang's personality is so unique, but Miss Lin..."

Hearing this, Yan Kuang continued to clear up his confusion: "Under Lord Lin's strict coercion, Aiyue was forced to thoroughly study the Four Books and Five Classics from a young age. By six, she could compose poetry, and her culinary and needlework skills were also passable to a degree. But precisely because of that, she insisted on swapping places with Zhanying, swearing she never wanted to read or cook again for the rest of her life."

Cheng Ruyi deeply understood Lin Jiangyue's decision, chiming in repeatedly, "Quite reasonable... perfectly reasonable."

"Their upbringing is far from ordinary; neither of them will ever take a liking to idle prodigals or scholars."

Having circled around a massive argument, Yan Kuang finally brought the conversation back to the starting point. Cheng Ruyi couldn't help saying, "All right, all right... I swear, I truly harbor no inappropriate fantasies whatsoever toward the two young ladies, otherwise I shall..."

After a moment of contemplation, Cheng Ruyi raised a hand, pointing his fingers together, and said with utmost solemnity: "I shall miserably lose my God of Wealth, my guardian deity—the one and only, peerless and matchless Great Official Yan! How is that? Is that a vicious enough vow?"

"Shut your mouth."

...

The carriage descended the mountain path and headed straight for the main city of Qizhou. When the two returned to the Shen residence, everyone in the room stared fixedly at Cheng Ruyi without blinking.

Cheng Ruyi thought to himself: *Oh no, I forgot to change my clothes.*

The most shocked of all was Shen Nian. He hurried forward and yanked away the sleeve Cheng Ruyi was using to cover his face, first bursting out laughing before his expression turned dejected. He said to Liang Zhanying—

"Miss Xue! How could you give the dress I bought you to someone else!"

Everyone: "..."

Massaging his temples, Liang Zhanying said, "Lord Shen, there is more to this matter than meets the eye... How about this, let Teacher Cheng change his clothes first, and later I will explain it to you slowly... in private? Sound good?"

"O—okay then." Upon hearing the words "in private," Shen Nian felt a blossom of joy bloom in his heart, and he immediately let the matter drop.

Cheng Ruyi slipped away to change his clothes, with Yan Kuang following him step for step. Seeing this, Cheng Ruyi turned back and complained, "Master Yan, you didn't remind me to change; were you doing this out of pure spite? For a towering man like you, how can your heart be so narrow-minded..."

Yan Kuang answered honestly, "I merely thought you looked quite good."

"Never mind, never mind... You can't expect sense from a living ghost; I'm not listening." With his face burning hot, Cheng Ruyi hurried into the room to change his attire.

He took off the dress, folded it neatly before stepping back outside, and then reluctantly removed the heavy cloak from his arm to drape it over Yan Kuang's shoulders.

Cheng Ruyi muttered, "We came back once before, why didn't you put your cloak back on? The night wind is cold, aren't you afraid of freezing yourself stupid?"

"I was in a rush to come find you."

Yan Kuang replied in a low voice, tying the sash himself. Hearing this, Cheng Ruyi paused, turned away in silence, and quickened his pace toward the dining hall.

Not understanding why, Yan Kuang quickly followed. When the two returned to the dining hall, Liang Zhanying had already gone to the kitchen to check on the dishes, leaving only Shen Nian, the advisor, and the young medical officer rescued from Ginkgo Village.

The medical officer looked to be around Liang Zhanying's age, dressed in a pale green gown that made her look like a fresh willow branch in spring—an absolute beauty in her own right.

Shen Nian proactively introduced her to Cheng Ruyi: "This is the chief medical officer of our Qizhou prefectural office, Miss Wen Xueying."

Wen Xueying rose gracefully as well, saying in a gentle voice, "Xueying is here to express her gratitude to you all for saving our lives."

With that, she offered a deep, graceful bow. Cheng Ruyi, standing closest, quickly reached out to offer physical support in return, just as he heard Shen Nian declare: "Actually, this official could have handled it alone!"

Yan Kuang said ruthlessly, "Just as Zhanying said, that was nothing more than amateur parlor tricks."

"What, what!" Shen Nian slapped the table in dissatisfaction. "Audacious! Old Yan, how could you address Miss Xue by her given name! You are truly far too impolite!"

"My junior sister and I have known each other since childhood, why ever not?" Yan Kuang retorted unyieldingly. "On the contrary, how is it that you came to know my junior sister? Confess at once, or else you'll be coming back with me to the Commandery."

"You've already resigned from official post, who are you trying to scare!" Shen Nian's eyes rolled as he shifted tactics. "However, speaking of how this official and Miss Xue met, it truly was..."

Upon hearing this, the medical officer Wen Xueying and the advisor suddenly changed their expressions. The advisor asked with a troubled look, "My lord, are you really going to tell them..."

Shen Nian said with bubbling enthusiasm, "Of course, Old Yan and Teacher Cheng don't know yet!"

Wen Xueying wore an expression of unspeakable awkwardness as she looked toward Yan Kuang and Cheng Ruyi. "Are the two of you certain you really want to hear this..."