My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

Chapter 231 Everything

Xie Yan led her horse forward, revealing an exceptionally bright smile, "Thank you, sisters."

The group burst into laughter. "Oh my! This young man has such a sweet tongue, he even calls us 'sisters'!"

With Xuanfeng and the others absent, and Chuling having long held a high position, no matter how much he disguised himself, he still carried an intangible air of authority that inspired awe.

Therefore, the task of gathering intelligence naturally fell to Xie Yan, who was adept at speaking to people in a way that suited them.

In just a few words, he managed to disarm the women who had initially been wary and inquisitive, and they all beamed with joy.

In just a short while, he not only learned about which family in the village had the most virtuous wives and the most capable husbands, but he even recognized a few godmothers on the spot.

Seeing that they had already started asking Xie Yan's birth date and time and were about to introduce him to girls, Chu Ling smiled slightly and silently reached his hand behind a certain socialite.

Warm hands gently stroked down Xie Yan's neck, sending shivers down her spine. She immediately stopped, saying, "There's no need to trouble you sisters. I'm already married."

Upon hearing this, everyone's interest was piqued again, and they couldn't help but gossip, "I wonder what kind of girl is so lucky to find such a good husband."

"Well, she is certainly not an ordinary woman."

Under the women's gaze, Xie Yan pursed her lips, revealing a troubled expression. "Although she is beautiful, her temperament is really not very good."

"She is clingy and domineering, loves to be jealous, and is always talking nonsense. She is also very handsy and difficult to please."

As they listened to his description, the women's expressions gradually became hesitant.

...Is this really describing a young woman?

They looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

One of the women who had just recognized Xie Yan as her godson chimed in, "Oh, oh dear, this girl is truly... truly extraordinary..."

She hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't help but say, "But if that's the case, this girl sounds so unruly, so why did you marry her in the first place?"

"Sigh, there's nothing I can do."

Xie Yan sighed softly, and as if by accident, turned her head to look at Chu Ling.

The dappled sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves and shone on his face, as if covering him with a layer of soft light, making him appear even more dazzling.

Xie Yan curled her lips into a sly smile, her bright, star-like eyes curving into a mischievous arc as she gazed straight into Chu Ling's heart.

"It's just that I like this person."

At that moment, what reached my ears was not the rustling of branches and leaves, nor the teasing of women, but the sound of heartbeats, one after another.

Chu Ling's face remained calm, but something in his eyes seemed to have been ignited in an instant, burning intensely.

At that moment, there was only one person in his eyes.

Chu Ling clenched his fist, trying his best to control the urge to hug Xie Yan tightly.

"Oh my, so he wasn't complaining to us, but showing off!"

Someone jokingly remarked, and the women laughed and echoed his words, instantly enlivening the atmosphere.

"cough."

Under Chu Ling's intense gaze, Xie Yan couldn't help but cough lightly and look away.

Just as they were about to pinch Chu Ling in the shadows to signal him to look away, a piece of yellow paper, still glowing with flames, flew down from the sky and drifted gently to their feet.

The laughter stopped abruptly.

The two looked in the direction from which the yellow paper had floated and saw that the door of a mud house not far away had been pushed open at some point.

Peeking through the crack in the door, I saw a woman kneeling inside, burning paper money.

The woman was pale-faced, dressed in plain clothes, unkempt, and extremely thin.

"What bad luck! It's been so long, and it's still looking like this!"

Upon seeing this, a woman couldn't help but complain, then glared at the woman burning paper money with disgust before turning her head away and ignoring her.

Clearly, they were used to this situation.

Xie Yan raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Why is that woman burning paper money alone? Has something happened to her family?"

He had only asked casually, but to his surprise, the women present all showed a strange expression on their faces.

But they quickly covered it up, putting on an indifferent attitude, waving their hands and saying, "Hey, it's nothing serious, it's just that her husband had bad luck and passed away."

Xie Yan wanted to ask more questions, but the women had no intention of going into details and quickly changed the subject.

The two looked at each other, then looked back at the earthen house, and suddenly met a pair of bloodshot eyes.

The woman had stopped burning paper money sometime earlier and was now staring intently at the scene, her eyes filled with a mixture of resentment and anger. The intense, chilling aura emanating from her sent shivers down one's spine.

Just then, a gust of wind suddenly swept by, scattering the ashes in front of him and slamming the open door shut again.

Xie Yan's eyes widened slightly, but she quickly regained her composure and returned to the women's conversation as if nothing had happened.

As dusk approached, the two finally departed amidst the women's reluctant farewells.

After walking to a corner out of sight of everyone, Xie Yan led Chu Ling in a turn, heading towards the end of the village with a clear goal in mind.

The two walked without stopping, passing through the village, and soon reached the end of the village, stopping outside a fenced yard.

The courtyard wasn't large, so you could easily spot an elderly man lying on a recliner next to the entrance.

The old man must have lived for countless years. Not only was his hair white, but his skin was also wrinkled and drooping all over his body, making one fear that he might die of old age at any moment.

But despite his advanced age, the old man's skills were extraordinary.

I heard that he used to be a private tutor. He was not only knowledgeable, but also knew everything that happened in the surrounding area. He could be called the "know-it-all" of the village.

Without hesitation, the two stepped inside.

After a while——

"What? What did you say you cooked?"

Grandpa Zeng strained his voice and waved his hands repeatedly at the two of them, saying, "I don't want to eat, I just ate breakfast."

Xie Yan turned her head, glanced at the dazzling sunset in the distance, and fell silent.

...What a blunder! They didn't mention that Grandpa Zeng has hearing problems and also suffers from Alzheimer's.