Notes on Longevity

Chapter 238 Moonlight Under the Bridge Wan Dou said, Cheng Ye apologized to Zhao Wuyong

"elder brother."

The moon rose above the willow branches, and the sky had darkened. In a secluded alleyway in Huangzhou City, Cheng Ye, who was sitting by the bridge wall, covered Wan Dou's mouth with his hand as she was about to speak.

The moonlight and a few lights were reflected in the rippling water beneath the bridge. The two figures swayed gently in the water. He gazed tenderly at Wan Dou, slowly shook his head at her, and softly said, "Xiang'er, don't speak."

Although Wan Dou didn't know what had happened, she always trusted her brother Cheng Ye. She unfolded her body, which was curled up in Cheng Ye's arms, and then slowly hugged him, burying her head in his shoulder.

Her soft hair brushed against Cheng Ye's beard, the slight tickling reminding him of the expression on Wan Dou's face when she touched his prickly beard once—a mixture of fear and curiosity. In the end, she couldn't resist touching it with her small, tender hands.

The moonlight reflected gently in the water, quietly watching over the two of them. They didn't know how much time had passed when Wan Dou awoke from her drowsy state, lying in Cheng Ye's arms, while Cheng Ye's gaze lingered on the swaying moonlight and lamplight.

Wan Dou finally asked, "Brother, why did you fight with Young Master Lu and the others?"

Wan Dou's confused voice gradually pulled him back from his long-standing thoughts. He looked down at Wan Dou in his arms and said, "Don't worry, brother is fine."

Cheng Ye released Wan Dou from his arms. Wan Dou was very small; even standing, she was only a head taller than Cheng Ye, who was sitting. She looked at her brother Cheng Ye with a puzzled expression. She kept recalling everything that had happened recently. Finally, she remembered what Young Master Lu and the others had said three months ago: they had encountered a mysterious man with a gun who had been following them. She remembered that her brother also used a gun.

She asked, "Brother, were you the one who was following us at Ya Xiang Lou before?"

Seeing that Wan Dou had already guessed, Cheng Ye stopped hiding it. He gently touched her brow with his finger and smiled softly, "I told you a long time ago that I would stay in Huangzhou City and never leave Xiang'er."

Wan Dou tilted her head and looked at him curiously, then asked, "Does that mean you've been following me and Miss all this time?"

Cheng Ye smiled slightly: "How can protecting your sister be called stalking? I just want to watch Xiang'er grow up day by day, to watch her get taller every day. I want to see the day Xiang'er gets married."

Wan Dou pouted angrily, put her hands on her hips and said, "Brother, you know perfectly well that Xiang'er is not going to grow any taller and you still say this. If you say it again, I won't talk to you anymore."

"Okay, okay," Cheng Ye gently stroked her head, his face full of doting smiles, "Brother will never say it again."

When she was with her brother Cheng Ye, it was probably the time when Wan Dou felt most confident. She could act like a spoiled young lady, just like Zhao Yun Chu, and there was someone to indulge her.

"But, brother, what will happen to Miss if you take me away?" Wan Dou asked, bending down and looking up at the round moon under the bridge. "Should I go back now? Otherwise, Master will scold me."

Cheng Ye looked at Wan Dou's figure, and his expression suddenly darkened. He said worriedly, "Xiang'er, do you want to leave Huangzhou with your brother?"

Upon hearing this, Wan Dou turned around and asked with her bright, star-like eyes, "Is Brother leaving?"

Cheng Ye shook his head and said, "What I mean is, do you want to leave the Zhao family and see the outside world?"

"Outside?" Wan Dou touched her chin with her finger, twisted her body slightly, shook her head and thought for a while before saying, "Miss said that everywhere in this world is the same, and it's all just the same things."

Cheng Ye lowered his eyes slightly, and the corners of his mouth beneath his beard curved slightly. He smiled at Wan Dou and said, "Brother understands."

"But brother, you still haven't told me why you fought with Young Master Lu and the others. And are you thinking of leaving?"

“Brother and Young Master Lu were just sparring,” in Cheng Ye’s eyes, Wan Dou would always be just a child. “Brother didn’t want to leave. He said that as long as Xiang’er is there, I will be there.”

However, Wan Dou suddenly started to care about Cheng Ye: "It's okay, brother. I'm very happy every day with Miss. And Young Master Lu is also protecting Miss, so if you want to go out and play, you can go ahead. Don't worry about Xiang'er."

Cheng Ye smiled and said, "How could your brother bear to leave Xiang'er? Your brother is just worried that you'll be bored staying at the Zhao family, so he wants to take you out for a walk to cheer you up."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "If one day I really have to leave Xiang'er for a long time, will you miss me?"

"I won't!"

Wan Dou turned her head to the side, pretending to be very angry.

Cheng Ye asked her why, and she said, "It's because my brother isn't home today. It made Miss and me look for you so hard."

Wan Dou's answer left him distraught, yet he couldn't show it. He knew Wan Dou was saying it on purpose, but the sadness that overwhelmed him, like a wave of drowsiness, forced him to force a bitter smile: "My brother had other things to do today, so he wasn't home."

"Alright," Wan Dou ran up and jumped into his arms, saying, "Then can we go back now? Otherwise, Miss will miss me, and if we go back late, Master might fine me my monthly allowance. Then I won't have any money to buy wine for Brother."

Cheng Ye looked down at Wan Dou in his arms and said softly, "Okay, let's go back."

Cheng Ye held Wan Dou in his arms, his eyes shifting from sorrow to a resolute and sharp look, as if he had made up his mind.

At this moment, the Zhao residence was silent. Zhao Wuyong's words had made everyone ponder. They could not imagine that someone who had died ten years ago would appear in Huangzhou, and that he was Wan Dou's brother.

"Now what?"

Yang Chenghan broke the silence, looking around at everyone in the hall.

“According to Uncle, Wan Dou’s brother killed so many people. What if he were to take action against Uncle because Wan Dou was being bullied in the Zhao family?”

Yang Chenghan's words made Lu Ya frown. He stood up and looked at Yang Chenghan, saying firmly, "Master Zhao's safety is naturally assured with us here. Although Cheng Ye's martial arts are high, everyone has weaknesses. Even if the few of us can't stop him, Yang Chenghan's influence in the martial arts world is far-reaching, not to mention his considerable reputation in the imperial court. Even the current emperor has to give him some face. I'll write a letter later and have him send someone to hunt down Cheng Ye."

“Wan Dou’s brother wouldn’t do such a thing, would he?” Zhao Yunchu suddenly spoke up after seeing Lu Ya and Yang Chenghan talking. “Lihua and I have met this Cheng Ye before, and I could tell he didn’t mean us any harm.”

“Brother Lu, if what you say is true, then it makes sense that he refused to explain his identity and the reason for following you. It wasn’t that he intentionally concealed it.”

Zhao Wuyong wasn't unreasonable, and he thought Zhao Yunchu's words made sense: "Yunchu is right, so Young Master Lu, you don't need to worry. It's not too late to take action if he really wants to do something. Besides, ever since that little girl Wan Dou entered my Zhao family, when have I ever mistreated her?"

Wu Ke tugged at Lu Ya's sleeve, urging him to sit down. He then rose and bowed to Zhao Wuyong, saying, "Old Master Zhao is right. A clear conscience fears no accusation. Over the years, we've all lived in the Zhao family, and we've witnessed how Old Master Zhao has treated Wan Dou. Cheng Ye's desperate quest for official positions shows he wasn't truly a bad person, but rather acted out of desperation. Therefore, please rest assured, Young Master Cheng Han." Yang Cheng Han felt a slight tremor upon seeing Wu Ke's change in address, and his brow furrowed slightly. Although what they said made sense, one should always be wary.

"In that case, I would appreciate it if you would all take good care of my uncle."

After saying that, he slowly sat down.

The lobby fell silent once again.

Looking at the heavy atmosphere in the room, An Zhilan listlessly skimmed the tea foam from her cup.
A moment later, a servant rushed in and said to the person in the hall, "Master, there is a man at the door leading Wan Dou and he wants to see you."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately stood up. This scene startled the servant who had come to deliver the message, who then quickly stepped aside.

Zhao Wuyong frowned, then said, "Sit down, everyone."

He then called out to the servant, "Let them in."

"Yes."

After receiving his orders, the servant hurriedly fled this frightening place, and nearly tripped and fell because he was walking too fast.

Before long, Cheng Ye, dressed in black and with a full beard, led Wan Dou into the main hall.

Nowadays, everyone in the martial arts world says that Lu Ya is the best in the land, because most of the old guys are dead. Even if they had descendants, with Lu Ya's talent, it would be difficult for anyone to catch up. However, Yang Chenghan has a man named Murong Fuyou by his side who is no pushover either. It's just that this man rarely shows himself, and no one knows the extent of his martial arts skills.

It wasn't until three months ago, when he also came to compete with Lu Ya for the position of martial arts alliance leader, that the martial arts world realized just how strong he truly was, but he still lost to Lu Ya by a single move. Only Lu Ya himself knew the final outcome.

As for this Cheng Ye, Lu Ya had heard about his past. After exchanging blows with him twice, Lu Ya knew his skill level. If he wasn't like Murong Fuyou, he would probably be the true number one in the martial arts world today!

His arrival caused Lu Ya to sit up straight and glare at him angrily.

Zhao Yunchu wanted to get up and greet Wan Dou and Cheng Ye, but given the current situation, she could only pretend to be indifferent and looked pitifully at the unsuspecting Wan Dou.

As for Yang Chenghan, although he felt that what they said made sense, he still had some worries in his heart as Cheng Ye stood there. He stood up from the crowd and stared at him coldly.

Seeing Yang Chenghan stand up, Lu Ya and the others also wanted to stand up and give Cheng Ye a hard time.

But Zhao Wuyong stopped him with a cough.

An Zhilan stopped what she was doing and said to Lihua, who was standing behind Zhao Yunchu, "Lihua, you've been playing all day, take Wandou to the backyard to wash up."

Pear Blossom naturally understood An Zhilan's meaning. She responded and came to Cheng Ye's side, completely unconcerned about how fierce they had just said about Cheng Ye. She smiled and took Wan Dou's hand from his.

Cheng Ye knew Li Hua, so he smiled at her and said thank you.

Pear Blossom glanced at everyone in the hall, and then left the hall without saying a word, leading a bewildered Wan Dou away.

After seeing Wan Dou leave, Cheng Ye lifted his robe and knelt down in front of Zhao Wuyong with a thud. Amidst the astonished looks of the crowd, he kowtowed and said, "Cheng Ye, a martial artist, greets Master Zhao and Madam Zhao."

Cheng Ye's kneeling left everyone at a loss, even Yang Chenghan was astonished. Zhao Wuyong frowned, while An Zhilan stared at Zhao Wuyong.

Zhao Yunchu instinctively reached out to help him up, but Zhao Wuyong spoke up at that moment, "Cheng Ye, what do you mean by this?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Ye looked up and said in a low voice, "My fight with Lu Ya and the others three months ago was not intentional, and the same is true today."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Zheng Di and continued, "You all should know about my past. After I escaped by chance, I was always on the run. If I hadn't met Xiang'er later, I would not have bothered you all."

Upon hearing Cheng Ye's words, Zhao Yunchu disregarded everyone's reactions and went to his side to help him up, but Cheng Ye refused.

“Yun Chu”.

An Zhilan's voice was soft but slightly reproachful, "It's getting late, you should go back to your room and get some rest."

"mother."

Zhao Yunchu wanted to say something more, but Zhao Wuyong stood up. This was the first time he had ever been angry with his daughter: "Listen to me, go back first."

"Yes."

Even though she was heartbroken, she could only obey her parents and obediently walk out of the main hall. However, she did not go back to her room, but instead hid behind the door to listen to what they were saying next.

Zhao Wuyong shook his head helplessly as he looked at the figure behind the door, but he could only assume that Zhao Yunchu had left. "If that's the case, then why did you bring her back? You should just leave."

Zhao Wuyong's tone made Cheng Ye's heart skip a beat. Then he said, "Cheng Ye is just an exile, but Xiang'er is innocent. I don't want her to follow me on the run. The reason I sent her to the Zhao family was because of Master Zhao's kindness."

Zhao Wuyong snorted coldly upon hearing this. He waved his sleeve and said angrily, "When have you ever seen me be merciful? I was also involved in what Yang Tianqian did back then. How many people died? How many people's blood is indirectly stained on my hands! You know nothing and yet you dare to say I'm merciful! Absurd!"

"So you also think that what Senior Yang did was wrong?"

Cheng Ye spoke up.

Ignoring Yang Chenghan's presence, Zhao Wuyong pointed at Cheng Ye's nose and cursed, "He dared to declare war on the entire martial arts world for a demon! He killed so many people and he still thinks he's right? That was a demon! Don't you know what happened in the past nine years? Because of a demon, my Great Yan almost perished! And him? How many martial arts heroes and valiant men did he kill for a demon?! I was blinded by the words 'benevolence and righteousness' back then! Now I wish I could kill him with my own hands and avenge these fallen heroes!"

(End of this chapter)