Notes on Longevity

Chapter 239 Uncle and nephew argue over past events; Yun Chu peeks from behind the door.

Zhao Wuyong's words silenced the entire room. Yang Chenghan stood up abruptly upon hearing this, his eyes revealing astonishment and his face showing utter disbelief, clearly showing the shock he felt.

He wanted to speak, but his mind was in complete turmoil. His mouth kept opening and closing, making it difficult for him to speak. His trembling lips and weak thighs almost made him fall, but he managed to brace himself on a chair.

"master!"

Hearing this without warning, An Zhilan was even more distressed by Yang Chenghan's reaction. She quickly stepped forward to support him and called out to Zhao Wuyong, "What are you saying?"

"And you!" he pointed at Cheng Ye and cursed, "Since you left with Wan Dou, why did you come back? You two should have just run away together!"

After saying that, she comforted Yang Chenghan, saying, "Han'er, don't take your uncle's words to heart. He was just confused by Cheng Ye. You should understand the determination your father had for you back then. If you had failed, wouldn't our Zhao family have faced annihilation as well?"

An Zhilan spoke truthfully, but Zhao Wuyong's sudden words left Yang Chenghan speechless and his mind in turmoil. He tried his best to calm himself down, but his clenched fists refused to loosen.

This sudden situation left even the usually calm and sensible Lu Ya feeling helpless. He frowned and looked back and forth helplessly at Zhao Wuyong, Cheng Ye, and Zheng Di, Wang Huai, Sun Cheng, and Wu Ke sitting beside him.

Wu Ke and the others lowered their heads and remained silent. Wang Huai glanced at the situation, then stared at Lu Ya with his eyes, asking, "What's going on?"

Lu Ya shook his head, rubbing his fingers nervously, indicating that he didn't know either.

Lu Ya turned his gaze back to Zhao Wuyong and Yang Chenghan, only to find them speechless. The entire hall was deathly silent, and an indescribable eeriness was rapidly spreading through it.

Zhao Yunchu, standing outside the door, heard her father's words and wore the same incredulous expression. In her memory, whenever Zhao Wuyong spoke of Yang Tianqian, his face was always beaming with pride, filled with the joy of sharing in his glory.
But she couldn't understand why her father would say such a thing at this moment.

She frowned, her face grave, and cautiously peeked half her head into the hall. Cheng Ye, kneeling on the ground, pained her, while Yang Chenghan, supported by the bewildered An Zhilan, leaned weakly against the table and chair with one fist clenched, his head bowed, lost in thought.

On the other side of the seats, Lu Ya and his group of five also lowered their heads and remained silent.

"Uncle, were you speaking from the heart just now?" Yang Chenghan asked, forcing back his inner turmoil, word by word.

He knew nothing about his father, and even when he asked, no one was willing to tell him what had happened back then, why his father insisted on protecting that demon, and why. Was it just what Lu Ya had told him before, that his father wanted a world where humans and demons could coexist?
Zhao Wuyong's eyes were filled with melancholy, and tears were beginning to well up in the corners of his eyes. He said in a trembling voice, "No."

Yang Chenghan finally couldn't hold back any longer. He let go of An Zhilan's hand and went to Zhao Wuyong, questioning him with sharp and pointed words, "Then what did you mean by what you just said? Is it because you really think my father did something wrong?"

There is no right or wrong in this world.

Yang Chenghan snorted coldly, trembling. He hesitated, wanting to speak but unable to, finally shaking his head weakly and asking again, "You said before that Cheng Ye's actions were no different from Father's. Since you also say there is no right or wrong in this world, what's wrong with him saying you are kind? My father loved me just as much, and even after I came to Huangzhou, you treated me with the same kindness as Father. You know that some things can never be accomplished by just reading books, so you were willing to spend your own money to teach me. I am extremely grateful to you. You and my aunt arranged..." My marriage to Yunchu was arranged according to your wishes, and Chenghan will forever remember your great kindness. But what about what you're saying today? In your heart, is my father, as others say, a ruthless killer? Since you were involved, you should know best what happened. You say you're blinded by the concepts of benevolence and righteousness, and that you now wish you could kill him. I'm right here in front of you. As the saying goes, debts must be repaid, and murderers must pay with their lives. So if you kill me today, it's the son paying for the father's sins.”

Upon hearing this, An Zhilan immediately ran to Yang Chenghan's side, grabbed him, and said, "Han'er, your uncle was just saying that in anger."

"Sir, please say something!"

At this moment, Lu Ya and his companions were utterly ashamed. They didn't know why things had turned out this way. They even recalled their first encounter and first fight with Cheng Ye, wondering if they had done something wrong. But no matter how they thought about it, they couldn't believe they had done anything right.

Since they were being fed by the Zhao family, what was wrong with protecting them? But where exactly did things go wrong? They really couldn't figure it out.

As for Cheng Ye, he knelt on the ground with his head down, and although he was very close, he became increasingly difficult to see clearly.

He hasn't said a word since that last sentence. What is he thinking?
Lu Ya felt a headache coming on. The atmosphere was so awkward, but as a half-retainer, he was too embarrassed to suggest leaving, since the whole thing was their fault.

When Zhao Yunchu, who was standing outside the door, heard Yang Chenghan mention his marriage to her, she was first startled but then recovered. She thought to herself, "Father arranged a marriage between me and Brother Chenghan? Why didn't he tell me?"

She couldn't understand it. Throughout history, marriages have always been arranged by parents and matchmakers. If they had arranged the marriage, why did they keep it a secret from her?

Before Yang Chenghan arrived in Huangzhou, many merchants and officials had already sent people to discuss marriage. Now, at fourteen, she was indeed of marriageable age. According to the laws of the Yan Dynasty, a girl could be engaged at the age of fourteen and could marry at the age of eighteen.

Of the people who had come before, Zhao Yunchu couldn't say she particularly liked them, but she wasn't entirely without affection either; however, Zhao Wuyong turned them all away. But Yang Chenghan's arrival prompted Zhao Wuyong to bring up the marriage proposal. She wondered, could it be that her father had been waiting for Yang Chenghan all along?
Moreover, he remembered that Zhao Wuyong had mentioned this matter to him intentionally or unintentionally. Although he had initially argued with Zhao Wuyong about it because she felt that he was talking about marriage before even meeting Yang Chenghan, and that the people he had rejected before had at least met him. However, after seeing Yang Chenghan in person at Yaxianglou for the first time, she stopped dwelling on it. In comparison, Yang Chenghan was far superior to those other people.

Lu Ya felt the extremely awkward atmosphere in the hall, took a deep breath to ease his embarrassment, but when he turned his head to look outside the door to relax, he saw Zhao Yunchu peeking out half of her head and secretly watching what was happening inside.

Lu Ya looked at her confused expression, hesitated to speak, and then turned his head back.

Wait, something seems off.
Lu Ya suddenly looked at Zhao Yunchu, who was peeking through the door, and then instantly shifted his gaze to Cheng Ye. He began to carefully consider things in his mind.

Zheng Di, who was sitting next to him, also noticed something was wrong. He tilted his head and looked at Zhao Yunchu at the door, then quietly rubbed Wang Huai next to him with his hand, signaling him to look at the door with his eyes.

Zhao Yunchu, who was lying by the door, was unaware that she had been discovered by Lu Ya and his group. She continued to stare at Yang Chenghan and her father, her mind filled with many thoughts.

Zheng Di withdrew his gaze and gently nudged Lu Ya, who was deep in thought, with his elbow. At that moment, Lu Ya suddenly understood everything and stood up abruptly, startling Zheng Di. After realizing what was happening, Zheng Di hurriedly tried to pull Lu Ya back down to sit and stop him from interfering, but it was too late; Lu Ya had already spoken.

“Master Zhao, Young Master Cheng Han, please forgive me for interrupting.”

Lu Ya's voice calmed Yang Chenghan down considerably. After all, Lu Ya had told him that he had entered the martial arts world mostly because of his father, and since they met, he had always been on his father's side.

Zhao Wuyong stared coldly at Lu Ya and asked, "What do you want to say?"

Lu Ya smiled slightly: "I don't think Master Zhao meant what he said."

Upon hearing this, Yang Chenghan looked at Lu Ya, who was frowning, and then looked at Zhao Wuyong, saying, "Young Master Lu, what do you mean by this?"

Lu Ya slowly walked to Cheng Ye's side and squatted down. Then he turned Cheng Ye's face towards himself and said, "Because I feel that Cheng Ye's 'benevolence' has ulterior motives." "What do you mean?" Zhao Wuyong asked, frowning. His voice was also much lower than before.

Lu Ya released his hand from Cheng Ye's face, and as he stood up, he slapped Cheng Ye's shoulder hard, saying sternly, "We all know that Cheng Ye should be dead, but he claims that he escaped by chance. However, the official documents and court documents all say that he is dead. So there is a question: is he lying, or is there a problem with the documents of the court and the government?"

Yang Chenghan's brow furrowed painfully, but he still couldn't figure it out. He asked, "You mean he lied?"

Lu Ya shook his head and said, "He probably wasn't lying. After all, a person's appearance can be easily changed, but kung fu skills can't be faked."

"What I mean is, there's something wrong with the documents from the imperial court and the government."

Zhao Wuyong then asked, "Young Master Lu, please explain yourself."

Lu Ya tilted his head and looked at him, saying, "Just now, we all overlooked one thing. Cheng Ye is dead, but there is a wanted poster in the martial arts world, and the person wanted is none other than Cheng Ye."

“What Cheng Ye did just this year shocked the court and the public. The Imperial Guards and local troops joined forces to surround and kill him, but he escaped. Do you think the court can save face?”

"First, Senior Yang ran away, and then Cheng Ye ran away. If they hadn't said this, what do you think would have happened?"

While Zhao Wuyong and Yang Chenghan were still pondering, Wang Huai spoke up, "If we don't say he's dead, it will inevitably lead to more people rushing to follow suit. At that point, it won't just be a matter of martial arts figures slaughtering officials; it might even cause unrest."

“That’s right,” Lu Ya stared at Yang Chenghan, his eyes carrying a hint of amusement: “He, Cheng Ye, said that Master Zhao was benevolent for two reasons.”

"What's the reason?" Yang Chenghan asked anxiously.

"First, he was a wanderer all year round, but there were always people in the world who could recognize him, so he often wore a veil."

"Secondly, it's because of Wan Dou."

"Wan Dou." Yang Chenghan murmured Wan Dou's name, then seemed to realize something. He turned around and stared at Cheng Ye, his voice trembling slightly as he said, "I heard that you were adopted, Wan Dou."

"Yes." Cheng Ye finally spoke, but while answering Yang Chenghan's question, his eyes were fixed on Lu Ya. A glint flashed in his shifty gaze when their eyes met, and he continued, "I didn't want Wan Dou to wander around with a fugitive like me, so I sent her to the Zhao family. Even if she's just a maid, at least she'll have a place to settle down in this world. Although Wan Dou has been a servant all these years, the Zhao family has treated her well, so I'm grateful to Master Zhao, which is why I said he was kind."

The story has finally come to a conclusion.

Lu Ya smiled faintly, and at the same time quietly took a breath.

After that, he felt much more relaxed. He walked over to Yang Chenghan, put a hand on his shoulder, and explained earnestly, "Chenghan, as for what I said about Master Zhao, it wasn't because I was sincere, but because it was exciting."

"Exciting?" Yang Chenghan looked at Lu Ya with the confusion of a child.

"Decades have passed since what happened to Elder Yang. Do you know how many people in this world want to kill him?"

Yang Chenghan shook his head, and Lu Ya sighed, "If it weren't for Senior Yang's unparalleled kung fu, I'm afraid no one would have held back until now. As for Master Zhao, he was one of the participants back then, but he didn't directly step forward but supported him from behind. It can be seen that Senior Yang protected him just like he protected you, and he didn't mention a word about what happened back then to you."

"And all these years, Master Zhao has been trying to block all news about Elder Yang, while at the same time keeping you by his side to do business, and also marrying Yun Chu to you. Don't you understand?"

Was what you just said truly from the heart?

Yang Chenghan hesitated, but Lu Ya kept patting him on the shoulder and said, "Master Zhao only has one daughter, Yun Chu. He married Yun Chu to you and taught you how to do business, which shows his good intentions. Chenghan! Once you marry Yun Chu, you will be the pillar of the Zhao family in the future. Do you know why Master Zhao rejected all other marriage proposals before you? It's because Master Zhao trusts you and trusts Senior Yang. Master Zhao is entrusting the future of the Zhao family to you! You are the future of the Zhao family! Do you still think that what Master Zhao said was sincere? Do you know how much pressure Master Zhao is under? Once your identity is exposed, the people who want to kill you could bury the entire Huangzhou City."

"Do you still believe that Master Zhao was sincere?"

Lu Ya's words struck Yang Chenghan to the core. He didn't know what was wrong with him, why he suddenly questioned Zhao Wuyong. He remembered all the good things Zhao Wuyong had done for him these past few months, but just now, while he had defended his father, he also felt that Zhao Wuyong seemed to be right. After all, his father had killed so many people. If Zhao Wuyong hadn't participated back then and had instead joined those martial arts figures in attacking his father, where would he be now?

Yang Chenghan sighed heavily, his mind wavering, unable to discern right from wrong.

Seeing that Yang Chenghan was speechless, Lu Ya sighed helplessly, then turned to Zhao Wuyong, cupped his fists and bowed, saying, "Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, we will take our leave first."

Zhao Wuyong was also taken aback by Lu Ya's words and couldn't help but agree with "okay". But he immediately changed his mind and said, "Wait a moment, please have a seat in the side hall, Young Master Lu. I will be there in a while."

After saying that, she winked at An Zhilan, who immediately understood and gestured to Lu Ya to lead the way, saying, "Young Master Lu, please follow me."

Lu Ya nodded and smiled at him, then said, "I'm leaving."

Upon seeing this, Zhao Yunchu, who was standing at the door, quickly turned her head back and hid behind a wooden pillar on one side of the hall.

Afterwards, the group arrived at the side hall of the Zhao family's house, guided by An Zhilan. At this moment, Lu Ya also put down his load and slumped into a chair, saying, "You scared me to death! I thought something had happened."

As he spoke, he sat up again and looked at An Zhilan, who was pouring tea and water for Zheng Di and the others. He smiled helplessly and said, "Madam Zhao, your move is too ruthless. Aren't you afraid of really driving Cheng Han into something bad?"

Upon hearing Lu Ya's words, Zheng Di, Wang Huai, Sun Cheng, and Wu Ke immediately looked at him. Zheng Di asked, "Lu Ya, what do you mean?"

"What do you mean?" Lu Ya said with a wry smile. "Ask Madam Zhao yourself."

An Zhilan poured tea and stood in the seat of honor, smiling helplessly, "Today, I'm so sorry to have troubled Young Master Lu to get me out of this predicament."

(End of this chapter)