Green Mountain
Chapter 263 - 207. Peeping

Chapter 263: 207. Peeping

The sound of roosters crowing filled the air.

Inside Mingquan Garden, the candles had been extinguished, their white wax covering the candleholders like tears.

The charcoal brazier in the room radiated residual warmth, and Xiao Man, with her hair parted into twin maid’s buns, huddled on a small stool, her head having drooped all night, saliva dripping onto her knees.

Startled awake by the rooster crows, she first looked toward the step bed, and noticing Chen Ji and Wu Yun were both missing, she stood up in a panic, "Young Master? Young Master, where are you?"

Chen Ji replied nonchalantly, "I’m outside."

Xiao Man pushed open the door to see Wu Yun lying on the gray tile eaves of the courtyard wall, cradling his paws and resting his eyes. Chen Ji was gathering dust into a pile with a bamboo broom.

She stared at the broom in Chen Ji’s hand, shocked, "Young Master, when did you get up? Why are you sweeping the floor yourself? Give me the broom!"

Chen Ji questioned, "Can I not sweep the floor?"

Xiao Man frustrated, "Which noble young master sweeps his own floors? They are all pampered. How many times have I told you? You need to keep up your stature as a young master so they won’t look down on you!"

Chen Ji smiled, "Just a bastard, not quite a noble young master."

Xiao Man huffed, "Who says you aren’t? I say you are, so you are. With the Chen family’s legacy of officials and opulent thresholds, even a random bastard from your house would surpass the legitimate eldest sons of other families. When you get married, don’t lower yourself to marry a concubine’s daughter; you must find a legitimate daughter from a scholarly family."

The concept of family prestige had penetrated deep into everyone’s marrow. Chen Ji did not agree but saw no need to argue.

Seeing he was silent, Xiao Man forcibly took the broom from him and leaned it against the corner, "I’ll go heat some water for you to wash up. After freshening up, you still need to pay your respects."

Chen Ji casually mentioned, "No need, I won’t be doing that anymore."

Xiao Man eyed him suspiciously, "Why so assertive all of a sudden?"

Chen Ji explained, "I just went to pay respects to Lady Chen, and she advised me not to worry about it anymore."

Xiao Man grew more suspicious, "Could she really be that kind-hearted?"

Chen Ji laughed, "Perhaps her chanting has finally brought out some compassion."

Xiao Man muttered under her breath, "She’s been chanting for many years without a hint of compassion—why would it appear today?"

Chen Ji clarified, "It’s not that she has discovered compassion herself; it’s that I have coaxed it out of her."

Xiao Man, somewhat perplexed, "Ah?"

Chen Ji waved his hand, "Go on, heat the water."

Xiao Man drew out her words, "Oh..."

She went to the stove in the hearthside room, uncovered it, and using iron tongs grabbed a lump of coal and tossed it in. "By the way, Young Master, did you have any nightmares last night?"

Chen Ji’s eyes shifted, "I had a dream, but it was different from before."

Xiao Man peered out from the hearthside room, "Didn’t dream about that strange battlefield anymore?"

Chen Ji’s pupils constricted.

The ’Chen Ji’ of this world was having the same dream as himself?

Could it be... that this was the critical factor by which his master and Li Qingniao managed to smuggle him down from the Forty-nine Heavens?

Chen Ji couldn’t help but carefully recall Li Qingniao’s words, "People from the Northern Continent are responsible for smuggling you," "You can’t be retained by the Forty-nine Heavens; go where you’re supposed to."

He suddenly realized, there were two key messages in those words:

The first key piece of information is that the person responsible for smuggling him was from the Northern Continent, one of the Forty-nine Heavens... Could Master Yao Qimen also be from the Forty-nine Heavens?

Chen Ji recalled asking his master if he wanted to ascend to the Forty-nine Heavens and become an Immortal. His master’s response was... If there’s no eternity, why bother becoming an Immortal in the heavens!

It was possible that his master truly came from the Forty-nine Heavens.

The second key piece of information was that the four words "Cannot keep you" deserved careful consideration—who wanted to keep him? And why keep him in the Forty-nine Heavens?

At that moment, Xiao Man saw Chen Ji spacing out and waved her hand in front of his face, "Young Master, what did you dream about last night?"

Chen Ji casually lied, "I had a beautiful dream last night. I dreamed that I earned a lot of silver, bought several thousand acres of rice fields, acquired a silk shop, an inn, and a restaurant..."

Xiao Man muttered, "It’s fortunate if your money isn’t swindled away. Previously, you did have a restaurant and even several hundred acres of good land, but weren’t they all deceived away by Mrs. Liang? Your aunt’s Gufu Building at the Donghua Gate in the pricey Imperial Capital, it’s famous."

Chen Ji started, there was such a matter?

He said nonchalantly, "Wealth is external to the body; I brought nothing at birth and will take nothing at death. I’ve forgotten what possessions my aunt left behind; you don’t need to keep brooding over them. Let Mrs. Liang have them."

Xiao Man clenched her fists in anger, "You’ve forgotten, but I haven’t. The Gufu Building near Donghua Gate, Yujing Garden in the Eight Great Hutongs, Chen’s Grain and Oil Store, the silk shop outside the Bell and Drum Tower, and the three hundred and twenty acres of good land in Changping! Each of them is a fortune that others can’t accumulate in a lifetime. Your aunt must have put a lot of effort into acquiring them!"

Chen Ji’s heart suddenly tightened. His own mother had left him so many properties, all of which were cunningly taken by Mrs. Liang?

After a moment of silence, he spoke, "Xiao Man, bring out the three volumes of the Diamond Sutra from the room."

Xiao Man exclaimed, "Young Master, what do you want with the scripture?"

Chen Ji said gravely, "To pay respects."

Xiao Man: "?"

She laughed and cried, "You’ve finally been freed from paying respects, better not go."

Chen Ji looked thoughtful. Though he had little material desire, the Mountain Lord Sect’s Scripture burned money like running water; he had to take back all these properties.

However, there was no rush. He had more pressing matters today: Several years ago, someone began buying his whereabouts, previously paying eight hundred cents a month, but now it was ten silver taels—a rather generous offer.

Who could the buyer be? Mrs. Liang, or Wang Gui?

It couldn’t be Mrs. Liang; as the head lady of the Chen Mansion, if she wanted to know what he was doing, she just needed to summon the maids to question them—who would dare not answer? Moreover, given his previous compliance, why would anyone need to buy his whereabouts?

Nor was it Wang Gui, who was too stingy to spend the money.

Then who could it be?

This feeling of being spied upon was too unsettling; he had to lure out this person today.

Chen Ji instructed Xiao Man, "I’m going to the East Market, pack up and come with me."

Xiao Man widened her eyes, "Really? You never used to take me with you."

Chen Ji was taken aback. Had ’he’ never taken Xiao Man along before when going out?

That’s right, according to Wu Hongbiao, he had started receiving secret training several years ago; those days without Xiao Man must have been spent secretly meeting Wu Hongbiao.

Thinking this, Chen Ji nodded, "Really, let’s go."

"Young Master, wait for me a moment," Xiao Man hurried back into the room and took out a piece of paper and a stone powder eyebrow pencil, "Young Master, can this outing today be recorded for Sister Li Qiu?"

Chen Ji nodded, "It can be recorded. After you have written it, give it to Sister Li Qiu tonight."

"Oh," Xiao Man stood to the side, lowering her head, diligently and carefully writing on the paper in front of Chen Ji: "On the 13th day of the twelfth lunar month of the 31st year of Jianing, the Young Master took Xiao Man to the East Market."