4. The Fiancée Seems to Be Acting Strange as Well
The visitor is Yan Zhen’s grandfather, the current Lord of Wutang City, Yan Lie.
The old man is dressed in a fiery red robe, with silver hair, and although he has the cultivation of a half-step Mystic General, his vital energy is not very strong.
Yan Zhen, who is familiar with the plot, naturally knows the reasons behind this.
Firstly, Yan Lie is already advanced in years, his physical functions are declining, and he has not fully recovered from a hidden injury. Secondly, it is because of his grandson Yan Zhen and son Yan Xiao.
Ten years ago, Yan Lie had already passed the position of City Lord to Yan Xiao.
Not only is Yan Xiao the strongest member of the Yan family, but he also has a gifted child in Yan Zhen, so the succession of the City Lord position was a natural progression.
However, three years ago, Yan Zhen suddenly went from being a prodigy to a waste, and Yan Xiao, in order to restore his son’s talent, went out to search for medicinal herbs but never returned.
With the grandson becoming a waste and the son missing, the double blow has aged Yan Lie by several years, yet he has no choice but to resume control of the family and city affairs.
The old man has been working tirelessly every day, gradually falling ill, and the hidden injury has also been aggravated. Later, due to the forceful cancellation of Yan Zhen’s engagement, the anger and distress have caused him to fall gravely ill.
With Yan Lie incapacitated, the Yan family has lost its pillar, making it difficult to suppress the three major families of Wutang City, thus triggering a series of conflicts.
In the end, it was Yan Zhen who collected enough medicinal ingredients, allowing his beautiful Shifu to refine a third-tier elixir to cure Yan Lie, and the grandfather and grandson worked together to subdue the alliance of the three families.
This plot point is also the climactic scene of the first volume of the novel.
…Digressing too far.
Yan Lie has come to console Yan Zhen.
Yan Zhen lost his mother shortly after birth, and after his own fall from grace and his father’s disappearance, in the vast City Lord’s mansion with over a thousand clan members, only his grandfather cares for him.
Seeing the old man’s slightly hunched back, Yan Zhen inwardly sighs, and sincerely calls out “Grandpa,” then assures him that he has not been affected by the blows.
Yan Lie smiles contentedly:
“Zhen’er, I’m glad you feel that way. By the way, Grandpa has a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?”
Yan Zhen is puzzled.
Yan Lie chuckles and takes out a gilded invitation from his wide sleeve, handing it to Yan Zhen.
“Take a look.”
Yan Zhen takes it, feeling a slight weight in his hand. The invitation reads, “Imperial Prince Guo Feng, the Celestial General of the Flying Eagles, Reverently Pays Respects to Marquis Huang Fu Xiong.”
This is an invitation?
Yan Zhen quickly opens it and sees that in five days, Marquis Huang Fu Xiong, along with his granddaughter Huang Fu Wen Qing and a group of servants, will visit the Yan family of Wutang to discuss the marriage arrangement.
Huang Fu Xiong and Yan Lie were good friends who had been through life and death together in their youth, and the two old men had made a marriage pact between their families – Yan Zhen and Huang Fu Wen Qing.
In other words, Huang Fu Wen Qing is Yan Zhen’s betrothed fiancée.
The problem lies in this invitation.
According to the plot, at this time, Huang Fu Xiong is unwell and unable to go out, while Huang Fu Wen Qing is secretly sneaking out with people from her background sect to cancel the engagement, without any mention of an invitation.
It seems that the events have deviated from the plot he is familiar with!
Yan Zhen has an ominous premonition.
“Grandpa, what do you mean by the marriage arrangement?”
“Of course, I’m talking about your engagement to Miss Wen Qing. When we were young, Grandpa and Old Man Huang Fu fought side by side in the army, and I saved his life in a chaotic battle, so we became sworn siblings. When you were born, coinciding with the birth of Miss Wen Qing, the two of you were even held together, and the two families were overjoyed, so we arranged your marriage.”
Yan Lie seems to be reminiscing about the amusing events of the past, his eyes filled with laughter:
“After all these years, you and Miss Wen Qing have both grown up, so it’s time to move forward with the marriage.”
“Uh…”
Is it possible, I mean, is it possible that they are here to cancel the engagement?
Yan Zhen really wants to say this, but he feels that if he does, the old man might hit him, so he decides to keep quiet.
“What’s wrong, Zhen’er? Aren’t you happy about it?”
“It’s not that I’m not happy, it’s just that I’ve only met that Huang Fu Wen Qing a few times, and now we’re talking about marriage, doesn’t it seem a bit… inappropriate?”
Hearing this, the old man immediately frowns:
“What’s inappropriate about it? Let me tell you, Miss Wen Qing is not only beautiful, but her cultivation talent is also outstanding. She has been appointed as a Marquise by the King and has been taken as a disciple by the Grand Preceptor… Do you know what the position of the Grand Preceptor is?”
Of course I know, I’ll even be getting intimate with her and her shijie(1) soon, even though the results will be nothing.
While inwardly mocking, Yan Zhen puts on a naive expression:
“Isn’t the Grand Preceptor just the Grand Preceptor?”
“Wrong! The Grand Preceptor is the Grand Abbot of the Cloud Heaven Palace, the protector of our Illusory Kingdom – one of the ‘Eight Immortals of the Cloud’. Not only is her status noble, but her cultivation has also reached the level of a Mystic Lord. In the entire Illusory Kingdom, those who can match her can be counted on one hand!”
Yan Lie sighs with some emotion: “Miss Wen Qing has been taken as her disciple, so her future accomplishments are limitless. In that case, we Yan family are the ones who are aiming high!”
So they’re about to cancel the engagement, haha.
“Ah, let’s not talk about this too much. Look at the date on the invitation, it was written two days ago, which means the people from the Huang Fu family will arrive in Wutang City in three days. Zhen’er, you must tidy yourself up then, don’t let the young lady see you in a sorry state.”
“I understand, Grandpa.”
After giving Yan Zhen some instructions, Yan Lie leaves, and Yan Zhen returns to the bed to ponder.
The unexpected invitation has appeared, something not in the original plot.
When something happens out of the ordinary, there must be a reason!
But Yan Zhen has no way to deal with it, he can only pray that the plot development doesn’t stray too far, at least enough for him to get back on track.
Gurgle.
His stomach growls with hunger, and Yan Zhen suddenly realizes that he hasn’t eaten anything since returning from the test in the morning, and it’s already almost night.
Knock, knock, knock. The door is knocked on again, and Yan Zhen keenly senses the aroma of food!
Could it be a servant bringing him dinner?
Yan Zhen hurries to open the door, only to be stunned, as the person standing outside is none other than Yan Meng’er!
The young lady is holding a tray with hot, delicious-looking food.
“Cousin Yan Zhen, you probably haven’t had dinner yet, so Meng’er brought it over for you.”
“…”
Yan Zhen doesn’t really want to see Yan Meng’er, who knows what kind of drama she might add in.
“Cousin?”
Seeing Yan Zhen’s expressionless face, a touch of pitiful concern appears in Yan Meng’er’s eyes, as if she is worried that Yan Zhen will indifferently reject her kindness.
Yan Zhen doesn’t speak, but simply steps aside to let her in.
Seeing this, Yan Meng’er’s heart lightens, and the lovely smile returns to her face as she carries the tray into Yan Zhen’s room and places it on the table.
“Eat while it’s hot, Cousin Yan Zhen. These are all made according to your favorite flavors.”
Sweet and sour pork ribs, spicy and sour roasted fish, and stir-fried vegetable hearts… They all look quite appetizing and mouth-watering.
“Did you make these yourself?”
Yan Meng’er softly hums in affirmation.
She has cooked for Yan Zhen before, or rather, her cooking skills were honed through that.
In the beginning, Yan Zhen was almost like a guinea pig, having to eat her disastrous culinary experiments every day under her expectant gaze…
Those were their once beautiful memories.
Yan Zhen hesitates briefly, then sits down next to Yan Meng’er, picking up a bowl and chopsticks to start eating heartily.
There’s no other reason, other than the fact that he’s hungry!
Shijie(1) : Senior female fellow student or apprentice daughter
Another rebirth?