FRGNM -Chapter 274 His Background

Yuwen Zhiyuan nodded, raising an eyebrow. “But you all seem to be overestimating me from the start. I’m just a charlatan, really. Don’t flatter me too much.”

“What do you mean, charlatan? You’re actually…”

“Big fraud! Oh oh, tricking people again—hit him…”

“Fraud! Fraud!”

“I want some too!”

From both sides, children ran out, holding tightly-formed mud balls, hurling them at the house ahead.

The silver wolf’s expression changed drastically, and he instinctively caught the mud balls. Behind him, Yuwen Zhiyuan shouted, “Don’t catch them!”

Bang! Before the words even fell, the mud balls exploded. The three sitting at the table jumped aside just in time, while the mud splattered perfectly over the silver wolf and Yuwen Zhiyuan. It turned out the objects were urine-filled balloons—if caught with force, they would burst. Outside, they were just coated with mud.

“Get lost!” The silver wolf’s rage erupted. His face twisted, his black eyes trembling with fury, a streak of silvery light flashing through. His overwhelming aura pressed down so heavily that even the sky seemed to darken.

The children froze, horrified by the terrifying visage. They dropped the urine balloons and ran crying for their lives—they had never seen such a fearsome person!

Anger still burning, the silver wolf turned to the filthy man beside him. “Now, even children can urinate on your head. Zhiyuan… what happened over these years? How did you become like this? My brother… you’re not supposed to be such a loser!”

“Hmm…” Smiling faintly, Yuwen Zhiyuan wiped the mud and urine from his face, scratching his nose helplessly. “Stinks… let’s go wash up. Shame about the meal, though. Judging by your clothes, you’re not short of money, right? My place is small—why don’t you stay at the inn?”

“Of course,” the man in green nodded. They had never known the previous Zhiyuan, and naturally didn’t know his former life. But someone living in such a pitiful way was intolerable to them.

In the Sword Pavilion teahouse, the man at the main seat, tapping his fan, stroked his beard, sipped the sweet Bi Luo Chun tea, and smiled. “Speaking of Yuwen Zhiyuan… that goes back ten years. He was eighteen, handsome, rich, and the darling of countless women. They wanted to marry him immediately. He grew up here, making a living by divination. Many officials visited the Sword Pavilion to see him, and we watched boxes of wealth being carried into his home. Back then, we were so envious.”

“When he turned twenty, the matchmakers introduced many women, but he refused all. He claimed he preferred freedom. Among his friends, the poorest was that one called the Silver Wolf, also his closest brother. Once they quarreled, Silver Wolf left in anger. After that, Zhiyuan’s divination ability declined—he erred more than he succeeded, eventually stopped divining. He squandered the family fortune on pleasure houses, spending only three years in glory before his wealth collapsed. Eventually, he even owed money; the Sword Pavilion despised him. The ladies who had fought to marry him all remarried.”

“Worse, Miss Xie married him after his decline. And what happened?” The storyteller sighed, slapping his fan. “Miss Xie’s family fortune nearly collapsed, her father nearly died of rage. Only the pills saved him. The families separated—Zhiyuan was thrown out. Miss Xie remarried a Wang family son. From the Wang son, they learned the truth: Miss Xie remained untouched by Zhiyuan for the whole year. The Wang son thought it was false, but Miss Xie confirmed it. Zhiyuan had never harmed her. Even the girls at the pleasure houses said Zhiyuan only drank—he never touched them. Likely, he avoided marriage until he could no longer uphold the family fortune. Poor man.”

Ling Ruoxi’s brow twitched, glancing at Luo Mingyu. Storytellers often added embellishments. Who knew the truth? Placing a gold ingot on the table, she asked coldly, “What was Miss Xie’s full name? Where does she live now? The Wang son’s name and residence?”

“Heh, alright, alright, I’ll tell you…”

A gentle breeze stirred. Two people leaning on the lake looked up at the deep blue sky, recalling years ago when they had been together, mingling among many noble sons, Zhiyuan just one among them.

“Funny, isn’t it? Meeting again, you’ve grown… I’ve only regressed,” Yuwen Zhiyuan said with a wry smile, shading his eyes from the sun.

The silver wolf’s face darkened. Grabbing Zhiyuan’s wrist, he roared, “When did you fall to this state?! Back then, you forced me to leave, and now… look at you! I thought you were respected, the Yuwen Divine Diviner of Sword Pavilion! Now, you’re no better than a beggar! You once told me: ‘Be proud, but not arrogant.’ And now, even children can urinate on your head… is this your so-called pride?”

“Brother, don’t be so serious. Really… how’s life treating you outside?” Zhiyuan smiled faintly, ignoring the silver wolf’s words.

Frowning, the silver wolf clenched his fists. “How good could it be? Struggling for life, training among monsters, badly injured… Ruoxi had to save you.”

“Is that so? Must have been tough… but tougher days are ahead. You’ll watch those around you die, until maybe only you remain,” Zhiyuan said, pressing a hand to the silver wolf’s shoulder. “Do you think life is an endless game? Even if you die, others continue playing. When will we truly control our fate?”

“What do you mean… we’ll die?” The silver wolf’s eyes flashed with disbelief. The man he remembered was not like this.

Zhiyuan shook his head, smiling faintly. “Who knows? The road ahead is long. Cherish your friends. And maybe… find a she-wolf, don’t stay a boy forever.”

Pfft! The silver wolf nearly choked on his own spit, cheeks flushing. “Shut up! I’m all about cultivation! I don’t have time for that, okay? Stop it!”

“Hehe…” Zhiyuan’s faint laugh echoed across the lake. Despite his changing identity, their friendship remained unchanged—like recognizing him instantly among the nobles.

At the Xie family mansion, the three observed the scholarly estate. A pale young lady, supported by servants, emerged. “Three of you… are you looking for me?”

“Miss Xie Han?” Ling Ruoxi stood quickly.

She nodded, coughing lightly. “May I ask what you wish to know?”

“We want to ask about someone—Yuwen Zhiyuan. Could you tell us, please?” The man in green bowed slightly, frowning. To others, Zhiyuan seemed a rogue, a charlatan. Perhaps this lady also disliked him.

But… the standing man smiled knowingly. “Sit. So, you are Zhiyuan’s friends. My apologies for the oversight. You may leave; I wish to speak to him privately.”

“Yes!” The surrounding maidens, hearing the name, showed expressions of disgust and quickly left.

Xie Han tightened her clothes, eyes on the three. “May I ask what about Zhiyuan?”

“He is our friend. We left here years ago, and upon returning, he seems different. Could you tell us the truth?” The man in green whispered.

“Different?”

With a helpless smile, Xie Han shook her head. “He hasn’t changed. Always been this way. He is very good… truly good. The one thing I never regretted in life was marrying him. But… my biggest regret was leaving him when he was in trouble.”

“Oh? How so? People say he’s a fraud, a charlatan, and that he never touched his wife for a year?” The man in green whispered, realizing much of the outside rumors were exaggerated.

Coughing sharply, Xie Han shook her head. “No, no. He is not a fraud. He is truly skilled… not me… cough, cough…”

“Slow down!” Ling Ruoxi frowned, patting Xie Han’s back. With a wave of her hand, a pill entered Xie Han’s mouth.

After swallowing, Xie Han’s complexion improved. “Thank you.”