TGCFNM -Chapter 343 First Meeting

Before they even reached the front hall, Wan Sanjin spilled the beans about obtaining the Divine Water, just like dumping beans from a bamboo tube.

Qingtong listened with teary eyes. “Young Master Wan, you and Lord faced so many dangers along the way, yet you still thought of my young master’s Divine Water. You’ve worked so hard.”

Wan Sanjin thought carefully for a moment—had he really worked hard? Somehow, it didn’t feel like it.

Fu Qingyu glanced at Qingtong, then tugged Wan Sanjin along toward the front hall.

Seeing Fu Qingyu approach, Chu Ling called out, “Young Master Fu, have you eaten breakfast? Skipping breakfast can make you weak, you know.”

“Master Chu,” Fu Qingyu bowed respectfully, looking at her seriously. “Fu Qingyu is not worthy of all the trouble you and Sanjin went through. I feel deeply unworthy.”

Chu Ling looked at Wan Sanjin in confusion, only to find him looking equally clueless and innocent.

Qingtong had to whisper a reminder: “Divine Water.”

“Oh, Divine Water,” Chu Ling said, glancing at Wan Sanjin with visible disdain in her heart, though her words were casual: “Young Master Fu, you worry too much. Actually, our original intention was to snatch—ah, pardon me, just to take a bit of Divine Water to sell for some money.”

Fu Qingyu looked at her skeptically.

Chu Ling then put on a serious expression, speaking earnestly: “It’s true. In total, we accidentally took more than thirty bottles. Considering what happened in Yuanzhou and the trouble we caused for you, Young Master Fu, it was really only five bottles that mattered. You needn’t take it to heart.”

“The Yuanzhou Prefect embezzled and oppressed the people. My grandfather merely passed along information on his behalf; such a grand gesture is unnecessary,” Fu Qingyu said, frowning lightly with disapproval.

Cui Xi, holding Wangcai’s paw, paused and sighed at the wrong moment: “Young Master Fu is truly handsome; even when frowning, it makes one feel tender.”

Chu Ling’s eyes rolled: “Actually, the Divine Water is precious. We felt a pang giving five bottles at once. But Master Wan is very unlucky, and we’ve come to the capital. In the future, we’ll probably trouble Young Master Fu many more times. So, when calculated this way, five bottles really isn’t that much.”

“But…” Fu Qingyu wanted to say more, but Chu Ling cut him off. “Young Master Fu, we’re all friends here. If we must count everything so precisely, it only hurts feelings.”

Wan Sanjin nodded vigorously. “So hurtful! Absolutely heartbreaking!”

Fu Qingyu frowned slightly and sighed: “Lord has already administered acupuncture and given me medicine before.”

“Well… that was actually intentional,” Chu Ling said with a light cough, her eyes darting around. “Uh, yes, the capital is unfamiliar to us, so we might trouble you from time to time. Young Master Fu also knows that Master Wan doesn’t recognize roads—or people.”

“Besides visiting Hanmei Garden, Sanjin rarely wanders outside. It’s normal that he doesn’t know anyone,” Fu Qingyu said.

Chu Ling gestured politely for him to sit first.

Wan Sanjin excused himself to fetch some medicine.

Steward Liu brought over freshly brewed tea, poured it, and then quietly withdrew.

“Master Wan doesn’t seem accustomed to life in the capital,” Chu Ling remarked casually.

Fu Qingyu nodded. “Indeed, he isn’t. So later, seeing him by Lord’s side, he seemed quite at ease.”

Chu Ling nodded inwardly. Master Wan was clearly a troublemaker, so naturally he would feel comfortable with them around.

“By the way, who exactly is Shi Lanyu? Why does Master Wan consider him a friend yet instinctively keeps his guard up around him?” Chu Ling asked curiously.

Fu Qingyu had Qingtong watch the door, then lowered his voice: “Shi Lanyu is like you, Master Chu.”

Chu Ling pointed at herself. “Like me?”

Like her… what did that mean… like her? Disguised as a man?

Ah, so Shi Lanyu is a woman. Naturally, she wouldn’t take the imperial exams.

Fu Qingyu sat upright, his eyes slightly cold. “Her background is mysterious. My grandfather knew about it but never mentioned it, and she isn’t very familiar with the others in the study hall—she’s only a bit closer to Sanjin and me.”

“Sanjin is simple-minded. If someone makes him uncomfortable, he won’t form a deep bond. So their relationship has always been lukewarm, and I didn’t interfere.”

Chu Ling asked the question that had been on her mind directly: “Your grandfather… that is, Master Fu, treated her very well, unusually well?”

“Yes.” Fu Qingyu answered straightforwardly.

Chu Ling raised her eyebrows. How odd—no reason at all, yet he treats a cross-dressing student so well?

“Right now, the only ones who know about this are me and you. I hope you can keep it a secret?” Fu Qingyu said softly.

Chu Ling nodded. “I’ll keep it secret. But I want to ask one more thing: Master Wan learned my identity through Young Master Wan. How did you figure it out?”

“I saw you in that form before, so when I saw your current self, it was easy to guess,” Fu Qingyu answered honestly.

Cui Xi was shocked. “How did you figure it out? That’s like two completely different people!”

Chu Ling was also stunned. “How could you tell?”

“Your essence hasn’t changed, especially your eyes, which are very recognizable… But you needn’t worry—others probably couldn’t recognize you,” Fu Qingyu reassured her.

Chu Ling forced a crooked smile. Others definitely wouldn’t.

Fu Qingyu seemed lost in thought. “The first time I met you, you were flustered, like you’d done something wrong. Later, you asked me to lead someone away, so I did. You even gave me pastries as a thank-you gift.”

Chu Ling was surprised—this sounded exactly like something she would do.

Cui Xi was confused. “Miss, you’ve met Master Fu? I thought you insisted on him just like the other young ladies, so you’d marry only him.”

“I think it’s because of wanting to be like everyone else,” Ghost Scholar said.

Bai Su nodded slightly. Probably out of fear of being discovered, Miss Ling mirrored what the other young ladies did.

Chu Ling gave an awkward smile. “I see… I don’t really remember.”

Fu Qingyu also chuckled. “The pastries tasted good, but they were all broken. You said it might’ve been from climbing over the wall and that next time you’d give me intact ones. But there never was a next time…”

“A sudden change of events… yes, a sudden change…” Chu Ling laughed awkwardly.

“I don’t understand why you’ve returned to the capital and stepped right into this whirlwind, but I imagine you have things to do. If you ever need help, just say so,” Fu Qingyu said earnestly, his eyes clear.

Chu Ling smiled in response. “Alright, I’ll remember that.”

“Qingyu! Qingyu!” Sanjin called from the doorway as he entered. “This divine water is for you. I’m not sure if you can drink much, so take it easy.”

Fu Qingyu accepted the box Sanjin handed him and held it in his arms, speaking seriously: “Don’t take risks next time.”

“I won’t, and I guess after Tianjian City, there won’t be any more invitations either—the treasure site collapsed anyway,” Sanjin said with a shrug, a hint of regret in his tone.