Chapter 43: Better Not to Enter

This was a grand gathering of the righteous path, where many major sects of the martial world were present.

Those with unsavory reputations would not attend, and those without a reputation would not dare to act out even if they did. Thus, everyone behaved with great righteousness.

Once the crowd dispersed, Lian Li looked at the tightly shut gates and asked Yun Huizhou anxiously, “The Su Mansion won’t let us in. What should we do?”

Yun Huizhou also stared at the gates, thinking to himself: It’s for the best that they won’t let us in.

They had come, and they had knocked. This proved they were indeed fulfilling their Martial Uncle’s request to assist the Su Mansion.

But if the Su Mansion ignored them, that was beyond their control.

One couldn’t exactly press a warm face against a cold shoulder and rush to help when the other party ignored them. It wasn’t as if they were the ones asking the Su Mansion for a favor.

“If they won’t let us in, then we’ll just leave,” Yun Huizhou said indifferently. “Let’s hurry and find an inn, otherwise we won’t even have a place to stay later.”

Having said that, he pulled Lian Li away from the front of the Su Mansion.

Seeing him like this, Lian Li raised an eyebrow and took two quick steps to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

The two of them were very close. Lian Li leaned toward his ear and asked in a voice only the two of them could hear, “Aren’t we here to help Martial Uncle? How can we do that if we can’t get in?”

Yun Huizhou tilted his head slightly and replied, “The martial arts marriage competition is only a few days away. We’ll just watch from a distance.”

“If the martial arts styles of the finalists are all legitimate, then it’s none of our business. If there’s a problem, I’ll sneak into the Su Mansion and pin a list of the suspicious people to Master Su’s bedpost.”

“That way, we’ve fulfilled Martial Uncle’s request without having to deal with the Su Mansion directly.”

Yes, that was it. Yun Huizhou was very satisfied with his arrangement. They would stay at the inn, and he would watch over this boy’s martial arts practice, not letting him wander out.

They would stay there until the martial arts marriage competition began. By then, even if he saw Miss Su, there would be no chance for them to interact. If the boy rashly decided to participate after just one look, Yun Huizhou would have a reason to dissuade him.

Furthermore, although the boy looked healthy now thanks to the nourishment of Internal Energy, his foundation was still weak. He wouldn’t be able to last long in matters of the bedroom; it would be best not to cause some poor girl to live in a lonely marriage.

Seeing that Lian Li wanted to say more, Yun Huizhou preempted him: “What? You’re so concerned, surely you don’t still want to enter the Su Mansion? Could it be you want to see Miss Su first, and if you like her, you’ll join the competition?”

Hearing this, Lian Li gave him a light punch and said, “What nonsense are you talking about? I have no interest in participating in a martial arts marriage competition. I’m just worried about you—I’m afraid you’ll miss out on a beautiful bride.”

“I’m not interested,” Yun Huizhou said.

During this past year on Drunken Dream Island, he had watched this sickly boy wear women’s clothing every single day. Now, whenever he saw a beautiful woman approaching him, his mind was filled with the image of this person, dressed in sheer feminine robes, emerging from beneath the bathwater and lunging toward him.

He felt that if he didn’t take a few years to recover, he wouldn’t be able to get close to any woman. Otherwise, this boy would always pop into his head.

When Lian Li heard Yun Huizhou say he wasn’t interested, his heart surged with excitement.

This was truly an unexpected development! Yun Huizhou had never met Miss Su before, and now that they weren’t entering the Su Mansion, he wouldn’t see her.

In other words, he had no way of falling in love with Miss Su. As long as Lian Li clung to Yun Huizhou during their time at the inn and didn’t let him go out, wouldn’t this calamity be avoided?

He could peacefully be a “salted fish” from now on. Even if Yun Huizhou didn’t end up as the number one in the world, being second or third was fine too.

The only ones who could surpass him were the Male and Female Leads, and he happened to know them both.

Thinking of this, the gloom in Lian Li’s heart vanished instantly, and the corners of his mouth curled up, impossible to suppress.

The two of them visited three inns before finally finding one with a vacant room.

Having lived and eaten together for so long, they didn’t mind sharing a room.

They checked into the inn happily.

Since they were both in a good mood, they ordered a table of fine dishes for dinner. Lian Li was so happy that he ate a bowl of rice more than usual. Seeing his rare good appetite, Yun Huizhou silently placed a lot of food into his bowl.

After finishing, Lian Li was so stuffed that he lay on the bed rubbing his stomach.

Yun Huizhou sat by the bed, untied Lian Li’s belt, and circulated his Internal Energy to warm his palms. He then slid his hand under the hem of Lian Li’s clothes and pressed it against Lian Li’s stomach.

Lian Li felt much better, but he was still uncomfortably full. He said, “My useless stomach…”

Hearing this, Yun Huizhou smiled, though it was unclear what he was thinking.

His fingertips lightly brushed against Lian Li’s belly, causing Lian Li to laugh while pushing his hand away. “Don’t, it tickles.”

After laughing for a moment, Lian Li’s face contorted in pain again. “No, I can’t laugh. I can’t strain my stomach, or it hurts.”

Seeing that he was truly uncomfortable, Yun Huizhou wanted to withdraw his hand and call for a doctor.

However, he was caught by Lian Li. The person lying on the bed said, “Don’t move. Just use your Internal Energy to keep your hand warm and leave it right here.”

“I should still call a doctor to take a look,” Yun Huizhou kept his hand still but continued to persuade him. “We’ve been nourishing you for so long, why do you still eat like a cat?”

“There’s nothing I can do about it,” Lian Li sighed.

He wanted to suggest they go for a walk, but then he thought: what if they ran into someone from the Su Mansion? It was busy lately; if Miss Su wanted to come out for a stroll and they met, what then?

Thus, the words reached his lips but were swallowed back down.

***

Su Mansion.

Master Su, Su Bin, sat in the high seat counting the days.

Seeing him frown, Madam Su set down her teacup and asked, “Husband, why the long face?”

Master Su sighed and said, “A few days ago, I sent a letter to Drunken Dream Island, asking them to send some highly skilled disciples to help me oversee things, lest some villains cause trouble during our daughter’s martial arts marriage competition. By my calculations, they should have arrived by now.”

Hearing this, Madam Su comforted him, “Perhaps they were delayed on the road. Don’t worry.”

Master Su nodded, pondered for a moment, and then said to Madam Su, “Go and check on our daughter. Sigh…”

At the mention of their daughter, Madam Su also looked distressed, her tears nearly falling. “My poor daughter…”

Seeing his wife like this, Master Su sighed again and summoned the butler.

“The experts I invited from Drunken Dream Island should be arriving any day now. Tell the gatekeepers to be sharp. As soon as they arrive, notify me immediately. They must be treated with the utmost hospitality.”

“Understood, Master.”

The next morning, the butler summoned the four gatekeepers again.

“Keep your ears open these next few days. If someone knocks, go open the door immediately. Do not delay. If you neglect the experts Master has invited, you will be held accountable.”

Among the four gatekeepers, three nodded and replied, “Yes.”

Only one gatekeeper, though his head was lowered, had a face full of extreme panic.

The butler only saw their lowered heads and couldn’t see their expressions. He didn’t pay much attention and turned to leave.

At noon, the eldest young master of the Su family, Su Jun, returned in a hurry from outside. Seeing his grim expression, the butler rushed up to him.

“Young Master, what happened?”