Martial Cultivator

Quarreling by the lake took quite some time too. Now, it was getting dark.

The Xie Family was extremely fast. Soon, two horse carriages came to the Divine Capital.

The two coachmen did not look like ordinary coachmen, they were probably the Xie Family’s guest retainers or something similar. But there was also a middle-aged steward standing next to the horse carriages. When he saw Chen Chao and Xie Nandu walking out of the courtyard, he quickly came up to greet them with enthusiasm, saying with a smile, ”Miss, Commander Chen, please get on the carriage.”

Chen Chao was quite satisfied when he heard this title. It seemed like only Weng Quan that fellow would insist on adding a ’deputy’ in front of his commander title.

Xie Nandu walked into the carriage closest to her without a word.

The middle-aged steward smiled and said, ”Please get on this carriage, Commander Chen.”

He looked towards the other carriage and was about to lead Chen Chao there.

Chen Chao waved his hand and said, ”No need, I’ll just sit in the same carriage with her.”

Without waiting for the middle-aged steward to reject, he got on the carriage and entered the compartment.

The middle-aged steward was taken aback and his expression became somewhat complicated. But he remained silent. He just looked at the coachmen and instructed, ”Let’s set off.”

Inside the cabin, Chen Chao and Xie Nandu sat facing each other, looking at each other’s faces.

Chen Chao looked at that extremely beautiful face and lamented, ”It’s hard not to like such a girl.”

Xie Nandu looked at him and said, ”Don’t be so crude.”

Chen Chao frowned upon hearing this and said, ”A young man like me is full of vigor and vitality, how can I be associated with the word ’crude’?”

Without waiting for Xie Nandu to reply, he continued, ”As for the word ’shameless,’ I can let others say what they want, but coming from you? I’m clearly a decent young man who serves my country and people. Who knows how many people admire and respect me? Shamelessness has nothing to do with me.”

The carriage had already started moving. The wheels of the carriages rolled forward, but no jolting could be felt.

As she listened to his words, Xie Nandu was unimpressed. She simply took out a book and said, ”Your shamelessness seems to be innate and unchangeable. Perhaps it’s a result of a difficult childhood. But whatever the reason, it’s not a good quality. If possible, it’s best to change it, you might even be able to find a wife.”

Chen Chao snorted coldly and did not bother responding. After spending so much time with her, he had a good understanding of her character. Although she seemed serious on the surface, her girlish tendencies were impossible to conceal.

”I don’t think you should suppress your nature. At your age, it’s good to be carefree and happy, just like Zhu Xia.”

Chen Chao casually said, lifting the curtain and glancing at the scenery outside. The sky had just turned dark, but many civilians in the Divine Capital had already hung lanterns outside their doors. The long street was not considered dark, it was just that this street was too wide. This easily reminded Chen Chao of his days in Tianqing County.

Although the city was small, his days were peaceful. In contrast, he felt very lost in this vast Divine Capital. Especially when he had free time, he would sometimes feel a sense of inexplicable emptiness.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Chao snapped out of his thoughts and noticed that Xie Nandu had stopped reading and was staring at him instead.

Chen Chao asked belatedly, ”What’s the matter?”

Xie Nandu said calmly, ”Don’t compare me to others in the future.”

A young girl had her own thoughts too. How could she possibly explain everything?

Chen Chao nodded and said, ”Alright.”

Although he did not quite understand, he just nodded.

The horse carriage slowly stopped.

……

……

The horse carriages still stopped at the side entrance. The Xie Family did not open the main gate to receive guests. This was not an act of disrespect; given Xie Family’s status in the Great Liang Dynasty, it was to be expected. Although Chen Chao was currently quite popular in the Divine Capital, he was still just a deputy commander of the Left Guard, and his status did not match that of the Xie Family.

Perhaps one day, when he ascended to that seat in the Warden Office, the Xie Family would open the main gate to welcome him.

However, the side entrance was considered a sign of respect towards Chen Chao, especially when he saw the young man he had met before standing in front of the door.

Chen Chao glanced at the mansion of the Xie Family that stretched across an entire street before turning his head to look at the young man.

That night at the imperial banquet, the two were both in the Virtuous Sun Palace. However, Ning Family’s young man was too talkative, while this young man from the Xie Family was extremely quiet. Throughout the night, the two of them did not exchange a single word.

Now, this second meeting was no different from the first.

”I am Xie Ling. I pay respects to Commander Chen.”

The young man clasped his hands and bowed, greeting with a warm smile on his face.

Chen Chao returned the gesture and said softly, ”Deputy Commander of the Left Guard, Chen Chao. I pay respects to Young Master Xie.”

Xie Ling smiled and said, ”Commander Chen, there’s no need to be so polite. Today is a private dinner. This way please.”

As he spoke, Xie Ling turned his head to look at Xie Nandu and sighed, ”Younger Sister, you haven’t returned for quite some time.”

Although Xie Nandu was born in White Deer’s Xie Clan, according to the family tree, the Xie Family of the Divine Capital and White Deer’s Xie Clan were listed together. In terms of seniority, Xie Nandu was the youngest in this generation.

Xie Nandu nodded calmly and said, ”It has indeed been quite a while since I’ve met elder brother.”

Their interaction was casual. Anyone could tell that their relationship was average at best. They were definitely not close.

Chen Chao and Xie Nandu followed Xie Ling and entered through the side entrance. They made their way towards the main hall.

As they walked, Xie Ling said, ”We’ve been waiting quite some time for Commander Chen to visit our manor. Who would have thought that our family members living in the manor can finally meet you today.”

Hearing this, how could Chen Chao not be able to discern the underlying reproach in his words? He quickly apologized, ”I’ve indeed been delayed by some matters. I had to prepare for the Myriad Willow Convention and have been cultivating bitterly for the past few days. After all, this is a matter of contributing to the imperial court. After that, I stumbled upon the assassination attempt on the Saintess of the Myriad Heaven Palace. This kept me busy for the past half month. Tonight, I finally had some time, so I came here to apologize.”

Chen Chao’s words sounded ordinary, but the events he mentioned made it very difficult for people to find points to refute. Whether was it the Myriad Heaven Palace or the assassination attempt on the Saintess, at present, they were both incredibly important matters in the Divine Capital. Chen Chao was directly involved in both, so it was reasonable to say that he did not have time.

Xie Ling smiled and said, ”I heard that Commander Chen just had an argument by the South Lake and returned victorious?”

His words sounded casual, but in reality, they held a special meaning too.

Chen Chao smiled and replied, ”Young Master Xie is not one to engage in arguments. Previously at the imperial banquet, you didn’t say a word.”

That night, the foreign cultivators greatly insulted Great Liang. Xie Nandu had spoken up too, but he did not say anything.

Upon hearing these words, Xie Ling’s expression stiffened slightly. But he quickly smiled, ”I greatly admire Commander Chen’s finesse that night. After witnessing Commander Chen’s finesse that night, I became somewhat absentminded. Thinking about it, I feel ashamed too.”

”But since Younger Sister had already spoken up, just treat it as the equivalent of me speaking up too.”

Chen Chao nodded his head and say nothing more. It was just that he turned his head to look at Xie Nandu, the meaning in his eyes clear.

Look, you call me shameless, but this person is even more shameless.

Xie Nandu nodded her head and returned a knowing look too.

Indeed so.

The two exchanged a silent smile, understanding each other without the need for words.