Just as if he was truly coming to find Yu Wen, Wang Anfeng's face showed no hint of abnormality as he naturally took a seat in the empty spot in front of the girl.
Even at this moment, he could still feel those two gazes on him, not daring to relax. To prevent Yu Wen, who usually spoke her mind quickly, from saying something inappropriate, the young man began speaking as soon as he sat down, saying,
"About the upcoming Mid-Autumn family banquet, I've been thinking…"
His voice remained steady. When talking about the family banquet, Yu Wen was indeed distracted as she intended, setting aside her question about why he was there, and her voice slightly raised, she said,
"You, you, you… you've already agreed, you can't go back on it."
Wang Anfeng nodded and said,
"Yes, it's mainly because I still have some concerns, and I thought it would be better to ask you…"
At this point in the conversation, it was as if they were just friends out for a casual meal and discussing private matters. In the vast Fufeng County City, such conversations were repeated countless times every day, extremely common and not worth noting.
The Danfeng Valley martial artist dismissed his last doubts, withdrew his gaze, and continued walking forward just like any normal martial artist.
The soft footsteps passed by the inn and continued forward. Wang Anfeng lowered his gaze, silently counting seventeen numbers in his mind, heard the footsteps pause, and then there was the sound of stepping on a wooden threshold and the creaking noise of aged wooden stairs.
A moment of realization dawned on the young man.
That must be their base…
No, it could not be certain, but there was at least a seventy to eighty percent possibility.
Just then, a series of knocks on the wooden table suddenly rang in Wang Anfeng's ears. He looked up to find Yu Wen frowning slightly, looking at him with a hint of annoyance. Although she was dressed in the deep garments of the Confucian Sect, her face no longer held any solemnity as she said to him,
"I'm speaking to you... Why did you suddenly space out?"
"Young Master Wang, are you here to tease me today…"
Wang Anfeng was slightly startled, a look of apology crossing his face, as he shook his head and said,
"No… I, I was just thinking about how best to phrase something."
He naturally couldn't afford to brush off the matter carelessly, as that would indeed seem as if he was making light of it, nor could he express his true intentions, as Danfeng Valley was, after all, part of the Evil Sect. Since he had the backing of the Shaolin Temple, Wang Anfeng had not intended to involve the girl in front of him. His thoughts raced, and suddenly an idea came to him, prompting a quick decision.
Setting aside the rice bag he was holding, Wang Anfeng reached into his robe and took out a letter, gently placing it on the table. Before the girl in front of him could speak, he said,
"The owner of this letter must have an extraordinary background, don't you think?"
Yu Wen stiffened upon hearing this, losing her previous irritation. Her gaze shifted slightly as she said,
"What, what's the matter?"
"It's just a family banquet after all."
Wang Anfeng shook his head slightly. The girl before him was quite straightforward in speech and action. Since he harbored no dark thoughts about the matter, the young man decided to lay out his doubts, saying,
"This letter is written with gold-infused ink. In our Great Qin, which continues from the Zhou Dynasty, rituals and rules are highly valued. This kind of ink would probably only be used by imperial relatives and nobles, right?"
"As a mere commoner with some martial arts skills, I shouldn't attract the attention of such 'important figures'…"
Wang Anfeng's voice paused. He did not continue, believing that since the girl in front of him had been able to study at Fufeng Academy, she was undoubtedly no fool. He left the more direct implications unspoken, confident that the other party would understand.
A look of realization flickered in Yu Wen's eyes as she grasped Wang Anfeng's 'concern'.
In this era, the distinctions between high and low, between ruler and ruled, and between father and son, were all taken very seriously. Ordinary people being directly invited by imperial relatives or other nobles often felt mixed joy and anxiety, worrying about hidden agendas, which was normal. Now feeling a slight headache, she organized her thoughts before speaking to comfort him,
"Wang Anfeng, don't be nervous... My aunt is really nice, not like those who are outwardly kind. She came here just to relax, and as for noticing you, it's all my fault…"
She then recounted the middle part of the story about how her aunt knew Wang Anfeng and decided to invite him. After hearing this, Wang Anfeng finally had some clarity about this affair.
Suddenly, he also remembered that before this royal relative decided to invite him, the girl before him had already been quite attentive to him. Combining this with the previous incidents of being followed and attacked, he suspected she might be hiding something else about him. Keeping his expression unchanged, he paid great attention to this detail.
Yu Wen, unaware of Wang Anfeng's thoughts, looked at him with slight unease and said,
"That's how it is. I've already boasted to my aunt about you. If you don't go, I, I…"
As the girl before him had helped him avoid a conflict, and although she herself was not aware of it, Wang Anfeng felt indebted to her. Thinking that there probably wouldn't be any mishap, he raised his hand to pick up the invitation on the table, put it back into his robe, and said with a smile,
"Then, I shall accept without any reservations."
Seeing his response, Yu Wen appeared slightly stunned, saying,
"You, are you willing to go?"
Wang Anfeng nodded in agreement and suddenly noticed two gazes landing on him, yet they bore no malice or intent to kill. He instinctively turned to look and saw a tall figure in black standing by the door of the inn's kitchen. At that moment, he was holding a small jar of wine, gazing steadily at both him and Yu Wen.
The face looked somewhat familiar, and in his eyes flashed moments of confusion, disbelief, pain, regret, anger, and finally a sense of helpless resignation which culminated in withdrawal and desolation, causing the youth to shiver and a chill to creep up his spine.
He didn't know what the stranger had thought of in so brief a time to cause such complex and subtle changes in expression.
At that time, Yu Wen also noticed Wang Anfeng's unusual reaction and followed the youth's gaze to the cloaked figure. Her eyes lit up and she rose, waving her hand and calling,
"Brother Ding Song, here, over here ... "
Wang Anfeng realized then that this must be the person Yu Wen had arranged to meet. The young man in black, Ding Song, embraced the wine jar and walked over, his face returning to normal. His brows sharp and his eyes clear, his stature was quite tall yet not rough, carrying an air of tragic grandeur typical of the northern province heroes, and he sat down at the table.
Meanwhile, Yu Wen snatched the wine jar from his hands, muttering,
"Brother Ding Song, why are you so slow?"
Ding Song smiled apologetically, uttered an apology, and then his gaze landed on Wang Anfeng, smiling and saying,
"I was choosing this for a while, but, Y ... "
Before he could finish, the girl, sensing something amiss, stomped on the young man's right foot.
Although the girl was strong, Ding Song did not want to use his inner strength to protect himself and risk injuring her, so he had to bear the pain with just his toes, his face suddenly tensing up, with hints of bruising showing. Slowly, he turned his head, only to see the girl smiling proudly as she stood up to pour him a drink, saying,
"I shouldn't blame you, Brother Ding Song. It's my fault. This glass of wine is my way of apologizing."
Dressed in the deep garments typical of the Confucian Sect, her demeanor was graceful and beautiful. Right then, her right hand was holding the small wine jar upside down, her left hand's fingers slightly curled as she elegantly managed her long sleeve, her charisma overwhelming, not bearing any trace of her usual forthrightness. With this action, she tilted her face, staring 'fiercely' at the young man whose lips twitched slightly.
He clearly read the intent in the girl's eyes:
If you dare say a word,
No, you are already dead ...
Helpless, Ding Song nodded in acknowledgment, watching the girl pour him wine, his heart pounding as if a war drum thundered, yet he concealed his unusual state by stimulating his inner strength. Deep in his eyes, there was hidden admiration, and again, he thought if Miss Yu Wen's reason for not letting him reveal their identities was because of this young man? Suddenly, his mind filled with wild thoughts.
Wang Anfeng sat on one side, watching the scene unfold before him, suddenly feeling somewhat superfluous.
At that moment, as the girl finished pouring the wine and signaled to Wang Anfeng, the youth shook his head and said with a smile,
"My master doesn't allow me to drink ... "
Yu Wen murmured a few words of disappointment about how a man of Great Qin should drink, and the young man looked up at Wang Anfeng, saying,
"I am Ding Song, may I know how to address you, brother?"
By then, Wang Anfeng had closely observed the young man before him, finally realizing where his familiarity came from. The Ding Song before him was indeed the one who had taken the blow for someone else from Master Fu Mo's carriage when they returned to Fufeng County City from Qingfeng Edge. Remembering the young man's words and actions that day, Wang Anfeng felt a degree of fondness and responded with a salute,
Hearing this, Ding Song's smile stiffened on his face.
His mind instantly recalled the rainy day when Yu Wen had unfastened a letter from the leg of Flying Eagle, along with its content. That day, he had lied to himself that it was a girl, but the person he saw was indeed a handsome young man, just about the same age as Miss Yu Wen.
Feeling even more frustrated, he felt that his earlier thoughts had turned into reality, and that Miss Yu Wen's inviting him today possibly hinted at her having someone in her heart ...
His thoughts churned in his mind.
He sighed softly, then heavily patted Wang Anfeng on the shoulder, shaking his head silently. From the young man's deep-set eyes, Wang Anfeng saw a complex mix of blessings and relinquishment, recognizing the struggle and acceptance. He shivered slightly, feeling almost an impulse to run.
What in the world could Brother Ding Song be thinking?
Why am I ... utterly clueless?
Watching him turn his head seamlessly without revealing anything, the young man was utterly bewildered.
PS: Here's the first update of the day, support would be greatly appreciated ... (salute)