My game even includes ancient times

Chu Zheng, who was about to ask Xia Yuan to fetch the box and letter, paused and looked at Chu He: "Strange thing? Tell me about it first."

Chu He asked directly, "Master, did you send anyone to help me some time ago?"

Chu Zheng was unusually taken aback for a moment: "Of course not, why do you ask? What happened?"

Chu He took out two folded pieces of white paper from his pocket and handed them to Chu Zheng: "Take a look at this first."

Chu Zheng looked at the two pieces of paper and they seemed familiar. He took them and unfolded them, his pupils suddenly shrinking.

Xia Yuan, who was sitting to the side, also saw the contents of the note. She suddenly looked up at Chu Zheng and said, "Master, this..."

Chu Zheng was silent for a moment, then placed the two pieces of paper on the table and instructed Xia Yuan, "Yuan'er, take the things out."

"Yes."

Xia Yuan got up and went inside. Chu He and Bai Yushen exchanged a glance, not understanding what had happened that made their master's expression change.

When Chu He saw Xia Yuan place the eight-sided metal box and the note on the table, his pupils trembled slightly, and he almost stood up from his chair: "Isn't this... how did this box get here?"

Chu Zheng placed the paper together with the two papers Chu He had taken out. The paper and handwriting were exactly the same, and the words were equally concise yet contained a great deal of information, clearly indicating that they were written by the same person.

Chu He finally realized what was going on. He looked at the box, then at the three pieces of paper, his usually cold and calm voice filled with confusion: "What on earth is going on?"

Chu Zheng said in a deep voice, "Second brother, tell me in detail how these two pieces of paper came about."

Chuhe recounted the whole story in detail, without omitting a single detail.

"So you haven't seen that mysterious person either." Chu Zheng lightly ran his index finger along the smooth paper. "This eight-sided box and note suddenly appeared on this stone table today. No one saw who put them down. About half an hour later, a message came saying that the three of you had returned to the manor."

The people present were all intelligent and instantly understood what Chu Zheng meant.

Bai Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Then this 'son of an old friend' refers to Little Stone?"

Xia Yuan nodded: "I just received the letter, and a strange child has already come to the village. It's too much of a coincidence."

"That mysterious person seems to have appeared after I met He Shi."

As Chu He recalled, he slowly said, "Besides, there was the time when Wei Buyu and his group cornered He Shi at the inn. After the mysterious man rescued He Shi, he disappeared. At the time, I only thought he was a master sent by my master who didn't want to show himself in front of me. Now it seems that he was only forced to show himself because He Shi was in mortal danger. Now he has quietly delivered the Eight-Sided Box that I have been searching for to my senior sister, leaving behind this note..."

A moment of silence fell over the table.

A cool breeze blew by, and the bare branches overhead made a faint whistling sound, making the atmosphere in the courtyard seem somewhat eerie.

After a long silence, Chu Zheng spoke up, breaking the silence: "Second brother, do you think He Shi is a real beggar?"

Chu He thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, "I don't know about the past, but since I trampled on his shack, he has indeed acted like a beggar. He doesn't know many of the most basic things."

Bai Yushen nodded in agreement, "He doesn't even know how to eat sunflower seeds."

"Since this mysterious person is elusive and his strength is unfathomable, why doesn't he take care of the child himself? Instead, he's left to wander the streets as a beggar."

"He must have some reason for this." Chu Zheng pondered for a moment and said to Xia Yuan, "Yuan'er, send two skilled men to Shuozhou to investigate He Shi's background. Remember, if you find anything wrong, come back and report to me immediately."

Xia Yuan nodded gently: "Yes, Master. But will what we do anger that mysterious expert? With his ability to enter and leave the manor as if it were his own, it shouldn't be difficult for him to do anything."

“Besides,” she glanced at the box on the table, “he could easily obtain the eight-sided box that his second junior brother couldn’t find anywhere…”

"It's alright, we'll proceed normally, just be careful." Chu Zheng straightened his sleeves, his gaze passing through the bare branches of the tree to the setting sun, and said calmly, "The mysterious man's concealment skills are unparalleled. Who knows, he might be hiding somewhere right now, secretly watching us discuss our plans."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the other three people changed slightly.

Bai Yushen's eyes flashed like lightning, scanning every hidden corner of the courtyard.

Chu He coldly replied, "There is no one in this world who could hide right under your nose, Master."

Chu Zheng shook his head and laughed instead: "Second brother, the martial world is vast and full of extraordinary people. Who dares to presume to call themselves the leader?"

"you--"

"Alright, alright," Chu Zheng stood up. "Let's do it this way for now. Besides, that child's talent is truly one in a hundred years. No matter what his identity is or what mysterious background he has, our Chu family cannot let him be buried in mediocrity. Third brother, go back and take him with you. Let's go eat. I specially instructed the head kitchen to prepare some good dishes today."

Everyone agreed and left.

Just as Bai Yushen was about to leave, he suddenly stopped and turned back to ask Chu Zheng, "Master, where is my junior sister now? I have already bought the sword tassel she asked me to buy, and I will send it to her as soon as possible."

Chu Zheng's smile froze for a moment, and he paused before saying, "I said a few words to her when we were practicing swordsmanship the other day, and she got angry and ran away. She probably slipped out of the manor to play."

"In that case, I'll put the sword tassel away for now and give it to my junior sister when she returns."

Chu Zheng smiled and said, "Of course, thank you for your hard work, Third Brother."

Bai Yu bowed deeply and said, "Master, you don't need to be so polite. I'll be leaving now."

Chu Zheng nodded, watching the door close gently. The corners of his mouth, which had been raised in a smile, slowly relaxed. After a long while, he sighed helplessly, "That girl, she's such a worry..."

The sound was very soft, drifting and dissipating in the wind.

The main kitchen of the Chu Family Manor is divided into two parts. The front is a large dining hall that can accommodate nearly a thousand people to eat together, while the back is a small dining hall with exquisite and elegant decorations, with three large round tables set up and separated by screens.

He Shi followed Bai Yushen. As soon as he entered the small canteen, he smelled a faint fragrance. He turned his gaze and saw a white porcelain vase placed by the window, in which was a bouquet of unknown fiery red flowers. The delicate petals were still covered with water droplets, which was very eye-catching.

Four people were already seated around the round table: Chu Zheng, Xia Yuan, and Chu He, whom he had already met, and a young girl who was looking him up and down.

The girl wore a pale yellow long dress, with a milky white soft gauze robe over it. A matching silk ribbon hung from her slender waist, and the layers of the skirt cascaded to the ground, gleaming with an precious luster in the surrounding candlelight.

Bai Yushen smiled and said as he sat down with He Shi, "As soon as I smelled the fragrance of the Suhe flowers, I knew that my junior sister had returned."

He turned to He Shi, who was sitting next to him, and introduced her: "This is our junior sister, Chu Yunsi. Junior sister, this is..."

Chu Yunsi raised her hand to interrupt him: "Third Senior Brother, no need to introduce him. I know him. He's the little beggar who followed Second Senior Brother all the way back from Shuozhou!"

Her voice was clear and melodious, but her words caused the atmosphere at the table to freeze for a moment.