My Years in the Jianghu with the Prince: A Time of Unethical Conduct

After retiring from public life, Cheng Nanchun moved his entire family to settle in Fengshan, a remote and uninhabited area.

Xie Yan sat in the carriage, lifted the curtain, and looked up from the foot of the mountain.

Unfortunately, the season when maple leaves turn red has passed, and all you can see now is a bare thicket of trees.

As soon as the group arrived at the foot of the mountain, they saw the well-trained servants of the Cheng family welcoming the guests one by one.

Xuanfeng rode alongside, saying, "There are quite a lot of people."

Every few steps, you can see groups of two or three martial arts practitioners chatting and discussing various topics, creating quite a lively scene.

It is evident that Cheng Nanchun is indeed highly respected in the martial arts world.

Despite the large number of guests at the birthday banquet, the Cheng family still managed to organize everything in an orderly manner, demonstrating their magnanimity.

Chu Ling sat opposite Xie Yan, noticing his melancholy expression, and asked with interest, "What's wrong?"

Xie Yan sighed softly, "We're both wandering the martial world. How come some people can buy a mountain, while I can't even afford a house at the foot of the capital?"

Chu Ling raised the corners of his lips slightly, and upon hearing this, gave Xie Yan an ambiguous smile, saying, "If you really want a mansion, my palace is indeed lacking an owner."

Xie Yan: ...Suddenly I feel that wandering the world is quite nice.

Xuanfeng's frantic coughing could be heard from outside the car, while Taoxian, standing beside him, disdainfully moved to the side.

Xuanfeng: "..."

Xuanfeng began to regret why he and Taoxian, who was oblivious to romance and had no interest in gossiping or complaining, had come along. He should have stayed in the city with the rest of the group.

The group followed the servant who was leading the way, and went up the winding mountain road.

However, not long after they left, Xie Yan heard a commotion outside.

He lifted the curtain and peeked out, and saw a young man in fine clothes being led up the mountain by a group of servants.

Shen Yulin rode his horse closer and introduced, "That is Cheng Shu, the fourth son of Elder Cheng. He usually lives elsewhere, and his presence here today must be to offer birthday wishes."

"Fourth son? Does he have many children?" Xuanfeng asked curiously.

For some reason, upon hearing this, Shen Yulin's expression suddenly became somewhat awkward.

He clenched his fist and coughed a few times before saying, "Ahem, Senior Cheng had one wife and four concubines, so he had many children, four daughters and three sons. This Fourth Young Master Cheng is a son born to a concubine."

Xie Yan scoffed: Ha, men.

Suddenly, the commotion became even more pronounced.

When everyone looked again, they saw a woman who had appeared out of nowhere and stood in front of Young Master Cheng.

Unlike other slender and frail women, perhaps because she practiced martial arts, that woman had an exceptionally strong and upright figure, with arm muscles that were even more robust than some men's.

At this moment, it was unclear what argument the two had gotten into, but the woman's face showed undisguised contempt and disdain as she raised her hand and slapped Young Master Cheng hard across the face.

Strangely, the group of servants around stood by meekly, not daring to intervene. Even when they saw Young Master Cheng being knocked to the ground by a single blow, no one went to help him up.

Soon, Shen Yulin once again cleared up everyone's doubts.

"That's Miss Cheng Ruonan, born to the first wife. She learned martial arts from her father from a young age, which is why she has an exceptionally fiery temper."

So that's how it is. No wonder the Cheng family's servants didn't dare to stop them. Comparing the two, it's obvious which is more important.

Judging from their expressions, this kind of thing has probably happened more than once or twice in the Cheng family.

Looking at the Fourth Young Master Cheng, it was clear that he was not skilled in martial arts and had no internal strength whatsoever. After being slapped, he fell heavily to the ground, his face swollen high, and he kept spitting out mouthfuls of blood.

The mountain path was crowded with people, but faced with this scene, everyone just whispered among themselves and watched the show, without anyone stepping forward to stop it.

Shen Yulin couldn't bear to watch any longer and was about to spur his horse forward when a handsome young man with clear features and a gentle demeanor stepped out from the crowd.

Judging from the expressions of the crowd, he was clearly a young swordsman of considerable renown. Upon seeing him emerge, Cheng Ruonan abandoned Cheng Shu and hurriedly led her men to greet him.

Seeing that the situation had calmed down, Shen Yulin breathed a sigh of relief, and the group continued on their way.

The Cheng family's main residence is located on the mountaintop, while the guests' courtyards are scattered throughout the mountainside.

The servants in charge of the arrangements recognized Shen Yulin, so they specially settled them in a courtyard closest to the mountaintop to show their respect for Qingyun Daoist.

"There are still five days until the birthday banquet, so please rest here for a while. The Cheng family will not treat you any poorly."

After bowing respectfully to everyone, the servant was about to turn and leave when he suddenly heard Shen Yulin's clear voice coming from behind him.

"Wait a minute, I wonder if Senior Cheng is busy right now? My master has a long-standing friendship with him and specifically instructed me to convey his regards to Senior Cheng."

Upon hearing this, the servant quickly bowed slightly again, his attitude becoming even more humble, and said, "In reply to your question, young master, the master is currently receiving guests in the main hall. However, if you wish to pay him a visit, I'm sure the master will be very pleased. I will show you the way right away."

Shen Yulin turned to look at Xie Yan and Chu Ling beside him, and the two nodded in understanding. Then, the three of them followed the servants toward the Cheng family's main residence.

Before the three of them even reached the reception room, they saw a burly middle-aged man with graying temples walking briskly out from inside.

Upon seeing Shen Yulin, a deep smile spread across the man's usually imposing face.

Immediately afterwards, he moved with lightning speed, and in the blink of an eye, he was already in front of the three people.

Without saying a word, the man reached out and patted Shen Yulin's shoulder hard, laughing heartily, "Good nephew, you've finally arrived!"

Judging from how he addressed Shen Yulin, Xie Yan and the other person knew that this person was Cheng Nanchun.

Surprisingly, he looked very young, not at all like an elderly man approaching his sixties.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Shen Yulin, Cheng Nanchun turned his attention to Xie Yan and the other person, his face showing a look of inquiry. "May I ask who these two young friends are?"

Cheng Nanchun carefully observed the two men, noting their steady gait and deep, sustained breathing. Even he couldn't immediately discern their skill level, indicating they were undoubtedly masters of martial arts.

Such figures would never be unknown in the martial arts world, so why has he never seen these two people?

Shen Yulin quickly replied, "These two are friends I met while traveling down the mountain. Hearing that you are holding a birthday banquet, I invited them to come along. I hope we haven't disturbed you."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Nanchun, though puzzled, remained outwardly calm and smiled, saying, "It's alright! The more people, the more lively it is! Come, come, come in!"

When the three entered the reception room, they found that the room was already full of people.

Upon closer inspection, it was clear that all of these people wore a solemn expression.