Chapter 53

Chapter 55: Reviving Past Glory

Duan Mingyu gave his hair a very dashing toss. "So that was it. Yanyan, didn't I just hear two voices? Where did the other one go? Where has she scurried off to?"

Cheng Zhiyuan coughed. "That was this official's daughter."

"Junyu, didn't you say long ago that you wanted to meet the legendary top scholar? Why are you acting so shy like a little maiden at this crucial moment? Come on out quickly!"

"Father, you're so annoying!" With that, a young maiden emerged from the inner parlor. Her willow-like eyebrows curved like crescent moons, yet a faint aloofness tinged their tips. The outer corners of her eyes slanted slightly upward, and the shadows cast by her eyelashes upon her eyelids added a distinct allure to her entire face. Her prominent yet delicate bridge of a nose divided her attractive countenance down the middle, lending her face an exceptional sense of definition, while her cherry lips were ruddy in color, resembling a silent temptation. With ripples of autumn water in her eyes and a heart as pure as jade, the young maiden incessantly twisted a strand of her dark hair with her delicate fingers, looking both shy and nervous.

Cheng Zhiyuan said triumphantly, "My good brother, this is my unworthy daughter, Cheng Junyu. She has long held the utmost admiration for you!"

Wan Yanyan bantered, "Young Master Duan, our Junyu is also Bianzhou's foremost talented woman, you know. Oh? Young Master Duan, whatever is the matter with you?"

Duan Mingyu shook his head, a surge of bitterness welling up in his heart. Who would have thought that two people in this world could look so alike? Qianqian, are you doing well in that other world? I'm sorry; for all this time, I owe you far too much.

A thousand years in a single instant—it was both too long and too brief. A thousand years of seeking in waking and in sleep; a thousand years of tossing and turning; a thousand years of discordant lutes and zithers; a thousand years of un-beaten bells and drums. A thousand years of too many parting sorrows, where fair faces easily age; a thousand years of the world treating me with fickle thinness while I clung to it like glue...

Without a word, Duan Mingyu turned and walked toward the outside of the yamen. Seeing Duan Mingyu's dazed expression, Cheng Zhiyuan felt utterly bewildered. "Hey, brother, what are you..."

Duan Mingyu continued walking step by step as if he hadn't heard a thing at all.

Cheng Junyu bit her lip. "Father, what's wrong with him? I didn't even provoke him!"

Wan Yanyan remarked, "It has nothing to do with you. The young master must simply be thinking of some sad past events. Junyu, don't take it to heart. Another day I'll have him come over to offer you a formal apology. Be a good girl, big sister is going to go chase after him now!"

Recalling Duan Mingyu's sorrowful expression, Cheng Junyu felt an inexplicable pang of heartache. "Go on then, it's a settled agreement between us... Huh? Where did he go?"

Duan Mingyu walked along the street. Seeing that his mood was depressed, Wang Aiqing, who was following behind, kept a distant distance and did not step forward to disturb him.

As Duan Mingyu looked at the bustling pedestrians coming and going, he thought of his previous world—the different clothing, the different hair ornaments.

Unknowingly, he had been in this world for over half a year, gradually forging his fervent life into a rust-stained sharp arrow, shooting it into the bloody storms of the late Tang Dynasty. How he wished to step out of this millennia-long nightmare, following the crisp sound of the night watchman's clapper, escaping worldly disputes, and walking into that cozy corner to lean against a tree root, sleeping quietly amidst the grass like clouds, fog, smoke, and mist.

"Young Master, wait for me!" Holding up the hem of her long skirt, Wan Yanyan chased after him breathlessly.

Duan Mingyu forced a smile. "Yanyan, why are you here?"

"You still have the nerve to ask! Ever since that time... you haven't come to look for me once."

Duan Mingyu waved his hand. "Ah, you know how it is. Cao Hong and the Qin family are pressing us step by step. If I don't prepare a few more methods, I'm afraid..."

Wan Yanyan dismissed it with a smile. "Why do the bloody battles of you men have to drag us women down into exhaustion as well?"

Duan Mingyu looked up and blew Wan Yanyan a kiss. "If we didn't fight and kill, how could we protect our... what was it called... don't you agree?"

Wan Yanyan lowered her head shyly. "I'll let that pass for now, but why did you have such a reaction when you saw Junyu today?"

Duan Mingyu's expression darkened. Cheng Junyu looked far too much like his girlfriend from his past life. Thinking of the encouragement and support his girlfriend Qianqian had given him back then—describing it as supporting each other through thick and thin would not be an overstatement—it seemed that in the unseen realm, there was indeed a destined will at work!

Seeing that Duan Mingyu's complexion was heading back to square one, Wan Yanyan quickly said, "Alright, alright, if you don't want to talk about it, then don't."

Immediately afterward, Wan Yanyan asked, "Young Master, do you think our family really bears the surname Xie?"

Duan Mingyu nodded with certainty. "Yes, that is an undeniable fact."

Wan Yanyan asked, "Why do these aristocratic clans always fight among themselves? Must they always lock in a life-or-death struggle?"

Duan Mingyu chuckled. "Fame, wealth, power, riches, and the flourishing of one's lineage—aren't these what people have pursued for thousands of years? Therefore, wherever there are people, there will be strife. That is something unavoidable."

Duan Mingyu then muttered under his breath, "Much like urban management officers and street vendors."

"Huh? What did you say, Young Master?" Wan Yanyan asked with some puzzlement.

Duan Mingyu brushed it off with a laugh. "Haha, I was just thinking that today's weather is clear and sunny—truly an auspicious moment for committing murder and arson!"

"Young Master!" Wan Yanyan cried out in fright.

Duan Mingyu twitched his cheek. "Pardon me, I misspoke. I meant it's an auspicious moment for a spring outing in the countryside!"

Wan Yanyan patted her chest. "Young Master, do you know you scared the life out of me just now!"

"Hehe, my fault, entirely my fault."

After walking for a little while, Wan Yanyan suddenly produced a piece of paper. "Young Master, take a look at what you wrote here."

Duan Mingyu took it and looked. Oh, for heaven's sake: *"Even if you torment me a thousand times over, I shall treat you like my first love!"*

Wan Yanyan's face began to flush, turning red all the way to the tips of her ears. "I heard that the young master possesses literary talent that overflows five cartloads of books and that your calligraphy attainments are extraordinary. Who would have thought you'd write such doggerel poetry—and as for these characters, sigh, I simply can't bear to look at them."

Duan Mingyu said shamefacedly, "I am mortified to death!"

Wan Yanyan smoothed down two strands of her beautiful hair. "Didn't the young master's handwriting used to be quite good? It was once even copied by numerous scholars. How has it become so abysmal now?"

*Damn it, I've been looked down upon by this little miss.* Duan Mingyu rubbed his nose. "That was all in the past. The past is too painful to look back upon!"

Wan Yanyan akimboed her hands. "Hmph, I've decided! From today onward, I am going to supervise the young master properly, oversee your calligraphy practice, and make sure you revive your past glory!"

Duan Mingyu said wickedly, "Is there any need to revive it? This top scholar's vigor is still as mighty as ever!"

"Young Master... none of your flippancy!" Wan Yanyan said sternly, though she couldn't keep up the act for long before a burst of laughter completely betrayed her intentions, earning her a heavy roll of the eyes from Duan Mingyu.

Duan Mingyu waved his hands helplessly. "Nothing to be done about it; your family's sense of humor is hereditarily low!"