Jiangning Xie Clan

Xie Xuanyi's willingness to nod and agree was naturally cause for universal celebration.

Deng Chicheng hurriedly fetched a cloak and draped it over Shen Yan. He had originally intended to take the opportunity to help Shen Yan into his own carriage.

But Xie Xuanyi cast him a look.

The Deng Estate's master could only let go resentfully, abandoning that impractical notion.

The convoy set off again.

Only this time, Xie Xuanyi's carriage was somewhat crowded, with Jiang Huang, Deng Baiyi, and Shen Yan all squeezed together inside.

"Miss Shen... welcome."

Deng Baiyi practically ground out those words through clenched teeth.

Shen Yan lowered her head and gave a soft hum, saying nothing more to Deng Baiyi. She merely sat beside Xie Xuanyi and asked in a frail voice, "Many thanks to my benefactor for lending a hand. Shen Yan has been presumptuous—I have yet to ask my benefactor's name?"

"My surname is Xie."

Xie Xuanyi paused, then smiled. "...My given name is Zhen."

Ten years had passed. Were there still people in this world who remembered Xie Xuanyi?

There should still be quite a few.

Even in the Northern Prefecture, he still needed to proceed with care. Naturally, he could not use his real name.

"Xie Zhen?"

Deng Baiyi softly repeated it once, committing the name to memory.

Shen Yan lifted her face and replied with a smile, "Xie Zhen. That is a fine name."

Xie Xuanyi gave an oh and raised a brow. "What is so fine about it?"

"...?"

Shen Yan clearly froze for a moment. She had not expected that question.

What normal person talked like that?

"It is fine because... Xie is a great surname."

Shen Yan nearly failed to react in time. She hurriedly smiled and said, "My benefactor should know as well that over these past few years, the Great Chu Dynasty has produced quite a number of prominent figures surnamed Xie. For instance, Xie Zhisui, Prince of Jiangning, and Xie Sheng, Heir of Jiangning. In short... names are tied to fate. My benefactor must surely be someone blessed with fate at his side as well, yes?"

Xie Xuanyi had absolutely no intention of responding.

The atmosphere became exceedingly awkward.

Shen Yan did not know what she had said wrong.

Now, she felt a surge of regret. It seemed she should not have boarded this carriage.

This time, it was Deng Baiyi who unconsciously came to the rescue.

Perhaps out of hostility toward Shen Yan, Deng Baiyi said irritably, "Those great figures surnamed Xie you just mentioned are nothing much in my eyes. Did you leave out the most important one?"

Shen Yan froze again.

She looked blankly at the woman opposite her.

"Of course, Xie Xuanyi!"

Deng Baiyi hugged the thick stack of talismans in her arms, her expression incomparably earnest as she slowly enunciated that name word by word.

Deng Baiyi asked fiercely, "Without Xie Xuanyi back then, where would today's Prince of Jiangning and the Jiangning Xie Clan be?!"

The moment those words left her mouth, the atmosphere in the carriage sank into even deeper silence.

Xie Xuanyi! Jiangning!

Those few words fell into Heart Lake, weighing as heavily as a thousand jin.

Xie Xuanyi was momentarily dazed.

Many years ago.

The Xie Clan in Jiangning had merely been a declining noble family. It possessed some modest prestige and reputation, but barring an accident, it would have been like the setting sun over the western hills, gradually guttering out until it was forgotten by all...

But then Xie Xuanyi had appeared.

After Xie Xuanyi rose to fame, the Jiangning Xie Clan welcomed a second spring!

Following the Northern Hunt, the Great Chu Emperor bestowed lavish rewards. Riding that momentum, the Xie Clan soared into the heavens in a single leap!

The irony was that the "Jiangning Xie Clan," which loudly proclaimed its deep ties to Xie Xuanyi, did not have a single member who was related to Xie Xuanyi, nor had they ever invested any real effort in nurturing him—

Though Xie Xuanyi had been born in Jiangning, he was merely an overlooked illegitimate descendant of a collateral branch. His parents had died early in his childhood. Relying on the tiny shred of prestige and reputation left behind by the Jiangning Xie Clan, he had been sent to the Great Grain Sword Palace to begin cultivation at the age of six. From then on, he had no further dealings with the Xie Clan... If there was any connection between Xie Xuanyi and the Jiangning Xie Clan, it was only the blood relation lingering in a single shared Xie character.

That was why, in his previous life, Xie Xuanyi had not exposed the Jiangning Xie Clan's claims of borrowing his influence after he became famous.

Without the Jiangning Xie Clan, he would not have been able to enter the Sword Palace either.

Back then, he had borrowed the Xie Clan's name to cultivate. Now that he had achieved both fame and success, if the Xie Clan wanted that name, he would return it to them.

Karma, karma.

This was karma.

A sentence from Shen Yan in the carriage pulled Xie Xuanyi's thoughts back to reality.

"Xie Xuanyi is already dead... What is there left to say about a dead man?"

Faced with Deng Baiyi's attack.

Shen Yan defused it with a single offhand remark.

"Besides."

Shen Yan thought for a moment, then said with a sweet smile, "Was Xie Xuanyi not a criminal who 'colluded with demons and betrayed his country'? The Great Chu Dynasty listed all manner of charges against him and put up a reward across a hundred thousand li. I heard that wanted posters even reached the Southern Li Kingdom. That sword immortal who died young has a reputation in complete ruins now!"

"You..."

Anger filled Deng Baiyi's phoenix eyes as she prepared to retort.

"Enough."

At that moment, Xie Xuanyi personally stepped in and called a halt to this farce.

He lowered his gaze, lifted a cup of tea, and took a sip. "He is already dead. There truly is nothing to say."

"Hmph!"

Deng Baiyi glared at Xie Xuanyi. Though she swallowed the words she had wanted to say, she could not swallow this grievance. She simply flicked her sleeve and left the carriage.

Everyone in the Deng Estate convoy saw the scene.

Their young miss left Xie Xuanyi's carriage with grievance written all over her face and entered the master's carriage. What followed was a furious scolding for failing to live up to expectations, with no attempt to avoid being heard.

The scolding could be heard from far away.

Everyone wore subtle expressions as they looked at one another.

Xie Xuanyi, who had originally lifted the curtain in hopes of salvaging the situation, sighed inwardly and helplessly lowered it again.

When he turned back, Xie Xuanyi discovered that the scene within the carriage had taken on an entirely different flavor.

"Brother Xie, could you do me a favor?"

Shen Yan, drenched from head to toe, gently shook off the cloak Deng Chicheng had draped over her shoulders. Just like that, she slipped one side of her clothes from her shoulder, revealing half a fragrant shoulder as snowy and jade-like.

She turned around and continued removing her clothes, exposing most of her back.

"I suffered some minor injuries while being pursued by villains earlier. Could Brother Xie help take a look?"

Since Shen Yan was not avoiding the matter.

Then there was nothing for him to avoid either.

Holding his teacup, Xie Xuanyi took a small sip and chuckled. "There are indeed some injuries. They should have been caused by stray arrows grazing you."

Hearing this response, Shen Yan produced a jar of ointment as if by magic and said softly, "This is a medicinal ointment passed down through the Shen Household. I would trouble Brother Xie to apply it for me."

Xie Xuanyi raised a brow.

Ten years had passed. Was this still the fashion in the martial world?

He said meaningfully, "Oh? That would not be very appropriate, would it? Your wounds look..."

A blush appeared on Shen Yan's cheeks as she interrupted in a quiet voice, "Young Master Xie may simply proceed. There is no need to fear hurting Shen Yan."

Even the form of address had changed.

From Brother Xie to Young Master Xie.

"No, Miss Shen has misunderstood."

Xie Xuanyi smiled. "What I meant was, your wounds look as though they are nearly healed already. There is no need to apply ointment at all."

"???"

Shen Yan's body visibly stiffened.

Xie Xuanyi added, "Though the arrow wounds are nothing to worry about, there is something far more important at present... The Northern Prefecture is bitterly cold, and Miss Shen is soaked through. You should hurry and change into a fresh set of clothes."

"Young Master Xie has thought things through very thoroughly."

Shen Yan's voice became soft as water again as she edged closer to Xie Xuanyi. "If the young master does not mind, Shen Yan shall change here."

"Of course I do not mind."

Xie Xuanyi paused. "It is just that, like this... it would not be ideal, would it?"

Shen Yan asked softly, "Does the young master mean that men and women should not touch one another? Or that a lone man and lone woman sharing a carriage would be improper?"

The carriage was narrow. The two were nearly pressed together, each able to hear the other's breathing.

There was also a faint fragrance in the air.

"Miss Shen has misunderstood again."

Xie Xuanyi raised his teacup.

"What I mean is... there is too little room here. It would not be convenient."

"Since Miss Deng has left, why not sit in her place?"

Xie Xuanyi smiled. "Then you can change your clothes, and I can drink my tea."

The smile on Shen Yan's face froze once more.

This time, she was completely speechless. She looked at Xie Xuanyi with an aggrieved gaze she could not comprehend, while he utterly ignored it.

"This tea is not very good."

Xie Xuanyi looked at the rippling green reflection in his teacup and secretly shook his head.

When Deng Chicheng had presented the tea, he said it was premium Longjing produced in Jiangning, extraordinarily expensive and treasured for many years... Xie Xuanyi felt that the man had most likely been deceived.

Or perhaps tea from Jiangning changed flavor after sitting in the Northern Prefecture for too long?

In any case, this tea was exceedingly poor.

He disliked it greatly.

"Creak."