"You shouldn't have gone."
A voice came from behind him. Young Master Xu stood with his back to the blue waves, gazing into the distance in a daze. His brow furrowed. "Old Qin, were you following me?"
"What need would I have to follow you? The Vice Venerable has rarely issued an edict like this one, summoning that man to the Court of Roads. Young Master, at a time like this, what do you think you could do without anyone noticing?"
Amid the vast, mist-shrouded waters, the shabby little boat came cutting through the waves once more, and Old Qin's disheveled figure appeared again.
"Then why have you come looking for me, Old Qin? At a time like this, who do you think I still need to worry about?"
Young Master Xu's voice was cool. He stared at the distant mountains and said coldly, "I've already promised him, so I won't go back on my word. He gave birth to me and raised me; his kindness is greater than the heavens. This body is all I have to repay him with."
Old Qin's expression faltered. He sighed. "Young Master, you take it too seriously. The Exalted One has his own difficulties. Who doesn't know how fond he is of you? I won't pretend otherwise: the Exalted One had his reasons for promising you to the Heir of the Yun Family. But the Heir of the Yun Family is truly a suitable match. Otherwise, with your status, could you really marry some ordinary man? So please don't think so ill of the Exalted One."
Without turning around, Young Master Xu waved a hand. "Old Qin, you didn't come all this way to explain my father's feelings to me, did you? That wouldn't be like you."
Old Qin knew Young Master Xu's