Page 31

He had noticed that Qin Yi's every move revealed his unfamiliarity with Chang'an City, so he probably was not a retainer of any noble house. Seeing that Qin Yi was alone and so highly skilled, if he could recruit this man for the family, it would count as a merit. Even if he could not recruit him, building good relations would still be worthwhile. Judging by Qin Yi's methods, it was not impossible that he might one day become a Saint or a god. Having some connection with such a great power then would be a good thing.

"This... would that not be too much trouble for you?" Qin Yi thought it over and said hesitantly. But he had come here alone, without even a coin in hand, so he could not stay at an inn. That was troublesome too.

"Not troublesome, not troublesome. It is a blessing for our household to have an arcanist stay with us. I only fear that you may not deign to honor us." Seeing Qin Yi's reaction, the young officer knew there was hope and immediately said with delight.

"Then I'll trouble you..." Qin Yi said, blushing a little. With Andre's Space protecting him, he was not afraid this man might harbor ill intentions. At worst, he could hide in the space and go home!

"Then good! Arcanist, come with me at once!" As he spoke, the young officer bent at the waist and gestured for Qin Yi to follow.

"Huh?" Qin Yi was startled. "Aren't you working right now? Can you just leave?" Skipping work was not very good, was it?

"It is my greatest honor to receive an arcanist. As for this duty, someone else can cover for me first." Although the young officer did not understand what "working" meant, he roughly understood Qin Yi's meaning and replied at once.

"All right, then!" Qin Yi guessed this man must have connections of his own, so he stopped worrying about it. When he had traveled around in his previous life, he sometimes needed staff from local branch offices to arrange accommodations. Those people often put aside their proper work to entertain him in order to curry favor, and he was used to it.

As they spoke, the two walked into Chang'an City one after the other. The guards on duty at the gate watched the young officer before Qin Yi with envious faces.

Wanting to please Qin Yi, the young officer painted Chang'an in the most glowing colors all along the way. Qin Yi was busy listening to him, and the two got along quite merrily.

"...By the way, what's your name?" After listening for a long while, Qin Yi suddenly interrupted him. He felt a little embarrassed that he still did not know the man's name.

"Huh?" The young officer's eyes widened in astonishment.

"I asked what your name is! I still don't know your name after all this time." Qin Yi patiently repeated himself.

"...Th-this, I, I, my name is Meng Zhuang." The young officer was so excited he could barely speak properly. Qin Yi had merely asked his name out of habit from the future. How could he have known that by the customs here, arcanists did not need to ask ordinary people's names? Qin Yi asking was an enormous honor to him.

"Oh, Meng Zhuang." Qin Yi repeated the name softly. "My name is Qin Yi."

When Meng Zhuang heard that Qin Yi had actually told him his name, he became even more excited. His manner grew more attentive, so much more enthusiastic than before that Qin Yi felt almost flattered.

He did not know that Meng Zhuang was even more shocked inside. He was surnamed Qin—could he be of imperial blood?

As they talked, they arrived before the gates of a rather luxuriously decorated residence. Two ferocious-looking stone lions stood on either side of the vermilion gates. When the two guards on the left and right saw Meng Zhuang, they bowed and said, "Greetings, Fourth Young Master."

Meng Zhuang acknowledged them, then cupped his hands toward Qin Yi. "Arcanist Qin, we have arrived at my home."

Then, without waiting for Qin Yi to speak, he immediately told the two guards, "Go inside and announce it. An honored guest has arrived at our gates. Have Father and all the elders come out to receive him."

By ancient custom, the more distinguished the guest, the more the head of the household had to receive them personally. It was also a mark of respect for the guest.

The guards glanced at Qin Yi behind Meng Zhuang, cupped their hands to him, and did not dare delay even a moment before rushing into the residence to make the announcement.

Meng Zhuang then led Qin Yi through the gates and received him warmly.

Meng Zhuang's home was much like the homes of military generals portrayed in television dramas of the future. Just inside the entrance was a broad, empty training ground, with racks holding the eighteen kinds of weapons along its sides. Beyond the training ground was the main hall. By the time Meng Zhuang and Qin Yi entered, it was already packed with people, making Qin Yi sigh at the family's efficiency.

Meng Zhuang hurried a few steps forward to the center of the hall and called to the middle-aged man seated in the upper-left seat, "Father."

Then he looked in surprise at the young man seated on the upper right. "Great-Granduncle, when did you return?"

Those words instantly left Qin Yi feeling like he had been blown apart by the wind.

The young man on the right smiled. "I merely counted on my fingers and learned that an honored guest would arrive today, so I came back for a visit."

As he spoke, a trace of astonishment flashed through his eyes as he seemingly casually examined Qin Yi.

Meng Zhuang believed him and immediately pointed at Qin Yi with excitement as he introduced him to everyone. "Grandfather, this is the honored guest I just met, Arcanist Qin."

There were too many people present now, and Qin Yi was standing nearby, so Meng Zhuang could not very well mention that he had discovered this man cast spells extraordinarily quickly.

Yet when Meng Zhuang's grandfather saw Qin Yi's features and heard that his surname was Qin, the strange gleam in his eyes deepened. A flicker of understanding also passed through them.

Qin Yi, carefree as ever, noticed nothing. After Meng Zhuang introduced him to his elders, he followed the customs of the future and greeted the two elders. Walking forward a few steps, he bowed and said, "Qin Yi greets Uncle Meng and Grandfather Meng."

The two men were so startled that they immediately rose and returned the salute, repeatedly saying, "We dare not, we dare not."

Still, they felt extremely pleased by Qin Yi's humble and courteous manner.

Meng Zhuang's grandfather then stood and said, "This old man is Meng Lan. This is my third brother, Meng Li, and my fourth brother, Meng Xin. This is my son, Meng Qi. Our Meng Clan welcomes Arcanist Qin to our humble home as a guest."

Each time Meng Lan named someone, that person rose to greet Qin Yi. Only after both sides exchanged pleasantries did they move on to the next person. In a short while, everyone in the hall had been introduced. Seeing that Qin Yi was starting to look unable to sit still, Meng Lan smiled. "It must be terribly dull, always speaking with old men like us. Why not let my young grandson Meng Zhuang accompany the arcanist for a stroll?"

"It is not so. Qin Yi has learned much from speaking with you elders." Qin Yi offered the customary politeness, then changed the subject. "But I already feel greatly uneasy about imposing upon you. Let Meng Zhuang accompany me for the rest of the time!"

You old men should go do whatever it is you do, so I won't look like I'm oppressing the elderly.

Meng Lan smiled unconcernedly. Qin Yi had given him plenty of face both outwardly and inwardly, so naturally he knew what to do. After another exchange of courtesies, he had Meng Zhuang take Qin Yi to the guest room to rest.

The guest room had just been tidied up. A freshly cut blooming white magnolia had even been thoughtfully placed on the table. Its fresh fragrance filled the room, refreshing the spirit and delighting the heart.

Qin Yi curiously surveyed the antique-style room: paper windows that needed short rods to prop them open, carved furniture, a guqin and decorative precious sword hanging on the wall, wooden shelves pressed against the wall with little compartments filled with antiques—probably antiques, anyway—a black-lacquered peachwood desk before the window, with brush, ink, paper, inkstone, and two books laid upon it, and a bed canopy draped in gauze...

"Is Arcanist Qin satisfied?" Meng Zhuang waited patiently until Qin Yi had nearly finished looking around before speaking. "If anything has been overlooked, please tell me directly, Arcanist Qin. I will have them handle it at once."

"This is quite nice." Qin Yi raised his brows with interest. It gave him the feeling of visiting a theme park. Nice.

"It is good that Arcanist Qin is satisfied." Meng Zhuang smiled contentedly.

"Satisfied, very satisfied." Qin Yi walked in, touching this and looking at that, answering Meng Zhuang casually.

Meng Zhuang saw that Qin Yi's expression and movements seemed quite pleased, and the worry he had been holding gradually eased. "Would Arcanist Qin like to rest for a while, or would you like this servant to take you around Chang'an City?"

"You're willing to go shopping with me?" Qin Yi asked with raised brows. After Meng Zhuang nodded firmly, he smiled. "Then of course I want to go shopping! If you aren't tired, that is."

He hesitated before adding that last part. Meng Zhuang had been so warm today that Qin Yi was beginning to feel embarrassed. He truly did not want to cause him more trouble.

"Not tired. Accompanying Arcanist Qin is my greatest honor." Meng Zhuang bowed elegantly, then extended a hand and stepped aside. "Arcanist Qin, please!"

"Just call me Qin Yi." Qin Yi said with some amusement. His status as an arcanist was rather watered down, and he did not feel right continuing to swagger around under that title.

"All right, then I shall call you Qin Yi." Meng Zhuang climbed the pole once it was set before him. No matter how honest and guileless children of great families appeared outside, that was merely a facade. Among those who could truly win their family's recognition, especially those capable of seizing opportunities to climb upward, how many were genuinely pure and flawless?

Less than an hour after arriving at Meng Residence, the two happily left Meng Residence again. From a pavilion in the garden, Meng Qi watched their eager backs with some worry. "Will there be any mishap in letting Xiao Zhuang accompany the arcanist?"

"That Arcanist Qin looks like a young master from a great family who has never weathered any storms. He was likely raised rather well before. For someone like that, schemers like us will gain no benefit. If we handle it poorly, we may even provoke his dislike. Let Xiao Zhuang go. Though Xiao Zhuang is quite calculating, he knows when to advance and retreat and understands how to adapt. He can also let Arcanist Qin enjoy himself to the fullest. It is good." Meng Lan, who looked like a young man as he reclined in a rocking chair, spoke slowly.

"Father, do you think this Arcanist Qin truly might be of imperial blood—"

"Silence!" Before Meng Qi could finish, Meng Lan abruptly cut him off. A sharp light flashed in his eyes as he stared at Meng Qi and slowly said, "Remember this: matters of the imperial family are for the imperial family to handle. We only need to do what we should do well. Send word to the main branch. As for what we should do and can do, it is simply to keep him company these next few days. Make sure he enjoys himself."

"Yes!" Meng Qi nodded thoughtfully and answered.

"Ah... if this arcanist truly has ties to the imperial family, then our branch will be blessed indeed..."

On Chang'an Street, Qin Yi wove through ancient people dressed in deep robes and flowing skirts, looking left and right until his pair of eyes almost seemed insufficient.

Both sides of the long street were lined with dazzling arrays of snacks and goods, while cries of vendors rang out without cease. The air was filled with the scent of food. On the stalls were gold hairpins and jade rings for women, rouge and face powder, rattle drums for children, and even ground stalls selling medicinal herbs and stones. It was a different kind of bustling prosperity from the great malls of the future.

Walking behind him, Meng Zhuang watched Qin Yi's behavior, like a country bumpkin entering the city, and the world-weary nonchalance that seemed to radiate from him. He could not help frowning in confusion. This man was truly strange.

Say he had never seen anything before, and yet he carried himself with such bearing, always giving people the feeling of, "So this is how it is—I knew it as something else." But say he was knowledgeable, and this delighted, animated behavior did not seem like that of a child from an aristocratic family...

"Meng Zhuang, are there any pawnshops around here?" Qin Yi, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned back and asked.

"There are. Does Qin Yi need something?" Meng Zhuang blinked. After their brief interaction, he had discovered that Qin Yi was rather easygoing. If people received him with trembling reverence, it only made him uncomfortable. The more casual they were, the happier he seemed.

Being able to receive a guest with dignity was naturally better than fawning without any dignity at all, and Meng Zhuang was happy to be more relaxed.

"Nothing, I was just asking." Qin Yi suddenly thought of buying some of these things to bring back for Father Qin, Mother Qin, and Qin Rong. It could count as a little perk from his trip.