Staying the Night

Chen Yanming frowned slightly when he heard the name "Ye An."

He searched his memory several times, certain he had never heard the name or met the man.

Chen Yanming turned to Shen Sanniang and Chen Qingyao, only to find that both their expressions had changed.

"You know him?"

Shen Sanniang spoke first, her tone dismissive. "He's from Willow Alley in Anping County. He played with Qingyao a few times when they were children."

She gave a small shake of her head as she spoke.

Shen Sanniang remembered that when they had left Willow Alley, Ye An had been nothing more than a poor boy at First Body Tempering. "I'd wager he heard we moved to Clear River Commandery and came to ask for a favor under the pretext of catching up."

"After all, for someone from the back of beyond, an old acquaintance he can cling to doesn't come easily."

She made no effort to hide the contempt in her voice.

After spending years bowing and scraping in the Chen residence, Shen Sanniang finally had an old acquaintance she could look down on. The superior air she had worn in Willow Alley years ago rose to the surface again.

Chen Yanming did not respond at once. He shifted his gaze to Chen Qingyao.

Meeting her father's eyes, Chen Qingyao nodded. "Ye An trained at a Martial Hall. When Mother and I left, he was already a Body Tempering Martial Artist at the First Body Tempering stage."

The pressure Chen Qingyao had been under lately was proving hard to bear. She truly wanted Ye An to come in, sit with her, and say a few words. Today, she badly needed someone who could remind her of her happy childhood in Willow Alley and let her catch her breath.

Chen Yanming