A man as fair as jade

Chen Xun smiled and continued, "As for the next few days, I'll have to trouble you for another two days, Grandpa Li."

Old Li chuckled. "Hey, lad, none of that nonsense. If you wanted to, you could live here with me for the rest of your life."

After spending half a year together, day in and day out, they had naturally grown fond of one another.

Besides, that encounter with the Black Tiger on Little River Peak had been etched deep into Old Li's heart.

The three of them soon finished breakfast amid their idle chatter.

During the meal, Old Li asked Chen Xun where he came from, whether he still had any family, and what had brought him to Little River Town, among other things.

Naturally, Chen Xun dodged those questions and brushed them off with vague answers.

Not one of the questions Old Li asked was something he could answer.

Still, Old Li and Li Yuan were genuinely delighted that Chen Xun had recovered.

After saying his piece, Old Li headed out to the market. He planned to buy some groceries and celebrate with a lavish lunch.

"Brother Chen, shall we go out too?"

Li Yuan looped a little basket over her arm and asked with a giggle.

She planned to take Chen Xun into town for a haircut, then pick out a new set of clothes for him.

Such things had been difficult before, but now that Chen Xun was back to normal, they could finally do them.

Chen Xun smiled faintly at her suggestion. "All right."

Delighted, Li Yuan immediately headed out with him.

Yet one question had always puzzled her. In all this time, she had never seen Brother Chen bathe or anything of the sort, but he never smelled bad. How strange, how strange.

There was some distance between Old Li's home and the town streets. Along the way, Chen Xun walked quietly with his hands behind his back.

Li Yuan occasionally glanced at Chen Xun's straight-backed figure out of the corner of her eye, unsure what to say. Only when she looked at his back did she find a topic:

"Brother Chen, is that wooden sword very important to you? You used to carry it every day, and even now that you've recovered, you haven't taken it off."

Li Yuan had originally thought the wooden sword was merely a toy Chen Xun had carried before.

Chen Xun shook his head and smiled. "It isn't particularly important. I'm just used to carrying it."

"Oh, I see." Li Yuan nodded, failing to notice the wooden sword on Chen Xun's back tremble for an instant as he finished speaking.

A little later, Chen Xun and Li Yuan reached the bustling streets. Every towns person who passed them was inwardly startled at the sight of Chen Xun!

Good heavens, the mad scholar?!

Ever since Old Li's family had taken Chen Xun in, he had rarely appeared in public.

Of course, that was not the most important thing.

What mattered most was that Chen Xun felt different to them!

His hair was still loose and disheveled, making him look rather scruffy, but he seemed to have become normal?

He was nothing like the raving, boisterous madman he had been before. Anyone who knew Chen Xun could tell.

"Chen... Chen Xun?"

A passerby called out tentatively.

Chen Xun looked over and nodded. "Yes."

An uproar erupted!

Now all the nearby passersby were stunned!

The madman was no longer mad!

What was going on?

Even after Chen Xun and Li Yuan had disappeared down the street, the passersby still had not recovered from their shock.

After all, it was truly incredible for someone who had been mad for so long to suddenly return to normal.

Before long, word that the mad scholar in the blue robe had recovered would surely spread throughout Little River Town, becoming an after-dinner talking point that left many people clicking their tongues in wonder.

An hour later.

Li Yuan stared blankly at the handsome young gentleman emerging from the alley. Unable to help rubbing her eyes, she called tentatively, "Brother... Brother Chen?"

Chen Xun gave her a gentle smile and nodded.

Li Yuan sucked in a breath and swallowed.

Clearly, Chen Xun had merely washed his hair, while the barber had done little more than trim and comb it.

Yet the change left Li Yuan utterly dumbfounded.

Before, Chen Xun's disheveled hair had made it difficult to see his face. Now that it had been trimmed, his features were clear.

His features truly possessed the gentle luster of jade, dazzling at first sight.

A man upon the path, as fair as jade; a gentleman without equal in the world. How perfectly those words fit!

With such an air about him, how could he possibly be the mad scholar from before? He practically made one want to address him as "sir."

To her amazement, Li Yuan found that even Chen Xun's somewhat tattered blue robe had suddenly become pleasing to the eye.

"Brother Chen, shall I take you to buy a new set of clothes too?"

Li Yuan hurriedly asked.

Chen Xun fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. "No need. What I'm wearing suits me just fine."

Had Li Yuan not practically dragged him there earlier, Chen Xun would not even have bothered getting his hair cut.

After all, he had no idea how long this spell of lucidity would last...

Besides, Li Yuan had earned every coin stitch by stitch. There was no need to waste it.

Li Yuan grew anxious. "Brother Chen, are you worried about spending money? It's all right. A set of clothes won't cost much."

Chen Xun smiled. "Yuanyuan, I appreciate your kindness, but I'm used to these clothes. I won't change them."

Speaking of which, his clothes might look a little torn, but they were merely somewhat worn.

Come to think of it, he had worn this set of clothes for who knew how many years.

"All right."

Seeing this, Li Yuan felt disappointed, but she did not insist.

Although she had only spent a short time with Brother Chen since his recovery, she could already tell that he was probably someone whose word was final.

Afterward, Chen Xun and Li Yuan strolled around town a little longer, bought some snacks and little trinkets, then went home.

Along the way, quite a few passersby were once again astonished when they saw Chen Xun.

If not for that distinctive, worn blue robe, they might hardly have recognized him.

Lunch at Old Li's home was a splendid spread, with chicken, duck, fish, and meat all present.

In all honesty, Old Li's family had not eaten this well even at New Year.

It was clear how genuinely happy Old Li was.

Looking at the table laden with dishes, Chen Xun sighed. "Grandpa Li, this is quite a feast. Thank you."

Chen Xun expressed his gratitude outright, without making a fuss or adding anything else.

"Heh, Chen Xun, do you drink? How about having a cup with me?"

Even as Old Li spoke, he had already risen with the wine pot to pour Chen Xun a drink.

"Grandpa! If you want to drink, just drink. Why do you have to drag Brother Chen into it?"

Li Yuan grumbled.

After all, to Li Yuan, wine tasted so awful that Chen Xun surely would not enjoy drinking it.

"All right."

To her surprise, Chen Xun readily agreed.

"Haha, good! Come, bottoms up."

Old Li was overjoyed to have someone to drink with.

Lunch soon ended in a cheerful atmosphere.

Dizzy and overcome by drunkenness, Old Li returned to his room to lie down.

After helping Li Yuan clear the table and tidy up, Chen Xun told her he was going out for a walk and left the courtyard.

Li Yuan had wanted to accompany him, but Chen Xun declined, leaving her no choice but to give up. After reminding him to come home before dinner, she went off to work.

Naturally, Chen Xun had his own reasons for not letting Li Yuan come along.

He planned to earn some money for Old Li. After all, he had enjoyed free food and lodging for quite some time.

Despite his scholarly appearance, Chen Xun did not intend to make money by writing or painting for others.

Instead, he planned to hunt on Little River Peak. Yes, a thoroughly brute-force approach.