Return to Azure Yang Temple

When "Immortal by the River" ended, a deathly silence fell over the pleasure house.

The songstress held her pipa with her head lowered, not daring to look at the notoriously fickle Young Master Zhao in the seat of honor.

Chen Fan drained the last drop of wine from his cup, casually pulled a silver ingot worth a full ten taels from his robes, and tossed it over.

Clang. The ingot landed with a dull thud on the pipa in the songstress's arms.

The songstress trembled all over and jerked her head up.

"You sang well." Chen Fan rose and straightened his robes. "That's your reward."

Without another glance at the fawning or fearful faces around him, he waved his folding fan and left the pleasure house, surrounded by a crowd of cronies.

Right and wrong, success and failure-all turned to nothing in the blink of an eye.

What fine lyrics.

Over the next half month, the tension throughout Qinghe County visibly eased.

The county commandant personally led three hundred county soldiers in a showy drill on the outskirts of Black Wind Mountain for three days.

It was said they had even clashed with a bandit scouting party that had come down the mountain, beheaded three men, and returned in triumph.

The bandit trouble on Black Wind Mountain seemed to have been suppressed for the time being.

The people of Qinghe County returned to their usual livelihoods.

Zhao Residence, Pavilion of Listening to the Waves.

Chen Fan's days were even more leisurely than they had been at Azure Yang Temple.

He had given up pretending to practice his fists altogether. Only three things remained in his daily life.

Eating, sleeping, and spending time with his wives.

The afternoon sun was just right in the courtyard.

Chen Fan reclined in a wide bamboo chair, his feet propped on a stone table and his eyes closed, drowsy with sleep.

Liu Ruyan knelt beside him, feeding him chilled bird's nest soup one spoonful at a time with a small silver spoon.

Su Qingyu crouched at his feet, kneading his calves with slightly cool fingertips, applying just the right amount of pressure.

Not far away, the well-fed orange cat, its coat sleek and glossy, chased a ball of yarn and rolled all over the ground.

The days were peaceful and beautiful.

If not for the intrusion of footsteps, the scene would have been perfect.

Zhao De had returned.

He was dusty from travel, his face weary from several sleepless days, his eyes sunken, and even his official robes somewhat rumpled.

When he stepped into the Pavilion of Listening to the Waves, this was the scene that greeted him.

His son, the unfilial wretch he had exhausted himself, swallowed his pride, and promised countless benefits to protect, was embracing women on both sides and enjoying treatment fit for an emperor.

Zhao De stopped at the courtyard gate.

His chest heaved violently, and a rush of blood surged straight to his head.

Liu Ruyan and Su Qingyu were the first to notice him. Their hands shook in fright, and the silver spoon and handkerchief fell to the ground at the same time.

"M-master..."

The two hurried to their feet and stood behind Chen Fan, not daring even to raise their heads.

Only then did Chen Fan lazily open his eyes. Seeing Zhao De standing at the gate, he did not even take his feet off the table.

"Father, you're back."

His greeting was as casual as if he had asked, "Have you eaten?"

"I'm back." Zhao De's voice was as raspy as if it had been scraped with sandpaper. "If I hadn't come back, how could I have seen my Young Master Zhao so... carefree and at ease!"

He practically forced those last words through clenched teeth.

Chen Fan sat up straight and finally lowered his feet.

"Looks like the matter's settled?" He picked up the silk handkerchief Liu Ruyan had just been using and wiped the corner of his mouth. "Did you drive the bandits off Black Wind Mountain, Father?"

That question completely ignited the volcano in Zhao De's heart.

"Drove them off?" Zhao De stormed over and overturned the stone table in front of him.

Crash!

Bird's nest soup, pastries, and fruit lay smashed all over the ground.

The orange cat let out a frightened "Meow!" and sprang onto the courtyard wall, disappearing from sight.

Liu Ruyan and Su Qingyu were even more frightened. They trembled all over and lowered their heads further.

"You call that driving them off?" Zhao De pointed a finger at Chen Fan's nose, spittle flying. "Do you know how much silver I promised to get the county commandant to send troops? Do you know how much I paid out of my own pocket to placate the merchants who were robbed?"

"This old face of mine has been all but lost at the county yamen!"

"And you? You unfilial wretch who brought down this monstrous disaster! You're here embracing women and eating bird's nest soup!"

Zhao De trembled all over with rage. He truly wanted to slap him.

Chen Fan looked at him.

There was no fear, no guilt.

He simply stood there calmly, even reaching out to smooth the wrinkles in Zhao De's official robes.

"Father, calm down."

"The bandits have already left, so isn't that enough? Consider the silver spent as the price of averting disaster."

"You're the county magistrate. Safeguarding the land and keeping the people safe is your duty in the first place. Why get so worked up?"

Zhao De froze.

He stared fixedly at his son.

Safeguarding the land and keeping the people safe is my duty?

That's what he had to say?

In that instant, Zhao De felt a helplessness unlike any he had ever known.

The one he had run himself ragged for, feared for, and exhausted himself for was his son.

Yet in his son's eyes, this was merely County Magistrate Zhao De carrying out his damned duty.

It had nothing to do with him, Zhao Long.

"Good... good... what a fine duty, safeguarding the land and keeping the people safe..."

Zhao De said "good" three times and laughed in his rage.

His laughter sounded worse than crying.

He stepped back twice and slumped into the bamboo chair, as though all the strength had been drained from his body.

He looked at his son.

This son he could no longer understand at all.

After a long while, he waved a hand.

"You, pack your things."

Chen Fan was puzzled. "Pack my things? Where am I going?"

Zhao De did not look at him. He simply gazed at the sky beyond the courtyard wall and spoke each word distinctly.

"Back to Azure Yang Temple."

Chen Fan was stunned for a moment.

Go back?

"This time," Zhao De said, all the anger gone from his voice, leaving only the stillness of stagnant water, "you are not to come down the mountain again without my permission."

"When I die, you can come back and inherit the family estate."

Silence filled the courtyard.

Liu Ruyan and Su Qingyu even stopped breathing.

Chen Fan looked at his father, whose heart had turned to dead ashes, and suddenly found it somewhat funny.

He stepped forward, picked up a reasonably clean grape from the ground, peeled it, and put it in his mouth.

It was very sweet.

"Sure."

He spoke that single word.

Zhao De jerked his head up and stared fixedly at him.

Chen Fan tossed the grape skin onto the ground and clapped his hands.

"It's quiet on the mountain. Just right for a holiday."