Chapter 694: This Young Master Matches You Eight Times Over, No Detours

"Big brother, big brother!"

Behind them, Li Lizhi, carrying Sizi, hopped off the carriage and jogged over, grabbed Chen Yan's hand, and with sparkling eyes said, "I just saw a lot of delicious food; will you take me to eat, okay?"

"No!" Chen Yan refused without hesitation; he was actually a bit tired and wanted to rest, to take a nice afternoon nap.

"Come on, go, go!"

Sizi employed her charm, tugged at Chen Yan's hand, and shook her little head vigorously: "Just now on the road, I saw that street had so many tasty things, many I've never tried. I know you're the best, big brother, so take me there, please."

"Why don't you let your mother or sister take you there?" Chen Yan retorted.

"Because they're not good; they won't take me," Xiao Sizi said confidently.

Chen Yan pursed his lips and let go of her hand: "I'm not great either; I'm the weight‑lifting champion. If I take you out and others mock you, what will we do?"

Sizi: "......"

Empress Changsun smiled faintly, walked over, and patted Sizi's head: "Alright, big brother is tired. Let's go up for a meal, rest a bit, and in the afternoon he'll take you out to have some fun."

"Fine." Sizi, being sensible, heard her mother's words and didn't press the issue.

Immediately afterward, the group entered Zui Xian Lou, ate comfortably in a private room on the second floor, and then went up to the third floor to rest.

Just as Chen Yan was about to enter, two hands rested on his shoulders.

The Gao Yang ahead sensed Chen Yan hadn't entered, turned in confusion, and saw Li Chunfeng smiling at her: "Miss… Miss, we have some matters to discuss with Mr. Chen; may we borrow him from you?"

Gao Yang gave a strange look and said, "Priest Li, be my guest; it won't be a problem."

After speaking, she, who entered first, also closed the door behind her.

Chen Yan instantly darkened his face.

"Mr. Chen, so many days have passed, and we've been waiting for you to give us an explanation," Li Chunfeng's voice was light and airy, but for some reason Chen Yan sensed a tone of clenched teeth inside.

"That… it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!"

Chen Yan said with a smile, "You've misunderstood; aren't we just out for a spring outing?"

"Exactly right!"

Yuan Tiangang sneered, "A spring outing, traveling from Chang'an all the way to Luoyang, and the destination is still Huainan?"

"Tell me, whose good person walks from the damn north to the south on a spring outing?"

"I've never seen that in my life!"

Chen Yan paused for two breaths and said, "Then you saw it today."

Both: "......"

"Enough, stop the nonsense!" Li Chunfeng took a deep breath and asked seriously, "Do we have any grudge?"

"I don't recall ever offending you!"

"Why do you have to mess with us?"

"Look at how you phrase that!" Chen Yan replied defiantly, "So damn it, my match with Gao Yang is a destiny ordained by heaven; is that crap you said?"

"Don't we have a grudge?"

Just as Chen Yan finished speaking, the door burst open, Gao Yang rushed out, swinging a fist and shouting, "Who are you holding a grudge against? Come here and set things straight!"

"What do you mean you have a grudge against him just because he said that?"

"Do you think he's the one who harmed you?"

Chen Yan was a bit surprised that Gao Yang had eavesdropped, but quickly recovered, staring at her pounding her own hand: "Isn't that obvious?"

"You think he's doing this for my good?"

"Nonsense!" Gao Yang halted her motion, stopped attacking Chen Yan, and, hands on hips, said, "I knew you're a bastard whose dog‑mouth can't spit ivory. If you can marry me, go light a big incense!"

"And you still think I harmed you? I'm here to save your dog's life!"

Chen Yan sneered, "I'm just saying, can you have a little sense in your heart? Don't you know what you're like yourself?"

"What nonsense are you babbling? Even when you 'save' my life, I think he's after my life."

Li Chunfeng: "......"

"What are you saying?" Gao Yang glared, "If it weren't for him, do you think you'd have the right to marry me? If it weren't for his line that we're heaven‑ordained, you'd still be a spoiled second‑generation; could you have made it this far?"

"So I said he harmed me!" Chen Yan helplessly spread his hands, turned and said, "Look, what have you made me into?"

"The happy times of the past are gone forever; now every day I'm plagued by all sorts of troubles, and as soon as I get up in the morning I have to argue with a flock of idiots."

"Isn't he the one who harmed me?"

Gao Yang: "......"

Li Chunfeng: "......"

Alright, they almost forgot: Chen Yan, unlike ordinary people, doesn't care about titles or ranks at all.

"You… you… If he hadn't said we're heaven‑ordained, with the you of that time you'd never be worthy of me!" Gao Yang, flustered, shouted.

Chen Yan sneered, "Stop it. You think this young master can't match you? This young master matches you eight times over without any detours!"

"Look at you like that—remember what I said when we met the second time? When we stand together, we're damn like brothers."

"So who's the one that doesn't match the other?"

"If you weren't your father's daughter, you'd never even dream of marrying me!"

"Hehe......"

Just as Chen Yan finished speaking, a child's laughter suddenly came from not far away; everyone turned their heads in unison and saw Sizi poking her head out of a window, covering her little mouth.

Seeing Chen Yan and Gao Yang's expressions change as if about to reprimand her, Sizi hurriedly shouted toward the back, "Mother, mother, come quickly, sister and big brother are quarreling again!"

Chen Yan and Gao Yang's faces stiffened; before they could speak, Empress Changsun pushed the door open and stepped out, casting a sideways glance at them: "You're arguing inside the house? Do you think this is your own home?"

"Not embarrassed enough?"

Gao Yang opened his mouth, met Empress Changsun's gradually descending stare, but in the end said nothing, glared angrily at Chen Yan, and left in a huff.

Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang exchanged a glance and fell silent.

Weren't they the ones who came looking for trouble today? How come this married couple is the one starting the argument?

"Daoist Li, where were we just talking about?" Chen Yan didn't let the earlier incident bother him at all, turned back and showed a smile.

Li Chunfeng sighed, "Mr. Chen, no jokes, you deliberately brought us along—what exactly is your purpose?"

"We've already arrived at Luoyang, you should explain, shouldn't you?"

Chen Yan retorted, "Daoist, do you really not want to travel with us?"

"If you don't wish to, it's not too late to turn back now; with the two of you, it would take no more than two days to get back."

"It's not that we don't want to..." Li Chunfeng was at a loss, hesitated, "It's just that I think you brought us along for some other purpose; without figuring that out, the two of us can't feel at ease."

Yuan Tiangang nodded heavily!

Yes, that's it!

"......"