Chapter 251: Pushing the Tea Cup with All Manner of Difficulties

Liu Yaoshi did agree to let Lingxiang go to the front courtyard, but she repeatedly urged that she should only go to seek out the men of the front courtyard one by one, and that there was absolutely no need to make the household a foul-smelling mess again.

Lingxiang naturally agreed, only saying apologetically that she had been rash, and that this time she would certainly not do so, and so on.

She was eager to seek them out one by one!

Although the kitchen matter was something she had done on purpose, it was true that she was dispelling illness and disaster for the Liu family, but she was indeed also calculating to probe Chen Sheng, which was why she had deliberately made such a scene.

Hearing that Lingxiang was going to the front courtyard, Banxia was truly uneasy in her heart; if it were as she said, that Chen Sheng was strange, then he surely could not be a good sort, so if she went, could she handle it?

Liu Xia also felt that this matter was slightly inappropriate; even with Xinyi following, what if the other party was a vicious and murderous person like Huiwu? Wouldn't Lingxiang's action be like a sheep entering a tiger's mouth?

Thus, Liu Xia used the excuse that he was a Yuanqing Disciple and was familiar with the situation on both sides, and recommended himself to guide Lingxiang to seek out the men of the front courtyard one by one.

Seeing such an active Liu Xia, Lingxiang knew that he understood the reason behind it, and without saying anything else, she just nodded and followed him.

Along the way, everyone could be considered to have a tacit understanding; Liu Xia deliberately introduced Lingxiang to the people of the household first, leaving that Chen Sheng for last. He thought that Lingxiang had already spoken her words, and if he did not round things off, if this Chen Sheng really had something unusual about him, he would not be able to answer to his family afterward, would he?

This move was very much to Lingxiang's liking; she only thought that although Liu Xia was straightforward by nature, he was very thorough in handling matters.

It seems Senior Brother Chengxin has indeed taken in a good disciple!

After some tossing and turning, it was finally Chen Sheng's turn; because he was currently only a student of Liu Cishi and had not yet gone through the official channels, he was still living in the guest room of the outer courtyard.

After the two sides exchanged greetings, Liu Xia stated the reason for their visit, and Chen Sheng naturally would not refuse, so he sat on the chair, looking very upright, waiting for Lingxiang to dispel the illness and disaster for him.

But Lingxiang was not in a hurry to step forward; she actually sat on the other side with Chen Sheng and started chatting about everyday matters with him.

"I see that you are of a sturdy build and have a dignified appearance, Young Master. I heard that you are also a martial artist; I imagine your kung fu must be excellent, right?" Lingxiang smiled and fiddled with the sachet in her hand—inside it was the powder of the 'goose-does-not-eat-grass' herb she had processed in the Liu family kitchen.

To say that this Chen Sheng was not particularly handsome, but he was very upright, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, a fleshy nose and a wide mouth, looking like a man of integrity. And his build was just as Lingxiang had said, and it was not just ordinarily sturdy.

Among their group, Xinyi was originally the tallest, but in front of Chen Sheng, he was much inferior—he was a whole head taller than Xinyi; I imagine that even if Ajin were present, he might not be able to surpass this person.

Moreover, this Chen Sheng had broad shoulders and a wide waist, and his martial arts attire was stretched tight over his arms; one could tell at a glance that he possessed immense strength.

When she was standing earlier, compared to him, Lingxiang appeared particularly petite, and now sitting next to him across the small table, she looked even more like a doll.

Hearing Lingxiang's question, Chen Sheng smiled and scratched his head: "Not at all, not at all, I just practiced randomly for a while in my early years; it's all just superficial skill."

"Oh?" Lingxiang raised her eyes to look at Chen Sheng: "Then Young Master Chen is truly remarkable. Just by pondering it yourself, you were able to train such skills. I have heard that Liu Cishi and the young masters of the house are full of praise for your kung fu!"

"The Immortal Mistress is joking. It is all the undeserved praise of my master and the young masters; how could I, Sheng, be worthy of it." Chen Sheng's cheeks turned slightly red, and he scratched his head and laughed again, appearing embarrassed, and the laughter sounded very honest.

"I heard that Young Master Chen has been married?"

Hearing these words, Chen Sheng's eyes became somewhat dim: "Yes, I once took a wife, but she had no good fortune. She caught an illness a few years ago and didn't pull through, and so she passed away just like that."

"It is my fault," Lingxiang said, raising her hand to apologize, "I have a pot of good tea here. Young Master Chen, please have a taste; consider it an apology from this humble Daoist."

Upon hearing this, Chen Sheng hurriedly stood up and waved his hands repeatedly: "The Immortal Mistress is truly shaming me; how could I dare to accept such a thing from the Immortal Mistress."

"Hey~ what is there to dare or not dare? It is this humble Daoist who was wrong; since I was wrong, even if I was wrong, how can there be no reason to apologize?" Lingxiang said, taking the Tea Cup and filling it to the brim, then pushed it toward Chen Sheng, "Could it be that you look down upon me, a person outside the world, or are unwilling to accept an apology from this humble Daoist?"

"This..." Chen Sheng looked at the Tea Cup on the table, appearing troubled, not knowing whether to accept it or not.

And at this moment, Lingxiang spoke again: "Could it be that you think my tea is too shabby?"

"The Immortal Mistress is a person of the Dao, and I am but a common mortal; how can I drink the Immortal Mistress's tea," Chen Sheng said.

"It is just a cup of tea, no need to mind one's status. And I heard that Young Master Chen intends to take the Military Examination next year; this cup of tea can also be considered as wishing Young Master Chen success in the examination and a high rank, it is a lucky tea!" Lingxiang pushed the Tea Cup forward again, "And this tea is brewed with the 'goose-does-not-eat-grass' herb; drinking this tea will dispel illness and eliminate disaster!"

Since things had been said to this point, it would be unreasonable not to accept the tea. Helplessly, Chen Sheng had to pick up the Tea Cup, but he stared at the Tea Cup for a long time before drinking it all in one gulp.

Seeing Chen Sheng drink the tea, Lingxiang smiled: "Hey~ that's it!"

Lingxiang's move was truly a bit aggressive; even Xinyi and Liu Xia, who were on the side, felt it was a bit inappropriate. If this Chen Sheng had a problem, that would be one thing, but if he were just a law-abiding person, they feared he would harbor resentment in the future.

And just at this moment, they heard Lingxiang suddenly speak: "It's not that I'm saying anything, but you've used this trick once or twice unsuccessfully, and yet you still want to use it a third time. But your skill in covering up lies is not up to par; every time I can see through the trick, you really haven't learned any lesson at all."

"Immortal Mistress... what does this mean?" Chen Sheng had a look of confusion on his face.

"As far as I know, the Cishi's wife, to prevent any changes in the marriage of the eldest daughter of the Liu family, specifically instructed that the fact that Liu Cishi had fallen ill was not to be told to her. Since it is a marriage, it is a matter between two people; I imagine she certainly would not have told you either. But just now, when my junior nephew told the whole story, I didn't see a trace of surprise on your face. Isn't this strange?"

"I have inquired; Liu Cishi has spent a long time with you, and even drank and enjoyed feasts together several times. There is no reason he would catch the epidemic cough while you remained safe and sound. Even if this epidemic cough is not a major plague, if you eat at the same table, you will inevitably catch the illness, even if you use serving chopsticks, it is no exception."

"Unless..." Lingxiang looked at Chen Sheng but did not continue.

And Chen Sheng remained silent, not interrupting Lingxiang, just keeping his head down; one could not see the expression on his face at all.

"Unless this illness was originally passed by you to Liu Cishi, or rather, you deliberately caused Liu Cishi to catch this illness, is that so or not?"

"Guihua!"