Chapter 101: Fan Xian

After resolving matters with the Herbal King Sun Simiao, Lin Yu returned to his previous peaceful and pleasant daily life.

In the Yun family’s back courtyard, his status was utterly revered; even the young maids knew he carried valuable items, and they flocked around him eagerly, allowing him to prematurely enjoy the joys of family.

Xiao Dong had endured too much hardship in the past and loved money; she diligently massaged his shoulders and pounded his back, then held up an empty jar, softly begging him for payment—no one knew who had taught her that.

Fortunately, Lin Yu had no shortage of gold, silver, or jewels; a single glittering gem tossed casually could keep Xiao Dong delighted all day.

Xiao Ya and Xiao Nan loved food; they had once adored Yun Ye’s cooking, but after meeting Lin Yu, they were swiftly enchanted by the various candies he brought.

Now, all these candies had been divided among them, each hoarding many and hiding them in their chambers.

When Yun Ye discovered this, he immediately seized all the candies under his brotherly authority and confiscated them, making Xiao Ya furious—she refused to speak to him for half a day.

Yun Ye even blamed Lin Yu, saying he should have never brought candies from next door, fearing exactly this outcome.

Lin Yu had never raised a normal child and knew he was in the wrong, so he planted spiritual seeds for the girls, assuring them they would never rot their teeth.

Though slightly speechless at such an overbearing solution, Yun Ye was glad it worked.

Xiao Xi and Xiao Bei loved wielding swords and spears; after hearing Yun Ye say Lin Yu was highly skilled in martial arts, they constantly pestered him, begging to learn even a single move.

Unable to resist their coaxing, Lin Yu selected a few simple techniques from his collection and taught them to the two girls.

Notably, knowledge of cultivation techniques was shared within the chat group.

Yun Ye also possessed martial arts manuals from other worlds, but he was lazy and preferred to cultivate the Dao rather than train in martial arts, so he had never learned any of them and had no qualification to teach his sisters.

Lin Yu himself had not studied much either, but his realm was high enough—he could master any martial art from just one glance.

With only a few minutes of effort, he could transform from a complete novice into a master who had perfected the martial path…

As for the remaining three girls, Da Ya was gentle and endearing, too shy to join in the younger ones’ antics.

Runniang and Yiniang were the oldest; according to the old grandmother, a few more years of raising them would make them ready for good marriages.

At this age of budding romance, they naturally could not play with Xiao Ya and the others, and felt too embarrassed to cling to Lin Yu like their younger sisters.

Fortunately, Lin Yu did not forget them; whenever he brought something valuable, he had Xiao Ya deliver an equal share to them.

Moreover, he told the three girls outright that he would surely attend their weddings in the future…

Though only three days had passed, Lin Yu was quite satisfied with the Yun family’s daily life.

Especially these girls, each with their own distinct personalities, added rich color to his vacation.

Of course, beyond daily routines, this final day was not without incident.

For instance, several dukes close to Yun Ye sent their sons to visit with gifts—ostensibly to pay respects to Yun Ye, but in truth, they subtly probed Lin Yu’s identity.

In the end, apart from Cheng Chumo, Yun Ye’s closest friend, all others returned empty-handed, learning nothing.

As for Cheng Chumo, son of Cheng Yaojin, his bond with Yun Ye was indeed deep; upon seeing Lin Yu, he showed no pretense and immediately knelt down, begging to become his disciple.

After Lin Yu refused, Cheng Chumo was not surprised; he brushed off his knees, stood up, and changed his address to “Senior Brother Lin,” explaining that seeking initiation was actually his father’s assigned task, and begged Lin Yu not to blame him.

Lin Yu did not dislike Cheng Chumo’s nature; though he did not take him as a disciple, he allowed him to train alongside Xiao Xi and Xiao Bei, teaching him a few moves.

Thus, the three days passed swiftly, and Lin Yu formally bid farewell to Yun Ye and the girls, returning to his own world.

【Fan Xian: How’s it going? Did you find the coordinates of the Tang Zhuan world?】

【Lin Yu: No, only a general direction—I estimate it’ll take another month to lock the position.】

【Su Haoming: That short?】

【Su Haoming: Why is my world five years?】

【Yun Ye: First time’s a struggle, second time’s easy~】

【Yun Ye: My world’s closer than yours, and Brother Lin’s methods must have improved too.】

【Fan Xian: @Lin Yu, Brother Lin, Old Yun’s already been there—now it’s my turn, right?】

【Lin Yu: You’ve got time free?】

【Fan Xian: Don’t say that—I’ve already swept the mat and waited!】

【He Jing: Hope it’s really swept [emoji]】

【Fan Xian: The mat’s real!】

【Fan Xian: Just tell me whose mat—I’d even sweep the Princess’s!】

【Everyone: …】

【Lin Yu: Stop fooling around—I’m ready. You can invite me anytime.】

【Fan Xian: Good. Once I finish what’s before me, I’ll invite Brother Lin over immediately!】

Closing the chat group, Fan Xian’s smile vanished; he raised his hand, pulled back the curtain, and gazed coldly outside the carriage.

The scene shifted from inside the carriage to outside: Fan Xian rode in a carriage, guarded closely by his personal bodyguard Teng Zijing, heading toward the Liujing River in western Jingcheng.

Besides the driver, Teng Zijing, three other guards rode inside the carriage.

These three were Fan Xian’s own recruits, not appointed by his adoptive father Fan Jian as in the original story.

Since learning the broad plot of Qing Yu Nian, Fan Xian had begun cultivating his own power.

The Surveillance Bureau was too conspicuous, and Chen Pingping already guarded it for him, so he avoided meddling there.

Instead, he chose another path: starting from scratch, recruiting retainers, and gathering talent by any means necessary.

As the son of the Marquis of Sinan, recruiting retainers was not difficult for him—though his concubine Liu Ruyu might grumble about his illegitimate status, whispering complaints into his father’s ear at night.

Fortunately, Fan Xian needed few retainers; in the end, he recruited only three martial artists.

Everyone, including Liu Ruyu, assumed Fan Xian was simply hiring reliable bodyguards, so they paid no mind—only Fan Jian thought the outsiders were too weak and privately advised Fan Xian to accept his arrangements.

Little did they know, Fan Xian specifically wanted these underwhelming, unfulfilled martial artists.

Take the three guards in the carriage: one was a neglected swordsman, another a disabled veteran discharged from the frontlines.

All were limited by their talents; no matter how hard they worked, they gained no return, only deep despair.

Under such circumstances, a noble-born young master suddenly appeared, offering them treatment beyond their station and hope for martial advancement—naturally earning their utmost loyalty.

Of course, not everyone is grateful; the world also holds ungrateful wolves.

Fortunately, Fan Xian had many choices; such mediocre martial artists were everywhere in the martial-minded state of Qing.

The three guards now beside him were the three he had carefully selected as most suitable to become his trusted confidants…

Back to the matter: Fan Xian’s carriage passed through Changjie, crossed Wangchun Gate, and arrived at Niulan Street.

Niulan Street had few residences, only a few dilapidated shops from years past, earning it the nickname “Ruined Gate Shops.”

It was quiet—no pedestrians at any hour, truly the perfect spot for an ambush.

In the original story, Fan Xian deliberately smeared his reputation to break off his arranged political marriage by going drinking with Prince Jing’s heir Li Hongcheng at Liujing River, then sneaking off at midnight to beat up Guo Baokun, the son of the Minister of Rites, on Niulan Street.

But in this timeline, Fan Xian learned his fiancée’s identity early and avoided those foolish acts.

Moreover, to avoid the original dilemma, he had actively courted favor at the Chancellor’s mansion.

Aside from Lin Waner, the illegitimate daughter, his chancellor father-in-law Lin Ruofu had two sons.

The eldest, Lin Dabao, had suffered a severe illness as a child that burned his brain, halting all cognitive development—he remained mentally a child.

The second son, Lin Gong, was regarded by Lin Ruofu as the future heir of the Lin family.

Unfortunately, though Lin Gong’s intellect was normal, it was merely average.

In the original story, he was manipulated by the Princess, secretly orchestrating the Niulan Street assassination without his father’s knowledge, and died a mysterious death as a result.

In short, all of Fan Xian’s early troubles stemmed from Lin Gong.

To prevent this from repeating, he personally visited Chancellor Lin, using his foresight and his gentle treatment of Lin Dabao to successfully gain favor with both father and son.

Of course, Lin Ruofu was a seasoned political fox, and Lin Gong already held a negative impression of him; even if some favor was gained, it could not alter their future judgments.

Thus, while gaining favor, Fan Xian also revealed to Chancellor Lin that Lin Gong had secretly colluded with the Princess.

Lin Ruofu showed no immediate reaction, but after Fan Xian left, he immediately summoned Lin Gong back to the Chancellor’s mansion and ordered him to confine himself in reflection.

Thanks to this, Lin Gong remained locked inside the Chancellor’s mansion, unable to plan the Niulan Street incident.

Yet even so, Fan Xian still received an invitation from the Second Prince, just as in the original story.

Gazing at the silent Niulan Street outside the carriage, Fan Xian’s face remained calm, but he sighed inwardly:

“Second Brother, Second Brother—I gave you a chance. If, without Lin Gong, I still get ambushed here, then don’t blame me for holding you responsible…”

Suddenly, Fan Xian twitched his nose, catching an extremely faint sweetness.

Having learned poison from Fei Jie since childhood, he knew instantly—it was the scent of Ku Ren Alkali, a poison extracted from frog skin.

“Here it comes again…”

Fan Xian sighed softly, lowered his arm, closed the curtain, and said calmly: “Go. Kill them all except the two female swordswomen.”

“Yes!”

The three guards bowed respectfully, then leapt from the carriage.

(End of Chapter)