## AST 955 – Hu Yanlin, Meeting Lady Duanmu

He was surprised that a slightly cold woman like her would also marry someone. Qing Shui also had an especially favorable opinion towards that seemingly simple and honest man when he saw him.

“Yanlin, this is Qing Shui. A friend of mine and my mother.”

“Qing Shui, this is my husband. Hu Yanlin.” Duanmu Lingshuang introduced them to each other. She was a lot more cheerful now than before.

“Hello!”

The two of them greeted each other and Qing Shui was checking the man in front of him out. He should be slightly older than himself. He wasn’t really handsome, but he appeared to be good-natured and seemed like a dependable man.

He was a fatherly man. Qing Shui could understand now why Duanmu Lingshuang was willing to marry this man who didn’t seem to be particularly handsome. He could feel that this man could tolerate everything from just one look.

For a lady like her, she had quite a lot of promising young men pursuing her. But she wasn’t interested in any of them. Qing Shui had only interacted with her a little in the past and had never considered any possibilities between them. There were plenty of fine and beautiful women and he had never thought of possessing all of them. However, after he saw this man, he understood how great a family’s influence was to the growth of a child.

This man didn’t have a powerful cultivation and on top of that, his cultivation seemed to be a little all over the place. This was what Qing Shui had sensed through his spiritual sense. Most importantly, this man didn’t look like he was a member of any aristocrat clans. A noble couldn’t be nurtured in three generations. He couldn’t sense even the inner arrogance of an aristocrat in him.

It was merely a feeling he had.

On top of that, he was still a peak Martial King cultivator. To Qing Shui, he was a little pitiful. Furthermore, he seemed to be very bad at controlling the Qi stance and energy in his body. The man that Duanmu Lingshuang had found was indeed surprising.

“Is this a lad or a lass?” Qing Shui looked at the delicate little fellow and asked with a smile.

“A lad, a lad!” Hu Yanlin chuckled.

Qing Shui took out a brocade box that contained a strange fruit and passed it to the man. “Consider this a gift to the little fellow.”

“This….” Hu Yanlin looked at Qing Shui in bewilderment and then looked towards Duanmu Lingshuang.

“Just accept it. Keep it so that the little fellow can eat it in the future. It can increase his physique.” Qing Shui pushed it into the arms of the man. He was very fond of this good-natured man.

Qing Shui didn’t know if this man was lucky or unlucky. For someone like him to be able to marry a woman like Duanmu Lingshuang, it wasn’t too much to say that he had the blessing of three lifetimes.

He must have eaten something good for his strength to skyrocket like this. Even if he married Duanmu Lingshuang, he must’ve been mocked and gossiped about behind his back quite a lot because Qing Shui could see it from the looks of the guards.

If even the guards from Duanmu Clan were looking at him this way, he could imagine that it was probably worse for the outsiders.

He was able to conclude that this man’s cultivation had never reached the Xiantian realm before after he sensed his aura. Thus, he also came to the conclusion that he wasn’t the son of an aristocrat clan.

Life is like a play; fortune favors the fool or the good will be well-rewarded!

“Miss Lingshuang, is the Lady around?”

“Mother is around. Let us go in!” Duanmu Lingshuang answered. The three of them then made their way towards the Duanmu Residence.

They continued walking towards that familiar-looking courtyard. He saw that gorgeous silhouette at a distance. It was still as gracefully refined as ever. That silhouette bore an indescribable charm.

“Mother!”

“Mother!”

Duanmu Lingshuang and Hu Yanlin greeted Lady Duanmu. Compared to Duanmu Lingshuang’s joy, Hu Yanlin’s greeting was more of a form of respect.

“You’ve return.Yong’er has fallen asleep already.” Lady Duanmu nodded at them with a smile and then gestured towards the little fellow who was sleeping soundly.

However, Lady Duanmu’s gaze unintentionally fell on Qing Shui, who wasn’t standing too far away. She had mistaken him for a Duanmu Residence guard earlier, so she didn’t think much or paid any attention to him either.

But now she saw him. By the time she discovered that he was Qing Shui, he was looking at her with a smile. That familiar young face was still so familiar to her, only that it looked more mature than before….

Duanmu Lingshuang held her child, as she excused herself from Lady Duanmu with Hu Yanlin. “Mother, I’m sending Yong’er to the bedroom. Qing Shui, you go and have a nice talk with mother first.”

“Sure!’ Qing Shui nodded his head with a smile.

Hu Yanlin nodded back at Qing Shui with a smile and then left with Duanmu Lingshuang.

Lady Duanmu smilingly watched them leave before turning to Qing Shui. “What brings you here all of a sudden?”

“Am I not welcome?” Qing Shui laughed, as he looked at Lady Duanmu. She was still as graceful as ever.

“Come in and have a seat. It’s been so many years. I am very happy to see you again.” Lady Duanmu gave him a smile before turning around and making her way inside the house along with Qing Shui.

Qing Shui happily followed Lady Duanmu into the living room. It had been a very long time since he last came here, but he still remembered. The decorations here weren’t much different from how they were before.

“Miss Lingshuang has married?” Qing Shui asked after taking a seat.

“Yes, they got married two years ago.” Lady Duanmu replied with a smile. However, Qing Shui could feel slight worries in that smile.

“That man seems quite decent,” Qing Shui said while looking at Lady Duanmu.

“This was decreed by fate. Yanlin was an orphan who had grown up in the mountains and possessed great physical strength. Back then when Lingshuang went to the mountains in search of medicinal herbs, a mountain tiger attacked her. Actually, this mountain tiger wouldn’t be able to harm Lingshuang, but Yanlin happened to pass by and stopped the mountain tiger bravely. But in the end, it was still Lingshuang who saved him. Perhaps this is fate. The lass who had never shown a pleasant expression to any man all this time actually told me that she wanted to marry this man.” Lady Duanmu also sighed when she shared the story up to this point.

“You feel that he isn’t worthy of Miss Lingshuang?” Qing Shui smiled at Lady Duanmu.

Lady Duanmu shook her head. “It has nothing to do with worthy or unworthy, only willing or unwilling. I worry about their future. Yanlin isn’t really liked within the Duanmu Clan, let alone outsiders. But he loves Lingshuang very much, so he can endure anything. He has been cultivating painstakingly every single day and had consumed an ‘Earth Fruit’ in between. In just two short years, he is already a peak Martial King cultivator. It’s a pity that he’s a little weak in controlling his strength.” Lady Duanmu explained. Qing Shui couldn’t tell how she felt.

She threw Qing Shui a couple of strange glances in between, puzzling Qing Shui. Lady Duanmu knew that her daughter had some feelings towards Qing Shui in the past. But after her daughter knew that he already had a few women, she felt that he was no different from those profligate sons. As time passed, all her feelings had basically faded from her memories. Yet Lady Duanmu couldn’t forget about him. Qing Shui had left her a lasting mark that was too deep.

“Then why do I sense that madam still seemed to be a little concerned?” Qing Shui looked at the woman opposite of him. What happened before was a mistake. In addition to not meeting for all these years, the heart that had lost its warmth had grown even colder.

“Lingshuang told me that the man she wants to marry can only have her alone as his woman. She said she wanted to find someone like her father; a man who has only one woman. But men who are slightly capable usually have many wives. I will support her no matter what her decision is. Although Yanlin’s cultivation and aptitude were slightly inferior, he has a great personality.” Lady Duanmu shook her head.

Qing Shui’s face burned a little. He knew that Lady Duanmu had merely pointed out the fact and that it wasn’t directed at him. Even so, he still felt a little awkward. When he thought about how Duanmu Lingshuang was looking for a man who would marry only her, he agreed with what Lady Duanmu had pointed out. Most sons from aristocrat clans that were slightly powerful had been married through connections and even if they hadn’t, they had quite a few women setting their eyes on them. A person who could be righteous alone in a community where the general moral tone was low was as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns. The power of beauty was no less inferior to a Martial Emperor cultivator……

“Madam, what weapon does Hu Yanlin use?” Qing Shui asked pensively when he recalled his big and strong body.

“He only uses a heavy hammer for now.”

“Alright, I have something suitable for him here. I’ll pass it to you later so you can give it to him.” Qing Shui remembered that his other Thunder God also had hammer skills. He was very fond of that man, so he had decided to help him out and let those who had mocked him slap their own mouths.

“I can’t possibly accept that!” Lady Duanmu said reluctantly.

“Am I not your friend?” Qing Shui smiled while looking at Lady Duanmu’s graceful and lovely face that showed no signs of aging.

Her face turned crimson. She was a traditional woman and she couldn’t forget about the ‘mistake’ from that time. Her heart was very restless when she looked at the man who had matured so much since then.

She had hoped that Qing Shui would never come to find her again, so that she could slowly forget about the incident as time went by. This wasn’t too bad of a choice and was also the most peaceful route she could take.

“I have always considered you a friend. Are you and your clan still well?” Lady Duanmu lifted her head up to look at Qing Shui.

“We’re still well. How about you? Do you have any troubles? Perhaps I can lend you an ear.” Qing Shui offered, seemingly casual about it.

However, Lady Duanmu could tell that he wasn’t just casually talking about it when she saw the look on his face. Lingshuang and she were orphan and widow. Although she was the head of Duanmu Clan, she knew that the people of Duanmu Clan weren’t close to them. It wasn’t like she wanted to monopolize the position of a clan’s head, but Duanmu Clan had no other potential candidates who could be capable of shouldering this burden.

She had worries, but she had no one to confide in. She wasn’t going to tell her daughter because she didn’t want any unhappiness to befall her.

“I’ve been good too. What have you been busy with?”

………

They chatted leisurely, like how friends that hadn’t seen each other for more than two years would do. Time passed by and before they realized it, it was about noon time.

“You should stay a few days longer at the Duanmu Residence over this visit. You were in a hurry last time. I’m taking you to look around here this time,” Lady Duanmu suggested with a smile.

“Ruyan!”

Qing Shui called out softly.

Lady Duanmu’s body quivered as she looked towards Qing Shui, flustered.

“I am serious about the things I told you just now. The decision lies in your hands. We are friends no matter what. Best friends. Regardless of what your decision is and when you will make your decision, I won’t force you. I hope that you will think about me when you are in trouble. I am willing to do anything for you.” Qing Shui was looking at Lady Duanmu, who was slightly flustered.

“Thank you, I will.” Lady Duanmu smiled after hesitating for a moment. Her smile was a bit more relaxed this time.

After another moment passed, Duanmu Lingshuang came to the entrance with her child in her arms and called them to a meal.

“Where’s Yanlin? Is he still cultivating?” Lady Duanmu asked, when she gently took the child over from Duanmu Lingshuang’s arms.

“Yes, he is practicing his fists techniques in the rear courtyard. He told us not to wait for him. Yanlin told me to apologize to Qing Shui on his behalf,” Duanmu Lingshuang said apologetically.

“Oh, practicing his fists techniques? I shall go take a look. I’m not hungry anyway. The last meal was not so long ago.”

“Then let us all go take a look. Call those two servants here and tell them to keep the dishes warm.”

Qing Shui was startled before he let out a laugh. “Well then, let’s go take a look together.”