475 Crazy in Name (1/2)

On the ground floor of the building, a middle-aged man wearing a turban in a loose robe was pacing up and down. He seemed a little anxious, looking up at the landing on the stairs from time to time.

He had a very prominent long face and he had a handsome beard. He was brimming with energy and his steps were purposeful. However, he also had a measure of fear about him, which was seldom seen in a master.

A look of surprise flickered across his face. He stepped forward rapidly, ”Second Young Master...”

He stopped halfway through what he was saying, gave a small start and then his tone changed to a sigh, ”Second Young Master, you've grown up so much...”

Meng Qi had on a green robe, and from his waist was slung his long saber. His steps were leisurely and in harmony with heaven and earth. His features were now fully formed. He looked handsome and masculine, however one could, at times, still see some of the boyish charm.

This long-faced man was the very same man Meng Qi first saw when he awoke from time-travel, naturally the impression was memorable. He descended slowly, his hands behind his back displaying a neutral smile, ”Indeed, now I can roam all over Jianghu and do whatever I please.”

The long-faced man blushed as these were the same words he had said to comfort the Second Young Master when he had awoken. Now they were a reality!

”I, I ...” he mumbled, he did not know what to say.

Meng Qi did not mean to open old wounds here. He had simply borrowed the words to verify that this was the same man and allow the long-faced man to know it was him. As such, no more was said on that subject and reverted back to courtesy as he inquired, ”I wonder who it is that requests my company?”

The long-faced man calmed down and spoke with respect, ”In response to the Second Young Master, naturally it is the Duke, oh, and the Fifth Duke.”

Fifth Duke Su, the Golden Eye Arrester Su Yue, was one of the Eight Distinguished Super Arresters, and only a step away from grandmaster.

Meng Qi asked calmly, ”Shall we go?” His hands still behind his back, he passed by as if he was off to some trivial engagement.

With a look of joyful surprise, the long-faced man exclaimed, ”So you accept, Second Young Master?”

He had considered that the Second Young Master's wandering these last few years was sufficient proof that he harbored resentment and had no desire to go home. As such he had prepared a lot of rhetoric to convince him with, ranging from how it benefited him to how blood was thicker than water. He had not considered that he would ask one question and be agreed to just like that!

It was simply bizarre!

”I wonder if my mother's grave is now covered in weeds...” Meng Qi asked rhetorically with a sigh.

Due to his Master also being his matriarchal uncle, and their relationship a close one, he was naturally closer to the relatives on his mother's side of the family.

The long-faced man hurriedly replied, ”Why? The burial land is part of the household, naturally there are servants that tend to it, in spite of the fact that the woman from the matriarchal branch being unable to enter the ancestral graves herself.”

Now he had some form of an answer to his confusion just now. It turned out the Second Young Master had not entirely let go of his resentment, rather he wished to come along and sweep her grave more than anything else.

A blue shirt flapped slightly in the wind on the figure ahead. They watched Meng Qi approach with his staid and leisurely steps. One could sense his movements were naturally fluid. The long-faced gentleman could not help but let out a gasp, in just a few years the Second Young Master had turned into a genuine master. One whom could roam all over Jianghu, and yet the moniker he had really did not fit with what he saw in front of him now.

Although he had not yet broken the barrier between heaven and man to become an expert of the Exterior, in observing his consummate Oneness of Heaven and Men, it was easy to believe that it was not far off.

The long-faced man himself was an expert at opening the Nine Apertures, plus he often saw the Su clan's Exterior, as such he was able to somewhat assess Meng Qi's realm. However, he could not sense that Meng Qi had misleadingly set about concealing the fact that he had already achieved the return to one's original state.

...

Aboard the carriage, Meng Qi sat in silence like a master with his eyes half closed. The long-faced man, unable to make conversation, could only look out the window as the carriage approached the town center. It was on its way to Duke Mightiness' Mansion on Taiping lane, at the edge of the royal city.

The Su clan spanned five generations, the Manor had grown rather large, almost taking up half of Taiping lane. Above the gate was a horizontal board with gold writing on a black background, rumored to have been inscribed by the emperor back in the day. On it was written”Duke Mightiness' Mansion”.

Aristocratic families had their own rules, if one was not an extremely distinguished person, then one was not permitted to enter through the central gate. They had to enter through the smaller gate which now accepted Meng Qi.

Meng Qi saw screen walls, patios, courtyards and pavilions appear one by one, but to him they were in no way familiar. So he continued playing his master routine, and with his hands behind his back, he followed behind the long-face man taking those characteristic footsteps of his.

”Second Young Master, besides the occasional changing of the flowers around the place, the house is exactly as when you were last here.” The long-faced man attempted to evoke Meng Qi's sense of familial ties by bringing his attention to the familiar surroundings.

Meng Qi said placidly, ”And your intention here is to remind me that I shouldn't forget about my having left?”

The long-faced man was speechless and dared not say another word for fear of it having the opposite effect to what he intended.

Meng Qi was not really taking anything out on him, as he really did not know what else to say. It was easier to just shut him up like that so that he would not give the facade away.

The passing maids and servants gave them curious looks. The Duke deeply trusted uncle Zhong and seldom saw guests personally. Who was this young man who could command such respect?

”Eh, he looks a little like the Duke.” A diminutive maid said in a low voice.

”A little, but even more, even more than that he resemble that woman...” A matronly like maid seemed to recall something.

”Could it be, could it be...?” Everybody seemed to know suddenly that this was the same man who had arrived in Luoyang and caused quite a stir!

The matronly maid looked serious as she said, ”Don't any of you speak of this, we mustn't anger the lady of the house.”

Everything they had said Meng Qi had heard. He went about scanning the interior of the mansion covertly.

After stepping through a door into a courtyard, a man and a woman appeared ahead. He had a large and commanding presence and remarkable features; his eyebrows were sharp, and his broad face resembled that of a tiger. Guessing his age, he was likely not yet 20.

The woman had thick eyebrows above an elegant nose. Her hair seemed to have been put up before it had grown long enough and she had big eyes. Overall, her features were fine and delicate. She was wearing a pink dress and the way she stood allowed her to be hidden behind the young man. Her eyes flicked across Meng Qi as she tried to steal glances, but she appeared a little embarrassed about it.

Fearing that Meng Qi had been away from home too many years and would not recognize his kin, the long-faced man blurted out, ”This is the Fourth Young Master, who is the second son of the Fifth Master and who has adopted the duchess' name now. And this is the Sixth Miss, your younger sister.”

Adopted the name? Meng Qi was slightly shocked, but instantly understood. Duke Su only had two sons, one of which had become a monk, and the other afflicted by an incurable illness and had seizures from time to time. According to tradition this meant there was no one else to inherit the title, which only left the option of someone taking the other name for impartation purposes.