Chapter 74

Cheng Liunian was staring at Bai Shuxuan when Bai Shuxuan seemed to notice something. Turning his head toward Cheng Liunian, he blinked his beautiful eyes and then smiled warmly.

Not a word was spoken, yet it felt as if everything had been said.

Cheng Liunian only felt that just by seeing Bai Shuxuan’s smile, all the gloom in his heart had been swept away.

Cheng Liunian stared for a while before he was lost in thought again.

Lin Cheng noticed Cheng Liunian’s gaze and saw gratitude, fondness, infatuation, and deep love in his eyes as he looked at Bai Shuxuan…

Just a glance at Cheng Liunian’s expression gave Lin Cheng goosebumps all over.

It was he who had infused Qi into him, so why was this beggar grateful to Bai Shuxuan instead?

Lin Cheng couldn’t understand what Cheng Liunian was thinking.

But he didn’t care either.

The rain gradually eased.

The sky looked as if it had been cleansed of a layer of dust. Water on the road was splashed up by horse hooves, creating little fountains that sprayed in all directions.

The breeze after the rain was fragrant with the scent of mud and the coolness of rainwater, brushing against the face and involuntarily relaxing one’s mood.

After the rain stopped, Cheng Liunian’s mood also improved significantly.

Although the journey had been somewhat miserable, particularly with Lin Cheng daring to leave him hanging in mid-air, allowing the rain to beat wildly against his face.

Still, Cheng Liunian felt that traveling with Bai Shuxuan was a blissful matter.

This was an opportunity.

To see a person clearly.

To find someone who truly cared and liked him.

That wasn’t so bad.

Cheng Liunian looked at Bai Shuxuan with adoration, feeling his soul had taken the shape of Bai Shuxuan.

At that moment, the sound of horse hooves suddenly stopped.

A manor appeared ahead.

White Deer Manor, located at the foot of Taihang Mountain and belonging to Duke Zhen’s Mansion, was home to people who for three generations had raised Spiritual Deer for the mansion, providing a large quantity of high-quality Spiritual Meat and deer milk.

In White Deer Manor, every house was built from local stones and wood, each carrying a rustic and innocent beauty.

After the rain, the fields of White Deer Manor were rich with greener grass, and the golden rapeseed flowers glistened in the sunlight, while the air was filled with the earthy scent of the damp soil.

Cheng Liunian stared blankly at the White Deer Manor before him.

He had arrived at White Deer Manor just a few days ago.

He had traveled hard and finally was closer to the Capital city.

And now, following Qing Luan, he had returned to White Deer Manor?

Cheng Liunian’s face turned sour, unable to accept this outcome, but he couldn’t say anything about it either.

After all, it was he who had insisted on joining Qing Luan and the others.

It wasn’t that others had asked him to come.

He had grievances but couldn’t voice them, only able to keep them to himself.

Here, no one treated him as the true Princely Heir.

“We’re here, let’s go.”

Upon arriving at White Deer Manor, Qing Luan dismounted.

Before long, a grey-robed elder followed by several middle-aged men in simple clothing greeted them.

“Miss Qing Luan, we have prepared a separate courtyard for you.”

“The Spirit Food you asked us to prepare that can nourish the blood and Qi have also been arranged. You may use them as you please, Miss Qing Luan. If it’s not enough, I can go and fetch some more,” said the Village Head of White Deer Manor, smiling. Even though he was over a hundred years old and slightly stooped, he still appeared robust, and his deep eyes still twinkled with vitality.

He looked every part the accomplished mystic.

In front of the Village Head of White Deer Manor, Qing Luan posed no airs and simply nodded with a smile in acknowledgment.

“Thank you. When I return, I will speak favorably of you to the Princely Heir,” Qing Luan said with a hint of promise, and the Village Head, Lv Changshou, immediately showed a slight smile, nodding his head.

“That’s good, our White Deer Manor asks for nothing more than for the Princely Heir to hold up the great beam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion,” Lü Changshou said with sincerity.

“Certainly,” Qing Luan replied with a smile.

“Let’s cut the small talk then, Miss Qing Luan, this way, please.”

Lv Changshou stepped aside, bowed slightly, and gestured for Qing Luan and the others to come inside.

His gaze then fell upon the people behind Qing Luan.

Seeing Lin Cheng was one thing.

But seeing Cheng Liunian, his expression faltered, revealing a strange look.

Wasn’t this the lad who had capitalized on his resemblance to the Princely Heir to impersonate him at White Deer Manor?

Why had he come back?

And he had been brought back by the young lady??

Perplexed and with a trace of confusion, Lv Changshou looked at Qing Luan and quietly asked, “Miss Qing Luan, why have you brought this beggar back?”

Qing Luan didn’t elaborate and simply replied in a subdued tone,

“You shouldn’t ask about this.”

This made Lv Changshou blink, sensing that this was an order directly from the Princely Heir.

After all, who didn’t know that Qing Luan was the Princely Heir’s personal maiden?

If Qing Luan had personally come to carry out this task, it must certainly be a command issued by the Princely Heir himself.

Lv Changshou asked no further questions and led Qing Luan and her party towards White Deer Manor.

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, after winding through several alleys, they arrived at a courtyard.

The courtyard was not large, slightly bigger than the average farmhouse, and under the eaves outside the courtyard gate, food similar to corn, radiant and golden, was hung to dry, aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

The place seemed to have been recently inhabited, but it was now temporarily vacated.

Qing Luan wasn’t concerned about the setting. Keeping Cheng Guang’s instructions in mind, she pushed open the door and saw that the courtyard was already stocked with plenty of Spirit Food for nourishing the blood and Qi, and she nodded slightly in satisfaction.