The waiter and the shopkeeper also died on the spot, freed from the misfortune of having their arms cut off. The drinkers had already run away. Zhao Changhe looked around and curled his lips: "Just now someone said that he would treat me to a drink when he saw me. He ran faster than a rabbit."
He simply took the non-toxic wine and meat from other people's tables, sat in the middle of the tavern and ate them heartily, as if that person had treated him.
A clear laugh came from outside: "There are fights in the martial arts world, and there are corpses everywhere. Who dares to sit here and drink? How about I treat you?"
Zhao Changhe didn't even raise his head: "Mr. Cui, aren't you a decent person too?"
Cui Yuanyong sat opposite and said with a smile: "Maybe not."
"So who is inviting whom now? It turns out that the young man from a wealthy family is eating for free, he is indeed not a decent person." Zhao Changhe poured him a glass of wine: "Where is your sister? Why are you alone? It's fine to invite her to dinner, but it seems a bit strange to invite you."
Cui Yuanyong smiled slightly: "Why, are you interested in her?"
"Forget it, I'm not interested in idiots." Zhao Changhe rolled his eyes: "But no matter how stupid she is, she is still a cute girl, pleasing to the eyes. You are almost as handsome as me, which makes me even more uncomfortable."
Cui Yuanyong laughed dumbly and said, "I think you are resistant because I suspect I have some friendship with Yue Hongling, right?"
Zhao Changhe chewed the beef and looked Cui Yuanyong up and down for a long while, then suddenly smiled: "I dare not say whether you like her or not, but I know she won't like you, so there is nothing to resist."
Cui Yuanyong was a little curious: "Oh? Why are you so sure? Because you think she likes you?"
"No." Zhao Changhe shook his head: "Her heart is in the martial arts world, and I don't know when she will want to return home. Anyway, she doesn't belong to anyone now, no matter you or me."
Cui Yuanyong smiled: "Why do I feel the same way about you? Whether it's Xia Chichi or Yue Hongling."
Zhao Changhe had a blank expression on his face: "If the person who knows me so well is your sister, maybe we can have a chat. What do you want to do by knowing me so well? I heard that your family often has that kind of atmosphere..."
Cui Yuanyong looked into Zhao Changhe's eyes, unable to tell whether he agreed with his judgment or just laughed it off. Cui Yuanyong did not get to the bottom of it, but just smiled and said, "That kind of atmosphere is not limited to aristocratic families. In fact, it is more prevalent in many mountain villages. Perhaps Village Master Zhao is more familiar with it."
Zhao Changhe: “…Fuck.”
Cui Yuanyong finally raised his glass and said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Cui Yuanyong."
"Nice to meet you." Zhao Changhe also raised his glass and clinked it with others to show that he was friendly.
He had been planning to ask Yue Hongling to introduce him to one or two families before. He didn't want to have a tense atmosphere with anyone. These families were related to his fake prince's future and the decryption of the world background. He still hoped to have a good exchange with them.
Especially this guy doesn't seem to be annoying. He fought a gentleman's battle with Yue Hongling, and stopped at the right time. They both had a sense of sympathy for each other. Afterwards, he thought Yue Hongling had been caught by bandits, and he came to rescue her with injuries. After that, he didn't spread the news that the wife of the bandit leader was Yue Hongling herself... So far, Zhao Changhe has a very good impression of him.
Moreover, Cui Yuanyong helped him to shoulder a responsibility intentionally or unintentionally... That night, he tied up all the people from Beimang Mountain Stronghold and took them to the government office of Mangshan City, announcing that this group of bandits who had once dominated the city had been wiped out by the government, and the local government had made a great contribution.
This incident may make people think that Zhao Changhe has sided with the Cui family, and killing Fang Buping is to pave the way for the Cui family, but at the same time, the Cui family has taken down the "mastermind", and the Blood God Cult and even the Four Symbols Cult will focus their attention on the Cui family. If others want to deal with Zhao Changhe, they have to consider the attitude of the Cui family.
All along the way, there were only villains plotting against me, and I didn't see many decent people. This was also related to this. The fake prince thing only existed in Xia Chichi's and my imagination so far. Others might not think so. In fact, the decent people are worried about the Cui family now. This is the truth...
At present, since everyone knows that he started from Beimang, his location is clear. If others want to block him, they can always catch fish by blocking him on the main roads around Beimang, so there are many thorns along the way. But as the pace gets farther, it becomes more difficult for others to locate him. If Cui Yuanyong can help cover up a little, then he won’t have to be so tense in the future, like he has been in the past few days. He is so nervous when he sees a beggar or a waiter. To be honest, this kind of life is unbearable. If I hadn’t read a lot of martial arts novels and paid attention to this kind of routine, I might have been fooled a long time ago...
So it wasn't their first meeting. The brother and sister had been following them for several days, and Zhao Changhe had seen Cui Yuanyong's face many times. I don't know why they didn't come to talk to each other, but came to drink today.
The two clinked glasses and drank them. Cui Yuanyong took out a silk scarf and wiped his mouth slowly: "Isn't it strange that we have been following you for a few days without communicating with you? We have watched you fight with wits and courage and overcome difficulties all the way, but you only showed up now."
Zhao Changhe looked at his scarf and couldn't help but twitch his lips. He could only say, "I'm really curious. What are you thinking about?"
Cui Yuanyong sighed: "If I say that it is just for my sister to learn the tricks of the world, would you think I am lying..."
Zhao Changhe's mouth was twitching like a madman, and after a while he said, "I think it seems to be true."
Cui Yuanyong laughed: "It's true. When I took her out, we never encountered any trouble. The only time we encountered trouble was when you set up a checkpoint and robbed us. In the end, you didn't stop us and let us go. We had a good impression of you at that time."
“… So those two passers-by were you. I forgot what you looked like.”
"There are only a few male descendants in my clan, but I only have one sister... She has been spoiled by everyone since she was young. She has never seen the dangers of human nature or the evils of the world, and she is innocent and naive. She has excellent talent, but she is unwilling to practice martial arts well, so we let her do whatever she wants. No one is willing to say a word to her. This time, she did not listen to my advice and secretly attacked the leader of the Zhao village at night, which led to her being captured. Fortunately, the leader of the Zhao village is called a bandit, but he is actually a gentleman. It is her luck, otherwise it would be a lesson she could not bear."
Zhao Changhe lowered his head and sipped his wine: "Indeed... a little stupid..."
"This time, Village Chief Zhao let her go out of righteousness, but she was questioned by the captain afterwards. Her life was hanging by a thread, and she was almost dying of anxiety." Cui Yuanyong smiled and cupped his hands: "I feel that she has grown up a lot overnight. Village Chief Zhao really made her experience an important growth in her life. Cui would like to thank her here."
Zhao Changhe could only say: "It shows that she is kind-hearted... Zhao must also thank her for the medicine."
"That's true. Although my sister is a little spoiled, she has always been kind." Cui Yuanyong said, "So when she saw you leaving Beimang alone and seemed a little weak, she kept asking me to protect you. I told her that it's like a tiger descending from a mountain or a dragon entering the sea. How can you ask someone to protect you? Not only should you not protect her, but you should let her learn some new experiences... If you let her learn from others, she will mostly hum, but she will be quite honest when it comes to you."
Zhao Changhe: “…”
Cui Yuanyong drank another glass of wine and sighed: "Do you know why I came to see you today without bringing her?"
Zhao Changhe shook his head.
"Because she saw how many twists and turns you had to go through, and how many times she would have died, but you managed to defeat all the evil spirits and monsters, just like a god descending from heaven... I felt that her eyes had changed a little. If she continued to look at me like this, I'm afraid she might have gained some experience, and something else might have happened... So I had someone take her home, and she got quite angry with me."
Zhao Changhe coughed dryly, lowered his head and drank without saying a word.
There are many masters in the Cui family, including Cui Yuanyong, who is at the eighth level of Xuanguan and the third of Qianlong, and is a world-famous figure. However, the younger sister in the family looks at a wild man who is only at the third level of Xuanguan and thinks he is a god descending from heaven... If Cui Yuanyong thinks about it, he will spit blood. But Zhao Changhe has done nothing wrong and is the younger sister's benefactor. He cannot be killed and has to help her.
Cui Yuanyong really felt that no one had ever been so wronged as himself. At this point, he finally sighed and said, "Since my younger sister has gone back, I also think that I should sit down and have a good drink with Brother Zhao. We can make friends and ask Brother Zhao what his plans are for the future."
Zhao Changhe asked: "Could it be that the Cui family really wants to recruit me?"
Cui Yuanyong shook his head: "Brother Zhao is not a subordinate, so this is meaningless... What we want to know is what is the relationship between Brother Zhao and Tang Shouzuo?"
(End of this chapter)