White-Robed Chief
chapter-397

Thundering noises of horses galloping could be heard in the distance. Chu Li saw Lu Yurong and the others approaching from about five hundred meters away.

He could see that there were three riders chasing after Lu Yurong at high speed.

The three horses were exceptionally fine. Their skin was shimmering in the sunlight as if they were covered in silk as they ran. Their speed and strength were perfectly harmonized. Each movement of the muscle on their bodies inadvertently contributed to a smooth presentation of animation.

The three fine horses caught up to Lu Yurong in the blink of an eye. One of the riders moved to ride alongside the women while the other two followed closely behind.

The rider next to them was a charming young man. He had bright eyes, and his chest was slightly puffed, looking quite exuberant and proud.

"Big brother!" Leng Ying smiled. "I thought you left?"

"Something came up and I was delayed." The charming man let out a stunning grin, turning to look at Lu Yurong. "How have you been, young cousin sister?"

Lu Yurong glanced at him. "Quite fine, thank you for worrying about me, cousin brother."

"How long are you planning to stay in the Fairy's Capital, young cousin sister?" The charming man was still smiling. "Both your mother and younger sister miss you a lot. There is nothing going on at the Public House too. Why don't you stay a little longer?" 

"I'll see," Lu Yurong answered coldly.

Consort Lu laughed. "Look at you! You only care to talk to Lu Yurong. Let us women go in our own pace and you on yours. Don't mingle among women like a good-for-nothing!"

"Mother, allow me to accompany all of you," Leng Feng said. "It has been some time since I've seen my younger cousin sister, I hope to chat with her a little longer."

"We will talk when we return to the Public House," Consort Lu said with a smile. "Lu Yurong will be staying for a few days. You will have plenty of chances to talk to her then. Go on now!"

"All right then," Leng Feng glanced helplessly at Lu Yurong. He saw that her delicate face was devoid of any emotion. Her eyes that were as clear as spring water were gazing into the distance. His heart throbbed with a sense of longing at the sight. "Was Leng Tao hit by our ninth uncle again?"

Leng Ying smirked. "Big brother, it was not our ninth uncle but Chu Li!"

"Chu Li?" Leng Feng furrowed his brows slightly. "The Chu Li who is known as the youngest Scribe to be ranked first-class?"

"Yes, that's him!" Leng Ying smiled. "Chu Li angered Brother Tao greatly with that slap. He said he wanted to settle the score with Chu Li because of it."

"Settle the score with him?!" Leng Feng scoffed.

Leng Ying pursed her lips and laughed. "He even made a bet with elder cousin sister. He said that he would beat Chu Li up until he was on his knees begging for mercy. If he couldn't pull it off, he would go the other way the moment he saw cousin sister so that she never have to see his face!"

Leng Feng turned to look at Lu Yurong and scoffed, "How arrogant can Chu Li be? Leng Tao is still the imperial crown prince. How could he hit him without a second thought? He has no respect for neither our ninth uncle nor us, the princes!"

Leng Ying smiled. "Elder cousin sister said that Chu Li did this on purpose since he is already a rival of our ninth uncle. There is no point in trying to please him, so why not try hitting his son as a reminder to the other princes to not mess with him?"

"Mm, that's true too," Leng Feng muttered, nodding all the while. "It seems like Chu Li really is a scheming man. But to be as overbearing as he was on us princes, that's too arrogant even for someone like him! He does not respect the Emperor at all!"

"All right, you should return to your business," Consort Lu said, waving a hand dismissively. "You better not mess with him. There's no point in making an enemy out of him for no reason. Let's just see what your ninth uncle will do!"

"Understood, mother." Leng Feng looked at Lu Yurong helplessly. Contrary to what he had just spoken, he could not wait to challenge Chu Li.

If he could not take down Chu Li, how could he flaunt his own capabilities? What's more, Chu Li defeated his young cousin sister three times, so he must avenge her!

Lu Yurong did not seem to notice his gaze and continue to stare into the distance.

Although she seemed as if she was not paying Leng Feng any attention, she was actually secretly observing the situation. She knew that he was looking to get Chu Li in trouble and let out a sigh internally. Compared to Chu Li who was an expert at being cunning, Leng Feng behaved like an impetuous kid, which was not that surprising since they were separated by a generation.

Despite the fact that she had fought against Chu Li several times, she still felt like there was a layer of mist shrouding his person. She could never get a clear view of him. However, with people like Leng Feng, she could see right through him as clearly and as completely as one would when looking at the water flowing in a river.

"Young cousin sister, I shall leave first!" Leng Feng made a closed fist salute.

Lu Yurong returned the gesture and nodded, wearing a frigid expression.

Although Leng Feng had seen it enough times, he still felt sad and despondent. He did not show it on his face, though.

"Hah!" He ushered the fine horse, and it galloped away at full speed.

Two middle-aged riders followed him as he left.

Staring at Leng Feng's retreating figure, Consort Lu shook her head and heaved a sigh. "This kid has already become too attached with this matter. He's only going to get himself in trouble for this!"

The corner of Leng Ying's lips tugged into a small smile. "Elder cousin sister, would it not be great to be my sister-in-law?"

Lu Yurong chuckled softly. "I am not that lucky!"

Leng Ying asked, "Why? Is my big brother not good enough? He is well versed in martial arts,

does not look half bad and has an excellent personality too. I think he is way better than the other princes!"

"The martial arts I am cultivating does not allow me to be married," Lu Yurong said, shaking her head. "I would just be putting myself and others in danger if I were to marry. Do you understand now?"

"That…" Leng Ying looked at Consort Lu skeptically.

Consort Lu sighed and nodded in agreement. "The martial arts your elder cousin sister is cultivating is surely odd. It's true that she really can't get married. Your big brother is not fated to be with her."

Leng Ying exhaled heavily. "Then I really do pity my elder brother. He has been thinking about elder cousin sister."

Consort Lu shook his head. "Your big brother knows about it, but he still refuses to give up. I say we just let him be."

"Oh, so big brother knows about it too…" Leng Ying was getting more and more curious. She found his brother's actions baffling and difficult to comprehend. "What exactly is my big brother thinking…"

He clearly knew that they had no chance to be together but still refuse to let it go. He forged blindly onwards as if he was setting himself up for failure!

She could not stop shaking her head to express her disapproval.

Consort Lu said, "Young Feng is not a kid anymore. You will simply have to not match them up again."

"Aunt, it is better for me to not show up this much." Lu Yurong said in return.

Consort Lu smiled. "It is precisely because you rarely visit that made him miss you this much. If he sees you often enough, he won't be this stubborn about missing you. This is something he will have to experience alone. But do not worry, most young people do not have much perseverance. He just had not seen enough beautiful ladies in his life. Now that he has returned to the Fairy's Capital and has all the chances to meet them, his attention will naturally be diverted elsewhere!"

"Mm, you are right. Big brother has always been at the border. There weren't any beautiful ladies there, that's why he is like this." Leng Ying said with a smile.

Lu Yurong let out a small sigh. She said slowly, "Men are petty little creatures. I hope we do not become enemies." 

"We are family, after all. These tiny problems won't tear us apart that easily!" Consort Lu laughed.

——

Chu Li saw Leng Feng and the other two riders approaching them from behind.

Their horses were extremely fine, galloping at full speed while Chu Li and the others moved at a slow trot. Leng Feng caught up to them in a short while.

The three fine horses slowed and trotted alongside Chu Li and the others.

"Greetings, Consort Song and Consort Xue." Leng Feng gave a charming smile as he did a closed fist salute.

Both Song Liuying and Xue Ningyu nodded and smiled.

Leng Feng's gaze landed on Xiao Shi, eyes glimmering for a moment. He did a closed fist salute again. "Are you the third aunt that recently joined our Imperial Residence?"

Xiao Shi nodded, staring at him plainly.

Leng Feng tried his best to tear his gaze away from Xiao Shi's face, turning to look at Chu Li instead. "You must be the infamous Head Chief Chu from the Fairy's Capital!"

Chu Li knew that he was trying to provoke him. He did a closed fist salute and smiled. "Greetings, Prince Leng Feng."

"You truly are talented!" Leng Feng said with a faint smile. "I met Leng Tao on the way here. I never thought that Head Chief Chu was this impressive. You hit the imperial crown price without any second thoughts. I am truly impressed!"