Chapter 265: The Promise Is to Uncover Her Origins

Chapter 265: Chapter 265: The Promise Is to Uncover Her Origins

A woman ranked twelfth on the Hundred Flowers List. Though she had entered the life of a courtesan, she was still a virgin. Such a woman held an undeniable allure for most men.

Countless men had frequented brothels, spending fortunes just for a single glimpse of a famed beauty’s face.

In all the timeless tales passed down through the ages, there were always heroes and beauties.

It seemed as though beauties were an indispensable part of what made the world go ’round.

Some organizations even specialized in training beautiful women, using them to curry favor with the rich and powerful or to expand their own influence.

Take Ji Bufan, for example. To spread his intelligence network, hadn’t he also operated numerous brothels?

Chu Fan, of course, knew that with this whole spectacle at the Xi Jun Building, their motives were anything but pure.

He could also hear the resignation in the notes of Wen Chan’s xiao.

This only made him more curious about their true motives.

He even suspected that if he were to actually take Wen Chan away today, it would lead to endless trouble.

This trouble would come from those who coveted Wen Chan’s beauty.

And it would also come from the scheme set by Wen Chan’s own organization.

But Chu Fan was a young man, after all. He had a competitive streak, an urge to unravel mysteries, and on top of it all, there was the White Fox’s strange behavior today.

It was as if everything was shrouded in a thin mist, one he had to part with his own hands.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

As for Yan Ying’s jealousy, while Chu Fan might be inept when it came to romance, he wasn’t an idiot. She was being so obvious—how could he possibly not notice?

If Chu Fan tried to explain that he had no such intentions toward Wen Chan, Yan Ying would never believe him.

Yan Ying, after all, was not Yun Xi. She wouldn’t trust him as unconditionally as Yun Xi did.

Just then, Chu Fan’s gaze fell upon the chaotic backdrop. Some characters were vigorous and powerful, some looked as if written by a frail invalid, and others were simply hideous.

This piece of calligraphy, wasn’t it just like the world itself? Ultimately, it took all kinds of different people to form this brilliant yet chaotic world.

It was also like life itself, with each stage holding different experiences. The sweet, the sour, the bitter, the spicy—only those who personally taste them can truly understand their flavor.

Many people shouted out their guesses, but most were clearly wrong. The few who managed to get one or two right did so by pure luck.

Wen Chan had said that seven of the characters on it were written by her own hand, but Chu Fan knew that there were, in fact, twenty-eight.

These twenty-eight characters varied in size, position, and even calligraphic style. If viewed individually, no one would ever think they were written by the same person.

But through Cause and Effect, he knew she had written all twenty-eight of them.

Chu Fan silently arranged the twenty-eight characters in his mind, trying to figure out what she was trying to say.

"Fleeting clouds in myriad forms all follow the wind; winding waters in a thousand turns are never the same. The glow of dawn and dusk requires a clear, sunny day; brooks, rivers, and lakes all end their journey in the sea."

"What are you muttering?" Yan Ying suddenly asked.

"Huh? Was I talking out loud?"

"You were. Something about ’follow the wind’ and ’end in the sea.’ Mumbling to yourself. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were talking in your sleep!" Yan Ying said, rolling her eyes.

"About the Crown Prince’s recent purge of the court—do you know what Lian Xiuping’s relationship is with him?"

"Why the sudden question?"

"The day after tomorrow is the sixth day of the sixth month, and the Hua Xu Secret Realm will open. It’s a massive event for the Hua Xu Empire. It affects the future of an entire generation, and even the standing of many families within the Empire for years to come. No one at court can afford to ignore it."

"How many people can enter the Hua Xu Secret Realm in total?" Chu Fan asked.

"Three hundred and sixty people."

"Three hundred and sixty people, and the Crown Prince only controls three slots? Isn’t that too few?" Chu Fan asked in surprise.

"’All land under heaven belongs to the Emperor, and all people on that land are his subjects.’ Although he only has three designated slots, everyone else who wants to enter the Secret Realm must swear a Celestial Dao Oath. How is that any different from him choosing them himself? Besides, three hundred and sixty slots can be used to win over three hundred and sixty clans, Noble Families, or Sects. Why wouldn’t he do that?"

Chu Fan nodded gravely. These were indeed the methods of an Emperor.

"Do you know if Lian Xiuping’s son or nephew secured a slot for the Secret Realm this time?"

"Like you, I just returned to the Capital City. How would I know all that?" Yan Ying replied.

"It seems I’ll have to get the answers from Wen Chan, then. Speaking of which, do you know the Cultivation of your hidden guards?"

Once again, Yan Ying shook her head.

"Later, after we leave Liuyun Square, you take the White Fox and head straight back to the Eastern Palace. I’m going somewhere else, so I won’t be back tonight. If you can, arrange for a few masters to protect me from the shadows once you’re back."

"What? You’re taking a woman to go do *that*, and you’re still afraid someone will try to assassinate you?" Yan Ying said indignantly.

"Alright, that’s enough. Honestly, what goes on in that head of yours all day? I just have a few suspicions right now. I’ll explain everything to you when I get back tomorrow."

"I don’t need your explanation! You’re just a lecher who casts aside his friends the moment he sees a pretty face—the type whose legs give out when a beautiful woman walks by. Hmph!"

Chu Fan just smiled and didn’t respond, turning his gaze back toward the stage. People were still making wild guesses, but the voices had become much sparser.

Chu Fan walked directly to the railing and recited loudly, "Fleeting clouds in myriad forms all follow the wind; winding waters in a thousand turns are never the same. The glow of dawn and dusk requires a clear, sunny day; brooks, rivers, and lakes all end their journey in the sea."

"This pretentious jerk is showing off again! She told you to guess characters, not recite some crappy poem! It’s utter nonsense!"

"Miss Wen will be mine! Don’t even think about competing with me."

"Miss Wen said we have three months. I refuse to believe I can’t find those seven characters in that time."

Ignoring the clamor from the crowd, Wen Chan froze once again.

Her hands were even trembling slightly.

"Miss Wen, those twenty-eight characters... am I correct?" Chu Fan asked, his eyes fixed on her.

"What twenty-eight characters? Miss Wen clearly said there were only seven!"

Chu Fan’s words snapped Wen Chan out of her daze. She gave him a slight curtsy. "Sir, they say friends are easy to find, but a kindred spirit is rare. To find one such person in a lifetime is a blessing. I never imagined that you, sir, would solve all three of my riddles without a single error."

As soon as Wen Chan finished speaking, the crowd erupted once more.

Wen Chan once again demonstrated her formidable ability to control the room, silencing everyone with a single, gentle sentence.

"Just as this gentleman said, there are indeed twenty-eight characters on this backdrop that I wrote. I had only intended for someone to find seven to pass the test. I never imagined that this gentleman would not only find all twenty-eight but also arrange them into a poem. That poem is my own work, and his arrangement is perfect, without a single character out of place. That is why I call him my kindred spirit. He—understands me."

"You have answered all three riddles correctly. As long as you agree to a single promise, I will remain by your side from this day forward, for the rest of my life, with no regrets."

"What is this promise? Go ahead and tell me," Chu Fan said.

At that moment, Yan Ying’s expression was as dark as the sky before a summer thunderstorm.

"I was inducted into the Zhi Gate as a child, and only after much hardship did I arrive in the Capital City. Therefore, I wish to ask you, sir, to help me uncover my origins. I want to ask my family to their faces why they sold me into a brothel."

Chu Fan was quite surprised to hear this.

He had imagined many possibilities, but he never expected the promise she required would be something like this.

’Uncover her origins?’

’It might be difficult for others, but for me?’

’All I have to do is trace the Cause and Effect Lines connected to her.’

"I accept. Is there a time limit?"

"Would within three years be acceptable?"

"Done."