ChangNing’s Imperial Army - Chapter 112

Chapter 112 – Perhaps, There’s A Crack
Shen Leng put down the spatula in his hand and was about to send Cen Zheng off. When he walked out of the kitchen, Cen Zheng was already at the door of the courtyard. He did not turn his head around and gestured in the direction of where Shen Leng was. “Continue cooking. The smell of the food is already coming out.”

Shen Leng subconsciously continued, “Eat before you go.”

Master Cha tugged on his clothes from behind. Hence, Shen Leng started to laugh awkwardly.

Cen Zheng started laughing. Even though she did not intentionally look at her actions, he still saw it. He specialized in such things in the first place. The more minute the details were, the more observant he was. Hence, he laughed as he walked out.

“Young lady, you’re very petty.”

Master Cha was stunned for a moment. Thereafter, she tiptoed as she looked at Cen Zheng walk farther and farther. In a fit of pique, she said, “If you dare, finish eating before you leave.”

She did not say that with much loftiness.

Thereafter, Shen Leng smelled something burning; he quickly ran back in and saw that the bottom of the wok was smoky. Master Cha followed him in and looked at the charred vegetables. She felt that it was such a waste. “Actually, it still smells really good.”

Shen Leng put out the fire. He felt his body relaxed. “Let’s head outside and eat.”

Master Cha nodded. “Alright.”

Just at this moment, the black dog, which was laying on the ground in the yard, suddenly lifted its head and looked towards the door. It had a ferocious glare. Shen Leng looked at the black dog – the ferocious animal had a bit of fear in its eyes.

Hence, Shen Leng, who thought that Cen Zheng returned, dashed over to the main room, where his black cord sword was being hung at. However, when he touched its shaft, he knew that he did not need it. Even if his hand would come in contact with his sword; even if the person outside had just entered the door.

“Mas…master?”

Master Cha stood at the door of the kitchen and was somewhat dumbfounded. She did not understand his sudden appearance.

Chu Jianlian kept fixating his gaze on the black dog. The black dog started to growl menacingly. But after Chu Jianlian glared at it, it started to cower a little.

Just at this moment, Shen Leng walked next to the black dog and stood there. Immediately, the black dog became confident and ferocious once more. It opened its mouth, baring its teeth.

Chu Jianlian could not help but sigh. “From the looks of it, you really care about this dog?”

Shen Leng nodded.

Chu Jianlian grunted. He turned around and looked at the kitchen. He was slightly in a daze as he said to Master Cha, “Continue cooking. Earlier on I keep pacing outside the courtyard and did not leave. The smell of the food is truly enticing.”

Master Cha asked, “Ah?”

Thereafter, she looked helplessly at Shen Leng.

Shen Leng stood there, with a resolute look on his face. “Come here. I will cook.”

Master Cha did not understand why either. She ran over to Shen Leng and stood next to him. SHen Leng pulled her over to where he was standing and ensured that she was standing in front of the black dog, blocking him. “Human and dog stay here.”

Chu Jianlian shook his head. “So the person cooking was you…I’d rather smell the fragrance of this dog’s meat.”

Only then did Master Cha realize what was happening. Yet at the same time, she did not fully understand it. Her master clearly did not say anything but how did Shen Leng know that he was interested in the black dog? She did not know that Chu Jianlian was not interested in that dog.

Shen Leng walked into the kitchen. He could not help but turn his head around and instructed, “Stay close!”

When he said that, he was as decisive and determined as the border soldiers, when they were guarding their territory.

Not conceding a single inch.

Chu Jianlian had a disappointed look on his face. “Such a dog will taste delicious.”

Mr. Shen walked out of his room and saw Chu Jianlian. However, it did not seem as though they were old friends who were reunited, feeling joyful. Not even in the slightest bit. This was because Mr. Shen knew clearly that once Chu Jianlian got out of seclusion, that meant that Chu Jianlian had made some decisions. And those decisions were things that he had been mulling over for decades, and even rejecting the idea of them altogether.

Chu Jianlian walked towards the room. As he walked, he asked, “Have you finished drinking my tea leaves?”

Mr. Shen shook his head. “I haven’t drank it yet. But I don’t intend to drink it anymore.”

“Why?”

“I will keep it sealed. Once you are dead, it will be worth more.”

“Why would I want to die?”

“Why did you leave the mountain?”

“I need money.”

Mr. Shen was not expecting Chu Jianlian’s answer. He suddenly thought about how people who lived by themselves in seclusion would ultimately not be able to be alone forever. But regardless, he could not put Chu Jianlian with money together.

“And so?”

“So I found a place that is easy for me to earn money.”

“How easy?”

“You also know that most people in the underworld call me. Even without a sword in my hand, I am still Chu Jianlian. So naturally, I would be paid a lot to kill others. Even though I only accepted one job. But the price of that person’s head is twenty thousand taels.”

Killing a person for twenty thousand taels – that price was certainly extremely high beyond reasonable limits.

There were two things in that statement that Mr. Shen cared a lot about – firstly, Chu Jianlian said that he did not have any sword with him. Secondly, he said that a person’s head was worth twenty thousand taels.

Mr. Shen knew that Chu Jianlian had three swords – Po Jia, Cheng Tian and Di Yun…he gave Po Jia to Cha’er, but at the same time he said that he did not have any sword with him. That was to say that in the future, he would not use both Cheng Tian and Di Yun ever again.

He seemed to have guessed what Mr. Shen was doing. Chu Jianlian said plainly, “Since I decided to depend on swords to earn money, I am not worthy of those two swords.”

He had three swords – Po Jia was the only one that he fancied.

Cheng Tian was a sword that was truly meant for killing people, just that as far as Chu Jianlian was concerned, that had nothing to do with him. Back in Chu, Cheng Tian had another name – Yuci Xingquan sword, also commonly referred to as the imperial sword (Note: Chinese version of 007’s license to kill).

The Chu emperor sent an important minister to do something important, and gifted him Cheng Tian, as though the emperor had gone in person with him.

Di Yun was the Chu emperor’s sword. It was the emblem of his status.

Hence, if he used those two swords as a business tool and kill others, it was naturally outrageous. Even though Chu Jianlian was feeling conflicted about his family’s illusory dream, he still felt that if he were to use those two swords to kill others, it was a blasphemous thing to do.

He felt it was disdainful too.

The second thing Mr. Shen cared about was the fact that a human head was worth twenty thousand taels. Chu Jianlian was worthy of that price, but why did Chu Jianlian go there?

The twenty thousand tael head – who did it belong to?

Of course, Chu Jianlian could tell Mr. Shen’s precautions against him. Hence, his heart ached a little. He did not have any friends to begin with. If he had a close friend who knew him well, it could only be Mr. Shen, and no one else. The hostility in Mr. Shen’s eyes made the pain and sadness in his heart gush out all at once, before being forcefully suppressed by him once again.

Shen Leng looked out from the kitchen. Of course, he could tell the strange atmosphere between Mr. Shen and Chu Jianlian.

“What are we drinking!”

He yelled towards the outside.

Chu Jianlian looked at Mr. Shen. Mr. Shen snorted. “Did I say we have wine?”

“Petty.”

Chu Jianlian snorted too.

“Sir, please tidy up the table a little. You can drink the wine I brought back.”

Shen Leng looked towards the outside. “Go help out. Those two fellas have an issue.”

Master Cha stared blankly. “What issue?”

“I’m guessing that Chu Jianlian is here to see me.’

With a loud clash, the bowl in Master Cha’s hand fell to the ground and shattered.

“You mentioned before that he’s your master. It is reasonable to say that both you and Mr. Shen should understand him better than me. Hence…trust can make a person feel warm; suspicion will make a person’s heart become colder and colder. Mr. Shen does not even have that many male friends by his side, let alone any woman. Don’t make it even less.”

After Master Cha finished hearing what Shen Leng said, she continued to take deep breaths. “I understand.”

She walked out of the kitchen and bellowed, “The twenty thousand taels person, why don’t you go arrange the stools properly?!”

Chu Jianlian felt wronged. He looked at her and said, “I…am the guest.”

Mr. Shen arranged the stools and said, “If you really see yourself as a guest, then leave. As far as you can.”

Sometimes, all it took was an onlooker to say something in order to save the situation.

Immediately, Mr. Shen’s hostility towards Chu Jianlian’s appearance became milder. He started to feel somewhat guilty. He realized that ever since he took in Master Cha and Shen Leng, he became more and more sensitive and weak. Hence, he sniffed in disappointment.

However, the black dog continued to be on guard as it stared at Chu Jianlian.

Mr. Shen was acting slightly coy, while the black dog was on high alert.

Chu Jianlian went over to help Mr. Shen arrange the wooden stools and table properly. After that, he sat across from Mr. Shen. Master Cha brewed some tea for them before heading out to buy some dried fruits and light refreshments. When she came back, she realized that they were still sitting there in silence.

“Do you know what the both of you look like now?”

“What?” asked Chu Jianlian.

“Childhood sweethearts who were innocent playmates several years ago, but got separated all of a sudden. When you got reunited, one of you felt that the other person let him down. And the other person felt wronged.”

Chu Jianlian gave it a serious thought. “Is it that sort of thing between a man and a woman?”

Mr. Shen said decisively, “I am the man.”

Master Cha said in a serious manner, “Is it important whether you are the man or woman?

She turned around and looked at Shen Leng. Shen Leng withdrew his head and continued cooking.

Chu Jianlian glared at Master Cha hard. Master Cha shrugged indifferently. “You are old and not young anymore, if there is anything you’d like to say, why can’t you be direct? Why do you have to make it into a puzzle? Don’t tell me that you are really here to kill Leng?”

Mr. Shen looked at Chu Jianlian. Chu Jianlian was silent for a while before he nodded earnestly. “Yes.”

Thereafter, Master Cha turned slightly pale.

However, Chu Jianlian kept looking on Mr. Shen the entire time. Mr. Shen reached his hand out and was about to take the cup of tea, but it suddenly stopped in midair. Thereafter, he suddenly laughed. “In that case, we made a loss.”

Chu Jianlian asked, “Why?”

Mr. Shen took a deep breath. “Leng’s head is worth more than twenty thousand taels.”

Chu Jianlian curled his lips upwards. “We’ll find out after we try in a while.”

Master Cha subconsciously turned her head around and looked at the kitchen. She was not looking at Shen Leng, but her sword, Po Jia, which had hung in the kitchen earlier on.

When they were leaving Mount Tingtai, Chu Jianlian said that in the future, when the opportunity arose, he wanted to see if that fella was good enough for her. If he was not good enough for her, he would kill him. At that time, Master Cha patted her Po Jia, which she had just received then, and said that…her sword did not agree to it.

Right now, Chu Jianlian was here, and yet Shen Leng was cooking for him.

Shen Leng placed the last dish on the table and looked at Master Cha, “I set aside a portion of all the dishes in the kitchen. Help me send them to Uncle Chen and Chen Ran’s room.”

Master Cha grunted. She thought to herself: Will master really take action?

Shen Leng sat down and poured a cup of wine for both of them. After that, he smiled and said, “You must be tired after traveling a long distance from Dongchi to here. Please eat first, before you sleep. When the sun rises, you will feel energetic and well-rested.”

Chu Jianlian narrowed his eyes. “You feel that you were the strongest at that time?”

Shen Leng shrugged. “I’m always very strong at any given time, except that I had to take care of your physical strength, since you’re old.”

Chu Jianlian looked at the cup of wine in front of him. He lowered his head, “You seem to understand how to look at a person’s heart.”

Shen Leng earnestly replied, “Sir taught me, so I understand.”

Something flashed across Chu Jianlian’s eyes. Thereafter, he took the cup of wine. “On the contrary, some people are not able to see themselves clearly.”