Da Xuan Martial Saint

Chapter 197 – 166: Acknowledging Relatives

Upon the wide imperial road.

The speed of the carriage gradually slowed, and at the end of the horizon, a city much smaller than Yu City came into view.

“We’ve arrived so soon.”

Chen Yue stood up in the carriage, a young girl standing tall and graceful, gazing towards the distant An Yu County Government, her large eyes brimming with a hint of reluctant sadness.

Ever since Chen Mu began practicing the Blade Technique, it had been many years since she had been able to spend a significant amount of time with him. There were times when she wished to talk more with him, but with Xu Hongyu’s visits, she could only gracefully step aside for her future sister-in-law.

The journey from Yu City to An Yu County Government was by carriage, and though the horses that pulled it carried a trace of a demon beast’s bloodline, making them exceptionally swift even when pulling the carriage, still, the rare opportunity to travel with her brother filled her heart with joy.

Chen Mu looked at Chen Yue with a smile. Ever since he acquired the Raging Wind Blade Technique and began his practice, he had always been cautious and strategic, never slackening for a moment. This trip with Chen Yue to An Yu was the first time he felt a bit of leisure to appreciate the scenery along the way.

It was just a pity that He Wuyou did not appear along the way.

Although he did not have Yu Jiujiang follow him this time, there was a slight ’intention’ on his part. He Wuyou and the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion were probably still wary of Yan Jingqing, worried that he might set a trap, and chose not to fall for it.

Indeed, he had intended to lure He Wuyou out, to resolve things with him once and for all.

Since he did not come.

Then so be it.

Chen Mu continued to drive the carriage forward and soon arrived outside the An Yu County Government. Dressed in simple commoner’s clothes, he was not stopped or questioned, and entered the city unobstructed.

…

A certain courtyard.

It was a small yard, with a vegetable patch on one side and a water vat, as well as a firewood stack covered with oil paper on the other – clearly the home of an ordinary family.

Inside the somewhat dilapidated inner chamber, Liu Rong, with her white hair, lay reclined on a kang bed, her eye sockets sunken, her limbs thin and sallow, and her complexion lacking any rosiness, as she stared blankly at the roof beam.

“Mother, time for your medicine.”

A man around thirty-five or thirty-six entered, carrying a bowl of medicine carefully to the bedside and helped Liu Rong to drink. Yet, no matter how he tried, he could not make her take the medicine.

Seeing this, Song Qi, with a somewhat emaciated and numb face, suddenly showed a trace of panic. Putting down the bowl, he said, “Mother, wait a moment. I’ll go cook some ginseng soup for you, I’ll be quick…”

Several months ago.

An official from the county government came by and asked Liu Rong some questions. Then, in an unprecedented gesture, he gave their family some silver taels, asking them to take good care of Liu Rong. They were even allowed to collect some silver taels from the county government each month.

The neighbors found this to be almost inconceivable – those ruthless officials were suddenly providing aid to the poor.

Of course, Song Qi knew that there must be some other reason the county government’s official was giving them silver. Although he was already quite filial, he became even more attentive to Liu Rong. But come the cold winter months, Liu Rong still fell ill.

Liu Rong was already over sixty. In these times, for a family mired in poverty, this was considered long-lived. Normally, an old person without ailments would be well, but once sickness struck, most would succumb to their illness.

“Cough, cough cough…”

Liu Rong extended a frail hand, grabbing Song Qi, wanting to say something, but she was unable to speak. Attempting to make a larger gesture, she instead triggered a violent cough.

Seeing this, Song Qi didn’t dare to leave his mother’s side, continually saying, “Mother, don’t rush, take your time.”

While soothing Liu Rong, he called out, “Zhou’er, get some copper coins and buy a bit of ginseng, quick, hurry!”

Listening to the noise.

Two children ran into the room, a boy and a girl. The boy was about fourteen or fifteen while the girl looked younger, probably only about eleven or twelve years old. The boy ran outside upon hearing the order, and the girl trotted over to the bed: “Grandma, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, it’s nothing.”

Song Qi held Liu Rong’s hand, his voice sounding somewhat dry.

But at that moment,

the Song Zhou who had just dashed out came running back, saying, “Father, people have come, including some officials.”

Song Qi’s hand was trembling slightly, and on hearing Song Zhou’s words, he jumped up in surprise. Quickly getting to his feet, he said, “Miao’er, look after grandma, I’ll go out and welcome the officials…”

No sooner had he stepped out of the house.

He saw some people had already entered the courtyard.

What first caught Song Qi’s attention was a middle-aged man dressed in a green official’s uniform, wearing an official’s hat, and shod in official boots, followed by a few other officers, including the one who had visited months earlier. Song Qi knew that official was already highly placed in the county government, but the middle-aged man in the lead seemed even more important.

Yet, what astonished Song Qi even more was that these county government officials all walked not in the center but on either side, not with firm and steady steps, but with slightly bowed bodies bearing the demeanor of careful attendants.

Leading several officials,

were a very young man and woman.

“This commoner bows before the officials,” Song Qi said, although he was not clear on the situation. Simply by seeing the queue of officers lined up outside, he knew these arriving officials were no ordinary figures and immediately prepared to kneel and show respect.

However, before he could kneel, the young woman at the front reached out and held onto him.

“Are you Song Qi?”

Chen Yue looked at Song Qi and asked a question.

On her way here, she had already learned some information from the government officers of the County Government, and if Song Qi’s mother, Liu Rong, was indeed her maternal aunt, then Song Qi would be her cousin, although she wasn’t yet certain.

Chen Mu glanced at Song Qi but did not speak. Instead, with a thought, he sensed the situation inside the house. After his gaze flashed slightly, he strode directly towards the house.

Song Zhou and Song Miao, the two children, also ran out, and upon seeing the scene in the courtyard, with all those officials in their uniforms and stern faces, they were scared stiff on the spot.

Chen Mu’s gaze simply swept over the children and without pausing, he walked straight into the back room.

From the first glance at Liu Rong, he was almost certain, as all the information in the reports matched, and through his sense of Qi from her aura, he felt a clear connection of bloodlines.

“You… cough… cough cough…”

Liu Rong, looking at Chen Mu who had walked into the room, showed a hint of confusion. She wanted to ask something but was overtaken by a severe bout of coughing.

Chen Mu walked over to her, helped Liu Rong up, and a strand of Yuan Gang emerged in his palm. He patted her back twice, barely soothing the chaotic Qi-Blood in her body while he said, “My name is Chen Mu, my mother is called Liu Ping, and many years ago, she was abducted from An Yu County Government and sold to Yu County City.”

Liu Rong’s coughing eased a bit. After hearing Chen Mu’s statement and taking a closer look at him, she instantly felt a vague sense of familiarity and said, with some disbelief, “You, you are Ping’er’s…”

Chen Mu carefully sensed Liu Rong’s physical condition and then sighed inwardly. Liu Rong hadn’t practiced martial arts and, at her age, compounded with catching a cold, was at the end of her tether. If he hadn’t been delayed by so many things and had arrived a few days earlier, maybe he could have done something to help.

However, she wasn’t Yu Jiujiang; even if she made it through this winter, her days would be numbered.

Just at that moment.

Chen Yue also ran in, saw Chen Mu nod to her slightly, and then looked at Liu Rong’s frail and aged appearance, which instantly reminded her of her mother, Liu Ping’s last days. Her eyes reddened, and she couldn’t help crying as she walked over to the bedside.

This reaction, in turn, made Liu Rong somewhat at a loss, “Child, why are you crying… You, you really do look just like Ping’er when she was young. Could it be that you are also…”

At these words, Chen Yue started crying even harder, burying her head in her hands and sobbing aloud.

Chen Mu gave up his place to Chen Yue, stood up, took two steps back, and said to Liu Rong, “She is my sister, Chen Yue. You should talk to her. Actually, I should have met you a few months ago but failed to recognize you at that time.”

Chen Mu, now having reached the Five Viscera Realm, had senses far sharper than ordinary people and possessed a photographic memory; he also recalled clearly every detail from a few months ago, and he remembered that he should have met Liu Rong once before. However, at that time, he did not have the acute perceptive ability he had now.

Immediately after.

Chen Mu patted Chen Yue’s back, then stepped out of the room.

Outside the house, the entire courtyard was silent, whether it was the group of officials inside the courtyard or the large squad of runners outside, each one was too afraid to even breathe aloud.

Song Qi was also tense and dared not speak, still unclear about what exactly was happening.

When Chen Mu and Chen Yue had entered the house just now, he had already learned of Chen Mu’s identity from the nearby officials.

Metropolitan Commander of the Yu County Inspectorate!

He had no idea how high-ranking this official was, having only heard clerks explain that, not to mention in An Yu County, even in the whole of Yu County, there were few officials who held a rank higher than Chen Mu. It was beyond his imagination that a single word from Chen Mu could even appoint or dismiss a County Magistrate—what kind of immensely important figure was that?

What he found most incredible was that the other party was still so young, looking to be in his twenties.

Chen Mu walked over slowly, without revealing any hints of his aura, but Song Qi only felt as if the young man before him possessed an indescribable momentum, making it somewhat difficult to breathe, even the numerous magistrates around him were all tense.

“All of you, step back, go outside, there’s nothing for you here anymore.”

Chen Mu said faintly to the group of clerks of the County Government.

The clerks of the County Government were not even sure if Liu Rong was his maternal aunt, but still provided Silver Coin aid. Additionally, they dispatched some officers openly and covertly to patrol the area, to prevent any mishap from befalling Liu Rong and her family, their actions were rather commendable.

Hearing Chen Mu’s words, the numerous clerks immediately breathed a sigh of relief. They hurriedly bowed in respect to Chen Mu and then carefully withdrew from the courtyard. Soon, only Song Qi and his two children, Song Zhou and Song Miao, were left.

At that moment.

Chen Mu finally turned to look at Song Qi and said evenly, “Cousin Song, there’s no need to be nervous. I came here only to recognize my relatives.”

Cousin?

This address startled Song Qi, nearly making him shiver.

The young official before him, whose rank reached nearly to the heavens, actually said he came to recognize relatives?

At this time, Chen Mu walked to the side and looked at Song Zhou and Song Miao, who were somewhat dumbfounded. He reached out and patted Song Miao’s little head and said, “Your mother, Liu Rong, had a sister, who is my mother. By that account, you are indeed my cousin. I have been searching for your family for quite some time. The clerks in An Yu County handled the matter reasonably well.

After finding you, they didn’t allow your family to suffer any grievances.”

Chen Mu spoke in a very calm tone.

He had a reasonably good impression of Song Qi’s family, mainly because he learned from the officials of the County Government that Song Qi was a rather filial person. After receiving the Silver Tael from the County Government, he did not squander it but instead treated Liu Rong well with good food and care.

At this moment, Song Qi was completely stunned. He finally understood why a few months ago, a magistrate had visited their home, very courteously at that, and why they were even able to collect Silver Tael from the County Government—it turned out there was such a branch of relatives in the distant Prefecture City.

However.

Even after understanding the situation, he still looked at Chen Mu with fear and trepidation. In these times, official rank held more weight than kinship. Although Chen Mu addressed him as cousin, he did not dare to respond so directly.

With a status and identity like Chen Mu’s, his willingness to go to the trouble of finding their family in the remote An Yu County was an elevation for them, and not a foundation for Song Qi to take advantage of.

“Alright, let’s not talk about that for now. Cousin, you and the two young ones should go to the inner room. The elder doesn’t have much time left,”

Chen Mu withdrew his hand and then sighed, saying to Song Qi.