Chapter 758: Extra Three (Yan Shuang): An Old Friend Enters My Dream (Part 2)

He quickly gained the favor of those at the pinnacle.

A knife that was both swift and sharp, not only meticulous in handling affairs but also perceptive and agreeable, no matter where he was, he was loved by those above.

He climbed the ranks quickly, gradually making a name for himself in the Privy Council.

His father’s initial disdain had slowly turned into a shift in attitude, and then to a warm closeness, yet he only felt disgust. On one occasion, when there was a disturbance in the military department, he quelled it single-handedly, sustaining severe injuries in the process and a long scar by his eye as a result.

After that incident, he became the Marriage Officer for the military department.

Everyone in the Privy Council knew of him as a ruthless man, who, when crazed, was completely fearless. The long scar by his eye seemed to have become a mark; when people saw him, they would remember the ferocious figure covered in blood as his blade swept through the ranks, and everyone kept their distance with respect and fear.

Yan Xu didn’t care, on his first day after promotion, he had his father move his concubine mother’s tablet to the family shrine.

His concubine mother, being of low status, had not been entitled to a place in the Yan Family shrine.

But then again, rules have always been set according to the person.

The higher you climb, the more the rules can be bent for you.

After his concubine mother’s tablet was placed in the shrine, he went to Danfeng Pavilion. He had no particular hobbies, living his days uneventfully, and when he was not on duty at the military department, he just wanted to sit alone and admire the mountains and rivers. Since others feared him and ridiculed his strange and ferocious nature behind his back, he didn’t care either.

The maple leaves of Danfeng Pavilion couldn’t talk, and the autumn wind never babbled in idle gossip. He sat quietly, hearing a rustling sound coming from the grass.

He thought it was an assassin coming to kill him, as his days in the Privy Council had turned him into an open target, with countless people wishing him dead. He sat quietly, waiting for the assassin to strike first, ready to slay the assailant with one strike to the throat, but time passed, and the opponent didn’t make a move.

Until a "snap" was heard and a frustrated voice emerged from the grass: "It’s almost October, why are there still so many mosquitoes?"

It was a young woman’s voice.

He frowned, and saw a young woman leap out from behind the grass.

The woman was very young, dressed in a pomegranate-red long dress, with delicate and lively features. When she saw him looking, she seemed to realize she had exposed herself and quickly smiled, embarrassed, revealing dimples by her cheeks.

Yan Xu looked at her indifferently, moved his long knife, and an object in front of the woman flew towards him, landing in his hand.

"Hey, that’s my stuff!" she exclaimed.

Yan Xu remained unmoved.

He had seen her surreptitiously trying to hide that object a moment ago, with an extremely shifty expression.

When he unfolded the object in his hand, he couldn’t help but be slightly startled.

It was a painting.

The ink on the painting was still wet, adorned with a carefree depiction of evening clouds and maple leaves. The colors were truly beautiful, and he himself was also on it, merely a silhouette from behind.

He couldn’t see his own silhouette, so this was the first time he realized that his own shadow while sitting and watching the maple leaves was so lonely.

"Sorry," the woman said in a low voice, "I was painting here and happened to see you. I thought you fit well into the picture, so I painted you without your permission..."

Before she could finish, Yan Xu tore the painting into shreds.

"Hey!" she protested, "Why did you tear up the painting?"

"Who allowed you to paint me?" he asked coldly, his tone ferocious.

Most people withdrew at the sight of the scar by his eye, but this young lady was notably brave, shrinking back a bit before retorting loudly, "You’re sitting here; aren’t you asking to be painted? Everything in these mountains - people, the mountains, rivers, leaves - are all scenery. I’m painting my scenery; what does it have to do with you?"

Scenery?

Yan Xu found this inconceivable. What kind of scenery was he? Yet the woman insisted.

She even grabbed his sleeve persistently, "You’ve destroyed my property, and you ought to compensate. Don’t think this matter is over; my guards are close by and all I have to do is shout, and they will come immediately and take you away."

He didn’t want to get entangled with her and threw her a piece of Silver.

"You think you can get rid of me with a little bit of silver? Who do you think I am?" she thrust the silver back into his hand.

"What exactly do you want?" he asked.

"Simple," the woman replied, "Just sit here and let me paint another one of you."

Yan Xu was speechless.

He didn’t know why she was so persistent in painting him; he wasn’t Pan An, his appearance was average - fierce and terrifying - ordinary women avoided him, but this one was fearless and even approached him voluntarily.

"Impossible," he said, turning to leave.

"Hey, don’t go," she followed him, "You are the soul of the painting; just let me paint one more."

"Absurd."

Yan Xu found this woman’s mind to be a bit peculiar.

He remained cold to her, intimidated her, but it had no effect. He wasn’t really good at dealing with people in such a manner. In past days, a knife could sever all entanglements.

But he couldn’t just kill a defenseless woman here and now.

The woman looked at him, seemingly realizing that he had no intention of agreeing to be painted, and finally took a step back. After thinking for a moment, she said, "Well then, there’s a Tea Pavilion in these mountains, and their crab roe pastries are the best. You invite me to eat one set of crab roe pastries, and we’ll call it even."

He stood still.

"Come on," she walked a few steps, noticed he hadn’t moved, and looked back, urging, "We won’t catch the first pot if we’re late."

He should have turned and left, not wanting to deal with this person, but perhaps he was attracted by the beautiful scenery of the Tea Pavilion she mentioned, or by the thought of the exquisite tea she spoke of. In the end, he followed her.

As the woman had said, there was a hidden Tea Pavilion within Danfeng Pavilion, and its owner was an elderly man. The place had few customers, and the woman confidently ordered several dishes, taking a seat by the window with him.

The tea and pastries came quickly.

A pot of clear tea, a plate of crab roe pastries.

He took a sip from his tea cup. The tea was very bitter, but left a fragrant aftertaste in his mouth. It indeed was excellent tea.

The woman set aside her messy scrolls and book box, wiped her hands, and pinched a piece of the crab roe pastry to taste, "The first pot really is fragrant! Want to try?"

Yan Xu turned his head away.

She then smiled, her cheeks dimpling sweetly.

"Let’s get to know each other. My name is Su Ningshuang. What is your name?"

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read