Chapter Forty-One: Love at First Sight?

When Zhang Xuan and the others arrived at the dining hall, the place was already packed. Upon closer look, it was clear that these were all martial apprentices from the area, dressed in their training uniforms, clustered around tables and devouring their food with ravenous hunger. As Zhang Xuan and his companions entered, some people glanced at Old Master Tong, but perhaps because he had been gone for so long, his presence didn’t leave much of an impression among the crowd. They probably just assumed he was a relative from home—though, on second thought, that wasn’t entirely wrong.

Old Master Tong, upon spotting his senior brother Li Yan, led Zhang Xuan and the others over to join him. Aside from Li Yan, another young man sat at the table, looking about the same age as Yang Zaixing. Old Master Tong greeted Li Yan and then motioned for Zhang Xuan and his group to take their seats. The dishes were already laid out on the table. As Zhang Xuan gazed at the food, tears nearly welled in his eyes—at last, a proper meal! Finally, he could bid farewell to cold steamed buns, cold flatbread, and wild game, all of which had long lost their flavor. No more suffering under Old Master Tong’s “exploitation,” cooking for them, roasting meat, only to be met with their “complaints.” Those days of being “exploited” were, at least for the time being, behind him, and the very thought filled him with joy.

Once everyone was seated, Old Master Tong began introducing the group to his senior brother Li Yan, one by one, except for Zhang Xuan. When it came to introducing Yang Bo, the old man seemed a bit excited, even somewhat shy—proof that the power of idols still existed in this era. Yang Zaixing, Yang Hu, and Zhao Yun darted their eyes around nervously. After Old Master Tong finished his introductions, the realization dawned that seated across from them were the “King of the Halberd” and the “King of the Spear,” leaving them even more at a loss as to how to behave. Only Zhang Xuan seemed right at home, immediately picking up his chopsticks and treating the place as if it were his own, relishing what was, since his arrival in this era, the most sumptuous meal yet. The young man beside Senior Li looked at Zhang Xuan with a hint of disbelief, as if it was the first time he’d ever seen someone so unrestrained.

When Old Master Tong finally introduced Zhang Xuan, he glanced at him and said, “This rascal who’s already started eating is Zhang Xuan. You can call him Little Xuan. All right, everyone, don’t be so tense—learn from this starving ghost and dig in!”

Having heard Old Master Tong’s offhand introduction, Zhang Xuan was tempted to retort, but then realized this was Old Master Tong’s home; it’s wise to bow to the host. Besides, no matter what he said, he couldn’t out-argue or out-fight the old man, and being teased a little wouldn’t hurt. Better to focus on eating—what ended up in his stomach was truly his own.

“I’m sure my junior brother has already told you who I am, so I won’t repeat myself,” Li Yan said. “As for the young man beside me, he is my newest apprentice. His surname is Yuwen, and his full name is Yuwen Chengdu. Chengdu, greet your grandmaster and everyone else at the table.”

“Grandmaster, everyone, my name is Yuwen Chengdu. I look forward to learning from you all!” Yuwen Chengdu bowed to Old Master Tong and Yang Bo before sitting down.

Upon hearing Yuwen Chengdu introduce himself, Zhang Xuan stared blankly for a moment, then nudged Yang Zaixing with his elbow. “Big brother, did he say his name was Yuwen Chengdu?”

Yang Zaixing glanced at Zhang Xuan, whose mouth was glistening with grease. “Little Xuan, were you so starved in your past life? Can’t you even listen to an introduction properly? You heard right—he said he’s Yuwen Chengdu. Why? Do you know him? Heard of the name before?”

Zhang Xuan shook his head. “How could I possibly know him? Never heard the name before—just didn’t catch it the first time and wanted to confirm. But now I suppose I know him.” Inwardly, though, Zhang Xuan was far less composed than he appeared.

After Yuwen Chengdu’s introduction, Zhang Xuan simply stared at him. At first, the others didn’t notice, but as the staring continued, the atmosphere grew awkward. While Yuwen Chengdu was indeed handsome, Zhang Xuan had never shown any interest in men before. Yuwen Chengdu himself felt especially uncomfortable—being stared at by a woman was one thing, but being watched so intently by a man made the meal oddly unnerving.

In reality, Zhang Xuan wasn’t staring at Yuwen Chengdu the whole time; he was simply deep in thought, his gaze unintentionally fixed in Yuwen Chengdu’s direction. The others, however, misunderstood the situation. As for what Zhang Xuan was pondering, it was nothing less than the mysteries of this world. He’d already met Yang Zaixing, and now Yuwen Chengdu. There was Yang Bo’s mention of Yang Ye at Yanmen Pass, Yang Jian under Han Fu, and other notable figures he had yet to meet. If things were truly as Zhang Xuan suspected, this era would indeed be extraordinary—and to carve out a kingdom here, to achieve greatness, would be no small feat.

Finally, Yang Zaixing could not bear it any longer. He picked up a drumstick from the table and shoved it into Zhang Xuan’s mouth. “Stop staring—no matter how long you look, Yuwen Chengdu won’t fall for you. Don’t waste your energy.”

Zhang Xuan, lost in his own thoughts, was startled out of his reverie by Yang Zaixing’s words. “When was I staring at Yuwen Chengdu? My preferences are perfectly normal,” he thought. But judging from the looks at the table, his daydreaming had led this group of dirty-minded fools to draw the wrong conclusions. He turned to look at Zhao Yun, who was still diligently eating. Little Zhao Yun, at least, remained untainted by their crude humor.

But Zhao Yun, sensing Zhang Xuan’s gaze, looked up and said, “Brother Xuan, don’t look at me like that. I won’t yield to your charms. There’s no way I’ll ever like you.” He nodded seriously as he spoke. Hearing this, Zhang Xuan raised a clenched fist, and little Zhao Yun shrank back in mock fear. Zhang Xuan could only shake his head in exasperation, about to explain himself, when Yang Zaixing cut him off. Perhaps seeing Zhang Xuan’s intent, Yang Zaixing made a shushing gesture, “Little Xuan, don’t even try to explain. Didn’t you once say, ‘An explanation is a cover-up, and a cover-up means it’s true?’ If you really do have your eye on Yuwen Chengdu, we won’t stand in your way. Go ahead and pursue him—otherwise, you might regret it. Who knows, maybe that’s your true happiness! And didn’t you also say, ‘The opposite sex is for reproduction; the same sex is for true love?’ Be bold and chase after your love!” With that, Yang Zaixing clutched his belly and burst out laughing. The others joined in, leaving only Zhang Xuan and Yuwen Chengdu facing each other in awkward silence.

Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but wonder why, out of all the things he’d said, it was these ridiculous remarks that everyone remembered so well…