Chapter 26: He Lan Sheng

  The one who called out to Chen Yi was the same handsome white-clad young master who had appeared during the fight with the Wu family's young master and his gang outside the Drunken Immortal Pavilion. Today, he wore a simple outfit consisting of a white shirt and a matching kerchief, with a faint smile that accentuated his slender and elegant figure, giving off an otherworldly aura that left Chen Yi feeling inferior once again.

  Why have there been so many beautiful men and women around him since he came to Datang for two days? Is it possible that ancient beauties and handsome guys are particularly numerous? However, Chen Yi immediately dispelled this idea. Just now when he was strolling in the west market, he rarely saw people with good looks, and could only say that he was relatively lucky to have seen some "good-looking" men and women. But he also wondered if his interactions with such people were not asking for trouble!

  After a brief astonishment, Chen Yi calmed down and quickly walked two steps forward to pay his respects, "What a coincidence! I didn't expect to meet you here today, young master. Please forgive me!"

  The man in white also hurriedly returned the courtesy, and after standing up straight, he looked at Chen Yi with a scrutinizing gaze, smiling: "Just now when I was passing by in the carriage, I saw someone who looked like you ahead, and I was wondering if it was really...".

  "It turned out that the horse carriage just now was the young master's ride!" Hearing the white-clothed young master say this, Chen Yi immediately thought of the large horse carriage that had just passed by his side, and the person who lifted the curtain to look outside from the carriage. It turned out that the horse carriage was the one ridden by this white-clothed young master!

  The young man in white listened to Chen Yi's words and neither denied nor acknowledged them, but only smiled and said: "Is Mr. Chen alone today? Where are your companions from that day?"

  "On that day, my companion had something to attend to and left Chang'an!" Chen Yi made an effort to gather his own sense of inferiority and said in as calm a tone as possible: "I was idle with nothing to do, so I came out for a stroll. Is the young master also alone today?"

  The young man in white shook his head, "I came to Qujiangchi with my family today, they went somewhere else..."

  "So that's how it is!" Chen Yi was somewhat perplexed. The handsome young man in white standing before him had abandoned his wife and concubines to find him? Judging from the young man's age, he should be between 18 to 20 years old. According to Chen Yi's understanding of Tang Dynasty history, a man of this age should already be married.

  "I've heard that the young master's learning is quite impressive. On that day, at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, he recited a poem 'Youthful Journey' that shocked everyone present, making the Wu brothers so angry they wanted to start a fight on the street. Unexpectedly, the young master single-handedly intimidated the crowd, and such a person with both literary and martial talents is rarely seen in our great Tang Dynasty. I am also very curious and have the intention of befriending him."

  The white-clothed young master said with a smile, bowed his hands and made another courtesy, saying: "I don't know if Young Master Chen has time today? I also enjoy poetry and martial arts, and if Young Master Chen doesn't despise my crudeness, I'd like to invite you to have a drink together. Would you be willing to grant me this favor?"

  The young master in white clothes made a direct invitation, which was somewhat unexpected for Chen Yi, but also felt a bit abrupt. He couldn't bring himself to refuse, and after hesitating for a moment, he immediately agreed: "Last time the young master lent a hand and scared away those rough men, I should have thanked you properly. Today we happened to meet, so instead of inviting you formally, let me be the host and invite you to drink a few cups of wine!"

  "Mr. Chen, you're being polite! Just now, I spoke first, how can I let you be the host? Moreover, I've always lived in Chang'an, and you came from Yue State, you're the guest and I'm the host, today's wine must be on me!" The white-clothed young master spoke with an unyielding tone, then pointed to a nearby building with a wine awning: "There's a wine house that's not bad, the grape wine inside is no worse than the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, and the three-leaved cream they serve is unparalleled in Chang'an. Let's go there for a drink! Mr. Chen, please!"

  "Gentleman, please!" Seeing that the other party was very polite to him, Chen Yi didn't dare to be rude and also didn't refuse. He returned the courtesy and accepted.

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  Speaking politely, the two walked into this wine house called "Yunxiang Pavilion" located in Qujiangchi. The several followers of the white-clothed young master stood at the door waiting, but Chen Yi saw a bit of vigilance and doubt from these followers' eyes, and he didn't mind!

  The decoration inside the hotel is more exquisite than Zui Xian Lou, and it's not an exaggeration to describe it as luxurious and grand. However, there are not many diners inside the store, and the few who are present are also dressed very elegantly. According to Chen Yi's observation, their identities will not be ordinary, which is similar to Zui Xian Lou, but even more high-end!

  The young man in white may be a regular here, as soon as he entered the wine house, the shopkeeper came up to greet him with a bow, without asking any questions, and led them upstairs to a very spacious private room. The young man in white didn't give any instructions, nor did he pay much attention to the shopkeeper, and simply invited Chen Yi to enter and sit down.

  The shopkeeper bowed respectfully and withdrew, closing the door behind him, leaving only two people in the room.

  The young man in white clothes sat down on the couch first, and Chen Yi also took a seat.

  After sitting down, the young man in white didn't make any polite remarks and immediately introduced himself: "My name is He Lansheng, courtesy name Changzhu, from Luoyang. I wonder if you can tell me your name, Chen Gongzi?"

  "It turned out to be Mr. He, I have long admired you! My surname is Chen, my name is Yi, and my courtesy name is Ziying, from the Jiangnan region of Yuezhou." Chen Yi replied politely. However, after hearing the white-clothed young master's self-introduction, he felt a sense of surprise in his heart. He suspected that the person in front of him, who called himself "He Lansheng", might be hiding something from him for some special reason, and "He Lansheng" was not his real name, this person should have another name!

  That day, he had already made a guess about the identity of those Wu surname young masters. Of course, he also inferred the identity of the Wu surname young master's sworn brother. Today, the white-clothed young master's self-introduction further confirmed his inference, and he no longer doubted that his inference was wrong!

  But before the final confirmation, he still dare not make a rash judgment, nor will he go to uncover anything!

  Chen Yi also felt a little regretful. Later generations who studied the history of the Tang Dynasty had paid attention to that extraordinary figure, but only heard about it briefly and did not delve deeper. He didn't know much about this person's information, nor could he guess more from the brief self-introduction just now, let alone make a conclusion!

  He Lan Sheng didn't show any surprise after hearing what Chen Yi said, but instead smiled self-mockingly: "Haha, so Master Chen really... came from Yue State. No wonder his accent sounds like a southerner! But... I don't understand why Master Chen doesn't have any attendants by his side?"

  Hearing this question from him, Chen Yi smiled wistfully: "As for what Mr. He asked, I really don't know how to answer..."

  "Oh?! Does Master Chen have some unspoken secret?"

  As the wine and dishes were served, Chen Yi also took advantage of the interval when the waiter was placing the bowls and plates to adjust his emotions and finally made up his mind to tell the person in front of him about his experience.

  "It's not that I'm hiding anything, it's just that I'm afraid if Lord He heard me, he would think I'm talking nonsense!"

  "Oh?" He Lan's face showed even more interest, after refilling Chen Yi's cup with wine, he said: "Young Master Chen is being overly cautious, I naturally believe what you say, but if there's something difficult to express, I won't pry. Haha, come, let's have a drink first..."

  "Cheers!" Helan Sheng raised his cup, Chen Yi also picked up the full cup of wine in front of him, clinked it with the other party, and drank it all at once!

  The wine here is indeed not bad, as soon as the wine was poured, Chen Yi smelled the pungent aroma, and after drinking it down his throat, the fragrance also flowed into his abdomen along with his throat. The taste is quite memorable! Due to professional reasons, Chen Yi, who had a good capacity for alcohol in later generations, did not often drink wine. He was afraid of the harm that high-concentration alcohol would bring to his body, and at most, he would only drink a few cups when he couldn't get out of it. However, he knew that in ancient times, especially during the Tang Dynasty, drinking wine was a fashion, and scenes of drinking could often be seen in the poems of famous people like Li Bai and Du Fu. After crossing over to ancient times, he naturally couldn't avoid the custom and would definitely have to drink. Fortunately, the alcohol concentration of various wines in ancient times was not too high, and the grape wine he had just drunk was no exception. Drinking a large cup of grape wine didn't make him feel the pungency of the alcohol, but instead gave him a sense of nostalgia - this wine really wasn't bad!

  I don't know if the three-leaved paste flavor here is as good as He Lan said! According to historical records, during the Tang Dynasty, San Le paste was a strong wine with a slightly spicy and bold taste, which people who liked to drink enjoyed. Unfortunately, He Lan didn't order it today.

  He Lan Sheng refilled Chen Yi's cup with wine again, but didn't ask anything. However, his gaze at Chen Yi had a hint of inquiry.

  Chen Yi had already thought of how to explain himself, and he spoke at a moderate pace: "Perhaps Mr. He won't believe it, but I've encountered a major misfortune!" Chen Yi played with the wine in his cup, speaking with a hint of regret: "I was traveling with several companions from Yue State to Chang'an to seek an audience, but for some reason, when we were about to arrive in Chang'an, we took a wrong turn and headed northwest towards Liangshan...and then something unexpected happened on Liangshan. My horse got startled and lost control, falling off the cliff and getting injured. My companions are also nowhere to be found, fortunately, I was rescued by someone."

  "So that's how it is!" He Lansheng composed his surprised expression, with a look of sudden realization, "I said why it would be like this. Looking at Chen Gongzi's demeanor, which is not ordinary, and his learning and martial arts are not comparable to those of ordinary people. How could he travel alone, and yet such a thing happened!"

  "Let He Gongzi laugh at me!" Chen Yi sighed with a bitter smile, "This matter is really not easy to believe when spoken out loud!"

  "He believed!" He Lan Sheng took a sip of wine and looked at Chen Yi with profound meaning: "Were you saved by Sun Dao Chang?"

  "How did you know?"

  "Of course I know!" He Lan Sheng said with a smug expression, slyly smiling, "I also know that this time you came to Chang'an together with Sun Daozhang. The little girl who went into the Drunken Immortal Pavilion with you was Sun Daozhang's youngest disciple, named Ning Qing."

  Chen Yi was shocked and said in disbelief: "Did Lord He investigate my whereabouts?"

  He Lansheng shook his head, "Can't say I've been investigating Chen Gongzi's whereabouts, just happened to meet Sun Daochang and talked about it, also mentioned you, so I knew! Just didn't hear Sun Daochang mention your strange encounter, haha! It's not surprising, Sun Daochang and the others returned to Zhongnan Mountain, you didn't follow them back, so you're alone..."

  He Lan Sheng's words made Chen Yi even more surprised. Sun Si Miao and his disciples had just left Chang'an in the morning, how did this person know so quickly? Just as he was about to express his doubts, he was interrupted by an unexpected situation!

  "Brother, you're really here!" A clear female voice came from outside the door, and then the door was pushed open. In Xiao Er's respectful thanks, a figure quickly walked in from outside. But after seeing the situation inside the house, she froze there!

  Chen Yi also froze in place after seeing the face of the person who came in!