Chapter 100: Chapter 77: The Curtain Falls on the Storm, Boundless Prospects
Zhou Jihai ran over, raising his hand, intent on grabbing a "smiling delicacy" to eat first.
Pa!
Zhao Yunshang gently slapped his hand, lightly scolding, "You mustn’t be rude. Wait for your brother to join us before eating."
Zhou Jihai hurriedly turned and beckoned to Li Xuan, waving repeatedly, "Brother, come quickly, come quickly."
Li Xuan smiled and walked closer.
He stood tall, exuding a righteous aura, giving one a feeling of robust vitality and heroism.
Zhao Yunshang was half a head shorter than him, and when he approached, she had to slightly tilt her head up to meet his gaze.
"Xiaoxuan, have a seat."
Commandery Princess Chunyang spoke in the same gentle voice.
"Thank you, Aunt Yun."
Li Xuan immediately sat down and began eating with Zhou Jihai.
After a few bites, he couldn’t help but praise, "Aunt Yun, your cooking is truly excellent."
Zhao Yunshang looked at them eating the snacks she made with satisfaction and said, "You two must get along well and not fight. Jihai, your brother is much older than you. If a dispute arises, you should first reflect on yourself."
"I understand, mother," Zhou Jihai mumbled.
Zhao Yunshang then looked at Li Xuan and said, "Xiaoxuan, aunt hopes that you can get along well with Jihai, too. He may be precocious, but he’s still a child. If he makes a small mistake, I hope you, as an older brother, can give him a hand."
Li Xuan smiled and said, "Aunt Yun, rest assured. As Jihai said, some people see each other every day and never become friends, while others can become close in just a short time.
Jihai and I became instant friends.
Moreover... Aunt Yun’s snacks are so delicious, I definitely want to have them often."
Zhao Yunshang laughed, "You’re welcome anytime."
Sunlight filtered through the window paper, casting a warm scene on the three of them.
The beautiful woman was gentle, the young man handsome, and even the boy showed a few hints of ease and playfulness.
...
...
Another two days passed.
Li Xuan was reading in the Governor’s mansion when he suddenly saw the Governor anxiously coming from outside.
Zhou Chihe, seeing Li Xuan, asked nervously, "Young Master Li, have you seen E Li the past few days?"
Li Xuan shook his head.
Zhou Chihe said urgently, "She has been missing for a long time, along with Wang Fengyang and those subordinates, all gone."
Li Xuan consoled, "Zhou E Li is very strong, and together with Mr. Wang, even if they encounter demons, they will have the strength to fight, not to mention everyone disappearing. I think they’ve discovered something and are currently investigating it."
Zhou Chihe was very anxious.
Previously, when his elder brother disappeared, it was the same situation.
Now, it seemed to be his third sister’s turn.
But this was different from before.
If the Zhou family loses Zhou E Li, they would almost entirely lose their "martial force" support.
Moreover, with Wang Fengyang also missing, it’s really a dire situation!
Zhou Chihe was very worried.
But as the Governor, in times of crisis, he would not be completely at a loss and would instinctively think of solutions.
His eyes moved, landing directly on Li Xuan.
Then, he instinctively began to think, "Does the Zhou family have any unmarried daughters?" Thinking about it, he found there wasn’t any. The oldest unmarried girl in the Zhou family was only a nine-year-old.
Various thoughts flashed through his mind. With a calm expression, he said, "The term ’Young Master’ is too formal. I’ll take the liberty of calling you Li Xuan then."
Li Xuan smiled, "Of course."
Zhou Chihe also smiled, "Then... Li Xuan, you needn’t call me Governor. Just call me Uncle Zhou.
Recently, Commandery Princess Chunyang also told me that the two of you get along very well.
The Commandery Princess likes you more and more.
If you don’t mind the Zhou family, why not become sworn brothers with Jihai?
The Zhou family may not have much, but I can at least speak a few words in the Prime Minister’s manor;
And Commandery Princess Chunyang is quite distinguished in the royal family.
The Empress Dowager especially loves the snacks she makes. Every winter solstice, she invites her to the palace early."
Li Xuan understood.
The disappearance of Zhou E Li made Zhou Chihe feel extremely insecure, so he wanted to seal a "high-level contract" with him.
This was not unexpected.
As for a family like the Zhou’s, connected to both the Prime Minister’s mansion yet not completely offending the royal family, he had already learned from Zhou E Li.
Thus, Li Xuan smiled and said, "I get along well with Jihai and Commandery Princess Chunyang and would be happy to become brothers.
As for the rest... Uncle Zhou, let’s not mention it because if you do, it’ll seem like those reasons are why I agreed. This would tarnish my feelings for Jihai, Commandery Princess Chunyang, and you, Uncle Zhou."
Zhou Chihe, hearing his sincere words, recollected the information gathered about Li Xuan in recent days.
Whether it was "appreciated by noble people yet not breaking an engagement" or the "teacher-student relationship with Cao Shuda," or even a particular elegy, they all displayed this young man’s character.
He was overjoyed, patting Li Xuan’s shoulder, "In the future, we’ll be like one family."
After saying this, he hurriedly left.
Two days later, on an auspicious day...
Li Xuan and Zhou Jihai burned incense and smeared blood, becoming sworn brothers.
Zhou Chihe nodded repeatedly.
The Commandery Princess Chunyang also smiled broadly.
After the two completed the brotherhood ceremony and went aside to study, Zhou Chihe called Commandery Princess Chunyang aside and said directly, "Sister-in-law, to be honest, E Li is missing, Wang Fengyang and those two hundred Martial Artists are also missing.
Last winter, Liu Yingyi didn’t return due to the great epidemic at the Hundred Flowers Mansion.
As such, almost all the masters of the Zhou family lineage have been lost.
Now, I plan to write a letter to the Prime Minister explaining the situation here, asking him to send experts to stay, and hoping he would give Li Xuan a chance.
Sister-in-law... what do you think?"
Commandery Princess Chunyang said, "Xiaoxuan is remarkable in appearance and majestically righteous. Even if you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t know that he is a dual-cultivation Secret Martial Artist. This means his character is extremely exceptional.
