Chapter 3 Before Leaving

People actually do collect them…

Chen Xi looked at the astonished Chen Lan and shrugged his shoulders. He harbored no biases regarding sects, and he saw no issue teaching Chen Lan the method for extracting spiritual power that he himself practiced. In his words, he was idle anyway, so he might as well pass the time. Having learned what he should, teaching someone else was a way to review and gain new insights.

"Thank you, young master." A hint of eager anticipation flashed in Chen Lan's eyes.

In the following months, Chen Lan studied under Chen Xi. In addition to the extraction of spiritual power, they mostly read books and learned characters. With one willing to teach and the other eager to learn, and the content being straightforward and singular, Chen Lan quickly mastered the basics and could now roughly read books on his own.

Gazing at the wanted poster on the wall, Chen Xi sighed. The time had come.

"From a certain perspective, this is not impossible. However, no matter which perspective, at least I now have my own capital," Chen Xi thought silently as he glanced at Cao Mengde on the wanted poster.

"Let's go, Elder Master Chen. We are heading to the Fan Family," Chen Xi said to Butler Chen behind him.

Upon hearing this, Butler Chen's expression darkened, but he nodded. Now that Chen Xi had recovered, the once-declining Chen Family saw hope again. It was time to discuss the marriage with the Fan Family.

Chen Xi was also aware of the betrothal. It was arranged when he was very young. When Chen Xi's father passed away, the Fan Family even sent someone proposing to expedite the marriage of the second miss of the Fan Family to Chen Xi, in order to continue the Chen Family lineage. However, Chen Xi had declined the offer, citing the mourning period for his father.

Later, when Chen Xi fell ill and did not recover, visits from the Fan Family slowed. By now, it had been quite a long time since they had come. Chen Xi understood that the Fan Family's willingness to honor the betrothal when he was in good health was normal. But if his condition had continued to deteriorate day by day, the Fan Family likely would not want to push their daughter into a pit of fire.

From the Fan Family's perspective, they did everything they could for Chen Xi. They did not annul the marriage when the Chen Family's fortunes declined and even planned to keep their promise when the Chen Family first faced troubles. The subsequent absence after Chen Xi fell ill was perhaps due to not wanting to endanger their daughter.

But to Butler Chen, this was unforgivable. Once the marriage was arranged, even though the formal engagement process had not been completed, both family patriarchs had agreed to it, intending for Chen Xi to marry the second miss of the Fan Family—Fan Jian—when he turned sixteen. Now, with the patriarch passed and the young master seventeen years old, the Fan Family had the audacity to back out of the marriage. What did this mean?

"Young Master Chen!" When the servants of the Fan Family saw Chen Xi again, they were initially startled and then quickly bowed before hurrying to report his arrival.

"I am here to see Uncle Fan," Chen Xi said indifferently, gauging that the Fan Family would most likely not renege on the betrothal. The fact that they did not mention the marriage while Chen Xi was seriously ill meant little. Their willingness to bring up the marriage after the death of Chen Xi's father was enough to show the sincerity of the Fan Family.

"Young Master Chen, please come inside. The master is waiting for you in the main hall," the Butler of the Fan Family promptly arrived to greet him.

"Hmm," Chen Xi nodded. He was now vexed about how to approach the topic. If they were unwilling to marry him, it would be easier, but the situation was clearly indicating that the Fan Family had no intention of breaking the engagement.

"Xi'er, come over here, sit down. Your uncle has been constantly worried about your health. If something were to happen to you, I would be at a loss to explain it to the Chen Family." Fan Jian's father sat in the chief seat, his face bearing a trace of joy.

Previously, during Chen Xi's mourning period, Fan Liang had planned to send over his own daughter to take care of Chen Xi. The rationale being that if the Chen lineage were to end, whether or not he observed mourning rituals would be meaningless.

But Chen Xi had rejected Fan Liang's plan. Afterwards, he became so heartbroken he fell gravely ill. Fan Liang was completely at a loss; he had to choose between his daughter's happiness and fraternal duty. Caught between the two, Fan Liang was utterly confused and in the end, could only silently monitor the situation. As for his daughter's marriage, it was postponed by three years, in accordance with Chen Xi's request.

As for three years later, if Chen Xi were still in weak health, Fan Liang would have no good solution. By then, if Chen Xi were to speak up, Fan Liang would have no choice but to marry off his daughter despite his heartache.

Fortunately, half a year ago, Fan Liang received news that Chen Xi's illness had improved, which was like a shot in the arm for him; finally, he was no longer caught in the middle, suffering. However, since the matter was dragged on before, Fan Liang felt a bit embarrassed to bring it up again. He thought to himself that he would wait for Chen Xi to come and discuss the matter, and when the time came, he would offer double the promised dowry as compensation for his indecent behavior.

"Go, call for that girl Fan Jian," Fan Liang beckoned to the butler.

"Uncle, there's no need to call for sister Jian'er. I have come to bid farewell. I plan to travel the world. A recent bout with a serious illness has made me understand a lot. It is truly tragic for a person to never venture beyond the place they've long lived in. I hope to go out and see for myself," said Chen Xi respectfully.

Fan Liang was taken aback and hesitated before speaking, "Xi'er, your uncle indeed did something indecorous before, but you should still give it more thought. The world is not at peace, and when your father passed away, he entrusted you to me. If any mishap befalls you, I would not know how to account for it to your father."

"Uncle, you can rest assured, Xi may not be talented, but I do possess some means of self-protection," said Chen Xi, his spirit lifting slightly.

"Ah, it seems that I cannot deter you," Fan Lian sighed, looking at Chen Xi with a trace of contentment in his eyes. "However, you can leave, but you must first secure the marriage arrangement. That girl Fan Jian is not getting any younger."

"..." Chen Xi slightly curled his lips, thinking, "Give her to me, but I wouldn't dare lay a hand on her, really. She's even two years younger than me, for goodness sake, to expect me to make a move on a fifteen-year-old girl, **..."

Of course, Chen Xi also knew that in the Han Dynasty, a fifteen-year-old girl was already considered an old maid, and it seemed that the taxes she paid would even be doubled. Naturally, if she were to marry, the taxes would not have to be doubled...

"Uncle, may I write the marital pledge now and complete the wedding upon my return from my travels?" said Chen Xi helplessly. Regarding that little loli who used to follow him around and call him 'brother', Chen Xi knew he could not escape this obligation. If he dared to break off the engagement, the Fan Family would surely become implacable foes with Chen Xi. Besides, for Chen Xi, it seemed that getting married did not really have too much of an impact.

Well, the marital pledge at the time was simply the exchange of Four Pillars of Destiny. Once that was given, the matter was essentially settled. The two had been deemed compatible by their birth charts, and now, it was just a matter of Chen Xi himself writing it down, which amounted to a legal commitment.

After finishing all the arrangements, Chen Xi boarded a carriage and began his journey westward, where the valorous Cao Cao was currently recruiting troops. It was clear that Chen Xi wanted to take advantage of this opportunity, as in this era, an army was a safer place to be. As for whether he would encounter Liu Bei in this slice of history, he could not guarantee that.