Situ Wen was so angry he could burst, there he was, having waited from last night until this morning, from this morning till noon, and then till the afternoon, only to be accused of being untrustworthy!
It had been difficult for him to set up various traps at Guanshan Ji, and Chen Shi chose neither to co early nor late, running over just as he had dismantled the traps, even mocking him about fleeing, which was indeed infuriating.
"Chen Shi, you clearly stated that you would et at noon!"
Situ Wen yelled, "So who is the one being untrustworthy now?"
Chen Shi stopped in his tracks and looked up at Situ Wen on the chanism, puzzled, "The noon I ntioned was tomorrow’s noon. When did I say today at noon? I actually ca early. If it wasn’t for seeing you about to leave, I would not have shown up."
Situ Wen exploded in anger, "Why didn’t you say the day after tomorrow’s noon? Why not noon a year from today?"
Chen Shi turned to leave, "I’ll co next year at today’s noon."
"Wait!"
Situ Wen, from his elevated position, stretched out his arm, his expression softened, and his tone beca as gentle as possible, "Wait, don’t go just yet. Instead of picking another day, why not right now? You’ve also traveled over a hundred miles to get here, running back would just waste your effort. Let’s have a fair fight right here; I’ll kill you and avenge my mother, and I’ll have sothing to report to my son."
He said earnestly, "Rest assured, after you die, I will erect a tomb for you, guaranteeing a splendid and large grave. Your family will prosper for three generations, and your descendants will beco high-ranking officials!"
Chen Shi replied, "I’m only twelve and not yet married, I have no descendants. My grandfather only had my father, and my father only had ; if you kill , the Chen family will end."
Situ Wen fell silent for a few monts, contemplating allowing him to go ho and quickly have a child, but realizing that would most likely have to wait until next year today.
Yet he didn’t want to wait until next year today.
Would killing Chen Shi today not lead to exterminating his lineage?
As he hesitated, Chen Shi asked, "Are you hungry? Because I am."
Situ Wen admitted he was also hungry, "I haven’t eaten or drunk anything since this morning; I’m indeed hungry."
Chen Shi inquired, "Why haven’t you eaten?"
Situ Wen replied, "I heard from Fuzheng Pavilion that you like to assassinate your opponents by surprise. I feared that while I was eating, or if I tilted my head back to drink, you would suddenly rush over and kill . Why haven’t you eaten?"
Chen Shi explained, "I was hiding in the bushes, secretly watching you, ready to launch an attack if you started to eat or drink, so I didn’t have ti to eat."
He added, "Whether it’s making a fire to cook or silently chewing, it would alert you."
Situ Wen mulled it over for a mont, "So, you’ve been hiding in the bushes outside Guanshan Ji just now?"
Chen Shi nodded.
Situ Wen was still skeptical, "You’ve been hiding in the bushes all this ti, waiting for to show a flaw? When did you arrive? How long have you hidden?"
Chen Shi responded, "I ca at noon, didn’t eat lunch, and have been hiding for two and a half hours. If you can hold out, I’ll continue waiting, but if by tomorrow noon you haven’t shown up, I’m leaving to eat."
Situ Wen suggested quietly, "How about we eat first, then decide life or death?"
Chen Shi laughed, "Great idea, let’s eat first! People are steel, and food is iron; without a full belly, there’s no strength to fight."
Situ Wen leapt down from the chanism, landing on the ground, "I can control the chanicians to cook, but I need to be cultivating my Heart Refinent to control them. I’m worried you might attack . People from Fuzheng Pavilion say that you seize the opportunity to strike, often finishing off your opponents in one or two moves."
Chen Shi grinned, "No worries, my family’s dog can cook. Black Pot, co cook and fry the food while I chat with big brother Situ."
Black Pot stood up, its front paws spread out, confused, "Woof?"
Chen Shi expressed his concern, "I didn’t bring the wooden cart, fearing it might catch your attention; being a Lu Ban Sect Leader, you might control it. All my cooking gear is in there."
Situ Wen replied, "There are pots and pans inside the chanism; I often go out for work, doing tasks like repairing tombs and residences for nobles, so I carry these items. But I don’t bring at or vegetables as they spoil easily, only rice and flour."
Chen Shi looked toward the Henggong Mountain behind them, "Black Pot, go hunt sothing to eat, I need to eat and drink with big brother Situ."
Disgruntled, Black Pot barked and darted into the mountains.
Soon after, Black Pot returned carrying a fifty or sixty-pound deer, peeled and cleaned it by a creek on a large stone, then divided the at.
Black Pot fetched so wild chives and garlic, barking at Chen Shi twice. Chen Shi said, "Big brother Situ, do you eat water celery? Black Pot found so wild water celery, it’s quite aromatic and might be unfamiliar to those who haven’t tried it, but it can help mask the gay taste of the at."
Smiling, Situ Wen responded, "I’m often on the road, what can’t I eat? Just put it in."
Chen Shi instructed, "Black Pot, add more water celery."
Acknowledging with a bark, Black Pot complied.
While Situ Wen still had so reservations about Chen Shi, he controlled a chanician to help set up a kitchen stove and brought over coal as well as a bellows; pots and pans were also fully prepared.
Even so, he didn’t forget to guard against Chen Shi’s potential sneak attack, keeping a distance of three zhang from him.
— He had heard from the young master that Chen Shi’s attack range was two zhang, but after his mother’s death, the young master revised it to two zhang and thirty-four chi, saying Chen Shi’s cultivation had significantly improved, and he might have already reached the ninth level of Golden Core.
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