Chapter Three: Before Leaving

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To think there is actually someone who collects these...

Chen Xi looked at the bewildered Chen Lan and shrugged. He held no narrow-minded prejudices against sharing knowledge; as for the method of mental energy extraction he had been practicing, he saw no reason to keep it secret. In his own words, idle time was better spent teaching others, which served as a way to "review the old to learn the new."

"Many thanks, young master." A hint of eagerness flickered in Chen Lan's eyes.

For the next few months, Chen Lan followed Chen Xi's guidance. Beyond mental energy extraction, they focused mostly on reading and literacy. With one willing to teach and the other eager to learn, and the curriculum being simple and focused, Chen Lan made rapid progress. At the very least, she could now manage to read books on her own.

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

[From a certain spacetime perspective, this is not impossible. But regardless of the viewpoint, I at least have my own capital now.] Chen Xi thought silently, glancing at the image of Cao Mengde on the poster.

"Let's go, Uncle Chen. To the Fan residence," Chen Xi said to his steward.

Upon hearing this, the steward’s expression darkened, but he nodded. Chen Xi’s health had recovered, and the once-declining Chen family had regained a glimmer of hope. It was finally time to address the matter of the marriage with the Fan family.

Chen Xi knew the history: the engagement had been arranged when they were both very young. After his father passed away, the Fan family had even sent representatives, intending to marry off their second daughter to Chen Xi to ensure the continuation of the Chen line, but Chen Xi had declined, citing his mourning period.

Later, as Chen Xi fell into a prolonged illness, the Fan family’s visits grew infrequent, and eventually, they stopped coming altogether. Yet, Chen Xi understood clearly: the Fan family had been willing to honor their promise when he was healthy, but as his condition deteriorated, they likely had no desire to push their daughter into a "pit of fire."

From the Fan family’s perspective, they had done their duty. They hadn't broken the engagement simply because the Chen family had fallen on hard times; in fact, they had been ready to fulfill the promise when the initial tragedy struck. Their later absence was likely a protective measure for their daughter.

To the steward, however, this was unforgivable. The marriage had been set by the two patriarchs—Chen Xi was to marry Fan Jian, two years his junior, when he reached sixteen. Now that the old masters were gone and the young master was seventeen, the Fan family’s silence was an insult.

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"Young Master Chen!" The servants at the Fan residence were startled to see him, then quickly bowed and hurried to announce his arrival.

"I am here to see Uncle Fan," Chen Xi said calmly. By his estimation, it was highly unlikely the Fan family intended to break the engagement. Their silence during his illness didn't necessarily mean betrayal; the fact that they had been willing to proceed after his father’s death was enough to prove their sincerity.

"Young Master Chen, please come inside. The master is waiting for you in the main hall," the Fan family steward quickly rushed over.

"Understood." Chen Xi nodded. He was troubled by how to broach the subject. If they didn't want to marry their daughter to him, it would be simple, but the situation suggested they had no intention of backing out.

"Xi’er, come, sit here. Your uncle has been worried about your health lately. If anything had happened to you, I wouldn't have known how to answer to the Chen family." Fan Liang, the father of Fan Jian, sat in the seat of honor with a look of genuine relief.

When Chen Xi was in mourning, Fan Liang had offered to send his daughter over to care for him. He believed that if the Chen line were to end, the mourning itself would be meaningless.

But Chen Xi had refused, and when he subsequently fell into his long illness, Fan Liang had been torn between his daughter’s happiness and his duty to his late friend. He had been left in a state of paralysis, eventually choosing to watch from a distance and postponing his daughter's marriage for three years, as Chen Xi had requested.

If Chen Xi had remained sickly after those three years, Fan Liang would have had no choice but to marry his daughter off, even with a heavy heart.

Fortunately, half a year ago, news had reached him that Chen Xi had recovered. It was a massive relief. Having delayed things so long, however, Fan Liang felt too embarrassed to bring it up, hoping Chen Xi would take the initiative. He even resolved to double the dowry to make amends for his lack of resolve.

"Go, call that girl, Fan Jian, over," Fan Liang instructed his steward.

"Uncle, there is no need to call Sister Jian over. I have come to bid you farewell. I intend to travel the world. My recent illness has taught me much; it is truly a tragedy for a man to never leave the place he has lived all his life. I wish to see the world," Chen Xi said respectfully.

Fan Liang was taken aback. He hesitated before saying, "Xi’er, I know I haven't been entirely fair in the past, but you should think this over. The world is not peaceful right now. Your father entrusted you to me; if you were to meet with any misfortune, I would have no way to face your father."

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"Uncle, please rest assured. Though I am not exceptionally talented, I have some means to protect myself," Chen Xi said, his spirit momentarily sharpening.

"Sigh, it seems I cannot stop you," Fan Liang sighed, looking at Chen Xi with a hint of gratification. "Very well, you may go, but you must finalize the marriage engagement first. That girl, Fan Jian, is no longer a child."

"..." Chen Xi twitched his lips slightly, thinking, [I wouldn't even dare to make a move on her! She's two years younger than me. Asking me to make a move on a fifteen-year-old little girl... that's just...]

Of course, Chen Xi knew that in the Han Dynasty, a fifteen-year-old girl was considered a "leftover" woman, and apparently, the taxes on them were doubled—though marriage would exempt her from that.

"Uncle, how about this: I shall write the marriage contract now, and we can hold the wedding upon my return from my travels," Chen Xi said helplessly. He knew he couldn't escape the little girl who used to follow him around calling him "Brother." If he dared to cancel the engagement, the Fan family would surely become his sworn enemies. Besides, marriage didn't seem to be a significant burden for him.

In those days, a marriage contract was simply a document recording their birth dates. Since their horoscopes already matched, Chen Xi’s writing of the document was enough to give it legal weight.

After settling everything, Chen Xi boarded a carriage and headed west. Cao Cao, who had issued a call to arms to the world, was currently recruiting soldiers. Chen Xi intended to hitch a ride; an army was, after all, the safest place to be in these times. As for whether he would encounter Liu Bei in this history, he couldn't be certain.