Chapter Ninety-Four: Rogue Chen

As soon as Dong Xin saw the man before her, she cried out in shock.

"Chen... Chen... Uncle Chen?! It really is you?"

Chen Ding'an lifted a shoulder. "If it's not me, then who would it be?"

"You... you... how did you end up like this?" Dong Xin asked bluntly.

Chen Ding'an let out a helpless sigh and glanced at Chen Hao. "It's a long story..."

Chen Hao, too, wore a bitter expression. "Yes. Very long."

Then he shook his head and flashed Dong Xin a polite smile. "Hello, I'm Chen Hao. I assume you're the one I'm supposed to spar with today? A pleasure to meet you."

Seeing how courteous he was, Dong Xin suddenly found herself at a loss. She could only reflexively smile and nod back. "Hello, I'm Dong Xin. Since you're here, come on in. There's no need to rush into the sparring... You two should..."

She had meant to suggest that they go in first and change clothes, but on second thought, that seemed a little impolite. As for Uncle Chen, that was easy enough; his build was about the same as her father's, so he could wear her father's clothes. But Chen Hao? She was a girl, and there was nothing at home that would suit him.

Besides, just imagining that filthy, mud-covered man wearing her clothes filled Dong Xin with irritation. By rights, the two of them were opponents. She could not say she disliked Chen Hao, but she certainly had no fondness for him either.

And now, seeing him in this state, she looked down on him a little. What on earth had happened to make him such a mess? Did they not know that when visiting someone's home for a friendly exchange, basic courtesy mattered? Had he just rolled around in a mud pit on the way here?

Was he looking down on the Dong family, or did he simply not take this exchange seriously at all?

Still, no matter what, he was a guest, and her father had repeatedly instructed her to treat Chen Ding'an and his son with due respect. That was why she had not shown her displeasure on the spot.

And she also believed Uncle Chen was not the sort of man who lacked common sense; their disheveled appearance had to be unintentional. Perhaps they had run into some trouble on the way up the mountain.

The steep, uneven mountain path was indeed treacherous and caked with mud, but Uncle Chen had traveled it many times and should not have run into any danger. Perhaps it had been his son—the scruffy boy named Chen Hao—who had gotten into trouble while climbing because he had been fooling around, and Uncle Chen had been dragged into it while rescuing or tending to him.

Hmph. If that was the case, then this boy's skills could not amount to much either. For ordinary people, that mountain road might be difficult, but for a martial artist it should not have been so bad. At the very least, she herself had gone up and down alone countless times without incident. She had even chased and played with the monkeys in the mountains from time to time, and she had never made a spectacle of herself like this.

So the prodigy other martial artists spoke of was only so-so...

In truth, Dong Xin had wronged Chen Hao, and also Chen Ding'an. The two of them had not become like this because of anything that happened on the way up the mountain.

The trouble had started just after they left the Shaolin Inner Hall, and as for what that trouble was... it was indeed a long story.

Both of them only wanted to get inside the Dong residence quickly, wash up, change clothes, and then enjoy a hot meal. They were nearly exhausted by what they had encountered earlier.

"Girl Dong, where is your father? Is he not at home?" Chen Ding'an asked, forcing up some energy.

At the address, Chen Hao found it amusing. Did people still call their fathers that? It had an old-fashioned flavor to it, yet somehow it was charming.

He knew his own father never used such a term for his grandfather. So this way of speaking must belong to Dong Xin. Because of it, Chen Hao rather unexpectedly formed a slightly favorable impression of her and even felt a bit curious.

Dong Xin had no idea that a single word had stirred Chen Hao's curiosity. She merely answered Chen Ding'an politely, "Father is at home. He's waiting for you in the courtyard, Uncle Chen. Come in quickly."

With that, Dong Xin did not even bother to call out to Chen Hao. She simply led the way toward the inner courtyard.

Chen Ding'an smiled indifferently and gave Chen Hao a knowing look. The father and son then entered the Dong family's great courtyard together.

Everything was still so familiar. That was the first thought in Chen Ding'an's mind as he stepped inside. Had it been many years since he had last come here? Ever since Dong Jianguo was injured, the two of them had never sparred again. In the past, whenever they fought, it was always during one of his visits.

After that, although they did occasionally meet, it was usually because Dong Jianguo had come looking for him, or at gatherings of their martial friends. He had not been to the Dong family in many years. Everything was still the same as before, and even the furnishings had scarcely changed.

He remembered that the plant just inside the gate on the right had been something he and Dong Jianguo had planted together as children. Back then, his father had returned from abroad carrying a highly precious plant. His father had placed it in the garden and intended to have it planted by professionals.

But Chen Ding'an had been bold beyond reason. Seeing how beautiful the plant was, and hearing that it was some rare and valuable variety, he secretly took it away and hid it in his own room. Then, when his father brought him to visit the Dong family, he secretly carried it over with him.

By then, he and Dong Jianguo had already crossed hands many times. They were opponents, but also friends. And whenever Chen Ding'an had something good, the first person he thought of was naturally his friend. He knew Dong Jianguo loved all kinds of plants, so he gave it to him as a gift.

He still remembered the joy on Dong Jianguo's face when he received it, impossible to conceal. And then... that match ended, as one would expect, with his own victory. That shouldn't really count as bribery, should it?

Thinking back on childhood really was amusing. Something so small could keep two boys happy for days. And this plant had grown so tall already? Time truly had flown by...

"Hmph. You're early enough." Just as Chen Ding'an was lost in recollection, Dong Jianguo spoke, and the words that came out were anything but polite.

Chen Ding'an replied just as sharply, "What, an invalid is in such a hurry to see me? Looking for a way to recover the glory of your youth? Missing the days when you were whole?"

Chen Hao listened, wide-eyed and stunned. In his memory, this was the first time he had ever heard his father speak so harshly. Were they really that kind of relationship? Would they not start fighting the moment they met? No wonder Father told me not to go easy during this sparring match!

He glanced instinctively at Dong Xin beside him. Er... this sister was fairly pretty. It would be bad to strike too hard, wouldn't it? If I do, I definitely must not hit the face...

Dong Xin naturally noticed Chen Hao's gaze. Seeing the blank look in the boy, who was several years younger than she was, she misunderstood his meaning. She thought he was asking her to smooth things over, but Dong Xin only shook her head. "Ignore them. It's always like this whenever those two meet. I'm used to it.

You... I'll take you to wash up first. You're covered in mud. I don't want to end up smeared with dirt when we spar later."

Hearing the children's exchange, Dong Jianguo frowned and said, "What on earth did you two go and do? How did you end up like this? Young Master Chen, do you want to wash up too?"

Chen Ding'an had originally intended to, but then inspiration struck him, and he suddenly remembered one of Dong Jianguo's old habits. Though he had loved plants since childhood, he almost never planted them himself. The precious plant at the entrance had ended up being planted by Chen Ding'an himself, because Dong Jianguo was a neat freak.

With that in mind, Chen Ding'an formed a plan. He grinned slyly. "Bathing isn't urgent. This time I mainly came so the two children could exchange a few moves. But... it's been so many years since we've seen each other, and we haven't sparred in ages. I wonder how your level is now, you invalid. Why don't we have a few rounds first?"

He knew very well that after Dong Jianguo's injury, his physical condition would prevent any real improvement in his martial arts, and over the years he seemed to have stopped sparring much at all.

Of course, he had no intention of truly competing with him. He merely wanted to annoy Dong Jianguo a little. Besides, Chen Ding'an was exhausted all over, and he would not be able to bring out his full strength anyway. If they fought, it would only be a brief exchange.

So the moment he finished speaking, Chen Ding'an lunged at Dong Jianguo.

At that moment, Dong Jianguo was seated in his chair. Seeing Chen Ding'an charge at him, he shouted, "Damn it! You're serious?!"

He was not actually afraid of Chen Ding'an, nor did he think Chen Ding'an would truly come at him in earnest. He simply did not want to be brushed all over with mud.

But Chen Ding'an was already upon him, and there was no helping it. There was no avoiding this ordeal now, though he still intended to put up some resistance.

So when Chen Ding'an's fist came in, he snatched up the chair from under him and met the attack head-on.

Seeing this, Chen Ding'an laughed. "You surnamed Dong, that's not fair. I use my fist and you use a chair!"

"Bah!" Dong Jianguo shot back without yielding, swinging the chair in retaliation as he said, "Dealing with a bastard like you doesn't call for fairness. Weren't you a dirty little troublemaker when you were young?"

Chen Hao had originally intended to watch the two of them spar, but at that moment Dong Xin grew impatient and urged him along. "Stop staring. Let those two make a scene. Hurry up and take a bath!"

"Uh..." Faced with Dong Xin's forceful attitude, Chen Hao suddenly realized that his momentum had been overpowered by hers. He could only obediently follow her toward the bathroom.