OFTLHFRO C85

Chapter 85 Since We’re Here…

Focusing a bit of ability into the eyes, Luo Mingchen could see the world beneath the sea clearly.

Diving two to three hundred meters, he found octopus; several water tendrils shot out at once, seized them, and he stowed them directly into storage.

Catching a dozen or so octopuses of various sizes, he thought, since he was here anyway, why not see what else there was.

Diving further and searching for quite a while, he really did find some large sea clams.

There ought to be pearls in them, right?

With that in mind, he gathered a dozen more, figuring that even without pearls, the meat alone would be tasty.

Waiting by the reef, Huo Xiang, seeing no one surface for a long time, clutched Huo Yan’s sleeve in worry. “Daddy! Could something have happened to Little Daddy? He’s been down so long—should we find a boat and go look?”

Having seen Luo Mingchen’s strength—his water wall could block that many bombs—Huo Yan knew swimming for hours posed no problem. “He’s probably found something good. Give it a little longer.”

In this, Huo Yan understood Luo Mingchen very well.

After finishing with the clams and preparing to return, Luo Mingchen spotted some red coral. It was quite pretty, so he put that in storage too.

When he surfaced, Huo Yan, reassured, curved his lips and came over carrying the wobbling-with-worry Huo Xinyue.

Huo Yuhui and Huo Xiang ran up, not even asking whether he’d gotten octopus; Huo Xiang simply hugged him tight.

“Little Daddy!”

Chuckling, Luo Mingchen ruffled his hair. “Didn’t say it was fine?”

He looked to Huo Yuhui, who was also worried. “Truly fine.”

Back in the day he’d butchered mutant beasts in great rivers—tens-of-meters-long fish with mouthsful of fangs—and still lived, didn’t he? This was just a stroll in the sea.

When Huo Yan came up, Luo Mingchen’s eyes shone. “I hauled up lots of big sea clams—should be able to get sea pearls out of them. Come on, let’s go home.”

Huo Yan touched his clothes and found them dry, then agreed. “Alright.”

Seeing this, Luo Mingchen took the two boys by the hand and said as they walked, “The water sphere is hollow. Didn’t I tell you before? The water I conjure doesn’t have to wet clothes.”

Huo Yan looked at him and touched his face as if to say—just touching, so what?

Not to be outdone, Luo Mingchen touched him back. “Hmph.”

Watching their two fathers being so childish, Huo Yuhui and Huo Xiang exchanged a look and saw deep helplessness in each other’s eyes.

Since everything was tucked away in storage, the brothers didn’t know how much had been brought back from the sea.

They bought a few trinkets on the street before going to find Chen Xiuyue.

When they went to fetch the carriage, they ran into Xiao Lin and Hua Niang again. “Heading home too?”

“Not yet,” Luo Mingchen said. “We’re going to pick up Wen Liuyun—he’s the licentiate helping at the shop; he finishes today.”

“Ah…” Xiao Lin recalled he had indeed come with them. “Then shall we go together?”

“You’re not in a hurry to head back?” Luo Mingchen asked, puzzled.

Grinning, Xiao Lin glanced at Hua Niang. “No rush.”

Hua Niang, amused, exposed him. “He just wants to ask how to make the sea fish delicious. He was going to find you later, but now that we’ve met here, he figured he’d ask on the way.”

Understanding dawned on Luo Mingchen. “That’s simple. If it’s too much trouble, I can just cook the fish for you.”

“That’s so embarrassing…” Xiao Lin chuckled, then added, “I’ll send the fish to your place tonight.”

“…” Luo Mingchen had he lingered a second longer, he would have thought Xiao Lin truly embarrassed.

Huo Yan didn’t stand on ceremony. “Bring them all—we’ve a big family.”

“Alright,” Xiao Lin laughed.

Two carriages rolled toward the academy.

Seeing examinees come out the main gate, Xiao Lin asked, “They haven’t left already, have they?”

“No,” said Hua Niang, pointing. “Over there.”

A few people were gathered; from Xiao Lin’s angle, it wasn’t clear.

Leaving the three children in the carriage with Hua Niang and Xiao Lin watching them, Luo Mingchen and Huo Yan went to look.

They knew Wen Liuyun had no friends, and the men circling him likely weren’t kind; with both of them going, it would be easier to extract him.

After all, Huo Yan was taller than all of them; just standing there radiated pressure.

Drawing near, Luo Mingchen deliberately raised his voice. “Liuyun, Auntie—let’s head back.”

Flustered and at a loss, Chen Xiuyue relaxed at once at the sound and said quickly, “Alright!”

Wen Liuyun added in timely fashion, “Gentlemen, our employers have matters to attend to; we’ll take our leave.”

He tried to lead her off, but the phoenix-eyed leader stuck out a hand to block them, sneering before turning to look at Luo Mingchen and Huo Yan. “You’re the ones who paid for him to sit the exam?”

“What’s that to you?” Luo Mingchen said.

“This fellow crossed me—how is it not my business?” Phoenix-Eyes said. “That recommendation letter—did you grease palms for it? How much silver?”

“If you’re so capable, go look it up yourself,” Luo Mingchen said. “Are you really not going to move?”

“Heh,” the phoenix-eyed one sneered.

When they didn’t budge, Luo Mingchen called out to the soldiers at the gate, “Kidnapping and robbery—murder and arson—”

The men: “…”

Everyone sitting the exam here was a licentiate; the gate guards wouldn’t ignore it.

As two soldiers approached, Phoenix-Eyes withdrew his hand and glared at Luo Mingchen through clenched teeth. “Just you wait!”

“Okay,” said Luo Mingchen, unafraid.

He’d shouted partly to see if anyone would intervene—if not, he would have thrashed them.

It seemed someone would, so there was no need to fight.

Landing himself in the yamen would’ve been foolish.

Wen Liuyun also exhaled in relief.

“What’s going on here?” one of the soldiers asked as they came up.

“We were just fooling around,” Phoenix-Eyes said with a smile.

His followers chorused, “Just a joke.”

The soldier looked at Luo Mingchen. “And you?”

If he admitted their version, then calling the soldiers would be making trouble without cause and he’d get lectured. So Luo Mingchen said, “These few were blocking our way. I genuinely didn’t see the ‘joke’—probably I don’t understand the way these young masters jest.”

Seeing him so uncooperative, they glared daggers.

“They have some old grudges with me,” Wen Liuyun said. “They deliberately blocked us just now; our employer had no choice but to call you over—truly sorry.”

“What old grudges must be settled here?” the soldier said. “You are the pillars of the state. Having just finished, you should be going home to study. How can you tangle over petty slights?”

He turned to the phoenix-eyed group. “You don’t look like sons of poor families—doubtless well-pampered at home. Why must a man repay every slight? Only those broad of heart can endure long in officialdom.”

Even the sons of the wealthy didn’t dare blow up at the exam guards; they listened meekly.

Which struck Luo Mingchen as rather novel.