Chapter 407 Much Warmer

During the years of hardship in Black Bandit Mountain, Pei Lingyun also imagined what life would be like if nothing had happened to the Pei family.

But he also thought, if it weren't for this experience, how could he, who had never encountered setbacks, have met Yingniang?

Wu Yingniang: "Eat now, don't think about anything else."

Pei Lingyun: ...Then don’t think about it.

"Why hasn't Zhizhi come yet?" Pei Lingyun's eyes were searching for Zhizhi's figure.

Wu Yingniang: "Zhizhi went to see Che, and should be having dinner at Xue's house tonight."

Pei Lingyun: "What do you want to see Ache for?"

Wu Yingniang told Su Zhizhi about the letter she received from Gu Qingning:

"I remember that little girl Qing Ning very clearly. She was so timid when I first met her, but now she's grown up and is getting married."

Wu Yingniang sighed that time waits for no one.

Then, Wu Yingniang mentioned: "Zhizhi will be coming of age next year. In the past two years, we said she was young and there was no need to rush about it. Now, although there is no rush, we should also pay attention to it."

Pei Lingyun heard Wu Yingniang's words as if there was something else behind it:

"you mean?"

"Zhizhi and Ache." Wu Yingniang saw the subtle feelings between Zhizhi and Ache.

Zhizhi may not have realized clearly that the elders see through it but don't say it out loud.

The smile on Pei Lingyun's face suddenly faded.

Wu Yingniang: "Why? Are you not satisfied with A Che either?"

Pei Lingyun began to find fault with everything:

"Ache is a more dull child than Zhizhi."

"You clearly praised him for being so calm before," Wu Yingniang said.

Pei Lingyun: "He's not in very good health."

Wu Yingniang: "That was when he was a child. He still fought on the battlefield these past two years."

Pei Lingyun: "He only knows how to study and practice martial arts, nothing else."

Wu Yingniang: "Isn't this a combination of civil and military skills?

Wu Yingniang joked, "I used to hear people say that some fathers-in-law can't stand their sons-in-law, but now I've seen it."

Pei Lingyun sighed.

He just felt that no man in the world was worthy of Zhizhi.

Even Ache was a little bit lacking.

Of course, if you really want to pick a general among the short ones, Ache is still better.

Wu Yingniang: "Let's not talk about it anymore. It's good that we have a clear understanding of this matter. Zhizhi will leave Beijing after the New Year, and she and Ache will be separated for a while. Let's talk about it later."

As soon as Wu Yingniang finished speaking, a palace maid came to report:

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Princess is back."

Su Zhizhi walked in with a cheerful step, her eyes smiling into crescents:

"Dad, Mom, Che can leave Beijing and travel around the world with me next year!"

…

Time flies.

In a blink of an eye, a few months passed, and Chang'an was decorated with lights and colors everywhere, and it was a joyous and festive New Year.

There has been a lot of progress in the girls' school, and the first batch of students can be admitted after the spring.

And it was time for Su Zhizhi to leave Beijing.

After celebrating the Lantern Festival in Beijing, she packed her luggage and prepared to set off.

She had to rush to Lingnan first to attend Gu Qingning and Wu Zhan's wedding banquet, and also wanted to visit the Black Bandit Mountain where she had not been for a long time.

Xue Che and the people from Black Bandit Mountain also went together.

Pei Lingyun, Wu Yingniang, Bai Xun, Xue Yucheng, Ning An, Caiwei and others came to the suburbs to see them off.

Pei Lingyun repeatedly reminded him to be careful on the road.

The people from Heishan Mansion nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, we will be careful not to harm the safety of passers-by."

After Su Zhizhi and Xue Che said goodbye to Pei Lingyun and others again and again, they finally set off.

The horses' hooves stamped.

A group of people rode their horses towards the woods outside the city.

Xue Che sat on the horse, his body straight and his eyes looking forward.

In late winter and early spring, the woods in the suburbs are still bleak.

Xue Che saw dead branches everywhere, but what he recalled in his mind was what his father had said to him.

His father said to him, "If you want to travel around the world with Zhizhi, go ahead."

Xue Che was quite surprised when he heard it.

When he heard that Su Zhizhi was going to travel around the world, he felt reluctant to let her go, but also very envious.

He wanted to go, but he didn't say it.

Because he always remembered that he was a member of the Xue family and the Xue family army.

But he didn't expect that his father noticed his thoughts and took the initiative to persuade him to leave Beijing.

Xue Yucheng: "Now that the war in the northwest has ended, there may not be a major war in the next few decades. Your father is not old yet and can handle it. You won't be needed in the military camp in the next few years, so you can go without worry."

After hearing this, Xue Che was silent for a long time, and suddenly asked:

"I never told you, how did you know I wanted to go?"

Xue Yucheng: "You are my son, how could I not know?"

The man who has been in the northwest for several years has had traces of time eroded around his eyes by wind and sand.

When he smiled, wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes.

Xue Che looked into his father's eyes.

I saw another young man in his father's eyes who once longed to travel the world, but was trapped in the northwest wind and snow with his battle robe.

Every young man who practices martial arts has dreamed of traveling the world with a sword, but some people never realize it in their lifetime.

Xue Che: "Dad, did you also want to go to the Jianghu back then?"

Xue Yucheng smiled faintly and said, "Dad no longer remembers what he thought when he was young."

But after a while, Xue Yucheng said again:

"When you were little, Dad was always worried that you wouldn't live to adulthood. Back then, Dad thought, as long as you're alive, you can do whatever you want in the future.

When you were in Black Bandit Mountain, you wrote to me and told me that you had mastered the Purple Sky Sword Technique. I was so happy that I couldn't sleep all night. When I was little, I heard your uncle talk about how powerful the Purple Sky Sword Technique was.

"Ache, go ahead. Dad is here in the northwest."

Xue Che was lost in thought.

"Ache? Ache?" Su Zhizhi called out several times.

Xue Che came back to his senses: "What's wrong?"

Su Zhizhi pointed behind her:

"We are going out to explore the world now, not to march and fight. We can turn back."

As Su Zhizhi spoke, she turned half of her body back and waved to Wu Yingniang and the others from afar.

Xue Che was stunned for a moment, then turned away.

Xue Yucheng was wearing a dark blue uniform today, like a pine tree standing in the wind.

When Xue Che turned around, he saw the dark green figure.

His father was watching him from behind.

Like Zhizhi, he waved vigorously behind him.

The sun is shining brightly.

The figure in deep green also waved towards Xue Che.

Xue Che couldn't see his father's face clearly, but he knew his father was smiling at him.

Xue Che smiled, put down his hand, and turned back to face the front.

A group of people galloped on horseback.

The spring is chilly and the weather is changeable.

The sky was sunny just now, but in the blink of an eye, the cold wind came again.

The wind was so strong when riding that it made the tip of Su Zhizhi's nose red.

At this moment, a half-grown monk suddenly appeared in front.

"careful--!"

“Ouch!”

Xue Che and Su Zhizhi reined in their horses in time.

"Wuzhen, why are you here?" Su Zhizhi looked closely and recognized the familiar face.

"Amitabha, dear donors, long time no see." Wuzhen clasped his hands together.

Old Xu rode forward and said, "Isn't this Master Wuzhen? Oh, how wonderful! This one is still so perfect."

Su Zhizhi asked, "Why are you here?"

Wuzhen also had a small bag on his hand:

"Someone from a nearby village asked my master to perform a ritual. My master and I just came back from the ritual."

Su Zhizhi: "Where's your master? Why are you alone?"

Wuzhen: "My master has something to do...he's nearby."

He's not alone here.

The master was behind a big rock not far behind me.

The master didn’t know whether he caught a cold, ate something bad, or was punished for his bad words, but his stomachache was so severe that he had to take care of it on the spot.

Wuzhen, please help Master watch over here and don't let anyone pass.

Wuzhen was too embarrassed to tell his master what he was doing, so he just said that he had something to do.

A cold wind blew through the woods and blew towards everyone.

The villagers of Heifei Mountain pinched their noses in unison.

They understood without Wuzhen saying anything.

When Wu Zhen heard that Su Zhizhi and the others were going to Lingnan, he looked up and said:

"Amitabha, the weather in Beijing is too cold. It's better to go to Lingnan, it's much warmer."

…

Two months later.

Black Bandit Mountain, tea garden.

He Yanqing, who was sweating profusely from the heat, got up at night and fanned himself with a large palm-leaf fan:

“It’s so hot, so hot!”

“Why is it so hot so early this year?”