Extra five

When Yang Xu went to the southern border, she met her eternal white moonlight, a woman from the southern border who was a disciple of the Five Poisons.

They were originally escorted by a镖师 (bodyguard/escort) to the Five Poisons Sect, but they were tricked by the Tianyi Sect on the way. They also encountered a family whose goods had been robbed, and the goods and several disciples of the sect suffered heavy losses. Fortunately, the leader of the Five Poisons Sect learned of this and immediately sent people to find them, thus saving them from disaster.

For Yang Xu, who grew up in Jiangnan and was used to seeing the girls in Qixiufang and Xiangzhi Villa, the appearance and voice of the Five Poisons Woman were like a fine, dense rain falling on her heart, lingering endlessly.

After spending a few days with her, Yang Xu discovered that the girl couldn't speak the Central Plains dialect. She communicated with Yang Xu entirely through her hands, but sometimes, when Yang Xu looked into her dark eyes, it was as if she could read her mind.

Why are you looking at me like that?

Yang Xu scratched her head and said, "You...you're really good-looking..."

The girl blushed, threw the herbs she had picked into Yang Xu's hand, and ran away.

But not long after, the southern border was in turmoil, and Yang Xu's fellow disciples all wanted to return to Jiangnan. As an inner court disciple, Yang Xu thought it over for half an hour, explained to his junior brothers and sisters some important things to give to their master when they returned, and then saw everyone off.

The junior sister noticed he wasn't leading his horse, so she immediately ran over, grabbed his arm, and stared intently at him, asking:

"Senior brother, aren't you leaving?"

Yang Xu glanced at her, then turned to look at the green hills and clear waters behind her.

"I'm not leaving. There are people here I want to protect."

The Five Poisons Woman, who had been hiding behind a tree and also wanted to see him off, covered her face and wept.

A year passed, neither too long nor too short. Yang Xu and her husband got married, had a child, and lived a simple and honest life together, without having to worry about anything.

One day, Yang Xu stayed with her at home while she rested. She didn't have to go out to work that day, and she fell asleep quietly, leaning against Yang Xu's lap. Yang Xu tidied her waist-length black hair. After a while, she slowly woke up and stirred. Yang Xu held her in his arms, raising one leg to prevent her from falling.

"What's wrong? Did I make too much noise and disturb you?"

She shook her head.

Have you thought of a name for your child?

Yang Xu smiled and stroked her forehead.

"Hmm. If it's a boy, we'll name him Yang Yuan. I hope he'll be down-to-earth and honest. If it's a girl, we'll name her Yang Yuan. This name is composed of the radical for woman and the character 'Yuan' (爰). 'Yuan' means 'to be at'."

The woman paused, then looked at him with a sullen expression.

Yang Xu smiled helplessly and hugged her.

"Alright, alright, it's my fault. I know you can't read and don't understand the meaning, yet you spout all these grand principles."

"I hope that the child, and you, are all well. I don't care about anything else."

That same year in Jiangnan, the snow at Cangjian Manor fell in a light drizzle, almost turning into raindrops. Ye Mo lay on the table, her dark eyes looking around, muttering incoherently. The maid standing beside her couldn't understand a word and could only quickly support the young lady to prevent her from falling.

On his first trip to the South, Liu Yu accompanied his tutor to the Hidden Sword Manor. The ten-year-old boy was not at all shy or afraid, and discussed weapon forging with Ye's father with great care, earning him widespread praise.

As the group walked and chatted, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd:

"Young Master Liu is a promising young man. I wonder if your family has arranged a marriage for you since childhood?"

These words choked Liu Yu, and his face suddenly turned red. The ten-year-old young master of the Overlord Blade didn't know how to answer, but he coughed because of the saliva in his throat.

Upon seeing this, everyone burst into laughter.

While discussing important matters with the second master of Cangjian Manor, the gentleman went to stroll around the manor alone. When he reached the inner courtyard, he suddenly heard a baby crying. After inquiring with a maid, he followed the maid to see what was happening.

Liu Yu watched as Ye Mo, a few months old, lay on the table playing with pen and ink. He was melted by the little girl's cuteness. He went over and pinched her cheek and touched her hand. Her soft, chubby little hands were even more comfortable than the finest fabrics from his own sister who made clothes. He gently picked her up and patted her back like a wet nurse, walking back and forth in the room.

Ye Mo lay on him, chewing on the teething toy in her hand, looking around, and soon fell asleep in the warm, swaying warmth.

Mr. Ye and his father came over, saw this scene, looked at each other speechlessly, and smiled as they asked him to go elsewhere to talk.

That year, Xue Hua had just received a Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) from Changsun Wangqing and joined the Cangyun Army.

That year, Li Fuyuan's family was destroyed and he was sent to the Tian Ce Mansion by a distant relative. He followed thirteen-year-old Jiang Chengfeng and became a Tian Ce soldier.

That year, Hui Shi traveled with his master and met the young Luo Qingyan for the first time in Yangzhou.

That year, Alu Lingyi, who had just learned to speak Mandarin, and Yita, who was already ten years old and an outstanding assassin, entered the Hidden Yuan Martial Arts Tournament.

That year, Hua Bieli, who had finally mastered the Dao of Transcending the Classics and left the Valley of Ten Thousand Flowers, went with her master to Chunyang Palace for the first time to visit Wu Shuang, Yue'er, who had been taking care of her illness and was not yet fully recovered, and her senior brother Fang Lin.

That year, Ye Min, who was only five years old, was afraid of being beaten by his master because he could not recite the next line of "Do you not see the bright mirror in the high hall reflecting the sorrow of white hair" and ran to the Third Master's door to sit quietly and meditate, wondering when he could be covered in frost and wear a straw raincoat and travel the world without any regrets.

At that time, the country was prosperous and the people lived in peace and tranquility.