Flowers may bloom again.

Yan Liang stayed at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion for several months, barely managing to recover his health.

While he hasn't recovered to the point where he can do thirty backflips on the spot, at least he can run and jump.

Yan Liang wasn't the type to stay idle, so he decided to take advantage of the opportunity to go out for a stroll once he felt he was almost fully recovered.

After bidding farewell to Hua Manlou, Yan Liang set off on his journey.

Not long after he set off, he met Gong Jiu.

With amusement, the other party told Yan Liang about Mu Rufeng's current situation: Mu Rufeng was now a cripple and had attempted suicide several times, but Tang Yang had stopped him each time. Tang Yang was now handling the affairs of the Smokeless Pavilion.

Gong Jiu recounted their story in a calm tone, observing Yan Liang's expression thoughtfully. He remained deeply concerned about Yan Liang's identity, hoping to uncover some flaws.

Yan Liang felt extremely conflicted. He nodded to indicate that he understood.

Gong Jiu looked at Yan Liang's two wrists, the scars on them were hideous and twisted, and a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Why is Mu Rufeng crippled after his tendons were severed, but you are still alive and kicking?"

...Saying it's lively and energetic isn't quite right either.

Gong Jiu looked at him. Yan Liang's current condition could be described as a final burst of energy before death.

Yan Liang tucked his hands into his sleeves and, without changing his expression, made up a lie: "Good people are always blessed by heaven."

"...What a lucky person." Gong Jiu smiled faintly. "According to you, I am also a lucky person."

Yan Liang grinned, revealing his teeth: "Of course you are."

What else could a person who is reborn be but a lucky person?

The two looked at each other for a moment, both understanding the unspoken meaning in the other's words.

Having made his move, Yan Liang stayed in the town for a few days before setting off south again.

Heading south leads to the Shu region, and Yan Liang, thinking of the three brothers of the Tang Clan, went to pay them a visit.

Tang Tianzong was overjoyed, but when Yan Liang mentioned that he had met Gong Jiu, the young man's face immediately darkened: "You ran into him?"

"Hmm," Yan Liang commented, "He's still as annoying as ever."

Tang Tianzong wholeheartedly agreed with this statement. It was after leaving the Tang Clan that Gong Jiu met Yan Liang. Before that, Gong Jiu had discussed cooperation with the Tang Clan—he had a pharmacist who could cure the Tang Clan's poisons—and during his time at the Tang Clan, he had infuriated Tang Tianyi and Tang Tianzong.

As for Tang Tianrong... he never took Gong Jiu's words to heart.

"Gong Jiu was talking badly about my brother, and my brother actually laughed!" Tang Tianzong complained about his brother's heartlessness. "He even invited Gong Jiu to drink his special spicy soup!!"

Tang Tianrong loves spicy food and is happy to share it.

Yan Liang: "...Did Gong Jiu drink it?"

Tang Tianzong: "He didn't drink it!! How dare he complain about my elder brother's cooking!!"

Yan Liang: "..."

He couldn't help but think, weren't you two the ones who used to look down on your older brother's cooking skills?

It's truly...a deeply touching display of brotherhood.

Tang Tianzong, still sulking to himself, noticed Yan Liang trying to suppress a laugh and said, embarrassed and annoyed, "If you want to laugh, just laugh! Don't hold it in!"

Yan Liang said nonchalantly, "I wasn't holding it in."

Tang Tianzong glared at him, then asked, "What are your plans after this?"

Yan Liang thought for a moment and said, "Let's just take a walk."

Tang Tianzong accompanied Yan Liang to visit local historical sites, and while he was happy, he couldn't help but worry about Yan Liang's health.

Yan Liang comforted him, saying that he was in great health and had a good appetite.

Tang Tianzong thought to himself, "Your complexion doesn't look like you're in great health at all."

When they parted, Tang Tianzong hesitated several times in front of Yan Liang. Seeing the smile in Yan Liang's eyes and the teasing looks on his two older brothers' faces, he realized how foolish his indecisiveness was. He forcefully shoved the medicine packet he had prepared into Yan Liang's arms and said, "I saw that your medicine was almost used up—this is what I prepared myself! You can continue to drink it!"

"...Okay, thank you." Yan Liang felt a dull pain in his chest, caught the medicine bag that slipped down, and then said quietly, "You used a bit too much force."

Tang Tianyi and Tang Tianrong: "...Pfft."

Tang Tianzong: "...You'd better leave quickly!"

Yan Liang quickly boarded the carriage and waved goodbye to the three of them.

He then went to Baiyun City in the South China Sea, where things had settled down. There he met two unexpected people.

Lu Xiaofeng and Sikong Zhaixing competed in fishing skills in Baiyun City, with Ye Gucheng as a witness.

These two guys, in order to play a trick on each other, even dragged Ye Gucheng into it.

The two men were dressed like down-to-earth fishermen, while Ye Gucheng, dressed in white and exuding an air of nobility, stood beside them. Yan Liang felt a slight pain in his eyes.

The contest between the two was: whoever caught the most fish within ten days would be the winner.

The loser must wear that brightly colored cloak and walk upside down around White Cloud City.

That cloak was the one that Sikong Zhaixing used to secretly replace Lu Xiaofeng's red cloak when he left the capital.

When Yan Liang arrived in Baiyun City, it was the fifth day since the two began their competition.

Yan Liang remained silent for a long time regarding their unique way of playing, and after a while, he asked, "Who has caught the most fish so far?"

Lu Xiaofeng and Sikong Zhaixing looked at Ye Gucheng, and Yan Liang followed suit.

Ye Gucheng met the gazes of the three and said calmly, "Sikong Zhaixing."

Lu Xiaofeng sighed, while Sikong Zhaixing beamed with joy.

Yan Liang: ...These three people are so idle.

The next day, Yan Liang, who thought the three people were too idle, also went to watch.

The sky was a pure, deep blue, the sea breeze was salty and briny, and as far as the eye could see, it was an endless expanse of deep blue.

Yan Liang unconsciously said, "That's really nice."

Ye Gucheng turned his head slightly to look at him, and Yan Liang smiled at him: "I've never seen the sea before, this is my first time."

Ye Gucheng nodded. He was not fond of words, so this was the only response he could give.

At that moment, Lu Xiaofeng flung the fishing net, and a fish that had been entangled in it fell between the two of them, struggling and rolling.

Ye Gucheng: "..."

Yan Liang: "..."

The two looked at each other in bewilderment.

That fish became dinner for four people.

Five days later, Lu Xiaofeng won.

Sikong Zhaixing was shocked that Lu Xiaofeng could overtake her halfway. Despite her shock, she accepted her loss and put on the cloak. Under the gaze of countless passersby in Baiyun City, she walked upside down for a circle.

Lu Xiaofeng watched with glee, supervising the whole process.

Yan Liang sighed once again: These two people are so idle.

After spending some time freeloading in Baiyun City, Sikong Zhaixing was the first to leave after receiving the commission. Yan Liang was also preparing to continue to the next place. After thinking about it, Lu Xiaofeng decided to set off with Yan Liang.

The two bid farewell to Ye Gucheng and began their return journey.

The journey was arduous, and Yan Liang was physically weak. No matter how careful he was, he could not avoid falling ill.

As the saying goes, illness comes like a landslide, but recovery is like pulling silk from a cocoon. Moreover, he was already physically weak; when he returned to the Hundred Flowers Pavilion, Yan Liang felt as if he were floating on air, almost ascending to heaven.

Hua Manlou was slightly saddened, but Yan Liang accepted it calmly: "I know I won't live long. Being able to return here after traveling to so many places is more to my liking."

There are still many things in this world that Yan Liang has never seen.

Compared to the past when I could only lie in a hospital bed and couldn't go anywhere, things are much better now.

Lu Xiaofeng is always embroiled in troubles. After resolving the issues, he will definitely come to Baihualou to calm down and talk about some interesting things in the martial arts world.

When Yan Liang died, the weather was clear and crisp, a stark contrast to the torrential rain and thunder that struck when he died the first time.

He smiled and closed his eyes.

Hua Manlou sat quietly beside him, smelling the fragrance of flowers in the air and listening to the gradually weakening breathing amidst the chirping of insects and birds.

Youth will not return.

During the Qingming Festival, a light rain fell as Bai Yutang carried a jar of wine along a mountain path.

The mountain road is rugged, the air is humid, and everywhere you look is a vibrant green.

The wine is called "Daughter's Red," a rich, golden-red color with a deep aroma. When poured into a bowl, it clings to the surface like amber.

Yan Liang's ashes are in a tomb on the mountaintop. Bai Yutang remembered his last words before his death. After breaking through Chongxiao Tower, he retrieved Yan Liang's body and chose to cremate it.

Bai Yutang still remembers the scene from that night.

When Yan Liang went to get the alliance document, he had a faint smile on his face. He already knew what would happen after he got the alliance document, but he still took it out without hesitation and threw it to Bai Yutang.

The mountains and rivers have lost their color, and the stars and moon have lost their light.

Bai Yutang watched helplessly as Yan Liang fell, with no chance of turning back. He could only take the alliance document and quickly leave Chongxiao Tower.

If Yan Liang hadn't gone to Chongxiao Tower, he would probably be the one who died there.

Yan Liang must have figured it out.

Bai Yutang, recalling Yan Liang's constant talk about fortune telling and face reading, had to admit that the other party might actually have some skill.

While in Sishui City, Bai Yutang had already acknowledged Yan Liang's fortune-telling abilities to his fourth brother Jiang Ping and sworn brother Yan Chasan. However, upon returning to Bianliang City, he was too embarrassed and pressed for time to tell him directly.

He walked slowly. In the past, this mountain path would have been covered in an instant, but now Bai Yutang was unwilling to reach the top of the mountain too soon.

Yan Liang was the same age as him, in his early twenties, which is the best age of a person's life.

With the evidence irrefutable after obtaining the alliance document, the Prince of Xiangyang was executed, and many old cases related to him were exposed. From the imperial court to the common people, everyone was shocked by the Prince of Xiangyang's tyranny.

Yan Liang's name was lost in one case after another, disappearing without a trace.

Bai Yutang did not seek any reward for serving Lord Bao, believing that such things were merely worldly fame and he only wanted to have a clear conscience.

But Yan Liang had nothing to do with those things from beginning to end. The only thing he did was escort Pang Yu back to Bianliang City. He could have chosen not to go to Xiangyang, but Yan Liang went anyway... and then, he died a violent death.

—It's truly hard to accept.

Bai Yutang climbed to the top of the mountain and saw the lonely mound with a stone tablet standing in front of it.

He carved the words on the stone tablet himself.

Bai Yutang's calligraphy reflects his personality—unrestrained and free-spirited—and also subtly resembles Yan Liang's character.

He unsealed the bottle, took a sip, and the liquid flowed down his neck, chilling him to the bone.

"for you."

Bai Yutang wiped his mouth, poured the wine in front of Yan Liang's tomb, and looked on with a wistful expression as he watched the wine flow down.

Life is full of disappointments, and the death of a friend is probably one of them.

Bai Yutang roamed the martial world freely and unrestrainedly, having witnessed countless deaths and separations.

The death of Yan Liang is just one example.

Bai Yutang's older brother, Bai Jintang, was also someone he had sent away.

Bai Yutang stared at Yan Liang's name on the tombstone, his heart filled with a thousand words, yet he didn't know what to say.

All the words ultimately turned into a sigh, disappearing into the biting mountain wind.

Bai Yutang brought the news of Yan Liang's death at Chongxiao Tower back to Bianliang City. Pang Yu didn't believe it, but Bai Yutang's expression didn't seem to be lying, so he had no choice but to believe it.

Pang Yu recalled Yan Liang's subtle reaction when they last met.

—At that time, he knew he was going to die.

Pang Yu was extremely sad. Yan Liang was his elder brother, his friend, and his benefactor who lent him a helping hand when he was in trouble.

He didn't even have a chance to properly repay him.

Grand Tutor Pang also felt regret—when he first met Yan Liang, he had already made up his mind to let Yan Liang properly guide his foolish son, but the young man's untimely death was truly a cruel twist of fate.

When Zhan Zhao arrived in Xiangyang, he learned that Yan Liang had died at Chongxiao Tower. At that time, he found it hard to believe. Yan Liang did not know martial arts, so how could he have died at Chongxiao Tower? If he were to get involved with the matter of the Prince of Xiangyang in Xiangyang, he could at most gather some information.

However, he did indeed perish in the copper net formation of Chongxiao Tower.

Fate plays tricks on people.

Zhan Zhao led Pang Yu along a mountain path, while Pang Yu, carrying a basket of offerings, began to pant.

Pang Yu wanted to pay respects to Yan Liang, and he begged his father, Grand Tutor Pang, for a long time before he agreed to let him and Zhan Zhao go up the mountain together. That's why Bai Yutang arrived at the top of the mountain earlier than the two of them.

Upon reaching the summit, Pang Yu saw the tomb and felt a lump in his throat, still feeling sorrowful.

The wine jar that Bai Yutang brought was overturned in front of the tomb, but the person who brought the wine jar was no longer there.

Zhan Zhao looked around and found Bai Yutang standing not far from the tomb, gazing at the clouds in the sky. When he noticed Zhan Zhao looking over, Bai Yutang nodded slightly to him.

Zhan Zhao smiled at him and went with Pang Yu to burn paper money at Yan Liang's grave.

Pang Yu stared at the paper money that was deformed in the fire, his eyes slightly red.

He secretly reached up and wiped his face with his sleeve, then sniffed.

Zhan Zhao looked at him gently.

The ashes were swept up by the wind and drifted away into the distance.

Author's Note: #Arsonist will get you a lifetime in jail#

So in the end, the ashes were blown away by the wind.

I!! While writing, I suddenly felt like starting to write something angsty orz

Come on! Guess what I'll write about tomorrow!

Happy Lunar New Year's Eve, everyone! I'm giving out red envelopes today! Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2020-01-23 22:29:54 and 2020-01-24 21:57:44!

Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: Anime Money Lover and Did Flower Go Bald Today? (1 each)

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