Chapter 17
Jia Yufang was so overwhelmed by this unexpected good news that she saw stars. After a long while, she finally managed to say in a trembling voice, "Good child, I knew I hadn't misjudged you."
Zhu Yun remained calm, only reminding, "If any cats or dogs come to the door again, just kick them out."
Just as she was about to agree, Jia Yufang remembered something else and said with a shameless grin, "However, Yan'er's marriage ultimately depends on what she herself thinks."
These words sounded like she was going back on her word, and fearing the boy might back out, she quickly tried to smooth things over, saying, "You two are still young, and you're already in a brother-sister relationship. Why don't we wait until Yan-jie comes of age before we talk about it openly?"
He was still oblivious to the importance of status and simply nodded, saying, "I'll leave this to Grandmother's arrangements."
This was the first time the boy had called her "Grandmother," and Jia Yufang was very gratified. She patted his shoulder and said, "As long as you and Yan'er can grow up safely, everything will be fine."
When Luo Yan returned home, she saw her grandmother beaming with joy and couldn't help but ask suspiciously, "Who made you so happy? Tell me quickly."
Jia Yufang affectionately tapped her forehead: "How is Cui Niang?"
"It looks good." She explained the situation at Qingcao's home in detail. "Sister Qingping has returned with her son. She said she will stay until Aunt Cui gets better, and Qingcao can go to school with me again."
"Okay, I'll go out for a bit."
Luo Yan couldn't stand being left behind, so she quickly said, "I want to go too."
"You silly child," Jia Yufang explained, "I'll send a message to Doctor Liu, asking someone to go back to Cangxi and fetch a few jars of wine."
Seeing the little girl's bewildered expression, she winked teasingly, "Get the Daughter's Red wine."
According to the custom of the Dali Kingdom, if a daughter is born into a family, they will bury one or more jars of wine, which will be taken out to entertain relatives and friends when she gets married.
The Luo family naturally buried several jars for their beloved daughter.
Ke Luoyan didn't think that marriage was relevant to her at the moment. Just as she was about to ask, her grandmother had already walked away briskly.
She turned to the side and looked at the boy who was focused on whittling wood in the yard, and said angrily, "Grandma is so disloyal, she doesn't even let us play."
He was busy with his hands and his eyes were also occupied. He waited for Luo Yan for a while before looking up and asking, "Are you from Cangxi?"
"......"
Forgot that someone has ears that can hear everything.
Now that they were acquainted, she had no intention of hiding anything. Besides, it was something even a storyteller could recount, so it was no secret anymore.
She told Zhu Yun that the Luo family was a prominent family in Cangxi County, but later, when trouble came, none of their relatives and servants survived except for herself.
“Grandmother used to be a servant of the Luo family.” Luo Yan recounted the story of a minor supporting character briefly mentioned in the original book. “Two years before the family’s misfortune, my parents, grateful for her loyalty, went to the government to cancel her status as a slave. Grandmother didn’t want to return to Linchuan for the time being, so she went to work as a manager on the estate.”
Having lost her indenture to the Luo family and with the estate far away in the suburbs, Jia Yufang escaped a calamity.
But the massacre of her entire family shocked the whole city. The steward, always well-informed, disregarded her fear and disguised herself as an ordinary woman to search the Luo residence.
They happened to encounter several swordsmen in black who rescued Luo Yan from the water vat and helped the two of them leave Cangxi safely.
Luo Yan spoke lightly, simply because her sense of belonging to the world in the book was still weak.
Zhu Yun, however, turned cold upon hearing this and asked solemnly, "Do you want revenge?"
Judging from his posture, if Luo Yan nodded, he would immediately rush over.
"No, no." She reached out and smoothed the boy's furrowed brow. "I only hope to live a peaceful life with my grandmother and you."
As a cannon fodder supporting character, Luo Yan's biggest worry is whether she can live past the age of fifteen.
As for the rest, let's leave it to Cousin Cui, who has the protagonist's aura.
*
After the Wang family's marriage proposal incident, life returned to normal.
Zhu Yun continued to practice his skills on the mountain without fail, rain or shine. Now that he could read, his comprehension improved, and since he no longer had to go out to do missions, he made rapid progress.
After patrolling the village as usual, the boy sheathed his sword and went to wash his hands by the stream.
Back home, Luo Yan was usually still fast asleep. Meanwhile, the third sister, having grown accustomed to living in the shed, gradually started inviting friends over for meals instead of constantly running outside.
He drew water from the well to bathe, and the coolness spread through his body, instantly making him feel refreshed.
Just as he finished putting on his inner robe, he heard Luo Yan running "tap tap tap" to the east kitchen and then "tap tap tap" towards the study. Zhu Yun's lips curved into a smile, softening his increasingly defined features.
"Squeak—"
Luo Yan peeked out, took a closer look at his clothes, and said with dissatisfaction, "Why aren't you wearing the short-sleeved shirt I made for you?"
Of course, she didn't make it herself.
Instead, a simple design based on a modern pullover was drawn, which was then modified by my grandmother and sent to the tailor shop in town.
"It's so convenient." Luo Yan, wearing a moon-white short-sleeved nightgown, touched the smooth fabric and made a face at him. "You just don't know what's good for you."
Zhu Yun: "......"
Wearing it as a nightgown is fine, but taking it out of the room is something he finds unacceptable.
Fortunately, Luo Yan didn't force anyone. She pointed to the manual covered in incense ash and said excitedly, "Third Sister dug it out of the shrine."
He casually flipped through the pages and remembered that he had casually stuffed them in before, intending to use them as firewood, but he had left in a hurry and had forgotten a few of them.
This is something she should be happy about.
"hand."
Zhu Yun spoke succinctly, and she cooperated by extending her hand and asking with a smile, "Master, what did you find?"
The pulse is strange.
When Luo Yan first took the pills, her condition improved significantly, but it completely stagnated later, just as Doctor Liu said – “Even with careful care, she can’t get any better.”
As he pondered this, some people ran out of patience, pouting and nudging him with their toes.
Zhu Yun chuckled and gently tugged at her cheek: "Starting tomorrow, come with me to the mountains for morning exercise."
Just as Luo Yan was about to applaud, she suddenly thought of an extremely serious question and asked with difficulty, "'Morning' exercise, what time should I get up?"
"1:15 AM (卯时一刻)".
She counted on her fingers, her expression changing drastically: "Get up at five? You might as well kill me."
"Hmph." Zhu Yun never liked lazy people, but still conceded, "Mao Zheng."
"That's a bit early." Luo Yan blinked, putting on an innocent look. "Do we have to practice during the day? There are twelve hours in a day, and we don't have to go to school or work."
Oh, she has to go to work.
I've been copying books in my spare time lately.
"What I mean is, it's the same whether you train after you've eaten a full meal. Nine or ten o'clock, or afternoon or evening, you can train at night and sleep during the day."
Zhu Yun seemed to have expected this, and said coldly, "Never mind."
“Ah Yun, Ah Yun.”
She tried to take his hand in a flattering manner, but he took advantage of his agility and went out the door first, coldly saying, "It's time to go, nothing else matters."
Luo Yan had no choice but to obediently reply, "You have to wake me up. I absolutely cannot wake up without an alarm clock."
Having reached an agreement, the novelty of being able to practice archery took over, and she quickly went to eat breakfast while humming a little tune.
Zhu Yun followed closely behind, took a few steps and then turned back into the room, staring strangely at the several dusty secret manuals.
If I remember correctly, the Bibo Sect only accepts disciples with outstanding appearances, and its martial arts emphasize the balance of Yin and Yang. To put it crudely, it refers to matters of the bedroom between men and women.
Thus, people in the martial arts world both despise it and are curious about it.
He didn't know who had stolen this "Thirty-Two Styles" from. Although he had never looked at it, he instinctively felt that it should be hidden away or destroyed.
Let's hide it for now, lest burning something in broad daylight arouse her curiosity.
...
While Luo Yan was teaching Qingcao, Changsheng, and the others how to use an abacus, Zhu Yun went down the mountain to retrieve arrows.
The temple in Hanmei Town is small, so it's already a miracle that it could be restored to five-tenths of the original design. In addition, the arrow-shaped robes inlaid with gemstones shimmered under the bright sun, making people unconsciously overlook the rough workmanship.
Sure enough, upon seeing this, Luo Yan immediately asked him to help her tie it up. Not minding the weight, she strutted around the shed like a peacock spreading its tail feathers.
Changsheng's eyes gleamed with greed. He threw down his charcoal pencil and flattered, "Boss, can't Brother Yun take on a couple more apprentices? We can serve you water, tea, and massage your shoulders and backs."
She proudly raised her chin: "What does martial arts value? Talent, physical constitution, comprehension—do you have any of those?"
Zhu Yun's lips twitched, but she refrained from contradicting him.
Gu Yu squeezed next to Luo Yan, put her hands together, and called out "Boss": "Do I have talent?"
"Well," she said, making things up, "you're quite perceptive."
"..." Zhu Yun grabbed her ear, but looked at the other two, implying, "School's over."
Get out of here.
Chang Sheng looked at the short bow with reluctance, making Luo Yan regret her earlier prank. She coaxed her gently, "This was a gift from A Yun, I can't lend it to you. I'll buy a new one next time and hang it in the shed, you can play with it as you like."
"Boss!" Changsheng and Guyu were deeply moved.
After seeing her friend off, she pestered Zhu Yun, asking, "Last time you only said that I'm physically weak and that practicing martial arts would be too strenuous and not beneficial, but you didn't say anything about my talent. Could you feel me again? What if I'm also exceptionally talented?"
"Also?" He raised an eyebrow. "Do you know any other exceptionally talented people?"
Of course it was Long Aotian, but Luo Yan wisely kept quiet.
Because she discovered that someone's competitive spirit had recently increased significantly, and if he found out, he might secretly be sharpening his sword to challenge the male lead to a duel.
That would be stealing the villain's job.
"Are you mute?"
“You, only you.” Luo Yan answered readily.
Seeing Zhu Yun's satisfied expression, she breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to herself that she had really worried herself sick over this family.
Zhu Yun stopped teasing her and explained that talent determines the upper limit of martial arts, but if one has no intention of competing for the title of the best in the world, even if one starts at the age of thirty and has ordinary talent, one's future is still limitless if one works hard enough.
“It’s like calligraphy and painting.” She drew an analogy: “As long as you study and practice diligently, even if you don’t reach the level of a master, you will at least become a talent.”
Luo Yan's heart raced with excitement as she thought about it, as if she could foresee herself becoming a martial arts master. At that time, any bizarre plot involving dying while blocking a sword would be easily resolved with a blink of an eye.
However, on the other hand, Zhu Yun was the only one around who knew martial arts.
Without a point of reference, strength and weakness become unclear. What if he's not considered powerful compared to a chivalrous swordsman who lives on the edge of a knife...?
But Luo Yan couldn't possibly look down on her own people. Meeting Zhu Yun's suspicious gaze, she solemnly patted his shoulder and said, "It's okay."
Zhu Yun: "?"
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