Chapter 107 The Events of That Year (Part 4)
Yan Zhan asked, puzzled, "Father, why do you want me to forget everything that happened in Nanling Mountain?"
Yan Yun'an replied with a smile, "That's because you've entered the world."
“But Father, I have only entered the mortal world. Once I have completed the task you gave me, I will return to Nanling Mountain.”
Looking at the boy's youthful face, Yan Yun'an glanced at his own loose and aged hands. "Zhan'er, do you know that entering the world is easy, but leaving it is very difficult?"
Once a person has desires, they will no longer just want to spend their life in a quiet place.
Yan Yun'an, having been through it all, understood this principle well.
However, Yan Yun'an did not intend to speak his mind. Instead, he beckoned to Su Li and Yan Zhan, "You two, kneel down here."
As the two knelt down, Yan Yun'an's words echoed overhead:
"Zhan'er, would you be willing to become sworn brothers with the Ninth Prince?"
Yan Zhan was stunned. He had just heard his father ask the Ninth Prince to become sworn brothers with him, but he was just a young boy, and becoming sworn brothers with a prince...
But seeing that the Ninth Prince did not object, Yan Zhan nodded, "Father, Zhan'er agrees."
Seeing that Yan Zhan agreed, Yan Yun'an nodded in satisfaction. A whisk appeared in his hand at some point. "There are gods three feet above your head. Heaven above, my son Yan Zhan is willing to become sworn brothers with the Ninth Prince Su Li of the current dynasty. May the gods protect us."
"Zhan'er, Ninth Prince, bows to Heaven."
Su Li and Yan Zhan bowed to the Buddha statue together, their expressions devout.
"Bowing twice."
Su Liyan beheaded him and bowed twice toward the door.
Incense smoke curled in front of the Buddha statue. Yan Yun'an lit three sticks of incense in front of the Buddha statue.
Yan Yun'an suddenly had a small knife in his hand. He looked at the two people kneeling on the ground and said in a deep voice, "Put out your hands."
Yan Zhan and Su Li obediently extended their hands. Yan Yun'an slowly walked up to them, cut their fingers with a knife, and collected the blood on a plate, mixing it together.
“Swear an oath,” Yan Yun’an said calmly.
Su Li understood. He held up two fingers above his head and said in a deep, powerful voice, "Today, I, along with Brother Yan Jue, become sworn brothers. From now on, we will share happiness and hardship, work together with one heart and one mind, and never abandon each other. Heaven and Earth bear witness to this!"
Yan Jue followed up, saying, "Today, I, Ninth Prince Su Li, and I become sworn brothers, entrusting each other with life and death, helping each other in good times and bad, sharing blessings and misfortunes, and supporting each other in times of trouble. Heaven and earth bear witness, mountains and rivers are our oath, and we will uphold this vow for life and never break it."
Yan Yun'an poured the blood of the two men in front of the three incense sticks and said in a deep voice, "From now on, you two are sworn brothers, bound by life and death."
He turned to Su Li and said, "Ninth Prince, I hope you can keep your word. Zhan'er can save you, but he can also destroy you. If you treat him sincerely, he will definitely not have any ulterior motives."
Yan Yun'an was only offering kind advice, but Su Li heard it as a threat.
But he still nodded, "General Yan, rest assured, I will keep my promise."
Looking at Yan Jue's bewildered expression, Yan Yun'an nodded slightly to Su Li, "Ninth Prince, I have something to say to Zhan'er, please excuse me for a moment."
Knowing that the two had a close relationship, Su Li said "okay" and left.
Yan Zhan looked at Yan Yun'an standing in front of him, his voice filled with confusion, "Father?"
Yan Yun'an said, "Zhan'er, after you are born, put your own safety first. As for whether you can repel the enemy, that's another matter. Also, if you successfully help the Ninth Prince quell the disaster, he will appoint you as regent. At that time, you should use what your father taught you to help him stabilize the court. However, later, you must become a muddle-headed and incompetent regent who is essentially a figurehead, so that everyone will think that you have changed."
Yan Yun'an seemed to think of something and sighed heavily, "What I regret most is not being able to see you get married and have children. Your marriage is predestined with someone, so I won't worry about it anymore."
"What?" Yan Jue was a little incredulous. "Father, my marriage is predestined to be with someone?"
Yan Yun'an stopped talking and just stared at Yan Jue, his eyes, full of vicissitudes, seemed to be filled with tears.
"Zhan'er, come down from the mountain."
Yan Jue had never seen his father like this before. He felt a pang of sadness and called out again, "Father..."
Yan Yun'an still said, "Zhan'er, you should go."
The rain pattered outside Nanling Temple. The father and son stood in front of the Buddha statue, their eyes deep and unspoken.
Yan Jue had always known that his father was not good with words. He didn't know why his father insisted on sending him out of seclusion, but he would listen to whatever his father said.
Thinking that he wasn't going to never come back anyway, Yan Zhan looked at his father and nodded emphatically, "Father, I will come back after I help the Ninth Prince quell the disaster."
Yan Yun'an nodded knowingly, "Okay, Dad will wait for you to come back here."
Yan Jue walked out of Nanling Temple, looked at Su Li standing not far away, and called out, "Ninth Prince, let's go."
The wound from the blade throbbed faintly. Su Li looked at Yan Jue, who was wearing a bamboo hat and a raincoat, and walked over. He tugged at the boy's slightly damp hemp clothing. "Okay."
Yan Yun'an also came out of the temple, his hands behind his back, looking at them coldly.
Su Li did not forget his manners. "General Yan, after we defeat the Southern Barbarians and quell the internal strife, I will definitely climb Nanling Mountain again one day to thank you properly."
Seeing the determination in his eyes, Yan Yun'an nodded calmly, "I'll be waiting for the Ninth Prince's triumphant return at Nanling Mountain." But he gripped his sleeve tightly, not wanting the two who were about to leave to notice the trembling in his palm.
The sky was covered with dark clouds, and lightning tore through the clouds, creating dark gashes. The rain seemed to intensify, accompanied by booming thunder, as raindrops slid down the steps, forming curtains of rain.
Looking at the Ninth Prince's soaked clothes, Yan Jue felt a rare pang of pity and tossed him his raincoat.
Su Li was taken aback, and then he heard the boy's fierce voice: "Ninth Prince, it's raining heavily, and you are a member of the royal family. What if you fall ill before you even get down the mountain? If the Emperor wants to exterminate my entire family, I can't bear to leave my father. So, you'd better put on your raincoat quickly!"
The boy's dry linen clothes were quickly soaked by the rain, but he didn't seem to care. Su Li took them, a smile playing on his lips.
"Thank you, Brother Yan."
Yan Jue was taken aback by the words "Brother Yan," and his expression became somewhat uneasy.
As if suddenly remembering something, seeing Su Li put on a straw raincoat, he finally asked, "Ninth Prince, now that we have become sworn brothers, which do you want to be, elder brother or younger brother?"
Su Li was taken aback. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly said, "I respect you as my elder brother, and I am willing to be your younger brother."
Yan Jue was already prepared to be the younger brother, but he never expected this person to make him the older brother?
Yan Jue had mixed feelings and after a long pause, he finally responded with a simple "Mm".
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