Xiao Mimi was determined not to speak, but Yan Liang didn't need her to admit it. He only needed to state his deduction to judge from Xiao Mimi's expression.
No matter how skilled an actor is, when imprisoned and mentally unstable, it is difficult to perfectly conceal changes in expression when asked about one's inner thoughts.
Xiao Mimi was both annoyed and angry, her mind in turmoil. Yan Liang asked her a few questions, and although she didn't admit it, the subtle changes in her expression did not escape Yan Liang's notice.
"...I have no right to judge your behavior," Yan Liang said slowly and deliberately. "It was my father who wronged you, but 'I' have no grudge against you."
“You are his son, which makes you my enemy,” Xiao Mimi said bitterly. “It is only right that the son should pay for the sins of his father.”
"You believe that it is only natural for sons to pay for their fathers' debts, but if we set aside my father and my affairs, why did you still kill your lovers?" Yan Liang asked.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Mimi actually laughed and said, "Men can't be trusted. When I get tired of them, I'll naturally kill them to prevent them from leaving me—you ask this because you can't stand me killing people?"
Yan Liang said, "Of course I can't stand it. Haven't you heard of my reputation as the 'Charlatan King of Hell'?"
Xiao Mimi choked, unsure how to retort.
"The Deadly King" first appeared in the martial arts world by beating up a wanted criminal who had committed a violent crime and handing him over to the authorities. That criminal was quite famous in the martial arts world, and despite the extremely high bounty on his head, no one dared to arrest him. Yan Liang became famous in one battle, and thereafter rose to fame for the same behavior—he would always beat up the most notorious criminals that no one dared to or could arrest, and then hand them over to the authorities.
People in the martial arts world are known for their fierce and ruthless nature; they'll fight at the slightest provocation. The government can't do anything about them, and they generally keep to themselves. However, sometimes they hunt each other for bounties, so things are relatively peaceful.
But Yan Liang is the first person to beat someone up and hand them over to the authorities right away.
Xiao Mimi couldn't understand why Feng Lai, who was originally powerless, had such good martial arts skills. Seeing that she couldn't argue with him on this point, she decided to start by asking him about it. However, Yan Liang glanced at her and silenced her before she could speak.
"...!"
Yan Liang smiled at her, looking incredibly irritating.
He guessed what Xiao Mimi wanted to ask, but too lazy to make up a story to appease her, he decided to go all the way and shut her up.
Yi Yaoqing, who was watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but say, "You really are... heartless."
Yan Liang said innocently, "How can this be called having a heart of stone? This is called—"
"He has no sense of romance."
Yi Yaoqing came up with a more suitable word, picked up where Yan Liang left off, and nodded in self-satisfaction after speaking.
"Unromantic...that's not wrong." Yan Liang actually nodded in agreement, leaving Yi Yaoqing speechless. How could someone who is unromantic say they are unromantic? It's clear that this person sees everything but remains indifferent.
The carriage was currently heading towards Jiangnan, but Yan Liang had robbed Yun You halfway there and forced him to turn back. Yi Yaoqing boarded the carriage simply to avoid trouble. Yan Liang had thoroughly figured out Feng Lai's background, but he was still pondering how to deal with Xiao Mimi.
They entered the city at dusk. Xiao Mimi and Yunyou had stayed in the city for six days not long ago. In case the innkeeper recognized him, Yunyou consciously found a new inn in the opposite direction.
So Yi Yaoqing couldn't help but look at him.
Xiao Mimi's male lover doesn't seem to like her very much?
Yan Liang casually tore off a piece of cloth and wrapped it around Xiao Mimi's head. After booking a room in Yunyou, he called Yi Yaoqing to help him carry Xiao Mimi into the room.
Under the strange gazes of the innkeeper and waiter, the two carried Xiao Mimi upstairs. Xiao Mimi was breathing rapidly, extremely angry, but she couldn't move or speak, not even curse. Yi Yaoqing felt a tiny bit of pity, but mostly a sense of schadenfreude.
Yi Yaoqing said in a low voice, "I wanted to ask this before, you're quite strong, why did you insist on making me lift it with you?"
Yan Liang also whispered, "Having more people will save us some effort."
Yi Yaoqing looked up at the incredibly lazy person and was tempted to let go.
Yunyou followed them closely into the room on the second floor. Yan Liang and Yi Yaoqing exchanged a glance by the bed, and with a tacit understanding, tossed Xiao Mimi out.
The noise was deafening. Yi Yaoqing slightly shifted her gaze, while Yan Liang considerately untied Xiao Mimi's cloth, ignoring her glare without changing his expression, and reached out to touch her sleep apex.
Now, only the three of them are awake in the room.
Yan Liang straightened up, smiled at Yun You, and asked, "Where are you going next?"
Yunyou hesitated. The boy in front of him was too unfamiliar and was not the same person as Fenglai in his memory. However, the other party admitted his identity and did have the same face as Fenglai—even the scar on the back of his neck was the same as Fenglai's.
Yunyou had always doubted the matter of "Yan Liang coming with the wind" until he followed the two up the stairs and saw the light scar on the back of Yan Liang's neck, at which point he confirmed the fact.
This unfamiliar young man was indeed his friend, Feng Lai.
"...Can I come with you?"
After a long silence, Yunyou spoke softly.
Yan Liang was a little surprised and said, "Of course I can, but you have to tell me your identity, since I know nothing about you right now."
"..."
Yunyou repeated what he had said to Feng to Yanliang verbatim, adding the circumstances that led to their later acquaintance and the words they had spoken. He still tried to make the boy recall his past memories, but Yanliang did not react to his words.
Yan Liang could only pretend not to notice, because Feng Lai had no attachments and was disheartened when he died, leaving nothing behind.
Yunyou's identity is not simple—he is the son of Xuanyuan Sanguang, one of the Ten Villains, known as the "Villainous Gambler." Xuanyuan Sanguang is addicted to gambling and will not recognize his own family when he gambles, even his parents, wife, and children. His name "Sanguang" means that he will not stop gambling until "the sky is dark, people are dark, and money is dark."
Yunyou was the stake in the bet between Xuanyuan Sanguang and Xiao Mimi.
More than two years have passed since then, but when Yunyou spoke of this, he looked indifferent, as if he were not the son abandoned by his father.
Yi Yaoqing was stunned and stood there speechless. She had been homeless as a child and had seen parents abandon their children, but most of those were due to the pressure of life. However, Xuan Yuan Sanguang was using his own son as a gambling stake—it wasn't unacceptable, just a little surprising.
Yan Liang seemed to be deep in thought, then asked, "Yunyou isn't your real name, is it?"
Yunyou said, "The name that the old man Xuanyuan gave me is Tianjiu."
Yi Yaoqing and Yan Liang exchanged a silent glance.
Pai Gow, also known as Tian Jiu, is essentially a gambling game. Xuan Yuan San Guang was truly addicted to gambling, even giving his son a gambling-related name.
"Which one do you prefer?" Yan Liang guessed that "Yunyou" was a name Xiao Mimi had given him, and for a moment he didn't know which one to call him.
He was about to say that it would be fine to call him Yunyou, but then he remembered that the young man in front of him did not have the memory of Fenglai and called himself "Yanliang", so he changed his words: "You can call me Tianjiu."
Having used the name for over a decade, he felt more comfortable with "Tianjiu" than with "Yunyou".
After the two finished talking, Yi Yaoqing pointed to Xiao Mimi, who was lying unconscious on the bed. Xiao Mimi had disheveled hair and was lying stiffly on the inside of the bed, with only a green hue visible.
What will happen to her?
Yi Yaoqing asked.
"Hand it over to the authorities," Yan Liang replied. "I've seen the imperial court's bounty. The court doesn't interfere in matters of the martial world, but she once killed the mistress of a high-ranking official, and that's why she's wanted and has a bounty on her head."
"...That's it?"
Xuanyuan Tianjiu couldn't help but ask.
Yi Yaoqing understood his question. She hadn't quite understood it at first either, but after seeing more of it, she accepted it. Yan Liang wouldn't kill anyone with his own hands. He was law-abiding like a typical江湖人 (jianghu person, someone from the martial arts world), yet he possessed a chivalrous spirit.
Yan Liang thought for a moment and said, "That's it."
Xuan Yuan Tian Jiu opened his mouth, then closed it again. He hesitated, and even didn't quite understand Yan Liang's actions.
Before going out for dinner, Yan Liang stood by Xiao Mimi's bedside, staring at the unconscious woman on the bed, frowning and deep in thought for a while. Yi Yaoqing almost thought he had finally shown some romantic side, but unexpectedly, he lightly clapped his hands, bent down, and picked Xiao Mimi up in his arms—
He knelt down and shoved her under the bed, then leaned over and pushed her further in, as if afraid he wouldn't push her in far enough.
Yi Yaoqing and Xuan Yuantianjiu stood at the door, watching him silently, inexplicably not wanting to know what this person had been pondering.
The three of them left the room together. Yan Liang locked the door, put the key in his sleeve, and happily went for a stroll on the street.
Yi Yaoqing was used to it, but Xuan Yuantianjiu was a little surprised. Yan Liang's behavior was completely different from the Feng Lai in his memory. Even if he had lost his memory, the change was too great.
He hesitated for a moment, then looked at Yi Yaoqing, who was eating a candied hawthorn, and asked, "I wonder what the relationship is between Miss Yi and Feng Lai? When I met him in a town, he was with another boy."
Xuan Yuan Tian Jiu had many questions he wanted to ask, such as who the boy was, who saved Feng Lai, and who taught Feng Lai his martial arts skills... But for some reason, he didn't dare to ask Yan Liang, so he chose to ask Yi Yao Qing for answers in a roundabout way.
"..." Yi Yaoqing considered her words for a moment, "My master saved him, and I took care of him for a month—I don't know anything else. If you really want to know, you might as well ask him directly."
Xuan Yuan Tian Jiu tentatively asked, "May I ask which senior is Miss Yi's master?"
Yi Yaoqing chewed on a candied hawthorn and glanced at him: "I can't say."
Xuan Yuan Tian Jiu was taken aback, but then heard Yi Yao Qing say, "When I first met him, he called himself Yan Liang. You'd better not call him Feng Lai."
The young man was startled again, then nodded slightly and said softly, "I understand."
He looked up and saw a young man named Yan Liang standing in front of the stall, chatting with the stall owner with a smile, occasionally picking up a folding fan from the stall and playing with it. The smile on the young man's face seemed very distant in the opening and closing of the folding fan and in the light of the lamp.
Xuan Yuan Tian Jiu immediately understood that the person was not Feng Lai, nor his taciturn friend, but Yan Liang.
Author's Note: Here I am! _(:з」∠)_ Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2020-04-21 22:15:23 and 2020-04-23 23:15:16!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: 10 bottles of live angels caught; 2 bottles of jay; 1 bottle of shine;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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