Tang Yang received two letters from Suzhou. The contents of the first letter made him unusually angry, but along with his anger came some doubts.
The words on the letter were incredibly familiar, even the handwriting was just as I remembered, except for a few extra lines.
The letter writer used this opportunity to announce his identity.
The second letter was written by the men he had sent to follow Mu Rufeng. Both letters were delivered by carrier pigeon. Among the assassins were those who were on their way back, and others who were secretly waiting in Suzhou to rescue Mu Rufeng.
If Tang Yang valued Mu Rufeng highly, he didn't value him that much. However, Mu Rufeng was, after all, the leader of the Wuyan Pavilion. Even if the leader was like a cripple, it didn't mean Tang Yang was willing to see him humiliated.
Therefore, on the very day Tang Yang received the letter, he had his belongings prepared and set off from the northern frontier, heading straight for Suzhou.
——
Yan Liang and his friends stayed in the former Mu residence, chatting and reminiscing while waiting for Wuyan Pavilion's response. They also took the opportunity to fight back against the Wuyan Pavilion assassins who wanted to rescue Mu Rufeng, and enjoyed some grilled fish.
Wang Lianhua remained as enthusiastic about acting as ever. He was very dedicated and conscientiously maintained the persona of a "lovesick woman who both loves and hates her sweetheart and turns evil for love." Yan Liang was also very mischievous, fully cooperating with his mischievous friend's script and trying to get back at him, perfectly portraying a "lovesick man who is called a heartless man by his sweetheart but actually has unspeakable secrets." The two actors' sincere performances were quite believable.
Lu Xiaofeng even exclaimed to Yan Liang, "I thought you were a blockhead, but it turns out you can have a girl you like."
After the two had fought a duel between two sword masters, they went to a brothel together on their way back to Jiangnan from the capital. At that time, Yan Liang couldn't stand the scent of rouge and powder and was driven away on his first visit. Lu Xiaofeng always thought that this man didn't interact much with the girls and wasn't very popular with them.
Yan Liang became inexplicably proud: "Lu Xiaofeng, you underestimate me. Later, I was known as the wind that could pass through a sea of flowers without a single petal sticking to me."
Of course, this is fake; no one calls him that.
As the two men spoke, the flower girl stood not far away admiring the flowers. Her pale yellow dress was like a delicate flower in spring. A gentle breeze brushed her hair, and the ends of her hair swayed lightly. She was even more beautiful than the peony.
Lu Xiaofeng, of course, did not believe it. He thought to himself that Yan Liang was all talk and no action, and he did not know how to hide his feelings in front of his beloved. If he really could be a womanizer without getting attached to anyone, then every man in the world could be described as such.
——
When Yan Liang and Bai Yutang first met, they discussed what happened after Yan Liang's death, such as Pang Yu, Xiao Shizi, and the final outcome of the matter concerning the Prince of Xiangyang. Bai Yutang never mentioned how he felt after Yan Liang's death, and since he didn't speak, Yan Liang didn't ask.
Zhan Zhao didn't mention it either. He was meticulous and, like Hua Manlou, a very gentle person. Therefore, whether it was Hua Manlou or Zhan Zhao, they still treated Yan Liang the same as before.
Now that they've arrived in Suzhou, the people have been rescued, and they've even taken over the place, becoming the guests and the hosts; Bai Yutang is eager to try his luck and demands that Yan Liang fulfill the previous agreement.
"Let's have a fight."
"……real?"
"real."
"..."
With a clear conscience that he would get a severe beating, Yan Liang took out the charlatan.
Upon learning the name of Yan Liang's weapon, Bai Yutang and Lu Xiaofeng reacted very similarly, both expressing speechless disbelief at Yan Liang's naming skills, but both had to admit that the stick was magical.
Now, Bai Yutang will be fighting against Yan Liang, who is wielding a magic staff.
Wang Lianhua watched the show with his arms crossed, noticing that Yan Liang's martial arts had improved since then; Zhan Zhao saw it clearly too, noting that both men were holding back, but showing no mercy either.
Amidst the flashing blades and cudgels, gray and white figures moved back and forth. The sounds of clashing blades and cudgels were not pleasant to hear, even somewhat harsh, but strangely, there was no trace of murderous intent.
Hua Manlou listened intently, a slight smile playing on his lips.
A gentle breeze blows, the sun shines brightly, and the air is filled with the fragrance of early summer, accompanied by birdsong. Yet, the area around the flower-filled building is brimming with the warmth of everyday life.
After their battle, Yan Liang and Bai Yutang were both too exhausted to speak. Yan Liang rested for a while, then, feeling that he was no longer of much use, simply lay down on the ground, completely unconcerned about the dust. Bai Yutang, leaning on his sword to catch his breath, saw Yan Liang lie down, hesitated for a moment, then picked up his sword and walked towards the eaves.
Zhan Zhao had already brought over two chairs and was looking helplessly at Yan Liang lying in the middle of the courtyard, saying, "Brother Yan, if you could have held on a little longer, you wouldn't have gotten your clothes dirty."
"It doesn't matter if the gray clothes are dirty, it's better than Master Bai's white clothes being dirty."
Yan Liang answered lazily.
Bai Yutang sat down in the chair, exhausted, but still insisted, "This time I won."
Yan Liang lay on the ground with his eyes closed and shouted loudly, "That doesn't count! We're comparing strength, not stamina! If we're talking about strength, you and I should be evenly matched!"
Bai Yutang remained silent. In truth, in terms of martial prowess, he and Yan Liang were not even even evenly matched—he was the one who lost.
Yan Liang lay on the ground gazing at the sky. He blinked, rolled over, and tried to get up. As he stood up, he suddenly noticed that Hua Gu Niang was staring intently at him.
Yan Liang reacted quickly, his face showing an unnatural and slightly shy expression. He turned his face away slightly, perfectly portraying a man who felt shy when his beloved was staring at him because of a misunderstanding.
Bai Yutang felt something was off—was Yan Liang the kind of person who would show such an expression?
He asked himself the same question.
The answer is... hard to say.
The word "love" is the most difficult to understand. Even someone as carefree, lazy, and easygoing as Yan Liang would be different when he met someone he liked.
Thinking about it this way, it seems to make sense.
Yan Liang turned his face away and walked past the flower girl—he needed to go back and change his clothes, and the flower girl followed in his footsteps shortly after he left.
Yan Liang went back and changed his clothes. He then fetched some water. As he squatted by the basin and scrubbed his clothes, he suddenly felt a little regretful—he had only worn these clothes for a few days; he should have been able to wear them for a few more.
After hanging up the clothes, Yan Liang strolled around the courtyard with his hands in his pockets. The scene inside the courtyard was not much different from what he remembered, after all, only five years had passed.
He went to the room where the sword that Mu Jiangchuan had forged himself used to be kept. The sword rack was covered in dust. Jiang Qing took Mu Jiangchuan's sword with her before leaving.
Yan Liang continued his stroll. Lu Xiaofeng, who was guarding outside the room where Mu Rufeng and his guard were imprisoned, was somewhat surprised to see him and asked, "Since you have time to come here, does that mean you've won?"
"No."
Yan Liang stood beside him with his hands in his pockets and said, "It's a draw."
Lu Xiaofeng sniffed, catching the scent of soap: "Did you do laundry?"
Yan Liang sighed and recounted how he had impulsively lay down on the ground without thinking. Lu Xiaofeng listened for a moment and then laughed gleefully.
What are you doing here?
Lu Xiaofeng couldn't help but laugh, and his voice rose strangely at the end of his question.
Yan Liang pointed to the room and said, "I need to talk to him about something."
Lu Xiaofeng was silent for a moment, then quickly regained his composure, reached out and patted his shoulder, saying, "Don't make him angry again. If Tang Yang comes, he might hold a grudge against you."
Yan Liang chuckled: "Tang Yang probably already holds a grudge against me, so there's no need to wait for him to come."
Lu Xiaofeng was speechless: "Is this what I meant?"
Yan Liang: "As long as he doesn't make me angry, I won't make him angry."
The scene was strikingly similar to what had happened before, so much so that when Yan Liang said he wanted to speak with Mu Rufeng, Lu Xiaofeng was instantly reminded of that time. Back then, Yan Liang had severed Mu Rufeng's tendons in his hands and feet. When Lu Xiaofeng lifted the curtain, amidst the blood, the young man's eyes were cold and indifferent.
A brief silence fell between the two. Yan Liang thought for a moment and said softly, "The one who severed Mu Rufeng's tendons back then was not me, but Mu Jiangchuan."
really.
Lu Xiaofeng sighed softly: "...I guessed it."
After Lu Xiaofeng left, Yan Liang stood in the courtyard for a while before pushing open the door and entering the room. Mu Rufeng sat in his wheelchair by the table, glaring at Yan Liang as he entered, while his guard remained unconscious due to the medicine given to him by Hua Guniang.
Mu Rufeng only vaguely heard the commotion outside and did not hear what the two were saying, so he only showed a wary and disgusted expression to Yan Liang.
Yan Liang sat down at the table, smiled and looked at him for a while, then released his tongue and asked, "Do you hate me that much?"
Mu Rufeng snorted coldly, and when he noticed the man's gaze on his wrist, he quickly withdrew his hand into his sleeve as if he had been electrocuted, showing a slightly embarrassed expression on his face.
"What are you looking at?!" To cover up her momentary reaction, Mu Rufeng retorted aggressively, "All of this was your doing. Are you satisfied with how I look now?"
Yan Liang's expression was strange. He slowly said, "It was made by me...?"
"So that's what you've always thought?"
The young man in gray sighed softly, his eyes filled with sarcasm as he looked at him.
Mu Rufeng said coldly, "When Wang Lianhua mentioned you, I understood. Back then, I brought you back from Baihualou, not Mu Jiangchuan. Am I wrong?"
Yan Liang nodded: "That's right."
"Mu Jiangchuan is already dead. You, a monster, possessed his corpse and know nothing, so you used the excuse of amnesia to deceive me." Mu Rufeng sneered, "And I actually believed you."
Yan Liang said in a good mood, "I didn't have Mu Jiangchuan's memories at first, but I did later."
Mu Rufeng's expression froze.
"—What gives you the right to be angry?" Yan Liang said. "Mu Jiangchuan is not related to you at all, so what are you angry about?"
"You have no grudge against me, yet you lied to me after taking over Mu Jiangchuan's body!" Mu Rufeng roared. "You are not him, what right do you have to treat me like that?!"
Yan Liang's lips twitched, realizing that this person hadn't listened to what he had said before at all.
"Did I admit that I was the one who severed your tendons?" Yan Liang retorted. "It was Mu Jiangchuan himself who severed your tendons."
"...You're talking nonsense!" Mu Rufeng was enraged by his repeated use of "severing tendons in hands and feet." After realizing the implications of Yan Liang's words, he subconsciously chose not to believe him.
"Tsk."
Yan Liang clicked his tongue. He had never liked Mu Rufeng from the beginning, and now, after so many years, he realized that Mu Rufeng clearly had no intention or energy left to act.
Yan Liang would never have come looking for him if he didn't want this person to know that Mu Jiangchuan hadn't simply died.
"Believe it or not." Yan Liang stood up, looking down at Mu Rufeng. "Tang Yang is on his way. I won't kill you. You'd better watch yourself."
Mu Rufeng, who had been struck in the acupoint once again but was powerless to resist, showed an angry expression, but could only watch helplessly as Yan Liang closed the door.
After closing the door, Yan Liang turned around and met the flower girl standing to the side with a half-smile.
Yan Liang: "...You heard everything?"
The girl nodded: "I heard everything."
The two walked to the tree and looked at the pond not far away. Yan Liang waited for Wang Lianhua to ask a question, but she only said, "If you don't want to kill him, I can kill him for you."
Yan Liang turned to look at him; the other man's expression was serious, showing no sign of joking.
“No need,” Yan Liang said. “Wuyan Pavilion is not to be trifled with. Killing Mu Rufeng would probably anger Tang Yang.”
Wang Lianhua stared at the fish swimming in the pond and asked casually, "After you died, how long did you live?"
Yan Liang did some calculations and said uncertainly, "...more than fifty years?"
Wang Lianhua said leisurely, "No wonder your staff skills have improved so much."
Yan Liang chuckled: "Thank you for the compliment, Miss Hua—actually, I'm not only good at stick fighting, but I'm also skilled in disguise and other areas."
Wang Lianhua raised an eyebrow at him, and Yan Liang said with a grin, "It's all thanks to Master Wang's guidance."
Since Yan Liang's death, only Yan Shenming would call him that.
Wang Lianhua nodded unreservedly in response to the compliment. He stared at Yan Liang for a while longer before asking, "What was the original name of your body?"
Yan Liang said, "I don't know either."
When Yan Liang woke up, he was at sea. After floating in the water for a while, he was washed ashore by the waves and met Ye Gucheng. The original owner's memories were blank, and the system did not issue any tasks related to his memories. It only told Yan Liang to focus on finding people from another world.
Upon hearing this, Wang Lianhua didn't ask any further questions. Yan Liang would tell him everything he could, and wouldn't try to fool him on such a small matter. It was clear that he genuinely didn't know.
As the first person to know that Yan Liang was different, Wang Lianhua sensed something was amiss when he learned that both Bai Zhan and Lu Hua had a past relationship with Yan Liang.
They were all Yan Liang's friends, so it was no coincidence that they were all here at the same time.
Wang Lianhua believed that Yan Liang had also figured it out, but since he didn't say anything, it probably wasn't a big deal.
Besides, to be fair, this isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Author's Note: Good evening, everyone!
The scene where the three of them put on a dramatic acting showdown will probably appear in the next chapter _(:з」∠)_
＊
It seems like our school isn't going to reopen... We've been taking online classes at home for the past few months, but there are so many little things to do—not that I'm particularly busy, but they add up, and when there are so many things to do, time seems to fly by.
So, I'll update whenever I can _(:з」∠)_
I'll try to finish this by May!
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