Do you know who that person is?
As Yan Liang walked with Bai Miao through the alley, he asked him a question.
"I don't know. No matter who he is or what he looks like, he's just a lackey of Bai Wangba, and I don't want to know."
Bai Wangba is Bai Miao's father and the master of Chi Ri Valley. Of course, the master of Chi Ri Valley isn't actually called Wangba; that's a nickname Bai Miao gave his father.
The nickname, with its unique style and straightforward simplicity, perfectly expresses Bai Miao's disgust for his father.
Whenever Yan Liang mentioned Crimson Sun Valley, Bai Miao responded with disgust, repeatedly calling him a "white bastard." He didn't seem to care that calling his father a "white bastard" also insulted him; rather, Bai Miao even loathed himself for being the son of the Valley Master.
Bai Miao didn't want to mention Bai Wangba—no, Bai Guzhu—and Yan Liang wouldn't press him for details without considering the atmosphere. The reason the two were sneaking around in the alley was to get Bai Miao to an inn.
The Li residence had many rooms, and Li Xunle was happy to provide them. However, Yan Liang thought that Bai Miao was currently being pursued, and letting him stay at the Li residence would inevitably cause trouble, so he took Bai Miao out to find an inn.
Wang Lianhua had mocked Yan Liang for acting without thinking. Yan Liang was in the wrong, so he swallowed his anger and let him rant. However, in the end, he couldn't help but retort with, "Miss Hua is delicate and doesn't leave the house. As her lover, he naturally brought Bai Miao back to see her because he was thinking of her."
Bai Miao stayed in the capital after the incident in order to find the murderer of Liu Changmin, but for many months he had no clue.
Yan Liang guessed that the man was just an ordinary man who followed Bai Miao. The fact that Bai Miao couldn't find him proved that he was extremely good at hiding. Besides, the malicious gaze he felt on his way to Hongxiu Pavilion a few days ago also belonged to that man.
The two found a small inn. Yan Liang escorted Bai Miao to his room. His actions were so natural that Bai Miao felt very uncomfortable. He hesitated several times before finally saying nothing.
"I won't tell Chief Rain."
Before leaving, Yan Liang told Bai Miao with a smile, "You should focus on recovering from your injuries."
He then took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve, placed it in Bai Miao's hand, and said, "If the pain is unbearable, this medicine can relieve the pain."
Bai Miao held the cold porcelain bottle in his hand, puzzled. Firstly, he was confused by Yan Liang's natural action, and secondly, he was confused by the fact that Yan Liang had taken the bottle out of his sleeve—he remembered that the thing that this man had used to threaten him earlier had also been taken out of his sleeve and then put back in.
Yan Liang smiled at him again, closed the door, and slowly left.
Bai Miao looked at the porcelain bottle with a gloomy expression. In the end, he did not take the medicine, but carefully put it away.
He had suffered many injuries in the past, and the pain of having his flesh cut out was nothing compared to the agony of ten thousand insects gnawing at his heart... He simply disliked pain.
Yan Liang bid farewell to Bai Miao and stood at the entrance of the inn for a while. The monitor showed that the ordinary-looking man was now by the Mingyue Bridge... not far from the Li residence.
He thought for a moment, then turned and walked toward the Bright Moon Bridge, intending to meet this bastard, or rather, the lackey of Master Bai.
As night fell, the streets lit up, and the lively atmosphere remained undiminished.
Yan Liang saw the ordinary-looking man in blue standing by the bridge from afar. He slowly walked to the man's side and stared at his reflection in the river with him.
A smile appeared in the man's eyes when he saw Yan Liang in the reflection, and Yan Liang smiled back. A passing child threw a pebble, causing ripples on the water and blurring the smiling faces of the two people in the water.
"What a fine mood you're in, Scholar Tan," the man said leisurely. "Strolling around all alone so late at night."
"You know me?" Yan Liang feigned surprise. "May I ask your name?"
The man's smile deepened as he looked up at the scholar beside him and said, "Scholar, you are handsome and dashing. I will never forget you after just one meeting." He paused and continued, "My name is Bai Yu. I suppose you have never heard of such a lowly person as me."
Yan Liang's eyes widened slightly, and he smiled, "I have a friend whose surname is also Bai. What a coincidence."
Bai Yu raised an eyebrow: "...Indeed a coincidence."
Yan Liang: "It's strange, my friend's father is actually named White Turtle... Isn't that strange?"
Bai Yu chuckled: "Who names their child 'Wangba' (turtle)? Isn't that insulting your grandson as well?"
"I suppose it's because humble names are easier to raise... This name does suit my friend's dad quite well."
Yan Liang was still smiling.
Bai Yu remained unfazed, his smile radiant.
He looked at the gray-clad scholar in front of him, wondering to himself if he had given himself away, and if so, when he had been discovered.
From beginning to end, this was the first time he and the third-ranked scholar had met on this bridge. No matter how intelligent Yan Liang was, it was impossible for him to find out anything in such a short time.
You should know that neither Bai Miao, that good-for-nothing, nor the Rain Supervisor of the Western Depot have ever caught him red-handed.
Bai Yu was arrogant and conceited. After confirming that he had no flaws, he spoke to Yan Liang in a more natural manner, saying, "Your friend's father is called Bai Wangba. I'm a little curious about your friend's name."
"Oh, my friend's name is White Turtle."
Yan Liang continued to spout nonsense without changing his expression.
Bai Yu: "..."
Even though he was prepared, he still couldn't help but give Yan Liang a subtle glare when he heard this.
This third-ranking scholar is truly despicable.
The despicable third-place scholar, oblivious to his own embarrassment, laughed and said, "I find it quite amusing... I suppose my friend's father is also quite carefree, don't you think?"
Bai Yu nodded in agreement, but seemed reluctant to continue the conversation. After a few exchanges, Bai Yu cleverly changed the subject, and Yan Liang skillfully cooperated. They talked about the fish swimming in the river, the perch of Jiangnan, the water towns of Jiangnan, the wind and frost of the northern frontier, and finally the snow of the northern frontier and the moon over Huangshan.
Bai Yu had never met such a talkative person before. Midway through the conversation, he noticed that the other person had taken the initiative, and he had no choice but to continue the conversation until the very end.
Now that Bai Yu is staring at Yan Liang, if he doesn't realize that this person might have discovered his identity, he would be a fool.
But how exactly did this person discover it?
Bai Yu frowned slightly, a sense of anxiety creeping into his heart as things spiraled out of control. He betrayed this in his expression, but Yan Liang, oblivious, smiled and said, "Brother Bai and I hit it off immediately…how about I treat you to a drink?"
Bai Yu said meaningfully, "I can't have it."
The two scheming individuals immediately made a decision and, arm in arm—or rather, one after the other—went to a nearby tavern.
Bai Yu didn't actually like drinking, but in order to see what the third-ranked scholar was up to, he reluctantly and patiently followed Yan Liang to the tavern.
Yan Liang—he doesn't drink either. Mainly because Yan Shendu is in poor health, and drinking is harmful to his body, so he hasn't drunk much alcohol in this world.
This resulted in the two men facing a jar of wine, each with a wine bowl in front of them, but neither of them poured any wine.
Yan Liang: "..."
This person doesn't drink alcohol??
If you're not going to drink, why did you agree to it?
Bai Yu: "..."
What exactly is this person trying to do?
Yan Liang's experiences across multiple worlds gave him the illusion that when he talked to people in the martial arts world about drinking, it didn't matter if they were strangers or acquaintances. After drinking, they would become friends, and he could even dig out some information.
Yan Liang coughed lightly, opened the wine seal, poured himself a little, and smiled at Bai Yu: "Want some?"
Bai Yu stared at the thin layer of wine in Yan Liang's bowl: "...Drink."
Yan Liang only took a small sip and stopped—that little bit of wine could only be called a small sip, while Bai Yu drank half a bowl of wine in one gulp.
"Brother Bai, you have a good capacity for alcohol!"
Yan Liang clapped, while Bai Yu just wanted to smash the bowl in his hand in his face.
—This little bit of alcohol, what kind of drinking capacity is that!
Bai Yu became increasingly certain that this person was deliberately trying to provoke him.
And he was right; Yan Liang did indeed have ill intentions.
This person is undoubtedly a disciple of Chi Ri Gu, but Yan Liang is puzzled about the relationship between Bai Yu and Bai Miao—they share the same surname, Bai, could they be related?
Unlike the Tang Clan, which is a family-based sect, the disciples of Chi Ri Valley have different surnames. In contrast, the surnames in Miao territory are numerous and diverse, and the surname Bai is one that has evolved over many years.
Yan Liang openly scrutinized Bai Yu, which Bai Yu naturally noticed. He grew impatient and even began to wonder if it was possible to knock the man unconscious and take him away.
He could tell that the third-ranked scholar practiced martial arts, but he could also tell that this person had only been practicing for three months and was no match for him.
As soon as Bai Yu had this thought, Yan Liang stood up. He looked at the young man with a slightly scrutinizing gaze, feeling displeased by the height difference.
"I have urgent business to attend to, so I must take my leave first," Yan Liang said with a smile. "We shall meet again someday."
Bai Yu became wary and quickly left the tavern after Yan Liang departed. Yan Liang's departure was completely unexpected, and the previous conversation and the invitation to drink now seemed more like a stalling tactic. Bai Yu cautiously concealed himself and ran through the darkness.
The night wind was chilly. Since leaving the tavern, Bai Yu had not encountered a single suspicious person. He thought to himself that perhaps he was just overthinking things. He turned and entered a small alley. When he peeked out from the corner of the wall, he was met with a dark mass of men in black.
Yu Huatian stared at him coldly as he slowly approached.
Bai Yu turned around and saw a young man standing behind him with a look of amusement on his face, while standing beside him was Yan Tanhua, who had said he had something to do and was taking his leave not long ago.
Bai Yu chose to escape from Wang Lianhua's side, firstly because Yan Liang did not know martial arts, and secondly because the two were easier to defeat than a group of people.
But Bai Yu didn't know that the flower girl was Wang Lianhua, nor did he know that Yan Liang was not just an ordinary third-place scholar, but a third-place scholar with a cheat device.
The Gu worms spread from the ground, rushing one after another towards the two people at the alley entrance and the men in black deep inside the alley.
"Sizzle—"
Yan Liang calmly took out a powerful insecticide, and the mist sprayed out from the nozzle, causing a large number of insects on the ground to fall over.
Bai Yu was startled, but he didn't stop moving and still pounced on the two men fiercely. At the same time, an arrow shot by the arrest team composed of West Depot officials behind him hit him, and cleverly, it also hit his ankle.
The man stumbled and fell onto the Gu worms on the ground, causing a series of shattering sounds.
Bai Yu clearly heard someone click their tongue amidst a series of crisp sounds, followed by Yan Liang's voice.
"Are you happy? Surprised? Unexpected?"
Yan Liangyu spoke with a smile that was undeniably irritating.
The men from the West Depot quickly rushed over and tied Bai Yu up. Bai Yu glared fiercely at Yan Liang, almost grinding his teeth to powder.
But once he knew he was being loaded onto a carriage, he couldn't utter a single word.
It was all because Yu Huatian dislocated Bai Yu's jaw.
“I won’t pursue this any further,” Yu Huatian said, “but you’d better explain to me how you met this person.”
Yan Liang looked up at the sky and said, "It's a dark and windy night, time to rest—we'll talk again tomorrow."
Yu Huatian glanced at him, ignored him, turned around, got into the approaching carriage, and left like the wind.
Wang Lianhua gloated: "Let's see how you explain this."
Yan Liangxin was very magnanimous: "The answer is that it's a secret that cannot be revealed."
Author's Note: I have arrived! My beloved subjects, please welcome me!
Because I've been having a really bad craving lately, I have to tell you so everyone can have one too—
I want to eat hot pot, takoyaki, Orleans-style chicken wings, grilled gluten, chicken cutlets, cakes, desserts, hot dry noodles, all-you-can-eat barbecue seafood, grilled cold noodles, stinky tofu, teppanyaki, grilled squid, chestnuts, soup dumplings, oden, double-skin milk, milk tea, spring rolls, spicy hot pot, hand-pulled pancakes, roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), steamed buns with vegetables, egg pancakes, cold noodles, red bean pancakes, pan-fried buns, sushi, crispy potato skewers, skewers...
I want to eat even more now.
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:53:27 on March 3, 2020 and 23:41:43 on March 4, 2020!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Shui Lingxi (8 bottles); Chu Tianqiu (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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