After the matter was settled, Bai Miao stayed in the capital for more than half a month before setting off for Nanchang. He felt apologetic towards Liu Changmin and could only do his best to take care of Liu Changmin's uncle and aunt.
Yu Huatian had met Bai Miao twice. From Bai Miao's unnatural movements, he guessed that this person was the one who had escaped from Hongxiu Pavilion, but he did not pursue the matter.
Bai Miao did not meet Bai Yu until he set off for Nanchang, and neither of them wanted to see each other. He bid farewell to Yan Liang and the others and headed towards Nanchang.
Yan Liang returned to his routine of going back and forth between two points, but fortunately, there were many people around, making it lively. He and Li Xunle returned home from the Hanlin Academy, and then everyone went out together in a large group to stroll around the streets.
Yan Shenming encountered many things he had never seen before. Yan Liang was very generous when it came to eating, drinking, and having fun. Money was meant to be spent; he would save half and spend the other half, and sooner or later he would be able to accumulate some wealth.
While the young boy was delighted by the new things, he was also worried about Yan Liang's extravagant spending habits. His older brother used to be frugal, saving the best things for him, but now that he had spare money, he was being generous to himself. He should have been happy, but he was also afraid that he wouldn't be able to save any money.
Yan Shenming subtly expressed his concern about their family's property. Yan Liang chuckled and told him to relax, but Yan Shenming remained worried. He even followed Yan Liang's example and went to the bookstore owner to copy books—he used to practice calligraphy with Yan Shendu using those water-dipped wooden sticks, and after practicing diligently with a brush for a few days, he could write quite well.
Yan Liang let him copy the book without stopping him. He knew very well that he was plagued by chronic illness and, ostracized by the world, wouldn't live much longer—at most ten years. Yan Shenming's worries would never come true.
As for Shenming's younger brother's inner conflict, Yan Liang did not have a deep conversation with him, but instead tried to guide him subtly.
Li Xunhuan played a significant role in this. When he first met Yan Shenming, he intervened to help him out of injustice. Yan Liang believed that a conversation between two people of similar age would be very effective.
There's a generation gap between middle-aged men and children.
Yan Shenming was troubled by the fact that helping others would bring him trouble, and he strongly disapproved of his elder brother's helpfulness. He and Yan Shendu were completely opposite in this regard.
If someone is in trouble, Yan Shenming would choose to stand by and watch rather than offer help, while Yan Shendu would choose the latter.
Yan Liang also chose the latter.
Everyone has their own ambitions. I can only tell my younger brother to relax for now. After all, no one is asking him for help. I just need to understand that everyone has different ideas.
Wang Lianhua found Yan Shenming's idea quite interesting, and pulled Yan Shenming aside to talk about something. A few days later, Yan Shenming started calling Wang Lianhua "Master".
That evening, Yan Liang was stopped by Wang Lianhua, and the two stood together in a corner of the backyard and talked.
"I get along quite well with your younger brother. Would you mind if I took him as my apprentice?"
Although it was a question, it came out of Wang Lianhua with great confidence.
Yan Liang shrugged: "You've already made him call you master, why are you asking me?"
He paused for a moment, then continued, "Since you've taken him on as your apprentice, teach him well."
Wang Lianhua glanced at him, thinking to herself that this man's words sounded like he was entrusting his orphan to someone...
"How did you die?"
Wang Lianhua suddenly asked him.
Yan Liang was taken aback, then laughed and said with a sigh, "Couldn't you have been a little more tactful?... He died of illness."
With only the two of them present, Yan Liang and Wang Lianhua spoke freely about their past. Old friends reunited, and should have had much to say, but they rarely mentioned what had happened in the world where they first met. Yan Liang intentionally avoided the topic, and Wang Lianhua didn't bother to press for details.
Now that Wang Lianhua had brought it up, Yan Liang omitted the details about the system and instead laid out the rest of the story.
Actually, it doesn't matter if he doesn't say it, Wang Lianhua has already guessed most of it. Yan Liang bringing it up now is just to verify Wang Lianhua's guess.
After listening to Yan Liang recount what happened after he left, Wang Lianhua sighed, "What a pity."
He regretted not being able to witness firsthand the scene of the East leading the Sun Moon Cult in confrontation with those prestigious sects, which must have been a spectacular sight.
Wang Lianhua didn't feel it was a pity to hand over his influence there to Dongfang Bubai. Rather than giving it to the Five Mountains Sword Sect, which was full of hypocrites, it was better to give it to Dongfang Bubai, whom he could get along with. Moreover, according to Yan Liang, Dongfang Bubai did not disappoint him and successfully carried out the plan.
Wang Lianhua didn't know what Yan Liang was, whether he was a ghost or a spirit, it didn't affect his friendship with Yan Liang.
He had few friends, and Yan Liang was one of them.
The two talked for a while longer before returning to their respective rooms.
Yan Liang slept soundly. The next day, Wang Lianhua kicked open his door and woke him up to study with his younger brother.
“I’ve thought about it. I’m going to teach disciples anyway, so teaching one is the same as teaching two. I might as well teach you too,” Wang Lianhua said matter-of-factly. “Call me Master first.”
Yan Liang curled up in the blanket and stared at him for a long time before finally saying in a low voice, "You just want to be a generation above me, don't you?"
Wang Lianhua smiled enigmatically: "Uncle or Master, choose one."
Ever since learning last night that Yan Liang was already an old man, Wang Lianhua had been thinking about this matter. Even if he couldn't compare in age, he should at least be able to compare in seniority. It was really pleasant to have someone older than him call him uncle or master.
It's even more delightful that this person is Yan Liang.
Wang Lianhua had high hopes, but he forgot that Yan Liang's shamelessness was no less than his own. Yan Liang boldly chose to shout them all.
Yan Liang and Yan Shenming addressed Wang Lianhua as "Master" without any hesitation, even more naturally than Wang Lianhua himself.
For some reason, Yan Liang insisted on adding Wang Lianhua's surname, calling him Master Wang repeatedly, and occasionally even Uncle Wang.
When Wang Lianhua first heard this, he was quite pleased with himself and replied with "good nephew" and "good disciple". However, the more he heard it, the more he felt that Yan Liang's address had a hidden meaning. He couldn't guess what it was, and when he asked Yan Liang, he had a very sincere expression, as innocent as could be.
Li Xunle and Li Xunhuan were led around, and several times they accidentally called Wang Lianhua "Uncle Wang". After a while, the two of them stopped calling him "Senior Wang". Wang Lianhua successfully collected three nephews.
Yan Liangyou learned medicine-making methods from the pharmacopoeia in the system store. Wang Lianhua's poison and medical skills were not included. He thought he should learn as much as possible, so he gave the secret manual he had redeemed with points to Wang Lianhua and started learning "Lianhua Treasure Mirror" with Yan Shenming.
Wang Lianhua was overjoyed at the prospect of learning, and immediately took the time to study the secret manual that Yan Liang had given him. As a result, the Li residence was filled with the smell of medicine all day long, making people mistakenly think that someone in the residence was sick.
Wang Lianhua was a real scoundrel. Coincidentally, the Flower Girl's identity had already been exposed by the person who was supposed to, so he lost interest in continuing the act. Taking advantage of the strong smell of medicine, he spread the news that the Flower Girl was seriously ill. A few days later, news spread that the Flower Girl had left the capital to recuperate.
The flower maiden arrived with great fanfare and left without a trace.
Yan Liang had no choice but to accompany Wang Lianhua to the end of the play. The people didn't care whether the flower girl left or not; what they cared about was the outcome of this romance. No one would be so idle as to investigate the story of the top scholar and his little lover.
Everyone believed it to be true, and the flower girl disappeared from public view, but some people did not believe it.
Yu Huatian refused to believe it; didn't he know who Hua Guniang was?
One day, on his way from the palace to the West Depot, he ran into Wang Lianhua drinking tea with two young men under a tea stall. With just one glance, he knew that the people of the capital had once again been fooled by Yan Liang and Wang Lianhua.
Yu Huatian was somewhat worried—Yan Liang had too many connections with people in the martial arts world, and Li Xunle's younger brother was Li Xunhuan, who was now quite famous in the martial arts world for his throwing knives. Was this really good for the imperial court?
Although Yu Huatian was arrogant and had a bad reputation in the court, he was indeed a good minister who cared about the affairs of the country.
Fortunately, Yan Liang did not disappoint Yu Huatian. In the limited time he had left, Yan Liang did his best to serve the people. He did this not only to fulfill Yan Shendu's wish, but also because he believed that his actions were meaningful.
Yan Shenming didn't want to take the imperial examinations; he longed to roam the martial world freely like Li Xunhuan. Seeing this, Yan Liang let loose and truly became a good official.
Wang Lianhua once asked Yan Liang to resign from his official post, but Yan Liang refused. Wang Lianhua then dropped the matter and, along with Li Xunhuan and Yan Shenming, resumed their adventures in the martial arts world.
Li Xunle and Yan Liang worked diligently and conscientiously in the capital, rising through the ranks and getting up earlier and going to bed later. Yan Liang always had a strange feeling that his remaining life in this world was gradually diminishing with the passing of time and his thinning hair.
He once looked in the mirror and lamented his hair.
After seeing this, Li Xunle wrote about it in a letter he sent to Li Xunhuan and others. Along with the reply, he also sent a large pile of ginger, a bag of black sesame seeds, and a specially made Poria cocos powder for hair loss.
The quantity is plentiful.
In their letters, Yan Shenming and Li Xunhuan recounted their encounters outside, inquired about their two elder brothers, and finally offered their opinions on hair loss.
Li Xunhuan wrote: Brother, you should also take care of your hair.
Yan Shenming wrote: "Brother, baldness is not a big deal. It can be treated with ginger, black sesame, and poria powder."
Wang Lianhua wrote: Bald donkey.
Yan Liang immediately threw Wang Lianhua's letter on the ground.
Li Xunle was both amused and exasperated.
*
While Yan Liang and Li Xunle were struggling in their official careers, Wang Lianhua took the two boys to many places. They also visited Li Yuan in Baoding to see the old Li Tanhua, and went to Nanchang to see Bai Miao.
Bai Miao, as Liu Changmin's friend, bought a small courtyard next to his uncle and aunt and took good care of them.
Liu Changmin's aunt and uncle transferred their affections to him, treating him like their own son. Bai Miao had never enjoyed the love from his parents. Their care made Bai Miao feel helpless, and his guilt deepened day by day. He could only take care of them even more attentively.
When Bai Miao met the three of them, he felt a mix of emotions about the group, but he also made sure they stayed for a meal and some lodging.
After experiencing the local customs and culture of Nanchang, they continued to roam the martial arts world. Li Xunhuan's reputation as Little Li Flying Dagger grew even stronger, while Yan Shenming, as Wang Lianhua's personal disciple, gradually gained fame as well.
They even went to see Shen Lang—a chivalrous hero who had once shared the same martial arts world as Wang Lianhua. Shen Lang and Zhu Qiqi wanted to go to Japan, and after meeting Wang Lianhua, they extended an invitation. However, Wang Lianhua, thinking of Yan Liang who might die at any time and the young Yan Shenming, refused Shen Lang's invitation.
Shen Lang and Wang Lianhua were both mortal enemies and good friends. Their relationship could not be summarized in a single sentence. When Wang Lianhua refused, he simply said that if he had time, he could go to sea to see them.
"If I have the chance, I would also like to meet that Scholar Yan," Shen Lang said with a smile. He had heard Yan Shenming talk about what Wang Lianhua had done in the capital, and he was very curious about Yan Liang, who was able to collude with Wang Lianhua.
"Let's meet again when you have the chance."
*
Li Xun was always happy to help others, and he would always use his flying knife to help those in need. This earned him gratitude, but also resentment.
When Wang Lianhua took them to the border region, people who heard the news came to surround Li Xunhuan. Wang Lianhua told the two of them to deal with it themselves, and then he went to find his nephew.
After Bai Feifei disappeared in the desert, Wang Lianhua never saw her again.
But a few days ago, he received a letter from Bai Feifei, in which she said that she was dying and had a young child whom she hoped he could take care of.
Since they were half-siblings, Wang Lianhua came to the border region to see her.
Bai Feifei looked haggard and was no longer the charming girl she was years ago. When she saw Wang Lianhua, she was indifferent and cold, and simply let Afei walk in front of her.
What's his name?
Wang Lianhua looked at the stubborn-looking child in front of him. He was holding a small wooden sword in his arms and looked about seven or eight years old. But considering that he didn't get to eat anything good outside the Great Wall, he was probably older than he appeared.
"hooligan."
Bai Feifei coughed.
Wang Lianhua: "What's your surname?"
Bai Feifei gazed at A Fei's retreating figure, her eyes gentle: "He has no surname."
She fell into a deep sleep, and both Wang Lianhua and Afei knew she would never wake up again.
After burying Bai Feifei, Wang Lianhua asked Afei to go back with him to find Yan Shenming and Li Xunhuan, only to find that there was one more person.
"My name is Long Xiaoyun."
The man was very nervous in front of Wang Lianhua and bowed respectfully.
Afei glanced at Long Xiaoyun, then at Wang Lianhua.
Wang Lianhua nodded, and after Long Xiaoyun returned to his room, she asked the remaining two, "What's wrong with him?"
Yan Shenming said, "When we were about to deal with Li Xunhuan's enemies, he passed by and helped us take care of the rest."
Wang Lianhua, with an indifferent attitude, did not ask any further questions. She gently pushed A-Fei in front of the two of them and said, "This is my nephew, his name is A-Fei. You can call him whatever you want."
Yan Shenming's eyes lit up: "Afei... younger brother."
He was happy to finally have someone younger than him.
Afei stubbornly insisted, "My name is Afei."
Yan Shenming: "Younger brother."
Afei: "My name is Afei."
...
After exchanging a few words, Wang Lianhua slapped Yan Shenming on the head and said, "Stop arguing."
Yan Shenming: "...Yes, Master Wang."
Li Xunhuan suppressed a laugh.
*
Wang Lianhua had no interest in nameless nobodys, and left with three juniors the next day before Long Xiaoyun could find them. Li Xunhuan, however, felt bad and wrote a letter for the waiter to give to Long Xiaoyun. But the world was vast, and he had met many people, but he could only remember the faces and names of a handful. Long Xiaoyun was not exceptional, and in a few years, Li Xunhuan would forget that he had ever met such a person.
Wang Lianhua and his party went to the capital again. At that time, Yan Liang was almost at his limit and was quite happy to see them.
Yan Shenming had grown taller, Li Xunhuan looked more mature, while Wang Lianhua still had the same face as before; time seemed to have stopped flowing over him.
"You're getting old."
Wang Lianhua responded to Yan Liang's almost astonished greeting.
Yan Liang touched his hair and nodded sadly: "I'm old, Uncle Wang, you're still young."
His health deteriorated, and the emperor ordered the imperial physicians to examine him. They concluded that he was terminally ill and had little time left. Left with no other choice, the emperor had to agree to Yan Liang's request to resign.
Yan Liang waited peacefully for death. For the remaining six months, he spent his days basking in the sun, watching the children play, and occasionally some friends from official circles would come to visit him. Regardless of whether they meant well or badly, Yan Liang always treated them with gentleness.
Yu Huatian brought medicinal herbs to visit him, his expression complex, with a hint of regret. Yan Liang, who had developed some tacit understanding with Yu Huatian over the years, knew what he was regretting. If Yan Liang died, the court would lose a capable minister, but life and death are predestined, and he could only feel regret.
Yan Liang would always close his eyes when sunbathing. Several times they thought he was dead, and after nervously nudging him, they were met with Yan Liang's smiling face.
The same thing happened this time.
Yan Liang closed his eyes peacefully. Yan Shenming subconsciously wanted to wake him, but Wang Lianhua reached out and stopped him.
Therefore, Yan Shenming knew that Yan Liang would never wake up again.
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