A day after the one-month celebration, Liang En Zai took his entourage back to the imperial city. And, at the same time, he didnât forget to kidnap his stubborn old man, Liang Xuan Jing, back to the Princeâs Mansion to deal with his nagging wives and daughters. Although Feng Cai Yun too, had wanted to stay with her daughter, Liang Xuan Jing had scooped her up and brought her to the carriage.
And as for Liang Xuan Jing, Ouyang Xun had asked him (LEZ) to bring her back since they needed her back in the imperial palace. Thus, Long Xi Yue had to go with them.
âWhen you get the chance to visit the imperial city, I will show you around.â Long Xi Yue pulled Su Shuilianâs hand, bidding an emotional farewell as if they were sisters.
Liang En Zi looked oddly at Long Xi Yueâs actions. Immediately, he pulled Su Shuilian away from her before he advised, âIf anybody bullies you, you must tell this older brother. No matter who it is, I will take justice for you.â When Liang En Zai said that, he gazed at Lin Si Yao, who always accompany his younger sister. He wanted to check if the others were as calm as what he had shown.
âDĂ gÄ (big brother), donât worry! As long as A Yaoâs with me, Iâll be alright.â Su Shuilian answered without a bit of hesitation, which softened the hard expression on Lin Si Yaoâs face. Liang En Zai was speechless as he inwardly shook his head. Sigh! This is exactly why he is worried for her, what a slow mèimei (younger sister)!
Liang En Zai rolled his eyes. Then, he beamed Lin Si Yao a threatening look: If you dare hurt my sister, I wonât let you go. You shouldnât think that I donât know your guise â the number one assassin of Feng Yao Court! The battle several years ago, he remembered it clearly.
Lin Si Yao raised his brow, tacitly replying to his threat: Same to you. If I see you touching her one more time, brother-in-law or not. I will show no mercy!
Once the two menâs glare battle was over, they retrieved their piercing look, afraid to scare the fragile woman in front of them.
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âXu-er, A Yao, Iâll return in spring. Liang-momo, you have to serve Young Lady and Guye carefully, understand?â
A moment before the carriages departed, the curtain on the luxurious, specialized carriage of Wangye Jing was lifted up from the inside. Feng Cai Yun with her rosy cheeks craned her head out, carefully giving advice to the group of people waving farewell at her one more time. She was worried that those servants and maids wouldnât work properly, which would trouble her daughter.
âthis servant understands, Your Highness. Donât worry.â Liang-momo and the maids assured their worried Elder Wangfei.
Feng Cai Yun wanted to continue but was stopped as Liang Xuan Jing pulled her into the carriage. âDaughter, son-in-law, if you miss me, your mother or your brother, just send us a message, I will send someone to pick you up.â
âYes, I will.â Su Shuilian smiled as she waved her hand. âMother, father, please take care. Iâm living pretty well here. You donât need to worry about me.â
âAlright, alright, itâs not that we wonât meet each other again. If we linger any longer, Iâm not sure we can reach Shui Yue City tonight.â Liang En Zai leaned against the carriageâs wall, couldnât help but roll his eyes, cutting the long farewell of his parents and his younger sister.
âYou stinky son, how about you leave first then! After all, your mother and I just need to return home before Lunar New Year!â
âQuite dreaming! You guys will definitely take a U-turn and come back here midway back home.â His faith in his father had already been all used up before he had reached the age of eighteen. According to what Liang En Zai knew about Liang Xuan Jing, his careless father, his father would likely ditch him somewhere.
âDonât spew rubbish!â Liang Xuanâs mustache almost rose up in anger. He scolded his son, waved goodbye to Su Shuilian, and got back into his carriage.
Finally, the delegation began their journey back to the imperial city, which was a thousand miles away.
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After Elder Wangye and Elder Wangfei had left, the house immediately turned quieter.
Si Tuo had come to join the one-month feast then hurried back to Feng Yao Court to continue working. He had to seize the time and prepare everything before the Lunar New Year so he could return to Fan Hua Town and celebrate with the others.
After Situ Yun had come back from Huan Sha City, Si Chong also returned to manage Guangci House. As Situ Yun was close to protect Lin Xiao and Lin Long, he could ease his worried mind. Moreover, this place was Si Lingâs territory, if he couldnât protect his precious kids, the God of Slaughter would lose his face himself.
Xiao Heng stayed to help Situ Yun protect two houses and build the relationship with Chun Lan. Among the eight bodyguards, besides him, Si Chong had taken the others to Guangci House to âsqueeze their value off them.â
Su Shuilian was right. Xiao Heng had feelings for Chun Lan. However, since she was afraid that Chun Lan minded Xiao Hengâs dream lover, she had asked Situ Yun to investigate. And, it turned out, it was only a rumor. Nothing was true.
Since then, the problem between Chun Lan and Xiao Heng was solved. Now, they just needed to wait until their love stabilized. Afterward, they would decide their marriage date.
Liang-momo had asked for Elder Wangfeiâs permission to prepare Chun Lanâs marriage earlier. Since she would get married from Wangye Jingâs mansion, Prince Jingâs mansion would prepare her wedding.
Liang-momo smiled, envisioning that after Chun Lan and Chief Guard Xiao married, they would be the best couple to be in charge of the duty here. No matter how big the private mansion would be, they still needed a couple to stay there permanently to manage the work. Liang-momo was more than forty years old, and she was single. Sometimes, it wouldnât be easy for her to handle something a male manager should do. Thus, after Guard Xiao got familiar with the management of the private mansion, she would take a step back and take care only for their Young Master and Young Lady. It would be a beautiful future, wouldnât it? The childless Liang-momo happily thought.
Several days after the one-month celebration, the Hua House were the first ones moving out of Fan Hua Town. They had been waiting for this day for several years. Eventually, they could move in the city. And the Wang family and the Gu family, who had also prepared to leave, had spoken to the Town Elder that they would move out next year.
Thus, before the end of the year, the empty Hua familyâs house had become a gathering point of the other twenty four disciples of Xi Chong from Guangci House.
Advised by Lin Si Yao, Liang-momo assigned maids and servants to cook and clean for the twenty-four young and enthusiastic men, in order to keep them from bothering the Young Master and Young Lady. Of course, it was what Liang-momo had guessed. In fact, what Lin Si Yao had told her was: Now the Fan Hua Town is the private property of the Prince Jingâs Mansion. They are our guests, so you should arrange a chef to take care of their three meals.
âMy disciples complained that I was too stingy. You didnât even let them see Xiao-er and Long-er once.â Si Chong purposely came to join them on the day they sent the Kitchen God back to heaven and seized the chance to tell the other what his disciplesâ heart wanted to say. He gave Lin Si Yao a meaningful look, grinning. âAre you afraid that they would disturb our little sister-in-law?â
âYeah, so what? They are too noisy!â Lin Si Yao sipped his tea and put back the cup on the table before he replied in a cool tone.
âNoisy? Err⌠Right. Twenty some people could be loud. Okay, how about this: I will ask them to take turns. Two will come at a time. Is that okay?â Si Chong thought that he had given a good solution.
âSpit it out, what is your purpose?â Lin Si Yao didnât answer him but asked for his real intention. Since they had joined Feng Yao Court, they had known each other for dozens of years. He understood Si Chong pretty well. Each disciple had traveled a long distance here, they were all restless kids who willingly accepted any mission. And now, they behaved and stayed in Fan Hua Town where even âbirds donât want to lay eggs*â. If they said they came with no purpose, then he would write his name, Lin Si Yao, backward.
(é¸ä¸çč â lit. (a place where) birds donât lay eggs // fig. god-forsaken, remote and desolate.)
âTsk! Tsk! How could you say such a thing? They just want to visit their junior brother and junior sister. I heard from Yun-er that the twins are so adorable. Itâs understandable that they canât hold their curiosity.â Si Chong picked up the tea pot to serve himself with more tea, looking down. Sigh, telling lies wasnât his specialty. However, if Si Ling knew their real purpose, Si Tuo would nag him unceasingly.
âReally?â Lin Si Yao scoffed at his lie, but he didnât retort.
âOh right, Si Ling, did Si Luo say anything about returning during Lunar New Year?â
Lin Si Yao did not point out his obvious change of topic and just shook his head, indicating that he had no idea.
After the one-month celebration, Si Luo had departed to the West Corridor (LĂĄng XÄŤ). Itâd been half a month already.
Truth be told, with Si Luoâs skills, if he alone faced the two monsters from the West Corridor, the ones people called extreme in Jianghu, his chance to win wasnât high. He had cultivated in seclusion and reached a bottleneck, right before the pinnacle, of MĂng ShĂŠn (Mysterious Dark) Divine Technique. However, there was no guarantee that Si Luo would defeat the two monsters from the West Corridor.
âSigh, Si Luoâs so stubborn! If I were him, Feng Qing Ya was dead now, the resentment between him and the two monsters from the West Corridor should be over. Why would he trouble himself like that?â Si Chong sighed, âMoreover, Feng Qing Ya used to cooperate with Blood Cult. If Iâm correct, then the two monsters from the West Corridor might be the Blood Cultâs followers.â
âBlood CultâŚâ Lin Si Yao repeated the name. All of a sudden, his eyes sparked. He remembered the former Master had mentioned it before. One hundred years ago, the Blood Union Empire in the North was at war with Da Hui Empire for years. They had always had their eyes on Da Hui Empire like a hungry tiger. Blood Union Empire⌠Blood CultâŚ
âNot good!â He sprang up, glancing at Si Chong. âIâm afraid that Si Luo is in big trouble.â
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âIf youâve made up your mind, just go!â Su Shuilian prepared Lin Si Yaoâs luggage, which had a thick coat, two sets of clothes so he could change daily, a pair of thick shoes, some dry food in case he couldnât find an inn. There was also a leather bag to keep clean water. She gave the bag to Lin Si Yao, who was gazing at her.
âShuilian, I have to go⌠Not only because of Si Luo, thereâs something⌠I need to vertify. If Iâm not wrong, Iâm afraid Da Hui Empire will be in big trouble soon.â Lin Si Yao held her in his embrace, explaining.
If it were in the past, he wouldnât care if his country would be fallen, or the people would be in damnation or not.
But it was different now. He had a warm stable home, a beloved wife, a pair of cute daughter and son. He couldnât just stand and ignore.
Moreover, Shuilianâs father and brother were the Wangyes of Da Hui Empire. If the Blood Union Empire invaded Da Hui and cooperated with the Blood Cult that was hiding within Da Huiâs territory for so many years as he had guessed, the future of the country would be at risk.