When Li Luo and Qin Yu left Jiangnan, it was still a place with long grass, various flying birds, red flowers and green willows. But along the journey, the closer they got to the north, the colder the weather turned.
When they reached the largest city in North—Xirong city, the sky was full of snow.
Qin Yu's maternal grandfather, Nangong Ao's mansion was located here.
Li Luo pulls the reins tightly and clamps his horse's belly, so the horse stopped its pace.
In front of the city gates, Li Luo looked at two rows of soldiers standing on each side. From among the soldiers came out someone, with laboured breath, and Li Luo stepped down from his horse.
Qin Yu followed suit, he pulled his horse's reins as he walk beside Li Luo.
After saying a few words under the scrutiny of the city guards, the two entered the Xirong city smoothly.
The sky had darkened, so there were very little pedestrians walking outside, basically less than usually. Li Luo grabbed a middle-aged man who hurried past him. "Uncle, do you know in what direction general Nangong's mansion is?"
The middle-aged man withdrew his shoulders and raised his head to look at Li Luo's thin face, his mustache moves slightly.
His pair of eyes widened as he looked at Li Luo and Qin Yu's bodies and when he looks at the shiny and smooth horses beside them whose immediately turn in a circle, his eyes immediately bright. He put a hand in his sleeve and rubbed his forefinger and thumb in front of him.
"I want to know, will you give me money."
Li Luo immediately choked up, 'What the hell, I just asked for directions, yet you want we give you money? Uncle, is your character already overdue?'
"What? You have quite the wealthy appearance, don't tell me you can't even afford this little money?" Mustached middle-aged man said to Li Luo with contempt.
Li Luo: "……" He really wants to punch this guy.
Not waiting for Li Luo, Qin Yu extends his hand and throws a piece of silver into the hands of the middle-aged man.
At that the mustached middle-aged man eyes immediately brightened, he bit the piece of silver with his teeth, and then carefully placed it in his bosom.
"Two sirs, if you want to find general Nangong mansion, just follow this road all the way to the west, then turn left two times." After he finished speaking, the man immediately turned around happily.
"Qin Yu, how could you really give money to that rogue? If he didn't want to tell us the way, we could have turned around and asked those gatekeepers, what are you doing to give so much?" Li Luo looked helplessly at his companion, the money has been given, and even if he had a knot in his heart, he couldn't get it back from that shameless rogue.
"It’s just a little money, Mucheng, let's go." Qin Yu pulled the reins and headed towards the direction that mustached middle-aged man pointed.
Li Luo: "……" 'Every time we booked rooms, didn't you say we didn't have much money? Are you eating back your words?'
While wallowing in his depressing thoughts Li Luo didn't notice Qin Yu, who walked by his side, turn his head towards the direction that the mustached middle-aged man left in, his eyes dark to the point of making people feel cold.
……
"Ze-ze, those two rich people were really stupid." Moustache middle-aged man went to the usually alley, looked back and narrowed his eyes, he disappeared at the corner of the streets of Li Luo and Qin Yu, the moustache on top of his lips raised up, his little eyes flashed a trace of pride.
He took out that piece of silver from his bosom, put it in his mouth and took a bite, then turned around humming a small tune, which echoed in the alley.
As his figure entered the shadow of the alley, suddenly two pairs of hands come out from shadows and dragged him in.
It soon followed with a burst of intensive skin kicking sound and depressed voice: "…only this much?"
The mustache man with bloody nose and swollen face lying on the ground, tearily said: "Really…really only this…Aiyo, don't…don't hit again."
He had thought that today was his lucky day, with only few sentences he swindled two or three months of wages, who knew he would actually encounter this kind of thing, not only was the silver gone, even the dozen copper in his body were taken.
When he thought of coming home to face the questioning and scolding of his wife, the expression on his face became sadder. How is today his lucky day, this is clearly an unexpected calamity falling from the sky!
……
Li Luo and Qin Yu walked according to the instructions they were gived; they pulled the horses through a street with lanterns and finally stopped in front of a huge mansion.
The gray walls encircled half the street, and a plaque with black gold characters hung above the tall door. On it places two words—Nangong, stood out with an imposing manner. The bold strokes almost pierced the plaque.
On both sides of the mansion door stood soldiers wearing armor, it looked more heavily guarded than the city gates.
Noticing the approach of Li Luo and Qin Yu, the two lines of soldiers immediately went alert.
"This is the general mansion location, if you don't have business, please leave!"
Qin Yu said loudly: "I came to visit the old General Nangong."
The soldiers glanced at each other, then one of them walked in front of Qin Yu and asked: "Do you have a token?"
Qin Yu nodded slightly and said: "Of course." Then, he handed a brocade purse to the soldier.
"Ok, wait for a moment." The soldier looked at the brocade purse, took it in his arms, and went inside.
……
In an elegantly decorated hall, sat two men and a woman, in the main seat is an old man with white hair, his face is full of wrinkles but looks full of energy, his back is straight, a pair of strict eyes were flashing, not at all looked like a nearly 60-year-old man.
"This few years Qin Yan has become more and more over the top, our estimate is Qin State will be ruined by this traitor hands! Unfortunately, my good grandchild…my daughter…"
After speak this, the voice of the old man choked for a moment, his eye become more penetrate and a layer of dense chilliness come out from his body, he tightly clutching the armrest with his palm and directly pull out a small chunk of wood.
"Father, Yue'er meimei…has been gone for so many years, and although she is already gone, she certainly doesn't want to see you hurt again."
Liu Ruoyan who is sitting at the left of the elderly is also immersed in grief, it was difficult to cover-up the sorrow in her eyes, she took one deep breath and speaks out in comfort way. She has a charming face, dressed in light purple clothes, the girl shapely eyebrows wrinkled, her pair of charming almond eyes also has a faint of mist.
Even though she was only 14 years old, it can already be seen that in a few years, this face would even alarm celestial beings.
"Yes, Yue ' Gugu ' certainly will not want to see ' San shugong ' in grief."
Nangong Ao looking at his right side. She and Nangong Yue somewhat resembled one another, however Liu Ruoyan's features were even more exquisite.
Nangong Ao couldn't help but pat her a few more times on her back, "If Yu'er still alive, I will properly introduced the both of you, Yu'er certainly will be fond of you."
At this moment, somebody suddenly knocks from the outside.
Nangong Ao complexion immediately changes, his grief immediately put away, his lip line purse up tightly, his sharp eyes looked toward the door's direction, "Come in." He said.
"General, the bodyguards reported that someone wants to see you, this is the token, subordinate already did the rough inspection, there is no problem…but…"
A half-gray hair, wearing a blue clothes old man pushed the door, somehow his muddy old eyes actually brighten.
……
After looking at the old man, Nangong Ao's emotion immediately calm down, "Yifeng, it's you." After a pause, he looked at the old man's with slightly excited expression and hasn't some doubt at the old man. "Yifeng, what the matter?"
"General…" The old man took a deep breath and turned around to check his surroundings several times, he sideways into the room and looks towards Liu Ruoyan who is sitting beside Nangong Ao, the look of his eyes was a bit hesitant.
Nangong Ao following the old man's line of sight toward Liu Ruoyan, he waves his hand and says, "Don't worry, just frankly say what is the matter, everyone here is my people."
Note:
" Gugu " — paternal aunt; CL:個|个[ge4]         " San " — third.         " Shugong " — great uncle; grandfather's younger brother;