Chapter 515: 515. The Grand Finale (Mass Update)

Thirteen years later, Xuanbei City.

Once a border city plagued by incessant warfare, it had now become a bustling trade metropolis. Tea houses and pubs could be found every few steps down the street. At dusk, the streets were brightly lit, the singing in the tea houses, the sound of guessing games in pubs, and the clatter of peddlers waving rattle drums as they shouldered their goods intermingled, all evoking the prosperous atmosphere of a time of peace.

Ever since the empire became unified, Emperor Duanmu Chen vigorously implemented new policies, reducing taxes, promoting the cultivation of new food crops in the barren north, and developing sericulture in the south. The days when the common people couldn’t afford food had truly come to an end.

However, while peace was real, so were wicked individuals.

A tall girl dressed in coarse clothes, carrying a small bundle, had her hair wrapped in a cloth, showing only her unadorned and fair-skinned face, with large eyes, a high nose, and cherry lips. She entered Xuanbei City alone through the North City gate just before the sky darkened. Shortly after walking down the street, she caught the eye of a man.

The man appeared quite ordinary, with an honest-looking face. Initially, he was just hurrying along, but upon noticing the girl alone at night, his eyes lit up. Pretending to look at a round fan, he kept an eye on the girl who was walking not too far away.

Seeing the girl enter an inn, the man frowned, and the peddler impatiently asked, “Are you buying or not?”

The man threw down the fan, “Not buying!”

Once the man left, the peddler grumbled and picked up his load before continuing on his way.

The man went to the entrance of the inn and saw the girl emerge, looking crestfallen. Inside the inn, a voice could be heard, “You can’t stay at an inn without money. Hurry and go to the West City. There’s a charity hall there, where people do good deeds!”

The man nearly bumped into the girl, and hastily moved aside, apologizing, then reminding her to watch her surroundings while walking. Seeing the girl’s downcast expression, he asked with concern, “Miss, it’s so late. Why are you alone outside? Where are your family members?”

The girl glanced at the man, murmuring, “My family has all passed away. I am going to the capital city to seek refuge with a distant uncle. I lost my money along the way. I haven’t eaten for three days…”

The man heaved a deep sigh, “How pitiful. My home is in this city, not far from here. My wife is waiting for me with a home-cooked meal. If you don’t mind, you can stay with us tonight. I have a daughter about your age.”

The girl hesitated, “Thank you, sir, but I’ll just go to the charity hall the person mentioned.”

The man glanced around and lowered his voice, “You’re from out of town and don’t know that that charity hall isn’t a good place. They won’t give you food if you don’t work, and they beat and scold you at the slightest provocation. Once you go in, there’s no leaving. Can a girl like you bear that?”

The girl hesitated for a moment, and after the man spoke ill of the charity hall, she finally nodded and followed him in a certain direction.

After a while, a waiter from the inn rushed out, looking around, “Hey? Where’s the girl just now? I fetched her two buns! I was afraid she would faint from hunger before reaching the charity hall. Where is she?”

Having seen no one, the waiter shook his head and returned with the buns.

By this time, the man had led the girl into a desolate alley, claiming his home was inside.

“Sir, you truly have a heart of a Bodhisattva (compassionate one).” The girl appeared to let her guard down, “I’ve met a good person!”

Amidst the darkness, the man’s smile exuded an ominous air, “It’s nothing. As long as I can help you. Seeing you reminds me of my daughter, although you are more beautiful.”

“Really?” The girl’s face lit up with innocence.

They had reached the middle of the alley, and a little further, it would be apparent that it was a dead-end. Suddenly, the man stretched out his hand to grab the girl’s shoulder, “Indeed. However, your parents never taught you not to trust strangers. Moreover, such a beautiful girl like you shouldn’t be out alone!”

The girl evaded him in horror, “What… What do you want?”

The man sneered, “Of course, I’ll send you to a good place where you can enjoy good food and drink. With your looks, you can surely fetch a high price!”

Before he had finished speaking, the man pivoted, revealing himself to be a martial arts practitioner. He reached for the girl’s delicate neck.

In the shadows, the girl’s face was half-lit. She narrowed her eyes, and a faint smile graced her lips, making her look like a bewitching fairy, “My family is not short of money. My parents would be really mad if they heard you speak like this.”

The next moment, when the man realized something was amiss, he heard a crack. His outstretched hand had been broken, and he couldn’t even see how the girl had done it. She appeared so frail, yet how could she possess such strength?!

The girl scoffed, “People die for money. No matter how strict the law, there will always be those who have no regard for life.” Within moments, her swift moves left the man screaming in pain. Her expression remained unchanged, her indifferent smile never leaving her face. Despite her youth, she exuded a chilling and imposing aura as she dealt her blows decisively, showcasing an air of dominance.

Soon, the man was lying on the ground, coughing up blood incessantly, his screams growing weaker.

The young girl waved her hand, and two tall and upright young men appeared behind her, one dressed in a flamboyant wide red robe, and the other in a blue outfit.

With synchronized steps, they came forward and stood on either side of the girl, looking at the half-dead man on the ground.

“Little sister, why did you act alone again?” The young man in blue said with a helpless smile, “Now it seems we’ve accomplished nothing on this trip.”

The young man in red fiercely kicked the man on the ground in the chest, “You dared to have ill intentions towards my sister! You must have the guts of a bear and a leopard!” He then grinned at the young man in blue, “Elder brother, it’s you who achieved nothing, not me. I just took action, oh, with my foot! But little sister, you always fight alone and keep us hidden like treasured beauties, not even letting us do the work. What if you lose a hair? Our master will hang us up and beat us when we get home!”

The young man in blue couldn’t help but laugh, “Stop talking nonsense, Little Tree. Master has never beaten me like that.”

The girl smiled playfully, her eyes spirited, completely different from her demeanor when facing the trafficker. She plucked a strand of her hair, “I have lost a hair, so when we get home, I’ll have dad hang my second brother up and beat him!”

The young man in red sighed, hugged the young man in blue, and leaned his head on his shoulder, “Elder brother, little sister, you both bully me! I don’t want to live!”

The man on the ground tried to turn his face to look at them, and the young man in blue flicked a silver needle as thin as a cow’s hair between his fingers, which pierced the man’s neck, and his head drooped, motionless.

The trafficker was indeed courting death since he knew nothing about the people he encountered today.

The girl was Gu Nuan, the only daughter of the Regent Gu Ling and his wife Su Liang, the divine doctor, and also the adopted daughter of the current emperor Duanmu Chen, who had already bestowed her the title of princess.

As for the two young men, they were naturally Gu Ling and Su Liang’s closed-door disciples. The once little steamed bun had grown up.

The young man in blue was formerly known as Zhengzheng, now named Wan Zhengyang, with a square face, handsome eyes, and a steady and gentle temperament.

The young man in red, who occasionally joked about being the crown prince of a fallen country, called himself Ji Xiaoshu. His real name was Ji Tianyang, with delicate eyebrows and eyes, and an unrestrained and proud demeanor.

Ji Tianyang was one month younger than Wan Zhengyang, but when he was a child, he was half a head taller than him. Now he is still half a head taller and even thinner. But while Wan Zhengyang stands as straight as a pine, Ji Tianyang is casual and lazy, making them appear the same height.

The three siblings set out on this trip to visit the Ji family who had settled in the north. Although they had only planned for a short stay, Ji Yuebai’s warm hospitality had kept them there for an additional half-month, and now they had to hurry back to the capital city.

As for such incidents tonight, they had occurred more than once or twice – the three siblings had been traveling together since three years ago without adults accompanying them. Most of the time, Wan Zhengyang and Ji Tianyang were reading, practicing martial arts, sleeping, or playing chess in Gu Xiaonuan’s space, while she was responsible for “fishing.”

A beautiful young girl alone is very easy to attract villains, but that’s precisely the goal of the three siblings. When they go out to play, they naturally want to remove some scum along the way. Otherwise, what’s the use of learning such high martial arts skills in a peaceful world?

Using the same strategy, they had encountered countless traffickers in various places who wanted to abduct Gu Xiaonuan or sell her off.

And every time, they agreed to do it together. But Gu Xiaonuan would always put the bad guys down first and then summon her two brothers.

“Alright, it’s time for big brother and second brother to work. I’ll leave this guy to you!” Gu Xiaonuan said with a smile, “And, I’m hungry.”

Wan Zhengyang smiled, “It’s all ready. Do you want to eat here?”

Gu Xiaonuan nodded, then waved her hand again. A table appeared in front of her, with four dishes and a soup arranged on it.

Another basin of water appeared on the table. Gu Xiaonuan washed her hands, and the basin disappeared. A chair appeared, and she sat down and began eating with her chopsticks.

After tasting a piece of spare rib, she nodded, “Big brother, your cooking skills are getting better and better, almost catching up to my dad.”

Ji Tianyang pointed at a brightly-colored dish, “Little sister, try this one! I came up with it today, Strawberry Fried Eggplant! Isn’t it beautiful?”

Gu Xiaonuan paused her hand and rejected it with a straight face, “Please, second brother, stop being creative. Strawberries are so delicious, and mom went through so much trouble to find seeds to plant them. Why not just eat them directly?”

Ji Tianyang sighed, “Ah, why does my sister never like the dishes I prepare for her with all my heart? She’s not even willing to try a bite. I’m so heartbroken.”

Gu Xiaonuan was speechless. Here they go again!

Wan Zhengyang’s smile was gentle, “I’ve tried it, and it’s not poisonous. Little sister, why not give it a try? The taste is quite unique.”

Ji Tianyang blinked at Gu Xiaonuan, urging her to taste it, “Try it, try it! Maybe it’ll suit your taste!”

Gu Xiaonuan, out of curiosity, tried a bite of the eggplant but didn’t dare to taste the fried strawberries.

“How is it?” Ji Tianyang asked.

Gu Xiaonuan shook her head, “Second Brother, I’ve told you many times, I don’t like sweet and salty food, it’s weird, if you like it, have more yourself.”

Ji Tianyang held his forehead, “Alright, alright, then I can only go home and cook it for Master, he’ll definitely like it.”

Gu Xiaonuan burst into laughter upon hearing this, “Last time you were hung up and beaten by Dad, it was because you pulled off his long-tended flowers and boiled them into a soup, those flowers were supposed to be a surprise for Mom!”

Ji Tianyang coughed lightly, “The ignorant are innocent, I thought those little flowers were wild from the garden, who let them smell so fragrant, but the taste was bitter when I drank it, I was purely deceived!”

“Alright, we should get to work.” Wan Zhengyang called Ji Tianyang to carry the trafficker lying on the ground up together, leaped into the air, and disappeared in a few jumps.

Gu Xiaonuan sat alone in the dark alley, finishing her dinner, and just as she was putting away the table and chairs, her two brothers came back.

“How did it go?” Gu Xiaonuan asked.

Wan Zhengyang nodded, “Interrogated, both the person and the confession have been sent to the county government.”

The reason they didn’t kill him directly was that many of these traffickers were repeat offenders, and they needed to investigate their past misdeeds to rescue the victims.

In the past two years, every county government had been receiving half-dead criminals late at night, along with confessions marked with seals, saving interrogation efforts. People all over the world knew that someone was performing chivalry and getting rid of evil, especially targeting traffickers, but no one had ever seen what the chivalrous person looked like. Because the only one who appeared was a seemingly lonely and helpless young girl, no one would connect her to the chivalrous.

“Let’s go.” As Gu Xiaonuan finished speaking, the three of them once again used their lightness skills, headed south, and left Xuanbei City.

After they left the city, the three of them switched to riding horses. The horses were usually kept in the hidden space. They did this all the way, “fishing” when they were in the populous city, and riding horses to travel in other places. During the day, Wan Zhengyang and Ji Tianyang were usually in the hidden space, and at night they accompanied Gu Xiaonuan outside. There was no way because Gu Xiaonuan’s own space couldn’t be entered by herself.

“First Brother and Second Brother, you don’t actually have to accompany me, I can do it myself. If there’s any real danger, just come out and help me anytime.” Gu Xiaonuan said.

Ji Tianyang shook his head, “How could that be? We said we’d come out together to have fun, and it’s better for me and First Brother to idle in the garden than horse riding and running around outside!”

Gu Xiaonuan chuckled, “Oh, Second Brother thinks my garden is too small.”

“Not small, but the world outside is bigger.” Ji Tianyang laughed, and once again challenged Wan Zhengyang, “First Brother, let’s have a horse race!” With that, he whipped and rushed ahead.

Gu Xiaonuan wasn’t happy, “You’re leaving me out again, see if I don’t teach you a lesson!”

So when Wan Zhengyang hadn’t rushed out yet, Gu Xiaonuan sidestepped and patted his shoulder, causing him and his horse to instantly disappear.

Unaware of what happened, Ji Tianyang thought Wan Zhengyang caught up to him, but in the next moment, he too disappeared from sight.

After a while, Gu Xiaonuan let her two brothers and their horses out again.

Wan Zhengyang remained calm as if nothing had happened, while Ji Tianyang was already wilting, “Next time let’s race together! Little sister, I admit my fault, please take away your divine power, my heart can’t take it, it’s too exciting.”

Gu Xiaonuan calmly shook her head in denial, “Second Brother, you don’t need to act weak, it’s too exaggerated for me to handle.”

Wan Zhengyang smiled without a word.

Capital city.

The children said they would return right when they left, but waiting for them was to no avail.

Gu Ling and Su Liang were not worried, the three of them were playful, never coming back on time once they left home.

However, the elderly at home could not sit still, and they would repeatedly nag Gu Ling and Su Liang three or four times a day, telling them to go pick up their children, in case they encountered bad people on their way back.

Just then, Old Bai came again, “Xiaoliang, let me go and prepare for their return.”

As Su Liang sat by the window reading, Gu Ling was nearby carving a piece of jade. She looked up and said with a smile, “Master, they will be fine. If they don’t meet any bad guys, they’ll probably provoke them on purpose.”

Old Bai chuckled, “True, our Nuannuan is quite the formidable heroine!”

“Master, don’t worry. They might be back in a couple of days. Going to meet them might lead to missing them, as they often change clothes and appearances in the outside world. It’s not easy to find them if they’re disguised.”

Old Bai sighed and turned to leave, muttering, “Alright… She’s still so young, and always running out…”

“Great God, aren’t you the least bit worried about your precious daughter?” Su Liang asked Gu Ling. Her appearance hadn’t changed much in the last ten years, but she looked even more radiant and mature now.

To Su Liang, Gu Ling now looked even more attractive than before, still making her heart flutter with his charisma, admiring the creator’s favoritism.

Gu Ling asked back, “Are you worried?”

Su Liang shook her head, “Not really.”

Gu Ling smiled slightly, “I am worried Nuannuan might hurt her hand beating up the bad guys.”

A clear and crisp voice came from outside the door, “Master, Mistress, may I come in?”

Su Liang raised an eyebrow and whispered, “Your third disciple is here again to check if Gu Xiaonuan has returned. How many times has this been?”

Gu Ling put down the jade stone and went to open the door with his carving knife, “It’s the seventh day.”

The door could actually be pushed open easily, but Gu Ling insisted on opening the door for Lin Jingyun, as he recently found this boy displeasing.

Speaking of Gu Ling’s disciples, there were already too many to count. Due to their ages, when Gu Ling taught Wan Zhengyang and Ji Tianyang, it was time for Nuannuan to practice martial arts with Lin Shuzhi’s great-grandson Lin Jingyun. They had to study and read together in both martial arts and at the Lin Family.

Although Nuannuan had many childhood friends, the most compatible one was Lin Jingyun. For two years, Su Liang and Gu Ling stayed in Su Family Village, and Lin Jingyun was brought over by his uncle, the general, who was traveling on official business. The Lin Family all agreed that he should come, and he stayed with them in the Su Family Village for more than a year.

Nuannuan would come of age at the end of the year. Duanmu Chen had early proposed that Nuannuan would become the crown princess for his son, but Gu Ling had directly refused. Duanmu Chen knew that although his son was an outstanding talent in both civil and military fields, he was no match for those several older brothers. Guessing that Gu Ling and Su Liang had already found a suitable son-in-law, he didn’t bring it up again.

When the door opened, Lin Jingyun, dressed in white, stood tall and greeted his master, seemingly ignoring the gleaming knife in Gu Ling’s hand.

“I know my two senior brothers and junior sister haven’t returned. I just came to say hello to my master and mistress.” Lin Jingyun smiled, resembling his handsome young father Lin Boyan, an elegant poet. Due to practicing martial arts from a young age, he had become quite tall, only half a head shorter than Gu Ling.

“Jingyun, come in,” Su Liang’s voice came from inside, and Gu Ling finally stepped aside to let him in.

Lin Jingyun greeted Su Liang with a smile and asked her about the book she was reading.

“You don’t need to come every day. When they return, they’ll find you.” Su Liang poured a cup of tea for Lin Jingyun.

“It just feels like there’s not much to do when my senior brother and junior sister are not at home,” Lin Jingyun said with a smile.

It wasn’t that he was lazy, but he had already passed the civil and military examinations and became a world-famous top scholar last year. As the eldest grandson of the Lin Family, it would have been strange if he hadn’t become a top scholar. His academic and martial prowess had overtaken his father, uncles, Gu Ling, and Su Liang at a young age.

In the previous imperial examination, the Top Scholar in Literature was Ji Tianyang, and the Martial Arts Champion was Wan Zhengyang. The results were settled by drawing lots between the two brothers before the examinations, and Ji Tianyang, who drew the Civil Examinations, was quite unhappy.

Today, they are Duanmu Chen’s most promising talents in the country’s future. However, they are still too young and unwilling to become officials. Duanmu Chen, who had seen them grow up, said generously that he would give them some more time to enjoy themselves and gain more experience.

It’s worth mentioning that Bai Xiaohu’s uncle from the Su Family Village and Bai Family resumed his studies, became a scholar, and soon after, Bai Xiaohu and Zhuzi also passed the imperial examination and became officials in the capital city, where they have moved their families. Su Liang now keeps in touch with them frequently.

“Let me check if your martial arts skills have improved,” Gu Ling stood up.

Lin Jingyun immediately put down his tea cup and stood up, “Alright.”

Then, master and disciple went outside and began their martial arts practice by the lake.

Su Liang found it amusing. Gu Ling practically had “you stinky kid want to be my son-in-law even though I took you in as a disciple” written on his forehead.

However, Su Liang knew that Gu Ling was, of course, not unwilling to let Gu Xiaonuan get married. In fact, one of the reasons he took in so many disciples was to ensure that Gu Xiaonuan would not be in contact with bad brothers because it was very likely that one of them would become his future son-in-law.

Including Duanmu Chen, everyone believed that it was either Wan Zhengyang or Ji Tianyang. The Lin Family also thought so, except for Lin Jingyun.

As for Su Liang, she watched Zhengzheng and Xiaoshu grow up together with Gu Xiaonuan, and it seemed that they regarded her as their sister and had no thoughts in that direction. Otherwise, Gu Ling would have had a headache two years ago. Su Liang was really worried, what if Zhengzheng and Xiaoshu both liked Nuannuan? Later, it turned out that her worry was unnecessary. Those two boys were now eighteen years old, and if they had such thoughts, they would not have been able to hide them.

The outcome of the duel was predictable: Gu Ling won.

Lin Jingyun bowed his hands, “Thank you, Master, for your guidance.”

“You can leave now,” Gu Ling said and entered Yuanming Pavilion.

Lin Jingyun raised his head, saw Su Liang at the window, smiled and waved, “Mistress, I’ll go home first today.”

“Go ahead, come back another day,” Su Liang replied.

Gu Ling went upstairs and entered the room, while Su Liang wrapped her arms around his arm, smiling, “Great God, your emotions are so obvious. You used to like Jingyun a lot, saying that he was the most like you many times. Now suddenly you’re like this, aren’t you afraid of him overthinking?”

“He’s not a fool, of course, he knows what I mean,” Gu Ling snorted lightly.

Su Liang nodded, “Indeed, It’s the seventh day, and you should know his intentions too.”

Gu Ling frowned at Su Liang, “Don’t you dare to say you support him being with Nuannuan, I’ll get angry.”

Su Liang smiled, “Of course, whoever Gu Xiaonuan likes, I’ll support them. She quite likes Jingyun, don’t you think?”

“I think it’s not the right time!” Gu Ling was slightly angry, and the jade stone he was about to carve was crushed in his hand.

Su Liang touched her forehead, “Great God, please calm down.”

“We should wait until Nuannuan is at least eighteen to consider this kind of thing!” Gu Ling ground the shattered jade stone into powder as he spoke.

“Oh?” Su Liang couldn’t help but smile, “Back then, someone didn’t wait for me to turn eighteen, did they?”

Gu Ling shook his head, “It’s not the same.”

Su Liang nodded, “Yes, it’s not. Just to make it clear, I am not supporting Nuannuan to get married early. I think, Great God, you might as well just tell Jingyun your thoughts directly.”

Gu Ling shook his head, “What if Nuannuan doesn’t like him at all, then it would be like we’ve already decided on him as our son-in-law.”

Hearing this, Su Liang knew that Gu Ling also approved of Lin Jingyun, but couldn’t accept his daughter being watched by someone so young – even though he had done the same thing himself when chasing his wife. But chasing one’s own wife and having one’s own daughter taken away are not the same thing.

“Then let it take its course,” Su Liang said.

“No, what if Nuannuan says she wants to marry Jingyun on the day of her hairpin ceremony?”, Gu Ling became anxious again.

The troubles of having a daughter are as such. At this point, there was nothing else that could make Gu Ling anxious.

“Back when we got together, how old was I then? And how old is Jingyun now? He’s still just a child, thinking about all sorts of things all day long. It seems that I have not given him enough homework,” Gu Ling said, “When he comes again tomorrow, I’ll teach him a new set of martial arts and ask him to catch a hundred criminals before he comes home. Regarding the newly built water conservancy project in the south, I’ll advise the emperor to let him oversee it. He doesn’t do serious work after being the top scholar, talking about tactics on paper is even worse.”

Su Liang was very happy with his words, “Great God, you know, Jingyun should be able to handle it. He knows you’re testing him, otherwise he wouldn’t have tried so hard to get the double top scholar degree early on, so you wouldn’t say he’s not as good as the other two senior brothers.”

The next day, before Lin Jingyun came to visit, Gu Xiaonuan came home.

Before meeting her parents, she met all her masters first who asked about her well-being and asked to go with her next time she went out. If there were any bad guys, they could all fight together.

Gu Xiaonuan readily agreed, “No problem, I’ll take my masters with me next time to have fun!”

“Nuannuan’s gotten thinner,” Elder Mu said. “Let’s go inside.”

Gu Xiaonuan touched her own face. “Did I? That’s great, I specifically wanted to lose some weight.”

As soon as these words left her mouth, a chorus of disapproval came from her masters.

“Dad!” Gu Xiaonuan entered the house, calling out to Gu Ling and hugged Su Liang. “Mom, hurry up and say you missed me, or I’ll run away from home!”

Su Liang smiled and tapped Gu Xiaonuan on the forehead. “I missed your two senior brothers too. Why don’t you let them out?”

“Ah, I forgot!” Gu Xiaonuan waved her hand, and two more people appeared in the room.

Ji Tianyang enthusiastically hugged Gu Ling. “Master, I’ve missed you to death!”

Gu Ling pushed him away. “How old are you now, and you can’t even act properly.”

“Master, you clearly love it.” Ji Tianyang hugged Su Liang again. “Mistress, I missed you even more!”

“I know.” Su Liang laughed. “What do you want to eat? I’ll cook for you.”

Gu Xiaonuan immediately said, “I’m not hungry, but if Dad is, let Second Brother cook Strawberry Fried Eggplant for you. He said you must love it!”

Upon hearing this, Gu Ling picked up the duster next to him. “Ji Xiaoshu, you dare to ruin my strawberries! Come here!”

Before Gu Ling finished speaking, Ji Tianyang darted towards the window and jumped out. “Master, today is not the day to punish your disciple. If you want to, I will go and call Third Brother!”

“I’ll go find Brother Jingyun too!” Gu Xiaonuan said as she tried to run out as well.

Su Liang saw Gu Ling’s face turning black, and Wan Zhengyang hurriedly pulled Gu Xiaonuan back. “Little sister, we just got back. Let’s go find Jingyun later.”

The next moment, they heard Ji Tianyang’s laughter from outside. “Third Brother, perfect timing! Master wants to beat you up!”

“Second Senior Brother looks even more handsome.” Lin Jingyun laughed. “Next time you go out to play, you must take me.”

“Hahaha, no problem!” Ji Tianyang laughed and hugged Lin Jingyun as they both entered the Yuanming Pavilion. This time, Lin Jingyun didn’t go because his grandfather was having a birthday, and Ji Tianyang couldn’t wait for him because he was also rushing to the north for his father’s birthday.

As Lin Jingyun appeared at the doorway, Gu Xiaonuan got up to greet him and affectionately hugged his arm in front of Su Liang and Gu Ling. “Brother Jingyun!”

Gu Ling:…Back then, Su Liang wasn’t this proactive with him!

However, they had grown up together since childhood, and Su Liang felt this was normal. If the children really liked each other, it would be a good thing to settle down early, so as not to give others a chance to come between them and create unnecessary misunderstandings.

Ji Tianyang squeezed into the middle of Lin Jingyun and Gu Xiaonuan, hugging them both. “Third Brother, today our Master and Mistress are cooking, so we can order dishes! Opportunities don’t come often, so hurry up and say, what do you want to eat?”

“I want steamed vegetables,” Lin Jingyun laughed.

“No ordering dishes allowed.” Gu Ling stood up and walked outside. “Jingyun, come and help with the fire.”

“Okay.” Lin Jingyun smiled at Gu Xiaonuan, then followed Gu Ling.

“What’s wrong with Dad?” Gu Xiaonuan felt Gu Ling was acting strange and sat down next to Su Liang to ask.

“Oh, his mood isn’t very beautiful today,” Su Liang laughed.

“Is there anything that can make my Dad unhappy now? Is Mom annoyed with him?” Gu Xiaonuan asked in surprise.

Su Liang coughed lightly, “Of course not. It’s because…his strawberries were used by your second brother for a dark culinary experiment.”

Ji Tianyang, who had just taken a sip of tea, choked. “Ah? Master is really angry at me? That can’t be, right?”

“Why don’t you bring out the strawberries to cheer him up?” Su Liang laughed, “He loves strawberries the most, and they weren’t ripe when you left.”

The next moment, Su Liang saw Gu Xiaonuan pulling her two brothers into the space, and they came out quickly, each holding a plate of freshly picked and washed strawberries, red and beautiful.

“This is for sister-in-law.” Wan Zhengyang placed the strawberries in his hand next to Su Liang, and then the three of them took the other plate to the kitchen to find Gu Ling.

Gu Ling was cooking, Gu Xiaonuan was feeding him strawberries, Wan Zhengyang was washing vegetables, Lin Jingyun was stoking the fire, and Ji Tianyang was leaning against the door, lazily looking at the sky, listening to Gu Xiaonuan telling Gu Ling about the bad guys they encountered on the way. When Gu Ling wasn’t looking, Gu Xiaonuan swiftly handed the plate to Lin Jingyun so he could secretly eat strawberries.

The meal was ready, and although Gu Ling said not to order dishes, he still made each child’s favorite dish, including the steamed dish that Lin Jingyun wanted to eat – in this regard, his taste was quite similar to Gu Ling’s.

After eating, the children were all gone. They had just returned and wanted to visit their master who was not living in Su Mansion, as well as many uncles and aunts who were thinking about them.

In the afternoon, Su Liang and Gu Ling took a nap and then went for a walk in the garden.

“Great God, can you imagine, in a few years, we might be holding our grandchildren?” Su Liang laughed, “Time is flying so fast, I still feel young.”

“I can’t imagine,” Gu Ling shook his head, “Let’s wait a few more years, I’m not old enough to want to hold grandchildren yet.”

“Don’t be so nervous, the kids are smart and can handle their own affairs.” Su Liang shook Gu Ling’s hand.

Gu Ling couldn’t help but laugh, “I know, Jingyun is great… Maybe… I’m a little unbalanced in my heart? After all, it was so difficult to chase you back then.”

Su Liang disagreed, “I accepted your proposal the day after you confessed.”

“Thank you for agreeing.” Gu Ling leaned his head and kissed Su Liang’s smooth forehead, “In the blink of an eye, the children are almost the same age as we were back then.”

“Does Great God think that life is boring?” Su Liang asked with a smile.

“Of course not,” Gu Ling shook his head, “We haven’t been able to shake off the kids for all these years. Now that they have grown up, let’s elope tonight! Go south, out to sea, find an island and experience wilderness survival?”

“You can bear to leave your beloved daughter who just came home? I don’t believe it,” Su Liang shook her head.

“She’s only thinking about her brother now, let her be happy.” Gu Ling’s tone was a bit resentful.

The next day, when Gu Xiaonuan got up and opened the window, she saw her two brothers practicing swordplay by the lake downstairs, as usual for the past several years.

When Gu Xiaonuan finished getting ready and went out, she found that Gu Ling and Su Liang’s room was still closed, and she felt a little strange. She went over and knocked on the door, but no one answered.

“Big brother, second brother, hurry up!” Gu Xiaonuan called out, and Wan Zhengyang and Ji Tianyang immediately rushed in.

The three of them opened the door, and the room was in perfect order, but empty.

Ji Tianyang found the letter on the table, opened it, and saw a thin sheet of paper inside, with Gu Ling’s increasingly flowing handwriting, “Gone, don’t worry.”

“Wow! So ruthless!” Ji Tianyang complained, “Even if Master wants to shake us off and go out to play, he could write a few more words! It’s like we were picked up off the street!”

“I’m the biological one.” Gu Xiaonuan took the letter and looked at it, “Hey, is it possible that bad people came last night and kidnapped my parents, and then imitated my dad’s handwriting to leave a note?”

Wan Zhengyang laughed and shook his head, “That’s impossible, don’t worry about it, little sister.”

“Alright then.” Gu Xiaonuan smiled, “Let them have fun! If it weren’t for me, my dad would have taken my mom into seclusion long ago.”

Ji Tianyang took the paper back, “I’m going to have this framed and hung on the wall for everyone to see Master’s heart full of love for his daughter.”

“Oh, I forgot to tell my dad that I sneaked out and lost one of my hairs. Second brother, you dodged a beating, but you’re already pursuing the next one.” Gu Xiaonuan smiled, “I have an appointment with Jingyun brother today to go mountain climbing. Are you coming?”

Wan Zhengyang shook his head, “I have things to do at home, I’ll go back in a while, I won’t go today. Xiaoshu, you go with them.”

Ji Tianyang chuckled, “Then I must go! I have to keep an eye on Xiaomei; otherwise, when master and mistress return and find Xiaomei abducted, it won’t just be a matter of getting beaten. Big Brother and I will be expelled from the sect.”

Gu Xiaonuan blinked, “My parents…probably don’t know about my relationship with Jingyun, right?”

Wan Zhengyang laughed lightly, “They most likely didn’t, but according to master, Jingyun came looking for you for eight consecutive days before we returned. It would be impossible for master and mistress not to know by now.”

Ji Tianyang laughed, “I suspect Third Brother did it deliberately. He didn’t dare say it openly, but he wanted to hint at it to master and mistress so they’d be prepared! As expected, I’ve always said he’s a sly fox since he was little!”

At this moment, Gu Ling and Su Liang had already ridden their horses far away from the capital city.

By evening, they had reached a vast stretch of wasteland.

During the golden autumn season, the setting sun’s golden glow and the wild grass on the wasteland complemented each other beautifully, gorgeous to the eyes.

Leading their horses, they slowly walked forward, with Su Liang listening to Gu Ling discuss the idea of a science fiction novel he’d come up with. His current knowledge and thought patterns were more like those of modern people compared to the people of this era. Over the past few years, Gu Ling had written several books of various genres, and Su Liang was his loyal reader.

It wasn’t until the sky gradually darkened that they rested before getting back on their horses to continue onward.

“Hey, Great God, do you have a plan for when we’ll return?” Su Liang asked.

Gu Ling’s smile was illuminated by the dimming sky, making it look particularly gentle, “Let’s wait for three years. Without us around, Jingyun and Nuannuan won’t be able to get engaged.”

Su Liang snorted with laughter, “You, as a father, are really something else. But I support a three-year wait; they’re indeed too young right now. However, we’ll miss Nuannuan’s hairpin ceremony.”

“That’s not important. How about five years?” Gu Ling asked. In this world, the hairpin ceremony symbolized that a woman was eligible to get married, but Gu Ling felt that his daughter was too young and not yet ready for marriage.

Su Liang laughed as he rode ahead, his voice echoing in the wind, “Do you think the kids will find us before a year has passed?”

“As long as we don’t want to be found, they won’t.” Gu Ling spurred his horse to catch up.

They went on, stopping and continuing without any plan, guided only by their mood. A few days later, they reached Jiaye City and even stole a basket of oranges from Lin Family’s Orchard. After that, they boarded a ship to sail out to sea. Their next destination was to revisit the old site of Xingluo Island.

At night, Gu Ling and Su Liang let their boat drift on the open sea. They lay side by side on the boat, gazing at the dazzling stars in the night sky. Closing their eyes, they felt as if they were resting in a cradle, completely relaxed.

“Great God, if you could go back in time, which moment of your life would you like to return to?” Su Liang asked Gu Ling.

Gu Ling thought seriously for quite a while before answering the question, “I want to go back to the day I confessed my feelings to you. My performance was terrible at that time.”

Su Liang looked at Gu Ling sideways, her eyes sparkling, “Alright, close your eyes and open them again. Now we’re back at that day, Gu Beauty, you can confess your love to me now.”

Gu Ling’s eyes burned brightly, but without saying a word, he kissed Su Liang’s lips. This was what he had always wanted to do back then…

“Su Liang.”

“Hm?”

“Actually, several years ago, I had a dream one night where I had time-traveled.”

“Huh? Why haven’t you mentioned this before? What happened after you time-traveled? Tell me about it!”

“The dream was short. I found myself standing on a bustling street, with you nowhere to be found. I was terrified, and that fear woke me up.”

“Haha, Great God, you’re so adorable. Did I ever tell you that I really, really like you?”

“I like you even more.”

———The End———-