Chapter 73 Goodbye, Jiangnan City!

“Silly child! She doesn’t dare to come over.” Tears welled up in Luo Qi’s eyes. She sighed softly, saying, “You two have scarcely been separated from each other. I’m afraid we can’t see you in a year or so after you go to the distance academy. How can she be willing to part with you?”

“I know.” Li Muyang said. When he saw the little girl’s slightly trembling shoulders, his nose twitched. In a choked voice, he said, “It won’t be so long. I will come back soon. Sinian admired that there were cranes in my academy that could take people into the air. Well, when I enter the academy, I can keep a crane. Then I will be able to fly back to visit you every day. Also, I can go to school after having breakfast at home.”

Luo Qi patted Li Muyang on the shoulder and said, “Nonsense. How can you come back every day? The most important thing is to take care of yourself and study hard. Don’t let others look down on you.”

“Mom, I will.” Li Muyang nodded seriously.

“Hurry up! Broad the ship! If you don’t board now, it’ll leave without you.” The boatman wearing a short jacket shouted on the board.

It was a passenger ship. Except for a few travelers and merchants who went to Capital Heaven, most of the passengers were students like Li Muyang, who would go to study in Capital Heaven.

Many of those student’s parents and relatives had rushed over to bid their farewells to them.

At this time, the Maplewood Ferry was very lively. People talked, laughed, and even cried.

Li Muyang waved his hand and said, “Dad, Mom, go back. I’m going to board the ship.”

“Muyang…” Luo Qi tried hard to fight back her tears. She let go of his son’s hand and said, “You should have lived a better life, which we can’t provide you. You must protect yourself and don’t allow others to bully you. If you are wronged, just come back home. We are willing to take care of you for the rest of your life.”

“Mom, what are you talking about?” Li Muyang said with a smile, “I am glad that I am your son. I think I am living a good life now. And I will get better in the future. Don’t worry. I will be fine.”

Li Muyang knew that his parents wouldn’t leave if he didn’t go first. He cast a glance at Li Sinian, but the little girl was still standing in the same place with her back to him.

“Li Sinian…” Li Muyang shouted to her sister in the distance, “I will miss you.”

He waved his hand at Li Sinian’s back, turned around, and walked toward the deck of the ship.

“Li Muyang…” Someone shouted, and a horse came to him fast.

The man on the fast-going horse drew everyone’s attention on the shore. It was a young man in warrior clothes who sat on the horse, shouting.

“Li Muyang, please wait a moment.” Riding on his horse, the man rushed straight to Li Muyang and leaped from the horseback. He cupped his hands to greet Li Muyang and said respectfully, “The City Lord wants to see you off. At this time, he has already arrived at the Stone-Forest Valley.”

As soon as he said that, all the people present burst into an uproar.

“Will the City Lord see Li Muyang off in person?”

“The City Lord treats Li Muyang excessively good, doesn’t he? Just because Li Muyang got the first place in the Liberal-arts Exam of the empire, the City Lord awarded two thousand gold coins to him. The money is enough for him to use for the rest of his whole life, isn’t it?”

“Would Li Muyang be the adopted son of the City Lord? Maybe Li Muyang is an illegitimate child of him…”

…

Li Muyang was also slightly surprised and said, “The City Lord handles much work every day, so he doesn’t have to come here to see me off, especially.”

Not only others started to suspect the relationship between the City Lord and Li Muyang, but also Li Muyang himself began to guess that.

After the announcement of the results, the City Lord Mansion ordered the Jiangnan Education Department to send 2,000 gold coins to Li Muyang as the reward. This news caused an uproar in the Ministry of Revenue Lane. One should know that most of the people who lived there couldn’t make so much money in their lifetime, but Li Muyang got such a large sum of money just by taking an exam. No wonder people said that wealth and beauty could be gained through diligent study. Li Muyang had proved it, hadn’t he?

Now that the City Lord came to see him off in person, which moved Li Muyang a lot. He couldn’t help thinking in his heart, “It’s true that your son has built a friendship with me, but you are too kind to me, aren’t you?”

“You’re wrong.” A brown horse ran up to Li Muyang. On the horse was a middle-aged man in a brown scholar suit. This wide-faced man with a fine beard had a pair of thick eyebrows and big eyes.

A group of soldiers dressed in warrior’s black suit with long blades hanging on their waists followed close at this man’s heels, guarding him at both sides. They came with the synchronized sounds of horses galloping, from which everyone could know that they were well trained, extraordinary soldiers.

“Thump!”

Before the hooves sound stopped, the middle-aged man had already jumped off the horse.

When he landed heavily on the ground, it seemed as if his feet were going to poke a big hole in the ground.

“Selecting talents for the empire is the top priority. Today, so many candidates here will go to Capital Heaven to study and pursue an official position. As the City Lord of Jiangnan City, I should come here to see you off.” As he spoke, the middle-aged man deliberately raised his voice so that everyone on the shore who came here to say good-bye to their relatives and friends could hear him.

“You are… Are you the City Lord of Jiangnan City?” Li Muyang looked at the short but very dignified man in front of him and asked timidly. It was the first time that he came into contact with such a big shot.

And this man gave others a sense of pressure, which made him look very formidable. Ordinary people even didn’t dare to look at him.

“I’m Yan Bolai,” Yan Bolai said with a smile. While looking narrowly at Li Muyang, he secretly thought, “Li Muyang is actually tall and handsome. His skin color is not as dark as what everyone has said, and his eyes are clear. Besides, he is clearly unintimidated because he doesn’t look away with fear when he catches my eyes. He is confident and calm, but with a little vigilance.”

“You come here to see me off in person. I can’t thank you enough, City Lord.” Li Muyang made a deep bow.

One after another, the other students also gathered around. After all, who didn’t want to find a chance to build a relationship with the City Lord? Even if now they would go to the capital to study, they still had to find a good job after graduating, didn’t they? Being able to work alongside the City Lord was the best thing that those people in Jiangnan City could even imagine.

“City Lord, you can recognize and value the talents. It’s a blessing for the people in Jiangnan City!”

“Thank you, City Lord. We will study diligently and steel our will so that we can devote our hearts and souls to work for you…”

“City Lord, please accept my respects…”

…

He moved and convinced so many university students just by saying a few simple words when he came to see them off.

Yan Bolai was unfathomable.

Yan Bolai helped those students who were kowtowing stand up and said with a laugh, “All of you are the brightest pearls of Jiangnan City, who are the most excellent talents on behalf of Jiangnan City’s image. You have won the chances to study in Capital Heaven, which is just as a popular saying goes, ‘The carp has leaped through the dragon’s gate.’ I just hope sincerely that all of you will always keep your hometown in mind and come back to develop this prosperous Jiangnan City with me after graduation.”

Yan Bolai waved his hand and shouted, “Bring me the wine. I want to have a drink with all the young talents here.”

The waiters had prepared for this in advance. They had sent each candidate a bowl of wine. Yan Bolai also picked up a big bowl and said in a loud voice, “I wish you all a safe journey and a bright future!”

Then he drank up the strong liquor in his bowl. The other students, who were also infected by his words and momentum, became excessively excited and finished drinking the liquor in their big bowls in high spirits.

Some guys who had read many chivalrous novels even learned from those masters in the martial arts world—after drinking all the wine, they smashed the bowls into the ground. When the classmates around them saw these people acting like this, they were startled, staring at these guys in complete puzzlement. Only at this time did they blush with shame.

“I have asked my families to prepare some stationery for you, all of which were paid out of my own pocket. I hope you will kindly accept this small gift of mine.” Yan Bolai waved his hand, and the soldiers started to distribute the sets of the “scholar’s four jewels (writing brush, ink stick, ink slab, and paper),” which had long been prepared on the carriage to those successful candidates.

“Thank you for the reward, City Lord.”

“City Lord, thank you for your great kindness…”

“City Lord, after three years, I will definitely go to work in the City Lord Mansion and be at your disposal.”

…

After Yan Bolai exchanged a few words with others, he then put his eyes on Li Muyang, saying, “The Starry-Sky Academy is not an ordinary school. Muyang, I believe you are well prepared, right?”

“Prepared?” Li Muyang was stunned and asked, “Do I need to prepare for anything?”

From Li Muyang’s expression, Yan Bolai could tell that he most likely wasn’t lying. It seemed that he really didn’t know what was going on in the dark. So, Yan Bolai laughed, patting Li Muyang on his shoulder and saying, “Nothing. Nothing. It just will become a little tougher in the future, but there’s nothing serious. Since you can get into the Starry-Sky Academy, you certainly can climb to the very summit of your life. Then, may you be safe throughout the trip.”

“Thank you, City Lord.”

“Since you and Xiangma are like brothers, you can call me Uncle Yan.”

“Thank you… Uncle Yan.” Li Muyang hesitated a little, but he did as what Yan Bolai had expected. Anyway, getting an uncle, who was the City Lord, would never be a bad thing.

“Study hard, and don’t let others down.”

After giving some more encouragement to them, Yan Bolai leaped onto the horse’s back and ran back the way with the group of guards where they had come from as swiftly as the lightning.

Once again, Li Muyang said goodbye to his parents. When he looked at Li Sinian, the little girl was also looking at him. When she found that Li Muyang had seen right through her, she waved her little fist at him and then quickly turned around.

Li Muyang smiled and walked to the building on the ship with his parcel and the set of “scholar’s four jewels” that Yan Bolai had just given to him.

Luo Qi was willing to spend money on her son, so Li Muyang had a second-class cabin on this large ship.

It was said that someone in advance had booked all the first-class cabins on the top floor. Otherwise, no matter how expensive the first-class cabin was, Luo Qi would get one for her son.

Li Muyang’s room was not big, but it was a single room. There was a small bed and a small window which faced Sunset Lake. Through the window, Li Muyang could see the rippling green surface of the lake.

Li Muyang put his luggage in place and touched the gold coins that his mother had sewed into his underwear, which was strongly demanded by Luo Qi. Of course, Li Muyang had vainly objected to doing this.

But with those heavy, jingling gold coins in the crotch of his trousers, could you imagine how Li Muyang felt?

Fortunately, Luo Qi also considered that it would be inconvenient for him to walk, so she only put a small part of the gold coins into the underwear. Then she divided the rest into several parts and put them in various extremely hidden places. Even Li Muyang was worried that he could not find the other coins.

After getting everything in order, Li Muyang walked to the deck of the fore cabin. The ship would leave soon. The deck was now full of people who were saying goodbye to their friends and relatives on the shore.

Li Sinian finally turned around. She stood with her parents and looked to the fore cabin, searching for Li Muyang.

Because she didn’t see her brother, she looked a little anxious.

“Sinian, I’m here.” Li Muyang, who was standing behind a fat guy, vigorously waved his hand at Li Sinian.

“Brother… Brother…” Li Sinian finally saw Li Muyang, and she shouted, “I can’t protect you anymore. You must protect yourself!”

After the cable rope was cast off, the ship with an upper deck began to move towards the middle of the lake.

Li Muyang stood on the deck, watching his family members who were gradually away from him. At first, he could see their lively expressions, but then when Li Muyang saw all of them turn into black dots, he felt great pain in his heart as if someone had torn his heart apart.

“Goodbye, Jiangnan City!”