Translator: Myuu Editor: Myuu
“Liqiang, what were you driveling about just now? When did I ever say those words to you? You even made up the story about that bejeweled flower hairpin…” Liang Yijie looked at Yan Liqiang with an expression as though he was unsure of whether he should laugh or cry.
When everyone came out from the Bright Moon Restaurant after the meal, Yan Liqiang and Liang Yijie bid their farewells to the others. With the excuse of escorting Yan Liqiang back, Liang Yijie seized the opportunity to pull him to the side and blurted out the words he had been suppressing all this while.
“Brother Liang, don’t you like Sister Feng Ting?” The way Yan Liqiang gazed at Liang Yijie looked as though he had experienced something similar before. “Sometimes your eyes will betray your feelings even if you don’t want to admit it. Sister Feng Ting took the initiative today, what else is there to hesitate about, Brother Liang? Since Brother Liang was too shy to admit it, I said it on your behalf. You should’ve seen your expression just now. The moment Sister Feng Ting invited you to Jinling, you blushed up to your ears, your heart raced, and your blood rushed to your head. That was my first time seeing Brother Liang blush! If you didn’t like Sister Feng Ting, you wouldn’t react that way…”
Liang Yijie was a valiant man. He wouldn’t even frown when taking a life. Even a valiant man like him became a blockhead when it came to romance. Yan Liqiang had met someone who didn’t know how to confess to the girl he liked and would even deliberately avoid the question sometimes in his previous life. However, Liang Yijie was the first he met in this life. When Feng Ting spoke up at the dining table just now, Yan Liqiang knew Liang Yijie had feelings for her through observation. Yet Liang Yijie was still too reserved. He was actually at a loss on how to respond to the lady’s sudden bold move. Since he was nervous, Yan Liqiang helped Liang Yijie break the wall between them.
“I really wonder why you seem to know these things better than we do despite your young age?” Liang Yijie shook his head while smiling wryly. He simply couldn’t wrap his head around Yan Liqiang’s words.
“It’s not like I know a lot about this. I only know that if two people have mutual feelings toward each other, then they should just say it out loud instead of beating around the bush. In this world, countless regrets are born from unsaid feelings…”
“I am nothing but a boorish man who wanders around the world without settling down. Now that I am serving Lord Sun, there may be countless unknown perils and battles ahead of me. If I lost to Xu Lang in the duel today, I would be a corpse on the Arena of Life and Death. Under such circumstances, how can I possibly bring myself to hold her back?” Liang Yijie sighed as he poured his heart out.
“Brother Liang, you may be afraid of holding Sister Feng Ting back, but how do you know if that’s actually how she feels? Maybe she doesn’t even mind about what you said. No matter what happens, she will be happy as long as you cherish her and love her. She can be by your side through all the ups and downs in life!”
“But about leaving the Imperial Capital…” Liang Yijie was still slightly hesitant.
“I think Brother Yin is right. Rather than waiting to be assassinated by someone in the Imperial Capital, it’s better to temporarily retreat from this chaos and come back when the time is right!” Yan Liqiang looked around the street, then lowered his voice slightly. “If what Brother Yin said is true, I have a feeling that when Lord Sun took the initiative to indict that person, he was already prepared to be indicted in return. He probably already has made plans to leave the Imperial Capital by taking advantage of the situation. In that case, why doesn’t Brother Liang take a step ahead of them…?”
“Huh. What makes you think that way?” Liang Yijie looked at Yan Liqiang in surprise.
“It’s very simple. With the power and influence of that person in the imperial court, he isn’t someone Lord Sun can simply impeach with just a memorial to the Emperor. So why did Lord Sun still move forward with that while knowing this? It wasn’t like he didn’t know that his underlings would retaliate.” Yan Liqiang gave him a wise smile. “I think Lord Sun is retreating for the sake of advancing. He’s seizing this opportunity to leave the Imperial Capital to assume a new post somewhere else. With Lord Sun’s experience and reputation, he will at least be reassigned as a high official at a place governed directly by a provincial governor. Perhaps Lord Sun feels that he will gain the ability to move around more freely and thus be able to better aid His Majesty in the Imperial Capital!”
“Liqiang, sometimes I really wonder how your brain develops!”
“By letting nature take its course, of course!” Yan Liqiang laughed. “No need to see me off, Brother Liang. I will return to Deer Villa by myself. Sister Feng Ting and the rest are still waiting for you over there!”
“Alright, you be careful too. That Gao guy wanted to get you involved in the servant quarters that day. Lord Sun has really stirred up a hornet’s nest in Gan Province this time. They are making a move on the people around him to serve as a warning to him. You’ve also been following Lord Sun for quite some time now and have made several contributions. Be wary of them!” Liang Yijie warned Yan Liqiang seriously.
Yan Liqiang smiled. “Rest assured, Brother Liang. I am merely an insignificant person. They probably don’t even take me seriously. Furthermore, I don’t usually come out from Deer Villa. They won’t be able to find trouble with me even if they wanted to. I’ll be careful. Take care of yourself too, Brother Liang!”
“Alright, you take care too!”
“Right. See you again next time!” Yan Liqiang waved at Liang Yijie, then strode away.
Liang Yijie stared after Yan Liqiang’s silhouette for a while as his impression of Yan Liqiang grew complicated and profound. Liang Yijie had never met another individual of the same age who could compare with Yan Liqiang. His worldly insight and his unique way of handling matters sometimes even made Liang Yijie feel as though there was someone else beneath Yan Liqiang’s youthful appearance.
……
After parting with Liang Yijie, Yan Liqiang didn’t tarry any longer in the city. He immediately made his way out of the city and headed back to Deer Villa. The incident with Liang Yijie on the Arena of Life and Death today increased Yan Liqiang’s awareness of the surging undercurrents in the city and the cunningness of their opponents. At a time like this, focusing on his cultivation in Deer Villa and reaping the benefits of doing so would be the best course of action. As for the power struggle in the Imperial Capital, Yan Liqiang couldn’t care less since he recalled that the positions of both the Emperor and the Grand Chancellor would still be the same four years into the future; the structure didn’t change much. This situation was akin to that of a long-distance race — with one party deeply rooted in its current position while the ambitions of the other party raged ever more so. The outcome of the battle wouldn’t be determined over a short span of time. During these four years, his strength would probably grow to an unimaginable extent. By then, why would he fear anything?!
Yan Liqiang successfully returned to Deer Villa without running into any problems. At the main entrance of Deer Villa, he saw Little Li, who served Eunuch Liu, eyeing the road. He seemed to breathe out a sigh of relief as soon as he spotted Yan Liqiang.
“Commandant Yan, you have finally returned! Eunuch Liu has ordered me to await your return here and bring you to him immediately!”
When the soldiers standing guard at the entrance of Deer Villa saw that Eunuch Liu actually sent Little Li to the entrance to wait for Yan Liqiang’s return, every single one of them was both envious and jealous of Yan Liqiang. At Deer Villa, Eunuch Liu had never been this kind to an ordinary commandant. Commandant Yan was indeed favored by Eunuch Liu.
Yan Liqiang followed Little Li to Eunuch Liu’s courtyard. On their way there, Yan Liqiang asked why Eunuch Liu was looking for him. Little Li just shook his head, saying that had no idea why Eunuch Liu was looking for Yan Liqiang either.
Soon after, Yan Liqiang saw Eunuch Liu.
“Liqiang, would you be interested in studying the spear technique and the art of archery?”
Eunuch Liu’s first question upon their meeting stunned Yan Liqiang for a moment.
“Eunuch Liu, you mean to say…?”
“Ahem, ahem…” Eunuch Liu coughed twice, then gracefully picked up his teacup and took a sip. “I think I saw you practicing the fundamentals of the spear technique the other day. It is already quite solid enough for you to proceed onto real spear techniques. While your cultivation in archery is decent, it seems like you have never received any guidance before. There is still room for improvement and more variations. Hence, I am asking if you would be interested to seek some expert guidance on your spear technique and art of archery.”
“Of course I would be interested! Would any martial practitioner pass up a chance like this?” Yan Liqiang immediately replied.
Eunuch Liu instantly smiled complacently. His delicate old face suddenly looked very much alive. “That’s good to hear. Let me introduce you to two teachers…”
“From where?”
“Do you remember being told that the mountain beyond Deer Villa is a restricted area that no one should enter without permission when you arrived here?”
“Yes, I do!” Yan Liqiang replied.
“Your teacher is on that mountain behind the Deer Villa archery range…”
