Who among the gangsters wants to fall in love?

Chapter 240 Yuan Mu is coming
In the thirty-fifth year of Hongtian, winter.

Emperor Taizu Gao died in late autumn.

The new emperor ascended the throne within just ten days, and the reign title was "Guangyou". However, the new reign title would not be used until the last year of Hongtian was over.

Emperor Guangyou was originally the Crown Prince of Dali, and it was legal for him to inherit the throne... He had been the Crown Prince for thirty-five years, and had always fulfilled his duties. Although he did not have the demeanor of a great ruler, he could be called a king who maintained the status quo. No one could have imagined that he would force the King of Chu to death and assassinate the King of Qin in the future, leading to the Jingnan Campaign that swept the world. In the end, he was not even qualified to enter the imperial mausoleum.

However, at this time, Emperor Guangyou had not yet fallen ill, and the Dali Kingdom was still thriving with the afterglow of the Hongtian Dynasty.

In Lin'an, it is the end of the year and the snow season again.

A light curtain of snow hung down from the sky. A young girl in white fox fur was practicing swordplay in the courtyard.

White air was coming out of her small and delicate pink lips, her scaleless chest kept rising and falling, she was panting, her hands were red from the cold, but she was wielding the knife with great vigor and power.

Xiao Yuanmu, who was one year older, was concentrating on practicing martial arts in the other courtyard. Suddenly, his ears moved slightly. There seemed to be a slight sound outside the wall. He saw a pair of hands clinging to the top of the wall. Then the hands exerted force, revealing a childish face.

Zhao Wumian leaned against the wall, looking at Xiao Yuanmu in the yard, and whistled, "It's been a year..."

Before he could finish, a scabbard came flying at him, accompanied by Xiao Yuanmu's angry shout, "Don't you know how to use the door? You climbed over the wall to peek into the yard. It seems like you'll be a flower thief in the future!"

Zhao Wumian tilted his head and dodged the scabbard easily. He said proudly, "I have been practicing internal skills and laying a foundation for the past few years. This year I have really learned some martial arts. Do you still think you can kick me into the lake like last year?"

"Hmm~" Xiao Yuanmu let out a long nasal sound, then she stepped lightly with her long boots and rushed out suddenly. Her white robe fluttered in the wind, and after she pushed the snow curtain away, the snowflakes slid in the direction she was rushing forward.

She slashed at Zhao Wumian's face with the back of her knife, but Zhao Wumian was not afraid at all and dodged it easily. However, he did not expect that Xiao Yuanmu's long knife was just a feint. After the slash, she raised her leg and kicked the wall. Spider-web-like cracks instantly spread around the wall.

Boom————

A loud noise echoed through the snow, startling the passers-by outside the courtyard and making them look over in surprise.

Zhao Wumian was pinned under the rubble. He had not expected Xiao Yuanmu to be so brutal as to demolish the wall directly. He was ejected from the rubble, clenching his fists and fighting with Xiao Yuanmu.

"Yuan Mu." A familiar, gentle voice sounded in the courtyard.

Xiao Yuanmu and Zhao Wumian suddenly stopped and stood on the rubble in an orderly manner.

A charming woman walked out of the house and glanced at the two of them helplessly, "We can only see each other once a year at the end of the year, and you two are still fighting like this... When my sister and I die, you two will be the only ones left in this world, can't you be a little more gentle to each other?"

She is Jiu'er's sister and Xiao Yuanmu's master.

Jiu'er, leading the horse with a wine gourd hanging around his waist, walked into the courtyard through the gate. Hearing this, he smiled and glanced at the two of them. "Go, find a way to repair the wall, otherwise you two will sleep outside tonight."

"Whoever kicked me should fix it." Zhao Wumian crossed his arms. Although his face was bruised and swollen, he was still very tough.

Xiao Yuanmu glanced at Zhao Wumian and said, "Only children lose their temper. Be more careful."

"Then you apologize to me first."

"What are you apologizing for? I just beat you up like a pig. You can fight back if you don't accept it, but I will resist."

Zhao Wumian rummaged in his arms, took out a package, and opened it. Inside was a bundle of emerald green things that looked like grass roots.

Xiao Yuanmu tilted his head and looked at him.

"This is Gongcai. Do you know Gongcai? It is specially offered as tribute to the emperor. This year, Jiuer and I went to Xuzhou. I thought you might not have eaten it, so I brought it to you... I brought you a gift and thought about you during the New Year. Didn't you prepare anything for me?"

Xiao Yuanmu was stunned for a moment. She had indeed never seen Gongcai, or even heard of it. This was natural, because at that time, this thing was not called Gongcai, but "dried moss".

She didn't expect Zhao Wumian to actually prepare something for her. She felt a little guilty for a moment and hesitated. Then she whispered in a voice as thin as a mosquito, "I'm sorry, I'll prepare something for you next year too."

"Ah?" Zhao Wumian tilted his ear towards her, "I can't hear you, did you leave your vocal cords at home?"

boom!
Xiao Yuanmu was immediately ashamed and angry, and kicked Zhao Wumian. Zhao Wumian quickly raised his hands to block it, and the two started fighting again.

Jiuer tied the horse under a tree in the yard, and did not say anything to stop the two of them. He just went back to the house with his sister.

The dog emperor who caused their family to be destroyed has finally died. The two sisters are extremely happy. Jiuer even specially brought some good wine produced in Yanyun.

Sister Jiuer brought out the copper pot and we are going to have hotpot tonight.

By the time Zhao Wumian and Xiao Yuanmu finished repairing the wall, it was already night. A few dark clouds hung in the sky like willow ears, and the faint moonlight was pouring down.

Gurgle gurgle————

The hot pot is steaming and the aroma is fragrant.

Zhao Wumian and Xiao Yuanmu washed their hands and sat down. In fact, there were only four of them having the New Year's Eve dinner.

Of the royal family of Chen Kingdom back then, only Jiu'er and her sister were left.

Their father searched for the Crown Princess of Chen Kingdom for his entire life but couldn't find her.

The Crown Princess of Chen Kingdom waited for her husband all her life, but never got him.

Finally, in this huge world, only two sisters are left to depend on each other.

Zhao Wumian and Xiao Yuanmu were their adopted son and daughter, respectively.

But one is allowed to call her sister, the other is allowed to call her master, but they are not allowed to call her mother. Why?

Because they didn't want to be called old, the two sisters had a tacit understanding and retreated together.

When repairing the wall, Zhao Wumian mentioned this matter to Xiao Yuanmu, and finally said that Xiao Yuanmu was only about ten years old now, but in another ten years she would be twenty years old and become a grown-up girl. If she didn't want to be called old, then he could reluctantly call her sister in the future, or let Xiao Yuanmu call him dad.

So the two of them started fighting again halfway through the repair.

While eating hotpot, Jiuer cried.

Jiuer's sister also cried.

The two sisters were drunk and cried heartbreakingly.

Xiao Yuanmu sat obediently at the table, holding a bowl, sobbing quietly, his shoulders trembling slightly.

Only Zhao Wumian didn't cry.

He washed the dried tribute vegetables he brought with clean water and put one into the hot pot.

After it was cooked, he put it into Xiao Yuanmu's bowl and said, "Try it."

Xiao Yuanmu twitched his red nose, took a bite of the tribute vegetable, and then looked at Zhao Wumian with red eyes. Tears slid down his delicate and pretty face, and he looked pitiful, like a shy white lily about to bloom. "Is this the tribute vegetable you mentioned? It tastes so bad, just like weeds on the roadside."

"Because this is just roadside weeds."

Xiao Yuanmu sat on the table in a daze.

"You should go to the forest of Yanyun and play sumo with the Siberian tigers there. Your brain should become smarter after being slapped by the tiger's paws that are bigger than your face."

Zhao Wumian picked up a piece of mutton with chopsticks, dipped it in the sesame sauce he specially prepared, put it in his mouth, and then smiled at Xiao Yuanmu:
"Xuzhou is more than 1,300 miles away from Lin'an. When I came back from Xuzhou, the tribute vegetables I brought had already turned yellow-brown. Do you want me to feed you something that is not fresh? Don't be silly. What if you get sick and blame me?"

Zhao Wumian spoke too fast, and Xiao Yuanmu was crying so hard that his brain was deprived of oxygen. He didn't react for a moment, and asked subconsciously, "Then how did the emperor get it?"

“Who knows, there may be a special preservation method, such as warriors who use cold-type skills to freeze it with their internal energy.” Zhao Wumian picked up another piece of mutton, “If you can become the emperor and want to eat tribute vegetables, I will definitely try my best to keep it fresh…”

Before he finished speaking, Xiao Yuanmu had already reacted, "Why do you always like to lie to me!"

"You've been deceived by me so many times, and you keep being deceived. You should be the one who reflects on yourself! There are so many tricks in the underworld. They won't be as kind as me and only trick you into singing operas and eating wild grass."

Ping pong————

The two started fighting again at the dinner table.

Jiu'er looked at the two people fighting and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Zhao Wumian and Jiuer did not stay in Lin'an for too long. They left half a month later after the Lantern Festival.

Zhao Wumian was still young, and he rode the same horse with Jiuer, sitting in front of Jiuer.

He turned sideways from Jiu'er's arms, half of his body exposed, waved at Xiao Yuanmu at the gate of the other courtyard, and shouted: "Next year you have to prepare something for me--"

"Why? You're giving me grass to eat—"

Zhao Wumian did not respond... He had run too far away, and no matter how much he shouted, the other party could not hear him.

He just kept waving at Xiao Yuanmu.

Xiao Yuanmu put his hands behind his back and ignored him.

Jiu'er and Meizi remember the national hatred and family feuds, but they have a clear division of labor.

Xiao Yuanmu followed his sister Jiuer and focused on practicing martial arts. When he grew up, he would inherit the position of the Palace Master of Taixuan Palace and accumulate strength to fight against Li Fuchen.

Jiu'er and Zhao Wumian traveled around the world to find the four colored glaze jades and the inlaid gold Boshan furnace.

This is the national treasure of the Chen State, and it contains nine bells, so it is a must-see.

Therefore, Zhao Wumian and Xiao Yuanmu, Jiu'er and her sister, have always been apart from each other. Most of the time, they only see each other once a year.

Jiu'er's sister, Xiao Yuanmu's master, stood beside Xiao Yuanmu and gently wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief.

Xiao Yuanmu was also reluctant in his heart, but that was for his sister Jiuer. After all, he didn't have much contact with Jiuer, so he didn't cry.

Xiao Yuanmu was still young, and she actually had no idea what Jiu'er and Zhao Wumian were doing, nor did she know what her master was doing.

She just practiced martial arts silently.

In the courtyard of Lin'an City, day after day, she practiced swordplay, fist, spearmanship, light skills and internal skills, learning everything she could.

From winter to spring, snow turns into rain, the sun is scorching, autumn is endless, it is winter again, and it is the end of the year again... Jiuer brings Zhao Wumian back again.

Zhao Wumian had grown taller and rode a horse himself. He waved to Xiao Yuanmu from the horse.

Xiao Yuanmu stood at the gate of the villa, glanced at Zhao Wumian and turned back to the courtyard. The fox fur coat on her back swayed slightly in the snow.

This year, Zhao Wumian really brought a gift for Xiao Yuanmu, which was a biography of the martial arts world called "The Legend of the Knight-errant", and the male protagonist in the biography was called Dongfang Weiming.

Xiao Yuanmu had been practicing martial arts and had never seen anything like this before. But after seeing it, he was fascinated by it and couldn't put it down.

She asked, “Where did you buy this book?”

"This kind of thing is everywhere on the street. You can buy it anywhere."

"Really? Are you lying to me again?" Xiao Yuanmu looked at Zhao Wumian.

"How could I lie to you?" Zhao Wumian pointed outside the courtyard. "You practice martial arts in the courtyard every day, so you definitely haven't gone to a bookstore to buy this kind of thing... If you don't believe me, you can go to a bookstore on the street and look for it."

"really?"

"I will definitely not lie to you this time."

Xiao Yuanmu then really went shopping with Zhao Wumian.

I searched half of Lin'an City, but as night fell, I still couldn't find the so-called "The Legend of Sword and Fairy".

"I've fooled you every year, Xiao Yuanmu, oh Xiao Yuanmu, you really should sink to the bottom of West Lake for half an hour. If you're not dead, the lack of oxygen in your brain might help you become smarter."

Xiao Yuanmu was so angry that her brain was really lacking oxygen. Later, she heard Jiuer say that this book was written by Zhao Wumian himself, and he wrote it whenever he had time, and it took him a whole year... It was written specifically for her.

For what?

I lied to her the year before last because I wanted her to feel better so that we could watch a play together.

I lied to her last year just to make Jiuer happy.

I lied to her this year... because I thought her martial arts training was too boring and I wanted to go shopping with her.

Xiao Yuanmu felt that he had guessed Zhao Wumian's cheating pattern and would definitely not be cheated again.

Day after day, year after year.

Zhao Wumian and Xiao Yuanmu seldom met each other, and could only see each other a few times during the New Year. Every year when Zhao Wumian came back, he would tell Xiao Yuanmu stories.

Some of them she had never heard of, like Linghu Chong of the Huashan Sect and Zhang Sanfeng of the Wudang Mountain, while some of them she had heard of, such as the Shu sword master Yangshe Congyun and the Yanyun sword master Chu Ruzhou.

The days passed by slowly, and Xiao Yuanmu changed clothes one after another. His figure changed almost every year, and he felt that the clothes were too small every year.

Later, later... the wine disappeared...

The only one who came to Lin'an leading his horse to visit Xiao Yuanmu to celebrate the New Year was Zhao Wumian.

Xiao Yuanmu remembered it very clearly. In the past, Zhao Wumian would come on the morning of the New Year's Eve. But this year, Xiao Yuanmu waited in the yard for a long time but there was no sign of him.

It didn't snow that night, and the moon in the sky was big and round.

Xiao Yuanmu couldn't help but leave the yard and go to look for him under the moonlight.

Found it quickly.

Xiao Yuanmu's home was right next to the West Lake, and Zhao Wumian was sitting on the lakeside at that time, looking at the full moon in the center of the West Lake, silent.

His horse stood behind Zhao Wumian, with its head lowered, eating grass silently.

Looking at his back, Xiao Yuanmu keenly noticed that his mood seemed a little off, so he didn't call him directly.

Zhao Wumian picked up a stone and threw it into the center of West Lake, looking at the ripples caused by the stone on the full moon in the lake.

Xiao Yuanmu's voice came from behind, "Zhao Wumian."

Zhao Wumian raised his eyebrows frivolously. He looked back and saw Xiao Yuanmu holding a wine pot in one hand. She clinked the wine pots together and smiled at Zhao Wumian. "It's been a year since we last met. How about a drink?"

Zhao Wumian thought for a moment, and then said, "Who do you call Zhao Wumian? I have the same last name as you, Xiao. Have you forgotten?"

This is the name Jiuer gave him.

Xiao Yuanmu rolled his eyes cutely, picked up the wine jug, and sat cross-legged next to Zhao Wumian, "Do you want to drink?"

Zhao Wumian couldn't help but smile. He drank the wine, took out a box of rouge from his arms and handed it to Xiao Yuanmu.

Xiao Yuanmu looked at him in confusion.

"You only practice martial arts all day long... Now that you've grown up, you should act like a girl. Here's the rouge I bought for you. Would you like to try it?"

"You just bought it in Lin'an, right?"

"You guess." Zhao Wumian withdrew his gaze and took a sip of wine.

Xiao Yuanmu glanced at him sideways, "Do you think I'm not pretty and not feminine? So you bought rouge for me?"

"Yes, even martial arts. You are a woman, practicing swords and guns... Can't you practice swordsmanship? How graceful it would be?"

Xiao Yuanmu was silent. He also picked up a stone and threw it into the West Lake. "My master said that if I want to build a bridge between heaven and earth, I need to have my own understanding of martial arts... I have been struggling with this recently. Your words gave me a hint."

"kindness?"

"I am proficient in all eighteen kinds of weapons, but I cannot bring so many weapons with me when I fight the enemy. It would be better to combine these martial arts into one... Let's start with the sword and knife skills first."

Zhao Wumian thought for a moment, then looked at Xiao Yuanmu, "Who are you? I told you that you are not pretty, and you didn't hit me."

"Does it matter what you think of me? Am I familiar with you? We are just 'old friends' whom I can only see once a year." Xiao Yuanmu said sarcastically.

Normally, Zhao Wumian would have to argue with her.

But not tonight. He just smiled when he heard it, and then asked, "I want to create my own martial arts. Do you have a name?"

"I just had an idea, I don't know if it will succeed, what name should I give it?"

"Yes, remember to teach me when you have created it."

"Then why don't you call me Master?"

Zhao Wumian didn't scream.

The quiet moonlight poured down from the night sky and landed on the West Lake, creating shimmering waves and golden sparkles.

"Where is Sister Jiuer?" Xiao Yuanmu asked.

Zhao Wumian drank his wine and did not answer.

Xiao Yuanmu immediately had the answer in his heart and didn't ask any more questions.

Later, the two got drunk.

The two of them rarely drink alcohol on weekdays.

Xiao Yuanmu took the rouge from her arms, dug a handful of it inside with her fingertips, and said that she wanted to write something she hated.

She wrote 'Zhao Wumian' on Zhao Wumian's arm.

Zhao Wumian wrote "get up early" on Xiao Yuanmu's arm.

Later I wanted to write about what I liked.

Zhao Wumian wrote a series of names on Xiao Yuanmu's arm, such as "Pokemon", "Gardevoir", "Morphin" and so on. In the end, he wrote the three words "Xiao Yuanmu" more than ten times. There was no room left on his arm, so he wrote on Xiao Yuanmu's face.

Xiao Yuanmu looked at the words on her arm, and her heart gradually warmed up...but this guy Zhao Wumian actually smeared them on her face.

Plop————

Zhao Wumian was kicked into the West Lake by Xiao Yuanmu. Bubbles were gurgling on the surface of the water. Xiao Yuanmu thought that Zhao Wumian was drunk and couldn't even swim, so he hurried down to rescue him.

As a result, Zhao Wumian grabbed his hand and they fell into the lake together.

Zhao Wumian laughed loudly, extremely proud, "Xiao Yuanmu, ah Xiao Yuanmu, after so many years, when will you be able to learn from your lessons? Have you been fooled by me again?"

Xiao Yuanmu floated on the lake with his back facing up, looking at the full moon in the night sky. He was not angry, but said, "You seem to lie to me only once a year... This year you lied to me by falling into the water, so these words written on my arm are true?"

Zhao Wumian climbed ashore, lay on the shore, spit out a mouthful of lake water, then tilted his head to look at Xiao Yuanmu floating on the lake.

Xiao Yuanmu thought Zhao Wumian would laugh at her again, but this time Zhao Wumian didn't. Instead, he stared at her seriously.

Xiao Yuanmu also turned his head to look at him.

The two looked at each other, then turned their heads away almost at the same time, neither looking at the other.

The wine was gone, but Zhao Wumian still didn't stay in Lin'an for long. He stayed until the Lantern Festival and then left.

Even Xiao Yuanmu didn't know what he was going to do, he never told her.

Day after day, year after year.

It's the end of the year again, and it's snowing this year.

Xiao Yuanmu sat on the wall of the other courtyard, holding a bronze mirror in his hand, looking at himself in the mirror, and whispered: "Isn't it beautiful?"

Zhao Wumian was still alone this year, leading the horse. He approached the courtyard, looked up at her, and asked with a smile: "What are you mumbling about?"

Xiao Yuanmu glanced down at Zhao Wumian and snorted.

But even she herself didn't realize that her tone might have a bit of girlish naivety and anger.

Day and night, year after year.

After every Lantern Festival, Xiao Yuanmu would stand at the gate of the villa, watching Zhao Wumian riding away on horseback.

Gradually, her figure became taller and taller, and Zhao Wumian's back as he rode on the horse also became taller and taller.

I don’t know since which year, but after Zhao Wumian left, Xiao Yuanmu returned to the yard. He began to feel sad and tears started to well up in his eyes.

In the end, she began to act like Jiuer's sister. She just stood at the door and couldn't help wiping her tears with her sleeves.

But later, even Zhao Wumian did not return to Lin'an.

"Palace Master, Palace Master, we have arrived in the capital."

Xiao Yuanmu leaned against the carriage with his face propped up. He fell asleep at some point, and heard the disciples' calls in his ears.

Xiao Yuanmu frowned slightly, opened her beautiful eyes, a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes, then she raised her hand and gently pulled the curtain.

Daylight mixed with various noises poured into the car.

"Fried meat! Fried meat!"

"Meat buns! Meat buns."

On both sides of the street, vendors were trying their best to hawk their wares. Xiao Yuanmu's carriage was traveling on the wide streets of the capital, with people coming and going, and from time to time, a carriage passed by Xiao Yuanmu's carriage.

There were many voices in my ears. Dadu and Zhao Wumian were about to go to Shu to challenge the sword master. It was related to the duel between Zhao Wumian and Miao Yixi at the Banquet of All Nations today.

The street gambling houses have already opened for business, and are discussing who has a better chance of winning between Zhao Wumian and Dao Kui.

Most people bet that Dao Kui can win... Mainly because no matter how famous Zhao Wumian is, he still doesn't have the bridge to communicate between heaven and earth. This gap in realm is still very intimidating.

As for Zhao Wumian and Miao Yixi, some people also opened the market.

But Zhao Wumian's odds were a crushing 9 to 1, and few people bet on Miao Yixi to win, except for a few gamblers who wanted to make a small bet for a big win.

Xiao Yuanmu frowned slightly. She had slept for a long time and was a little overwhelmed to react for a moment. After a moment, she learned that today was the Banquet of All Nations, and a few days ago, the warriors of Goguryeo had issued a formal declaration of war to Zhao Wumian.

While I was thinking, I heard a cry of surprise from the street.

"The Son of Heaven! It's the Son of Heaven!"

"She, the person next to her, is Wei Ming Hou, right?"

"They should be heading to the ship at Zhuwu Lake now."

"Oh, it's hard to get a ticket. It would be great if we could go on that boat and watch it."

Xiao Yuanmu frowned again, but his heart couldn't help but skip a beat.

(End of this chapter)