Who among the gangsters wants to fall in love?

Chapter 342: Clouds and Cranes

In fact, Xiao Yuanmu seldom comes to live in Tinglan Manor, but Xiao Lengyue is here, and now Zhao Wumian also lives here.

For Zhao Wumian it was a homecoming, and naturally for her the same was true. She relaxed her mind and slept soundly. She didn’t know how long it had been since the rooster crowed before she opened her eyes.

The hazy light of the early morning shines into the house through the window paper, and the fine dust in the air floats leisurely in the air.

The slight noise outside the house came through Wu Kui's amazing five senses, including the subtle sound of water splashing as the waterwheel turned, and the shouts of the winery workers. It was lively but not noisy.

"Hurry up! June is the last month of the Sophora japonica flowering period. After we harvest this batch, there are still Roselle in summer and autumn..."

"Young Master is back home, Fairy Leng Yue is in a good mood, everyone will get double the tribute this month!"

Xiao Yuanmu knew that the main ingredients for brewing Tinglan wine were Sophora japonica flowers and Roselle flowers. She got up silently, dressed, washed up, pushed the door open, walked through the corridor, and left the backyard.

In the front yard, dozens of workers were working busily. Rows of shelves, like a military formation, occupied a small half of the yard, and they were filled with wine jars.

Tinglan Manor was built at the foot of the mountain. It was originally built with the winery as its center, so it is naturally located at the highest point. Xiao Yuanmu stood here and looked outside the courtyard. He could see that most of the eaves of the houses in the manor were covered with snow-white locust flowers.

The hired workers did not know Xiao Yuanmu and did not care about the little girl that the young master brought back. At most, a few of them whispered about whether this was the young master's child bride.

Xiao Yuanmu looked around and didn't see Zhao Wumian, so he turned and went to the accounting office in the front yard.

Xiao Lengyue was wearing a brand new green dress and sitting behind the counter, tapping beads on an abacus to calculate the bills. Her pretty face was serious, as if she was really the owner of a winery rather than a martial arts master.

This was not just a casual act. As the saying goes, one who doesn't manage household expenses doesn't know how expensive firewood and rice are. Xiao Lengyue developed Taixuan Palace on her own under the high pressure of the Hong Tian Dynasty. Only she knows how much hardship she endured during the process.

Money and grain income, a worldly thing that is looked down upon by many masters, has given Xiao Lengyue headaches countless times in the past.

Fortunately, no matter how hard the life was, they had survived. Tinglan wine was well-known in the world, Zhao Wumian and Xiao Yuanmu grew up safely, and Taixuan Palace had been entrusted to Xiao Yuanmu.

If Zhao Wumian hadn't lost his memory and Jiu'er hadn't disappeared, Xiao Lengyue would even feel that her life was half complete.

"Why did you sleep in today?" Xiao Lengyue asked casually to Xiao Yuanmu without raising her head.

"Given my current physical condition, getting up early to practice martial arts will make me die faster." Xiao Yuanmu sat down on the chair, pinched a piece of locust flower paste with his fingers, put it between his pink lips and chewed.

Xiao Lengyue paused while pushing the beads on the abacus, and then continued to calculate, "But have you found a solution?"

"My condition is caused by my internal energy being too strong, which has caused an imbalance between the yin and yang of my qi and blood. If I don't have any martial arts or treasures that can condense qi and blood, I will have to waste at least half of my internal energy."

Xiao Lengyue naturally knew that Xiao Yuanmu was less than 30 years old this year, but she was as famous as Wudamu... As both of them were amazing warriors in the world, how could she match Wudamu's accumulation of more than a hundred years?

Practice with your life.

Now I have indeed mastered it, but my life is almost over.

The reason why Xiao Lengyue took such a big risk last year and went to the capital with Zhao Wumian to plot against Naraku Hongsi was because Xiao Yuanmu was in seclusion and had not much time left.

Fortunately, when Xiao Yuanmu was in seclusion, he actually came up with a technique that allowed him to turn himself into a child, thereby forcibly suppressing his qi, blood and internal energy to the same level, otherwise he would have died long ago.

"If you really can't find a way, then just use up your internal energy. You can't lose your life just to fight against Li Fuchen. Master..."

Xiao Lengyue paused, thinking that if the strategy of replacing one thing with another that she discussed with Zhao Wumian last night could succeed, then there would be no need for Xiao Yuanmu to fight so desperately.

The only thing she had to do was to let Xiao Lengyue and Zhao Wumian have a baby.

She was too embarrassed to talk about it, so she suddenly shut up.

"Anyway, he won't die for a while." Xiao Yuanmu waved his hand casually and asked, "Where is Zhao Wumian?"

Xiao Lengyue smiled and said:
"He got up before daybreak and came to me, asking me what he used to do in the village. I said he was just a street kid in the village, wandering around and helping others with trivial matters... You can go to visit the graves when he comes back."

"…He's really free."

"Well, deep down, he wants to be a hero who punishes evil and promotes good. Now he has to follow us and become a rebel. It's really unfair to him."

Xiao Yuanmu snorted coldly.

"What grievances did he have? Neither you nor I forced him to kill anyone he didn't want to kill, let alone murder, arson, rape, or looting... Besides, would he dare to do those bastard things? If he did, you would have to beat him up."

"You wouldn't be happy if I really beat you up, and last night you said he also wanted to save face..."

Xiao Yuanmu couldn't argue with Xiao Lengyue, so he remained silent and ate the Sophora japonica flower paste silently. After thinking for a while, he turned to ask:

"Did you know that he had a gun made at Old Bull's, the blacksmith, a year ago?"

"Everyone in the village knows that Lao Niu has boasted more than once that the gun is the best masterpiece of his life. Even if it is placed in the imperial palace, it will be worshipped as a national treasure."

"...I know that the blacksmith inherited the Lushan Sword School and has good skills. I want to ask why Zhao Wumian has nothing better to do than to forge a spear for himself?"

Xiao Lengyue raised her head from behind the counter and looked at Xiao Yuanmu.

"I don't know about this. I haven't heard him mention it. But when I went to the capital with him to steal the red silk of Naraku, he did bring the gun with him. Now it's nowhere to be found. I guess it was taken away by the people of the Western Region Saint Church as a trophy..."

Xiao Yuanmu always felt that there was a complicated reason why Zhao Wumian forged a spear for him out of nowhere, and there was probably something very important behind it.

Generally, weapons are cast either for commemorative purposes, such as a token of love, a treasure of the founding of a country, etc.

But what kind of relationship could Zhao Wumian have with that old cow? At most, the materials used to cast the weapons were a little unusual.

Or maybe he just learned a new and amazing shooting technique...

Xiao Yuanmu felt that both of these were possible. For example, a vixen with good marksmanship had a fight with Zhao Wumian, taught him marksmanship, and gave him a token of love. Then Zhao Wumian melted the token of love and cast it into a gun as a souvenir.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yuanmu instinctively exerted a little more force in his small hand that was holding the locust flower paste, and the locust flower paste suddenly turned into powder.

But in today's martial arts world, when it comes to spearmanship, no one dares to contradict Chen Qiyuan. Even Xiao Yuanmu and Wudamu may not be his match in spearmanship.

Chen Qiyuan probably doesn't have any daughters, sisters, nieces or the like, but he must know all the shooting techniques in this world.

If you ask him, you might get something out of it.

Let’s go to Poyang Lake and let Zhao Wumian beat him down before asking him.

As for the blacksmith Lao Niu, Xiao Yuanmu guessed that Zhao Wumian was not stupid. He would definitely go and ask him himself if he had the idea in his mind, and there was no need for her to remind him.

There were no clues now, and it was useless to think too much, so she shook her head to clear away the distracting thoughts and asked, "Where's breakfast?"

"Your master never cooks. If you want to eat, you can go to the backyard to find Grandma Yang. If it doesn't suit your taste, you can cook it yourself... But Wumian didn't eat either. You can wait for him to come back and eat together..."

Xiao Lengyue was still busy settling accounts.

Tinglan Village is the hometown of locust trees and roselle flowers. Locust trees are planted in every street and alley. Now it is in bloom. If you look closely, you can see the scattered houses vaguely under the white flower trees. When the warm wind blows, the pure white petals dance in the wind.

Outside Tinglan Manor, there are hundreds of acres of Roselle planted, but it is not yet in bloom.

Ta-da, ta-da————

Zhao Wumian was leading a white horse, with bags of dried locust flowers hanging on the side of the saddle.

Tinglan wine is the foundation of Tinglan Village. Almost every household grows locust trees and hangs locust flowers to dry.

Of course, this was definitely not done in vain. Xiao Lengyue would pay people based on their merits and was generous and never took advantage of her fellow villagers, so she earned the nickname "Fairy Lengyue".

Therefore, Xiao Lengyue's statement that Zhao Wumian would stroll around the streets when he returned to his hometown was just a joke. On weekdays, Zhao Wumian really often helped her collect locust flowers. As a result, he helped the villagers deal with many chores.

Zhao Wumian collected some locust flowers along the main road and found that although this small town seemed isolated from the world, there were actually quite a few people who traveled far and wide.

He also met some disciples from the three sects and six schools. Most of them came to try Tinglan wine, or had an argument and ran to an open space to fight.

There are some people on the street who are good at martial arts and do things like "breaking rocks with chests" and "taking objects from the air", so it's quite lively.

Zhao Wumian would stop and look for a while from time to time, sighing that the paradise is in the world and the hustle and bustle of the city is also in the world, and then he continued to collect locust flowers.

The houses in Tinglan Manor were not densely packed, and every household had a yard. When Zhao Wumian arrived in front of a yard built outside the manor, he heard the sound of martial arts practice.

He was standing outside the yard leading the horse and looking up. There was a little girl not much taller than Xiao Yuanmu practicing martial arts under a locust tree in the yard, holding a wooden sword tightly in both hands. The falling white locust flowers were swaying in the wind.

In the corner of the yard, there were wooden stakes, wooden men, and weapon racks with wooden swords, wooden knives, and wooden guns.

Martial arts are prevalent in Dali, and Tinglan Manor is no exception. Zhao Wumian has seen many residents practicing martial arts along the way. Of course, whether they are good at martial arts is another matter.

Zhao Wumian looked at the little girl for a few times, then walked over with his horse and asked, "Your sword skills are pretty good. Who taught you?"

The little girl put down the wooden sword, looked up at Zhao Wumian, and was stunned for a moment.

"Young Master? Everyone in the village said that you had a head injury. No one recognized you. Fairy Leng Yue cried so much last night that her eyes were red."

"Why is she crying? Don't spread rumors." Zhao Wumian patted the bag of locust flowers hanging on the saddle, "Where are your locust flowers?"

A man's voice came from inside the room, "Young Master, please wait a moment. I'll be there soon."

The little girl waved the wooden sword in her hand and said, "Grandpa taught me. When grandpa died, it was the young master who helped bury him."

Zhao Wumian had heard countless times along the way what he had done in the village before, so he was not surprised to hear that. He raised his hand to catch a fallen locust flower.

"Really? Your grandfather also knows martial arts? From what school or sect? Don't listen to the young master's boasting. It's a bit exaggerated to say that my martial arts are the best in the world, but it's more than enough to be in the top ten."

Zhao Wumian has already adapted to his identity as a young master.

The little girl opened her mouth slightly and looked up at Zhao Wumian, not suspecting him at all, with stars in her clear eyes.

"The top ten in the martial arts world... so amazing! But even though I'm so amazing, you can't tell that I've practiced martial arts?"

"You've practiced so poorly that it's like you're waving your fist around randomly. There's no method at all, so of course it's hard to tell." Zhao Wumian said with a smile.

This was a joke. The little girl had great talent and her knife skills were exquisite, but he really couldn't see it.

This was actually Zhao Wumian's own shortcoming. After he lost his memory, he had little experience in the martial arts world. He had never seen many martial arts and could not recognize them.

"What? Just now, Young Master praised me for my good training..." The little girl pouted in dissatisfaction. She knew Zhao Wumian was teasing her, so she grinned again, "Grandpa's martial arts are amazing. Young Master has also learned from him."

"I've practiced it before, too?" Zhao Wumian became interested. "Internal strength? Boxing? Knife skills? Or sword skills?"

The little girl frowned, recalled, and then shook her head.

"I don't know. Grandpa said that the young master is so talented that ordinary people can't even dream of him. He just did a simple dance and you were able to do it. You must have learned everything that Grandpa knows."

During the chat, the little girl's father came out of the house with a bunch of locust flowers, looking worried, "Master, your injury..."

He is a middle-aged man who looks simple and honest, and looks no different from a farmer.

Zhao Wumian took the locust flower and hung it on the side of the saddle, raising his hand slightly, "It's okay, Auntie didn't cry."

The child's father scratched his head, handed him a bag of something unknown, and said with a smile:

"You are the Sophora japonica flower paste that your Aunt Liu made last night. Young Master brought it to you to eat. Our family has only been in Tinglan Village for a few years. Thanks to Young Master, the villagers have also tolerated us..."

Zhao Wumian was not polite. Aunt Liu was the little girl's mother.

The little girl said, "Daddy, the young master is one of the top ten in the martial arts world!"

"The top ten in the martial arts world? That must be Wu Kui, right?" The father of the child was obviously worldly-wise, and he looked Zhao Wumian up and down a few times, "Young Master, do you have a Wu Kui plaque?"

Not only was he awarded the title of Wu Kui, he was also the Marquis of Weiming in the imperial court.

"Of course, I am the champion of swords. In a few days, I will also be able to get a plaque for the champion of spears."

Zhao Wumian did not hide his feelings, and spoke with his head held high and proudly, as if he had returned home in glory.

"Wow! The best swordsman! The best spearman! So handsome!" The little girl's eyes were full of stars, and she looked envious. The child's father scratched his head again, not knowing whether Zhao Wumian was joking or serious.

Zhao Wumian asked curiously, "Your family seems to have martial arts passed down from ancestors. I learned them before?"

The child's father nodded, recalled, and said:
"My father used to be a gangster. He was a low-key person, but he was very skilled in martial arts. He also let me learn from him when I was a child. Unfortunately, I was not talented enough. After more than ten years of study, I still could not make any difference.
My father often lamented that the martial arts that had been passed down from generation to generation in our family would be lost in my generation, until I met the young master..."

Zhao Wumian nodded in understanding. This kind of thing was not uncommon in the martial arts world. He put away the Sophora japonica flower cream and pulled the reins. "I'm leaving first. I have other Sophora japonica flowers to collect."

"Okay, young master, don't worry about your injury. Good luck will come to you. Last night, Madam Zhu from the inn went to the temple in Lin'an to burn incense and pray for you."

Madam Zhu is Aunt Zhu.

Zhao Wumian was stunned for a moment, without saying much, he just encouraged the little girl:

"Practice your sword skills well. When you are sixteen, come and fight with the young master. I will let you win and let you become a sword master."

"Okay! Master, wait for me!" The little girl jumped up and down excitedly.

Zhao Wumian went to the inn again.

There are no locust flowers here at Aunt Zhu's place, only a clean cloak and a heart full of concern.

He ate a bowl of oil-splashed noodles at Aunt Zhu's place before leaving.

I heard that Aunt Zhu's ancestor was from Jin, and she was betrothed at birth. She was originally planning to get married at the age of 18. However, her fiancé did not learn his lesson and became a bandit. He was captured and beheaded by the King of Jin.

And she had never even met her fiancé.

But her fiancé was such a person that it was obviously impossible for her to continue living a normal life in the countryside. After many twists and turns, she finally came to Tinglanzhuang.

Coincidentally, the person who captured her fiancé was a very young constable named Liu Yuezhi...the future leader of ghosts.

Zhao Wumian was feeling that the world was big yet small, and he went to see Lao Niu at the blacksmith shop.

Dang Dang Dang————

Lao Niu was still forging iron, and Zhao Wumian asked about some details of the spear-making process.

Lao Niu was deeply impressed by this most outstanding weapon in his life. Without much recollection, he said, "The materials used in the gun are all rare treasures in the martial arts world. They are the ancestral swords of our Jianmen, black iron and meteorite iron... Oh, by the way, has the young master been to the Liu family in Zhuangxi?"

The Liu family is the home of the little girl.

Zhao Wumian nodded.

"Old Liu knows some martial arts. At that time, everyone in the village guessed that he was some kind of hermit. Young Master also seemed to have learned some martial arts from him. When forging the spear, you specifically told me to follow Old Liu's spear and make it exactly the same."

Zhao Wumian frowned, "I first learned the spear skills from Old Man Liu, and then came to you to forge a spear?"

“There’s actually a gap of a few years in between, but the order is correct.”

"Where's Old Man Liu's gun?"

"It's still here with me..." Lao Niu went back to the house and searched through the walls and cabinets. He then took out a nearly ten-foot-long black gun and handed it to Zhao Wumian.
"The Liu family gave the gun directly to the young master, and it was cast according to this mold. After the young master cast the gun, he didn't take it away, so he left it with Lao Niu."

Zhao Wumian weighed it, then looked at it a few more times. It seemed to be made of just an ordinary iron spear, obviously not as good as his Bi Bo, but it had heavy marks of time.

It's an old gun.

Zhao Wumian thought that this was at least a clue, so he hung it on the side of the saddle and led the horse home.

The rich aroma of Sophora japonica flowers could be smelled even outside the winery. Zhao Wumian handed the Sophora japonica flowers to the leader, walked into the backyard, and shouted at the top of his voice.

"Auntie, auntie, I'm back."

"I know, I know. Why are you shouting?" Xiao Lengyue had already settled the accounts. She was chatting with Xiao Yuanmu about the Taixuan Palace in the backyard. Hearing this, she patted her skirt and walked over, asking:

"Did anything happen when you were picking the flowers?"

"Except that the sky was blue, the flowers were fragrant, and I was very hungry, nothing happened."

"Remember to add that your aunt is very beautiful today next time."

Xiao Lengyue took the two of them to eat.

Zhao Wumian glanced sideways at Xiao Yuanmu.

Xiao Yuanmu changed into a clean white dress today, with her hair tied up and hanging in front of her shoulders. Although she still looked like a child, she looked much more relaxed and casual than before.

At the dinner table, Zhao Wumian mentioned a few things about the Liu family. Xiao Lengyue didn't know the life stories of all the residents in the village, so she just said that she would pay attention and look into it.

"Yuan Mu knows the location of my mother's tomb. She will take you there." Xiao Lengyue stood up and took out a stone tablet, motioned for the two to see, and said:

"The stele that Yuanmu sent back arrived a long time ago. I have kept it and am waiting for you two to go to the mountain to erect the stele."

The words "Jiu'er's Father" are written on the stele, which was carved by Jiu'er himself in Qingcheng Mountain.

"Isn't Auntie going?"

"I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back my tears if I go, and you'll make a fool of yourself. I'll go secretly alone next time."

Zhao Wumian glanced at Xiao Lengyue and said, "I've never seen Auntie cry."

"She looks so beautiful with raindrops on her face, so pitiful and adorable, even prettier than she is now... Stop talking nonsense and go."

The stele was wrapped up and carried by a white horse, and Zhao Wumian climbed onto the horse.

Xiao Lengyue stood beside the horse and looked up at him, "Have you bought the incense?"

"Miss Su brought it to me when she came."

"Miss Su? The eldest daughter of the Jiangnan Su family?"

"Well, I'll bring her back for you to see someday. She's Yuan Mu's apprentice now, and you'll like her."

Xiao Yuanmu sat in front of Zhao Wumian and didn't say anything. He just raised his little hand, caught a piece of locust flower falling in the wind, and played with it casually.

"gone."

"Lin'an is less than a hundred miles away from Tinglan, and it only takes a few hours to go back and forth... What would you like to eat for lunch?"

"Will my aunt do it for me?"

"I do not know how to cook."

"Then I want to eat fish."

"Fish... it's so troublesome."

"It's not you who did it, why bother?"

"You don't want to eat the food cooked by your aunt?"

"I am the kind of person who will vomit out anything I eat that tastes bad..."

Xiao Lengyue bent down and prepared to take off her shoes and beat him.

Zhao Wumian gently squeezed the horse's belly.

Ta-da! Ta-da!

The white horse carried the two people out of the winery, walked under the locust tree, and walked slowly under the white flowers that looked like raindrops.

When passers-by at the winery saw the two men, they put down their work, wiped their sweat, and looked at them sideways.

Under their gaze, the white horse carrying the tombstone and the two people left Tinglan Manor and sped up a bit, running on the country road, with fields of Roselle that had not yet bloomed on both sides.

Xiao Yuanmu pointed at the flower field and explained to Zhao Wumian, "In summer and autumn, the roselle flowers gradually bloom, with a sea of ​​red flowers, but the blooming period is only one day. That period is when Tinglan Manor is the busiest."

"In summer, we should go to the watermelon fields and pick watermelons to eat...Isn't there anyone growing watermelons near the village?"

"No, if you want to eat, come back and tell your master. She dotes on you and will draw a field for you to grow watermelons. Next year you will be able to sleep in the watermelon field in the summer."

"Forget it. I'm not a frivolous person... Why did Auntie start the winery business?"

"Because her sister's name is Jiu'er."

Zhao Wumian said "Oh", took out a pot of Tinglan wine from his arms and took a sip.

This was given to him by his fellow villagers when he was harvesting locust flowers.

Xiao Yuanmu glanced at him sideways. Zhao Wumian had never been a drinker since he was a child.

"Does it taste good?" she asked.

"It tastes good, but when I remember that this wine was brewed by my aunt specially for Jiuer, it doesn't taste good anymore."

Xiao Yuanmu also said 'oh', and then said: "If Jiu'er really has an accident, then you can wait until you become an immortal, completely master the Red Silk of Naraku, and travel through time and space to save her."

"How dare you say such unrealistic things?"

"It's not unrealistic. I can even regain my youth."

"That's right, you're almost thirty..."

boom--

Zhao Wumian was hit in the abdomen by Xiao Yuanmu's elbow and almost vomited out the wine he had just drunk.

The white horse crossed the country road, left the Roselle field, waded through the stream, and ran under the shade of trees on both sides. The sunlight shone through the branches and leaves, casting spots of light on the faces of the two people.

Xiao Yuanmu suddenly said: "I am indeed almost thirty years old, and of course I am not as young as your little lover in the capital..."

"The little lover in the capital? There are quite a few. Which one do you want to talk about?"

Xiao Yuanmu looked at him coldly.

Zhao Wumian looked away, not daring to look Xiao Yuanmu in the eye, and said:

"It doesn't matter. The sun is always the setting sun and the rising sun..."

Ta-da! Ta-da!

The white horse carried the two men out of the forest and set foot on the official road to Lin'an in the sunshine.

From time to time, a few horse-drawn carriages carrying goods can be seen on the official road, with their wheels rolling over the road, making a rumbling sound...

--------

Daily transition.

I drank too much last night and fell into a coma.

It was already three o'clock in the afternoon when I woke up.

My head still hurts and my right eye also hurts for no apparent reason.

You should really drink less alcohol.

(End of this chapter)