Who among the gangsters wants to fall in love?

Chapter 343 I'm Not a Rebel Anymore
The early morning in the south of the Yangtze River is quiet, and there seems to be a hint of moisture in the air.

The white horse carrying two people passed by the side of the carriage on the official road, pedaling its hooves neither hurriedly nor slowly. The sound of the horse's hooves and the subtle sound of the carriage rolling over the puddles on the road both had a hint of comfort.

The warm sun cast a faint light on the puddles on the official road.

Zhao Wumian drove the horse slowly towards Lin'an. Xiao Yuanmu sat in front of him, looking up at the approaching Lin'an City, his eyes becoming increasingly complicated.

She really didn't expect that one day she would visit the grave with Zhao Wumian under such circumstances.

When entering the city, the guards at the city gate kept looking at Zhao Wumian from time to time.

Many people have seen Zhao Wumian at the scene where the sword leader was defeated at Qingcheng Mountain and Tong Congdao was killed by Zeng Lengyue. As a result, many of his portraits are circulating in the martial arts world.

However, just as Wu Kui is a rare figure in the martial arts world, the levels of different people in the arts of music, chess, calligraphy and painting are also very different. Therefore, the details of the facial features in most portraits are different, and the only similarities are the three points of charm.

But the widely circulated portrait still made the defenders feel somewhat familiar. However, they did not think that they would be able to meet the legendary Wei Ming Hou one day. They just glanced at the portrait casually and had an impression of it.

"Jianghu people? Don't cause trouble. Recently, Marquis Weiming is in the East China Sea, not far from Lin'an. A few days ago, a fool caused trouble and was killed on the spot by Marquis Weiming in Yangzhou..."

While the guard was giving the warning, he couldn't help but straighten his chest with pride and speak with a little more confidence when he thought of the fact that their court had Wei Ming Hou, a fierce man who made the entire martial arts world tremble in fear.

Zhao Wumian found it funny, and whispered after he and Xiao Yuanmu entered the city:

"We, the rebel, are now also famous. Let's not talk about the past. When I was fleeing in Jin before the New Year, if my portrait was flying everywhere, I would be scared to death and would not dare to run around."

"Now that you have clung to the female emperor's thigh and become the Marquis of Weiming in the court, you are very proud, aren't you?" Xiao Yuanmu glanced at him sideways.

"Isn't the point that I call myself a traitor? Throughout history, how many traitors have been able to infiltrate the imperial court and become high-ranking officials like me?" Zhao Wumian looked at her in confusion.

"Flower words... Let's go quickly. Go back to the yard first. The mountain road is not easy. Tie the horse in the yard. Otherwise, if you tie it at the foot of the mountain, the horse will definitely be lost after you go down the mountain."

This is not an exaggeration. The Jiangnan area is not like the Central Plains Jin area which is close to the grassland. There are no good horse farms here. Compared with the northern martial arts world, a good horse here is even more precious than a martial arts secret book.

Zhao Wumian didn't care and gently squeezed the horse's belly, "Let's go home."

The white horse was carrying two people, and they walked slowly on the street to avoid bumping into people. After only a few steps, Zhao Wumian suddenly pulled the reins and stopped.

"…How do I get home?"

Xiao Yuanmu was silent for two seconds after hearing this, and then suddenly bumped the back of his head against Zhao Wumian's chest, and then couldn't help laughing.

Zhao Wumian couldn't help but laugh along with her.

Lin'an is a proper Jiangnan water town, with more literati than warriors. Along the way, many people were reciting poems, writing couplets, sitting on chairs to paint, and sitting cross-legged to play the piano, which was only a novelty for Zhao Wumian, a rough man who liked fighting and killing.

But wherever you go, you can always find people from the underworld.

When passing by teahouses and taverns, you can always hear gossip.

"Poyang Lake is hundreds of miles away from Lin'an, but because Xiao Yuanmu killed the old spear master alone, it became a martial arts holy land. The official road leads directly to it, and it is unobstructed. Two good horses can run for several days... I really don't want to join in the fun?"

"Then can you find me two good horses?"

"Forehead……"

"In our Lin'an horse market, the worst camel and horse cost ten taels of silver. If they were a little better, you wouldn't dare to look at them unless they had two big bags of money tied around their waists..."

Zhao Wumian listened to the idle talk on the street, and under the guidance of Xiao Yuanmu, he slowly rode his horse to a villa by the West Lake.

He sat on his horse and looked at the gate of the courtyard. The couplets in front of the gate were extremely old. It was obvious that no one came back to celebrate the New Year this year.

Xiao Yuanmu dismounted and pushed open the gate. The wooden door made a creaking sound and the dust accumulated on the door fell down all at once.

Xiao Yuanmu covered his nose with his sleeves and waved them in front of him, "I haven't lived here for more than a year. Let's come back and clean up after we finish sweeping the graves."

Zhao Wumian dismounted and walked forward, holding the reins, into the yard. He looked around and saw spider webs in every nook and cranny. He said:

"We won't be staying here tonight anyway. We can just go back after cleaning the tomb and getting the horse. Why bother cleaning?"

"If they don't come, that's fine, but if they do come, they must do a thorough cleaning."

"why?"

"This is my home."

Zhao Wumian took out some fresh hay from the saddle bag and placed it in front of the white horse, patting its neck gently. "Yes, my beloved lives in this yard, so it's time to clean it up."

"What do you mean by love or not? You're so shameless." Xiao Yuanmu looked at Zhao Wumian.

"I'm talking to the horse. Why are you being so narcissistic? Are you influenced by the nun..."

Xiao Yuanmu's eyes suddenly turned cold. Zhao Wumian shut up silently, took out the tombstone wrapped in black cloth from the side of the saddle, turned around and left the yard, urging.

"Let's go, grandpa and grandma can finally meet after more than 50 years."

"Hmph." Xiao Yuanmu picked up the bucket and drew some water from the well. He then took out a towel from the saddle bag before closing the gate. "You know the way? Just walk in front..."

A white horse was quietly staying in the yard, eating grass, and occasionally wagging its tail in a relaxed mood.

After the voices of Zhao Wumian and Xiao Yuanmu gradually faded away, it was unknown how long it had passed before Bai Ma's ears suddenly twitched and he heard voices outside the yard.

"Is this the place? Why does this yard look so old? No one has lived there for a year or two."

"Well, people from the martial arts world travel all over the country. If they don't stay in an inn, they can stay in any shabby yard that no one lives in. Someone who can ride a white horse like this must be rich or noble. How could he live in such a shabby place? In my opinion, this horse must have come from an unknown place."

"Then this is just a case of black robbing black. It depends on one's ability. No one should say that the other is unethical."

"That white horse, what a beast! Even the precious horse ridden by the spear master Chen Qiyuan is probably inferior to it. If it were sold on the black market, it would fetch at least a thousand taels of silver."

"Foolish thing! The most worthless thing in Jianghu is money! If you have this fine horse, give it to the spear champion. With the protection of the martial arts champion, won't we be able to walk freely in Jiangnan in the future?"

"Brother, you are still a very experienced person in this world..."

There was a hint of surprise in Bai Ma's eyes, which was very human.

Some people are greedy for the horse's body.

Zhao Wumian and Xiao Yuanmu were the top warriors in the martial arts world. Their enemies in their hearts were Mo Jingxue, Guiyi Guiyuan, the Holy Church of the Western Region, and Wudamu... They probably never thought that one day they would be robbed by a small horse thief while traveling in the martial arts world, and they were caught off guard.

If the two of them knew about this, their first reaction would not be anger or panic, but laughter.

After all, Lin'an is the place where Xiao Yuanmu grew up, and it is also one of the bases of Taixuan Palace... Xiao Yuanmu is the boss of the Jiangnan underworld, so what is there to worry about?
Now, with just one sentence, the movements of all horses in Lin'an that afternoon would be presented to her desk.

The tomb is located on a mountain just a few steps outside Lin'an City.

There are large areas of ginkgo trees planted on the mountain. Their leaves are turning yellow, and the entire mountain looks like a layer of yellow carpet.

Zhao Wumian followed Xiao Yuanmu, carrying a bucket of water. His long boots made slight sounds as they stepped on the fallen leaves on the mountain path.

Under the ginkgo tree, there stands a tombstone with many ginkgo leaves fallen on it, and the words "Mother of the Cold Moon" simply engraved on it.

Zhao Wumian stopped in front of the tombstone, and his originally cheerful mood suddenly became a little depressed.

Jiu'er buried Xiao Lingyun with her own hands, and Xiao Lengyue also buried Crown Princess Yi'er with her own hands.

But under the heavy pressure from Emperor Taizu Gao, the two sisters were afraid that their graves would be dug up by the imperial court, so they unexpectedly used this format to carve the tombstones.

Xiao Lingyun and Crown Princess Yi'er, they died but couldn't even have their names engraved on their own tombstones.

At this moment, Zhao Wumian, as the Marquis of Weiming in the imperial court, felt the same way for the first time when he heard the word "traitor".

I don’t know how much suffering Xiao Lengyue and Xiao Yuanmu had endured in the past.

Xiao Yuanmu didn't know what Zhao Wumian was thinking. She squatted down and put the towel into the bucket to soak it, then wiped the tombstone silently, saying:
"Dig a hole next to the stele and put them up together. The two men haven't seen each other since they escaped from the capital. Now, more than 50 years have passed. At least we can put one piece of them on the tombstone, which is a consolation..." When Zhao Wumian was digging the hole to put up the stele, he found that Xiao Yuanmu started crying while wiping it.

Zhao Wumian glanced at her and asked, "Do you cry every year when you come to visit the grave?"

"Speak up."

"I suddenly want to see you sweep my grave and cry your eyes out after I die."

"Don't worry, if you really die, I won't live alone."

Zhao Wumian couldn't help but look at Xiao Yuanmu again.

After erecting the tombstone, Zhao Wumian rummaged around, picked a few flowers, filled the tomb, then took out some Tinglan wine and sprinkled it.

When going down the mountain, Zhao Wumian carried the empty bucket and walked through the woods.

He thought for a moment and said, "I'd better not be a traitor."

Xiao Yuanmu glanced at him sideways, "What do you mean? Do you want to completely surrender to your little lover in the capital?"

She knew that ever since Zhao Wumian developed feelings for Luo Chaoyan, he had never thought of coming back to rebel against the Luo family with her.

But he never said things so decisively, and Xiao Yuanmu never forced him to make a choice between the court and Taixuan Palace.

Xiao Yuanmu wouldn't force him, and Luo Chaoyan wouldn't force him either.

But now Zhao Wumian's words...

"When the country prospers, the people suffer; when the country perishes, the people suffer. When the rebels start a rebellion, if it succeeds, a lot of people will die; if it fails, a lot of people will die again... But the most fundamental reason is that I will die sooner or later. I just hope that after I die, the words 'Husband of Xiao Yuanmu' can be engraved on the tombstone."

The five words "Xiao Yuanmu's husband" seemed like Zhao Wumian was flirting with Xiao Yuanmu, but in fact, they had a profound meaning.

Xiao Yuanmu was a traitor. If her name was really on the tombstone, it would be strange if her grave was not dug up by the imperial court.

Even with Luo Chaoyan's personality, she would not do such a wicked thing. Even with Zhao Wumian's current identity, it would not be a big deal even if Xiao Yuanmu's name was really engraved... So Zhao Wumian's words only emphasized his attitude.

He wanted Xiao Yuanmu to live a clean life in this world. Even if Xiao Yuanmu died, the tombstone would be clearly engraved with "Tomb of Xiao Yuanmu" instead of words like "Wife of Weiming Hou" or "Mother of so-and-so".

For this reason, it doesn't matter even if Zhao Wumian can't have his own name engraved on his tombstone... In other words, as long as Xiao Yuanmu can live with a clear conscience, he doesn't care what the price is, even if he will be infamous for eternity.

But these words meant that Zhao Wumian had no intention of continuing to smooth things over and finally gave Xiao Yuanmu an answer.

Was he trying to recruit her for the imperial court? Zhao Wumian knew that this was impossible.

Xiao Lingyun and the Crown Princess died of depression because they were separated by the Luo family. Jiu'er and Lengyue almost sacrificed their entire lives to help Li Fuchen... How could Xiao Yuanmu give up just for the sake of temporary relief?

Xiao Yuanmu paused and suddenly laughed, "So what do you want to do?"

How does Zhao Wumian want to convince her?
"How about having a baby with you and making him the crown prince?"

Xiao Yuanmu did not answer, but retracted his gaze, looked straight ahead, and walked forward silently, as if he was considering whether this so-called "stealing and replacing" plan could be considered a betrayal if it succeeded.

But after she took a few steps, she suddenly squatted down, scooped up a handful of fallen leaves from the bushes in the mountains, and then threw them viciously at Zhao Wumian.

"You want to be Queen Zhao!?"

After going down the mountain and returning to Lin'an, they should have ridden their horses back to Tinglan Manor, but Xiao Yuanmu still had to do the general cleaning, so Zhao Wumian naturally followed her will.

Passing by a butcher's house, Xiao Yuanmu pointed inside.

"There used to be a big yellow dog there. Because we were tainted with the scent of wild animals in the mountains, it would glare at us every time we came down the mountain...Now it has long been dead of old age, and the butcher has skinned and eaten its meat."

“Why do you still care about these?”

"Because you once mentioned that big yellow dog to me."

Xiao Yuanmu withdrew his gaze and returned to the villa. The two of them noticed something was wrong before they even entered the door. They looked at each other and pushed the door open.

The yard was empty, and there was no trace of the white horse.

"Huh? Who dares to steal my horse?"

Zhao Wumian knew at a glance that they were targeted by horse thieves as soon as they entered the city.

Xiao Yuanmu thought it was funny and didn't care that the horse was stolen. She picked up the bucket and walked into the yard, fetching water from the well. "You go find the horse, I'll clean up."

With Xiao Yuanmu's temperament, he was too lazy to even pay any attention to this kind of small fry who came to cause trouble.

And if Zhao Wumian can't even find his lost horse, then he doesn't deserve to be called the leader of swords.

Zhao Wumian stood in front of the door, already relying on the amazing perception of the sword to search for the subtle clues. Looking closely, he saw scratches on the ground. It seemed that when the white horse was led away, someone deliberately rubbed the horseshoe on the ground...

Zhao Wumian was a little surprised. "I was wondering how it could be stolen so easily. It seems like it was playing dirty tricks on me and deliberately left clues for me to take down when I come back... It's worthy of being my beloved, it's smart..."

Before he finished his words, a wooden barrel flew out from the yard and hit Zhao Wumian, accompanied by Xiao Yuanmu's cold voice.

"Hurry up! Come and clean up with me after you find your horse. Don't try to use the excuse of finding a horse as an excuse to be lazy!"

After Zhao Wumian left, Xiao Yuanmu, a rebel leader, rolled up his sleeves and cleaned up the dirty yard that had been empty for more than a year.

Housework is obviously much easier than practicing martial arts and fighting, but it is too much, too complicated and too boring.

But Xiao Yuanmu's expression was focused and her movements were serious. The sunlight fell on her, making her skin look white as jade and her features as picturesque as a painting. However, she was too young, and looked like a child who had to support her family independently because of her poor family background.

After all, it's my home.

While cleaning, Xiao Yuanmu was also thinking about what Zhao Wumian said when they were sweeping the tombs on the mountain, and pondering the great cause of against Li Fuchen...but soon she stopped thinking about these important matters.

She thought of herself.

She now seemed to have returned to her childhood, but this was just her wishful thinking.

Now that they have all returned to Guichan, Xiao Yuanmu is no longer the little girl who lived in the yard and practiced martial arts every day, and Zhao Wumian is no longer the childhood sweetheart who only came back during the New Year... He no longer remembers her.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yuanmu suddenly lost his mood.

She put down the rag, jumped up, sat on the wall, and looked at the West Lake outside the yard.

There are many pleasure boats on the West Lake, where men and women go boating, showing affection...

She looked away again, sighed secretly, and whispered: "Time has passed, but it is not without some good things. I used to think that I was getting older, but now I can be considered to be rejuvenated in a sense..."

"What are you mumbling about?"

Xiao Yuanmu suddenly heard a familiar voice in her ear. She looked and saw Zhao Wumian standing under the wall leading a white horse. He looked up and smiled at her.

Xiao Yuanmu stood there in a daze, and in a trance, he seemed to see Zhao Wumian's former appearance.

As she looked, she became distracted.

It took her a few seconds to react.

He looked away like he did when he was a child, snorted, and jumped off the wall.

"When you find your horse, come and clean up with me..."

"Good good..."

Zhao Wumian laughed helplessly a few times and walked into the yard with his horse...

(End of this chapter)