Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Nianyao and Ji Kongming sat back to back, drinking bowl after bowl of tea. The brothers who weren't on missions sat in a circle around them. Liu Lin leaned against a pillar in the tea room, watching them.

Qin Jiu played chess with Luo An, while Nan Fei watched, seemingly unaffected by the noise outside; the atmosphere even appeared somewhat tense. After a short while, Qin Jiu unsurprisingly lost.

From the beginning when a game of chess lasted only half an incense stick's time to now when a game lasts half an hour, Qin Jiu hasn't won a single game. Nan Fei looked at the chessboard with worry: "Young Master, if this continues, won't you lose in another year or two?"

Qin Jiu only played one game at a time, never lingering in the match. He left the teahouse and went to the square to drink with his brothers.

Luo An was probably a little tired from walking, so he walked out of the teahouse and stood by the corridor looking at the night sky. Nan Fei stood next to him, watching the bustling scene in the square, and said with a hint of sarcasm, "It's really lively."

She was drinking and making merry before her own father's body was even cold. A daughter like Nianyao, she forgets even her father when she has a man.

Liu Lin heard the sarcasm in his words: "The Great River Gang lives on the edge, so their safe return is indeed something to celebrate. The old leader didn't shed a single tear when he passed away. It's good to take this opportunity to ease their emotions; even Chang Ge should have cried."

Nanfei said, "Uncle Liu is truly well-mannered."

Liu Lin said, "Birth, aging, sickness and death are the laws of nature, there is no need to be too sad."

Nianyao looked up and saw them, then staggered over. She held a wine jar in one hand and pulled Luo An with the other: "Come on, let's drink. You drink too today. We won't leave until we're drunk."

Nianyao reeked of alcohol, and Luo An frowned slightly, almost imperceptibly. Liu Lin reached for her wine jar: "Chief, you're drunk. You can't drink anymore."

Nianyao raised her hand and spun around to avoid it: "If you don't drink, I'll make you drink. The Great River Gang are all heroes who can eat, drink, cross rivers and seas. Someone like you, who has fallen into the Great River Gang and is pretending to be a noble young master, is not worthy of being a member of the Great River Gang at all."

Ji Kongming, who had also drunk quite a bit, came over upon hearing this: "Brother Luo, no, you're younger than me, I should call you 'Brother Xian.' Brother Xian, after you drink this bowl of wine today, you're officially a member of the Great River Gang. From now on, we won't call you 'Doctor,' we'll call you 'Brother.' If anything happens, I'll protect you. Come on..."

Nan Fei coldly replied, "If the young master won't drink, I'll drink in his place. My brother doesn't need to; you're not worthy."

Nan Fei took the bowl from Ji Kongming's hand, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, then smashed the bowl on the ground with a bang, shattering it into pieces.

The lively atmosphere suddenly seemed to be sealed off. Liu Lin said in a deep voice, "Xuesong, Hongsong, the gang leader is drunk. Take her back to her room to rest."

Nianyao said, "I'm not drunk, I want to drink more."

She stumbled backward, collapsing onto the ground in the square. She grabbed a jar at random—empty—then grabbed another—empty…

Nianyao said, "Bring the wine."

Ji Kongming picked up the wine jar and was about to hand it to her when Qin Jiu took it from him: "Kongming, you can't drink anymore. The people of the Great River Gang don't care much about life and death, and they don't have so many formalities. But the old gang leader has just passed away, and you're already drunk and making a scene. What kind of behavior is this?"

Ji Kongming lowered his head and said, "Uncle Jiu is right."

Nianyao was finally drunk. She curled up like a small animal and murmured, "Wine, give me wine."

Liu Lin couldn't bear it, so he went over and carried her back to the room in the backyard. He covered Nianyao with the blanket, and Nianyao suddenly tugged at his sleeve: "Dad."

Nianyao strained her eyes to make out Liulin's features: "Father, you're back. Yao'er missed you so much."

Liu Lin sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed her messy hair: "Yao'er, be good and go to sleep."

Nianyao nodded obediently and tucked her hands under the covers: "Dad, Yao'er will sleep well. You have to stay here with me and tell me stories."

Nianyao has a good alcohol tolerance and behaves well when drunk. She doesn't do anything crazy when she's drunk; she just sleeps soundly. Liu Lin knows this, which is why he lets her drink.

Liu Lin reached for the "Northern Mountain Strategy" on the table and opened it to the first page: "In ancient times, Emperor Yan had a daughter named Jingwei..."

Nianyao continued, "Jingwei went to the East Sea for a visit. The Dragon Prince of the East Sea was amazed by her beauty, captured her soul, and imprisoned her in the East Sea Dragon Palace. Her body transformed into a divine bird, which carried wood and stones from the Western Mountains, intending to fill up the East Sea."

Nianyao slowly closed her eyes: "Dad, can you give me a new story? I can recite it by heart."

When Liu Lin returned to the square in front, he only saw a few of his brothers cleaning up the area; the rest had dispersed.

In the tea room, Luo An peeled melon seeds, his eyes fixed on a half-finished game of chess. Nan Fei reclined on the platform, legs crossed, flipping through a book. The two were relaxed and at ease, as if nothing had just happened.

Three years ago, the old gang leader fell seriously ill, and many doctors were consulted but none could cure him. It was said that the Jade-Faced Divine Physician Luo An, who could bring the dead back to life, was practicing medicine in Guangzhou, so Liu Lin went to invite him personally.

After Luo An arrived, the old gang leader's illness did improve for a while. However, since then, his health has fluctuated, and overall, it seems to be declining day by day. As a result, Luo An stayed on the island and never left again, transforming from a traveling doctor into the doctor of the Great River Gang.

Nanfei said, "The old leader didn't take care of himself when he was young, and now that he's older, he's naturally plagued by all sorts of illnesses and isn't as good as he used to be."

Before his death, the old gang leader said to Liu Lin, "Young Master Luo will definitely not be interested in Yao'er. Their marriage is just a temporary measure. No matter what happens in the gang, you must ensure the safety of Doctor Luo and Yao'er. Xu Lai is a former imperial guard from Dongyang, so be careful."

As a temporary measure, it's understandable that the old gang leader persuaded Nianyao to marry him, since she's his own daughter. But how did he convince Luo An? Luo An couldn't have been forced.

Luo An was a strange figure; he was silent yet no one bullied him. Standing, he was a sight to behold; sitting, he was the master. When he sat in the tea room, others felt a little intimidated even before they entered.

If they could live a peaceful life on land, who would want to brave the storms of the Great River Gang? One big wave and the whole boat would be sacrificed to the river god. The Great River Gang provides generous compensation to families, but once a person dies, it's like a lamp going out—what good is that?

These are the brothers' exact words. Everyone who comes to the Great River Gang has some kind of compelling reason. So what is Luo An's compelling reason?

Smashing bowls and jars was not uncommon in the Dahe Gang, but few smashed them as delicately and resolutely as Nanfei. His posture, while considered rude by most of the gang's younger members, exuded elegance as he leaned back.

Nan Fei said they were from Fengzhou. Liu Lin suddenly remembered a rumor: the youngest son of the Nan family was exceptionally handsome and had been betrothed to Yuan Feng, the commander of the Zhenbei Army, since childhood, and they married at the age of fifteen. The Zhenbei Army was stationed in Fengzhou.

Mo Nan Fengzhou? Endless yellow sand? Phoenix? Liu Lin looked at Nan Fei's yellowish-brown robe with exquisite phoenix embroidery on the cuffs and cursed himself for being stupid.

Liu Lin stared at them, lost in thought, for too long. Nan Fei put away his book and said, "Uncle Liu, come in."

Liu Lin walked in and sat down next to Nan Fei. Nan Fei was quite surprised and subconsciously moved to the side.

Both Nanfei and Luo An loved reading. Luo An had read many medical books and pharmacopoeias. Nanfei never read medical books, but he was thoroughly enjoying this book, "The Six Secret Teachings with Annotations."

Liu Lin said, "Nanfei, your mother is the eldest son, and your sister is getting married. Why aren't you, her brother-in-law, going to the wedding?"

The Crown Princess whom Dongyang is marrying this time is Nanhua, a daughter whose ancestral home is Bianjing South Prefecture in Youzhou.

The book in Nanfei's hand slipped, but he caught it just in time. Even Luo An turned his head to look over.