The Glory After Rebirth [ɇÇ”Ÿä¹‹Å°Šè£] Chapter 418- 420

Chapter 418: An After-Wedding Visit to the Ling Family (2)

Just as Yuwen Tong had expected, when the two of them met the Ling family, Ling Xingzhong and some others observed that Ling Maomao had put on some weight during his several-day stay in the palace at the sight of the little boy. On hearing their remarks, Ling Zhang couldn’t help but pull a wry face.

This time around, apart from paying an after-wedding visit to his family, Ling Zhang had come here mainly to check on Ling Zhaowen’s preparations for his journey and see if there was anything he could do to help.

“Don’t worry. It’s all taken care of. I’m your uncle, an adult, remember? I’m totally capable of handling this kind of stuff.”

Though Ling Zhaowen said these words in a seemingly disapproving tone, there was smile on his face all along. It was obvious that his nephew’s solicitude for him gladdened his heart. Standing on the side, Ling Zhaowu, who was Ling Zhang’s natural father, actually felt a little jealous at the sight of this. Ling Zhaowen noticed it but made no effort to restrain himself. He even deliberately chuckled in the presence of his big brother.

Ling Zhaowu, “…”

He might really beat Ling Zhaowen up were the latter not his little brother.

Ling Zhaowen’s baggage had indeed been prepared some time before. Steward He and Li Fu would go to Shengzhou with him. The former would act as the butler, and the latter a personal servant. Aside from them, two secret bodyguards of Yuwen Tong’s would also be accompanying them. As Shengzhou was under Yuwen Tong’s complete control, for the moment there was no need to worry about Ling Zhaowen’s safety in that city.

Before lunch, Ling Zhaowen called Ling Zhang in to have an uncle-nephew talk with him in private.

“I’ll depart the day after tomorrow. All necessary arrangements have been made for things in this house to be handled, so you don’t have to concern yourself about anything. Your father’s here, and nothing could go wrong under his watch.”

When Ling Zhaowen made the last remark, his tone was imbued with his absolute trust in his big brother. On hearing this, Ling Zhang cast him another look, wondering if his uncle had perceived something, for there seemed to some kind of undertone in his words.

Unsurprisingly, Ling Zhaowen, after saying that, glanced at Ling Zhang and continued, “There’s no doubt your father has been through quite some hardships. I could tell that things between you two have become a lot more natural recently, so I think it’s safe to say you’ve made peace with the past. It’s a pretty good thing. I have complete peace of mind now.”

“Uncle Zhaowen…” Words failed Ling Zhang. Previously he’d never kept anything from his uncle, but afterward, secrets about him had seemed to pile up, and he didn’t know how to explain any of them to his uncle. Now, after hearing these words of Ling Zhaowen’s, Ling Zhang felt rather upset, wondering if he was doing the wrong thing.

Ling Zhaowen, who knew his nephew just as well as he did his own son, could divine what his nephew was thinking just by looking at him, so he hurriedly raised his hand to stop his nephew from overthinking it. “I’m not saying that you did something wrong. I’m really very happy to see that you and your father have let go of those things. I’ve watched you grow up, and your father is my blood brother. You two being okay means the world to me.”

Ling Zhang gave a bob of the head. “Um.”

Ling Zhaowen put his hand down and smiled, “Good boy.”

Ling Zhang was somewhat embarrassed by this compliment from his uncle. Seldom had his uncle praised him this way since he’d reached adulthood.

“On the surface your father seems to have changed a lot, but in fact he’s just as mulish as always. It’s just that when he was young, his stubbornness verged on the bigoted. Now he’s older, and he’s buried his intransigence fathoms deep, but he’s as protective of you as he was of your mother in the past. There’s no guarantee he wouldn’t do the same thing again if anything happens to you, so you must take good care of yourself.”

“I know,” replied Ling Zhang in a quiet voice.

“Lately your father’s physical condition has been getting better and better. He looks a lot healthier than he did when he first returned home. Also, his face is less sunken, and he appears much younger after being nursed back to health. He’s only in his late thirties and is quite virile, but he doesn’t have a partner by his side. I tried to persuade him to find one, but he wouldn’t listen. He’s quite opinionated in this regard as well.”

As he finished speaking, Ling Zhaowen let out a sigh. It struck him that his big brother hadn’t been able to enjoy life for a single day during the past so many years. His wife had died an early death, and he himself had developed dementia and sustained grievous injuries which had almost cost his life. So many years had passed, and he didn’t even have a partner to keep him company.

“You want me to convince my father to remarry, Uncle Zhaowen?” asked Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhaowen looked at him, his face somewhat apologetic. “Without a marriage partner, your father is very lonesome.”

“I understand. There’s no need for you to feel guilty about what I’ve been through. Actually I once mentioned this to my father in a roundabout way, but he steered the conversation away. It’ll take time. I need a suitable opportunity, and I also need to respect my father’s will,” said Ling Zhang.

He knew what Ling Zhaowen meant, but he also understood why his father was doing this. If he were his father, he wouldn’t be able to forget a love so deep it had been engraved permanently on his heart either. Besides, his father had undergone a rebirth. Given that his father had never remarried in his last incarnation, it was very unlikely that he would be able to move on and marry another woman in this one. Still, his uncle had a point, and Ling Zhang indeed worried that his father would feel lonely if he stayed a widower for too long, so he would try to persuade his father again if the occasion arose.

“You’re right,” remarked Ling Zhaowen with a nod.

After the uncle and nephew sat down, most of the time Ling Zhaowen was talking about Ling Zhaowu, and Ling Zhang’s face took on a reminiscent look as he listened. Despite the many-year separation, things between his uncle and his father didn’t seem to have changed a bit. The brotherhood between them had always been so strong.

“Uncle Zhaowen, the climate in Shengzhou is somewhat different from the one in this city. You might be unaccustomed to it when you first get there. Maybe I should have Qiu Bing go there with you in case you need any medical help.”

Ling Zhaowen declined the offer. “That won’t be necessary. It’ll be better if Qiu Bing stays here with you. My constitution is pretty strong. I’m sure I can handle a minor climate change. Besides, there are physicians in Shengzhou as well, aren’t there? And they’re definitely more experienced in treating that kind of ailments.”

Ling Zhaowen didn’t want to take too many people with him to Shengzhou where he was to take office, for it’d be bad for him integrating with the local community. The fewer people and baggage he brought, the better.

…

At the same time, Yuwen Tong was also having a private talk with someone – Ji Yanlai.

“… I’ve already made arrangements for some men to go there. They’ll get everything ready beforehand and wait for you in Haizhou,” said Yuwen Tong. According to the terms of their deal, he was to grant Ji Yanlai official permission to go to the island. He had already sent some men there to inform the local authorities. The situation in Haizhou was fairly peaceful, so there wouldn’t be any serious problems.

Ji Yanlai inclined his head. “I’ll send a message to my big sister and have her make contact with your men.”

Thus it was settled. Actually there weren’t many things the two of them could talk about. Yuwen Tong was just about to end the conversation when he heard Ji Yanlai say, “You still haven’t settled the matter of Jiangzhou?”

Ji Yanlai was not the kind of person who would interfere in this kind of things. As long as the sky wasn’t falling, he wouldn’t be interested in asking a single question about anything of this sort. Given that he was suddenly inquiring about Jiangzhou, there was no doubt that something had happened in that city.

“Not yet. Is something going to happen in Jiangzhou?” asked Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang had once told him that Ji Yanlai possessed extraordinary intuition. In other words, Ji Yanlai had perceived some portents, which was why Yuwen Tong directly asked him whether or not something was going to happen in Jiangzhou.

Ji Yanlai replied, “I could only sense that something’s not quite right in Jiangzhou. Maybe there’s going to be a disaster. You’d better be careful.”

Yuwen Tong gave a bob of the head. “I see. Thank you for the forewarning.”

Ji Yanlai would never forewarn anybody for no good reason. Previously Yuwen Tong had sent some men to Jiangzhou to deal with the situation there. Currently, Jiangzhou was under the control of the original garrison. Because of the enthronement ceremony, the imperial wedding and the necessity to hold the situation in Cangzhou in check, Yuwen Tong, instead of playing hardball with the Jiangzhou garrison, had had a lot of men infiltrate into Jiangzhou, planning to disband the armed forces there from within. However, now that Ji Yanlai had given him a word of warning, Yuwen Tong naturally became vigilant, feeling that the matter of Jiangzhou brooked no delay and must be resolved as soon as possible.

Since Ji Yanlai had said that the matter of Jiangzhou might cause a disaster, he would nip it in the bud.

Seeing that Yuwen Tong had come to know what to expect, Ji Yanlai, who had a sense of propriety, made no more remarks.

“By the way, thank you for those diagrams of martial formations.” Yuwen Tong recalled the wedding gifts from Ji Yanlai and expressed his gratitude.

Considering Ji Yin had given Ling Zhang some diagrams to be his trousseau, those that Ji Yanlai had presented to him afterward were a token of Ji Yanlai’s generosity.

Ji Yanlai said, “Those are just some martial formations suitable to use on the battlefield. For you, they’re only the icing on the cake. You don’t have to thank me for it. If I continue to keep them, they’ll end up being buried in dust. In your hands, they might be able to serve the purpose they’re meant for.”

Yuwen Tong had read those diagrams, so he naturally knew about the value of them. Those formations could be of much practical use to him. Ji Yanlai had indeed put quite some thought into those gifts.

“If you really want to thank me, you may give me some good stuff after you unify the world,” added Ji Yanlai.

Yuwen Tong’s heart lurched. These words of Ji Yanlai’s suggested that he had probably foreseen something. No matter what, he would come to know about it when the time came. “You have my word,” said Yuwen Tong.

Ji Yanlai had always liked Yuwen Tong’s briskness, and this occasion was no exception.

…

Ling Zhang, after finishing his talk with Ling Zhaowen, went to see Fu Caiwei, who looked pretty well, unaffected by Ling Zhaowen’s upcoming departure. This gave Ling Zhang a great sense of relief.

When he had walked out of Fu Caiwei’s courtyard house, he caught sight of Yuwen Tong waiting for him at the front gates.

“Why are you here?”

“It’s almost lunchtime. I came here to walk you to the dinning room. How does your aunt look? Is she okay?”

“Yeah. Those middle-aged handmaids told me that recently her appetite has been fairly good, and she smiles a lot.”

Yuwen Tong took his hand and the two of them walked abreast, the others following in their wake, keeping a moderate distance from the two of them. Yuwen Tong told him about the forewarning from Ji Yanlai. Ling Zhang’s eyebrows contracted slightly. “Something’s going to happen in Jiangzhou?”

“No matter what, I need to send some more men to Jiangzhou. This has to be settled as soon as possible,” said Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang gave it some thought and said, “I’ll go.”

Yuwen Tong tightened his hold on Ling Zhang’s hand and looked at him. “Jiangzhou is too dangerous for you to go to. It’s better if I have Jiang Xi go there to handle it.”

Ling Zhang said, “One of us have to personally pay a visit to Jiangzhou. Right now this city needs you, which makes me the only one who can do it. Now that the Clan Leader has given you a word of forewarning, the matter of Jiangzhou is definitely not as simple as it seems. I cannot have full peace of mind without personally going there to see it with my own eyes.”

Yuwen Tong still refused to relent. Jiangzhou was too dangerous. If he let Ling Zhang go there, he would be on tenterhooks at all times. If anything happened to Ling Zhang, he would be devastated and never be able to perform his duties as the emperor. The very thought of that possibility sent a chill down Yuwen Tong’s spine. He grasped Ling Zhang’s hand and wouldn’t budge an inch on the issue, no matter how hard Ling Zhang tried to convince him.

Chapter 419: Artless Innocence of Childhood Friends

Two days later, Ling Zhaowen departed for Shengzhou. Ling Zhang went out of the palace to see his uncle off.

After another two days, Ji Yin and Ji Yanlai also prepared themselves to leave the capital city, intending to return to the Sanguan Mountains.

People in the Ling Mansion started packing early in the morning. It was mainly Ji Yanlai’s and Ji Xiaocong’s bags that they were packing. The uncle and nephew seemed to have sharp curiosity about everything and wanted to include everything in sight as part of their baggage. Had there been any proper methods of preserving food for long, they would purchase all the delicacies for sale in the streets and alleys of the whole capital city and bring them back to the Millennium Pavilion.

Ling Maomao was running around helping Ji Xiaocong pack, his face drenched with sweat, Ji Xiaocong at his heels with laden arms. On entering the house, Ling Zhang was astonished by the two little boys rushed off their feet. At the sight of Ji Xiaocong quickly clattering around with a bag of things in his arms that almost blocked his view of his path, Ling Zhang was taken aback and hastened to his help.

When he had taken the bag from the boy, he found that the contents were just some sundry small items, all of which were doodads appealing to children.

“Do you want these packed as well?”

“Yeah!”

Ji Xiaocong made a reply excitedly, his eyes twinkling with merriment as he watched his bag grow fuller.

Ling Maomao walked over, took the bag from Ling Zhang’s hand and put it into a trunk, his forehead and cheeks sopping wet with sweat, a faintly sulky expression on his face, appearing to be a trifle unhappy. Ling Zhang, who could tell at a glance what it was about, didn’t say anything and just wiped the sweat off the boy’s face.

“Is there anything else, Cong?” Ling Maomao asked Ji Xiaocong.

Ji Xiaocong pivoted around and broke into a trot, clattering away to look for more, Ling Maomao following in his wake at a gentle pace. The two of them had been living in the same house. Originally this house had had only Ling Maomao’s things inside it, but afterward Ji Xiaocong had moved in, and then within only a couple of days, a lot of Ji Xiaocong’s things had been brought into the house. They were literally everywhere. Ling Zhang couldn’t find a single position in this house where he couldn’t find any knick-knacks within his reach.

Ji Xiaocong ran into the bedroom, pointed at a small case on the side and said, “This one.”

The contents of the case were also miscellaneous, including a kite, some glass beads from abroad, an exquisite pouch… Ling Maomao looked at the case, tentatively tried moving it but found that it was rather heavy. His face reddened from the effort but he still couldn’t budge it, so he gave up, appearing somewhat vexed.

Seeing this, Ling Zhang walked over and picked up the case for him. “Don’t worry. You’ll have enough strength for this when you grow a little taller.”

Ji Xiaocong watched Ling Zhang leave with the case, then climbed onto the bed, crawled to the depths of it and pulled out a pillow and a small-sized quilt. Ling Maomao was somewhat surprised at the sight of this. “Cong, you want to take this away as well?”

Ji Xiaocong nodded vigorously. “Yeah!”

He had slept with his head on this pillow and this quilt over his body, so of course these things belonged to him now. Although he had a pillow and a quilt at home which he had been using since birth and he liked them very much, this pillow and this quilt were also his favorites. The very thought of leaving them alone in this place saddened Ji Xiaocong.

On top of that… Ji Xiaocong stole a glance at the pillow and the quilt on the side, slightly inclined to take them too, though they were Ling Maomao’s.

Ling Maomao panicked a little. “But, if you take them, there won’t be anything of yours left in this house.”

Ling Zhang, who had just brought the case outside, returned just in time to see this scene. He paused, gave it some thought and decided not to interrupt them.

Holding the pillow and the quilt, Ji Xiaocong was unwilling to put them down and even greedily wanted to take Ling Maomao’s pillow and quilt away too. The artless little boy didn’t think much about this matter. He just wanted to take away all the good, familiar things and hide them. It was at the sight of Ling Maomao’s injured face that he looked somewhat astonished and slowly slackened his grip. “B–But I want to take them back home, because they’ll remind me of you whenever I see them.”

Ling Maomao was also astonished. Was that so? Should he let Ji Xiaocong take them away or should he not? But this little jerk Ji Xiaocong had ransacked this whole house and didn’t leave anything of his behind.

Eventually it was Ling Maomao who compromised. “Okay then, you may take them.”

As Ji Xiaocong saw Ling Maomao relent, smile reappeared on his face and he started crawling down the bed with the pillow and the quilt in his arms, but the two things were too large for his size and he lost his balance. Ling Maomao hurriedly flung out his arms to stop him from falling, scooped him up, put him down onto the ground and then took the quilt from his arms. “I’ll take it there for you.”

Holding a pillow and a quilt respectively, the two boys trotted outside and handed them to someone who was packing. The one packing Ji Xiaocong’s bags was one of Ji Yanlai’s men, a guard of the Millennium Pavilion, who was manifestly surprised to see that Ji Xiaocong wanted his pillow and quilt packed as well. “Young Master, you want these taken back too?”

“Yeah,” replied Ji Xiaocong seriously.

The guard didn’t make any remarks, took the pillow and the quilt from the boy and packed them, feeling that adding another couple of things to the baggage wasn’t any trouble at all, given how many things he had packed already. Since these things took his young master’s fancy, it was his duty to bring them back.

Ling Zhang, somewhat amused by this scene, called Ji Xiaocong over and asked him if there was anything else he wanted to buy.

Surprisingly enough, this time Ji Xiaocong shook his head and responded, “No. I’ll buy more the next time I come here.”

He’d come here again? Ling Maomao’s eyes lit up as he heard this on the side. Ling Zhang inwardly let out a sigh, feeling that it probably wouldn’t be easy for the boy to get another chance to visit this city again.

After having the quilt and the pillow packed, Ji Xiaocong double-checked the house and confirmed that everything he wanted to take away and could take away had been packed. There were some items which were too large to fit in a carriage and he had to give up, such as the bed, the table et cetera, at which he stared for quite a while.

Ling Maomao was horrified by the look on Ji Xiaocong’s face, fearing that he would have the whole house taken apart and transported away.

Ling Zhang quietly watched this, secretly amused, a warm glow flaring inside him, knowing that it was not the whole house but the memories of it that Ji Xiaocong wanted to take with him, that it was probably Ling Maomao, his playmate, that the little boy wanted to take away the most.

“Brother Maomao, I want you to have this,” said Ji Xiaocong, pulling a jade pendant on a string out of his clothes and removing it from his neck.

Ling Zhang was startled at the sight of this. During that visit to the Millennium Pavilion, he had come to know what this jade pendant represented. Every member of the Millennium Pavilion owned a jade pendant of this kind. Every pendant was unique and of great significance to its wearer. Besides, Ji Xiaocong was probably the successor to the clan leader of the Millennium Pavilion. If this pendant was gifted to someone else, Ji Xiaocong might have to face unimaginable consequences.

“Wait, Cong.” Ling Zhang had no choice but to walk up to the two boys, interrupting their conversation.

Holding the jade pendant, Ji Xiaocong looked at him in bemusement.

Ling Zhang crouched down and explained, “This pendant is very important to you. You can’t give it to Maomao just like this.”

Eyes on him, Ji Xiaocong said calmly, “I know. My uncle said everybody in our clan could only have one pendant of this kind in their whole life. This is why I want Brother Maomao to have it.”

Children’s thoughts are simple and clear, and their words are usually so plain that they tend to serve only one purpose. Moreover, Ji Xiaocong had some kind of air about him when he was calm, making his remarks very convincing.

Ling Zhang raised his head and gently stroked Ji Xiaocong’s. “I know you understand, and I also know why you want Brother Maomao to have it, but this pendant might be a lifesaver for you, and it works on nobody but you. If you give it to Brother Maomao, what would you do if some day you’re in need of it?”

A young boy as Ling Maomao was, the meaning of the word “lifesaver” was within his grasp. On hearing this, he hastily said, “You need to put this pendant away, Cong, and you should never take it out again unless you have to.”

Ji Xiaocong looked from Ling Zhang to Ling Maomao and hung his head, silently holding the pendant, a somewhat injured look on his face.

Ling Maomao circled around him in anxiety. “Cong, Cong, don’t be upset. How about you give me something else?”

“Cong.”

A voice was suddenly heard. None of them knew when, but Ji Yanlai had shown up in the doorway, watching.

“Some day you may give it to someone else, but not now,” said Ji Yanlai, walking up to them. “You’ll have to wait until you’re fourteen at the earliest.”

Ji Xiaocong looked up at him. The uncle and nephew stared at each other for a long moment. Eventually, Ji Xiaocong lowered his head and put the pendant back into his clothes.

Looking at him, Ji Yanlai took out a bracelet made of Chinese parasol wood, which seemed fairly ancient. The sculpted reliefs on it had worn quite smooth. Ling Zhang instantly recalled that gigantic Chinese parasol tree in the Millennium Pavilion, which had seemed to have become sentient.

“This is your bracelet. If you want to give Maomao something, you may give him this.”

Ji Xiaocong’s eyes brightened again, smile reappearing on his face. He took the bracelet and handed it to Ling Maomao. “Brother Maomao, take this.”

Ling Maomao, who could tell that this thing was very precious as well, looked at Ling Zhang first, who inclined his head. Ling Maomao beamed, happily took the bracelet from Ji Xiaocong’s hand and said, “Thank you, Cong.”

After that, something occurred to him and he added, “I’ll be back in a moment.”

With that he turned around and ran into the bedroom. Ji Xiaocong immediately took to his heels and followed, clattering into the bedroom as well.

Ling Zhang, “…”

It was a casket that Ling Maomao fished out, which contained all the possessions he’d cherished the most since he could remember. He opened it and showed Ji Xiaocong the contents, telling him the stories behind each and every one of them. When he had finished, he closed the casket.

Watching this from outside, Ling Zhang was thrown into perplexity. He had thought that Ling Maomao would pick one of those things and gift it to Ji Xiaocong. What was Ling Maomao doing?

The next moment, he saw Ling Maomao pressed the whole casket into Ji Xiaocong’s hands and said, “I want you to have them all.”

Ling Zhang’s mouth instantaneously fell open. He had once attempted to check what was inside the casket but Ling Maomao wouldn’t even let him touch it, and now he was giving the whole casket of them to Ji Xiaocong?!

Even Ji Yanlai lifted his eyebrows.

Holding the casket, Ji Xiaocong was stupefied at first, but then he gave a jump for happiness. “Brother Maomao, are you seriously giving me all these?”

“Yeah,” replied Ling Maomao firmly, though secretly somewhat reluctant.

Ji Xiaocong kept jumping happily, cuddling the casket close as though it were some kind of treasure. Seeing Ji Xiaocong scampering around, Ling Maomao grinned in delight, Ji Xiaocong’s bracelet around his wrist.

Watching this scene, Ling Zhang didn’t know what to say. These two kids really hit it off. Pity it probably wouldn’t be easy for them to see each other again. He felt somewhat sorry for Ling Maomao, because after all, it’s not every day that you could find a kindred spirit. He wished that the two of them would have more chances to see each other, that the pure friendship between them would endure.

Holding the casket in his arms, Ji Xiaocong refused to let the guard put it into the trunk, insisting on carrying it personally. It was at noon that they departed, and before that, Ji Xiaocong had carried the casket with him wherever he went.

Chapter 420: Seeing Members of the Millennium Pavilion Off

“Grandfather,” called Ling Zhang who were packing Ji Yin’s bags in Ji Yin’s courtyard house. Ji Yin had just returned from Ling Xingzhong’s house where the two old men had finished a game of Chinese chess a short while before. Playing Chinese chess was a hobby they’d recently developed. Since Ji Yin would leave soon and the two of them enjoyed each other’s company as chess partners pretty much, they’d decided to have an extra game.

Ling Zhang could tell from the smile curling the corners of his maternal grandfather’s mouth that he had definitely won the game. It struck Ling Zhang as quite interesting that his two grandfathers both played Chinese chess in the same open and honest way that they conducted themselves, which was why the two old man were six of one and half a dozen of the other in terms of their prowess as chess players, and they valued each other very much as chess opponents. Therefore, for Ji Yin, this victory was something worth feeling happy about.

“You won another game against my paternal grandfather?”

Ji Yin smiled, “I’m in luck today. Just now when I left, your paternal grandfather was in a bad mood and said he wouldn’t play chess with me again. I bet he was just bluffing, given that it’ll be at least half a year before I come to this city again.”

Ling Zhang said, “I’m sure he’ll miss you. His frustration is just momentary. It won’t be long before his addiction to Chinese chess gets the better of him.”

As a result, right now his heart ached somewhat for his paternal grandfather. After Ji Yin, a match for Ling Xingzhong at Chinese chess left, the latter probably wouldn’t even be able to derive as much pleasure from playing Chinese chess as he used to do.

With this in mind, Ling Zhang thought of Mr. Mu. “Is Mr. Mu sure he doesn’t want to go back with you?”

“He’s staying. He has no family or relative in the Millennium Pavilion. His master has passed away, and his fellow apprentices have all got married. He’s been living on his own all these years, so he doesn’t really need to go back there to pack anything. It strikes me that he won’t go back there anytime soon. Lately that bodyguard of that Yuwen boy’s, Xie Shi, has been coming here to visit him on a daily basis. I think the two of them hit it off, because sometimes they stay indoors researching something all day long. For this reason alone, he’s definitely staying.”

Ji Yin talked about Mr. Mu as though the latter were a child who had found something interesting and thus refused to go home.

Naturally Ling Zhang also hoped Mr. Mu would stay, because his aunt was pregnant, and his paternal grandfather and his father needed medication to improve their health. With the help of Mr. Mu, a miracle-working physician, all these matters would be settled.

“Then I’ll get him all the medicinal herbs he needs, so that he might stay in this city for another few days.”

Ji Yin said, “That’s a good idea. Don’t worry. On the surface he seems to be gentle and somewhat stuffy, but deep down he’s actually rather abandoned. Previously when he was in the mountains, there were rules he had to follow, but now, he’s finally rid of those rules, and there are so many things fresh to him in the outside world, so by no means would he go back in a hurry.”

On hearing this, Ling Zhang smiled and exchanged a knowing glance with Ji Yin, and with that the grandfather and grandson grinned with the air of two smug old foxes whose trick had worked.

“Grandfather, this time around, after you go back there, you’ll definitely have to deal with a lot of things. Please don’t overwork yourself.”

“I know. Don’t worry. I’m a very robust man.”

While packing, the grandfather and grandson chatted away. Ji Yin didn’t have many things to pack. Unlike Ji Yanlai and his nephew Ji Xiaocong, Ji Yin always preferred to travel light, bringing only some necessities with him wherever his destination was, which was why on this occasion, inside his travel bag were only some books and changes of clothes.

“Have you talked with those stewards?” Ji Yin asked Ling Zhang.

He was referring to the stewards responsible for managing the stores and manors that had been transferred to Ling Zhang.

“No. I just ran an eye over those account books. I’ll put my father in charge of all those businesses. Some of the stewards were at the wedding that day, so I met them once.”

Now that Ling Zhang had decided to let Ling Zhaowu handle the matter of building a business network, he wouldn’t overtly interfere with any part of it.

Ji Yin inclined his head. “Anyway I’ve handed all of them over to you already, so I’ll leave it up to you and your father to use your discretion. I’m a geriatric now, and I’m glad to be extricated from these things.”

Ling Zhang flicked him a glance and observed disapprovingly, “You should stop saying that, Grandfather. You’re not a geriatric.”

Ji Yin kept saying that he was at his advanced age, but in fact he looked even younger than Ling Zhang’s father, which would be even more obvious if he trimmed his mustache. On top of that, Ling Zhang privately wished Ji Yin would stay this way and never age.

Ji Yin chuckled, probably because he found his grandson’s words rather childish. He didn’t need to do much thinking to guess what his grandson was thinking, but he was not really worried that he wouldn’t be able to live long enough to see Ling Zhang grow old. Before he found Ling Zhang, he’d taken an unconcerned attitude towards the cultivation of internal energy, but recently he’d started considering how to take the next rung up, because only powerful internal energy could help him live longer, allowing him more time to spend with his grandson.

…

After packing, the grandfather and grandson went to the dinning room together to have lunch. The whole family was there. This was intended as a farewell meal for Ji Yin and the others who were going to depart soon.

During the past few days, the Ling family had regarded both Ji Yanlai, who appeared taciturn but was actually very easy to get along with, and his adorable nephew Ji Xiaocong as family. They were all loath to part with the group of them. Ling Xingzhong, who had jumped and complained in annoyance after losing a game of Chinese chess to Ji Yin in the morning, was now quite upset about the fact that this in-law of his had to leave. The two little boys, Ling Maomao and Ji Xiaocong, were sitting side by side, nibbling with glum faces instead of wolfing food down as they would have been doing at ordinary times. Ji Xiaocong had that casket behind his butt, refusing to let anybody touch it. Ji Yanlai was barely drinking. He was always a man of few words, and on this occasion he had even less to say. A very intelligent person, Ji Yanlai wouldn’t even cast a second glance at any of those that he believed were not worth having dealings with. The Ling family saw him as family, and he could sense it. Though not very enthusiastic about cultivating personal relationships, deep down he was still somewhat upset about the approaching moment of parting.

The atmosphere at the lunch table was not as lively as usual. Several times Ling Zhang opened his mouth to speak but held back the words on the tip of his tongue, for some of those usual formalities were not suitable for Ji Yanlai’s and the other’s case. In all likelihood, it would be a very long time before Ji Yanlai visited this city again. Apart from anything else, it was as inappropriate for the Millennium Pavilion to be exposed as it was inadvisable for them to disturb the tranquility of the lives of the clan there. Therefore, Ling Zhang found it difficult to say anything like “Stay in touch” or “Visit us more often”, because it was very likely that they would really never see each other again.

“If you’re ever in Haizhou, please go to our island to look us up,” Ji Yanlai suddenly said.

Ling Zhang looked at him, a quizzical expression on his face. The Ling family were all somewhat surprised, but then their faces creased into delighted smiles. “Sure. We definitely will!”

This open invitation from Ji Yanlai suggested that he sincerely hoped they would visit him more often, so they could dismiss all those misgivings.

Ji Xiaocong happily let out a cheer and gobbled down several mouthfuls of rice in a row, polishing off in one breath the food Ling Maomao had put in his bowl. Startled, Ling Maomao hurriedly put down his chopsticks to pat Ji Xiaocong’s back, fearing that he might choke on the food. “Slow down a bit, Cong.”

“Um, um,” replied Ji Xiaocong thickly, crunching on the food and swallowing it, casting Ling Maomao a smile, a few grains of rice sticking to the corners of his mouth. Ling Maomao reached out a hand and wiped the rice off. The two boys’ high spirits instantly infected the others, clearing the melancholy atmosphere from the room. Everybody genuinely relaxed. Ling Xingzhong was so happy that he wanted to drink some wine, and the others had a hard job to talk him out of it. At the banquet in the palace that night, he had drunk too much, so Mr. Mu had expressly forbidden him from drinking any more wine in the next few days.

“Clan Leader, you should come to the capital city more often too, if you could find the time. We’ll be living in that suburban manor, the one Zhang’er’s maternal grandfather purchased. That place is quite secluded. You may stay there for as long as you want,” said Ling Xingzhong. The joyous mood loosened the old man’s tongue.

The others also looked at Ji Yanlai, their eyes glinting expectantly, especially Ji Xiaocong’s and Ling Maomao’s. The expectation gleaming in the two boys’ eyes were almost palpable.

Ji Yanlai chuckled, “I will.”

Everybody else couldn’t take their eyes off Ji Yanlai as he smiled, because his smile was so pretty! Ji Yanlai’s appearance was, without doubt, very attractive, that scarlet mole in the middle of his forehead being the highlight of his charm, making him seem both otherworldly and bewitching, but most of the time his face was fairly impassive, making him appear rather distant, so others didn’t dare look him in the eye too often. Even when he was in a good mood, he merely relaxed the corners of his mouth and softened his face with a twinkle in his eyes. This was the first time that the Ling family had seen him actually smile.

Even Ling Zhang was stupefied for an instant, feeling that this smile of Ji Yanlai’s was so enchanting that anybody beholding it would be enthralled.

The last bit of emotional upset in the others dissolved at the sight of Ji Yanlai’s smile. They’d felt sad because they’d believed that they might not be able to see these people again, but now it’d come to their knowledge that they’d have a lot of chances to meet, so the mood of melancholy naturally ebbed considerably.

Ji Yanlai, who himself also hadn’t thought that his smile would cause such dramatic reaction, appeared a trifle embarrassed, which made him seem much less distant and more like a common person.

…

They had a few moments’ rest after lunch, and then it was time for Ji Yin and the others to depart.

Knowing that these people who had stayed with him for such a long time were about to leave, Ling Zhang felt quite upset.

“Grandfather, you’ll have to deal with the matter of the transfer after you go back there. Be careful not to push yourself too hard.”

“I know.”

“And don’t think that just because you have internal energy you could drink as much wine as you want.”

“I know.”

No matter what Ling Zhang reminded Ji Yin to or not to do, the latter always answered “I know” immediately.

“Take care of yourself, Father-in-law,” said Ling Zhaowu.

Ji Yin gave a bob of the head, clapped him on the shoulder and said, “Heed Mr. Mu’s advice and nurse yourself back to health. I hope you’ll be as good as new by the time I come to this city again.”

“I will,” Ling Zhaowu replied and then personally walked the old man to the horse-drawn carriage.

On the other side, Ling Maomao was grudgingly bidding Ji Xiaocong farewell. Holding the casket in his arms, head down, Ji Xiaocong gave a nod with every sentence Ling Maomao said. After a while, the boy looked up at Ling Maomao and reminded him, “Brother Maomao, you promised me you’d call on me. Don’t forget that.”

“I won’t forget,” said Ling Maomao earnestly.

“Cong, it’s time to go,” called Ji Yanlai inside the carriage.

Ling Maomao looked at the fleet of carriages and then said to Ji Xiaocong, “Go. Get aboard the carriage.”

“Okay,” Ji Xiaocong said with a nod, stroked Ling Maomao’s bracelet and hand one last time and then begrudgingly let a guard carry him into the carriage. Before entering the carriage, he sadly looked over his shoulder at Ling Maomao, who raised his hand and gave him a wave in response.

“Get in here,” urged Ji Yanlai and with that Ji Xiaocong walked into the carriage, stepped to the window, lifted the curtain and said to Ling Maomao, “Brother Maomao, remember to look me up!”

“I will!” responded Ling Maomao aloud.

Ling Zhang and Ling Zhaowu, after walking Ji Yin to the carriage, saw the two little boys bidding each other farewell with reluctance.

The fleet of carriages slowly started progressing. Ling Zhang on horseback accompanied them for a certain distance and halted only when he saw them get through the city gates, a sudden twinge of sorrow rising in him.