"Brother, are you sure the Marquis of Anguo will come here?"
In the small boat, Zuo Jing looked at Hong Jie obediently.
Hong Jie smiled faintly, "He went to the Zhuo family. He might not go out today. If he does, and it's not for official business, he'll definitely come to the Qinhuai River. This place is full of talented scholars and beautiful ladies, and he's eager for talent. He won't miss it."
Zuo Jing gazed at the beautiful scenery outside the boat and nodded slightly, without questioning.
Going to Jiangnan and not visiting the Qinhuai River or Suzhou and Hangzhou would indeed be a pity.
"Then, from now on, I'll be Lin'er, and you'll be the Master of Yunxiu Studio."
Hearing the obedient voice, Hong Jie's heart trembled, and he nodded silently.
He was already accustomed to Zuo Jing's obedient act for the sake of the show. It was good this way; it would prevent them from being exposed.
Along the Qinhuai River, Liang Xiao and his group made their way slowly, enjoying the scenery.
The place was indeed picturesque, and even the female soldiers like Qin Xin felt relaxed.
Only Yu Qingchuan occasionally wore a wry smile.
Liang Xiao had long noticed Yu Qingchuan's unusual demeanor and asked, "Sixth Senior Brother, are you troubled by something?"
"It's nothing, nothing at all. It's just that seeing this place reminds me of someone," Yu Qingchuan sighed.
"You have some romantic entanglement too?" Liang Xiao raised an eyebrow.
"No, no, no, not romantic at all. Just some sad memories. It's all in the past!" Yu Qingchuan chuckled dryly.
"Then think of something happy, like a fat pig falling into a ditch," Liang Xiao said without hesitation.
Yue Lian covered her mouth and smiled. The others couldn't help but admire Liang Xiao's train of thought.
Jian Qinwan snorted, "You don't coax young girls anymore, you've started coaxing grown men, hmph~"
Liang Xiao burst into laughter. Holding Yue Lian's hand with his left and Jian Qinwan's with his right, feeling the warmth of their palms, he couldn't help but say, "Indeed, the scenery of Jiangnan is beautiful, and I meet you again amidst the falling flowers."
The crowd cheered softly. Jian Qinwan and Yue Lian's hearts fluttered, and they instinctively leaned closer to Liang Xiao.
"Hmph~ As expected, you prefer tricking young girls..."
Though she said that, Jian Qinwan was already overjoyed.
What a beautiful sentiment, and the flower thief used it on us!
"Sixth Senior Brother, you made a great contribution by saving the Yang family brothers' parents in Chuzhou. Seeing you so dejected, I feel really bad," Liang Xiao added.
Yu Qingchuan was stunned, then chuckled, "How about this, Marquis of Anguo could recite a poem or two to entertain everyone!"
Liang Xiao pondered for a moment, and "Remembering Jiangnan" flowed from his lips.
[Jiangnan is good, its scenery once familiar.
The sun rises, and river flowers are redder than fire;
Spring arrives, and the river water is greener than indigo.
Can one not remember Jiangnan?]
After a brief moment of amazement, everyone couldn't help but applaud in unison.
It was simple and easy to understand. Even if they didn't understand poetry, they could grasp the meaning of the verses.
Beautiful!
Yu Qingchuan's eyes lit up, and he was no longer gloomy.
The group rented several good boats and boarded them separately. The boatmen were asked to go to another boat, while the senior brothers personally steered Liang Xiao's boat.
As soon as Liang Xiao boarded, he wrote down "Remembering Jiangnan" and gave it to Yu Qingchuan for safekeeping.
Yu Qingchuan's rescue of Yang Chen's parents allowed Liang Xiao to counter-attack his enemies and ignite the fervor of Chuzhou martial artists against the Rejuvenation Sect.
With Yang Chen's "act of rescue" as an example, the martial artists of Chuzhou hoped that one day they too could achieve a feat of resisting the Rejuvenation Sect, gain fame, and even earn a word of praise from the Marquis of Anguo.
Martial artists generally disliked court interference, but for them, Marquis of Anguo Liang Xiao, who had achieved countless legendary deeds, was an exception!
Yu Qingchuan happily put "Remembering Jiangnan" away, stored it in his bag, and then pointed westward, "Marquis of Anguo, there's a large pleasure boat over there, with many well-known scholars and beauties from the area!"
Liang Xiao followed his gaze and indeed saw a luxurious, massive pleasure boat with three decks.
Large boats like this were prone to capsizing in strong winds and waves, but this area was relatively safe.
Liang Xiao nodded, "It's still early. Let's observe for a while."
Sitting in the cabin with the two girls, Liang Xiao was in a happy embrace, left and right!
Yue Lian was as well-behaved as ever, and Jian Qinwan did not rush to tease Liang Xiao. They just quietly listened to him tell the story of "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai."
After hearing about Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai transforming into butterflies and flying away together, the two girls' hearts were filled with mixed emotions. Their eyes welled up with tears, and they hugged Liang Xiao tightly, afraid that he too would fly away.
"Oh dear, I can't always make you cry. I'll tell more jokes in the future," Liang Xiao said with concern.
The people of the Great Qian Kingdom were too emotionally rich.
Jian Qinwan and Yue Lian just nodded obediently, quietly holding Liang Xiao's arm and enjoying the sense of security he brought, no longer crying.
After a while, a flute melody drifted from afar.
It sounded like longing and sorrow, like a lament.
The otherwise noisy Qinhuai River fell silent around them. The people quietly enjoyed the flute music.
"Marquis of Anguo, this person plays very well," Yu Qingchuan's voice came from the bow of the boat.
Liang Xiao smiled faintly and opened a nearby box, which also contained a flute.
Jian Qinwan's beautiful eyes lit up.
After the flute music from the opposite side finished, it was met with a round of applause.
A moment later, Liang Xiao picked up the flute and tried playing it a few times.
"Are you going to learn to play the flute?" Jian Qinwan asked with concern.
Given her current identity as a flower thief, she was bound to be busy, and there was no need to spend time learning such things.
Liang Xiao smiled slightly at Jian Qinwan and began to play.
The flute music was melodious, instantly spreading throughout the surrounding area, causing the boats nearby to fall into a prolonged silence again, as if only this single flute melody existed in the world.
Jian Qinwan and Yue Lian stared at Liang Xiao blankly, then became entranced.
This flute music was no less than the previous one.
But the problem was, it was him playing it now!
It wasn't until Liang Xiao stopped playing that rounds of applause erupted from outside.
"Ah, you can play the flute? Why didn't you tell me..." Jian Qinwan's eyes flickered, her heart pounding.
Liang Xiao explained, "I haven't played it for many years."
Jian Qinwan didn't care. She hugged Liang Xiao's arm coquettishly, "When you have time in the future, I'll play the zither, and you play the flute. We can play a duet!"
Liang Xiao, who had been holding his breath after playing the flute, almost choked when he felt the astonishing touch on his arm. He quickly said, "Alright, alright, whatever you say."
"I only remember you playing the flute when you were a child, I haven't seen it since you grew up..." Yue Lian said softly.
Liang Xiao laughed heartily, "It was also taught to me by a divine being in a dream!"
Yue Lian suddenly realized, her face beaming with joy.
Jian Qinwan was already lost in a daze, hugging Liang Xiao's arm, reluctant to let go for a long time.
Yue Lian watched, unable to suppress a smile.
The Zither Fairy and Princess Ning Shuang were completely captivated by her young master, they no longer cared about their identities...
"Marquis of Anguo, the gentleman playing the flute across the way has brought his boat closer!" Yu Qingchuan's voice called from outside.
Liang Xiao and the two girls immediately stepped out of the cabin and looked. They couldn't help but be surprised.
Standing at the bow of the boat was the brother and sister from Yunxiu Studio!
At the same time, a maid stood on the giant pleasure boat and called out in a high-pitched voice, "We wonder what talented scholars and beauties are playing the flute. Our young lady requests an audience."
Before Liang Xiao could respond, three figures appeared one after another at the bow of the boat, looking down at Liang Xiao.
One of them was none other than the former owner of Baichun Tower.
Ye Qingyi!
"It's you?!"