Plain porridge originally had no strong flavor, but Lian Li, who had been hungry for a long time, had a very keen nose. A bowl of plain porridge smelled more fragrant than the finest delicacies.
Once the porridge was served, he didn’t care about his table manners and hurriedly shoveled it into his mouth.
After finishing, he took another sip of warm water before looking at the excessively young swordsman.
“Great Hero Yun, where are we going?”
Yun Huizhou found it interesting. This kid was quite familiar; he didn’t even know where he was going, yet he clung to him. He really wasn’t afraid of being sold off.
Thus, he deliberately teased the rabbit-like boy, saying, “To sell you.”
Sure, enough, as soon as Lian Li heard this, his eyes widened, and he stammered, “Yun… Yun… Yun… Great Hero Yun, you’re joking, right?”
Yun Huizhou leaned lazily against the chair, simply watching Lian Li with a silent smile.
Lian Li immediately began to sweat profusely.
After a long while, Yun Huizhou finally spoke: “The Martial Arts Tournament. If you really have nowhere to go, you can settle down there.”
What else could Lian Li say? He could only nod like a chicken pecking at rice.
They stayed at the inn for three days, with Yun Huizhou covering all the expenses. Lian Li watched and said nothing, but silently noted it in his heart.
He thought that once he gained a stable footing, he would definitely repay Yun Huizhou twofold.
Yun Huizhou didn’t care much about these things. It was just that Lian Li’s body was a bit weak; if he were to take him on the road, he had to keep an eye on him and occasionally transfer some internal energy to him.
Otherwise, this sickly boy might just die on him halfway there.
On the day they left the inn, Yun Huizhou led out his prized horse. He sized Lian Li up for a moment and asked, “Kid, can you ride a horse?”
Lian Li’s face stiffened, and his head dropped all the way to his chest.
Yun Huizhou felt a bit of a headache. One look at the kid’s reaction and it was clear he couldn’t ride. He let out a long sigh, feeling that he hadn’t just saved a person, but had brought back a little ancestor.
Xianglai City was still some distance away.
He patted his beloved horse with some heartache. It would likely have a hard time over the next few days; he would buy the best fodder to compensate it when the time came.
As if sensing its master’s thoughts, the handsome black horse let out a snort.
Leaping onto the horse, Yun Huizhou looked at Lian Li, who was still hanging his head like a timid quail. He leaned down, reached out, and scooped the boy up, placing him in front of him.
Lian Li’s body was very thin, so sitting in front didn’t get in the way at all.
Seeing that he was seated firmly, Yun Huizhou flicked the reins, and the black horse carried the two of them galloping toward the outskirts of town.
As they left the small town, Yun Huizhou was still thinking that it was fortunate the person he saved this time was a boy. If it had been a girl, how to get to Xianglai City would have been a problem.
However, since Yun Huizhou had nothing else to do previously, he had set out early, so they still had enough time.
Before falling ill, Lian Li had a lively personality. After spending a few days together on the road, he discovered that Yun Huizhou was quite easy to get along with.
Consequently, Lian Li often took the initiative to speak with Yun Huizhou, asking him about the situation outside.
“Great Hero Yun, I’ve never left my village before and don’t know much about the outside world. Could you tell me about it?”
“What do you want to hear?” Yun Huizhou asked him good-naturedly.
“Just things about your Jianghu and the like. Talking about matters of the Imperial Court is fine too.” Lian Li scratched his head, putting on a bashful appearance. “I’ve studied for a few years.”
Yun Huizhou glanced at him and said, “Do you have people in the Imperial Court? Are you one of Cai Hu’s faction?”
His words left Lian Li completely bewildered.
Seeing Lian Li’s expression, Yun Huizhou sighed slightly and said, “If you want to be a good official, you were born in the wrong era. If you want to be a corrupt official, then you were born at the right time.”
“Is it actually like that?” Lian Li showed a surprised expression.
This wasn’t an act. He really hadn’t expected such a situation, nor did he expect Yun Huizhou to speak so bluntly.
He scoured the meager memories in the original owner’s mind and let out a soft “Hiss~”.
This era really wasn’t a good one. It had started twenty years ago with a child lord ascending the throne.
Cai Hu’s lineage had controlled the Imperial Court for several years. Later, when the child lord grew up a bit, he naturally wanted to reclaim power.
Unexpectedly, he had the heart but not the fate; he died of illness. Thus, under the manipulation of Cai Hu’s lineage, another child lord was chosen to ascend the throne.
This cycle had continued for over twenty years; not a single little emperor had lived past the age of twelve.
The current Imperial Court was already Cai Hu’s court.
If he wanted to take the official examinations, he feared he wouldn’t live long unless he joined the corruption. Moreover, in this Imperial Court, he feared one wouldn’t pass the exams no matter how talented they were.
The original owner couldn’t carry anything with his shoulders or lift anything with his hands; he was a freeloader at home. This was the reason why, even though the original owner was a scholar, his older brother and sister-in-law didn’t care for him.
With the Imperial Court in such a state, even being an ordinary citizen doing a bit of small business would likely be restless.
However, although the Imperial Court was withered, the righteous path of the martial world was in its prime.
The martial arts here were more profound than the martial arts Lian Li knew in the modern world.
Even when the Imperial Court was at its strongest, these martial artists could stand on equal footing with it.
The righteous path was led by the Martial Arts Alliance, creating a strange situation where they and the Imperial Court did not interfere with each other.
Some larger sects, while unable to manage too vast an area, could still govern the region where they were located.
They could barely be considered able to preserve the peace and order of a piece of land.
After some thought, Lian Li understood. If he wanted to find a place to settle down, it would be best to find a home within the jurisdiction of a major sect.
Thinking of this, Lian Li’s eyes darted around. He felt his own thin arms and then looked at Yun Huizhou’s powerful ones, finally unable to resist saying those words.
“Great Hero, I want to learn martial arts.”
“Do you think there’s any hope for someone like me?”
Yun Huizhou: “Are you joking?”
Even as Yun Huizhou said this, his hand still reached out and gripped Lian Li’s arm.
Lian Li originally wanted to try and persuade him further, but seeing Yun Huizhou’s action, he shut his mouth, his eyes shining brightly.
Although he had never seen it, he felt this must be “bone-feeling”—checking if he had an extraordinary skeletal structure, if he might be a once-in-a-century martial arts genius.
Yun Huizhou’s hand started from Lian Li’s wrist, squeezing every so often, all the way up to Lian Li’s shoulder.
Lian Li felt that the places Yun Huizhou’s hand touched were warm even through his clothes, and there was a warm current wandering through his muscles.
After finishing with Lian Li’s left hand, Yun Huizhou went to squeeze Lian Li’s right hand.
Then he moved behind him, his palm spreading out against his back to press down, sliding along the spine to the waist to give a push.
Any further down, and Yun Huizhou stopped touching.
Yun Huizhou withdrew his hand and walked in front of Lian Li. Seeing the man’s expectant gaze, his mouth twitched. “Your meridians are thin and weak, your bone structure is average, and you’re already sixteen. It’s a bit late. If you practice normally, you won’t amount to much.”
