Joy of Life

“Walk with me.” Fan Xian extended his right arm to make a “you first” gesture.

Ye Ling’er looked at his face in a daze and smiled. She turned to glance at the room in the corner of the courtyard and teased, “Why aren’t you in a rush now?”

Fan Xian laughed uproariously, “I was just using the bathroom to escape.”

Ye Ling’er walked forward a few steps to walk beside him. She tilted her head and looked at him with those glittering eyes and asked curiously, “Teacher, why does the conversation in the Flower Hall make you so uncomfortable?”

Hearing the word “teacher” again, Fan Xian’s heart warmed again without reason. After pausing for a moment, a warm smile rose to his face. “You know me, I’m not used to that kind of setting.”

“How was it in Jiangnan?” Ye Ling’er pulled up her shoulders and followed at his side. “I know something happened to you on the way back. I should have visited you, but...”

It wasn’t that she wanted to speak then paused, it was because she had closed her mouth helplessly. The entire Qing Kingdom was guessing about the truth of the attack in the valley and who was the true culprit that wanted to kill Fan Xian. Many people had once turned their suspicious gazes onto the Second Prince. After Ye Ling’er knew that Fan Xian had been attacked, she couldn’t help but be shocked and worried. She had even privately asked her husband. Although she had received the Second Prince’s promise that the attack in the valley had nothing to do with him, given the current situation and Ye Ling’er’s status as wangfei, it was indeed not appropriate for her to visit Fan Xian.

Fan Xian smiled and very naturally patted her shoulder. “I have tough skin. How could I be hurt so easily?”

The hand he stretched out suddenly froze. Fan Xian pulled it back, smiling self-mockingly. The other person was now married and a wangfei. His words and actions should both be moderated.

As the two of them talked about the situation, they followed the winter woods in the manor toward the lakeside. Quietly, Fan Xian said, “Wan’er also hasn’t seen you in some time. She was missing you a few days ago.”

Before they were married, Lin Wan’er and Ye Ling’er were best friends ibn the lady’s chamber. However, they were now each married to the two people of the younger generation who could least co-exist together. It inevitably caused some complications.

Ye Ling’er said, unhappily, “I also miss her.”

“When you have nothing to do, then come visit the manor,” Fan Xian said warmly. “If it’s not convenient for you to leave the manor, I will send her to your manor to visit you.”

Ye Ling’er sighed and stopped her steps beside a completely bare tree. She gazed at Fan Xian and faintly said, “Teacher, I truly do not understand you men, including him. Everything you say is so similar...it always seems, to those who hear it, as if nothing happened between you two.”

Naturally, the “him” in her words was referring to the Second Prince.

Fan Xian smiled and said, “What does the life and death of us men have to do with your women’s friendship?”

“What does it have to do with us?” Ye Ling’er’s personality was straightforward and outspoken. She raised her face and said, “Do you think that Wan’er and I can still talk as easily after one of us becomes a widow?”

Fan Xian was shocked and forced a laugh. “Then what do you have us do?”

Ye Ling’er stood silently beside the tree. After a long time, she sighed. She knew that there were many things that could not change because she wanted them to. As a daughter of the Ye family, in the time before she married, she could wear clothes as red as fire and ride down Long Street, letting the all the commoners in Jingdou become familiar with her face. She cared nothing at all about what everyone said or what her father would be angry about because she was Ye Ling’er. But, for the entire Qing Kingdom, what did Ye Ling’er count for?

“In Jiangnan, I saw your grand-uncle.” Fan Xian smiled and changed the topic. He reminded her, “However, not many people know about this, so don’t spread it around.”

“I know.” Ye Ling’er was slightly surprised. “What was that old man doing in Jiangnan?”

It was Fan Xian’s turn to be surprised, “No matter what, your grand-uncle is a Great Grandmaster. How can you just call him that?”

Ye Ling’er frowned and said, “He spends years wandering around. When he comes home occasionally, he never brings anything good. I call him an old man because what could he possibly complain about?”

Fan Xian smiled but had confirmed Ye Liyung’s level of intimacy with the Ye family. Through Ye Ling’er’s words, as well as the fact that although Ye Liuyun was, in name, traveling around the world, he had still returned home a number of times. Otherwise, Ye Ling’er, given her youth, would not refer to him with such familiarity.

“After you got married, did you abandon your martial arts?” Fan Xian asked quietly.

Ye Ling’er chuckled, not sure if he was going to test her. However, it put her in good spirits that Fan Xian did not try to avoid her or to maintain his distance from her under the current situation. Her eyes revealed an eagerness to give it a try.

Fan Xian pretended to not see this look in her eye. Minding his own business, he left the lonely tree and headed toward the lakeside in front. At this moment, the two of them had already made a large loop and came to the other corner of the lake. A corner of the Flower Hall hidden not far behind the trees could vaguely be seen.

A swoosh of cold wind came from behind him. It pierced quickly and sinisterly toward the back of Fan Xian’s ear.

Fan Xian did not turn his head. His right arm lifted, and the Tyrannical zhenqi in his body surged along the increasingly wide Meridians and flowed into his right arm, making his right arm naturally shake.

He waved his right palm back. His five slender fingers dissolved into five broken branches and then formed a number of broken shadows. With incomparable speed and clarity, it pressed in order against the cold wind behind his head.

With a number of crisp slapping sounds, the thing in the cold wind fell to the ground.

However, Ye Ling’er’s reaction was extremely quick. She directly aimed a fist toward the back of Fan Xian’s head.

Fan Xian also didn’t dare to be careless. He spun around on his toes and naturally flipped up both his palms in front of him as a block. It was like he had suddenly erected two large doors in front of himself, completely shutting out Ye Ling’er’s wind punch.

Immediately after, his feet paused and knees bent. He silently and forcefully pulled back the silent feet below.

With a few puffs of breath, the end of the battle was announced.

Fan Xian and Ye Ling’er stood on the side of the river with their fists crossed and their legs in the same place...this position looked a bit ambiguous. Fan Xian could feel the pulsing sensation coming from beside his knee. Very naturally, his heart swayed. He developed some other kinds of feelings.

He coughed and separated from Ye Ling’er. He smiled and said, “Still too slow.”

Ye Ling’er unwillingly took back her not-yet unsheathed little knife and said, “It’s you who is too quick.”

Fan Xian’s gaze unconsciously dropped to look at the adorable embroidered shoes in Ye Ling’er’s foot, thinking, If he had moved slightly slower just then and allowed this little foot to kick against his lower abdomen, it would presumably be very uncomfortable.

“Don’t use this kind of move in the future. It will end bloodlines,” Fan Xian teasingly said.

Ye Ling’er huffed and said, “Teacher is correct. The so-called little tricks are the same as being shameless...no wonder this kick didn’t land on you. I just understood, your favorite thing to do are these little tricks, so, of course, you would be able to guess my next move.”

Fan Xian was left speechless. When they had exchanged attacks earlier, Ye Ling’er had used Fan Xian’s little tricks while Fan Xian had used the Ye family’s Coffin Breaker, which was a simplified version of Great Grandmaster Ye’s Flowing Cloud Scattered Hands. Although Ye Ling’er was a rare seventh-level ace among women, in front of him, she didn’t have much opportunity to demonstrate it.

Ye Ling’er suddenly asked confusedly, “Teacher, although my strike from the back was a trick, how did you dare to use Scattered Hand to directly counter it?”

Fan Xian glanced at her and said without good humor, “Since we are just testing, of course, you won’t use any poisoned weapons. What do I have to afraid of? Also, your little tricks are still not vicious enough. When your final punch was blocked, the hairpins in your hair can also be used to kill people.”

Ye Ling’er glared at him and said, “Then wouldn’t it have completely come down? We’re in the Great Prince’s manor, where am I going to find a serving girl to brush it up again?”

Fan Xian chuckled and said, “Then there is still your mouth left...it can be used to bite.”

“Is perhaps my teacher a large dog?” Ye Ling’er was a bit mad and not going to go along with it. “As a teacher, don’t you know to go a bit easier?”

Fan Xian looked at the stubborn and unconvinced girl and involuntarily remembered a time two years ago on Chang Street in Jingdou. Thinking of the scene when his punch had broken her nose and she had crouched on the ground crying, he smiled happily. A moment later, he suddenly opened his mouth and said, “In the future, it’s best to not call me teacher. Although I have no objections, you are, after all, now a wangfei.”

Actually, all of Jingdou knew about Ye Ling’er and Fan Xian’s referring to each other as teacher and student. However, they just took it as play between two children and did not care much. Furthermore, Ye Zhong never raised any complaints. However, the situation now had changed. In addition, Ye Ling’er status was more noble, so Fan Xian’s suggestion was within reason.

Ye Ling’er was not happy and said stubbornly, “So what if I call you that? If it’s not acceptable, then you can call me teacher. In any case, the Ye family’s Scattered Hand can’t be imparted to outsiders, according to tradition.”

Fan Xian sucked in a breath and forced a smile. He knew what Ye Ling’er said was the truth. He had learned the Coffin Breaker from her and had truly taken great advantage of the other. He could no longer say anything about distancing themselves.

The two of them walked along the river bank. After Ye Ling’er had become a wangfei, she no longer had the opportunity to wander around the streets and fight people for fun. Today, with her rare exchange with her teacher, although it was just a moment, it still made her unusually excited. It was with great difficulty that she finally calmed her spirit. After being calm for a moment, she suddenly said, “Teacher, my father is also coming back to the capital.”

Fan Xian understood what she was reminding him of.

“The people in the old military units all hate you.” Ye Ling’er gazed at him with a not-quite-there smile.

Fan Xian shook his head and smiled bitterly. Regardless of how aggressive his power was, as long as the military remained standing against him and the Ye and Qing families were still alive, it was impossible for him to strike at the Second Prince’s foundations. It was also impossible to completely remove the Second Prince’s powerful desire to take the dragon chair. Ye Zhong was returning to the capital to debrief. But, he, as well as Ye Liuyun behind him, had already become the Second Prince’s supports because of his connection to Ye Ling’er.

“I’ve finally had a few days of rest. I don’t want to hear any more bad news from your mouth.”

Ye Ling’er was silent for a moment then said, seriously, “Teacher, no matter what, I will always be a girl of the Ye family. I will stand with my father and him.”

Fan Xian paused. After thinking for a long time, he said, seriously, “As you should. Believe me, I speak from my heart.”

A glimmer of unhappiness showed in Ye Ling’er’s eye. She knew that Fan Xian spoke from his heart and that it would be difficult for the space between their positions to soften.

“Look, the ice on the surface of the lake will eventually melt,” Fan Xian suddenly smiled and said. “Who says the matters in this world are so set?”

Ye Ling’er smiled. Her eyes glowed like gemstones with a clean and joyful light. She nodded her head repeatedly.

On the other side of the lake, not far away was the Flower Hall with the windows open, they could see the people inside were currently chatting. Fan Xian pointed in that direction and said teasingly to Ye Ling’er beside him, “Us walking on this side of the lake...is truly not adhering to propriety. If we are seen by those in the hall, who knows what nonsense they would say.”

Although the folk customs of Qing Kingdom were quite liberated, it was still not that appropriate for men and women to interact alone. Ye Ling’er’s expression was slightly embarrassed.

Fan Xian continued to tease, “Do you think the Second Prince’s stomach as already exploded from anger? But in the end, he still has to maintain a slightly embarrassed and calm smile?”

“Don’t forget, you also smile shadily every day!” Ye Ling’er was mad. “Also, you should first consider what Wan’er is thinking about.”

“Wan’er is a good person,” Fan Xian sighed and said, “She’s also urging me to find a few sisters to keep her company...”

The moment the words were out, Fan Xian silently cursed. This teasing had already exceeded the bounds of teacher and student. Other than making the ambiguous clear, it was also slightly aggressive. The other person was no longer the maiden she used to be. She was already a wangfei married as someone’s wife.

As expected, Ye Ling’er paused for a moment before understanding what he had said. After her shock, she became very angry. Squeezing her hands into a fist, she brought it down on his head.

Fan Xian knew his customary immoral behavior had activated. He felt very ashamed. How could he return the attack? He changed into a stray dog and ran in fright along the lakeside, wanting to escape into Flower Hall.

...

...

Inside the Flower Hall, the waist-high windows and curtains were both open. The cold wind from the surface of the lake blew but was dissolved into a fresh and pleasant spring breeze by the fire pit. The men and women of the royal family inside the Hall were talking casually about amusing matters from their childhood but later someone noticed the pair across the lake.

The Great wangfei smiled and said, “What are they doing?”

The Great Prince raised his eyes and looked over. His expression changed slightly. He immediately smiled, explaining, “That kid has always considered himself Ling’er’s master. He’s probably lecturing again.”

The Great wangfei smiled and glanced at the Second Prince’s expression.

At this moment, Li Hongcheng was holding a cup of wine and moved drunkenly closer to the window to see. As he saw the sight of Fan Xian and Ye Ling’er standing by the lakeside talking, he involuntarily smiled and said, “This two are both savages. They may be talking right now, but they’ll probably be fighting in a moment.”

With her face full of interest, Rou Jia also moved closer to see. She said, admiringly, “I also want to learn martial arts from Brother Xian, but he won’t agree. It’s completely unfair.”

Everyone in the hall was looking at the young man and woman across the lake. It was only the Second Prince and Lin Wan’er who were sitting together and speaking quietly over some desserts as if they didn’t care about what was happening at all.

The Great wangfei turned her head back to look at this scene. She couldn’t help but feel strange, thinking to herself Did these two not have any thoughts about this at all?

The Great Prince looked across the lake and shook his head. In a low voice, he said, “The Ye girl has married, yet she still likes to act willfully outside. Second brother, you have to control her more in the manor...Fan Xian, he’s also to blame.”

He was a bit unhappy, but he also didn’t want to say much.

The Second Prince was crouched on the chair and slowly chewing a cake made from osmanthus and said, indistinctly, “What is there to control? She’s been shut up in the manor for a year. This girl’s gone crazy with wanting to hit someone. With Fan Xian here, he can be the punching bag. This will stop me being at a suffering when I’m home.”

At his side, Lin Wan’er nodded and said, “Two adults, but they have tempers like little children. Which time hasn’t their meeting ended up in a fight? Don’t mind them. Let them fight. In a moment, they’ll come back.”

Hearing these words, the Great Prince and Princess looked at each other thinking, What kind of explanation was this? As their words fell, everyone turned their heads back to watch only to see that another fight had indeed started. Ye Ling’er had her fist squeezed together and was chasing a wretchedly running away Fan Xian.

The Great Prince couldn’t help but smile thinking, Even the imperial family could have the same ruckus and joy as normal families. With Fan Xian and Ye Ling’er, these two unique figures, was it not a good thing?

After watching the fight for a while it was no longer interesting. Everyone once again returned to their conversations. The Second Prince accepted the handkerchief Wan’er handed over and rubbed it over his hand. Suddenly, he asked with great interest, “Princess, I’ve long been curious. The Emperor of your country...just what kind of person is he?”

It was not just Fan Xian whose thoughts were detailed and meticulous. The Great wangfei clearly liked the title the Second Prince used. She smiled slightly and said a few things.

When Fan Xian miserably escaped back to the Flower Hall, it was just as the Great wangfei was talking about some amusing stories of Northern Qi’s little Emperor. Her words traveled out of the door and surprised him.