Shen Yi: "What?"

Gu Yun: "I'm going to Jiangnan."

Shen Yi cried out in pain: "Ouch...hiss, my chin hit my instep, it hurts so much - are you crazy? The commander of the Northwest garrison left his post and went to Jiangnan secretly. Are you trying to commit suicide or rebel?"

Gu Yun replied calmly: "We have destroyed the lair of the Sand Scorpion today. We should be able to have peace for at least three to five months. With the speed of the Black Eagle, we can reach Jiangnan in a day or two. I won't delay for too long. I will return as soon as I find them."

Shen Yi gathered his energy and began to prepare for a long and eloquent speech, but before he could open his mouth, Gu Yun had already hit him in the abdomen with an elbow.

Shen Yi let out an "Ah" and bent down: "I haven't said anything yet!"

Gu Yun: "It's better to take precautions before they happen."

That night, the Thirteen Black Riders captured the bandit leader and his gang members who had been circling the desert for a long time. Upon hearing the news, Gu Yun ordered "arrest them" and left that night without any time to rest.

Prince Ban Eduo of Loulan had already prepared wine and food, waiting to welcome the Black Iron Camp. As soon as he arrived, he saw Gu Yun wearing the Black Eagle Armor with a forehead full of lawsuits.

The Kingdom of Loulan is located at the important entrance of the ancient Silk Road. They are the children of the desert and hate the rampant sand bandits. Over time, they became the best guides for the Xuantie Camp to roam the desert and fight bandits, and the relationship between the two sides was quite friendly.

The people of Loulan were good at singing and dancing, and they especially loved wine. Both men and women were drunkards, and the prince was the drunkard among all the drunkards.

Whether it was Marshal Gu's mysterious military tactics or his extraordinary martial arts, it did not move him at all. The only thing he admired was Gu Yun's ability to quench his thirst with strong liquor. He had already named himself Marshal Gu's "drinking and eating friend" and did his job very diligently.

Ben Eduo dragged out the tone, using a tune similar to desert singing, and hummed to ask Gu Yun: "General Gu, why are you walking as fast as the clouds in the sky today? Are you going to chase the girl who is like the sunset?"

Shen Yi: “…”

What kind of girl is the sunset-like girl? Is she red and round?

Gu Yun: "I'll go and kill them."

"Oh!" Benedo was holding two jars of wine and was stunned for a moment, wondering, "Just finished chopping and then chopping again?"

"You finished your meal in the morning, so you won't eat at night?" Gu Yun shouted murderously, "Get out of the way!"

Several black eagles flew over like dark shadows, tapped the ground with their toes, and landed behind Gu Yun. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared without a trace like a black whirlwind passing through, leaving only wisps of white smoke that made an enchanting curve in the air.

Ben Edo watched his back and asked Shen Yi with respect: "Does the Marshal have to kill three people a day?"

Shen Yi waved at him, motioning him to lean closer, and whispered, "My son has been kidnapped."

Ben Odo Bear held his heart: "Oh! That must be a girl like the full moon!"

Shen Yi: "...No, he only has a full moon-like back of his head."

Leaving Prince Ben Odo touching the back of his head in confusion, Shen Yi walked back with a heavy heart. After taking two steps, his face suddenly changed - Oh no, Gu Yun left in such a hurry, did he bring any medicine?

Jiangnan welcomed Gu Yun, who was covered in dust, with a light rain that barely wet his clothes. He took a short rest and then led his men directly to the residence of Yao Zhen, the Censor of Yingtian.

According to Gu Yun's status, he should not have any relationship with the local officials in Jiangnan. Some old things are involved here.

When Gu Yun was fifteen years old and joined the army to suppress bandits for the first time, he rescued several unlucky guys who were kidnapped by bandits. Yao Zhen, who was framed and dismissed from office and returned home, was one of those unlucky guys. Later, Yao Zhen was quite capable and was reinstated. He was the Censor of Yingtian at the time. He and Lord Gu were considered to be gentlemen friends, but the friendship was indifferent and had nothing to do with interests, but they always kept in touch.

Lord Yao happened to be taking a day off that day and slept until noon without getting up. When he heard the report from the servant, he was shocked.

Yao Zhen: "Who did he say he was?"

The servant said, "He said his last name was Gu, Gu Zixi."

"Gu Zixi," Yao Zhen wiped the mucus from the corner of his eye and said sincerely, "Gu Zixi, the Marquis of Anding? I am the Prime Minister of the dynasty - you believe this liar, get him out!"

The servant responded and prepared to leave.

"Wait!" Yao Zhen sat with the quilt wrapped around him, thinking for a moment, "...wait, I'd better go take a look."

He suddenly had an idea, and somehow he felt that abandoning his post without permission might really be something that Gu Yun could do.

At this time, Monk Liangran, who happened to be in Yingtian Prefecture, had no idea that a disaster was about to happen to him.

This monk was stingy but he still achieved the spirit of Zen.

He would spend every penny he had, and would stay in a dilapidated temple if possible, but would never stay in an inn. He ate bran and vegetables all day long, and if he wanted to have a good meal he had to beg for alms - commonly known as begging.

He didn't spend money himself, and he definitely wouldn't allow Chang Geng and the others to spend money. It was incredible that these three teenagers could endure hardships and follow him in a life of hunger and starvation.

Liangran walked very casually. Sometimes he took Changgeng and the others to walk through the streets and alleys of ordinary people's homes, and sometimes he strolled aimlessly along the fields, begging for alms without distinguishing between good and bad. He went to the homes of gentry and kind people, as well as the homes of ordinary tenants, and took whatever he could get.

Once he went to the home of a widowed, childless old woman. He saw that the woman was really struggling to make ends meet. Not only did he not get any food, but he even had to pay her some silver instead.

"Even in a peaceful and prosperous era, there are still people who freeze to death and starve to death; even in a turbulent and prosperous era, there are still people who are prosperous and wealthy," Liao Ran walked through the market in the small town and gestured to Chang Geng and the others, "The word 'worldly order' should be divided into two parts. 'Order' is what people want, and 'world' is a grain of rice under the lights of thousands of homes, or a piece of blue brick in a city thousands of miles long."

Chang Geng: "Master should be a person who has left the world, but when it comes to talking about the world, he is quite knowledgeable."

Chang Geng was almost taller than Monk Liao Ran. His voice had completely lost the clearness of his youth and was now a little deep. He spoke neither fast nor slow, seeming very steady.

He originally loved quietness. In the past, he felt uncomfortable when seeing dense crowds. He always felt confused when dealing with strangers and didn't know what to say. But now, he has unknowingly cultivated the ability to walk around as if leisurely in the garden wherever he goes.

I think it might be because he was determined to burn his boats, so some minor reluctance naturally became trivial matters.

Le Ran smiled and said calmly: "If a monk doesn't know the ways of the world, how can he have the nerve to claim to be out of touch with the world?"

Monk Liaoran had a very intimidating face. When he washed himself, he looked like a transcendent monk. When he hadn't bathed for several days, he looked like a monk who had experienced many tribulations. His bald head reflected the vast Buddha's light, and his eyes always contained a pool of water that was ready to save all living beings. If he was more generous with his material possessions, Brother Kong Fang, Chang Geng and the others would really admit that he was a thorough monk.

Suddenly, Madam Cao interrupted the monk and said in a low voice, "Stop talking nonsense, Brother Chang Geng, don't you realize that so many people are looking at us?"

These people - a monk, a well-mannered young man, a son of a nouveau riche with a puffed-out chest, and a cute little girl who seemed strange. When they walked together, they were very conspicuous. They were used to being stared at, and even Chang Geng was no longer so sensitive to the gazes of passers-by.

But this time, the attention they received seemed a bit excessive.

When people on the street saw them, they stopped to look at them, and not only looked at them, but also pointed and talked to them secretly.

Fatty Ge muttered, "I always feel like something is going to happen."

Chang Geng: "You are right."

As the tallest of the four, Chang Geng had already climbed above the crowd and saw a notice posted on a city wall not far away. The notice had a lifelike portrait of a handsome bald monk, and underneath it was written: This person is pretending to be a high monk from the Huguo Temple, cheating and deceiving people, doing all kinds of things, and is extremely despicable. He is hereby wanted. Anyone who reports the case will be rewarded with ten taels of silver.

"Master Liaoran," Chang Geng said, "you are worth ten taels of silver."

Master Liaoran stood there like a vivid and beautiful stone statue of a monk.

"I guess my adoptive father received Uncle Wang's letter and sent someone to trouble you." Chang Geng glanced at the crowd that was rushing to get the ten taels of silver and said to Ran Ran, "I'm sorry, let's go first."

Liao Ran gestured quickly, "Amitabha, Your Highness, please don't forget the promise you made in the teahouse."

Then the monk ran away as if he had put oil on his feet. He was as still as a stone statue and as fast as the wind.

The common people who were waiting to get ten taels of silver at the market saw that the enemy was alerted and threw away their reserve. They shouted "lecherous monk" and "swindler" and attacked from all directions.

Ge Pangxiao: "My dad and his friends used to go up the mountain to hunt rabbits this way."

Chang Geng and Madam Cao looked at him together.

Ge Pangxiao: "Holding a stick and yelling, you have to scare the rabbit into a panic, and it will bump into the net by itself - yes, really."

Master Liangran was much smarter than the rabbit. He did not panic. He had already understood the structure of the town market. He dodged left and right, and his whole body became an afterimage. I don't know how he figured out the route, but after a few moves back and forth, he led the people chasing him from all directions into a group, and he was able to do it with ease.

At this time, there was a noise of "get out of the way" coming from not far away. Looking again, it was a group of soldiers rushing over. They must have received a tip-off from someone and came to arrest someone.

Chang Geng thought: "Sure enough, it was Gu Yun who hired someone to do this."

He felt both comforted and uncomfortable.

The consolation was that even though Gu Yun was far away in the northwest, he was unwilling to let him fend for himself. Although his methods were a bit damaging, he still cared about him in his heart.

At the same time, he felt that he had implicated Master Leran - besides, that man didn't even come back to the Marquis' Mansion for the New Year, so why was he trying so hard to get his hands on him now?

Madam Cao grabbed his sleeve and said, "Brother, what should we do?"

Chang Geng came back to his senses from his complicated thoughts, pondered for a moment, then reached into his bag, grabbed a handful of broken silver ingots, looked in the right direction, and scattered them like a fairy scattering flowers: "Take the money!"

Fortunately, Master Liangran ran away and didn't care, otherwise I would be so heartbroken that my hair would grow out -

The person who was chasing the monk was hit on the head by the broken silver ingots. He was stunned on the spot and instinctively wanted to pick it up. When the others heard that there was cash, they immediately gave up running for the silver equivalent and came back to pick up the real silver. For a moment, they were blocked in a group, blocking the officers and soldiers behind them, and realized that the monk had disappeared.

Chang Geng smiled and said, "Let's go too."

After saying that, he was the first to squeeze out from the crowd, ready to leave this place of trouble without being noticed. However, before he could leave, a sound of horse hooves suddenly came from the other side of the narrow street. Judging from the direction they came from, it seemed as if they were going to block them inside.

Those who ride horses into the downtown area are either looking for trouble or trying to arrest someone.

Ge Pangxiao suggested: "Brother, let's take the small road."

"No," Madam Cao said woodenly, "Let's just stay here."

The approaching horse hooves stopped precisely at the entrance of the market. A few military men dismounted from their horses and stood in a neat row. In the middle was a man... someone whom Chang Geng recognized even though he had turned into ashes.

Chang Geng was stunned. No one expected that Marshal Gu would come from the northwest to arrest people in person.

Gu Yun had already made up his mind on the way here. He would first skin Liao Ran and pull out his tendons, then bring Chang Geng back and give him a good beating.

A young tree will not grow straight if it is not pruned. He felt that he had spoiled the child too much in the past. It turned out that what he learned from the late emperor was no longer effective. He had to follow the black-faced old marquis's way of being a father.

But the moment he saw Chang Geng, he was filled with anger and suddenly became speechless.

Gu Yun was on his horse and almost didn't recognize Chang Geng.

Teenage boys change every day. When in Yanhui Town, Chang Geng was always under his nose, but his daily growth was not obvious. He could only tell that he was growing taller by the fact that his pants were getting shorter day by day. Suddenly, after more than a year of separation, Chang Geng's daily changes had changed the boy beyond all recognition.

His height had already caught up with the tall Gu Yun, and his originally thin flesh and bones had grown into the appearance of an adult without him noticing. The look of disbelief on his face only flashed by for a moment, and was immediately covered up by his newly learned calmness.

Gu Yun let his horse pace for a while, thinking expressionlessly: "I can't fight anymore."

It's not that he can't beat him anymore, but since Chang Geng has become a man, if he continues to teach him a lesson the way he taught a child, it won't be a lesson, but a humiliation.

Year after year, there was no difference to Gu Yun, they all passed by in a hurry and without any meaning.

At this moment, he suddenly realized the ruthlessness of time. He only blinked for a moment, and his little Chang Geng had grown up in a hurry. The time he missed would never be made up.

Gu Yun finally realized that Chang Geng was about to turn 16. In another three or four years, he would move to the Yanbei Palace and leave his protection. What was the concept of three or four years? Maybe it was only enough for him to go back to the capital. So was there only a "one-time encounter" between them?

A year later, the ruthless Marshal Gu finally reacted.

He dismounted and walked straight to Chang Geng, saying solemnly, "Follow me."

Chang Geng's eyes were fixed on his face, unwilling to move an inch. There was still a shallow scar on Gu Yun's neck, brought from the northwest desert, and it had not yet healed. Chang Geng finally found his voice with difficulty: "Godfather, why are you here?"

Gu Yun snorted coldly, and walked out of the market first without saying a word.

"Even the way I talk is different now," he thought with a sense of loss.

The soldiers who followed him came trotting forward and said to Gu Yun in a hurry, "General, the monk ran away, are you still chasing him?"

"Chase him," Gu Yun agreed immediately, "I'll issue a city-wide warrant. Even if he jumps into the sea, I'll get him back for me!"

Officer: “Yes!”

Madam Cao secretly pulled Ge Pangxiao's sleeve from behind. Ge Pangxiao stuck out his tongue, feeling that they were like a clay Buddha crossing a river and could hardly save themselves. He could only shake his head helplessly and hope that Master Liangran would take care of himself.

Chang Geng and the others followed Gu Yun all the way to the residence of Lord Yao, the Censor of Yingtian. Lord Yao had already prepared to flatter him and brought people to greet him at the door: "Your Highness, it is an honor to have you visit my humble abode! Please come in, please come in. I have prepared wine and food to welcome you."

Before he finished speaking, Gu Yun had already walked in with a gloomy face, and his eyes and eyebrows showed a sentence - why bother to accept the wind, just starve him to death.

For the whole night, Gu Yun hadn't figured out how to talk to Chang Geng, so he could only drink cup after cup of the Loulan wine he brought with him in his room. After a while, there was a knock on the door.

Gu Yun: "Come in."

Chang Geng gently opened the door and walked in: "Godfather."

Gu Yun said nothing, his face showing no signs of joy or anger.

Chang Geng closed the door with his hand and lowered his head slightly, as if staring at Gu Yun for too long was exhausting.

Chang Geng: "Foster father, I miss you so much."

Gu Yun was silent for a moment, and finally sighed: "Come here, let me take a look."

Chang Geng walked over obediently. Gu Yun had a strange smell of alcohol on him, a little sweet, as if it was wine from the Western Regions. On his shoulders hung the cold iron armor that had not gone away for years. Chang Geng thought he could control himself, but he didn't expect that he overestimated himself - just like he didn't expect Gu Yun to come to Jiangnan to find him in person.

He secretly took a deep breath, stepped forward without permission, and hugged Gu Yun.