Chapter Nineteen: Romance of Wind, Flowers, Snow, and Moon

"Master Tang, you're too polite! Please, follow me upstairs to the private room." The old lady graciously led Tang Yi and his companions to the second floor, ushering them into the largest private chamber. Everyone took their seats one by one, while Tang Yi pulled the old lady aside for a private conversation.

After more than half an hour, Tang Yi finally returned. Upon entering the room, he was greeted by a scene of utter chaos—the room resembled a battlefield, the table strewn with remnants of a feast, and his friends all rubbing their round, full bellies, burping contentedly. Seeing Tang Yi, Zhang Qiang put down his toothpick and spoke, "Tang, the food here is just amazing! Burp. Look at us—we've eaten so much we can barely move. Burp. Sorry, we didn't save any for you. Burp!"

Tang Yi scoffed, "No worries. I just dined with Granny, and it was even better than this. Heh heh..." He grinned slyly.

"Alright, Liu Yuefeng. Let's go to your mother's room. After such a meal, it's time to get to work. After all, who can resist the kindness of those who feed you... or rather, their warmth!" Tang Yi patted his own stomach.

"Wonderful, thank you, Tang!" Liu Yuefeng excitedly leapt from her chair.

"Lead the way," Tang Yi said.

"Please, Tang," Liu Yuefeng replied, heading off. The others returned to their rooms, though Guo Ziping slipped quietly behind Tang Yi.

"Stop sneaking around—come out. Ugly son-in-law must meet the mother-in-law eventually," Tang Yi called back to Guo Ziping.

... They entered the room where Liu Yuefeng's mother was resting. A few minutes later, Tang Yi said, "All done. You won't suffer from that cold poison anymore. You three should have a good talk. I'll leave you to it." With that, he exited and closed the door.

"Mother, I've decided to follow Tang Yi and cultivate alongside him, with Ziping," Liu Yuefeng told her mother.

"I can see Tang Yi is a good man, and our benefactor. Ziping, you must take good care of Yuefeng on this journey. If anything happens to her, I'll hold you responsible."

"I promise, Auntie."

"Mother..."

...

As dusk fell, Tang Yi felt a sudden, inexplicable melancholy and stepped out of the inn to wander through the woods. The birdsong faded into the distance, and the silver moon quietly climbed the treetops. Moonlight poured over the forest like liquid silver. Suddenly, a burst of hoofbeats startled flocks of birds into flight. In the distance, a spirited horse galloped toward him, ridden by a strikingly beautiful woman in fitted attire.

"Wow! A beauty!" Tang Yi exclaimed happily. "Hmm... Ruoxue? Ruoxue—is that you?" Recognizing her, Tang Yi called out loudly.

"Whoa..." "Tang, is that you?" Hua Ruoxue pulled the reins, stopping her horse, and leapt down gracefully.

"Haha, it really is my Ruoxue! Seems we truly share a connection!" Tang Yi cried out joyfully, rushing over to seize both of Hua Ruoxue's hands.

"Tang..." Hua Ruoxue blushed, trying to slip her hands free, but Tang Yi's grip was like iron pincers.

"I've missed you terribly! Ruoxue, did you miss me?" Tang Yi asked softly.

"Mm!" came her reply, barely audible as a mosquito's whisper. The forest path fell silent, broken only by the occasional snort of the horse.

Tang Yi and Hua Ruoxue's thoughts drifted back to a night nearly half a year ago...

...

"Tang, I toast to you," Hua Ruoxue lifted her glass.

"Boss Hua, calling me 'Tang' is too formal. I'm a bit older than you—just call me Tang, it's much nicer," Tang Yi grumbled, downing his drink in one gulp. Hua Ruoxue followed suit, saying, "If you insist, then I won't stand on ceremony. If you call me 'Boss Hua,' isn't that too distant? Call me Ruoxue."

"Deal, Ruoxue! Here, Ruoxue, let's drink another." Tang Yi lifted his glass first.

"Ruoxue, have you ever considered cultivating?" Tang Yi asked.

"Of course I have. I joined the Hundred Flowers Sect for just that purpose. But luck wasn't on my side—I never caught the attention of any immortal cultivators. I wasn't chosen back then, and now it's even harder," Hua Ruoxue said wistfully.

"Don't lose hope, Ruoxue. After this talent selection, I'll find a way for you to fulfill your dream of cultivation. I promise!" Tang Yi pledged.

"Thank you, Tang. Let's drink to that."

"Agreed! Another!" Throughout the banquet, Tang Yi launched a fierce campaign for Ruoxue's affection, deploying every love strategy and move he knew. When it was time to part, he asked, "Will you wait for me to return?"

"Yes, I will. I'll definitely wait for you!" Hua Ruoxue's face, already flushed from wine, turned even redder...

"Tang, have you finished kneading my hands? They're starting to hurt," Hua Ruoxue came back to herself.

"Oh, sorry, my apologies," Tang Yi released her hands sheepishly, grinning.

"Let's go, Tang. Back to the inn. Or do you plan to stay in the woods all night?" Hua Ruoxue took Tang Yi's hand and led him back, making him grin with delight. He chuckled to himself: Now I’m officially in love! Hua Shaojie and Guo Ziping, you two can worship me, Tang, now! Haha...

The next morning, after breakfast, they prepared two carriages. Tang Yi introduced Hua Ruoxue to the group, and the men, as expected, looked at him with admiration, making Tang Yi so proud he nearly lost his bearings. Hua Ruoxue had a heartfelt, private conversation with her grandmother that lasted more than half an hour. When they emerged from the inn, both bore traces of tears. Behind them followed the group who had been tossed about by Hua Shaojie and the others the previous day. As the carriages pulled away, heading toward the imperial capital of Song—Kaifeng in Henan—the crowd watched, and Hua Ruoxue’s grandmother waved farewell.

Zeng Invincible watched Tang Yi’s group leave, flanked by two pandas, murmuring, "The legends are true: all the good cabbages are eaten by pigs, all the beauties fall for ugly men. It's really no lie. Me, Zeng Invincible, so handsome and elegant, surpassing Pan An, and yet no beauty favors me—what a waste of talent..."

"Ugh..." At his words, retching sounds erupted all around...

After traversing mountains and rivers, switching from carriage to boat and back again, the journey’s details need not be recounted in full. Suffice it to say, whenever they encountered injustice, Tang Yi would step in, and with a wave, Zhang Qiang and the others would rush in and resolve matters swiftly. Such incidents happened countless times along the way. When Tang Yi’s group of ten finally stepped into Kaifeng Prefecture, word had spread throughout the land: the Ten Heroes of Hundred Flowers. Their deeds—championing justice, punishing evil, assisting the weak, rescuing damsels, returning lost money—were known by all.

Tang Yi noticed that outside Kaifeng, there was actually a railway. Upon inquiry, he learned there were only a few railways in the world, used mainly for transporting goods and soldiers, with no passenger trains. The trains were steam-powered. Hearing this, Tang Yi began to scheme.

"Brother, could you tell me how to get to Prince Ming's Mansion?" Tang Yi asked a passerby.

"Prince Ming's Mansion? Are you here for the recruitment too?" the passerby replied.

"Recruitment? What do you mean?" Lin Jiang interjected.