Miao Yi smiled bitterly. "I only managed to gather two stalks."
Yan Beihong couldn't help but feel a deep sense of respect for Miao Yi. When he first parted ways with Miao Yi, he thought Miao Yi was a scheming man who was trying to play tricks on him. That was why he left in disdain. Only now did he realize that he was being too narrow-minded. If he were in Miao Yi's shoes, it would be very difficult for him to be like Miao Yi and give up all the opportunities he had earned by risking his life to a younger brother or sister who wasn't related to him by blood.
He couldn't help but pat Miao Yi's shoulder. "Little Brother, I have nothing to say about you. Big Brother has let you down!"
Miao Yi shook his head. "Why would you say that, Big Brother Yan? I just want to ask if you have a way to escape from the soldiers. Do you have a way to help me escape?"
Yan Beihong chuckled and grabbed Miao Yi's arm. "Leave it to me. Let's find a place to eat and drink first."
Miao Yi immediately pulled him back and reminded him, "Someone is watching me."
"It's just a few small fries. What's there to be afraid of?!" Yan Beihong dragged Miao Yi away. "Eat and drink first. Rest up. Big Brother will send you away tonight!"
The two of them found a temporarily opened noodle house and ordered a few jin of beef and two bowls of noodles. They ate until they were full.
When they left, Yan Beihong packed up a lot more food. Then, he found an empty house, removed the wooden planks from the door and laid it on the ground. Then, he lay down and slept soundly.
When night came, Yan Beihong carried Miao Yi and quickly climbed over the walls in order to shake off their pursuers. They didn't take the normal route, and soon, they lost their pursuers.
As they made their way to the foot of a rather dark city wall, Yan Beihong observed the patrolling pattern on top of the wall. As a former military commander, he had some experience.
Now that he had an idea of what to do, he took the opportunity to toss a simple grappling hook he had prepared to the top of the wall. With one hand on the rope, he leaped off the wall and quickly brought Miao Yi up to the top of the wall. Then, he quickly slid down the other side of the wall.
The two of them ran in the dark until they were about seven to eight miles away in the forest before stopping.
Under the moonlight, Yan Beihong pushed the bag of food he had prepared into Miao Yi's arms.
"Big Brother Yan, what are you doing?" Miao Yi asked in confusion.
"Little Brother, it's easy to escape, but it'll be hard for you to return home in the future. In any case, you don't have any attachments now, so it's fine if you don't return home. If you do, you'll definitely fall into the hands of that Head Guard Huang. It's hard to leave one's homeland. I didn't say this before because I was afraid that you would feel sad if I said it. These are for you to bring along with you. Go, the further you go, the better. "
Yan Beihong turned his hand around and pointed in the opposite direction. "The grappling claws on top of the city wall have left behind some clues. Just in case, head in the opposite direction. This is all I can do. Whether it's a blessing or a disaster, I can't control it. It all depends on your luck."
"Thank you, Big Brother Yan, but I still have a request!"
"Tell me, as long as I can help."
"My sister is in the Immortal Gate that you want to enter today. Her name is Lu Xuexin. She's still young. If Big Brother can take care of her in the future, I hope Big Brother Yan will take care of her."
"Lu Xuexin …" Yan Beihong muttered to himself. Then, he nodded heavily and said, "I will remember it. After saying goodbye today, he hoped that he would have the opportunity to meet again in the future. I won't act like a little girl anymore. I can't delay my own matters either. I'll be heading back first. Take care of yourself. "
He wasn't a wishy-washy person. He had said what needed to be said and done what needed to be done. Patting Miao Yi's shoulder, he turned around and strode away without hesitation.
After watching Yan Beihong's figure disappear into the night, Miao Yi lifted his head to look at the ancient city with a complicated expression.
When he first ventured into the Boundless Secular World, he had already prepared himself for the worst. However, he didn't expect that he would be all alone when he returned. From now on, he would have to leave his hometown and run for his life.
Turning around, Miao Yi found the location of his home and immediately knelt down, sobbing, "Father Lu, Mother Zhang, Father Zhang, Mother Zhang, Little Brother and Little Sister have become immortals. From now on, they won't have to suffer with me anymore. Please bless them from the heavens."
As he finished, he lowered his head to the ground and kowtowed.
The dark green bead hanging around his neck flashed with a weak light, and the 'scholar' who played the zither amidst the crowd of mortals silently appeared behind him. Still as magnificent as ever, he quietly looked at Miao Yi, who was bowing his head and kowtowing.
After he was done kowtowing, Miao Yi wiped away his tears and stood up. He pulled out the butcher's knife from his waist and grasped it tightly in his hand. Then, he found the right direction and quickly left according to Yan Beihong's directions.
The 'scholar' raised his head to look at the bright moon, then quietly disappeared under the moonlight …
From dusk till dawn, Miao Yi had no idea how far he had run as he traversed through the mountains for the entire night. As he faced the rising sun and ran out of the mountains, his path was blocked by a large river. Only when he saw the river did he roughly guess how far he had run.
He was exhausted as well. Kneeling by the river, he scooped up some water and washed his face to clear his mind. He turned around and sat on a large rock by the riverbank. He took out the dry rations that Yan Beihong had prepared for him and took a few bites. Then, he took out the sheepskin flask from his waist, pulled out the cork, and took a few gulps.
As he ate, he was thinking about how he was going to cross the river and where he would go from here on out. Suddenly, he saw a small boat floating downstream. Perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a bamboo raft.
On the bamboo raft was a white-robed man wrapped in a plain, light blue cloak. He floated over with a bamboo pole.
The river water rippled, and the newly built bamboo raft was lush green. Standing on the raft was the 'scholar', his robes fluttering in the morning breeze. It was a very pleasing sight.
"…" Miao Yi was startled as he chewed on the dry rations. 'Why is it him? Isn't this the guy who's obsessed with cleanliness in the Boundless Secular World? '
"Lao Bai! Lao Bai!" Miao Yi jumped up and waved his hand as he shouted, "Here! Here! Do you still recognize me?"
The scholar looked over and smiled. Using the bamboo pole, he steered the raft to the riverbank and stopped. Looking at Miao Yi's disheveled appearance, he smiled and said, "So it's you. Little Brother, we meet again. I wonder where Little Brother is heading to in the wilderness? "
Miao Yi asked, "Where are you going?"
The scholar looked at the rolling east river and smiled warmly. "A small boat going downstream. I'm going to tour the mountains and rivers. I don't have a fixed destination. I'll just go wherever I want. I'll take things as they come."
Miao Yi realized that this person was always calm and collected no matter when he saw him. Even in such a dangerous place, he still looked calm and unhurried. His clothes were always clean, simple, and refined. Miao Yi realized that this person was always calm and collected. Even in such a dangerous place, he still looked calm and collected.
Miao Yi rubbed his hands in embarrassment. "Looks like we're going the same way. I wonder …"
The meaning behind his words was clear. 'I wonder if I can hitch a ride on your boat.'
The scholar nodded in understanding. "It's best to travel with a companion. If you don't mind my bamboo raft being shabby, why don't we board the boat and travel together?"
"It's not shabby, not shabby at all. This is my first time seeing such a beautiful bamboo raft." Miao Yi happily hopped onto the raft.
He wasn't trying to flatter the scholar. The bamboo raft was indeed exquisitely made. There was even a bamboo mat in the middle to block the sun and rain.
The bamboo pole in the scholar's hand pushed against the riverbank. The bamboo raft carried the two of them into the river and flowed downstream once again.
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