Chapter 40: Meeting Da Xian Guan Ning Who Wants to Avoid the World

  A bet is made, both sides are very happy, in fact, everything is already understood without saying a word.

  "I wonder what Brother Meng has planned next?" They had gotten quite familiar with each other, so Du Yi asked directly.

  Ma Chao did not conceal it either, "Not hiding from Brother Zhongming, I want to go to Qingzhou!"

  "Oh? Qingzhou, it just so happens that this is a relatively calm time at sea, and Brother Meng's trip by sea is very suitable!"

  "I think so too!"

  However, Meng Qi's younger brother would live with his elder brother for a few days first and set sail later.

  "That's troubling Brother Zhongming!" Seeing Du Yi like this, Ma Chao also went along with it, anyway he wasn't in a hurry to leave.

  "These words are really superfluous, Brother Meng Qixian mustn't be polite!"

  Yu said that was quite sincere, Ma Chao heard and smiled, and didn't say much.

  For the next five days, Ma Chao and Cui An stayed in the Du mansion. On the sixth day, they bid farewell to the Du brothers. Originally, Du Yi had intended to personally escort them to the coast to board the ship, but was politely declined by Ma Chao.

  "Brother Zhongming, Uncle Ming, both of you please stay!"

  Du Li was also with Du Yi, but it seemed like he was even more silent than before.

  "Alright then, may you and your brother Meng have a smooth journey!"

  "The green hills remain unchanged, the clear waters flow forever, we two will meet again someday!" Ma Chao's words were understood by both Du brothers.

  Ma Chao and Cui An mounted their horses and left, Du Yi nodded towards the backs of the two men. Du Li stared at Ma Chao's back, lost in thought.

  Ma Chao and the other man rode their horses to the seaside, and they arrived just in time. Today, there happened to be a ship going to Qingzhou. Perhaps people go to Qingzhou every day, but ships going to Qingzhou are not available every day. After all, those who travel between Qingzhou and Yuzhou by boat are few in number, and the danger at sea is relatively great. Now that it's almost the end of September, it's still okay, but if you set sail in the summer, you might encounter bad luck and possibly not return. Therefore, the number of people traveling by sea compared to those traveling by land can be said to be vastly different.

  Ma Chao's boat had thirty or so people on it, the boat wasn't particularly big, but it could easily fit thirty or so people, of course there were not only people, but also horses and goods and whatnot. Like Ma Chao's horse, they naturally all got on the boat, but you had to pay extra money for that.

  Ma Chao looked at the others, apart from them, there were also scholars and merchants on the boat, the rest seemed to be ordinary civilians. He didn't notice anyone else practicing martial arts, it seemed that only he and Cui An were warriors on this boat.

  The boat was moving on the sea, Ma Chao and Cui An ate some dry food and drank a little water. There were no restaurants at sea in this era, so they could only bring their own food. Moreover, they had to sail for several days, so it was necessary to prepare enough dry food, and more importantly, fresh water. Ma Chao also prepared a lot of it, and it can be said that the two men had made sufficient preparations before boarding the boat.

  Although Ma Chao had never traveled by sea in this life, he hadn't lived without ever seeing a pig run, right? He remembered the things to pay attention to when traveling by sea, not just some experiences from his past life, but also some things he learned from his teacher Yan Zhong in this life.

  Yan Zhong was also traveling around the world when he was young, and of course, he had taken the sea route. Unfortunately, he encountered a big storm at sea, resulting in the ship sinking. Yan Zhong was one of the few survivors.

  He taught Ma Chao all his experiences, and especially reminded him that if he didn't have to take the sea route, it would be better not to take it. After all, human power is not enough to resist the heavenly way, and the heavenly power is unpredictable. This was Yan Zhong's feeling. It is unknown what he would think if he knew that his precious apprentice was now on the boat, leisurely and carefree.

  Unconsciously it was already night, Ma Chao came out of the cabin. Tonight is a good night with moon and stars.

  Gazing at the bright moon in the night sky, he couldn't help but sigh and say a few words: "Humans have joys and sorrows, partings and reunions; the moon has its phases of darkness, light, fullness and emptiness. It's an ancient truth that nothing can be perfect! But I wish for eternal human connection, sharing the beauty of the moon together across thousands of miles!"

  As soon as Jiǎo Wén finished speaking, there was a burst of applause from behind her.

  "Good phrase, good phrase!" someone behind him said.

  The man had already arrived in front of Ma Chao, and with a bow, said: "I am Ning An from Beihai. I'm fortunate to have heard your clever words, but I don't know if this is something you came up with?"

  What a coincidence! I didn't expect to run into him here. "The steed that Fengyi rode, Ma Chao and Ma Mengqi, don't hide from you, Young An, this is what inspired me!"

  Ma Chao said in his heart, I didn't say it was done by myself, it's just a feeling and speaking out, as for what others think, I can't control it.

  As expected, after hearing Ma Chao's answer, Guan Ning naturally thought it was Ma Chao's original work.

  "Brother Meng's great talent! Especially the last two sentences, 'May we long endure, and share the beauty of the moon together a thousand miles apart!' These two lines will surely be passed down for eternity!"

  Can't it be passed down for thousands of years? This is Su Dongpo's representative work, Ma Chao thought.

  "I'm eleven years old this year, and since Brother You'an is older than me, it's fine to just call me little brother."

  Ma Chao also wanted to get close to Guan Ning, and some of Guan Ning's deeds were still admired by him in his previous life. Not only did he cut off ties with others, but there was more to it. After Guan Ning went to Liaodong, he educated the local people with his own actions, and it must be said that Guan You'an from Beihai was a great virtuous man of his time who did not seek fame or wealth but could truly enlighten the people.

  Tonight, Ma Chao met Guan Ning from his youth and was very happy, so they couldn't help but socialize.

  "You are ten years older than me, so I'll call you Second Brother Meng from now on!" Guan Ning said in response to Ma Chao's words.

  "Oh no, I've been searching for it everywhere!"

  Ma Chao took a closer look at Guan Ning, and although it was already evening, he could still make out some things.

  Guan Ning was eight feet tall, with a clear and elegant appearance, dressed as a scholar, wearing a sword at his waist, exuding an aura of books, and it was obvious that he was a bookworm.

  "May I ask what Young Master Meng is going to Qingzhou for?" Guan Ning asked Ma Chao.

  "My younger brother has been traveling in various states after completing his studies. He just came from Youzhou and wants to go to Qingzhou!" Ma Chao said frankly.

  "Where does my younger brother want to go?"

  "Donglai County!"

  Ma Chao didn't think much and said that, not because his destination was there, but the ship's destination was Donglai County. Anyway, after arriving in Donglai, everyone got off and went their separate ways, Ma Chao thought it would be good to go to Donglai too, and spend a couple of days there afterwards.

  "Unfortunately, I have something to attend to in Beihai and cannot accompany you to Donglai!" Guan Ning said with some regret.

  Ma Chao heard this and it was exactly what he wanted. This was just right for him, not that he didn't want to have more contact with Guan Ning, but they were both busy with their own things, and he also didn't want to trouble Guan Ning too much.

  Guan Ning's home was in Beihai, Zhu Xu. If he knew that Ma Chao would also go to Beihai and stay in Qingzhou for a long time, he would definitely invite Ma Chao to his home, which is indeed true.

  Ma Chao didn't want to disturb him, so he only said those few words, but Ma Chao could feel that Guan Ning was very enthusiastic about him, and maybe when he was young, he was just like that.

  "My younger brother will stay in Donglai for a while and then leave Qingzhou!" Ma Chao lied to Guan Ning.

  Guan Ning heard this and said, "I was just thinking of inviting you to stay at my home for a few more days, I didn't know you had something else to attend to that made you leave Qingzhou so quickly?"

  Ma Chao thought that Guan Ning was quite fond of asking questions, and after telling one lie, he had to keep lying to cover it up.

  "My younger brother indeed has something important on his hands, after finishing one thing in Donglai, he still needs to rush to Xuzhou to take care of another!"

  Ma Chao said helplessly, Guan Ning listened and didn't suspect anything, so he also said helplessly: "Since that's the case, I won't force you either. I only hope that in the future, my younger brother will have a chance to come to Qingzhou again, and be sure to visit my home as a guest!"

  "Definitely, definitely." Ma Chao said with a smile.

  Ma Chao and Guan Ning chatted a lot more, as they talked, Guan Ning was slightly surprised in his heart, thinking that Meng Zhi's younger brother not only had literary talent, but also good learning, and it could be seen that he was also skilled in martial arts, should be a versatile person with both civil and military skills.

  As for Ma Chao, he was somewhat familiar with Guan Ning, so he wasn't surprised.

  Guanning indeed has a university question, now only 21 years old, but with such knowledge you don't feel his pride. In his own words, learning is endless, no matter how much you understand, it's just a grain of sand in the ocean, and there are many things in the world that need us to learn.

  Ma Chao was astonished by these words. He had not expected that Guan Ning could say such things, and indeed he was worthy of being a great virtuous man.

  "Is Young Master An returning from Youzhou?" Ma Chao finally asked, having wanted to ask for a long time but never finding the right opportunity.

  "Not bad, brother, you came from Liaodong to Lewang, and then boarded a ship back to Qingzhou."

  "What was Young Master An doing in Liaodong?" Ma Chao continued to ask.

  "Before I arrived in Liaodong, I didn't have any plans for my brother, just casually traveling around. But after going there, I indeed had some ideas." Guan Ning said very seriously.

  "What idea does Young Master An have?" Ma Chao put on a curious expression.

  "If one day you get tired of life at home, I'll move the family to Liaodong for you. Maybe there you can find the life you want!" Guan Ning's face showed a hint of expectation.

  "Young An brother is well-versed in ancient and modern times, with a wealth of knowledge that can fill five carts. He is indeed the greatest talent of our time, and will surely make a name for himself back in his hometown!" Ma Chao said firmly.

  Who would have thought that Guan Ning heard the words and only smiled slightly, "Meng Qi Xian Di, as long as the Han Dynasty remains the same, the people can live in peace and prosperity, I will not leave my hometown, but I'm afraid..." Guan Ning's words were left unfinished, as if he was worried about something.

  Here it comes, just as I expected, thought Ma Chao to himself.

  "Little Brother An, I don't understand, what's going on with this?"

  "I've heard people say that the Han Dynasty will not be peaceful for long! Of course, I'm not one to listen to rumors, but I also have this feeling!" Guan Ning's eyebrows furrowed slightly before relaxing again.

  It seems quite right, "If the world is really in chaos that day, what will Brother Yu An plan to do?"

  "I? Meng Qi, my younger brother, I have considered this for a long time. If it's really like that, then I should go into hiding in Liaodong with friends!" Guan Ning spoke as before, but Ma Chao detected a hint of helplessness in his tone.

  "Fearing that Liaodong will also not be a pure land at that time!"

  Guan Ning shook his head after listening to Ma Chao's words, "Brother Meng, if the world is in chaos, it will inevitably lead to the suffering of the people and the destruction of homes. This is what I least want to see, but I am powerless to stop it. So, I can only go to a place with few people and do my own thing."

  Ma Chao could feel that Guan Ning was a person who truly loved the common people. When something he didn't want to see happen did, and he couldn't change it, he could only reluctantly accept and leave with reluctance.

  Perhaps some people will think that this is also escapism, but in any case, Guan Ning will do something in his own way, which is what Guan You'an does, the Guan You'an who cut off all ties.

  "Just do what you want to do, and that's it. I believe in you, Young Master!" Ma Chao cheered on Guan Ning, who was still young after all, so he needed others' trust, support, and encouragement even more.

  "Thank you, brother! I can see that you have great ambitions, and I believe you can do what you want to do!" This time, Guan Ning was encouraging Ma Chao instead.

  "Haha, Young Master An, I also believe that I can do it!" Ma Chao said with unparalleled confidence.

  "Alright, let's encourage each other!" Guan Ning patted Ma Chao's shoulder with his hand.

  Ma Chao then stretched out his own left hand, Guan Ning apparently did not understand what this meant.

  Ma Chao then placed Guan Ning's right hand on the back of his own left hand, and then placed his own right hand on the back of Guan Ning's right hand. This time Guan Ning understood, and hastily placed his own left hand on the back of Ma Chao's right hand.

  "Let's work together, Young Master An!" As he spoke, Ma Chao relaxed his grip with both hands.

  "Let's work together!" Guan Ning also learned from Ma Chao's example.

  Ma Chao didn't realize until he let go of his hand that he and Guan Ning had been chatting from the first half of the night to the second half, but neither of them noticed this.

  Ma Chao looked at Guan Ning, and Guan Ning also looked at Ma Chao.

  "Little Ancestor!"

  "Brother Mengqi!"

  "Hahaha!"

  "Hahaha!"

  Two people from different regions and ages, who met on the same boat, on the same night, under the same bright moon, chatted for half a night. Although they had known each other for a short time, it did not hinder their friendship.

  After the two laughed, they bid each other farewell and returned to their cabins. While chatting, neither of them felt anything, but at this time, both of them had a tired feeling, and it was almost done, so of course they went back to rest in their cabins.

  In the sky, a dark cloud covered the bright moon. It seems that it's not just humans who need rest, even the moon has been tucked in with a blanket and fallen asleep.