Chapter Thirty-Four Departure

  Outside the city of Daxing, all members of the Li family were present, along with some guards. At this time, only Du Guofeng and Du Guowen came to see them off on the official road. Du Guowen represented You Chuhong in seeing them off, while Du Guofeng represented himself alone in seeing them off. As for those officials who frequently visited the Li family, not one of them came to see them off. There was no way around it - at this time, the Li family had been relocated to Taiyuan, and in the eyes of those officials who spent their days swaying back and forth on the imperial court, the Li family had already lost the emperor's favor. As for some people loyal to the Li family, they had already visited the Li family before, so Li Yuan didn't let them come to see him off either, lest it attract Yang Guang's attention. There was nothing much to say about these fair-weather friends - reality was just like that. Although this was the case, their behavior was still remembered. When the Li family entered Chang'an City, even if they begged for mercy, it would be of no use - they were destined to have only one outcome.

  But Li Jiancheng didn't have that much free time to think about those things, as he still had another trouble to deal with. "Feng'er, don't cry! In two or three years, we can settle down and I'll be able to marry you then!" Although his words made Dugu Feng's face turn red, they couldn't stop her tears of sorrow.

  "Jian Cheng brother, I still miss you, what to do?" Dugu Feng wiped away tears and said, suddenly her eyes lit up and she said: "If not two years, when I grow up a bit more, can I go find you?"

  "That's only if your family agrees! And you have to practice your martial arts well, so I can feel at ease when you come find me. If you get hurt on the road, I'll be heartbroken!" Li Jiancheng knew that with her personality, once she made up her mind, probably no one in the Dugu family could stop her. When the time came, even if she snuck out secretly, probably no one would know. So he took a different approach, letting her have enough martial arts skills to protect herself, so when she came to find him, he wouldn't have to worry too much about her safety.

  "Alright, it's settled then! You'll have to tell me more stories later." Dugu Feng said with a smile. Ever since he first told them the story of "Journey to the West", they couldn't get enough of his storytelling and would always pester him for more. After finally finishing the story, he thought he was free at last, but little did he know that his troubles were only just beginning. Under their pressure, he had no choice but to tell them another story, this time "Dream of the Red Chamber", with a few tweaks to make it sound like it took place during the Jin dynasty.

  When Lin Daiyu died in the story, Dugu Feng and Li Xuning glared at him, saying he was heartless and refused to speak to him again. The others were also teary-eyed, making him feel miserable. But since they didn't want to listen to his excuses, he thought he was finally free from their demands. However, the next day they came back, and he had no choice but to continue telling the story.

  Finally, after finishing "Dream of the Red Chamber", he thought he could rest easy, but little did he know that both "Journey to the West" and "Dream of the Red Chamber" would start spreading among the aristocracy. Many young women even said, "I won't marry anyone who hasn't read 'Dream of the Red Chamber'." This led many men to resent him for telling the story.

  As a result, both stories started circulating among the common people, and soon many spin-offs appeared. Many wine houses changed their names to "Red Mansion Inn", "Yi Hong Yuan", "Daguanyuan", and "Tian Gong Lou". His own "Journey to the West" inn was too famous, so no one bothered to change its name.

  In this situation, he was interrogated and forced to reveal the culprits behind the spread of "Dream of the Red Chamber": Li Xuning and Feng'er were the ones who told their close friends about the story, which then spread like wildfire. As for "Journey to the West", the troublemakers were Li Yuanba and Li Yuangui, who told their playmates about it.

  He didn't have any opinions on this matter, as he never thought of making money from his storytelling anyway. He had always wondered how people in the past could make a living by writing books, considering that books were expensive back then and only affordable for the nobility. How could ordinary people afford them?

  Later, under pressure from the group, he told them another story, "The Investiture of the Gods", which was full of mythological elements. They listened with rapt attention, and finally, after finishing the story, they left him alone.

  The next day, they came back, and Li Jiancheng said, "I've told you all the stories I can think of, so give me some time to come up with new ones. I estimate it'll take several years before I can tell you more stories." And with that, his troubles finally came to an end.

  So when Li Jiancheng heard Dugu Feng's words, he was speechless. He suspected that she wanted to hear his story or see him in person. "Okay, okay! Give me a little more time and I'll definitely come up with new stories to tell you." Then Li Jiancheng walked over, pulled her hand, pinched her nose and said: "Let's go, we have to set off too. Take good care of yourself. If anything happens, ask He Yini for help!"

  "I understand, Jian Cheng Gege, you also need to take care of yourself." The moment of farewell had arrived, and Dugu Feng felt sad again, her eyes welling up with tears.

  "Feng'er, follow your big brother and go. Before we part ways, Brother Jiancheng will sing a song for you." Li Jiancheng said, then began to sing as Dugu Feng took one step back: "Outside the long pavilion, by the ancient road, fragrant grass stretches to the sky, evening wind blows the willow flute's lingering sound, sunset outside the mountain. At the edge of the sky, at the corner of the earth, knowing friends are scattered, a cup of turbid wine exhausts our remaining joy, tonight we part in a cold dream..." The song was ancient and desolate, making everyone around feel a sense of sorrowful farewell. Finally, when Dugu Feng and Dugu Wen disappeared into the city gate, his singing stopped, and he walked towards the Li family's troops.

  "Cheng Er, I didn't know you could do this. Even your mother hasn't heard it before, but Feng Er happened to have the chance to hear it first." Duan Xian said with a smile as she saw him approaching.

  "Mom, I'll sing it for you when I get to Taiyuan later." Ugh! This is all so frustrating and annoying!

  "Big brother, I want to listen too!" Li Xiuning and Li Yuanba ran over to join in the fun.

  "Alright, let's go!" Li Yuan said, and so Li Xiuning and Li Yuanba stopped bothering him. The family members who rode horses rode horses, and those who sat in carriages sat in carriages. Except for Li Xiuning and Li Yuanba being young, Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin, and Li Yuanji could all ride horses now, and they would often practice whenever they had the chance. Although they couldn't say their riding skills were unmatched, they could still hold their own. Seeing Li Yuan wave at him, he lightly swung his whip and galloped towards Li Yuan.

  "Be careful on your way, it's very dangerous. Take care of yourself and your mother." Li Yuan said to him as he approached.

  "I understand!" Li Jiancheng responded.

  ……

  They walked for two or three days, all the way on the official road, and nothing has happened yet. However, Li Jiancheng and Li Yuan still let their guards secretly raise their vigilance, because the enemy may appear at any time, and once they relax their vigilance, it may be fatal.

  On this day, I came to a forest. This road is the only one, and all around are mountains, so this road is the only way through.

  "Wait a minute, there's something up ahead..." Li Jiancheng shouted after listening carefully for a while.