Chapter Thirty-Three: The Will Fears a Slow Return

  The rooster crows, but the sky is still dark.

  Smoke drifted out of the kitchen, and several servants kept adding firewood inside.

  The sound of crackling firewood was heard from time to time, and white smoke rose from the pot.

  There were also several burly men holding horses outside the door, and the chilly dawn made these sturdy men tighten their clothes.

  Tang San walked out of the door and shouted at several men: "Gentlemen, come in and have a bowl of hot congee to warm up!"

  Some of these men were eager to try, but seeing that their leader was unmoved, they also endured.

  "It's okay, thank you"

  Tang San slightly shook his head and returned to the mansion.

  Today is the day of Tang Guan's departure, and some people in the Tang Mansion haven't even slept all night.

  One by one, the lights in the rooms lit up. Xia Qi excitedly opened her eyes, having spent most of the night in a state of pseudo-sleep, neither asleep nor awake.

  He quickly tidied himself up and put on his clothes before pushing open the door.

  A gentle breeze blew by, and Xiao Qi rubbed her nose, seeing that Tang Guan's bedroom next door was still dark.

  Xiao Qi stretched out her hand and was about to knock on the door when she shouted: "Guang..."

  The door opened by itself and Tang Guan walked out of it.

  "Brother Guan, you're up quite early today, hehe." Xiao Qi smiled mischievously, and Tang Guan glanced at the sky and shook his head lightly.

  It was indeed very early, so early that he himself couldn't believe it. There was a kind of emotion in his heart that was beyond words, not like Xiao Qi's longing for the hustle and bustle, but a special kind of expectation.

  Yes, he really wants to see the woman in the Da Ming Palace.

  Just as the two were talking, the door on the right also opened and Tang Niu walked out, seeing the two standing still at the door, he was taken aback.

  "I was just about to call you guys, didn't expect I woke up myself" Tang Niu smiled wryly, Xiao Qi stepped forward and said: "Brother Niu, you really won't go with me?"

  Tang Guan also looked at Tang Niu, who scratched his head and said: "What was that phrase again? Called... called what parents are in... not..."

  "While parents are alive, don't travel far." Tang Guan smiled and said.

  Tang Niu also smiled and said: "It's still because young master reads books well"

  "Let's have breakfast first, there won't be any good food on the road." Tang Niu reminded.

  The two nodded slightly and walked towards the living room together.

  It's not usually like this when eating on ordinary days, but today there was an outsider who sat at the same table as the Tang family, and that was Chen Yunsheng.

  When the three of them entered the living room, they saw Tang Weixi and Chen Yusheng already sitting upright.

  Xiao Qi glanced around and didn't see Madam Tang's figure, looking slightly disappointed.

  "Come quickly!" Tang Weixi beckoned with his hand as he saw the three people enter.

  Three people sat down at the front, Xiaowen felt the atmosphere was oppressive and didn't speak either. She picked up her bowl and chopsticks and silently ate her rice.

  Three young people ate a lot, two adults took turns eating, especially Tang Weixi was about to leave, looking worried.

  "Go and tell Liang Jun to eat more. If he wants to eat something on the way, just let Chen Bo Bo know."

  Xiao Qi and Tang Guan also ignored Tang Weixi, and each went their own way.

  Until Xiaogui put down his chopsticks and let out a low burp, the eerie atmosphere was finally broken.

  Chen Yunsheng shook his head and smiled at Xiao Qi, this child was really more innocent than Tang Guan.

  In his heart, he always felt that Tang Guan's actions and words didn't seem like those of a child.

  "Dehua brother, it's time to go"

  Chen Yunsheng spoke in a low voice, but Tang Weixi was still looking at Tang Guan and Xiao Qi, with an expression of hesitation on his face.

  Tang Guan and Xiao Qi stood up together, and Tang Wei Xi finally reacted and stood up, saying: "On the way, you must listen to Uncle Chen's words, do you know?"

  Tang Guan nodded repeatedly, but Tang Wei Xi still had an unwilling expression. After a long time, he said: "Yun Sheng brother, can't we delay for a few more days?"

  Chen Yunsheng silently shook his head. As an old friend, he could understand the feelings of being a parent. But seeing that things had already come to this point, it was no longer possible to drag them out.

  Tang Weixi also realized his own indecisiveness and stopped talking immediately, only whispering a few more sentences.

  Just then, the three of them were sent out the door. Xiao Qi waved her hand and said to Tang Wei Xi: "Dad, don't worry, with me around, Guan Ge will definitely be fine."

  Looking at Xiao Qi's solemn expression, Tang Wei Xi smiled slightly and waved his hand.

  Just as a few people were about to get on the horse cart, Tang Weixi shouted: "Wait"

  Several people were stunned by his words, and Tang Weixi hastily ran out of the door, rummaging through her bosom.

  "Get well soon, Liang Jun. These are the protective charms your mother made last night. Wear them properly." Tang Wei Xi took out the two protective charms from his pocket and handed them to the two men in front of him.

  Xiao Qi took over, but couldn't tell which one was his own. Tang Guan identified it for a moment, saw the name on top, and his heart moved.

  A poem says: "The thread in a loving mother's hand is the clothes on her traveling son. Before he leaves, she sews and sews, fearing that he will be delayed."

  As a young man, his heart was higher than the sky, perhaps he didn't understand its meaning. But Tang Guan, who had been a person for two lifetimes, suddenly felt a pang in his heart. He immediately said: "Dad, you can rest assured at home. I'll be careful on my way."

  "Let's go...let's go..."

  The two turned their heads and entered the car. Chen Yunsheng flipped over the horse and bowed to Tang Weixi, saying: "Dehua brother, take care."

  "Take care..." Tang Wei Xi was somewhat dispirited at this time, and only murmured out loud when the horse carriage gradually went further and further away.

  Tang Niu also followed out of the government office and saw Tang Wei standing still on the spot. He walked up to him and said, "Dad, let's go back."

  The horse carriage drove along the small path and headed straight for the dock.

  The Tang Dynasty crown in the car remained silent, and Lin Yuxun ultimately did not send him off.

  But then she thought again and secretly called herself sentimental. This isn't going to be a funeral, why make it so sad and miserable.

  Xiao Qi played with the amulet in her hand and murmured: "Guang Ge, is Chang'an fun?"

  "Haha, it's quite interesting" Tang Guan also burst out laughing. Fortunately, there was still Xiao Qi accompanying him by his side, so he wouldn't be lonely on this journey. Although the appearance of the capital city was something he could only imagine, just looking at the prosperity of Yu Hang, Chang An as an international landmark of this era would definitely not be inferior in any way.

  The horse-drawn carriage passed over the lake, Tang Guan and Xiao Qi occasionally chatted about some unrelated topics on the carriage.

  Outside, Chen Yunsheng and several strong men followed closely behind the horse-drawn carriage, galloping wildly and breaking the quiet of the early morning.

  Just as Tang Guan was talking with Xiao Qi, the horse carriage slowed down and came to a stop.

  "Whoa..." The horse in a carriage-like tone slowed down and said: "Two young gentlemen, we've arrived at the dock."

  Tang Guan and Xiao Qi poked their heads out, seeing Chen Yunsheng and others dismounting one after another. In just half a short period of time, they arrived at the banks of an official river.

  It was the Jiangnan River section of the Grand Canal, where Tang Guanxia got off the boat and looked at the wide river surface with joy.

  He had been to the same place in his past life, but there was no such scenery. Everywhere were high-rise buildings, especially the large ship moored in front of him, which made him extremely excited.

  Only to see this ancient-style large ship, the hull is equipped with a wave-proof board, shaped like a hawk's wing. Tang Guan looked at it carefully and couldn't help but be shocked, never expecting that in this era there would already be such nearly seamless technology.

  Several strong men stepped forward, moving quickly.

  The first man looked around and whispered a couple of sentences to the person next to him. That person nodded, and then boarded the deck first.

  The leader of the group then said to Chen Yunshang: "Imperial Inspector, board the ship."

  Chen Yunsheng nodded, took Tang Guan and Xiao Qi's hands, and slowly boarded the deck.

  Tang Guan saw several sturdy men making extremely professional moves, and couldn't help but feel a little surprised. In fact, when Chen Yunsheng was assigned to these "bodyguards", he was also taken aback - they were all brave warriors from the military, including some top-notch fighters who had just been transferred from the border regions.

  It can be seen that in the capital city, those who are concerned about this summons not only protect but also understand that they have another responsibility, which is to monitor themselves.

  Tang Guan stepped onto the deck, feeling somewhat unnatural. This large wooden ship was his first time riding on it.

  There's a feeling of exaggerated footsteps, and Little Seven is also excited all over his face, constantly sizing up the surroundings. He just feels that everything is so fresh.

  Several strong men did not step aboard until Chen Younsheng had boarded the ship.

  The first one was a hawk-nosed man with thick hands and bulging veins, who continued to gaze coldly at the distance until he boarded the ship.

  There was a sailor who wanted to weigh the anchor, but was stopped by a wave of the hand. The eagle-nosed man picked up an iron chain and weighed it once, humming coldly.

  "Rise!" Suddenly his eyes gleamed, and with a loud "crash", the iron chain, along with the large anchor fixed to the shore, was lifted up in one grasp.

  Tang Guan's eyes twitched at the sight, and Xiao Qi was stunned, someone actually had such great strength.

  "Your Honor, there's a storm on the road, you and the two young masters should go to the cabin first."

  Chen Yunsheng nodded and led Tang Guan and Xiao Qi into the cabin.

  The man nodded to several fellow travelers around him, and they dispersed to various parts of the deck.

  The man with a hawk-like nose continued to stare coldly at the grass on the shore, until the big ship sailed far away before he withdrew his gaze.

  South of the Yangtze River

  The grass was slightly raised, and as I looked up, I saw a large ship gradually moving away into the distance, with the blades of grass being parted.

  Several figures emerged from it.

  "Flat ground anchor, good eagle claw kung fu, hard dog teeth"

  "I said that old fellow was unusually dark and gloomy, turns out he's a tough nut"

  "And there's also that person standing at the stern of the ship, motionless on the deck, a master of the lower limbs"

  A few of you spoke in whispers, and by the faint light, I could make out the ferocious faces of these people.

  "Huh? What's wrong?" Just then, a cold voice rang out. Several people turned their heads back with unpleasant expressions to look at the speaker, but when they saw his appearance, they immediately suppressed it.

  "They say you're Ma Wangye from Shandong, with a body of horizontal practice, impervious to swords and guns. With you here, we have nothing to fear."

  "What? You want to try?"

  "Dare not!" The respondent replied with a hint of disdain and snorted coldly.

  "It's better if you don't dare!"

  "You..."

  "Alright, alright, we're all here to do business, let's not spoil the harmony." Someone immediately came out to mediate.

  "Ma Dawang, since you're the first one to take over the business, when are we going to make our move?"

  "There's no hurry; even if they cross the river, it won't be too late"

  They looked at each other and nodded in agreement after hearing him say so.

  And the one called Ma Da Wang was none other than the fierce bandit Ma Lie who had accepted Liu Xun's promise!