Volume 1 Chapter 33 Is It A Dead End?

  A hero should have the demeanor of a hero, and do things with swift and decisive action. Yan Liang, having taken a liking to Huang Yueying, proposed marrying her without hesitation.

  He just met Huang Yueying yesterday and made such a request today, which naturally startled her daughter's family.

  With a blush all over her face, Huang Yueying's heart was racing wildly, she felt hot and restless all over, so tense that she could hardly breathe.

  That awkward, shy and tense little appearance has an even more touching flavor.

  "Huang Niang didn't say anything, so I'll take it that you've agreed." Yan Liang smiled and reached out his hand to grasp her slender white hand.

  Huang Yueying's body shook slightly, and she quickly withdrew her hand, saying: "General Yan, please be more respectful, don't use violence."

  Yan Liang himself is a modern person, so his thoughts are naturally more open-minded. He originally thought that holding hands and things like that were no big deal.

  At this time, Huang Yueying's face had a displeased expression, and only then did he remember that he was in an era that attached great importance to etiquette, and how could his daughter not be angry with him for touching her hand in public like this.

  Yan Liang smiled secretly in his heart, but pretended to be apologetic on the surface: "I, Yan, was momentarily overcome with emotion, and I hope Miss will forgive me. As for the bet I proposed just now, what do you think, Miss?"

  "Marriage is a big deal, parents are in charge, how can I have the final say?" Huang Yueying turned her face to one side and said softly.

  Yan Liang's heart was filled with joy upon hearing this.

  If she had no intention of herself, she could have refused the bet outright. Now she has pushed it to her parents, as if hinting that she is willing, but still needs to see what her parents think.

  Yan Liang had experienced office politics in his past life and was extremely perceptive, immediately picking up on Huang Yueying's implied meaning.

  He burst out laughing and said excitedly: "As long as you have no objection, Miss Huang, I'll take care of your father's side."

  Huang Yueying's heart skipped a beat as she suddenly realized that her previous answer seemed to have a different meaning.

  She hastily turned her face back, wanting to explain again, but bumped into Yan Liang's unbridled gaze, which made her so flustered that she couldn't say a word, and quickly turned her head away.

  "Huang's daughter then bid farewell and returned home. Yan certain sent off Cao Hong that fellow, and in a few days he would definitely come to visit and pay his respects."

  Yan Liang didn't drag his feet either. He set the terms of the bet and galloped off, disappearing into the distance in the blink of an eye.

  When Huang Yueying came to herself from her bashful confusion, Yan Liang had long gone.

  Huang Yueying stroked her chest, and it took a while for her wildly racing heart to calm down. She touched her face again, but it was still scorching hot.

  She was surprised to find herself having a strange palpitation when she recalled his straightforward words just now.

  "Yue Ying, Yue Ying, what are you thinking? He's just a dying martial artist..."

  Huang Yueying sternly warned herself, shook her head and let out a soft sigh, then slowly headed towards the city gate.

  Under the escort of a team of Yan Liang's personal soldiers, before dusk, Huang Yueying safely returned to the Huang family village in Deng County.

  Deng County belongs to Nanyang Prefecture, but it is adjacent to the north bank of the Han River.

  In the main hall of Huang's village, Huang Chengyan was drinking and chatting with his good friend Pang Degong.

  These two men were both from prominent families, but neither of them was willing to serve under Liu Biao. They lived a life of reclusion in the countryside, occasionally gathering together to discuss poetry and literature, and freely discussing major world events.

  "I heard that Liu Gong has ceded the seven counties of XinYe to form an alliance with Yan Liang, what do you think, Brother Cheng?" Pang De gnawed on his tea leaves.

  "Liu Gong loves to play this outdated alliance game, it seems that Zhang Xiu's loss is not enough for him yet." Huang Chengyan's tone had a hint of sarcasm.

  Pang De's thick eyebrows slightly raised, recalling past events.

  Liu Biao originally thought he was clever and gave Nanyang to Zhang Yi, wanting this Western Liang warlord to guard the northern gate for him and oppose Cao Cao.

  Who would have thought that last year, Zhang Yi suddenly surrendered to Cao Cao, causing more than half of Nanyang County, including Wan City, to fall into Cao Cao's hands, and the northern border of Jingzhou was shortened to near the Han River.

  Liu Biao wanted to take advantage of Zhang Yi, but ended up suffering a great loss. This matter once became the laughing stock of the scholars in Jingzhou during their leisure time.

  "What can we do? Our master has no great ambitions and only wants to hold on to this small piece of land."

  Pang De sighed and said, "However, that Yan Liang was indeed formidable. With just a few thousand troops, he managed to make Liu Gong's heart tremble with fear. This northern warrior is really hard to fathom."

  "This person is indeed an anomaly, but after all, it's just a fleeting moment." Huang Chengyan stroked his beard, with a smile that was somewhat mysterious.

  "What's the meaning of this?"

  Pang De's eyes lit up and he suddenly became interested.

  Huang Chengyan said in a low voice, "Our Huang family's merchant caravan has just returned from Wan City with news that General Li Feng Cao Hong has led 4,000 elite troops southward, clearly targeting Yan Liang. In this case..."

  Huang Chengyan smiled but did not speak.

  Pang De suddenly realized: "Behind is Liu Bei's tiger-like gaze, in front is Cao Hong's large army, and the newly obtained seven counties of Xinye have not yet won over the people's hearts. It seems that Yan Liang has fallen into a desperate situation."

  "This man's life is not long, talking more is useless, let's just chat about the Battle of Guandu instead."

  Huang Chengyan wasn't very interested in Yan Liang and changed the subject.

  Pang De was just about to speak when footsteps were heard and a person suddenly entered from outside the door, who turned out to be Huang Yueying, who had just returned.

  "Yue Ying, you're back." Seeing his daughter return safely, Huang Chengyan felt relieved.

  Huang Yueying nodded and stepped forward to pay her respects to her father and Pang De.

  Mr. Pongde didn't want to disturb the reunion of the father and daughter, so he stood up and bid farewell. Before leaving, he invited Huang Chengyan to visit his home in Songshan on another day for a gathering.

  Huang Chengyan gladly accepted the invitation and personally escorted Pang De out of the manor.

  When he returned to the main hall, Huang Chengyan saw his daughter sitting there in a daze, seemingly with a lot on her mind.

  "Ying Er, I see that your complexion doesn't look good. Didn't something happen on the way back?" Huang Chengyan asked with concern.

  Huang Yueying suddenly woke up from her trance and hastily said, "Nothing's wrong with our daughter, she's just tired from the journey."

  She didn't mention the encounter with Yan Liang, and whenever she thought of the bet she had made with him, she felt ashamed and didn't know how to bring it up with her father.

  Huang Chengyan didn't suspect anything, but instead said: "Ying'er, you're fine. By the way, do you still remember that Zhuge Kongming I mentioned to you before?"

  "Huh?"

  Huang Yueying was taken aback for a moment, then nodded her head.

  Huang Chengyan coughed lightly and smiled: "This Kongming is a senior disciple of Master Shuijing, his talent is the best among the young people of Jingzhou, and it's said that he's also quite handsome. I was thinking of arranging for you two to meet, don't know if you're willing, Ying'er?"

  His father's words were clearly intended to match her with this Kong Ming.

  Huang Yueying's face suddenly flushed with a few points of red, and she lowered her head in hesitation for a moment before saying lightly: "My daughter is a bit tired, I want to take good care of her for a few days. As for meeting Kongming, let's talk about it later."

  "Oh." Huang Chengyan was somewhat disappointed, but didn't force it either.

  Huang Chengyan paused for a moment, then thought of something and asked: "You just returned from XinYe, how are the shops in the city?"

  "After the Hebei army entered the city, they didn't commit any atrocities and our shop didn't suffer much loss. However, I've ordered them to pack up and close the door, and move out of XinYe as soon as possible."

  The Huang family has a lot of business in Jingbei, and Huang Yueying is good at accounting. The Huang family's shops are basically managed by her.

  Huang Chengyan nodded: "It's better to move out early and avoid involving our family's property when Cao Jun arrives."

  "Has Father also heard the news of Cao Jun's southern expedition?" Huang Yueying's willow eyebrows moved.

  "As a father, I just knew. After this battle is over, let's see if Xinye belongs to Cao or Liu, and then we'll consider whether to reopen the shop in Xinye again."

  Huang Chengyan's words were full of confidence, as if he firmly believed in Yan Liang's defeat.

  "He must be dead for sure..."

  Huang Yueying muttered to herself, her father's judgment was exactly the same as hers.

  But for some reason, deep down in his heart, he seemed to have a thought that did not want to see Yan Liang's defeat and death.