CHAPTER 1642: CHAPTER 1464: EPILOGUE

Nan Feng hadn’t actually fallen asleep either, her body covered in mud, she didn’t want to soil the bed, and thus, she started chatting quietly with Wild Brother:

"Those three wouldn’t be fighting outside, would they?"

"Don’t worry, they won’t," replied Wild Brother with conviction.

"How can you be so sure?"

Wild Brother chuckled, "All three of them are good kids. Take Aixi for instance; he’s a bit like Long San, upright and honorable. He’d only rely on his skills to win, not by being two-faced. Xiaobei, well, he might have gotten lost as Dabao said, but he’s still young. Many people stray when they’re young. Despite that, at his core, he’s prideful and lofty. Now that he’s climbed the ranks, he certainly wouldn’t do anything to tarnish his reputation. Tao Shanding, on the other hand, is the most honest of them all, the least likely to start a fight, but I suspect he might give up."

"That’s true. One is the Jianghu son Long Aixi, and the other is the imperial doctor Tian Xiaobei, while his heart isn’t strong enough, and he might give up after persisting for a while."

"We don’t have to worry about anything; if they want to help with the work, just let them."

"How come I feel like you’re getting shrewder nowadays?" Nan Feng said with a smile.

"Stop thinking too much. Rest for a bit. We still have work to do this afternoon, don’t get too tired."

"Okay."

...

Outside, none of Long Aixi’s trio slept on the cool bamboo mat but were all sitting on stools to enjoy the cooler air.

At first, no one said a word, but somehow the conversation started.

It was Tao Shanding who opened first, "Xiaobei, I heard it took you a few years of study in the Capital City before entering the Palace as an Imperial Physician. What did you study during those years?"

"Correction, I’ve been studying medicine since I was young," Tian Xiaobei said with a sense of superiority. "It was because of my good grades that I went to the Capital City to continue my education."

"It’s said that there are many ladies in the Capital City. Wouldn’t it be more practical to find one there? Why come back all the way here for Dabao?" Tao Shanding probed further.

"But I don’t have a past with those ladies."

"What is ’a past’?" asked Tao Shanding.

Tian Xiaobei looked up at the sky, as if reminiscing, "Three years ago, when I first came to Peach Blossom Village, there were some troubles at home, and I was ignored by everyone. Only Dabao was kind to me; she secretly gave me food, accompanied me up the mountains to gather herbs, saved me time and again. Later on, when I said I wanted to marry her, she didn’t turn me down. These memories, our past, that’s what we have."

"But later on..."

"We did have some parental objections, but I’ve said I will not give up!"

After Tian Xiaobei finished speaking, Tao Shanding turned to Long Aixi, "What about you, Xiao’ai? Why don’t you find a girl locally?"

Long Aixi smiled too, "Because Dabao and I have a past too."

Tao Shanding and Tian Xiaobei both looked at Long Aixi, and Tao Shanding asked, "What kind of past do you two have?"

"For nearly ten years we corresponded. Later, when I arrived in Peach Blossom Village, I didn’t have a single friend here, only Dabao to hang out with. She took me hunting in the mountains, fishing in the rivers, and catching frogs in the fields. Later, she followed me to where I lived. We set off fireworks together, practiced Martial Arts together, and when I kissed her, she didn’t turn me away. She only said she wanted to go to the Capital City to see Tian Xiaobei, but she was heartbroken, and at the same time, she lost hope. That’s our past."

Tao Shanding clutched the corners of his clothes tightly, "You both have a past with her, all I have... is eating a bowl of noodles with her in town."

"..."