CHAPTER 783: CHAPTER 711, LIU YANCHANG

On the stone bridge, Yang Chan’s smile disappeared as she muttered to herself, "My senior brother seems to know my plan."

Looking up and gazing distantly at the river surface, she was somewhat entranced. The thought in her mind kept surfacing, but could she really take that path? Could this truly save my mother?

Suddenly, a gust of Qingfeng came sweeping across, bringing with it a flurry of snowflakes that struck Yang Chan’s face. Her mind cleared in an instant, and she fell into a state of utter serenity. Everything in Heaven and Earth disappeared, leaving only the silhouette of a woman in her mind expanding continuously, filling her own world.

"Mother~ Mother~" A sorrowful cry echoed through the streets, instantly awakening Yang Chan, who turned her head to look.

Down the street in the distance, three or four government officials were pressing an unkempt woman forward, who staggered as she walked, shackled and with iron cangue.

Several people were chasing from behind, their expressions filled with grief.

The woman turned her head to cry out in agony, "Go back, all of you go back, live your lives well."

The government officials immediately halted, swords clanging as they were drawn from their scabbards, and they shouted, "Follow any further, and we’ll capture all of you and take you to the county government."

The people following behind immediately stopped, looking fearfully at the officials.

A government official pushed the woman, ordering, "Hurry up~"

The woman stumbled, nearly falling to the ground, and continued walking forward.

A girl in the back, her face streaked with tears, was about to chase after, but a relative quickly held onto the little girl.

The girl struggled and then cried out in despair, "Mother~ I will definitely save you."

Her voice resonated through the streets.

Yang Chan’s spirit trembled, and her gaze gradually grew firm. She murmured to herself, "Mother, I will definitely save you too." Her figure disappeared instantly from atop the stone bridge.

In the snowy land, the marching government officials and the woman, as well as the grieving family behind them, all became frozen in place, like a painting in the snow.

An old man in a moon-white Taoist robe trudged across the snow-covered street, the officials and the family silently vanished, as if they had never been there; even the footprints in the snow disappeared without a trace, as though it were all an illusion.

Moments later, Yang Chan arrived at a small tavern and took a seat.

Inside the tavern were all sorts of poor people, a group discussing street rumors: the widow Wang from the east side getting involved with someone, someone else’s wife from the west side having an affair—talking and bursting into hearty laughs.

Wrapped in her heavy cloak, Yang Chan sat among them, completely out of place within the tavern, but no one paid her any heed.

Shortly after, a young man wearing a patched coat entered, not old but with wrinkles already on his face, along with some unhealed scars, shivering from the cold.

Upon entering the tavern, the young man rubbed his bright red hands and called out loudly, "Shopkeeper, heat up a pot of autumn fragrance wine."

"Young Master Liu, please come inside!"

"Liu Yanchang, don’t you always drink highland barley wine? What makes you splurge on autumn fragrance wine today? Strike it rich, did you?" a big man shouted.

Liu Yanchang flicked his sleeve, declaring, "Toil over poetry and books, and wealth will descend from the heavens." He then took a seat.

"Pfft~ In my opinion, you must have gone thieving again!"

Liu Yanchang’s face turned red with anger as he retorted, "Spouting nonsense! How dare you sully my purity? We scholars would never stoop to theft!"

"If you haven’t stolen anything, where did those wounds on your face come from?"

Liu Yanchang reached out and touched the scar on his face, stubbornly saying, "The snow was slippery, and I accidentally took a fall."

"Ha ha~" Laughter erupted throughout the tavern.

The tavern keeper came over with a pot of wine and a stack of peanuts, placing them in front of Liu Yanchang.

Liu Yanchang quickly said, "Keeper, I didn’t order this, you’ve got the wrong person."

"This is on the house."

Only then did Liu Yanchang relax, thanking the keeper and sipping the wine leisurely, eating peanuts one by one.

After a good while, having finished the wine and peanuts, Liu Yanchang finally stood up, limped towards the outside, disappearing into the snowstorm without taking an umbrella.

Yang Chan stood up and followed him outside.

Liu Yanchang, with his arms folded, walked through the snow, his weathered face turning red from cold, glancing at the vast snowy expanse, his expression gradually growing vacant.

Suddenly, the snowflakes above him ceased, Liu Yanchang stopped and looked up, only to see a delicate flowered umbrella overhead, with a beautiful young lady from a prestigious family standing beside him.

Liu Yanchang’s heart panicked, overrun by a sense of inferiority, and he quickly stepped aside from under the umbrella, bowing with fists clasped and hurriedly said, "Literati Liu Yanchang pays respects to the young lady."

Yang Chan spoke softly, "Liu Yanchang, you are fated to lead a solitary, bitter life. Would you be willing to leave with me?"

Liu Yanchang asked, "May I ask what the young lady requires of me?"

"I wish to become husband and wife with you."

"Ah~" Liu Yanchang cried out in shock, his head buzzing, lost his footing and slipped, falling to the ground. He scrambled up, disregarding the snow muddying his clothes, stammering with his hand pointing at his own face, "You... you want to marry me?"

Yang Chan calmly nodded.

In Liu Yanchang’s mind, many stories he had read flashed through: about the down-and-out scholar and the rich young lady, the scholar and the courtesan, the scholar climbing mountains and the snow mountain goddesses, the scholar releasing the carp and the Dragon Girl, the scholar saving a Fox Demon and their ensuing tale...

Overjoyed, he thought to himself, truth doesn’t deceive! All of it is real; finally, it’s my turn.

Liu Yanchang, excited, called out, "I am willing, I’ll take you home right now, and in the future, I’ll work hard, succeed in examinations, rise in rank and wealth, and make you happy for life."

Yang Chan said calmly, "After marrying me, I can guarantee you a life free from worries about food and clothing. As for my affairs, there is no need for you to interfere, nor do I need you to gain any titles or position."

Liu Yanchang, unhesitatingly and somewhat obsequiously nodded, "Alright, alright, whatever you say goes. If you say there’s no need to take the exams, then I won’t. Actually, if I had wanted to take them, I would have done so long ago. The officialdom is full of flatterers, and I disdain to associate myself with them."

Yang Chan said calmly, "I’ll give you half a month to consider. If you are willing, come find me at Liu Family Village outside the city after half a month."

"No need to consider, I agree right now."

Yang Chan turned and walked away, Liu Yanchang wanted to chase after her but couldn’t catch up no matter how hard he tried.

Liu Yanchang shouted loudly in the snowy field, "Miss, may I have your name?"

"My surname is Yang!"

"Miss Yang, I will definitely come."

Yang Chan’s figure disappeared amidst the snow.

Elsewhere, after Bai Jin returned to the Heavenly Court, he went directly to Taiyin Star, where there are two divine residences: the Guanghan Palace of the Deity of the Moon, and the Marriage Hall of Yue Lao.