usatvline Chapter 158 Changes
Chapter 158 Changes
Chapter 158, 158 Changes
158 Progress
Although Ye Pianran had some insights, these insights came suddenly and were short-lived. She felt as if she had just entered a wonderful state and had not yet been able to grasp its mysteries before she returned to a state where she could not concentrate.
However, despite the short time it took to comprehend it, it was already considered rapid progress for someone who was new to martial arts. After all, there are many people in this world who can't comprehend anything even after months or years of studying.
When she opened her eyes again, Chunyu Yang, who was beside her, seemed to sense something and also broke out of his meditation. He didn't ask her what she had realized, but instead left the space with her and returned to reality.
The two of them studied the cultivation techniques in the space, unaware of how much time had passed outside. When they returned to the cave, they realized that it was almost dawn.
"Let's call it a day," Chunyu Yang said. "Tomorrow, at the same time, at the same Canglan Pavilion."
Ye Pianran felt that the time it took to comprehend the concept was too short, but she also knew that such things could not be forced or rushed, so she could only nod and say, "Okay."
On the other side, seeing that the two seemed to be leaving, Jingxuan quickly shook his aching hands and feet, picked up the Hanlin Sword, and returned to their side. So, the four of them followed the path they had come from, leaving the cave and heading towards the Canglan Pavilion at the foot of the mountain.
As he was leaving, Jingxuan, who was clutching Chunyu Yang's clothes, suddenly heard a faint call. He turned around and looked at the flickering lights in the cave behind him. Although he couldn't see anything, a trace of attachment that even he himself couldn't perceive was revealed in his eyes.
He was terrified of the dark, but at that moment, this place felt incredibly familiar. After all, this was a place his mother had once visited.
After descending the mountain, Ye Lingyue, who was guarding Chi Yan and the carriage, came up to greet them with a smile and asked, "Your Highness, Miss, are you going back already?"
"Mm," Chunyu Yang responded, "Remember not to disturb anyone when you go back."
Ye Lingyue said, "Your Highness, rest assured, I will take good care of Miss."
Ye Pianran bid farewell to Chunyu Yang and Jingxuan, and bent down to take Ye Yankang's hand. Ye Yankang seemed to know that she was going to take him away, and he grumbled and held tightly to Jingxuan's clothes, and kept hiding behind Jingxuan.
"Kang'er, how about coming home with your older sister? I'll make you some delicious snacks when we get home," Ye Pianran coaxed gently.
Ye Yankang showed no reaction whatsoever, but Jingxuan's eyes lit up. Snacks! He loved his older sister's snacks the most! And those two little rabbits his older sister raised—he hadn't seen them for quite some time! Could he...could he go to the Marquis's residence with his older sister?
Seeing the longing in Jingxuan's eyes, Chunyu Yang chuckled. It seemed he needed to speed things up so that Ye Pianran could legitimately enter the Prince's mansion as soon as possible.
Jingxuan ultimately didn't go with Ye Pianran. Her departure hadn't alerted anyone, but suddenly bringing back the heir of the Northern Martial King was certainly suspicious. As for Ye Yankang, since he had to go to the Prince's residence every day anyway, he didn't want to leave, so Ye Pianran went with him.
Ye Lingyue drove the carriage with Ye Pianran away from Xiling Mountain and back to the capital. It was just the time when the Marquis's mansion was starting to move around in the morning. Ye Pianran and Ye Lingyue returned to the mansion quietly. After changing out of their tight-fitting clothes, they took the opportunity to pay their respects to Gongsun Yuan, cleverly concealing the fact that they had gone out.
Not seeing Ye Yankang, Gongsun Yuan casually asked, "Is Kang'er still asleep?"
Ye Pianran lied without changing her expression, saying, "Perhaps he was tired from playing at the Third Prince's mansion yesterday. No matter how much we called him, he wouldn't wake up. Mother, let him sleep a little longer."
Gongsun Yuan smiled happily: "Although he always looks very tired when he comes back from the Prince's mansion every day, when I picked him up yesterday, I found that he was much stronger than usual. I wonder what he has been doing in the Prince's mansion to have such an amazing change?"
Ye Pianran served Gongsun Yuan a cup of red date and longan soup and said with a smile, "He is with the young prince, so the Prince's Mansion will not mistreat him. Mother, please don't worry."
Gongsun Yuan looked Ye Pianran up and down meaningfully, smiling but saying nothing.
Ye Pianran felt uncomfortable under her gaze and asked in confusion, "Why is Mother looking at me like that?"
"It's nothing, I just feel that daughters grow up and leave home," Gongsun Yuan said with a smile. It's true what they say, daughters grow up and leave home; the idea has only just begun to emerge, and she's already speaking up for others. Tsk tsk tsk.
but……
Gongsun Yuan affectionately brushed the stray hairs behind Ye Pianran's ears and stroked her delicate eyebrows and eyes.
If you really meet the right person, it's not necessarily a bad thing.
***
Compared to Ye Pianran's cautiousness, Chunyu Yang and Jingxuan's return to the Prince's Mansion was much more open and aboveboard. However, as soon as the father and son, along with Ye Yankang, stepped into the Prince's Mansion, a guard came forward to inform Chunyu Yang: "Your Highness, Commander Ye has already sent Mu Qiu away from the Prince's Mansion as you instructed."
Chunyu Yang hummed in agreement, but did not stop walking, continuing to lead Jingxuan and Ye Yankang towards the backyard.
Jingxuan, however, was taken aback for a moment, tugged at Chunyu Yang's sleeve, and asked, "Father, what mistake did Aunt Qiu make?"
“No,” Chunyu Yang said.
"Then why did the Night Guard escort her away?" Jingxuan asked.
“She was going to leave all along, it was just seven years late. What, you can’t bear to part with her?” Chunyu Yang asked.
Jingxuan nodded gently and said softly, "I am a little reluctant to part with it."
“You’ll get used to it in a few days,” Chunyu Yang said calmly.
Jingxuan paused for a moment, then replied listlessly, "...Oh."
Chunyu Yang was right. Although Mu Qiu had taken care of Jingxuan, Jingxuan didn't actually have deep feelings for her. He used to like her because she knew about his mother, but over the years, Mu Qiu still talked about his mother in the same way. Jingxuan was tired of hearing it. In addition, she was different from him in status and always fawned over him when they played together. Gradually, Jingxuan stopped being close to Mu Qiu.
After having breakfast with Chunyu Yang, Jingxuan then studied under his teacher's supervision, learning to read and write, including the Three Character Classic, the Thousand Character Classic, and the Primer of Music. After finishing these, he read the Thirty-Six Stratagems and Sun Tzu's Art of War. Interestingly, every time he read a sentence, Ye Yankang beside him would stumble along and repeat after him, making Jingxuan laugh heartily. He completely forgot about Mu Qiu's presence.
In this respect, Chunyu Yang had a very good understanding of Jingxuan.
Every day thereafter, Chunyu Yang would take Jingxuan to Xiling Mountain to exercise with Ye Pianran while he was asleep.
Although he had to get up early every day and could no longer sleep in, Jingxuan had no complaints at all when he thought about being able to see Ye Pianran every day, spend more time with Chunyu Yang, and enter the cave where the Hanlin Sword was hidden. On the contrary, he was very much looking forward to it. He had completely forgotten about Mu Qiu's departure.
Unlike the first day, they now first ran several laps around Xiling Mountain before finally going into the cave to continue their intensive training. Ye Pianran comprehended the mental cultivation technique, while Jingxuan, along with Ye Yankang, practiced the same sword move repeatedly with a wooden sword under Chunyu Yang's guidance.
After several days of this training, Ye Pianran gradually adapted to the intensity of the training. However, the epiphany she had on the first day seemed to be fleeting and never reappeared.
She made no progress in comprehending the mental cultivation technique, but she clearly felt that her breathing and steps were more steady than before. Usually, she would be out of breath walking from Lanxin Courtyard to the main hall of the Marquis's mansion, but now she could walk back and forth several times without any problem. With this change, she seemed to have been reborn, her eyes were more radiant, and her posture was more upright.
However, apart from Gongsun Yuan, no one in the Marquis's residence noticed her change. Because the results of this year's provincial examinations had finally been released.