"What big moves? Sounds like fun, count me in." People from the Miao family always gravitate towards excitement.
"I want to see too." The Tang family had a chubby boy, not tall, always accompanied by a lean, lanky boy.
"Tang! Stop pushing!" The Miao and Tang families seemed to be natural adversaries, always arguing at the slightest provocation, sometimes even fighting.
In the past, the chubby boy from the Tang family was always beaten by the Miao family. But ever since a tall, lean boy started appearing beside the chubby boy, the tides often turned to a fifty-fifty draw.
"So what if I push you! You from the Miao family have so much to say?"
See, that kid is helping the Tang family again.
All these little brats making noise were so annoying.
The head of the Wen family, thinking this, was himself only a teenager but already possessed a mature demeanor.
"Alright, alright, stop arguing." Lu Moyan always had a way of quieting the Miao and Tang families: "We're all good brothers. If there's something fun, would I forget about you? Come, come, I'll build a stone wall here, and you guys?"
"Then I'll put a bunch of Gu insects here!" The Miao family pointed at a stone cave behind a waterfall and said, "Right here!"
"Then I... then I'll plant a lot of poisonous flowers and plants here." The chubby boy from the Tang family pointed with his plump little hand: "It gets good sunlight here, perfect for growing flowers and plants."
"Wen Lijun, what about you?" Lu Moyan asked, looking at the head of the Wen family.
Wen Lijun raised an eyebrow and said, "When someone actually dies, I'll arrest all of you."
The three families, Lu, Miao, and Tang: "..."
"Then, then I'll plant some antidotes here too." The chubby boy from the Tang family was the first to back down.
"Tch." The Miao family member gave the chubby boy a disdainful look: "Coward! I'm not changing it! I'm putting Gu insects! Hmph!"
"Miao, are you looking for a fight?" The lean, lanky boy detested the Miao family bullying his young master.
The chubby boy from the Tang family tugged at his sleeve, begging him not to fight for him, as they'd be scolded upon returning.
"Then I'll build another road here." Lu Moyan immediately drew on the paper, saying, "There, is that okay?"
Wen Lijun looked at the completed road and curled his lips: "What treasures do you have to hide? I remember that to clear your three families' names, the Lu, Miao, and Tang families handed over a lot of things."
"Pah, pah, pah, what do you mean 'clear names', we were always legitimate!" The Miao family member was indignant: "My dad said it was because the country needed support. So many people were starving, and our Miao family voluntarily offered our humble contributions!"
Upon hearing the Miao family's words, those from the Tang and Lu families felt a bit awkward. It seemed only the Miao family, with their single-minded and naive minds, truly believed this explanation.
"The affairs of the older generation have nothing to do with us." Lu Moyan steered the conversation back: "Regardless, I've decided to build this treasure spot. Once it's finished, remember to set it up."
"But there are no treasures in it." The chubby boy from the Tang family blinked his eyes. Just as Wen Lijun said, the three families really didn't have anything substantial to offer at the moment.
"If we have treasures in the future, we'll put them there. If not, we won't." Lu Moyan's eyes darted towards Wen Lijun: "What if there are bad guys in the future? We can use this as bait and lure them into a trap, like catching a turtle in a jar!"
Hearing this, Wen Lijun became slightly more interested. He leaned forward and pointed: "Make this road here a bit more hidden. I'll have people use it to catch bad guys then."
"Mm! I think that's a good idea!" Lu Moyan nodded.
"And here, widen this stone cave. I want to put the most potent Gu insects."
"Alright, I've noted it down." Lu Moyan continued nodding.
"Can you build another glass corridor? I've never been to the sea, and I want to see if there are any fish left in the ocean." The chubby boy from the Tang family was still concerned about his future standard of living.
"Uh... I guess that's okay! I'll try my best!" Lu Moyan hesitated before continuing to nod.
"Then, then here I want..." The Miao family member, not to be outdone, continued to make demands.
"Okay."
"Here, here..." The lean, lanky boy from the Tang family also joined in.
"No problem."
"And here!"
"That's a bit difficult, I'll try."
"Here too, here too..."
Wen Lijun quietly stepped back, watching the Miao and Tang families bickering, and Lu Moyan, who was in the middle, patiently accommodating both sides. He suddenly understood why, after centuries of feuding between the Miao and Tang families, only the Lu family could get these two clans to make peace.
Besides that, Wen Lijun seemed to understand something more, but not much.
He was too young then to grasp it. Now, at an age where half his body was buried in yellow earth, Wen Lijun recalled that scene, and only felt a surge of bitterness.
The past could not be returned.
"Lu Moyan, I've done what I promised you," he murmured, the head of the Wen family gazing at the azure sky outside the hall, not a single white cloud in sight. "I've caught the bad guys, in the place you designed, using your method: a trap.
This time, it caused a huge disturbance. Many people died.
I really should have arrested all of you."
But now, it was impossible to arrest them.
They were gone, and he had grown old.
The future was long, but it no longer belonged to them.
Using so many years to set up the plan, so many lives as bait, to protect a corner of the world and its people, one wondered how long this peace and harmony would last.
...
After Xia Qingtian left the Wen family with the scroll, she went straight to Gu Xuan Zhai and met with Master Fang, returning the painting "Thousand Buddha Discussion."
The elderly Master Fang had poured his heart and soul into this painting. Now that it was lost and found again, he cried and laughed for quite some time.
Seeing Master Fang like this, Xia Qingtian's nose also felt a prickle of emotion and deep sentiment.
After refusing Master Fang's generous gifts, Xia Qingtian bought many more gifts before returning to Z City with Xia Qingyu and Lu Yaoyang.
Upon arriving at the Xia family residence, the sisters Xia Qingtian and Xia Qingyu met Aunt Liu and Xia Honglang, whom they hadn't seen in a long time.
That evening, after Xia Qingyu returned home, Aunt Liu and Xia Honglang shared the good news with the sisters: "I met your maternal grandmother. It turns out she watches my live streams every day. She also invited us to visit sometime soon."
Hearing Aunt Liu's words, the sisters Xia Qingtian were genuinely happy for her. The family discussed and put the matter on the agenda.
That night, Lu Yaoyang, for once, stayed at Xia Qingtian's home, chatting with her in her room.
"Did the Wen family give you what they promised?" Xia Qingtian asked, as if remembering something.
"Yes, it's been deposited." Lu Yaoyang's gaze shifted slightly as he looked at Xia Qingyu: "It's already been divided and distributed to the Miao and Tang families."
"That's good. There were too many things to attend to after returning, and I had to visit everywhere. I didn't even get a chance to go ask the Wen family. You..." Xia Qingtian chuckled, but before she could finish speaking, Lu Yaoyang pulled her into his embrace, crushing the rest of her words with his lips.
He would cherish this woman for his entire life.
"Qingtian, will you marry me..."
"Yes."