Chapter 13: He Really Doesn’t Like Me.

The Duke of Yan had originally thought that General Gu would want to talk about political affairs, but when General Gu opened his mouth, the topic was only related to Mu Boren’s family?

Mu Boren thought to himself: ‘I didn’t expect General Gu to be such a kind-hearted man.’ Thus, he replied: “My wife is not in good health, and we could only have one son.”

General Gu’s face looked puzzled. As he stroked his beard, he looked up and gently ‘hissed’: “The Duke of Yan has only one child? I thought….”

General Gu thought that his words would sound too inappropriate, so he didn’t continue.

However, the Duke of Yan had already guessed what General Gu wanted to say. The Duke of Yan had never been a man to put on a pretense. After seeing General Gu being so kind, the Duke of Yan spoke less rigidly: “It’s such a pity. Your son and my son are of similar age, if one of them were a girl, maybe they could make a good couple. They would be such a perfect match, a beautiful love story perhaps, who knows! Alas, it’s such a pity that the hope of uniting our families through marriage can only be like the image of a flower in a mirror or the reflection of the moon in the water1, a big empty dream!”

General Gu laughed at this: “Thank you, Duke of Yan, for appreciating my family. It’s a true blessing hearing this from you! Back then, my wife also wished to have a daughter, but there are many things this world can’t give you, sigh. Ah, but the late Emperor was very open-minded. When he was still alive, marriage between men was a common folk custom. He even allowed one of the Princes to marry the son of a noble family. This custom continues to this day, and there are many marriages such as this among the common people. Maybe….”

When mentioning this, General Gu suddenly remembered that there were many people in this world who couldn’t understand such things. Besides, the Duke of Yan had only one son, and this was the first time they met, so General Gu thought he was being inappropriate again, so he stopped talking about such a topic. As General Gu hurried to bow, he said: “Ahem! Too much, I’ve said too much. I was impolite and over-talkative, I hope the Duke of Yan can forgive me.”

“No, no, no!” Mu Boren hurried to hold Gu Miao’s arm and smiled kindly: “I’m honored that General Gu has taken a liking to my Mu family and my son!”

Then, the two old fathers looked at each other and laughed. As for whether their conversation was pure nonsense or their sincere thoughts, that couldn’t be known.

—

On the other hand, Gu Heyan and Mu Zhiming slowly walked to the courtyard. As the soft breeze moved the leaves of the green parasol trees, neither youth spoke.

AD
Mu Zhiming wanted to take this opportunity to visit Gu Heyan and ask him about the significance of the red agate jade pendant, but when Mu Zhiming saw that Gu Heyan wasn’t wearing it around his waist, he couldn’t mention it randomly.

If they were at the Residence of the Duke of Yan, they could walk around the courtyard to enjoy the spring scenery. However, the General’s Residence was really simplistic looking, with brick walls and stone floors. Except for the parasol trees, there was no other type of vegetation around. Mu Zhiming thought that Gu Heyan was taking him somewhere to show him, but even after walking for a while, Gu Heyan remained silent and looked at the sky. Only then did Mu Zhiming realize that they have been awkwardly walking around, in complete silence, for a long time.

Mu Zhiming smiled helplessly, deciding to be the first one to speak: “Gu-xiong2.”

Gu Heyan withdrew his gaze from the sky and looked at Mu Zhiming.

Mu Zhiming was an easy-going person, and after living two lifetimes, he had talked to all kinds of people. For him, it wasn’t difficult to have a casual conversation: “Gu-xiong, thank you for saving my life. If there’s anything I can help Gu-xiong in the future, just ask. I’ll be happy to help you in any way I can.”

Gu Heyan nodded: “Mmm.”

Mu Zhiming: “….”

‘This is a nice spring day on the third Lunar Month! How can it feel so cold?!’

‘He’s really indifferent!!!’

Becoming more and more frustrated, Mu Zhiming finally said: “A while ago, during the Spring Hunt, Gu-xiong’s superb archery skills were truly amazing. Making the Golden Dragon open its mouth, to roar so loud that even the Heavens and Earth would not dare to forget3 such an event! Gu-xiong is really a heroic man, young and promising, who will surely become the strongest person this world has ever seen! I wonder, at what age did Gu-xiong begin to practice archery?”

Gu Heyan replied: “Four years old.”

“Four?!” Mu Zhiming was surprised, “It seems that General Gu’s family rules are very strict. Ah, this is really the style of the Generals. However, it’s precisely because of this that General Gu could cultivate an extraordinary talent such as Gu-xiong! Mmm, but I think Gu-xiong has also suffered. You must have had less time to play from a young age.”

AD
Gu Heyan replied indifferently: “Practicing arrows is more interesting than playing.”

Mu Zhiming smashed his fist: “Gu-xiong is so diligent in his studies! So different from ordinary people like me. I’m ashamed, utterly ashamed.”

Gu Heyan: “….”

Mu Zhiming: “….”

At that moment, the son of the Duke of Yan was inwardly saddened, lamenting that he had completely lost the battle: ‘I’m 100% sure now. Gu Heyan really doesn’t like me.’