Chapter 593: Returning Once Again  

Although it had been a few years since they last met each other, Su Chang still looked the same. He was still the same chubby guy, except that he had grown taller. When he turned his head around, he had peach fuzz around his lips and seemed like he was about to grow a beard.

When he saw Yan Liqiang, a pleasant surprise of meeting an old friend flashed across his face. It seemed like he wanted to rush over to Yan Liqiang, but he hesitated for a moment. In that split second, he had lifted his foot but it came down with uncertainty.

As though the word ‘Liqiang’ had some sort of magic imbued in it, many people sitting under the tea tent immediately turned their heads around. They took a good look at Yan Liqiang before shifting their gazes away. The way Yan Liqiang was dressed right now caused those people to immediately rule out any possibilities that he was the real thing and convinced them that it was merely a coincidence…

Yan Liqiang noticed the hint of hesitation on Su Chang’s face when he didn’t come over, so he walked up to him instead. With a brilliant smile on his face, he patted Su Chang’s shoulder. “Hehe, you’ve slimmed down, haven’t you?!”

Su Chang was slightly taken aback before he chuckled too. ‘You’ve slimmed down’ had always been the way Yan Liqiang jokingly greeted him ever since before. After a few years of not seeing each other, a warm feeling welled up in Su Chang’s heart when he realized that Yan Liqiang was still speaking to him the same way he did. He scratched his head, then looked at the tea tent. “Why are you here?”

“Why can’t I be here?”

“Well, aren’t you… aren’t you that… you’re drinking tea at a roadside tea tent too?” Su Chang stammered for a good while before he managed to squeeze that question out of his mouth with a red face.

“If I’m not drinking tea, then am I supposed to be eating soil here?” Yan Liqiang laughed. “I’ve been meaning to ask where have you been for the past few years! Even your whole family moved, and I can’t even find you!”

“My family moved when I became an apprentice somewhere in Wuwei Prefecture! I often hear about you there! I’m happy for you!” Su Chang gave him a sincere smile. In this world, young men under the age of twenty would mostly get a job or learn a craft if their cultivation didn’t work out and if they were not from a wealthy clan with anything to inherit. The so-called apprenticeship was like work-study. The apprentices would be treated better if they were lucky enough to meet someone nice like Yan Liqiang’s father who was a good master. If they were unlucky and met demanding managers or masters, being an apprentice pretty much meant working for someone like a slave. Not only that, but they would only be given food and no salary. This was the situation Su Chang was in.

“No wonder!” Yan Liqiang let out a long sigh. “What are you learning now then?”

“Our manager runs a dyehouse. My dad and I are working there…” While Su Chang explained, he took another few careful looks at Yan Liqiang. He lowered his voice as his eyes shone. “I heard you’re very powerful now, Liqiang. You’ve progressed into a Martial Master, right?”

It seemed like Yan Liqiang progressing into a Marital Master was something unimaginable to Su Chang, so naturally Yan Liqiang didn’t show off in front of him because there wasn’t any reason to do so. He only gave an ambiguous reply, “Well, something like that…”

After replying to him, Yan Liqiang took another look at Su Chang’s dusty appearance. His shoes were worn out and his hands were filled with skin cracks. His heart sank a little, but he retained the smile on his face. “How is your manager treating you?”

“Not bad!”

“Are you coming back to Pingxi Prefecture to start your own dyehouse then?”

“Haha, there’s no way my family can afford to do that. It takes a lot of capital to start a dyehouse. I came back here with our manager this time because he knew I was from here. He came to Pingxi Prefecture to join something called an insurance, and also pay a visit to two friends. Since I knew my way around here, he brought me along with him…”

Coincidentally, the insurance that Su Chang mentioned was something Yan Liqiang and Zhong Ruolan had started. It worked as well as Yan Liqiang had predicted. As soon as it was established, it immediately caused a huge stir among the merchants in Pingxi Prefecture and Gan Province. Before insurance came into existence, no one thought of a business opportunity that could provide protection by just collecting a small amount of money annually. At first, some merchants were still a little hesitant. However, after a few businesses subscribed to Yan Liqiang’s plan and received full compensation after a fire in the workshop, the insurance business immediately flew. In addition to Zhon Ruolan’s cleverness and skills in managing the business, the insurance’s reputation immediately spread. Even the manager who ran a dyehouse in Wuwei Prefecture came running to Pingxi City for the insurance.

Just when Yan Liqiang was about to say something, a man in his thirties approached Su Chang from behind, then called out to him. “Su Chang, Old Master brought you here to work! Why are you dawdling around here with someone…?”

Su Chang immediately turned around in shock. “Ah, Brother Zhu, I bumped into an old friend of mine whom I haven’t seen for a long time so we talked for a bit…”

The man dressed in blue robes swept his glance across the cheap clothes Yan Liqiang was wearing and instantly raised his eyebrows. A disdainful smile appeared on his face as he chuckled. “An old friend huh? Alright then, maybe I should tell Old Master and Lady to wait in the carriage until you finish your conversation with this old friend of yours and make the necessary arrangements. Seems like it’s alright to delay today’s journey and reach Pingxi City at night…”

“Well Liqiang, as you can see, I still have something to do. I’ll come find you again in Pingxi Prefecture when I have time…” Su Chang gave Yan Liqiang an embarrassed smile.

“Sure, go get busy first!” Yan Liqiang smiled and gave Su Chang a pat on his shoulder before he retreated to his seat and continued drinking tea.

The man in blue robes ordered Su Chang to ask for a pot of tea and a watermelon from the tea shop. He even purposely picked a table far from Yan Liqiang’s table, then fussily rinsed the tea set again with water. He had the owner of the tea shop reclean the table and chairs before he knocked on the window of an ordinary four-wheeled carriage parked by the roadside. After he whispered something softly, the carriage door opened to reveal a man and a lady.

A paunchy old man in his fifties dressed in silk came out from the carriage. Anyone could tell that he was a businessman at first glance. The lady who came out with the man wore a green dress. She was a budding beauty with an oval face that resembled the man. They were probably father and daughter. The man in blue robes showed them the way to their table like a servant dog.

“Uncle, Cousin, we can’t find a decent place to take a break so please bear with this place. I have ordered the tea shop owner to sterilize this tea set with hot water just now. The owner left the watermelon in the well overnight so it’s nice, sweet, and juicy…”

The man in his fifties nodded, then scanned around. “No need to be so fussy since we’re outside and away from home!”

They sat down at the table and started their tea break. Su Chang stood at the sight, stealing occasional glances at the lady in the green dress.

Not long after they sat down, the man in blue robes said something and then pointed in Yan Liqiang’s direction. The middle-aged man glanced over at Yan Liqiang before acknowledging his words indifferently.

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Yan Liqiang drank his tea silently as he waited.

Yan Liqiang did not wait long as the army just outside on the public road came less than ten minutes. The rumble of iron hooves came from outside of the road attracted people inside the tea shop as they craned their necks and looked out one by one.

There were two hundred cavalrymen all riding on rhinodrake steeds and dressed in black combat attire. They carried swords and bows on their backs, giving off awe-inspiring auras. The cavalry was protecting a black four-wheeled carriage which was heading toward the tea shop.

Just when everyone thought that the cavalry would gallop past the tea shop, they stopped outside the tea shop and dismounted in unison. In just the blink of an eye, they lined up on both sides of the public road as the black lavish four-wheeled carriage drove to the tea shop entrance.

Everyone at the tea shop was stunned into silence. A few merchants went jelly-legged as they thought they were in some kind of trouble.

The men had their hands on the swords on their waists as they marched into the tea shop. Their leader scanned around and almost instantly spotted Yan Liqiang. A joyful expression flashed across his face while he heaved a sigh of relief. He then hurried in front of Yan Liqiang and bowed to him. “Greetings, Young Lord!”

It went without saying that the cavalry was here to fetch Yan Liqiang after receiving his flying post.

Aside from Su Chang, everyone else in the tea shop was dumbfounded. Young Lord? That poor-looking child is actually a young lord? There are very few clans throughout Pingxi Prefecture that are as prestigious as this. I wonder which clan this young lord comes from.

Yan Liqiang smiled, then stood up and went to Su Chang’s table.

The three people sitting at that table quickly stood up when they noticed Yan Liqiang walking toward them.

“Manager Gong, is it?” Yan Liqiang gave the paunchy middle-aged man a small smile.

The paunchy man looked as though he was overwhelmed by the attention. “Yes, that’s right. I am Gong Changchun. How may I address you, Young Lord?”

“I am Yan Liqiang!”

Yan Liqiang’s name was like a thunderclap that dazzled everyone in the tea shop. The Qiyun Protectorate General, the Heavenly Master Craftsmith of the Imperial Manufactories, the Baron of the First Rank, the Crown Prince’s archery master, the Northwestern Reiver, the founder of the Greatest Mill, the best archer of northwestern region, the young genius who could meet deities in his dreams… Any single one of these titles alone would be able to greatly stun anyone. When all these titles were given to Yan Liqiang, his reputation in the Great Han Empire exceeded even that of a provincial governor.

“G-Greetings, Lord Yan!” Manager Gong immediately became tongue-tied as he quickly bowed to Yan Liqiang. The moment he tried to bow down, his belly jutted out and nearly knocked the tea table over.

Yan Liqiang looked pleased. “No need to be so formal, Manager Gong. I am here to discuss something with you. You see, Su Chang is my childhood friend whom I haven’t seen in a long time. I have many things to catch up with him about, so do you mind giving him a few days off so we can have a nice chat? I’ll make sure that he’ll be escorted back to you later.”

“Ah, of course! Yes, of course…!” Manager Gong nodded vigorously as he didn’t dare to deny Yan Liqiang’s request.

“You have my gratitude.” After saying that, Yan Liqiang pulled Su Chang. “Come, let’s go…” he said as both of them directly left the tea shop and climbed into the lavish carriage.

Before getting into the carriage, Yan Liqiang suddenly recalled something so he called out to Zhou Yong, “Don’t forget to pick up the bill for me!”

“Rest assured, Young Lord!” Zhou Yong gave him a nod.

Yan Liqiang pulled Su Chang into the carriage. Zhou Yong gave an eye signal and someone promptly took out an ingot of silver and left it on the table where Yan Liqiang sat. Under everyone’s gaze, the cavalry of two hundred strong escorted Yan Liqiang’s four-wheeled carriage toward Pingxi Prefecture. Everyone in the tea shop was left speechless.

After quite a while, someone in the tea shop exclaimed loudly, “That’s Lord Yan! Lord Yan! I didn’t expect he would be drinking tea in this tea shop…!”

“Didn’t the rumor say that Yan Liqiang fell into Qi deviation and went to seek medical attention on Mount Azure Dragon?”

“It would seem like he has recovered already…”

…

…

Su Chang kept observing the fixtures inside the carriage; he was both curious and ill at ease. He wasn’t even sure where to put his hands or legs. It was almost as if he was afraid of making the lavish carriage dirty. He couldn’t stop saying, “Ahh, this carriage is so stable, it doesn’t even shake…!”

“Su Chang, do you still treat me as a friend?” Yan Liqiang looked at him as he asked directly.

Su Chang was slightly taken aback. He looked at Yan Liqiang’s sincere eyes, then gave him a serious nod. “Of course!”

Yan Liqiang smiled. “Well then, you like Manager Gong’s daughter right?”

Su Chang instantly blushed, turning into a big tomato. He lowered his head in lack of confidence, “Well… well… I’m not worthy of her…”

Yan Liqiang patted his shoulder. “Don’t overthink it. No one in the entire northwestern region is allowed to say my friend is not worthy of a dyehouse manager’s daughter. I’ll guarantee you that when you return this time, Manager Gong will be almost ready to send a marriage proposal for his daughter to your family…!”

“Huh…?!” Su Chang looked at Yan Liqiang in shock.

“Stop spacing out. Tell me, how have you been over the past few years…?”