After the letter reporting his safety was sent out, Luo Wei’s daily routine consisted of pretending to be mute when Imperial Physician Chu and Old Wang came, and then hanging out with Yan’er. He was very fond of Yan’er and thought it wouldn’t be bad to have such a little sister. As a result, all the tidbits Imperial Physician Chu brought to relieve his boredom ended up in Yan’er’s belly.
Sometimes, when Yan’er said she was tired, Luo Wei would talk to her about Wei Lan. Actually, Luo Wei couldn’t list out exactly what was good about Wei Lan. But when his image of Wei Lan was spoken from Luo Wei’s mouth and then heard by Yan’er, it turned into that of a skilled martial artist who could fly over walls, a heroic figure in the Jianghu with a good heart.
“When can I see him?” Yan’er listened with fascination and said, “Highness gege, is this Senior Wei the most powerful person in the Jianghu?”
Luo Wei boasted shamelessly, “Yes, my Lan is the most powerful.”
“Then,” Yan’er clenched her fists, “in the future, Yan’er will worship him as her teacher, learn martial arts, and travel the Jianghu.”
“You want to learn martial arts?” Luo Wei looked at Yan’er’s eager expression and began to regret saying anything.
“I want to learn martial arts,” Yan’er said without hesitation. “I heard that learning martial arts can make you strong. Highness gege, you drink medicine every day, so let Senior Wei teach you martial arts too. The three of us can travel the Jianghu together.”
“I have to go too?”
“Yan’er doesn’t know Senior Wei,” Yan’er looked at Luo Wei with a look that said he didn’t understand, “Highness gege, if you don’t go, how will Yan’er get to know Senior Wei?”
Luo Wei rubbed his nose. He never thought about going roaming around the Jianghu with Wei Lan.
“Highness gege, is it okay?” Yan’er propped her chin with both hands, looking at Luo Wei with anticipation.
“Well, let’s talk about it later,” Luo Wei couldn’t bear to refuse Yan’er, but he didn’t want to deceive her either. Thinking that this girl would be twelve years old next year and still had no understanding of the world, Luo Wei felt troubled again. “Yan’er, if you keep singing and dancing every day like this, and don’t learn feminine skills, will you never marry in the future?”
“Yan’er wants to be a hero!” Yan’er even patted her chest in front of Luo Wei. “Highness gege, when Yan’er becomes proficient in martial arts in the future, Yan’er can also protect you.”
Luo Wei sprayed water out of his mouth, choking. “Protect me?” he asked Yan’er.
Yan’er nodded solemnly.
Luo Wei regretted it. Why didn’t he think of learning some martial arts when he was young? Otherwise, he wouldn’t have ended up in a situation where even a little girl could look down on him.
“Wei Lan,” Yan’er repeated Wei Lan’s name several times, then said to Luo Wei, “Highness gege, I remember Senior Wei’s name now.”
“Alright,” Luo Wei said weakly, “remember it well, don’t forget.”
“Highness gege is called Luo Wei, Senior Wei is called Wei Lan,” Yan’er said, “Yan’er will never forget it in this lifetime.”
Luo Wei chuckled. “You’re talking about a lifetime at such a young age. Do you know how many years a lifetime is?”
“A lifetime is many years,” Yan’er shook her head in front of Luo Wei. “Yan’er will never forget it in her lifetime.”
At the mention of a lifetime, Luo Wei’s thoughts suddenly wandered again. How many years could his lifetime be?
In the handsome mansion in Yunguan, Luo Qi was also discussing life-long matters with Ye Xiu.
“If something happens to Xiao Wei again, I’ll be uneasy for the rest of my life,” he said to Ye Xiu.
“Was that letter really written by him?” Ye Xiu asked. She looked more pregnant this time than when she was pregnant with Luo Shuang and had trouble standing. Now she could only sit leaning against something.
“It was written by him,” Luo Qi said. “Didn’t you read it too?”
Ye Xiu exclaimed, “I just can’t figure it out. How could Shuang’er’s uncle escape from the Northern Yan Palace all by himself? With the Emperor of Northern Yan missing someone like him from the palace, wouldn’t they search for him? Why haven’t we heard any news at all?”
Luo Qi also had the same doubts, but with Luo Wei’s handwritten letter there, and considering Luo Wei had done many seemingly impossible things before, Luo Qi vaguely hoped that this time again Luo Wei could have relied on himself to overcome the danger. So, he decided to make a trip to Wushuang City.
“I’m just worried,” Ye Xiu said, “This doesn’t seem right no matter how I think about it. Can Brother-in-law really escape from the Northern Yan Palace?”
“We have our spies there from Great Zhou,” Luo Qi said, “Xiao Wei didn’t escape alone. These people helped him.”
Ye Xiu just shook her head, “I always feel that Brother-in-law wouldn’t let you go to Wushuang City to fetch him. He never asked you to do anything for him before, why now?”
Luo Qi became a little upset, “What kind of talk is that? Xiao Wei is my brother. This matter isn’t trivial. If he manages to escape from Northern Yan, do you think he can just come back to Shangdu like nothing happened?”
“He won’t come back?”
“He’s a hostage, how could he escape?”
Ye Xiu became nervous again about Luo Wei, “Then what is he going to do? Will His Majesty punish him?”
“Let’s wait and see the Emperor’s reaction,” Luo Qi said, “I’ll just take some people to Wushuang. I’ll just say I’m inspecting the city’s defenses, who would know I’m there for Xiao Wei? If this letter is fake, I’ll at most make a trip for nothing, nothing will happen. You just stay home and take care of the pregnancy, wait for me to come back.”
Ye Xiu also knew that Luo Qi couldn’t possibly not go to Wushuang City for Luo Wei. She could only say, “Then go early and come back early. It’s best if you can bring back his Brother-in-law. He said that Chang Ling is not on our side. You should be careful in front of him and not let him plot against you.”
“Both of you worry too much,” Luo Qi laughed, “Look at all these things you’re saying, and that Xiao Wei, even my son’s name, he has to worry about it.”
Ye Xiu looked at Luo Qi with reproach, “His uncle is right. Is there any name that sounds like a turtle like your son’s? You are also a person who has read many books, how could you come up with such a name? The child is still in my belly, do you know if it’s a son or a daughter? Luo Gui, if you really don’t think you can come up with a good name, just ask Dad to pick another one, you don’t have to bother.”
Luo Qi waved his hand, “Alright, alright, you’re right. When Xiao Wei comes back, I’ll let him come up with one.”
“His uncle is more reliable than you!” Ye Xiu scolded Luo Qi, then gently caressed his face, “Come back soon, I always feel uneasy when you go out this time. Don’t let me wait too long.”
Luo Qi pecked Ye Xiu’s lips and said, “Then I’m off.”
Ye Xiu watched Luo Qi to the door, feeling anxious again, calling out to Luo Qi, “Be careful.”
“Okay, I’ll be back soon,” Luo Qi grinned at Ye Xiu, pushed the door, and walked out.
“Commander,” outside the Marshal’s mansion, a group of soldiers had been waiting for Luo Qi for a while.
“Let’s go,” Luo Qi mounted his horse and said to his subordinates.
The group of horsemen galloped through the streets of Yunguan, raising a cloud of dust with their hoofbeats.
At the north gate of the city, a vegetable vendor watched as Luo Qi’s group left the city, then shouldered his vegetable basket and quickly disappeared into the bustling crowd in front of the city gate.
Ye Xiu was supported by two old women, kneeling in front of the Guanyin statue in the house, praying devoutly, “Great merciful Guanyin Bodhisattva, please bless my husband’s safe return, and also bless my brother-in-law’s safe return. As long as they return safely, Ye Xiu is willing to shorten her lifespan, ten years, twenty years, it doesn’t matter, just please bless them. They are all good people…”
Boundless Dao 
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