Didn't Young Master Yun Come with You?

As the saying went, a mother worried when her child traveled far from home. During Wei Mingxiu's time away from the capital, Zhou Ye might not have been his mother, but he could still be considered half a father, having watched the child grow up.

He missed him terribly.

So, after sending Wei Mingxiu a letter, he came to the Southern Border himself.

He thought that if Wei Mingxiu took his advice and came to Nanlu Town, the two of them might meet there.

As it happened, he had only just arrived when he spotted the robbers fleeing in all directions. Dressed in black in broad daylight, they were easy enough to catch.

He promptly broke the teeth in which they had hidden poison, stuffed their mouths with old socks from 1982, and tied them all to a handcart.

A little farther on, he ran into the child he had been thinking about day and night.

It would have been strange if Zhou Ye hadn't smiled.

But he had come in secret this time and couldn't reveal his identity, so he wore a mask.

Now he lifted its edge just enough to let Wei Mingxiu see his face, then put it back in place and gestured for the boy to be quiet.

He then said with a smile, "Young hero, you are truly handsome. You caught my eye even from a distance. I couldn't resist coming closer for a look, so I hope you won't take offense."

Wei Mingxiu's heart pounded. The person he had longed for day and night had appeared before him; how could he possibly remain calm?

But remembering that he had just been in a fight and probably didn't look his best, he hurriedly pulled out his handkerchief and quickly wiped the blood from his face and hands, making sure he was clean.

Only then did he put on a slightly affected, shy smile and say, "I got myself this dirty fighting off the robbers just now, yet you still praise my appearance, sir. I really don't deserve it."

After five years together, Wei Mingxiu knew that since Zhou Ye was wearing a mask, he probably didn't want to reveal his identity in front of the State of Chu's delegation.

So he played along.

But his manner nearly made A-Nan's eyes pop out of his head.

"Your Highness, what's wrong with you?" A-Nan reached out to feel Wei Mingxiu's forehead. "Did some blind robber hurt your head during the fight? Why are you talking nonsense?"

There was blood on his hand, and when he slapped it against Wei Mingxiu's face, he left half a bloody handprint on the spot Wei Mingxiu had just wiped clean.

"..."

Killing intent suddenly flashed in Wei Mingxiu's eyes, only to melt into tenderness the moment he saw Zhou Ye beside him.

He gently removed A-Nan's hand and, without showing any anger, wiped his face clean again. "I always speak this way, so how could it be nonsense? I was merely expressing my pleasure at the gentleman's compliment."

"Your Highness? Could you be His Highness Prince You, who dealt with corrupt officials using lightning methods?" Zhou Ye feigned surprise and hurriedly knelt to pay his respects. "This humble commoner did not know who you were and was presumptuous just now. Please forgive me, Your Highness!"

"Please get up, sir. There's no need to stand on ceremony."

Zhou Ye got to his feet and proceeded to spin a tale. "I am Zhou Li, a tea merchant from Jiangnan. I was passing through with a shipment of tea when I encountered these fleeing bandits in the woods, so I thought I would capture them and take them to the authorities. Seeing you all like this, Your Highness, were the bandits I caught the ones who attacked you?"

A-Nan narrowed his eyes at Zhou Ye, then glanced over at the robbers and asked Zhou Ye, "When we fought those robbers just now, we could tell they were no ordinary men. You're just a frail tea merchant, Mr. Zhou, so how did you manage to mmmph..."

Before A-Nan could finish his question, Wei Mingxiu clapped a hand over his mouth.

Wei Mingxiu leaned close to his ear and whispered, "He's the junior preceptor. His identity can't be exposed. If you still can't control your mouth, I really will chop you up."

Only then did A-Nan understand.

No wonder Wei Mingxiu had suddenly changed his attitude toward a stranger!

Wasn't this coy, bashful, affected manner exactly how he behaved only in front of Junior Preceptor Zhou?

Zhou Ye frowned slightly as he watched the two boys' faces draw close.

But when Wei Mingxiu released A-Nan and looked back at him, his brow smoothed again. Smiling, he said, "Though I am a tea merchant, I'm not frail. I've spent years escorting tea shipments between cities, so I know some martial arts. I'm half a man of the jianghu."

Now that A-Nan knew who Zhou Ye was, how could he have any doubts about him?

After all, Zhou Ye was his idol, a man who could fight a hundred opponents alone. These robbers really were nothing to him!

"Haha, I was being too suspicious."

A-Nan tactfully pointed at the robbers and played along with Zhou Ye. "I won't hide it from you, sir. Those were the men we fought just now, but their target wasn't His Highness or me. It was the State of Chu's delegation behind us."

"Such bandits are so brazen?" Zhou Ye immediately put on an indignant look and walked over to Zheng Feng. "My lord, you traveled a great distance to serve as an envoy to Great Wei, only to be attacked by a band of mountain bandits. These filthy wretches have tarnished Great Wei's reputation."

"I've done business here for years and know the area fairly well. If you don't mind, my lord, let me escort you and your people until you meet up with the Great Wei officials sent to receive you!"

Zhou Ye spoke with apparent sincerity, but Zheng Feng had just been attacked and, for now, only felt he could trust Wei Mingxiu. He looked at him. "Your Highness, what do you think...?"

"I only recently arrived in the south myself and am unfamiliar with the surrounding area. Having Mr. Zhou guide us should save us a great deal of trouble."

He said to Zheng Feng, "There's no need to worry, Lord Zheng. I'll accompany you the whole way. If anything else happens, I can deal with it alongside you."

Only then did Zheng Feng breathe a sigh of relief and accept Zhou Ye's offer.

Afterward, everyone worked together to clear away the corpses.

Once Zheng Feng had confirmed that the princess was unharmed, he let Zhou Ye lead the way, and the group set off for Yu Town, the nearest town in Jiangnan.

Normally, Wei Mingxiu would have ridden on horseback, but now that Zhou Ye was here, he pulled him straight into the carriage.

A-Nan wanted to get in too, but Wei Mingxiu grabbed him by the collar and tossed him out to drive the carriage.

That left only him and Zhou Ye inside.

Wei Mingxiu looked at Zhou Ye's face. He had so many questions, but in the end, only one came out: "Junior Preceptor, didn't Young Master Yun come with you?"