Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 665 - 599: Engagement
Such a far-fetched excuse obviously wouldn’t pass muster. The garrison sergeant pointed at the house and said sternly, "May we come in and have a look?"
"Please do."
Li Ang stepped aside, allowing the garrison soldiers to file in and rummage through the mansion.
Fortunately, Li Ang was always cautious. Valuable items like the Ten Thousand Spirit Book and the Bitter Realm Lotus were either carried on his person or stored in the caves east of Chang’an City. Some important documents were also written in Esperanto.
"Didn’t find anything suspicious?"
The sergeant nodded upon hearing the report from his subordinates and turned to Li Ang. "We’ll let it go this time," he said. "But next time, please don’t try to force the city gates. At the very least, give us a heads-up beforehand to avoid making things difficult for everyone."
"Mhm."
Li Ang nodded with a bitter smile, still puzzled as he recalled the reason for his hurried return home.
"Then we’ll take our leave."
The sergeant called to his men to leave the property. Before closing the door, he smiled and said, "Congratulations in advance, Mr. Li. We’ll see you in half a month."
Congratulations? Oh, right, he remembered.
Li Ang cupped his hands in farewell and returned to the living room, scratching his head as he looked at the empty space.
Why did he feel like he was suffering from frequent amnesia lately?
With an unsettled mind, Li Ang went upstairs. He stood outside his bedroom door and swept a glance over it, feeling that something was off but unable to pinpoint the problem.
After much thought yielded no solution, he lay down on his bed and unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
...
"Risheng! Come down quickly!"
Noisy voices came from outside the house. Li Ang woke up and opened his eyes. Outside the window, the sky was dimming; it was already afternoon.
"Coming."
He straightened his collar and walked downstairs, only to see the broad-shouldered, handsome Li Hui standing outside, followed by a group of attendants.
"Prince Yue?"
Li Ang wondered. Just as he was about to cup his hands in greeting, Li Hui enthusiastically clapped him hard on the shoulder and laughed heartily. "Still calling me Prince Yue? Call me Fourth Brother!"
"Ah?"
"What ’ah’? Your and Le Ling’s new house is finished! Come on, I’ll take you to see it."
Without further ado, Li Hui pulled Li Ang into a carriage, heading towards the south of the city.
"That house, ah, it’s finally finished after more than half a year of construction. From now on, we’ll be neighbors."
Inside the carriage, Li Hui prattled on, "Big Brother and I picked out all the flowers, trees, and furniture inside. We’re not sure if they’ll be to your liking. Go have a look first, and if there’s anything you don’t like, we can change it..."
"Prince Yue’s taste is undoubtedly excellent; there shouldn’t be any need for changes." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
"Still calling me Prince Yue?"
Li Hui looked at him reproachfully, but the joy and sentiment in his eyes were impossible to hide.
The carriage passed through streets and by Quchi Square, arriving at Furong Garden.
Not far northeast of the Prince Yue Mansion, an exquisite estate nestled by the riverbank. Through the treetops of the dense woods, one could see many pieces of construction equipment at work, transplanting trees and moving bricks and stones.
The carriage stopped on a wide walkway paved with stone slabs, fitted together so tightly the seams were almost invisible. Li Hui hopped out of the carriage, and Li Ang followed.
Li Si, the Crown Prince of Yu Country, dressed in casual clothes, stood in front of the house currently under construction. He was directing workers as they moved tables, chairs, wardrobes, and bookcases into the building.
"You two have arrived."
Li Si noticed them approaching and turned with a smile. "Risheng, come take a look. What do you think of the house?"
Li Ang had made a lot of money and spent wildly on all sorts of luxuries over the years. Even so, he had to admit that some things simply could not be bought with money.
Within the garden, there were Golden Peach trees (a type of tree with golden fruit) originally from Kang Country and Soraka trees from Tianzhu. Tulips, a tribute from An Country, came from the Extreme West. From the Endless Sea, there were Naga flowers with their six white petals and yellow hearts.
The rugged, strange rocks used to decorate the garden hailed from Qingzhou. The stones piled by the pond came from Taihu Lake.
The lotus in the pond was named Kumara. Pristine and unblemished before blooming, it burst into a riot of colors once it flowered—a tribute from Jibin Country.
This was only the tip of the iceberg. Inside the mansion, there were decorations and famous paintings that Li Ang didn’t even recognize.
Li Ang said with genuine emotion, "It must have cost a lot of money, right?"
"Actually, it’s not too bad. Mom and Father saved up a dowry over the years. It all adds up, and we two, as elder brothers, chipped in a bit."
Li Si and Li Tai exchanged smiles. They had a long-standing rivalry, so preparing their younger sister’s wedding was one of the few occasions they could spend together harmoniously and in peace.
"After this Qingming Festival, you should settle down and stay in Chang’an," Li Si said to Li Ang. "Times have changed. There are assassins from West Jing and Nanzhou outside, and spies from goodness knows where within. Now that you hold a high position and wield considerable power, you can’t keep running around like before."
"Goodness knows where" naturally referred to Taihao Mountain and Zhao Ming.
"That’s right."
Li Tai nodded and chimed in, "You take a train trip and run into a demon demanding your life. You visit your hometown and encounter an Ancient demon. Boy, your luck is truly something else. After you get married in half a month, just stay peacefully in Chang’an. We’ll deal with the chaos outside when it finally settles."
Having said that, Li Tai paused, then added, "Also, Le Ling isn’t in the best of health. You must take good care of her. If we find out you’ve made her sad or upset, hmph..."
Li Tai clenched his fist, and a loud crack suddenly echoed from his palm.
Faced with the pleasantly delivered "threats" from his two brothers-in-law, Li Ang finally managed to talk his way out and escape.
He didn’t return to the Golden City Mansion but first paid a visit to Song Shaoyuan’s home.
"Brother Song, I went to climb Xia Mountain with you today, right?"
In the courtyard, Song Shaoyuan, gently swaying his daughter’s cradle to lull her to sleep, asked, "Mm, that’s right. What’s the matter?"
"How did I..." Li Ang chose his words carefully. "How did I suddenly leave without saying goodbye?"
Song Shaoyuan thought for a moment. "Well... we had just climbed up to the pavilion and were about to rest when your expression suddenly changed, and you rushed straight down the mountain."
Li Ang was somewhat reluctant to accept this. "Did I say anything to you at that time?"
"No, not a single word."
Song Shaoyuan shook his head, then paused, continuing uncertainly, "But I remember, right before you left, it seemed like you mumbled something to yourself. ’Turns out, from beginning to end, I was the only one.’"
"Is that so..."
Li Ang’s brows knitted slightly. He couldn’t recall this memory, nor the circumstances under which he had said those words.
"..."
Seeing his frown, Song Shaoyuan asked with concern, "It couldn’t be the Dream Eater acting up again, could it? Do you want to go back to the Academic Palace and have it checked?"
"Not for now. I might just be overthinking it."
Li Ang forced a smile. "By the way, Brother Song, could you please not mention this to anyone else? I’m worried it might cause unnecessary concern at this time."
His memory loss could be an effect of the Dream Eater or possibly hallucinations caused by Mo Si encroaching on his brain. He could not return to the Academic Palace for inquiries.
"The wedding with the Princess, right? Understood."
Song Shaoyuan nodded. "Stay for dinner. I’ll go ask your sister-in-law to set an extra place."
"No, thank you. I’ll eat at home."
Li Ang bid farewell to Song Shaoyuan and walked back to the Golden City Mansion alone. Pushing the gate open, he subconsciously called out, "I’m back..."
The word "back" caught in his throat. Li Ang stared blankly at the empty, desolate courtyard, a look of puzzlement on his face.
Having lived alone for so many years, to whom was he speaking?
