Poseidon in Arknights

Old Li shook his head and put the topic aside: "I heard that you entered officialdom, and I guessed that with your personality, you would definitely make a name for yourself and achieve great things. But no one expected that we would be separated for so many years."

Liang Xun looked at Lao Li and said, "If you can cheer up, everyone will be very happy."

Old Li waved his hand: "It's not about cheering up, it's just that some things have been bothering me for so long that I've realized they're not as troublesome as daily necessities."

Looking at Lao Li with some nostalgia, Liang Xun said, "It's been so long since I've tasted your cooking."

“You’re already the official in charge of the people of this city, so stop dwelling on the hardships we faced back then.” Old Li patted Liang Xun on the shoulder and said earnestly, “You should think more about how to prevent too many talented young people from being unable to realize their potential and having no opportunity to showcase their abilities. Wasn’t that what Liang Xun resented most back then?”

Liang Xun closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "...Yes."

Old Li suddenly patted Liang Xun's shoulder hard: "Hey, but luckily, you're still the same as ever, you have absolutely no luck with women."

"I was worried that if this trip to Shangshu revealed that you were already married and settled down, wouldn't I be in trouble..."

Just then, a gentle female voice rang out: "...Lord Liang, do you have a guest?"

Old Li's previously playful expression froze instantly, and his eyes immediately turned to Liang Xun.

"Ahem." Liang Xun looked away guiltily after being stared at by Lao Li, and called out to the door, "...Miss Ning...is not available right now."

Old Carp immediately shouted, "There's nothing inconvenient about it! I'm just a messenger, I'll be leaving in a bit!"

Miss Ning walked in hesitantly and looked at the two people in the room: "Good evening, Lord Liang, and this... messenger?"

Old Carp gritted his teeth as he looked at the girl in front of him: "...That's right, Miss."

Old Li looked at Liang Xun, who had his eyes closed, and asked in a low voice through gritted teeth, "Explain yourself."

Liang Xun immediately defended himself in a low voice: "It's a working relationship."

Old Li glared at him: "Who works together at this hour?"

Liang Xun turned his face away and weakly explained, "It's only been a short while since lunchtime."

"Ah." Miss Ning looked at the two of them and asked tentatively, "Could it be that Lord Liang has forgotten I was coming tonight?"

Liang Xun opened his eyes and immediately shook his head in denial, saying, "No, it's just..."

Old Carp's gaze lingered on the two of them, and he gritted his teeth and said, "...You two talk, I suddenly remembered that I have something to do."

“Lord Liang, I’ve left the goods here. If you need anything else from me…” Old Li glanced at Miss Ning beside him, “Uh, please finish your business first.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lao Li immediately turned around and walked outside.

Liang Xun watched Lao Li's retreating figure as he took three steps in two, almost reaching out to grab him and shout, "Wait, Li...!"

"That's true..." Old Carp, walking into the courtyard, covered his face with his hand in exasperation. "Sigh, we're in big trouble this time."

Based on Lao Li's years of experience as a private investigator, these two are definitely suspicious, so he'd better not bother them.

Old Carp lowered his hand from his face, looked at the distant mountain peaks hidden in the shadows, and said in a somewhat somber tone, "This game of chess is getting a bit complicated."

——————Shangshu·Xingyu Inn——————

"Hmm..." Xi Yue opened her eyes and was about to get up subconsciously when she felt someone hugging her, so she immediately stopped.

Yuuki glanced to the side and saw Yu's closed eyes, listening to her soft breathing: 'Are you asleep?'

"Good girl." Xi Yue gently patted Xi's head, and then, without waking Xi, turned slightly to hug Xi in her arms.

It's worth mentioning that Xi can sleep very soundly after she falls asleep, so even if Xi Yue simply turns to her side, there's no need to worry about waking her up.

However, for Xi Yue, the fact that the other person was sleeping soundly was not a reason for her to be extravagant.

Besides, people finally get a good night's sleep, so don't wake them up!

Just as Xiyue was about to close her eyes and go back to sleep, she raised her eyes slightly and looked out the window.

"Hehe~" Nian appeared quietly outside the window at that moment, looking at the scene inside the room with some surprise, "Good evening, Xi... Oh~ Did I interrupt your good time~"

Just as Nian finished speaking, a water bullet sprayed directly into Nian's face.

Xi Yue gently covered Xi's ear with her hand: "You're always stirring up trouble. Aren't you afraid Xi will beat you up if she finds out?"

"Hehe~" The young girl wiped the water off her face and then spread her hands nonchalantly, saying, "I'm not afraid at all. Besides, isn't it fun to see Miss Yuzuki and Yu hugging each other?"

"Hmm, a mother and daughter seems like a good option too. Isn't there a saying that the student surpasses the teacher?"

"Sigh..." Xi Yue shook her head helplessly. "You have such a big mouth. But why did it take you so long to find us? Shouldn't you have been waiting for us at the entrance and acting as our guide?"

“I’d like to, too,” Nian shrugged, a playful smile still on her face. “I’m just worried about disturbing your appointment… Alright, I won’t say anything more.”

"I just didn't expect you two to arrive so late, so I didn't come to pick you up. And I only just realized you two had arrived."

"Why did you rush over?" Xi Yue smiled. "Do I really need to do anything? I just came here at the invitation of my good friend."

"I'm just a passenger."

"Oh~" Nian raised an eyebrow. "So you're not here as Li Boli today, to show that you're not here to be a doctor?"

"Who knows?" Yuzuki smiled. "But if someone gets hurt, I still can't let go of my duty as a doctor."

“That should be enough.” Nian sat on the windowsill, looking at Xiyue. “I guess the Grand Tutor didn’t expect you to absolutely help Yan Kingdom, Xiyue.”

"For him, as long as he can control the situation, that is a victory."

“Hmm…” Xi Yue nodded. “I took a walk around the city today, and there was no one around. I think the Grand Tutor should understand what I mean.”

"After all, whether you help or not isn't important to him; your presence here is more important." Nian shrugged. "But I wonder if Second Brother will be stubborn?"

"Oh?" Xi Yue raised an eyebrow. "It seems you've been in touch with the Grand Tutor quite a bit, so it seems my visit was a bit abrupt."

“We can’t not communicate.” Nian spread his hands. “Besides, the Grand Tutor is unwilling to suffer any loss. He also wants to take this opportunity to resolve the issues with the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites at the same time.”

"But it's understandable, considering he finally found a chessboard that could command respect."

Chapter 193: The Year of Courting Death

"You've got him pretty sure of it, haven't you?" Xi Yue shrugged, looking at Nian. "Speaking of which, that letter of yours wasn't written at his behest, was it?"

“It’s part of it.” Nian shrugged as well. “The Grand Tutor has already shown his sincerity, so naturally I can’t just do something casually. I’m just helping out.”

"But to be honest, it doesn't seem to make much of a difference whether I write it or not. If he writes it himself, it should be the same, right?"

“If the invitation came from the Grand Tutor…” Xi Yue patted Xi’s head, “perhaps Xi wouldn’t come, and the game wouldn’t be able to continue.”

"If you put it that way, it makes sense," Nian said, stroking his chin. "But if you come along, Xi will probably come with you too, right?"

Nian showed a thoughtful expression, but her eyes roamed over Xi Yue. She secretly crafted a cell phone in her hand and quickly snapped a picture of the scene before her.

“Nian~~” Xi Yue’s voice sounded softly behind Nian. When Nian noticed, Xi Yue, who was originally holding Xi, had appeared behind him at some point.

Nian's gaze shifted towards the bed, where Xi Yue, who was originally on the bed, was still holding Xi Yue and looking at her with a smile on her lips, just like the Xi Yue behind her.

"Hehehe~" Nian immediately disassembled the phone, but it was too late. The photo was already in her hands, and there was no way to stop it!

Even if she disassembles the phone now, as long as she rebuilds it later, that photo will still be in her possession.

"Aren't you going to explain? Nian~" Standing on the balcony, Xiyue smiled at Nian, her gaze falling on the phone that had just disappeared from Nian's hand as it turned into specks of light.

"What's the point of you taking this picture? If Xi finds out, she'll just chase you down and beat you up, right?"

"I'm going to have some fun~" Nian jumped off the windowsill, his eyes fixed on Xiyue on the bed, then turned back to look at Xiyue in front of him without turning around. "Hmm, which one is your water clone?"

"Neither." Xiyue waved her hand in front of you. "It can be either the real body or a water clone, as long as I want."

"Of course, if I had to say, I'm still lying in bed. I just used water mist to sculpt it. You can touch it if you don't believe me."

"Hmm, really?" Nian didn't hold back and reached out to pat Xiyue's shoulder, but Nian's hand passed right through Xiyue's body without any resistance.

Just as Yuuki said, it was a body made of only a layer of water mist, extremely fragile.

“It could be either…” Nian stroked his chin, his gaze shifting between Xiyue in front of him and Yueyue on the bed. “That’s interesting, but Miss Xiyue, aren’t you going to develop a split personality like this?”

“I won’t, and I never will.” Yuzuki shook her head. “This is just what I need.”

“Hmm…” Nian leaned against the fence behind her, glancing into the inner room. After a moment's thought, she said, “From this angle, they do indeed look very much like a married couple…”

“But I still have to say, actually there are more children…” Just as he was saying this, Nian had already turned and jumped out of the inn. He just wanted to do something silly before he left.

But just as he jumped out, he was hit hard on the back of the head.

——————Shang Shu · Shang Shu——————

"What a hassle." Old Li adjusted his hat and walked towards the room Liang Xun had arranged for him. "I've already found Liang Xun, so why am I gone now?"

"It shouldn't be..."

"Hmm?" Just as Lao Li was about to push open the door, he raised an eyebrow, a smile appeared on his lips, and then gently opened the door and slipped inside.

Old Li closed the door behind his back, looked at the person sitting in the chair in the room, and said with a hint of a smile, "How come I remember this guest room? Lord Liang said it was for me to rest?"

"Miss Du, it's one thing to come uninvited, but why did you have to brew my tea?"

"It's Lord Liang's tea, not yours." Miss Du raised her eyebrows slightly and pointed to another cup of tea on the side, feigning arrogance. "I even brewed your cup. Be content."

Old Carp chuckled as he looked at Miss Du: "Miss Du, are you planning to continue your interrogation?"

Miss Du feigned mystery and remained silent for a moment before saying, "Take a guess?"

“I think the Liang residence is quite beautiful. Miss Du wouldn’t dare to be so bold.” Old Li didn’t seem to care. He strode over, picked up a teacup from the table, and said, “Why don’t you tell me what brings you here?”

Miss Du looked at Lao Li, who was sitting with his legs crossed and looking very relaxed, with some surprise, but she quickly recovered and said, "You seem to have plenty of time to chat with me."

Old Carp took a small sip of tea, his eyes full of smiles: "You've already brewed the tea."

“…Alright.” Miss Du poured out her tea, took a sip, and finally put the teacup down. “To be frank, I’m here to ask you for a favor.”

Old Carp nodded slightly: "Okay."

"Huh?" Miss Du looked at Lao Li in surprise. "That's strange. I thought you were a suspicious person by nature. Why are you so easy to talk to?"

“Liang Xun let you in, so what do I have to worry about?” Old Li smiled, put down his teacup, and tentatively asked, “Do you know him?”

"...I was merely making a request to Lord Liang as a junior." Miss Du looked at Old Carp. "My father has always had a very good relationship with the government."

"I see." Old Li nodded, seemingly not caring much about the matter.

Miss Du seemed displeased with Lao Li's sudden change of heart and deliberately said, "Last time we met, I was going to steal your goods."

"It's Lord Liang's goods, not mine." Old Li waved his hand. "He can worry about the troublesome things. As for me, I'll just... deal with whatever comes my way."

Miss Du looked at the rather candid Lao Li and fell silent for a moment: "...You really want to believe me?"

"I don't need to hold a grudge against a young girl, do I?" Old Li suddenly said to Miss Du. "Sigh, everyone has a youthful phase. They have to make faces and put on airs, just to save face."

Upon hearing this, Miss Du immediately exploded: "Who, who cares about face!? I'm just..."