After Zhou Junzheng's funeral, Fang Zi'an left Lin'an for a few days, and he escorted his wife Gu back to his hometown in Jiangyin. Originally, Fang Zi'an wanted his wife to stay in the capital and raise her personally, but her wife insisted on going back to her hometown in Jiangyin. Mrs. Zhou is a well-informed person, and she also knows what Zhou Junzheng's sins are, and she doesn't want to affect others. Besides, after all, he is old, and his husband is gone, so it would be better to return to his hometown earlier and return to his roots, so he rejected Fang Zi'an's request.

So Fang Zi'an personally escorted Mrs. Zhou back to her hometown in Jiangyin by boat after the funeral. Although the waterway was smooth, it took seven or eight days to go back and forth, and by the time Fang Zi'an returned to Lin'an, it was already early July. Of course, for Fang Zi'an, going out for a few days also soothed his mood. When taking a boat along the canal to the north, looking at the prosperous scene on both sides of the canal and the scenery of the great rivers and mountains, people's mood is suddenly brightened, and the boredom is naturally reduced slightly. At the same time, I also felt more in my heart that the great rivers and mountains must not fall into the hands of Hu Lu.

On the way, Fang Zi'an also thought a lot. From the confusion that I crossed at the beginning, to choosing the path of studying and taking exams just for the sake of making a living and living a better life, and then to everything I have experienced in just a few months, my mood has changed greatly. At first, as a person who came through time, he was just trying to survive, but now, these flesh-and-blood, emotional, and thoughtful people he knew around him made Fang Zi'an feel more and more a kind of reality integrated into it. Especially Zhou Junzheng's death, Fang Zi'an was very shaken. Fang Zi'an suddenly realized that he was so small, so small that he couldn't prevent the meal tragedy from happening in front of him. How weak is his own power, so weak that he is unable to protect the people he cares about. And his own thinking is too shallow, so shallow that he has not really integrated himself into this era at all. Three years have passed, and I seem to be integrated into it, but in fact, I am still looking at this era like a bystander, as if everything has nothing to do with me. It wasn't until Zhou Junzheng's death that Fang Zi'an suddenly realized that he couldn't do this anymore.

He is no longer an isolated individual who flew from the sky like a lonely giant and fell in this era. I have been closely connected with this era, and I have a close relationship and emotional bond with the people of this era. Zhou Junzheng's death made him really feel the pain and the real cruelty of this era. Today is Zhou Junzheng, so what if it is someone else next? If it's yourself, if it's Chunni, if it's Lao Zhangtou, if it's Zhao Changlin, if it's Qian Kang, if it's Zhang Ruomei, Qin Xiqing, etc., these friends you know or people who have more or less intersected? Can you only be grief-stricken, but nothing can be done about it?

Of course not, Fang Zi'an couldn't allow himself to be indifferent. The emotional connection that I have established with these people, how can I be indifferent when they are in trouble. But how can you help them and protect them? There is only one answer, and that is to make yourself strong. When it comes to concrete actions, it is necessary to climb up and grasp power, which is the most real power. Fang Zi'an has never been so eager to be admitted to the imperial examination, and at the same time, he also feels deeply necessary to join the camp of the king of Pu'an and help the king of Pu'an to compete with Qin Hui. As long as he can help the king of Pu'an to ascend the throne smoothly, the end of Qin Hui will come. And he naturally gets a lot of power. It's all intimately connected.

In short, Zhou Junzheng's death made Fang Zi'an completely see the cruel truth of this era, as if he had been awakened from his sleep, and realized the direction he should go. He was reborn, his mind was thoroughly cleansed, and he established the goal of his efforts. For him personally, this is an extremely important lesson.

After not seeing her for a few days, Zhang Ruomei was very happy when she saw Fang Zi'an. That night, I got some wine and food to wash the dust for Fang Zi'an. Fang Zi'an is also very happy, it is better to be outside or at home. After three cups and two cups, Zhang Ruomei suddenly told Fang Zi'an about one of her decisions.

"Cousin, I'm going to leave Lin'an." Zhang Ruomei was overwhelmed by alcohol, and after drinking, her pretty face was as red as a peach blossom under the illumination of the lights.

Fang Zi'an was stunned and hurriedly asked, "Why is that?" Are you not used to living here? Or do I have something to offend you? ”

Zhang Ruomei shook her head lightly and said, "Of course not, the days of living here are the happiest and most reassuring days for Ruomei." Ruomei didn't expect that when she came to Lin'an City, she actually met you and met a brother. This makes me very happy and grateful. However, the purpose of my departure from Baiyun Temple to Lin'an was to kill the old thief Qin Hui, but unfortunately I was not good at learning and could not succeed, so I could only hide. Fortunately, I was able to avoid this time with you. In the two days since you left, I have gone around the city and the city gates, and the search has been loosened a lot, and I should be able to leave Lin'an. There's no reason for me to stay here anymore. After all...... After all, you're not really my cousin, we're just meeting each other, aren't we? ”

Fang Zi'an put down the wine cup and said in a deep voice: "Ruomei, I helped you get out of trouble at the beginning, just because you were a righteous man who dared to assassinate Qin Hui. Who would have thought that you would be the daughter of Zhang Tongzhi after Zhongliang, and I naturally respect you even more. You're right, although you and I meet in the water, I already see you as my sister in my heart. You can live here for as long as you like, can't you still tolerate it? Unless you think you have to go, I can't think about it. But I want to ask, where are you going to get out of here? ”

Zhang Ruomei sighed and smiled bitterly: "Ruomei is ...... in her heart In fact, I really think of you as an older brother. However, that is not true after all. I want to go back to the Baiyun Temple of Wuyi Mountain and follow the master to practice martial arts diligently. The last time I fell short, it was because I was not good at learning. If I want to avenge my father and them, I can only practice martial arts hard and improve myself. Or, I can go to my big brother. ”

Fang Zi'an frowned and said, "I naturally can't object to you going back to Wuyi Mountain, but I'm afraid it won't work out if you say that you want to find your brother." You also said that your brother has not heard from him for many years, he fled directly from the army back then, and he is in the land of Huaibei, it is likely that he is still in the fallen land occupied by the Jin people, if you go to find him, do you have to go to the place of the Jin people. That's dangerous. Besides, even if you go back to Wuyi Mountain Baiyun Temple, what can you do? Don't you still understand that dealing with Qin Hui's old thief is not a matter of martial arts, but to think of another way? Even if you practice martial arts for another five years and ten years, Qin Hui only needs to add more than ten or twenty people by his side, but you are afraid that there is still nothing you can do about him. Have you ever thought about it? ”

Zhang Ruomei looked at Fang Zi'an silently, suddenly became anxious, picked up the wine cup in front of her and drank it all, and said loudly: "Then what should I do?" I can't get revenge, I can't go to my brother, and I can't live here for long. After all, you and I meet in Pingshui, can't I stay here for the rest of my life? ”

Fang Zi'an was a little surprised, and Zhang Ruomei suddenly became emotional, which caught Fang Zi'an a little off guard. Although she hasn't been with her for a long time, she feels that Zhang Ruomei is still a good-tempered girl. Although I don't know much about human feelings, after all, I grew up in the deep mountains and Taoist temples, which is understandable. She was the most polite herself, but she suddenly became emotional.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm in a mess, I shouldn't lose my temper with you. Cousin, you have a drink with me, my mind is very messy, and I can't calm down. I want to get drunk, so I don't have to think about anything. Zhang Ruomei said with a wine glass.

Fang Zi'an sighed and said, "Ruomei, escaping is not a way, getting drunk won't solve the problem." Raise a glass to dispel sorrow and sorrow. The troubles in my heart should be spoken, and it should be resolved. You are just blaming yourself for not succeeding in assassinating Qin Hui to avenge your father, but don't you hear that it is not too late for a gentleman to take revenge for ten years, this kind of thing must be urgent, you must be patient, and you must wait for the opportunity. Otherwise, you think, so many people in the world want Qin Hui's life, and he is not alive and well. So you don't have to put too much pressure on yourself, just think long-term and slowly find a way to find opportunities. ”

Zhang Ruomei looked at Fang Zi'an in a daze, and said softly: "Cousin, don't you want to have a drink with me?" ”

Fang Zi'an smiled bitterly and was speechless, she said it herself for a long time, but she didn't seem to listen. At that moment, he had to pick up the wine cup and said, "Of course I am willing, I will drink with you." ”

Zhang Ruomei smiled, drank all the wine handed over by Fang Zi'an, stared at the candle flame and said softly: "Cousin, if I leave, will you miss me?" ”

Fang Zi moved with peace of mind, and replied casually: "Of course, if you leave, of course I miss you." But why do you have to go? ”

Zhang Ruomei seemed to be a little happy, and asked again: "Chunni came the day before yesterday, she said a lot to me, Miss Chunni said that she liked you, but she said that she was not worthy of you, and said that you liked Miss Qin from Wanchunyuan, didn't you?" ”

Fang Zi'an was stunned and disgusted, and only said after a while: "This ...... Where does this begin? What is Chunni talking about? I have nothing to do with Miss Qin from Wanchun Garden. ”

Zhang Ruomei waved her hand and said, "This is what Chunni said, but I didn't say it, why is my cousin so excited?" Chunni said that men like Qin Xiqing, who can make you happy, dress up and talk, and also have a bewitching thing about piano, chess, poetry and painting. doesn't even care about her identity, and doesn't care about her reputation. She said you go to her at every turn. ”

Fang Zi'an didn't know how the topic turned to this matter, Chunni was a girl with a pungent personality, and it was not strange for Fang Zi'an to say these words. And Fang Zi'an has long felt Chunni's love for him. Chunni is a beautiful and capable girl, and Fang Zi'an also has a good impression of her. But Fang Zi'an is obviously not ready to start a family, and he has never thought about it in that direction. Fang Zi'an was a little suspicious, Chunni's words seemed to be the main reason why Zhang Ruomei's mood was wrong tonight. I live here well, and suddenly I said I wanted to leave, is it because of Chunni's unabashed words?