Chapter 001: Illegitimate Child

Go! Starting today, our Yangzi Gang will embark on a new beginning, brothers! Follow me, I, Black Bear, will lead you to create a new world. Don't say that Xiao Ming will become an international superstar; we will also take care of her!

It is said that the resignation was forced, as Li Leren's father, Li Qingchen, was a member of the New Party and had once held high office in Kaifeng. Wang Anshi has died! Emperor Shenzong of Song has died! One by one, the members of the New Party were expelled from the city of Kaifeng, with most being pushed across the Yangtze River to the southern bank.

Yang Yi was lost in thought when his inexpensive mother, Yang Xuer, entered the room gently pushing the door while holding a bowl of soup. She wore a floral-patterned top and a skirt that was slightly pleated. A simple hairpin was inserted horizontally into her elegant bun, and her beautiful face retained a charm that time could not erase.

In comparison to the young and handsome Li Yi, who is exceptionally talented, the Seventh Aunt felt as if the pear blossoms in her home were falling like petals, leaving only the dry, withered branches behind! One is a dandy in the realm of love, while the other is a wild apricot by the wall! It is as if fish have encountered water, quickly leading to a joyful union.

Of course, if she were not beautiful, others would not keep her as a mistress

As Yang Yi listened to her speak, tears began to fall freely. He could only agree to everything she said. Once she finally managed to stop crying, Yang Yi asked, "What is the situation outside?"

I am like the dust on the road, discarded like an autumn fan

The weather in May is upon us, with the lotus leaves reaching endlessly towards the sky in a deep green, and the lotus flowers blooming in a unique red under the sun. The enchanting scenery of West Lake is fully displayed, as white-winged seagulls dry their wings on the water, and a few strands of elegant琴音 drift across the surface, exuding an ancient charm

She hesitated for a moment, and finally said softly: "Can you study well at home in the future, and go out less to stir up trouble? Do you know that your mother was almost unable to go on living yesterday, my child! I beg you, can you please study well at home? Your mother has been counting on you to achieve success one day! Even if your mother dies, she would be content..." Your mother has been counting on you to achieve success one day! Even if your mother dies, she would be content..."

Li Qingchen was also on the list of those being demoted, and Li Leran likely resigned from his official position due to the pressure he faced as a result. This is Yang Yi's own speculation

Black Bear Brother! From now on, I will definitely follow you, my brothers!

Thanks to her, Yang Yi knows that he will have a unique identity in the future: an illegitimate child

Did the black bear, Heiqianzi, agree to help you contact the supplier?

Bang

Moreover, Yang Yi believes that no matter how rugged and winding the journey may be, and how unpredictable it becomes, as long as you persevere, one day you will discover that ahead lies the vast ocean

In the misty haze of the mind, the other party appears like a fleeting glimmer, gradually diminishing until it vanishes in a flash, leaving no trace behind

The old gentleman Zeng has a heart that remains youthful, and his seventh concubine is even younger at heart! One time, while the seventh concubine was boating on the lake, she unexpectedly encountered Li Yi. If you were to ask about the situation, it could be aptly described by two lines of poetry at that moment.

Yang Yi suddenly felt a searing flow crash into his back, followed by an endless agony spreading from his heart to his limbs. He stood upright for a few seconds before his strong body fell backward with a thud, facing the sky. Through the gaps in the leaves, the sky at this moment was as dark as ink, and a mountain storm was imminent

That's good! That's good! Thank heaven and earth...

What is ... ... for?

What lies before me is actually Hangzhou in the eighth year of the Yuanyou era of the Northern Song Dynasty (1093). I have unexpectedly traveled back a thousand years and become the butterfly in Zhuang Zhou's dream!

Li Leran seemed to have considered bringing Yang Xuer and her child back to their hometown, but the matriarch of the family did not permit it. Over the years, they even severed all ties, perhaps because Yang Xuer has already passed her youthful years. This is also Yang Yi's own speculation

Not even halfway through the swim, my hands went numb and my legs felt weak; with a few gurgles, I became Jack, slowly sinking down

Yier! How are you! Wake up quickly! If anything were to happen to you, how would your mother live!

The issue is that he is a fish on the bed of the seventh concubine, but after entering the lake, he is not a real fish. That little bit of dog-style is somewhat inadequate given the area of West Lake's waters

Bang

Yang Xuer was wiping his lips with a handkerchief while chattering away. She was merely an inconsequential mistress to others, relying entirely on her son before her for her entire life. Although she was well aware of his many outrageous affairs in the past, she could not bring herself to be overly critical.

This body was originally named Li Yi, sharing the same given name but a different surname. At seventeen years old, he bears a resemblance to his mother, who is named Yang Xu'er. She is thirty-seven, somewhat past her prime, yet still retains a hint of charm. She is quite dignified in appearance and must have been very beautiful in her youth

When meeting the gentleman, I wish to speak but lower my head and smile, the jade hairpin falls into the water

This was his last thought before losing consciousness

Yesterday, I saw him in a state of oblivion, truly heartbroken and devastated, thinking he would never awaken again, and I would follow him into the afterlife! Now that my son is like a lost treasure returned, how could I not cherish him as if he were my very heart and soul!

It seems as if there is a faint and elusive chant by my ear, a chant from another world

Yang Yi's tone was somewhat stiff, but Yang Xu'er did not mind at all. She brought the ginseng soup in her hands to him, preparing to feed him personally

With a soft sound, the story between the two unfolded like ripples spreading across the surface of a lake. Perhaps no one is to blame; the principle of attraction between the opposite sexes was established when the girl was created.

Perhaps it was merely a fleeting moment, or perhaps a century had passed. When Yang Yi sensed that the other party was growing increasingly weak, continuously being dissolved by himself, he, as if he were a tangible entity, suddenly enveloped the other completely, fiercely tearing at them. Only after absorbing all the information from the other party did he expel them, akin to spitting out a fruit pit.

The father is named Li Leren. Yang Yi searched through all the memories in his mind but found very little information about him, even his appearance was quite vague. From this, it can be inferred that Li Leren has not visited his adoptive mother, Yang Xuer, for a long time. All that is known is that he once held a minor official position in Hangzhou, but has since resigned from his post.

Come! My son, you should drink the soup while it's still hot

He was too tired, merely opening his eyes slightly to glance around, before falling back into a deep sleep

The clamoring gradually faded away with the sound of footsteps

You have won

In the west of the city, there is a former official named Zeng, who is over sixty years old, yet his heart remains youthful. Last year, he married an eighteen-year-old beautiful concubine, emulating the saying of a pear tree overshadowing a begonia.

The black bear raised the gun and fired another shot into Yang Yi's chest. After reaching out to check for breath and confirming there was none, he then removed the gun from Yang Yi's waist

When Yang Yi regained consciousness, he found himself in a struggle for control of his body with another soul

You do not understand me

My child, take it slow! Look at you, what will you do if you choke?

Boom

I never carry only one gun

Like all mothers of this era, Yang Xu'er strictly urged Li Yi from a young age, hoping that he would study diligently and improve every day. Li Yi also made a considerable effort, passing the provincial examination at the age of fourteen, gaining a modest reputation in Hangzhou.

By the time the fishing boat spotted from a distance rescued him, he was already unconscious! Young Master Li is quite famous on West Lake, not only because he is a frequent visitor, but also because his family resides right by the lake. Thus, people sent his 'corpse' back home!

Sometimes I feel that the thoughts in my mind are being drawn away by the other party, and that tearing sensation creates an indescribable pain within me. Thus, we engage in a back-and-forth, entangled and compressed, mutually repelling and absorbing each other

I am fine now! A couple of days of rest will suffice! There is no need to find a doctor again!

The weeping sounds that reached Yang Yi's ears evoked an overwhelming sense of familiarity. From the information he had just absorbed, Yang Yi was able to determine that this woman was indeed the mother of the body he had taken over.

Perhaps due to his status as an illegitimate child, Li Yi, although intelligent from a young age, was simultaneously filled with rebellious traits. His remarkable talent, combined with his strikingly handsome appearance inherited from his mother, made him quite popular among courtesans and he also had interactions with various young women, indulging in a life of debauchery.

The frequent meetings between the two once again confirm the saying: "Those who walk the night road often encounter ghosts"

Yang Yi slowly opened his eyes again, struggling to reach for another handgun from his boot. He turned to the side, aimed, and as a former marksman in the special forces, he was confident that even in his current weakened state, he could still make a headshot from a distance of twenty paces.

Yang Yi lay quietly on the bed, observing everything. After processing the information in his mind, he felt even more exhausted

He does not know what is happening with all of this

Perhaps due to the memories absorbed from Li Yi, Yang Yi felt little aversion towards this woman. Listening to her heartfelt concern, he experienced a sense of kinship; however, asking her to be called "mother" still felt somewhat awkward to him.

The two parties are like brainwaves, mutually squeezing, oppressing, and expelling each other, while simultaneously entangling, intertwining, and becoming inextricably linked! ... At times, I feel as if I am a powerful magnetic field, continuously absorbing the messages from the other party's mind, like the doves at the gates, on the islet in the river

Boss, I am sorry

Is this what it means to turn to ashes and smoke

Pity the hearts of parents everywhere

She quietly walked to the edge of the bed and sat down, then softly called out: "Yier, are you feeling any better? Come! First, drink this bowl of ginseng soup. Your mother will have the doctor come to check on you later!"

The rolling black clouds pressed down upon the treetops, fierce lightning split the ancient tree in the distance in two, and the thunder roared like the beastly howls of a primordial world! Yang Yi felt as if his soul was being torn from his body by the lightning, soaring towards the endless sky

In the early morning, Yang Yi lay on the small building, and through the window behind him, he could see the shimmering waves of West Lake. Occasionally, a painted boat would glide past the willows by the lake, and he could also hear the carefree laughter from the boat and the chirping of the swallows.

If you had been so wise earlier, you would not be in this situation today

I am truly fine now! There is no need to waste money on hiring a doctor any longer

Currently, in this household, apart from Yang Xu'er and her mother (strictly speaking, only the mother remains), there are also a pair of elderly servants, both in their forties, with no children. They own about one hundred acres of farmland outside the city and have a lacquerware shop in the city, managed by the male servant Li Gui. Relying on these two sources of income, it is impossible for Yang Xu'er and her mother to be wealthy, but their life is still relatively comfortable.

Another gloomy face appeared in Yang Yi's line of sight. He patted the excited Hu Xiaolong and said to the dying Yang Yi: "Boss, nowadays the jade business is tough. We brothers have followed you for three years, risking our lives, yet we don't even have enough to eat! Look at the Shanglin Gang; they can make tens of millions from a single batch of goods. The gang leader can easily support several young stars with dirty money every year! What makes us worse than the Shanglin Gang? If it weren't for you, Boss Yang, sticking to those broken rules, would we be in such a miserable state? You want us to compete with the Shanglin Gang? I say you've been brainwashed in military school; wake up! You are no longer a glorious member of the special forces; like us, you are just a smuggler!"

"Boss, my only brother was killed by drugs. Why can others use it to harm my loved ones, but I can't use it to make some money?" Hu Xiaolong's voice was somewhat hysterical. Perhaps, both betrayal and being betrayed are not pleasant experiences.

But regardless, fate is like a drifting river, which no one can reverse

In this world, there is not much distinction between right and wrong, only the difference between victors and vanquished

Yang Xuer habitually reached out to touch his forehead and asked again, "Is my child really okay?"

And today, in front of the black bear and Hu Xiaolong, I am undoubtedly the loser

It really is nothing now

Because I have not yet abandoned the word 'trust'! I still, like in the military, entrust my back to my comrades!

In just two or three years, Li Yi, who had grown up in the Li family, had surprisingly experienced a myriad of romantic encounters, and combined practice with theory, honing an unyielding skill set. Yang Yi could casually flip through his bookcase and find several ancient texts such as "The Classic of the Plain Girl" and "Dong Xuan Zi," with the lower left corners of the pages severely worn. Without needing to search for information in his mind, one could determine from a dialectical perspective just how diligently he had studied these books.

Li Yi's Fish-Dragon Dance made Seventh Aunt feel as if she were swimming in the vast void, with celestial melodies lingering for three days, making it difficult to find peace. Thus, she frequently sought opportunities to meet privately with Li Yi.

Bang! Bang!

Seeing her caring and affectionate demeanor, Yang Yi felt an inexplicable softness in his heart, and he could no longer bear to refuse her. He finished the ginseng soup in two sips, holding her hand.

Hu Xiaolong, who had always been regarded as a trusted confidant by Yang Yi, appeared in his line of sight. Looking at the gun in his hand, Yang Yi found his face to be so detestable at this moment

Peaceful and distant, it purifies the soul

The moment Yang Yi completely seized control of his body, he felt his hands and feet turn cold, and he was utterly exhausted.

The elusive movements of the seventh concubine aroused the suspicions of Mr. Zeng. Just yesterday, the two had once again sought pleasure on a boat in the lake, and a passionate and intense interaction had just concluded. Mr. Zeng, accompanied by his family, came to confront them. Li Yi, from a distance, spotted Mr. Zeng's figure resembling a pear blossom appearing outside the lotus flowers. What to do? With no way out, he had no choice but to secretly enter the water to seek survival

A crisp gunshot echoed through the jungle of the southwestern border

Yang Yi slowly closed his eyes, not wanting to see any longer. From military medical school to special operations soldier, and ultimately reduced to a cross-border smuggler, he had experienced numerous honors and humiliations, applause and suppression, cheers and conspiracies, flattery and betrayal

Not far away, both the black bear and Hu Xiaolong fell to the ground, their heads cracked open, splattering red and white all over the faces of the nearby little Luoluo.

In this day and age, apart from the areas around Suzhou and Hangzhou on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, other places are not particularly favorable! For instance, in the later generations, regions like Hunan and Guangxi can be quite perilous, as one might find snake spirits or foxes squeezing into the bed at night to keep warm.