Chapter 2796

Chapter 2796: First Meeting with Lie Xuan

Yun Xi arrived at the door and saw Li Gang. "Brother Li, why are you here?"

Li Gang was seventeen years old. He was likely to take the provincial examination next year.

"I heard you, Wangzhi, are going on a journey." Wangzhi was Yun Xi’s courtesy name.

"Yes," Yun Xi said seriously. "I am still young. I do not plan to take the provincial examination next year. I intend to travel for a few years and take the exam in the next session."

"In that case, may I join you on your journey?" Li Gang asked.

"You are not taking the provincial examination next year?" Yun Xi was slightly surprised. He had not expected Li Gang to skip the exam.

"I originally planned to take it. But I realized I lack knowledge of the real world. Some things are just empty talk on paper. Our Emperor of the Great Ru Dynasty is a very practical ruler. If I only know book learning, even if I pass the exam next year, it will be meaningless. Therefore, I want to spend three years traveling. Then I will take the provincial examination in the next session. By then, I will understand many things better."

Li Gang spoke seriously to Yun Xi.

Yun Xi knew that although Li Gang was usually cold, he was a man of action. His words meant he had already made a decision. "It is fine to travel with you, Brother Li. I plan to leave in five days. If you wish to join, you can prepare now. We will leave together in five days."

"Good." Li Gang smiled.

After making the arrangement with Li Gang, Yun Xi returned to continue packing his luggage.

"Wang-ge'er, look what I bought," Yun Jian said excitedly.

Yun Xi went out and saw a carriage in the courtyard, which looked like a beautiful sight.

The Yun family already had an ox cart, but they had never prepared a horse-drawn carriage. Unexpectedly, Yun Jian had bought one today.

"Dad, why did you buy a carriage?" Yun Xi asked casually.

"Aren't you going out? I thought buying you a carriage would make the journey more convenient." Yun Jian was truly a top-tier good father.

Yun Xi smiled and said, "Thank you, Dad."

"Why thank me? Be careful when you are away. Although Zhi Xue En is with you, I am relieved, but I must still give you some advice." Yun Jian instructed his child seriously.

Yun Xi naturally listened to such advice.

Five days later, Li Gang arrived on time. Yun Xi was ready to depart. Because Yun Xi had a carriage, both of them were relatively relaxed. Usually, the two of them sat inside the carriage, while Yang Xue En and Li Gang’s servant, Xiao Si, sat on the carriage box, taking turns driving the horses.

The group of four traveled comfortably. However, because they often stopped to admire the scenery, they frequently camped outdoors.

Fortunately, both were scholars, so camping outside was not something to worry about.

One day, as it was time to camp again, they found a sheltered spot. They built two small, simple sleeping tents using local materials. Then they made a fire outside, boiled a pot of soup, and shared dry rations.

"The weather seems to be getting colder. Starting tomorrow, we should try to find a place to stay before dark. This way, we can avoid catching a cold if it gets truly cold."

Although their bodies were strong, Yun Xi still wanted to be prepared for emergencies.

"En. Starting tomorrow, we will pay more attention to the time," Li Gang said.

Although they discussed this that night, the next day they missed their lodging because they were looking at a stone tablet. They had to find a nearby ruined temple.

Although the temple was dilapidated, it could shelter them from wind and rain. Indeed, it began to rain outside.

"Looking at this wind and rain, it seems we will have to stay here for another day tomorrow," Li Gang said.

"It does not matter. We have dry rations, quilts, and books here, so we will not be bored. It is fine to be stuck here for a day," Yun Xi said without worry.

Li Gang nodded, agreeing with this point.

After dinner, the rain seemed to get heavier. At this moment, the sound of horse hooves was heard. A group of people entered the temple gate. Judging by their wet appearance, they had also been caught in the rain.

"Excuse me, I hope we are not disturbing you," the leader of the newcomers said as he approached.

"It does not matter. This is a ruined temple. When traveling, we are all the same. Please feel free to do as you wish," Yun Xi said, nodding slightly to Yang Xue En. Yang Xue En stepped forward to speak.

Then Yang Xue En made the small fire a bit bigger. "Come warm yourselves by the fire and dry your clothes a little."

The man said, "Thank you," and went to one side to speak to someone. "Master, we will stay here tonight."

The person called Master nodded slightly, and then they all came over. Including the Master, there were six people in their group.

After taking off their wet outer clothes, Yun Xi noticed that the man called Master was about twenty years old, but his appearance was astonishing.

It is said that "the person on the path is like jade, and the gentleman is unparalleled in the world." These two phrases seemed insufficient when applied to the man before them.

"Zongzhi is a handsome young man, raising his cup with white eyes looking at the blue sky, bright like a jade tree standing in the wind." This description also seemed to fit him.

The man looked at the four people in front of him. Except for Yang Xue En, who was sturdy, the other two clearly looked like scholars.

"Are you two traveling?" He obviously saw through them.

Yun Xi nodded with a smile. "We want to travel and see more of the outside world."

"That is a good idea." Although the man was cold, he agreed with their view. "My surname is Lie, and my single name is Xuan. You can call me Brother Lie."

If it were anyone else, Lie Xuan would not have been so patient. However, looking at these two scholars, he sensed a spirit of self-improvement in them.

"Brother Lie," Yun Xi accepted the title without hesitation.

Li Gang said from the side, "Lie Xuan, are you the War King Lie Xuan?"

The War King was a non-royal prince, but a true powerhouse.

Unlike the Regent, the Lie family was originally a border guard family. After a border attack, only seven-year-old Lie Xuan remained from the Lie family. He rose up immediately, leading the remaining three hundred soldiers in a surprise attack to retake the border. Thus, he set a precedent for the youngest military general.

In recent years, because of Lie Xuan’s presence, the border has been very stable.

"Big Brother is actually the War King?" Yun Xi’s eyes showed surprise. "I have long admired your name."

Lie Xuan saw that although Yun Xi said he had long admired his name, there was no feeling of subservience, but rather curiosity.

"The War King is also made of flesh and blood," Lie Xuan said. "You two have not told me your names yet."

"My name is Yun Xi, and his name is Li Gang. We are classmates. Because we feel we are still young, we do not plan to take the provincial examination next year. We came out to walk around and increase our knowledge," Yun Xi said without hiding anything. In fact, there was nothing to hide about such matters.