Chapter 23

On the evening he received the news, Wang Feng quickly told his cousin and roommate Zhang Weixin that everyone would soon have official certificates. The two were very pleased and immediately called the other two committee members, Li Junwu and Xu Shaoan, to inform them of the news. They then divided the task of notifying the rest of the team, making everyone happy.

Just as everyone was celebrating, Wang Xiaojun called Wang Feng to the courtyard and tactfully inquired about his relationship with Zhong Ziqi. Wang Feng did not hide anything from his cousin and explained that he and Zhong Ziqi had already confessed their feelings to each other, exchanged tokens of affection, and made solemn vows, deciding that they would marry no one else. Of course, he conveniently left out the fact that he had bullied Zhong Ziqi on the back mountain after the morning ceremony. Wang Xiaojun, seeing his brother's sincerity, did not interfere further but advised him to be mindful of propriety and not to act rashly, which could lead to serious consequences. Wang Feng nodded in agreement, but secretly felt amused. His brother's words were in vain, as the things he had done on the back mountain had already crossed the moral boundaries of this era. If his brother knew, his reaction would surely be quite dramatic. However, due to the dim lighting in the courtyard, Wang Xiaojun did not notice the mischievous look on Wang Feng's face and felt relieved that his brother had no objections to his advice. He patted Wang Feng's shoulder and then led him back to the room.

Inside the room, Wang Feng told his cousin and Zhang Weixin about what Zhong Ziqi had told him regarding the attack on the road in Liangxiang County. Wang and Zhang were surprised to learn that they had encountered such a narrow-minded and vicious person and regretted that Shi Feibao had escaped. They knew that Shi Feibao, who had a cunning mind and ruthless means, would not let this matter rest. If he found a powerful backer in the future, he would likely come after the team first. Therefore, from now on, everyone in the team needed to remain vigilant and strengthen their security measures to prevent any retaliation from Shi Feibao. Thinking this, Wang Xiaojun called Li Junwu and Xu Shaoan to inform them of the situation. The four committee members discussed it and decided to issue a resolution to all team members, requiring them to be more alert and to have security personnel with firearms accompany them on long-distance trips to deal with any possible retaliation from Shi Feibao. The security team decided to increase their efforts, changing from single to double shifts to ensure the team's safety. The material management team also provided the security team with an automatic rifle and two magazines. After the new security measures were announced, the exhausted team members returned to their rooms to rest. However, in a small, inconspicuous corner of the courtyard, an extra pair of watchful eyes appeared, always ready to protect everyone.

Three days later in the morning, Zhong Ziqi came to Yuxu Palace again. After visiting her master Yuxu Zi (Fuyao Zi had been sleeping for the past two days and no one knew when he would wake up), she was taken somewhere by Wang Feng. Wang Xiaojun, seeing this, could only admire his cousin's skill in pursuing girls. He couldn't understand how, in just over a month, he had managed to make Zhong Ziqi, a young lady from a scholarly family, feel comfortable enough to go out with him. Although Zhong Ziqi had a fiery and straightforward personality, this was the post-Zhou era, not the modern age of flash marriages and love. He hoped that his words a few days ago would be taken to heart, as long as he didn't get Zhong Ziqi pregnant, everything would be fine. Thinking of this, Wang Xiaojun shook his head in resignation and decided to let things take their natural course, as Zhang Weixin had suggested.

Just before lunch, the two lovebirds returned to the temple. Zhong Ziqi's pretty little face was flushed, either from the heat or for some other reason. She seemed very happy and greeted Wang Xiaojun, who was practicing in the courtyard, with enthusiasm, even praising his improved horse stance. This made Wang Xiaojun quite uncomfortable, as it was awkward to be evaluated by a junior. Of course, Zhong Ziqi brought good news: her brother Zhong Shiwén would bring the official certificates from Liangxiang County the day after tomorrow, and then all thirty-one of them would have legal status. Seeing this good news, Wang Xiaojun decided to be magnanimous and not to hold her behavior against her. After praising his martial arts, Zhong Ziqi skipped off to discuss clothing and makeup with the other women in the team. As Zhang Weixin had said, she had become quite close with the other women, who found her smart, lively, and innocent, and treated her like a younger sister, protecting her from the so-called seniors in the team. Therefore, although Wang Xiaojun was uncomfortable with her "disrespectful" attitude, he could only be uncomfortable. As the saying goes, if you get used to being uncomfortable, it becomes normal. However, as one of the team leaders, he still needed to save face. Thus, Wang Feng, who had been left behind by Zhong Ziqi, became the ideal target for retribution. Poor Wang Feng was dragged to a secluded place by Wang Xiaojun and interrogated for nearly half an hour about what he and Zhong Ziqi had been doing. Despite the "enemy's" threats and inducements, Wang Feng remained firm, insisting that they had only taken a walk in the woods for less than an hour and had done nothing else. In the end, the "enemy" found no fault and had to let him go. Hearing this, Zhong Ziqi was very moved and decided that she would definitely come to Yuxu Palace with her brother the day after tomorrow and go for another walk in the woods with Wang Feng.

On the 15th of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, Zhong Ziqi indeed came to Yuxu Palace with her brother Zhong Shiwén. However, this time, she was not just there to go for a walk. She and her brother brought the team the long-desired official certificates—thirty-one documents issued by the government. From then on, the thirty-one of them would have legal status in this era and could live normally within the Great Liao Empire. In the future, if they wished, they could return to secular life and become ordinary citizens of the Great Liao Empire, with the basic qualifications to engage in business, farming, or even politics.

Holding their certificates, the team members were very happy. At lunch, Yuxu Zi, who was also very happy, brought out several jars of good wine that had been stored in the temple for a long time to celebrate this significant day. The solemn and dignified courtyard of Yuxu Palace immediately became lively, as this was the first time the team had drunk alcohol in this era. Yuxu Zi even told everyone to drink to their heart's content and that the martial arts training for the afternoon would be suspended. Everyone, except for the two security team members on duty, raised their cups frequently, toasting and drinking heartily.

The meal lasted nearly an hour before everyone dispersed, each going their own way. Those on duty went to their posts, those who were drunk found places to sober up, and the sober ones gathered in small groups to chat. People like Zhao Dawei and Liang Ziyue, who had wives (Liang Ziyue and Hu Xueying had been lovers in their previous lives but had announced their marriage after the穿越, and introduced themselves as such to others), followed Wang Feng's healthy lifestyle and took their wives to different areas of the back mountain for "walks." Of course, Wang Feng himself did not change his good habits and, after lunch, took advantage of the opportunity when Zhong Shiwén was talking to his brother to secretly take Zhong Ziqi to the back mountain for a "walk." Wang Xiaojun, Zhang Weixin, and Zhong Shiwén, who were chatting in the room, seemed not to notice their departure and continued their conversation.

Zhong Shiwén took a sip of tea, cleared his throat, and said, "Brother Wang, what you said makes a lot of sense. My father also mentioned this issue to me. The weather is currently at its hottest, and the bottle of wine you brought, though good, is quite strong—Wang Xiaojun's bottle of Wuliangye is 52 degrees, which is not suitable for this season. Therefore, my father also suggested that it would be best to sell this strong wine when the weather turns cold, as it would attract more buyers and fetch a better price."

"Truly, great minds think alike!" Zhang Weixin interjected. "Moreover, Xiaojun feels that although our appearance is no different from that of the people of the Central Plains, our hair is still quite short. Wearing Taoist hats is fine, but if we take them off, we would easily attract attention. Therefore, we need to grow our hair a bit more before we return to secular life. Before that, we need more effort from Mr. Zhong and Brother Zhong to coordinate the auction-related matters, so that our chances of success will be greater."

Zhong Shiwén waved his hands, "Brother Wang, Brother Zhang, what are you saying? We are now close friends, and such words make us seem too formal."

Wang Xiaojun laughed, "Indeed, indeed. Brother Zhong is right. We are one family, and there's no need for formalities. Let's not waste time with pleasantries." He raised his teacup, "Let's toast to the success of our winter wine and artifact auction."

With a "ding" sound, the three teacups clinked together, and the three of them drank their tea in one go, looking at each other and laughing.

On the back mountain of Yuxu Palace, in the northwest direction, under a towering ancient tree, a man and a woman were sitting opposite each other. The woman, with her arms hugging her knees, stared at her shoes without a word. The man, on the other side, nervously watched her face, occasionally wiping the sweat from his face with the wide sleeves of his Taoist robe, as if waiting for her response.

This pair was not Wang Feng and Zhong Ziqi. The current Wang Feng, although he did not dare to truly take advantage of Zhong Ziqi, would not be so nervous in front of her. Since their last intimate encounter, Wang Feng had basically taken what he wanted from Zhong Ziqi when no one was around. Zhong Ziqi, although she would often call him a "bad guy" and a "lecher," adhered to the sage's teaching that "a virtuous woman speaks but does not act," and only occasionally hugged Wang Feng's neck or waist. As for Zhao Dawei and Zhu Xiaoyuan, Liang Ziyue and Hu Xueying, they were like old married couples and were probably "cultivating the great yin-yang harmony" somewhere on the back mountain, enjoying their time together. They might even be complaining about Wang Xiaojun for not reminding Yuxu Zi to assign them to the same room, making them feel like they were sneaking around every time they wanted to be intimate.

After a long silence, the woman finally spoke, gently saying, "Captain Qian, I understand your feelings and believe in your sincerity. However, we have only known each other for two months, and I don't feel I know you well enough. I hope you can give me more time to consider. And before I give you a formal answer, I will not accept any other person's advances. I, Lin Xiaoyu, will definitely keep my word."

The man, who had been wiping his sweat, turned out to be the former tank company commander Qian Yuanshan, and the woman was the military doctor Lin Xiaoyu. Today, emboldened by the alcohol, Qian Yuanshan finally mustered the courage to invite Lin Xiaoyu to the back mountain and confess his feelings, hoping she would be his girlfriend, and if she was willing, his wife. However, Lin Xiaoyu, after the穿越, had not yet considered such matters and was genuinely at a loss when he suddenly asked her. She had a boyfriend before the穿越, but due to her work, they had not yet married. Now, in this era separated by a thousand years, her old relationship was over, and although she felt sad, she was not ready to never marry again. Given her personal conditions and mindset, she would definitely marry someone from the穿越 group. Qian Yuanshan was actually a good match: he was handsome, though not tall, but looked strong and capable. Although he was married before the穿越, this was no longer a significant issue, as the unmarried men in the穿越 group were mostly young and inexperienced, and she, Lin Xiaoyu, might not even consider them. Qian Yuanshan and she were quite compatible, and choosing him would not be a bad decision.

However, first, the time they had known each other was short, and Lin Xiaoyu felt she did not know him well enough. She believed that in the current team dynamics, she had only one chance to choose. If she chose correctly, everyone would be happy, but if she chose wrong, she might face a situation where the team, considering unity, would not allow her to marry, and she would not accept anyone outside the team.

Second, from their interactions, she knew that there were others in the穿越 group interested in her, and Qian Yuanshan was just the first to directly express his feelings. The single mature men in the team, though not constantly around her, had shown varying degrees of interest in getting closer to her. Besides Qian Yuanshan, Xu Shaoan, Fu Guangsheng, Yuan Aiguo, and even the much older Zhou Lei were among them. Given the severe gender imbalance in the穿越 group and the presence of two married couples, the truly single women were only her and Hong Yan. Of the remaining twenty-five men, only Wang Feng had resolved his personal relationship issues, while the other twenty-four were still single. Although she was not a fickle woman, she did enjoy the attention from multiple men.

Qian Yuanshan seemed prepared for Lin Xiaoyu's response and, upon hearing her words, did not react strongly. He simply nodded and said, "Alright, I understand. I will wait patiently."

They sat in silence for a while longer and then, at Lin Xiaoyu's request, returned to the temple by different paths.