Martial Arts Crossover: It All Started with Hijacking Li Canghai

But at that moment, it felt like a stone was stuck in his throat. After holding it in for a long time, he finally managed to squeeze out two words with a flushed face.

"Godmother."

The voice sounded muffled, as if it were being forced out from the chest.

Zhang Junbao was a bit better than him, but his voice wasn't very steady either. It was the first time he had felt warmth from this old lady.

"Godmother."

"Hey! Hey!"

Liao Fang was so happy that tears fell again. She quickly wiped her hands on her clothes, took out two amulets strung on red strings from her bosom, and put one in each of their hands.

"It's something you get from a Taoist temple; it's not worth much."

"But it will ensure your safety."

The two brothers were unsure whether to accept items from a temple, given that Shaolin Temple was currently their enemy.

When they were expelled from Shaolin Temple, they were killed.

This book is first published on 111k.com, providing you with a reading experience without errors or disordered chapters.

But as for Taoist temples...

Dong Tianbao looked down at the cloth talisman in his palm.

It was sewn from old cloth, with rough stitches, and the rope was made of the cheapest red cotton thread.

Zhang Junbao also put the amulet into his pocket and pasted it next to the book.

Liao Fang turned around and went back to the stove, muttering "make two more bowls of noodles," her steps lighter than before.

Qin Han looked at his mother's back and at his two brothers who were standing there in a daze, and a smile appeared on his lips.

I was just about to say something to the two brothers.

A noise came from the neighboring yard.

A woman's exclamation rang out.

Liao Fang hurriedly looked at Qin Han, "Go and see if something's wrong with Xiao Nian."

"Xiao Nian lives alone, I hope nothing bad happens to her."

The mother called the woman "Xiao Nian," while Qin Han called her "Aunt Nian."

Although she's called his aunt, she's not actually much older than him; people just call her that because they're used to it.

When he was little, his mother was too busy to take care of him, so his aunt helped look after him. She sewed clothes for him, cooked porridge for him, and even shared half of her own quilt with him in the winter.

As Qin Han grew up, Aunt Nian remained alone.

She had no husband, no children, and lived alone in that small courtyard, making a living by sewing and washing clothes for others.

The neighbors gossiped behind her back, saying that this woman had been involved in the underworld when she was young and wasn't clean.

Some people say she has a hard life and brings bad luck to her husbands; whoever gets involved with her will be unlucky.

When Qin Han was a child, he heard these words and chased after those gossipy women for three blocks with a stick.

After leaving Yangzhou, the person I missed the most, besides my mother, was this neighbor girl with a troubled past.

Qin Han snapped out of his thoughts and nodded to his mother.

"I'll go right away."

They turned to Dong Tianbao and Zhang Junbao.

"Tianbao, Junbao, you two stay with your godmother."

"Okay, big brother!"

Dong Tianbao patted his chest and said, "With Junbao and me here, you can rest assured."

Zhang Junbao nodded slightly.

Without further hesitation, Qin Han turned around, left the house, crossed his own courtyard, and came to the low wall connecting to the neighboring house.

The two courtyards were very close together, separated only by a half-person-high earthen wall.

With a swift movement, he silently flipped over.

The neighbor's yard was about the same size as my own, and it was kept clean and tidy. There were a few flowers and plants in the corner of the wall, and a few clothes were hanging on the clothesline.

A woman in a plain-colored dress was squatting on the ground with her back to him.

The wooden basin was overturned, spilling water and freshly washed clothes all over the floor.

Qin Han stopped in his tracks, looking at that figure from behind.

She remained slender, and time had not left many marks on her, but there was an inexplicable loneliness in her quiet demeanor.

She must have heard the commotion next door.

That's why the wooden basin tipped over.

"Aunt Nian."

Qin Han spoke, his voice very soft.

The woman's shoulders trembled, but she didn't turn around.

You've mistaken me for someone else.

His tone was calm, even indifferent.

But Qin Han could tell that the last syllable of those words trembled.

He slowly walked forward.

"Don't come any closer, I...you've mistaken me for someone else."

Qin Han felt helpless; how could he possibly have mistaken someone for someone else?

They can't even come up with a better excuse.

"Aunt Nian, I'm back."

After those words were spoken, the courtyard remained quiet for a long time.

She covered her face with both hands.

There was no crying.

There was no sound at all.

But Qin Han saw water droplets slipping through her fingers, one after another, hitting the ground in front of her knees.

Qin Han squatted down to her level and gently took her wrist.

Her wrists were so thin, it was heartbreaking.

You can feel the outline of the bone under the skin, and the fingers are covered with needle marks and calluses.

"Aunt Nian."

Aunt Nian finally raised her head.

The moment that face came into view, Qin Han's breath hitched.

Her eyes were red from crying, her eyelashes were wet and clumped together, and tears smeared her face. Even so, the stubbornness in her eyes was exactly the same as he remembered.

Aunt Nian's lips trembled for a long time before she managed to squeeze out a complete sentence.

"Two years."

Her voice was so hoarse it was unrecognizable.

"You haven't written a single letter in all this time, do you even know how much I...?"

I couldn't continue speaking.

Biting her lower lip, tears welled up again, and Qin Han pulled her into his arms.

This time she did not struggle.

There was no rejection, no indifference, and no clumsy excuse like "you've mistaken me for someone else."

The woman buried her face in his chest, as if she had grasped something she had lost and found again, afraid that if she let go, she would never have it again.

The sobs, muffled in his chest, came in fits and starts, each one trembling.

Qin Han put one arm around her waist and tried to stroke her back with the other, without refusing.

They didn't say anything.

Some debts cannot be repaid with just an "I'm sorry".

The two were just one opportunity away from getting together back then. If Qin Han hadn't gone to Dali, they would have broken through that barrier earlier.

I don't know how much time has passed.

Aunt Nian's crying gradually subsided, turning into occasional sobs.

She didn't get out of his arms, but asked in a muffled voice.

"Where have you been all these years?"

"Are you injured?"

Qin Han looked down at the top of her head and briefly recounted his experiences in Sichuan.

The text doesn't mention the identity of the King of Shu, only that he works for a powerful figure, manages some troops, and lives a peaceful life.

Aunt Nian listened quietly. When he mentioned that he had several girls he was interested in, she slightly turned her face away from his chest.

She was clearly a little jealous, but she didn't ask anything.

Qin Han noticed it.

Looking at her slightly reddened ear tips, I sighed inwardly.

Emotional debts are the hardest to repay.

"Aunt Nian, after all these years, I still don't know your full name."

He always called her Aunt Nian, but never asked her full name.

The woman remained silent.

After a long while, he finally spoke in a low voice.

"Let bygones be bygones."

"I am now just an ordinary woman in Yangzhou who makes a living by sewing, and I am no longer a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person of martial arts and chivalry)."

His tone carried a sense of vicissitude, loneliness, and a defensiveness that he didn't want to be touched.

Qin Han did not press further, but instead said...

"I've come back this time to take you and Mother with me."

"I will not let you stay here any longer."

His gaze was calm, as if he were saying something he had already decided.

Aunt Nian looked into the other person's eyes.

Those eyes no longer held the impetuousness and sharpness of youth, but rather a reassuring calmness.