Chapter 158: A Reunion

Inside the guest room, Gu Ning’an and his group of four had gathered together.

The traveling merchant suddenly realized, “So it turns out Old Han found his nephew. No wonder he’s been acting like a lunatic.”

“I thought he’d lost it and suddenly developed some weird hobby…”

“Shut up! You’re the one with weird hobbies!”

After throwing out a curse, Han Yong turned to Gu Ning’an, unable to hold back his excitement. “Master Gu, why don’t we head over right away? What if we miss him?”

“Alright, let’s go. If we leave now, the timing should be just right,” Gu Ning’an said as he led the way out of the guest room, with Han Yong and the others quickly following behind.

Outside, it was still a snowy and windy day. Among the pedestrians on the street, many wore fur garments sold by the traveling merchant. These individuals were clearly well-off, as the merchant’s prices were far beyond what an average family could afford.

As he put it, “Rich people are going to spend the money anyway. Why let others earn it when I can? At least I’m not too greedy…”

Having been there before, Gu Ning’an and his group quickly located the theater stand tucked away in a corner of the bustling market.

At that moment, a young actor dressed in a light green costume had just finished setting up the stage. Turning around, he saw the green-robed gentleman from the previous day. Shaking out his costume, he gave Gu Ning’an and the others a polite bow and a smile before stepping onto the stage.

“Master Gu, the black marks on my nephew’s face—are they congenital?” Han Yong asked in a low, complex tone.

Gu Ning’an nodded. “Yes, it’s a birthmark.”

“Ah… poor child…” Han Yong murmured, lowering his head.

Gu Ning’an said calmly, “He doesn’t see the black marks as a flaw. If he dares to sing on stage before an audience, then it’s not a problem at all.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, today this humble performer presents for you a song— The Wujia Slope!”

After a brief introduction of the play, the young actor began singing:

“Third Sister~~~
The blame is all mine, and mine alone!
May you, you, you, you!
Please find forgiveness in your heart~~~

…

Let me recount these eighteen years~~~
From the beginning to the end~~~
So that you may know I, Xue Pingnan~~~
Rushed home day and night~~~
Only for the sake of reuniting as husband and wife~~~”

The play Wujia Slope was not as long as The Romance of the Western Chamber, so it only took about half an hour from the opening act to the conclusion of the performance.

When the young actor finished his bow on stage, the traveling merchant was the first to shout, “Amazing! Amazing! This performance is every bit as good as the top stars in the capital!”

His loud voice immediately drew the attention of passersby. As they turned to look, they caught sight of the young actor’s face, which was covered in black birthmarks. Shocked, they quickened their pace, trying to avoid the scene.

“Tch, look at them getting so scared. They must have guilty consciences from doing shady things!” The traveling merchant mocked the onlookers as he strode up to the stage, taking three quick steps to cover the distance. With a loud clap of his hand, he made his move.

The passersby, who had felt humiliated by his ridicule, stopped in their tracks, curious to see how much he would tip.

The traveling merchant seemed to be waiting for their attention.

In the next moment, he moved his hand aside, revealing a large silver ingot worth fifty taels. The glint of silver immediately caught everyone’s eyes.

Those who had hoped to watch a joke quickly turned away. If someone could casually tip a street performer fifty taels, they were certainly not someone to mess with, no matter how plain they looked.

“This is too much, dear patron. Please take it back,” the young actor on stage said hurriedly.

The traveling merchant waved his hand dismissively. “Hey, your uncle is giving it to you. Just take it.”

“Uncle?” The young actor frowned slightly, his gaze catching sight of a middle-aged man walking toward him through the snow. The man’s facial features bore a striking resemblance to his father’s.

“Child… what’s your name?” Han Yong asked, his voice trembling, half-laughing and half-crying.

“My name is Han Yibo,” the young actor replied.

“Han Yibo… Han Yibo…” Han Yong repeated the name twice, holding back the stinging sensation in his nose, before asking, “What’s your father’s name?”

“This…” The young actor hesitated but eventually answered, “My father is Han Chang…”

“Are you an old acquaintance of my father?”

Han Yong opened his mouth, his breath forming clouds of white mist in the cold air. “My name is Han Yong. I am your father’s older brother.”

Upon hearing this, the young actor’s face changed dramatically. He lifted his costume and jumped down from the stage, carefully scrutinizing the middle-aged man before him.

“When did you and my father get separated?”

“That year, he was eight years old.”

“How many moles does my father have on his chest?”

“Your father has no moles on his chest.”

“Why does my father walk with a limp?”

“When your father was five, he fell down a hill and broke his leg…”

“Uncle…”

“Why are you only coming now…”

“My father… he’s gone…”

Tears began to fall from the young actor’s eyes, and within moments, his face paint was smudged beyond recognition.

“Ah! Ah!”

“Uncle knows… Uncle came too late…”

Tears streamed down Han Yong’s face as he rushed forward and embraced his nephew, whom he had never met before, crying uncontrollably.

“Ah, once you get to my age, you can’t handle scenes like this…” The traveling merchant wiped his own eyes as he walked toward Mu Sheng.

Not far away, Mu Sheng was also silently wiping her tears. Seeing the traveling merchant approach, she frowned. “What do you want?”

“Little Brother Mu, I, Old Fan, have lived a carefree life, but I don’t have a son or daughter… I see you’re about the same age as Old Han’s nephew. Why don’t you recognize me as your uncle, too? What do you think?”

“You’re an orphan, right? Having more family isn’t a bad thing, don’t you think…”

As he spoke, the traveling merchant opened his arms, showing a benevolent and fatherly expression.

Mu Sheng’s brows furrowed tightly, and she took a step back. “Not interested. Please stay away.”

“Oh… cold as the weather.”

Seeing her firm stance, the traveling merchant decided not to persist. He walked to the side, wiping his tears alone.

Snow continued to fall heavily, blanketing the uncle and nephew, who were still embracing and crying, in a layer of white.

No one knew how much time had passed before Han Yong seemed to remember something. Releasing his nephew, he turned to Gu Ning’an, pulling his nephew with him. His frozen limbs stumbled, almost causing him to fall into the snow.

“Come, come, come! Let me introduce you!”

“This is Master Gu. He’s the one who helped me find you!”

“If it weren’t for him, the two of us might never have met in this lifetime!”

Hearing this, the young actor wiped the tears and snot from his face. Together with Han Yong, he gave Gu Ning’an a deep bow.

With that bow, two streams of Worldly Qi quietly emerged!

In Han Yong’s Worldly Qi, scenes of his twenty-six-year search for his younger brother flashed by like a lantern, showing the countless mountains and rivers he had traversed.

In the young actor’s Worldly Qi, an image of Gu Ning’an and Mu Sheng watching his performance from the audience surfaced…