July 14th, celebrating Ghost Festival early with an invitation to dinner, so here is the first chapter ahead of schedule.

Please do not worry, there will be three updates today.

Your continued support and monthly votes are greatly appreciated.

At the same time, Tang Qinghua shot back with disdain: "Hmph, you were trying to act like a rogue yourself and now you're blaming others." "How was I acting like a rogue?" Yu Feibai looked quite bewildered.

"I know about that." Wang Guan chuckled, "Dating without the intention of marriage is tantamount to being a rogue." "Get lost!" If it weren't for Old Qian being present, Yu Feibai would have definitely flipped him the middle finger.

However, Wang Guan's interjection seemed to act as a prompt, causing his eyes to dart briefly before he smiled slyly, "Wang Gu, speaking of which, you haven't met my elder brother yet.

Why don't you come with me?" "Me?" Wang Guan seemed a little taken aback.

"Exactly, you don't have anything else pressing to do anyway." Yu Feibai urged him on, "As for gold, silver, and treasures, following the old arrangement, just leave them to Qinghua to manage.

We go for a few days, and when we return, we can collect the money directly without any hard work—how great is that?" "Hearing you say that, it seems I might have to raise my commission." "Suit yourself.

Anyway, I'm not short of money right now." Yu Feibai ignored Tang Qinghua’s threat and continued persuading him, "Besides, my brother is in Jiuquan, which is very close to Dunhuang.

Don't you want to visit the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang?" "Is that true?" Wang Guan actually felt a flicker of temptation upon hearing this.

"Nonsense.

Don't believe me?

Ask Old Qian." Yu Feibai beamed, "My brother works at the Jiuquan Military Command Area..." "What job?

He's a military officer, okay?" Tang Qinghua undermined him, "And, Jiuquan is at least a five-hour drive from Dunhuang, that's not close." "Go away." Yu Feibai snapped back irritably, "No one thinks you're mute if you keep quiet." "I'm just reminding Wang Guan not to be deceived." Tang Qinghua sighed dramatically, "There's a lesson learned from past mistakes.

Someone used this very excuse to ask me to accompany him back then, saying it was to witness the celestial dancers of Dunhuang..." "Didn't you see them in the end?" "The key point is that after four or five hours of traveling, there was no energy left to look at the celestial dancers..." "Stop!" Seeing the two of them starting to argue, Wang Guan quickly intervened, then considered the proposal carefully, "Whether it's Jiuquan, Dunhuang, or the Northwest region in general, I really haven't been there.

Since I'm free, it would be good to take a look." "Yes, that's absolutely right." Yu Feibai nodded repeatedly, "We should definitely go see it, to experience the desolate feeling captured by the ancient verse: Why should the Qiang flute lament the Yangliu trees?

West of Yang Pass, there are no old friends." "You mixed up the verses," Tang Qinghua kindly corrected him.

"The line after Qiang di he xu yuan Yangliu should be Chunfeng bu du Yu Men Guan.

Quan jun geng jin yi bei jiu is what precedes Xi chu Yang Guan wu gu ren." "It doesn't matter," Yu Feibai waved his hand.

"Whether it’s Yang Pass, Jade Gate Pass, Jiayu Pass, or Mount Qilian, we'll see something like that there anyway." As Yu Feibai spoke, Wang Guan's interest grew stronger.

He immediately nodded in agreement with Yu Feibai's suggestion to accompany him to Jiuquan and, while there, take in the sights of the ancient Liangzhou area.

Once a decision was made, everything became much simpler.

They put aside the appraisal of paintings and calligraphy and simply gathered the gifts.

Everything was packaged and sent to Banshan Temple, to have the monk Banshan help bless and empower them.

Then, the next morning, the two of them took a flight directly to Jiuquan.

Jiuquan does have an airport.

However, it is a military airbase.

Therefore, to fly to Jiuquan, one could only land at Jiayuguan Airport and then transfer by road.

It was only about thirty kilometers, half an hour's drive.

Not long after, the two smoothly arrived at Jiayuguan Airport.

They didn't linger but immediately hailed a taxi heading for Jiuquan.

On the way, Wang Guan spotted an incredibly majestic structure resembling a fortress; without a doubt, that was Jiayuguan.

As the foremost impregnable pass under Heaven, Jiayuguan was actually constructed during the Ming Dynasty, serving as the first major barrier at the western end of the Great Wall.

But if one examined the map closely, they could discover that this comprehensive military defense system, comprising the Great Wall, watchtowers, moats, and beacon towers, was separated from Yumen Pass and Yang Pass by a considerable distance.

This indicated that the Ming territory had shrunk significantly compared to the Han and Tang Dynasties.

However, it was still better than the Song Dynasty, which suffered from inherent weakness from its founding, lacking Youzhou from the beginning, and by the time of Emperor Renzong, the Hexi Corridor had become territory belonging to the Western Xia.

In comparison, the Ming Dynasty seemed somewhat better off, showing great initiative early on by frequently launching offensives into the desert.

But after the Tumu Crisis, they switched from offense to defense, leading to a steady decline.

Fortunately, with Jiayuguan as a reliance, the situation in the Northwest remained relatively stable, though great trouble erupted in the Northeast...

So, in a sense, Zhu Yuanzhang's decision to build Jiayuguan was quite prescient.

With Jiayuguan in place, the situation in the entire Northwest region remained quite stable for nearly two to three centuries of the Ming Dynasty.

The Silk Road also flourished immensely, leaving behind invaluable economic and cultural assets for later generations.

The economic assets are debatable, but the cultural heritage can be traced back to before the Han Dynasty.

In the Northwest region, there are numerous historical and humanistic anecdotes worthy of exploration and study by the world.

At the very least, Wang Guan felt that this journey would certainly not be in vain.

After some twists and turns, the two arrived in Jiuquan, but instead of entering the urban area, they headed towards the Military Command Area.

Under Yu Feibai's direction, the driver slowly pulled up outside the entrance to the military zone and stopped.

Due to well-known reasons—the Northwest region being sparsely populated with vast deserts, making it highly suitable for developing powerful military weaponry research—the military district was naturally heavily guarded.

Wang Guan took one look and immediately saw several soldiers armed with live ammunition standing guard at the camp entrance.

Each one looked over with sharp eyes, with hands even resting on their rifle grips.

Seeing this, Wang Guan naturally remained perfectly still, lest he cause any misunderstanding and end up riddled with bullets.

However, his worry was unnecessary, as Yu Feibai had made a call before they reached the camp.

So, after waiting by the gate for only a short while, a military vehicle quickly sped out of the barracks.

Click!

The military car stopped near the gate, and a sturdy young man in his thirties stepped out.

After saluting the guards beside him, he turned back with a beaming smile and called out, "Feibai, you've arrived." "Brother!" Yu Feibai called out.

He also happily signaled for Wang Guan to follow and they walked over quickly.

The two brothers greeting each other happily was just that—a greeting—there was no need for overly sentimental embraces.

After exchanging a couple of words, the young man looked at Wang Guan and proactively extended his hand, smiling, "Hello, I am Yu Fangkai.

You must be Wang Guan?" "Yes, I am Wang Guan.

Hello, Brother Yu." Wang Guan replied with a smile.

Come to think of it, the names of the two Yu brothers, Fangkai and Feibai, are both terms used in calligraphy, making them quite well-matched.

Yu Fangkai nodded and immediately gestured, "Let's go, get in the car." The subsequent events require little recounting.

After the two got in, Yu Fangkai pressed the accelerator.

The car turned and drove deep into the military zone, passing many buildings before finally stopping in an area with a more elegant environment.

Wang Guan got out and saw that this was not the residential building he had imagined.

It was a hospital building.

But then he reasoned that since the baby had just been born, the mother would naturally need a few days to recuperate, so staying in a hospital was normal.

He was relieved.

Subsequently, led by Yu Fangkai, Wang Guan and Yu Feibai entered the clean and tidy hospital building, navigated through several turns and corners, and arrived at a room that was bright, well-ventilated, and immaculate.

At this moment, there were quite a few people in the room.

The radiant and elegant young woman lying on the bed need not be mentioned—she was definitely Yu Fangkai's wife.

Next to her, a middle-aged woman was happily playing with an infant, her face full of joy; she was none other than the mother of the Yu brothers.

Additionally, there were two young nurses, and a man in his thirties standing somewhat reservedly beside Mother Yu, forcing a smile to join in the pleasantries.

"Mom, I'm here.

How is Sister-in-law feeling...?" Upon entering, Yu Feibai immediately spoke with a saccharine smile, "Hey, is this my grandnephew?

Come on, call me Uncle!" As he spoke, Yu Feibai walked over briskly, intending to gently touch the infant's cheek, but Mother Yu, holding the baby, moved away, her eyebrows shooting up in clear displeasure.

"You, stand farther away!

You’ve traveled dusty roads and must be covered in germs.

The baby was just born; his body is very delicate.

Don't infect him." Yu Feibai became awkward and couldn't help but laugh through his awkwardness, "Mom, aren't you being overly cautious?" "You don't understand infant care," Mother Yu rolled her eyes.

"Newborn skin is tender, and their bodies haven't developed fully.

What if you, being clumsy and inexperienced, hurt him..." Yu Feibai was speechless.

The thirty-something man beside him cast a look of sympathy, feeling a sense of shared plight.

As the baby's maternal uncle, he hadn't even held the child since his birth.

But thinking that even Yu Fangkai was treated the same way, he felt much more balanced.

While thinking this, the man also smiled and greeted, "Feibai, long time no see." "Hello to the in-law elder brother," Yu Feibai replied cheerfully.

"I expect I'll be troubling you for the next two or three days." "No trouble at all, I wish you'd stay longer," the man smiled, but his gaze landed on Wang Guan.

"And who is this brother?" "Wang Guan, my friend." Yu Feibai introduced him, "This is Sister-in-law's elder brother, Murong Guang!" "Hello!" Wang Guan offered his greeting, a hint of surprise coloring his expression.

The surname Murong was quite rare in modern life.

It was only thanks to Jin Yong that it seemed to run rampant in martial arts novels.

"Heh heh, Brother, you must have misunderstood," Murong Guang chuckled lightly.

"You probably think my surname is Murong and that I'm a descendant of the so-called Great Yan Imperial Clan?

But alas, my name is Mu Rongguang, not Murong Guang!" "Huh?" Wang Guan froze and naturally turned to look at Yu Feibai, now genuinely astonished.

"Haha, my brother-in-law's name often causes misunderstandings like this," Yu Feibai nodded and laughed.

"My brother is a huge martial arts fan.

I always suspected he pursued Sister-in-law because he thought her surname was Murong..." "Nonsense!" Sensing his wife's sidelong glance, Yu Fangkai quickly clarified, "That was love at first sight..." (To be continued...)