Volume 1: Forgetting Each Other in the Jianghu Chapter 340

What dashed past Zhang Xiaohua was a rather luxurious horse-drawn carriage—slightly less grand than the one Ou Yan had once ridden, but still clearly something only a person of status would travel in.

Flanking it on all sides were eight bodyguards in fitted martial attire, each mounted on a fine steed of a different color. Every one of them exuded extraordinary vigor and spirit—their imposing presence alone was a hundred times greater than Zhang Xiaohua’s.

The carriage sped swiftly, but Zhang Xiaohua’s mount—the awkward-looking Sibu Xiang—was not particularly slow either. Seated atop it, he could still see things quite clearly. The curtain of the carriage window was lifted slightly, and from within, a round, doll-like face peeked out, smiling with squinted eyes. All of a sudden, the curtain on the other side was also drawn back, revealing a pair of eyes as dark as lacquer, which blinked at the odd-looking mount beneath Zhang Xiaohua. Those eyes, too, were filled with surprise.

Then came a soft, tender voice—gentle and smooth as pearls falling onto a jade plate: “Ah, it really is a fully grown Sibu Xiang! Though both its horns have been cut off, it’s still quite rare. Little Orange, the boy sitting atop it, must be someone extraordinary. Lower your voice—don’t go disturbing him.”

“Oh? Really?” The voice that followed sounded slightly muffled. Zhang Xiaohua thought to himself, Isn’t that someone speaking with her hand over her mouth? Seems they’ve truly taken him for some rare figure.

Then came a whisper: “Miss, I think this boy looks no different from that Ma San’er who grows vegetables at home—he just puts on airs, that’s all. How can you call him extraordinary?”

“Little Orange, haven’t I always told you not to judge people by appearances? Look at this youth—though his clothes seem plain at first glance, did you not notice the fabric peeking out from the opening at his collar? That’s no ordinary material—it must be from a rare garment beneath. Also, think about it—our family’s Sibu Xiang hasn’t even fully matured yet, and it’s already mild-tempered. But has anyone ever been able to approach it? It’s extremely alert—at the slightest movement, it bolts far away, let alone letting someone ride on its back.”

“Yes, Miss. Now that you mention it, I really do remember—last year, when Young Master’s Cousin tried to feed the Sibu Xiang, it absolutely refused to eat anything. No matter how he coaxed it, it just wouldn’t take a bite. That made him so angry, he left it starving for days—it almost died of hunger, yet still wouldn’t eat. In the end, it was only when Master personally scolded Young Master’s Cousin in front of the Sibu Xiang that the creature slowly walked away and began to eat. That beast truly seems to understand human emotions. And now this youth has actually tamed a fully grown Sibu Xiang—he really is someone who ‘hides his true self beneath a humble exterior.’ Even I was fooled. Ah, Miss, what a pity…”

“Pity?” Came the gentle, melodious voice, full of surprise. “What’s there to pity?”

“Of course it’s a pity! Miss, just look—this young man’s age matches yours quite well, and his skin looks quite fine too. But he’s just too plain-looking—not the kind of refined, jade-like figure one imagines. And look at what he’s holding—it’s a stick! Why isn’t it a folding fan or something? He probably doesn’t even know how to recite poetry or paint. Otherwise, you could’ve invited him over for a chat on horseback. Who knows, perhaps it would’ve been one of those ‘a thread of fate stretching a thousand li’ sort of encounters!”

“Pfft! You cheeky girl! Bold enough to say such things to me—has spring already stirred your heart? If you like him so much, I’ll have the carriage stop right now and ask about the young man’s background. We’ll marry you off to him on the spot! With the name of our manor, and the generous dowry I’ll prepare, that lad would be grinning from ear to ear!”

The two girls spoke as they peeked outside, but by now the carriage had drawn some distance from Zhang Xiaohua. Their soft whispers likely couldn’t be heard—but with Zhang Xiaohua’s current clarity of senses, it was as if they were murmuring right into his ear. He was so vexed, he wanted to find the nearest ditch and take a good look at himself to figure out what part of him wasn’t handsome, then maybe just drown himself in shame.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, he noticed the two girls still looking his way. Though he couldn’t hear them now, something stirred in his heart. Raising his hand, he waved at the two with a friendly smile, revealing a row of bright white teeth.

The two girls were shocked out of their wits, hastily dropping the curtain. A soft thump followed by a pained yelp could be heard from within—someone had likely bumped their head.

“Could it be… this person… actually heard what we were saying?” Came the timid murmur of that gentle voice from within the carriage.

Behind the carriage, on the side of the official road, Zhang Xiaohua sat atop the Sibu Xiang, looking quite pleased with himself.

But he had barely enjoyed his moment of satisfaction when, watching the gradually disappearing carriage, he suddenly slapped his forehead and cried out: “Ah! I forgot something!”

With that, he gave Huanhuan a light pat on the head. At once, the Sibu Xiang quickened its pace and actually began chasing after the carriage.

Since Huanhuan wore no horseshoes, its steps were extremely light. It wasn’t until Zhang Xiaohua was nearly upon the carriage that the rear guards noticed him. When they saw it was the same youth from before catching up, all of them revealed wary expressions.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua called out loudly: “Young ladies in the carriage, this humble one greets you with respect! I have a small question to ask—may I trouble you to stop for a moment so we can speak?”

“Ah! Miss, that youth really did catch up! How did he know there were women in this carriage? Oh no… he really did hear what we were saying earlier!”

“It’s all your fault—so chatty! What do we do now? Don’t tell me he’s here to settle accounts?” The young lady inside sounded flustered.

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua was both amused and helpless. Me? Would I really go that far?

He was quite tempted to release his divine sense and peer into the carriage, but there were, after all, two young women inside. One had to show a bit of restraint, no? Even thieves have their own codes—how could a proper Immortal Dao cultivator like him be so lacking in principle?

Though the girls inside said nothing more, the guards slowly reined in their horses, and naturally, the carriage came to a stop as well.

The lead guard, a burly fellow with especially thick eyebrows, turned his horse and rode over, calling out: “You there! What business do you have?”

Zhang Xiaohua cupped his fists and said: “Brother, I have a very simple question I wish to ask the young ladies inside the carriage. May I trouble you to grant me a word?”

At once, the man’s hand went to the hilt of the saber at his waist, and he asked with a wary tone: “How do you know there are women in the carriage?”

Zhang Xiaohua replied with a smile, “Just now, when you all passed by me, someone in the carriage lifted the curtain, and I happened to catch a glimpse. That’s all.”

At this point, that gentle and melodious voice came from inside the carriage: “Young Master, just now this little girl spoke out of turn and may have offended you. Please forgive me. I offer my sincere apologies here.”

“Spoke out of turn? How so? What did you say about me? Are you scolding me or something?” Zhang Xiaohua asked with a completely innocent look on his face.

“Er…” The girl inside was speechless. Right—she had jumped straight into apologizing the moment she opened her mouth. What sort of logic was that?

“Mm, my young lady misspoke. What she meant was ‘later,’ not ‘just now.’ You’re disturbing our journey, and who knows? If we get annoyed in a bit, we might just curse you. So we’re apologizing in advance, in case you end up sneezing non-stop and don’t know who to blame.” Little Orange said bluntly.

Zhang Xiaohua nearly fainted on the spot. How could there be such an unreasonable girl?

But he couldn’t be bothered to argue. He simply went on: “If Miss would be willing to answer this humble one’s question, then feel free to scold me all you like today.”

He even went as far as referring to himself with the scholarly “this humble one,” as if he really were a refined young man with a folding fan in hand and a scholar’s cap on his head.

“Please speak, Young Master, let us see if I might be of any help.”

“Oh, it’s quite simple. I merely wish to ask—what does this Sibu Xiang usually eat?”

“Grass, of course. What else could a Sibu Xiang eat? But it’s particularly fond of fresh morning grass still covered in dew. If there’s even a hint of dryness or yellowing, it won’t touch it.”

“Is that so? Then, thank you for enlightening me. This humble one offers his gratitude. Please, continue on your way.”

Zhang Xiaohua once more cupped his hands in a graceful, scholarly manner.

The guards, hearing the two exchange such cultured words, were a bit baffled. But since the youth was bidding farewell politely, they casually returned the gesture. With a wave of the lead guard’s hand, the carriage continued forward.

Yet before it had gone far, a startled exclamation came from within: “Ah! We were tricked by that rascal! If he really didn’t hear us speaking, then how would he know we know what the Sibu Xiang eats?!”

With that, the curtain was thrown aside once more. A pair of glossy black eyes appeared, framed by a thin, delicate melon-seed face, glaring hatefully at the distant figure of that plain-looking youth sitting so proudly atop the Sibu Xiang.

By then, the official road was empty, and Huanhuan was trotting leisurely right down the center of it.

In truth, after asking the question, Zhang Xiaohua was already starting to regret it. Wasn’t that a pointless thing to ask? Cows eat grass, horses eat grass, donkeys eat grass, and even deer eat grass. Why would this Sibu Xiang be any different? It’s not as if it could survive on meat! He had only asked because he cared about Huanhuan and wanted her to recover quickly. Yes, mainly, he wanted it to become a little prettier sooner.

Still, there was another thing he regretted—why hadn’t he just released his divine sense for a peek? A voice that pleasant, could the girl behind it be just as beautiful?

Sometimes, playing the gentleman wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.

Though it was frustrating, there was nothing to be done. He had missed his chance to sneak a peek earlier—he couldn’t very well go chasing after them again now. With that in mind, Zhang Xiaohua once more closed his eyes, holding two yuan stones in his hands, and resumed his cultivation in a half-sleeping, half-meditating state.

By midday, he found a spot to rest for a while, letting Huanhuan take a breather and drink some water. Once refreshed, they hit the road again. But they had only just resumed their journey when a sudden flurry of urgent hoofbeats came from behind—louder even than the carriage they had encountered earlier in the morning.

This time, Zhang Xiaohua didn’t even need to signal; Huanhuan automatically moved to the side of the road. Sigh, this creature really does know how to bully the weak and fear the strong.

Sure enough, just as Huanhuan stepped aside, a cloud of dust rose up as a group of roughly twenty rugged men in identical attire and mounted on identical steeds thundered past. Zhang Xiaohua swept his divine sense over them—and to his surprise, several among them had sunken temples that bulged prominently, clear signs of inner strength experts!

The group galloped past in a blur. The leading few didn’t spare Zhang Xiaohua so much as a glance, dismissing him as nothing more than a countryside youth. The last few riders, however, glared at him for a good while, as if trying to spot some flaw. But Zhang Xiaohua sat with his eyes shut, wearing the appearance of a lad sound asleep, even as his divine sense calmly observed them from within, cold and detached.

Seeing nothing unusual, those riders finally withdrew their gazes and spurred their horses forward.
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Orluros’s Vault of Secrets: Hello everyone! This week was my birthday so I posted double chapters this week! The schedule will return to normal XD If you liked the chapter feel free to donate 🙂 and if you find any errors in the translation please mention them in the comments here or in discord