Volume 1: Forgetting Each Other in the Jianghu Chapter 353

Let us speak of Zhang Xiaohua, who sat cross-legged, wholly focused on comprehending his own Dao of Heaven, paying no heed whatsoever to the conversation of the two young women in the nearby room. In truth, even if he were idly sitting in the room, he would not have extended his divine sense to recklessly spy on others, after all, propriety between men and women must be observed. On this principle, Zhang Xiaohua remained steadfast.

After some time, Zhang Xiaohua suddenly felt a stirring in his heart. He opened his eyes and glanced at the moon, now high in the night sky, and could not help but nod to himself in secret. The mysteries of comprehending the Dao of Heaven were indeed unfathomable. Ordinarily, he would only sense such a feeling right before falling asleep, a mere conditioned reflex of his body preparing for slumber. Yet tonight was different. To be moved in the midst of meditation was a proactive reminder, fundamentally different from before, a gulf as vast as that between clouds and mud.

Having thought this, Zhang Xiaohua rose to his feet, pushed open the door, and stepped outside. Listening carefully, he could hear faint snores coming from the neighboring room. Smiling, he stood in the middle of the small courtyard, formed a hand seal, and sent several streams of true qi from within his body to the four corners of the courtyard, erecting a simple barrier to protect the area. He had thought that, since he had only ever set up a barrier the size of a small room before, laying down one several times larger would be fraught with difficulty. Yet, as he began to cast the formation, he realized his understanding of restrictions had deepened compared to the day before, and the process was smooth and effortless. This, he could only attribute to that brief moment of Dao comprehension he had experienced that afternoon.

In fact, it was not only in the cultivation of mental techniques, formations and restrictions, alchemy, artifact refinement, escape techniques, and all manner of immortal arts were but different interpretations of the Dao of Heaven, the ultimate pursuit of the Immortal Path. Now that Zhang Xiaohua had caught a distant glimpse of the Dao, it naturally acted as a catalyst for all his techniques. Viewing and executing these techniques from a higher perspective, it was only natural that he would achieve unexpectedly wondrous results.

Having finished setting up the restriction, Zhang Xiaohua clapped his hands in satisfaction, pleased with his handiwork, and walked back to his cottage in high spirits. From his robe, he once again produced two yuan stones, sat cross-legged, and began to circulate the sixth level of the Carefree Heart Sutra with all his might, entering cultivation.

After midnight, the starlight across the heavens streamed down like silk, its faint glow unlike any before. Both the quantity and quality of the starlight had risen by several grades. A spherical curtain of light enveloped Zhang Xiaohua completely. Within this luminous cocoon, Zhang Xiaohua resembled a newborn child, peacefully absorbing the boundless starlight!

The night passed in silence. At dawn, as the rooster crowed to herald the morning, Zhang Xiaohua opened his eyes. For an instant, a flame flickered within them, leaving behind a trace of newfound brightness.

Zhang Xiaohua rose lightly to his feet. First, he practiced several rounds of the Big Dipper Divine Fist in the courtyard, and to his delight, discovered that he had actually reached the ninth level of mastery. Each time he completed a set, a current would surge through his body, tempering his bones. Only after finishing the ninth repetition did the current subside.

Amidst his joy, Zhang Xiaohua scratched his head in puzzlement. The Big Dipper Divine Fist had come to him in a most mysterious fashion, he had pieced it together solely from fragments lingering in his mind, and even the nine levels of mastery were something he had defined on a whim. Now, having reached the ninth level, he had no idea how to continue cultivating it. Still, Zhang Xiaohua was not troubled; after all, it was just a matter of practicing the fist technique. He used to perform it from start to finish. Could it be that, in the future, he would have to perform it in reverse?

At this thought, Zhang Xiaohua’s heart stirred. What would happen if he practiced the technique backward? Yet he was so accustomed to the usual sequence that reversing it was no simple matter. Before he could ponder this further, he heard the sound of coughing from the cottage. Setting aside his thoughts on martial arts, he formed a hand seal and withdrew the barrier he had set around the courtyard.

Just as he finished, he heard the creak of the cottage door. Someone stepped out from within.

Turning to look, Zhang Xiaohua saw that it was none other than Miss Nie Qianyu herself.

Nie Qianyu, seeing Zhang Xiaohua standing there as if performing some mysterious gesture, immediately perked up and said with a smile: “Good morning, Big Brother Ren! Were you practicing martial arts?”

“Miss Nie, could you call me Ren Xiaoyao instead? Being called ‘Big Brother Ren’ feels rather awkward to me.”

Nie Qianyu waved her hand repeatedly. “No, didn’t Big Brother Ren say last night that I could call you whatever I liked? I think this is just fine.”

Zhang Xiaohua could only sigh helplessly. “Alright, as you wish. Really, as you wish. By the way, Miss Nie, why are you up so early? Are you feeling better? Why not rest a little longer?”

Nie Qianyu smiled and replied: “Didn’t you get up even earlier, Big Brother Ren? Isn’t there a saying: ‘Rise at the crow of the rooster to practice the sword’? Were you practicing your martial arts?”

Seeing that Nie Qianyu kept pressing him with questions and wasn’t answering his own, Zhang Xiaohua could only say: “How could I possibly be practicing martial arts? I’m just used to rising early. With no farm work to do, I walk around here a bit to stretch my limbs. Back in my village, young men my age would already be out in the fields working at this hour. Now that I’m not going to the fields, it feels rather strange to me.”

“You’re just making things up.” Nie Qianyu replied, not believing a word Zhang Xiaohua said, simply smiling at him.

Feeling a bit uneasy under her gaze, Zhang Xiaohua had no choice but to change the subject: “How is your illness, Miss Nie?”

“I’ve long since recovered. My fever subsided in the latter half of last night, and I’ve slept for almost a full day and night. I’m well-rested now, and at dawn I didn’t feel the least bit sleepy. I thought I was up early, but it turns out Big Brother Ren is even earlier, like the proverbial early bird.”

After speaking, Nie Qianyu also stretched her limbs a little. Zhang Xiaohua asked in surprise: “Miss Nie, is your wrist better too? The swelling’s gone?”

“Yes, it went down last night as well.”

“Ah?” Zhang Xiaohua exclaimed in astonishment: “Miss Nie truly is a divine physician! Just one dose of decoction, and not only did your fever break, but even the swelling in your wrist subsided. Truly incredible.”

Nie Qianyu couldn’t help but laugh, her eyes sparkling like lacquer, full of spring warmth. She said: “Big Brother Ren, you flatter me too much. That decoction was only meant to reduce fever, with just a slight effect on dispersing bruises and swelling. The real reason my wrist healed so quickly is because I had already applied medicinal ointment beforehand. After a day of absorption, the medicine finally took effect last night.”

Zhang Xiaohua felt rather embarrassed and asked casually: “Miss Nie, your medical skills are so impressive, is it a family inheritance? I wonder, could someone like me ever hope to learn them?”

Nie Qianyu’s eyes sparkled as she replied: “Of course, my medical skills were passed down from my father. Medicine has been handed down in my family for generations. However, if Brother Ren escorts us safely home, I’m sure my father would seriously consider such a request.”

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua immediately changed the subject. Glancing at the half-open cottage door, he asked: “Why hasn’t Little Orange gotten up yet? That girl isn’t doing her job. How can the young mistress rise before her maid is there to attend her?”

Nie Qianyu burst out laughing again and asked: “Big Brother Ren, have you been reading too many novels? Though Little Orange is my maid, she grew up with me from childhood. We’re as close as sisters, why would I need her to wait on me at every moment? Besides, she stayed by my side for a whole day and night without any rest. Only after my fever broke last night did she finally dare to sleep.”

Zhang Xiaohua didn’t want to continue the conversation. He cupped his hands and said: “Miss Nie, you should move around a bit and get some fresh air. I’ll head back to my room for a little more sleep.”

Nie Qianyu called out anxiously: “Hey, Big Brother Ren, even a diligent farmer needs to go back to bed?”

Zhang Xiaohua laughed: “Who doesn’t treat themselves to dumplings during the New Year? It’s rare for me to have some leisure time, so naturally I want to make up for all the sleep I’ve missed working in the fields.”

With that, he turned and walked back to his room, calling out without looking back: “Miss Nie, it’s best not to wander outside too much. Don’t let yourself be seen.”

“You~!” Nie Qianyu bit her lip and stamped her foot, helpless.

The next two days passed peacefully. Zhang Xiaohua and his two companions remained hidden in the small courtyard. Their meals were brought in by Zhang Xiaohua from the inn; he didn’t allow the inn’s staff or the proprietor to set foot in the courtyard, fearing any news might leak out. In truth, Zhang Xiaohua knew that even if those villains were from some great sect, they couldn’t search every house like the authorities. At most, they would ask around at inns or teahouses for information. Still, to be safe, he kept to the cottage.

Even so, while secluded in the courtyard, Zhang Xiaohua calmed his mind to comprehend the Dao, studied the Heart Sutra, and, on a whim, extended his divine sense. With his current abilities, his divine sense could easily envelop the entire market town. Now and then, he saw many martial artists riding down the main road, and some suspicious individuals inquiring about news in town. But whether they were searching for Nie Qianyu, Zhang Xiaohua could not be sure.

There were indeed people who came to inquire at the inn where Zhang Xiaohua was staying, but Zhang Xiaohua himself was completely unaware. He was utterly absorbed in the joy of comprehending the Dao of Heaven, and wouldn’t waste his time on such trivial matters. Those seeking information, upon seeing the inn, had no intention of entering. Noticing the innkeeper’s lazy demeanor, they grew even more impatient. After hearing about the carriage in the back courtyard, they poked their heads in for a look, but upon learning that it was just a country boy driving, they immediately lost interest and moved on to the next place.

Ironically, this carelessness ended up saving their lives. Zhang Xiaohua had already made preparations: if anyone came looking and there were only a few of them, he would simply kill them all. That was why he cultivated quietly, waiting for someone to take the bait.

On this particular morning, Zhang Xiaohua swept his divine sense outside and found that the suspicious figures from the previous two days had vanished. No one had come to seek out Nie Qianyu.

Nie Qianyu’s health had fully recovered, though her wrist was still fractured and inconvenient to use; it would require several more days to heal. But with Little Orange to help her, she didn’t feel any particular hardship.

Zhang Xiaohua entered the room without ceremony and said directly: “Miss Nie, we’ve been hiding in this little market town for two days now. I think those chasing you have probably moved on. In my opinion, it’s best if we set out now. The sooner we find an escort agency and reliable guards to protect you, the better.”

Nie Qianyu considered for a moment and replied: “If we continue forward, it’s about a two-day journey to Danhe City. There should be a well-established escort agency there. I wonder, Big Brother Ren, would that be convenient for you?”