Chapter 320
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“Huanhuan?” Zhang Xiaohua looked at the strange beast—filthy, with several bald patches on its fur—and couldn’t help but let a faint smile rise to his lips. He reached out and gently stroked the horn on Huanhuan’s forehead.
Those were two horns that had already been worn bald.
Seeing that Zhang Xiaohua did not dislike Huanhuan, Ji Xiaohua was all the more delighted in his heart.
Just as Zhang Xiaohua was about to ask, Grandpa Hao spoke up: “Xiaohua, you accompany the young master to tend to his business. I’ll take Huanhuan back.”
Ji Xiaohua laughed and said: “The young master said he wanted to come to my house—we can all go together.”
Then he turned to Zhang Xiaohua and said: “Young master, place your sack on the firewood pile. Huanhuan’s quite strong—it can carry it without issue.”
Hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua felt a stir in his heart. Though his face remained unchanged, he reached down and lifted the sack from the ground, placing it onto Huanhuan’s back. Sure enough, the creature seemed to feel nothing at all.
As the three of them walked along, Ji Xiaohua began to tell Zhang Xiaohua the story of Huanhuan.
As it turned out, Huanhuan did not belong to Grandpa Hao. It had been Ji Xiaohua who, while gathering firewood in the mountains outside the city last year, found the creature beside a ravine. When Ji Xiaohua discovered it, Huanhuan’s twin horns had already been severed, and several arrows were lodged in its body. Blood had poured from its wounds—it seemed on the verge of death. Ji Xiaohua happened to have some wound ointment with him, so he applied it and slowly led the beast back from the forest.
However, neither Ji Xiaohua nor the Zhang family were skilled at raising livestock, so they entrusted Huanhuan to Grandpa Hao. After some treatment and care, the beast was finally nursed back to health, and Ji Xiaohua named it Huanhuan.
Since the Zhang family rarely had use for such a beast, they left it in Grandpa Hao’s care. Each day, it helped carry goods for him, and during the busy farming seasons, it would help plow the fields for others.
As he spoke up to this point, Ji Xiaohua suddenly had a thought, and said earnestly: “Young master, Huanhuan is quite capable of carrying loads, though I’m not sure if it suits your needs. However, it’s not as swift as a horse when it comes to running. And if you were to ride it…”
At this, he trailed off. He dearly hoped that Huanhuan could be of help to Zhang Xiaohua, but if Zhang Xiaohua were to ride such a creature—something neither quite donkey nor horse—wouldn’t he become the laughingstock of everyone?
Huanhuan, as if understanding Ji Xiaohua’s words, let out a displeased grunt and jerked at the reins in protest, letting out a long cry to voice its objection.
Ji Xiaohua quickly patted Huanhuan’s back, offering a bit of comfort in sympathy.
Zhang Xiaohua was feeling rather stifled as well. That’s right—who wouldn’t want to be dressed in fine robes, riding a tall, grand steed, making a show of themselves in the streets? But a tall steed couldn’t carry the longsword. And even if this Huanhuan could carry the longsword, if it ran slower than a horse at walking pace, then what use would it be to him?
“I only want to find a proper path to return home. Carrying such a heavy longsword, even riding in a carriage would be inconvenient. I can only travel alone on foot. Since I can’t buy a horse, then I have no choice but to set out by myself. Sigh, using qinggong is fine when traveling through the wilderness or places without people, but along the main road, it’s highly inappropriate. I’ve never heard of a martial artist openly using qinggong to travel in broad daylight along the official roads.”
“That’s right—they don’t use qinggong for travel because they fear depleting their inner strength. But I’m not afraid! I have Yuan Stones to replenish the Yuan Qi of Heaven and Earth, so why would I worry about running out of True Qi?”
At that thought, Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes lit up. But right after, another thought struck him: “If I were to run all the way from Songning Town to Lu Town using the Floating Technique, my name would surely echo throughout the martial world. Forget it. Keep a low profile. No need to bring trouble upon myself for no reason. Better to take the ordinary path home. Since the old hands of the Jianghu don’t travel using qinggong, there must be a reason for it.”
Then, Zhang Xiaohua stroked his chin and eyed Huanhuan up and down, wondering whether this strange, four-not-quite-like-anything beast could bear the weight of the longsword. Hmm, the most important thing was, could it run fast enough?
As for whether riding this creature would look ridiculous, he didn’t bother worrying about that. Back in Guo Village, he’d ridden a little donkey before—there didn’t seem to be anything so bad about that.
With that, Zhang Xiaohua tentatively asked: “Ji Xiaohua, how much weight can this Huanhuan carry?”
“Young master, you’ll have to ask Grandpa Hao. I’ve never used Huanhuan that way.”
Up ahead, Grandpa Hao, who was walking at a leisurely pace, turned his head and said: “Young master, I’m not one to boast, but this Huanhuan is truly the best beast I’ve ever seen. Any ordinary mule starts squeaking and groaning just carrying a bit of firewood, but Huanhuan doesn’t react at all. Even plowing fields—she’s strong! Not only does she walk steadily and plow deeply, but she often finishes in a single day what would take another ox two. Quite a few farmers from around the city have tried to buy her, but Xiaohua wouldn’t part with her. That’s the only reason I’ve kept raising her all this time.”
After speaking, he let out a sigh and said: “Young master, to be honest with you, this old man understands Xiaohua’s thoughts well enough. My home is bare and empty—having Huanhuan around not only keeps me from feeling lonely, but I can use her to haul firewood every day. During the busy farming season, she can help me earn a bit of spare money. If I were to sell Huanhuan, life would get a lot harder for this old man.”
Ji Xiaohua’s face flushed red as he said: “Grandpa Hao, I’m not that noble. I just saw that Huanhuan doesn’t look too happy when she’s plowing the fields. I know she doesn’t like farm work, that’s why I didn’t sell her. If she were sold into someone else’s hands, wouldn’t she be forced to plow every day?”
Zhang Xiaohua stood nearby, smiling without saying a word.
That strange, unclassifiable creature—Huanhuan—seemed to be especially fond of Zhang Xiaohua. As they walked, she kept rubbing against him, her head sniffing him here and there, and from time to time she let out loud snorts.
After walking for a while, Zhang Xiaohua probed: “Ji Xiaohua, you like Huanhuan so much—if I wanted her, would you be willing to sell her to me?”
Ji Xiaohua stopped and slowed his pace. He glanced at Zhang Xiaohua, seeing that he seemed somewhat serious, and his own expression grew flustered. He lowered his head, stared at the ground, then looked at the reins in his hands, and said: “Young master, you… you really want her? But… Huanhuan doesn’t run fast, and… but…”
His words were a bit jumbled. But then, he raised his head, his eyes growing a bit more resolute, and said: “Young master, if you really want to buy her, then pay a little more silver. Grandpa Hao relies on Huanhuan to get by.”
It was clear Ji Xiaohua truly didn’t want to part with this strange beast. Even his speech faltered. But deep down, he couldn’t bear to disappoint Zhang Xiaohua. At the final moment, he hardened his heart and made a decision. As for asking for more silver—if it were anyone else, they might think the earlier refusals were just a pretense to raise the price. After all, the beast belonged to him, and Grandpa Hao merely raised it on his behalf.
But from this brief half-day of contact, Zhang Xiaohua had come to understand: this short-haired youth, though he valued money, was not greedy. That final sentence was indeed the crux of all his words—but it was also entirely genuine. He truly intended to give most of the money from the sale to Grandpa Hao.
So, Zhang Xiaohua asked again: “Ji Xiaohua, but Huanhuan is yours—why give the silver to Grandpa Hao?”
Ji Xiaohua responded with equal puzzlement: “Young master, Huanhuan may be mine, but I can’t raise her. Grandpa Hao’s the one who’s raised her for me—of course I should give him the silver. What’s strange about that?”
Zhang Xiaohua blinked, rubbed his nose, and thought to himself, What a good kid.
Grandpa Hao, standing nearby, grew a little wary and asked: “Young master, why do you want this beast? Your household doesn’t lack farm animals, and the fields don’t need your tending. Why make the child unhappy over this?”
Zhang Xiaohua quickly replied: “Grandpa Hao, don’t take offense—I was just teasing Ji Xiaohua. What I need is a fast horse. This creature isn’t even a proper horse—what would I want her for? Isn’t that right, Ji Xiaohua?”
Hearing this, Ji Xiaohua scratched his head in embarrassment and asked: “Young master, were you really just teasing me?”
When he saw Zhang Xiaohua nod seriously, he finally let out a breath and smiled: “I really thought you’d taken a liking to Huanhuan. Look at her—patchy and scruffy. How could she possibly be worthy of a young master like you?”
As he spoke, his expression grew a little dazed, and a flicker of guilt flashed through his eyes. He quickened his pace, leading Huanhuan forward.
Before long, the three arrived in the southern part of the city. Grandpa Hao’s home was near the end of the street—just as dilapidated as expected. Inside was even filthier, with a strong stench. It was even worse than Ji Xiaohua’s house. Zhang Xiaohua didn’t mind, and he stood at the doorway, first unloading the sack from Huanhuan’s back. When he stepped forward to help with the firewood, Ji Xiaohua adamantly refused, so he could only stand aside and watch as the old man and the boy struggled to unload the large bundle from Huanhuan’s back.
I wonder how Grandpa Hao even managed to get this bundle onto Huanhuan out there in the countryside, Zhang Xiaohua thought, a little amazed.
When Ji Xiaohua tried to lead Huanhuan toward a filthy, stinking corner of the courtyard, where flies buzzed thick in the air and the ground was all mud and rot, Huanhuan, unlike her usual gentle self, refused to move. Her four legs stood firm like iron stakes, and no matter how hard Ji Xiaohua pulled, she didn’t budge an inch.
Later, even Grandpa Hao came to help. The two of them pulled together, but that strange beast only shook her head left and right. Her eyes were fixed on Zhang Xiaohua standing at the door—she just wouldn’t go.
Zhang Xiaohua was surprised. On the street earlier, he’d felt as if he could sense Huanhuan’s emotions. He’d thought maybe it was just his imagination. But now, the longing and unwillingness reflected clearly in her eyes—it was unmistakably real.
Seeing this, Ji Xiaohua was nearly in tears. His small face flushed red, and he pulled the reins with all his might, glancing anxiously at Zhang Xiaohua from time to time.
“Sigh…” Zhang Xiaohua let out a breath, turned around, lifted the sack, and stepped out of the courtyard.
After half a moment, the light in Huanhuan’s eyes faded. Her gaze dulled again and her lids drooped, leaving only a thin slit. Her hooves began to move slowly. At Ji Xiaohua’s urging, she stepped into the dark, filthy corner. She stopped there, no longer moving. The flies swarmed her body, but she didn’t even twitch her donkey-like tail, let alone pay any attention to the spoiled swill before her. No matter what, she couldn’t bring herself to open her mouth even a little.
Ji Xiaohua saw it clearly—at the corner of Huanhuan’s eye, a single, crystalline… tear rolled down!
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