Chapter 323

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After a while, Zhang Xiaohua finally walked out from inside. His face was slightly pale, and in his hand he held a small piece of pristine white jade, which he handed to Ji Xiaohua, saying: “Ji Xiaohua, this is in return for you giving Huanhuan to me. Oh, don’t refuse—it’s something you must accept. Just now, I told your mother that I don’t have any spiritual elixirs to treat her illness, but I suddenly remembered that I still have an old piece of jade that wards off sickness.”

Then, turning to Madam Zhang, he added: “This jade isn’t worth much, but it’s extremely beneficial to the body. If you can wear it every day, I believe that, combined with a physician’s treatment, you’ll surely get better day by day.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Xiaohua’s eyes could no longer leave the jade in Zhang Xiaohua’s hand. For his mother to recover—that was his greatest wish. Since this young master had finally decided to take out this item, there must be a reason; it wouldn’t be an empty gesture. As for Madam Zhang, looking at the jade, then at her son, she found herself unable to muster the courage to refuse.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua shoved the jade into Ji Xiaohua’s hand and smiled. “Since that’s the case, I won’t stay any longer. I hope Auntie gets well soon.”

With that, he turned to leave. Madam Zhang suddenly called out: “Young Master, you haven’t told us—what was the reason you mentioned just now?”

Ji Xiaohua also shouted: “Yeah, Young Master! They say people don’t rise early unless there’s profit involved. I don’t have a beautiful elder sister or younger sister—why are you being so good to me?”

“Hahahaha!” Zhang Xiaohua burst out laughing, leapt lightly into the air, soaring high over the low courtyard wall of Ji Xiaohua’s home, and landed squarely on Huanhuan’s back outside the gate. Sitting cross-legged, he urged the beast forward. By the time Ji Xiaohua and his mother reached the doorway, they heard Zhang Xiaohua’s voice calling from afar.

“The reason is very simple—because I’m also called Xiaohua. But I’m Zhang Xiaohua!”

Watching Zhang Xiaohua’s figure gradually fade into the distance, Ji Xiaohua felt a sudden urge to chase after him. But hearing his mother’s heart-wrenching coughs beside him, how could he take even a single step away? He had already suspected Zhang Xiaohua was no ordinary man—just the impossibly heavy longsword he carried was enough to show his extraordinariness. And now, having witnessed him soar over the courtyard wall like a bird, Ji Xiaohua realized he was even more miraculous than he had imagined.

“Pingyang City, Lu Town, Huanxi Villa—Zhang Xiaohua.”

Ji Xiaohua muttered softly, then once again engraved into his mind the route map he had drawn for Zhang Xiaohua. Only then did he turn around and support his mother, saying: “Mother, let’s head back inside. The wind outside is strong.”

Once they entered the courtyard, he took out the jade and handed it to her. “Mother, you’d better go inside and find a silk cord to string this up and wear it on you. That young master—mm, Young Master Zhang—said it’s useful, so it must be useful.”

Ever since seeing Zhang Xiaohua’s Qinggong, Madam Zhang had naturally placed complete trust in him. She reached out and accepted the jade, but right after, both their gazes fell upon the large pile of copper coins in the courtyard. With just nine-year-old Ji Xiaohua and the long-ill Madam Zhang, moving these ten thousand big coins into the house, and hiding them somewhere secret, was going to be an extremely exhausting task.

But—doing this kind of work, though tiring, was joyous!

Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaohua sat cross-legged on Huanhuan’s back. Huanhuan was so pleased she could’ve jumped for joy, briskly trotting along the main street of Songning Town, heading out of the city.

Huanhuan walked very steadily, and Zhang Xiaohua barely felt any jolting at all atop her.

She moved very swiftly too—barely any slower than an average horse.

However, everyone on the street was pointing and gesturing at Zhang Xiaohua. After all, this neither fish nor fowl Huanhuan was well-known for hauling huge loads of firewood into the town each day—many had seen it with their own eyes. With her strange appearance and foul smell, she had long been a topic of gossip. And now, to see a young man calmly seated on her back, and Huanhuan trotting so merrily—it was bound to raise eyebrows.

Some people even covered their mouths and laughed mockingly.

“But this isn’t a bad thing. With so many people seeing me ride Huanhuan out of town, when Grandpa Hao or Ji Xiaohua goes to buy a mule or an ox, they’ll have the perfect excuse.”

Even now, Zhang Xiaohua was still thinking about Ji Xiaohua and the others’ safety. There was no doubt about it—Zhang Xiaohua had matured. He had grown up. He was worthy of that tall, skinny frame of his.

In his mind, Zhang Xiaohua had already memorized the route that Ji Xiaohua had drawn on that strip of white cloth. When he reached the city gates, he dismounted from the beast and asked passersby in detail about the way. Only after confirming the route did he once again sit upright on Huanhuan’s back, give its forehead a light pat, and it immediately charged ahead, leaving behind a crowd of gawking townsfolk at the city gate, pointing and talking in his wake.

On the broad road, the number of travelers had already thinned out, but Huanhuan was running with unusual delight. Her eyes gleamed with excitement, and her four hoof-like paws pounded the ground with strength. It was as if this kind of galloping journey was the life she truly yearned for.

However, after a good while, though Huanhuan hadn’t slowed down, a faint layer of sweat had already formed on her neck. Zhang Xiaohua, ever considerate, noticed at once and gently patted the top of her head. Huanhuan actually understood his intent and immediately eased her pace, walking forward in a relaxed manner.

“This Huanhuan really is no ordinary creature. Just what kind of beast is this so-called Sibu Xiang? Not only can it carry several thousand jin of weight, but its speed is barely any less than that of a horse. What’s even rarer is—it seems to understand my thoughts. I don’t need to say a word; just a pat on the head, and it knows what I want. Can such a creature still be called a beast of burden? Even if one called it a spirit beast, it would be well-deserved.” [TL_Note: “Sibu Xiang” (四不像) – This is a classical Chinese term used to describe a strange or hybrid creature that resembles none of the four common livestock animals: cow, horse, sheep, or pig. The phrase literally means “not like the four,” implying that it is unlike any known beast of burden. In folklore and Daoist literature, it sometimes refers to mysterious, divine, or auspicious creatures, and in martial arts fiction, it’s often used to describe a strange mount that defies easy classification.]

“But alas, this spirit beast was ruined by Old Hao, treated like a draft animal, made to haul firewood all day long, eating who knows what, worse than pig slop! Heaven pity it, a true pearl hidden in the dust. If I hadn’t come across it by chance, wouldn’t Huanhuan have died unjustly of old age in a pigsty?”

Thinking this, Zhang Xiaohua instinctively reached out to stroke Huanhuan’s neck. Huanhuan seemed to understand his meaning. She let out a long, piercing cry that split the sky, filled with joy from the depths of her heart.

Zhang Xiaohua laughed and said: “Let’s go, Huanhuan. I’ll keep calling you that from now on. Since you’re following me, I’ll make sure you’re well cared for. Ah! I forgot to ask Ji Xiaohua what you usually eat. You’ve gone all these years without a decent meal. I’ll have to properly nourish you, or else you’ll collapse from exhaustion before we even reach Guo Village—that would be a serious problem.”

Huanhuan let out a pleased low growl, though it was unclear what she meant to express. Her steps, however, didn’t slow at all—if anything, she worked even harder, as though eagerly anticipating some fragrant feed to come.

Although Huanhuan hadn’t run in a long time and had limited stamina, by the time dusk began to fall, they had already reached the western outskirts of Songning Town. Few people were around, and the roadside forests and distant hills were steeped in stillness, as if all living things were preparing to rest.

At this moment, Zhang Xiaohua felt a pang of regret. As for himself, it wasn’t a problem—he had long since entered a state of fasting; whether he ate or not didn’t matter in the least. But he didn’t know whether Huanhuan could hold out. He had only thought of making a dashing departure, leaving behind a courtyard full of wide-eyed admiration—but now, with no village ahead and no inn behind, he began to think it might’ve been wiser to stay in town and leave at dawn instead.

Still, the moment he thought of his mother far away, Zhang Xiaohua’s heart blazed with urgency again. How could he bear to linger a moment longer in this unfamiliar place?

Just as he was thinking, he suddenly heard a crisp jingling of bells break the silence along the main road. From the mountain bend ahead came the clamor of galloping hooves, followed by several loud voices: “Old Xu, are you sure you didn’t mess this up? We’ve been waiting at the crossroads the whole day! If that brat didn’t pass by ahead of us, he must’ve stayed back in the town. Or maybe, he never fell for your trick at all and took a side road instead!”

A voice that Zhang Xiaohua found familiar responded: “Impossible. That youngster was traveling on foot. If he were going to Pingyang City, he would definitely need to buy a horse. I came straight to you all after leaving the teahouse, and we’ve been keeping watch here since early morning. How could he have left before us?”

“Even if he took a side road, it wouldn’t work. When I passed the tavern, I asked around—everyone said this is the only road to Pingyang City. It matches what I told him. The only thing is, I pointed him north, while the right path is actually south. But that fork in the road is still the same one.”

“Hmph, from what Old Xu says, that kid must still be holed up in some inn in town. Heh heh, Xiao Jing, once we get into town, you go ask around and find out where that young master’s hiding. Tonight, we’ll drag him out, get his silver notes off him, then slice him up nice and clean, and toss him into the sea—problem solved.”

“Oh right, Old Xu—you sure you weren’t seeing things? That really was some rich young master?”

“Of course! Don’t you trust my eye? Just that antique-style robe he was wearing must be worth a few dozen taels of silver.”

The men’s voices were loud, showing not the slightest concern for who might be nearby. As their horses turned the bend, they came straight toward Zhang Xiaohua. When they saw him, they were momentarily stunned—they hadn’t expected anyone to be walking this road at such a time. Unconsciously, their chatter died down, leaving only the steady clop-clop of hooves striking the ground.

Zhang Xiaohua had already understood their intentions from their words. With his divine sense, he had long since recognized the one from the teahouse—Old Xu.

But it was now dusk, that hour when light and shadow mingled, and the average person couldn’t see clearly. Moreover, Zhang Xiaohua had already changed clothes. Old Xu still had that old-fashioned black robe in mind and naturally didn’t recognize him right away.

It wasn’t until they drew closer that one of them exclaimed in surprise: “Eh? Isn’t that Old Hao’s mangy donkey from the south of town? What’s it doing being ridden by this guy? That thing’s only ever carried firewood!”

At that moment, Old Xu also caught sight of Zhang Xiaohua’s mocking expression. He froze for a moment, thinking to himself, Why does this young man look so familiar? Then suddenly burst out laughing. “Hahaha! A road to heaven and you won’t walk it; no door to hell and yet you barge in yourself! Brothers, this is the rich young master I was telling you about!”

The brutish man in the lead also laughed. “No wonder! So he just changed clothes. He must’ve realized you were trying to trick him, Old Xu.”

As he spoke, the other two men flanked him from both sides, forming an encirclement and trapping Zhang Xiaohua right in the middle!