Chapter 373: The Meeting Gift from My Young Nephew

Li Jinfeng had, in fact, only met Qiu Tong once at the Lotus Escort Agency, and that was more than five years ago. Could it be that he’s still pining for her after all this time?

Zhang Xiaohua truly couldn’t be sure. Was this what people called love at first sight?

Suddenly, a thought struck Zhang Xiaohua: “Could it be that Young Master Li is still unmarried even now?”

Of course, he wasn’t foolish enough to ask such a thing outright. Instead, he simply smiled and said: “Big Brother Li, you really are a man of deep affection. But as for this news, I’m not sure whether you’ll be happy or disappointed to hear it.”

Li Jinfeng frowned and said: “Xiaohua, whether Qiu Tong is alive or dead, you must tell me honestly. I think… I’m prepared for whatever the answer may be.”

Zhang Xiaohua replied: “Brother Li, why are you jinxing Sister Qiu Tong like that? Just look at my smile, do I look like I’m about to deliver bad news?”

“Then… then you mean… You saw Miss Qiu Tong at Huanxi Villa?”

 Li Jinfeng was nearly beside himself with joy.

Zhang Xiaohua gave a wry smile. “Big Brother, calm down, calm down, mind your image! I only heard news of Sister Qiu Tong at Huanxi Villa; I haven’t actually seen her myself.”

“I see…” Li Jin Feng was visibly disappointed, but his eyes quickly lit up again. “As long as there’s news, that’s enough. Is she well? Where is she now? She… she…”

It seemed there were more questions he wanted to ask, but he was too embarrassed to voice them.

Zhang Xiaohua said: “From what I’ve heard, Sister Qiu Tong is doing quite well, and there’s no danger to her life. However, she’s not in Pingyang City, and I don’t know exactly where she is. As for the details, I know even less.”

“Mmm, I thought as much,” Li Jinfeng’s face seemed to glow. “She’s just a steward at Huanxi Villa, with little connection to the Piaomiao Sect. How could she possibly get caught up in trouble for no reason?”

Watching Li Jinfeng like this, Old Shopkeeper Li, who stood a little distance away, sighed quietly and looked away, a look of helpless disappointment on his face.

Indeed, Old Brother Zhang already had a grandson in his arms, but what about himself? He didn’t even know where his daughter-in-law was.

“If I’d known things would turn out like this, I never should have let this boy go to Pingyang City. I should’ve found him a child bride years ago!”

Such were the thoughts of Old Shopkeeper Li!

Li Yinfeng, standing to the side, still wore a trace of sorrow on her face, having received no definite news about Zhang Xiaohu. Seeing this, Liu Kai walked over, reached out, and took her hand. Li Yinfeng turned to meet the concern in Liu Kai’s eyes, then grasped his hand in return, nodding gently.

Once everyone had finished their questions, Zhang Xiaolong finally asked: “Xiaohua, where have you been all these years? Why didn’t you send word back? Father and Mother have been worried sick, they even thought you…”

Zhang Xiaohua gave a bitter smile. “Big Brother, it’s not that I didn’t want to send a message-there simply wasn’t anyone who could deliver it for me.”

Zhang Xiaolong was taken aback. “Were you thrown in prison?”

Zhang Xiaohua rolled his eyes. “Big Brother, do you really think I’d end up like that? It’s a long story.”

Just as Zhang Xiaohua was about to explain, Zhang Cai interjected: “Alright, Xiaohua, save it for later. You must be tired from your journey, go inside and rest for a bit. Besides, Mr. Liu, Brother Li, we can’t just keep standing around in this courtyard. Now that the child has been safely delivered, we can all relax. Let the women handle things here. Let’s go inside for some tea.”

Everyone agreed with a nod.

So, apart from Zhang Xiaolong and Li Yinfeng, who went inside, the others followed Zhang Cai out of the small courtyard, heading toward the old Zhang family home.

Just as they stepped out, they found the area outside the courtyard unusually lively. And do you know why?

A group of seven or eight-year-old children from Guo Village had surrounded a creature that looked remarkably like a mule, laughing and playing. The bolder children waved handfuls of grass in front of the mule, trying to lure it, but the mule simply kept its head down, ignoring them completely, showing nothing but disdain for the grass. The children, oblivious to the proud glint in the mule’s eyes, only felt frustrated that their usual tricks had failed. The timid ones stood at a distance, eyeing the creature with envy, occasionally tossing a pebble or two to provoke it. Further off, a few idle villagers watched, each with their own thoughts.

Wasn’t this mule none other than Zhang Xiaohua’s unique mount, Huanhuan?

This spirit beast truly had a keen nose, after all this time, it had managed to find its way home.

At first sight of the strange, mule-like creature in front of his door, Zhang Cai was momentarily stunned, staring at it in bewilderment. Mr. Liu was also taken aback at first, then grew curious. Pushing aside the crowd of mischievous children, he examined the creature from head to tail, marveling repeatedly: “Could this be the legendary ‘Sibu Xiang’ written about in the old texts?”

Clicking his tongue in wonder, he looked up and asked: “Whose… mule is this?”

From behind, Zhang Xiaohua laughed and replied: “Mr. Liu, this is my mount.”

Realization dawned on Mr. Liu. He slapped his forehead and chuckled: “How muddleheaded of me! Seeing such a rare beast, I forgot all about you. Our Guo Village rarely sees outsiders; aside from you, who else could have brought this here? Of course, I should have thought of you first. By the way, is this animal really a Sibu Xiang?”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Huanhuan protested with a loud neigh, grabbing Mr. Liu’s sleeve with its mouth. Startled, Mr. Liu jumped back, while Zhang Xiaohua patted Huanhuan’s head and said with a smile: “Mr. Liu, it is indeed a Sibu Xiang. I call it Huanhuan. Don’t be fooled by its appearance; it understands everything. If you call it by name, it’ll be happy.”

Mr. Liu was even more amazed, and like a child, softly called out: “Huanhuan, Huanhuan…”

Huanhuan seemed to understand, letting out another neigh and lifting its head proudly.

Mr. Liu clapped his hands in delight.

Zhang Xiaohua led Huanhuan along with the others back to the Zhang family’s courtyard, took the longsword from Huanhuan’s back, and gently set it down by the wall. Then he led Huanhuan to a corner, letting it roam freely.

Zhang Xiaohua had wanted to stay with his father, but Zhang Cai shooed him into a side room, insisting that he was travel-worn and should rest.

Truthfully, after breaking the innate formation within the sphere and obtaining such vast and unfathomable things, Zhang Xiaohua did need time to process and digest it all. So, he didn’t argue. Before resting, however, he went behind the house and stood silently for a long time before his grandmother’s grave, bowing several times before returning to the courtyard. He entered the room on the left, pushed open the door, and stepped inside.

The little house that had once belonged to his grandmother had been torn down and rebuilt, now much larger than before, though the furnishings and layout remained as they were. Seeing this, Zhang Xiaohua felt a deep sense of peace. He floated onto the kang bed, sat cross-legged, and closed his eyes to meditate.

Inside the small room, Zhang Xiaohua sat quietly, as steady as a mountain. Yet his heart was far from the usual tranquility of cultivation. To be honest, the birth of his little nephew had shaken him deeply. In the past, when he lived in Guo Village, he thought mastering martial arts was the pinnacle of greatness. When he learned martial arts, he discovered the path of immortality was even more awe-inspiring. After reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining, he thought the legendary Foundation Establishment was shrouded in mystery. But on the day he experienced unity with heaven and sensed the Dao, he realized that Foundation Establishment was but a small step. And today, in that fleeting moment in the courtyard, an instant that felt like the evolution of the Heavenly Dao across eons within his consciousness, he gained an entirely new understanding.

A hundred million years, those are not just three simple words. When Zhang Xiaohua emerged from his consciousness and saw the sunlight and the people in the Zhang family courtyard, he felt as if a lifetime had passed. Yes, he was no longer the same Zhang Xiaohua he had been a moment before. Yet, as a cultivator at the sixth level of Qi Refining, he truly couldn’t say what exactly had changed. The evolution of the Heavenly Dao had left a profound imprint on his mind. His Heavenly Dao Mark, brilliant as a starry sky, now contained the past, present, and future. But he still couldn’t directly draw any benefit from it! It was like carrying a banknote worth ten thousand taels of gold, yet being unable to find a money house to exchange it.

Alas, it could only be blamed on his cultivation being far too shallow!

So, although Zhang Xiaohua didn’t understand the true meaning of the visions he had seen, he still carefully engraved those memories deep within his mind. Even if he didn’t comprehend them now, there would come a day when he would. As long as he held the silver notes, why worry about not finding a place to spend them?

The second thing that shocked Zhang Xiaohua was the sight of his little nephew’s meridians while absorbing the surging purple Qi. Although he had not yet cultivated the twelve later levels of the “Carefree Heart Sutra”, he had memorized all the meridians and exercises by heart. Yet, all those meridians combined were but a drop in the ocean compared to what he saw in the infant’s body. At the time, Zhang Xiaohua had focused all his effort on memorizing them. Now, recalling the scene, a question surfaced in his mind: “Are my little nephew’s meridians different from ordinary people’s, or do all people have so many meridians, only no one has ever discovered them?”

Judging by how each level of the “Carefree Heart Sutra” could unlock new meridians, it seemed that everyone might possess such a vast network; as long as one had the right cultivation method, all the meridians could be developed. What kind of cultivation realm would that be? Moreover, from Zhang Xiaohua’s memory, those intricate meridians actually mirrored the trajectory of the spherical formation within the Heavenly Dao.

No wonder the ancients said: “One person, one world.”

Could this be the true meaning?

At this thought, a trace of pride curled at the corner of Zhang Xiaohua’s mouth. Indeed, how could he not smile? Even though he didn’t know the specific techniques for cultivating each meridian, he had, by chance, glimpsed the secrets of Heaven and imprinted countless meridians firmly in his mind, never to be forgotten in this lifetime. So long as he could find the cultivation methods for each, his path to immortality would be beyond measure.

As for the state of the surging purple qi, it was something that could only be sensed, not measured. All of it had been absorbed into that nameless spot in his left arm, who knew where it actually went? Still, as long as a warm current would flow forth whenever he needed it, that was enough. Surely, his sister-in-law wouldn’t give birth to another baby that would force him to draw his little sword again.

These were Zhang Xiaohua’s silent musings, and he had long since overlooked the bracelet hidden beneath his left sleeve, or rather, wristguard would be a more accurate term. On its surface, faint characters had begun to appear.