Since his good brother had brought the conversation to this point, and they were leaving anyway, the leader revealed the truth.
“…” Wu Jinliang was stunned on the spot.
After finally recovering, he realized it made sense. There were many people who wanted to leave the Land of Exile.
If some bumpkin randomly found Far-Gazing Tower and asked for a ride, it would be strange if Far-Gazing Tower agreed. Not only would they not agree, they probably wouldn't even bother to acknowledge you.
Understanding this, he couldn't help but laugh. He originally had the same concerns about Shen Youkun's background, but he hadn't expected that fellow Chuntian to have already prepared a countermeasure.
However, this countermeasure was indeed a bit amusing.
Remembering Chuntian’s past pursuit of Miss Miao, he found it even funnier and said, overjoyed, “Why didn't you say so earlier? I really thought you were smitten with Miss Miao.”
“I really was smitten. Miss Miao is beautiful and kind, isn't it normal to be smitten with her? The crucial thing is that my infatuation is useless.
No matter how good she is, as you said, she has breeding. She wouldn't look kindly upon bumpkins like us, and we wouldn't get used to being together.
Why trouble such a good person as Miss Miao?” Shi Chun murmured self-deprecatingly, then slapped Wu Jinliang’s face with his wet hand. “Our lives are cheap; surviving is what matters.
Don't think too much.”
With that, he closed his eyes again.
While his mouth spoke of Miss Miao, another woman’s figure appeared in his mind. That touch of grace was forever etched in his memory.
That was an encounter from his youth. When that woman first appeared in East Nine Plains, he hid in a corner, secretly watching, just as he would when danger approached.
As he peeked, he only felt that a young and beautiful woman had arrived, feeling very comfortable and possessing an indescribable charm.
When that woman held his hand, which was gripping a branch, and half-embraced him, teaching him hand-over-hand to write the first character '师' on the ground, feeling her body temperature and smelling her fragrance, it brought him a thrill that became an eternal moment.
As the two sat on the cliff, dangling their feet and watching the sunset, he felt melancholic. There was a fight he had to participate in tomorrow, and he worried he wouldn't live to adulthood, like most local natives, anxious about a future full of hardship and an unknown fate.
It was that woman who taught him a truth: I am my own destiny; destiny cannot lord over me.
In the sunset, her long hair fluttering and her faint smile were truly beautiful; the youth stole glances at her from time to time.
When the great sandstorm came, others would find shelter, but that woman, like a madwoman, would laugh and rush into it, dancing freely in the sand, even if she was destined to end up disheveled, her skirt still flew.
Sometimes she was like a wanderer, tapping on stones to sing, or pulling a blade of grass to tuck behind her ear, asking everyone, full of charm, if she looked good.
She loved bathing, and when he was on lookout, she would call from inside the cave, asking if he wanted to peek.
Even though her cultivation was crippled, she lived so freely and captivatingly.
That candid and exceptional temperament, that wisdom unburdened by adversity—he knew then that she was certainly not an ordinary person.
After that, he met many women, of all kinds, including that very good Miss Miao, but he never saw anyone as captivating as her again.
She bathed in glory yet did not consider sanctity noble; she could bend down to the earth, lie on her side in the sand, prop her head up, and playfully wink at you.
She captivated his youth and gave him direction in pursuing beauty.
Then one day, that woman left as suddenly as she came. No one had the right to keep her.
She arrived quietly and departed with a wave of her sleeve. Until she left, no one knew her true name.
Then, the boy’s name acquired the surname 'Shi', from the character for 'teacher'.
Then the youth with the surname Shi no longer feared destiny, bravely forging ahead, gradually becoming the chief of East Nine Plains, but that was not his endpoint.
He hoped that one day, when he knew who that woman was, he would have the strength and the right to stand before her and honestly tell her how much that boy had adored her, and that it had not changed to this day.
He didn't want to meet her again and, due to his own impropriety, be unable or unnecessary to express his admiration.
He believed that such a woman would not be an unknown nobody. There was no need to search too deliberately; as long as he gained true strength, he would naturally have the chance to meet her.
The water vat he was currently soaking in was the one that woman had once used for bathing.
Some people, even if unseen, are like the wind, capable of stirring one's emotions at any moment.
Thinking of that figure in his mind, he seemed to be enjoying his bath with his eyes closed, when he suddenly uttered a sentence, perhaps to himself, or perhaps to Wu Jinliang, in an exceptionally certain and resolute tone, “We must get out!”
Wu Jinliang: “Of course, the colorful world outside is waiting for us.”
Shi Chun suddenly opened his eyes and stared at him.
“I say, why do you keep rummaging through my hair? What are your intentions? Confess truthfully?”
Indeed, Wu Jinliang always used the excuse of helping him shave to feel his hair. Seeing that he had been exposed, he no longer concealed it and straightforwardly asked, “Where did you hide that purplish-glowing Nebula? It’s not on your body, nor hidden in your hair.
Your butt?”
Shi Chun rolled his eyes at him. “I knew why you were so eager to help me bathe.
Honestly, if you knew where it was hidden, would you betray me if you were caught and interrogated one day?”
“Heh heh…”
Wu Jinliang chuckled and chuckled for a good while before stammering, “Well, that depends on the situation, doesn’t it? If not confessing would cost me my life, then saving my life is more important, right?”
“Hmph!” Shi Chun scoffed. “Then don’t ask anymore.”
Wu Jinliang sighed and had no choice but to give up.
However, after a while, Shi Chun suddenly raised his left hand, showing him the whip scar.
“When my hand touched it, it drilled into my body through the wound…”
He recounted the events that happened at the end of the mine tunnel, even disclosing the subsequent abnormal conditions, including the strange sights he saw with his right eye. Especially regarding how Wu Jinliang had asked multiple times about how he had broken the Immobilization Talisman, he also informed him of the process and detailed method.
Finally, he repeatedly warned, “We’re leaving soon. Remember, don’t forget.
If you encounter an Immobilization Talisman again, break it using the method I told you. It should work.
This method must not be leaked, otherwise our lives might be in danger.”
Wu Jinliang nodded excitedly again and again.
“Got it, got it. Exposing someone’s secret is cutting off their livelihood.
They’ll definitely kill us. Don’t worry, this is a matter of life and death; I wouldn’t leak it even if you beat me to death.”
“Can you stop poking that knife in front of my eyes?” Shi Chun warned, staring at the joyfully waving blade. “The water’s a bit hot.”
“No problem, withdrawing the fire, withdrawing the fire.” Wu Jinliang happily moved to the side and leaned over to remove the firewood under the stone mortar.
The two spent some time bathing and then changed into clean clothes.
Although they had just washed, they still didn't look as clean as their clothes.
Their faces, especially the backs of their hands, were dark from prolonged inadequate cleanliness due to limited conditions, accompanied by cracks and blood fissures. Their lips were also chapped.
However, Shi Chun’s clothes were relatively decent: a slightly faded scholars' robe, paired with a neatly combed hairstyle adorned with a hairpin. It was unclear if he had a scholarly air, but he certainly looked like a changed man.
Yet, after taking just two steps, he heard a “rip” sound from under his foot. He looked down to see his big toe poking out of the cloth sole of his left shoe.
His toe wiggled.
The shoe had worn a hole after only two steps because it was old.
What to do? Everything that could be taken by those who left earlier had already been distributed to them.
It wasn't too much trouble; a little needlework would do.
They had these small items; it was just hard to find fabric of a suitable color.
Finally, they could only find a random piece of cloth and quickly stitched it on.
To make the colors match, they scraped soot from the bottom of the stone mortar that had been used for bathing water and dyed both pairs of shoes black before putting them back on.
Stamping his feet, Shi Chun said, refreshed, “Perfect.”
After tidying up their belongings, the two descended the mountain.
Wu Jinliang carried two knives: one, his own, over his shoulder, and a smaller one for Shi Chun, which was strapped to Shi Chun’s back, as Shi Chun felt that wearing a knife with his scholarly attire would be an insult to his refinement.
After climbing over a hill, they suddenly turned back in unison, looking at the cylindrical stone mountain standing in the wilderness, their expressions complicated.
“Will we come back?” Wu Jinliang asked.
“Coming back is easy, just commit some offense, but I won’t be accompanying you.” Shi Chun said and walked away.
He had his steadfast goal and walked resolutely.
Wu Jinliang quickly followed, chattering, “Are we really leaving? It feels like a dream…”
Inside the deep courtyard, City Lord Ba Yingshan once again knocked on the guest’s door.
Qi Yueru, with red, tearful eyes, opened the door and invited him in.
Ba Yingshan was there to deliver news and wasted no words.
“As expected, those two local ruffians from East Nine Plains have entered the city, carrying bundles. They should be leaving formally.”
Logically, such a small matter of delivering news wouldn't require his personal appearance. However, some things couldn't be exposed and were not suitable for others to handle.
Qi Yueru’s eyes flickered, and she asked, “When are they leaving?”
Ba Yingshan: “It’s uncertain when they will leave, but they’ll most likely visit Far-Gazing Tower. Someone is watching, and you’ll be notified in time.”
Within Zhixu City, Wu Jinliang strolled around, carrying his large knife, looking imposing.
Shi Chun, on the other hand, tried his best to appear refined, wearing a gentle expression he had practiced countless times.
He smiled at everyone he met.
After learning to read from that female teacher, he felt he was an educated person, different from the barbarians of the Land of Exile.
The two headed straight for Far-Gazing Tower. Along the way, pedestrians came and went, and they nodded and greeted familiar faces.
As they passed the bustling freight yard of Far-Gazing Tower, they merely glanced inside, then stopped in unison. A woman moving about and inspecting things in the freight yard caught their attention.
The woman was plump and quite charming, dressed in plain clothes. Her large, round eyes were very bright, exuding an air of capability and vitality as she moved among piles of goods, pointing here and there.
They recognized her; it was the proprietress of Far-Gazing Tower, also Miss Miao’s mother, named Lan Qiaoyan.
The old man beside the woman saw the two outside the courtyard gate, smiled slightly, and quickly prompted the woman, who turned to look.
Seeing her look over, Shi Chun immediately bowed respectfully, in a refined and polite manner.
Wu Jinliang, however, waved his arms and excitedly shouted, “Mother!”
This shout was like a clap of thunder, causing people inside and outside the freight yard to turn their heads.
Those unaware were surprised, wondering how the proprietress had suddenly acquired another son. Lan Qiaoyan’s face darkened.
She said something to the old man beside her, who then waved his hand, signaling for the two to enter.
The guards at the gate immediately let them in.
Shi Chun walked slowly and politely, but Wu Jinliang, as if seeing a beloved relative, ran excitedly towards the woman with his belongings, and once in front of her, enthusiastically shouted, “Mother!”
Lan Qiaoyan’s face held a cold smile, as if she wanted to castrate him. “Shut up! Big fellow, I’ve recently heard that the women you’ve called ‘Mother’ are too many to count on one hand.
Do you have a problem with calling every pretty woman ‘Mother’?”
Wu Jinliang’s expression stiffened. How did she know this, and how was he supposed to explain it?
Shi Chun, who had just arrived, looked serious and raised his hand as if to swear, “Proprietress, I can prove he absolutely wouldn’t shout indiscriminately.
He only calls beautiful women ‘Mother’.”
Wu Jinliang immediately nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Calling beautiful women ‘Mother’? This flattery made Lan Qiaoyan roll her eyes. She stared at Wu Jinliang and warned, “Get lost as far as you can.
I don’t have such a shameless son. If you dare to shout like that again, I’ll tear your mouth apart!”