Returning Home, Beiliang City!

As he looked at the slightly dilapidated Beiliang City before him, childhood memories began to stir in Li Guanqi's mind. He had no memory of the road from Fulong Village to Beiliang City. Back then, he had wept so bitterly that his frail little body had fallen fast asleep against Su Xuan's back. Which meant... during those eight years he spent in Fulong Village, he had never known how far Beiliang City actually was. Standing before the city gate, Li Guanqi looked up at the weathered plaque hanging above. As it turned out... Fulong Village was a mere hundred li from Beiliang City. Just a hundred li... Beiliang City and the Great Xia Sword Sect lay in completely opposite directions. His heart was full of mixed emotions, but he drew a deep breath and stepped slowly into the city. There were no soldiers guarding the gate, and no city lord. There was no profit to be made here, and outsiders rarely visited. In such a small place, nearly all the able-bodied youth had left to find work elsewhere. Li Guanqi walked down the quiet streets, lined only with a few roadside stalls selling snacks. Shopkeepers lounged idly in chairs by their doorways, making desultory small talk about household trivialities. After all, Beiliang City was only so large; news of anyone's household troubles spread faster than through Guanyun Pavilion. With a slight sweep of his divine sense, Li Guanqi discovered there were hardly any young people left in the city. There were only children and the elderly. The entire Beiliang City gave off an air of decline and weariness. Li Guanqi walked very slowly. Many shopkeepers saw him, but none went out of their way to greet him. Instead, they looked at him with puzzled glances. His plain attire was clearly meant for mourning or commemorating the deceased. They wondered among themselves, not having heard of any elder in the city passing away recently. Li Guanqi looked at shop after shop that he remembered from childhood. A warm smile appeared on his face. He had begged for food at quite a few of them. These were good people. They hadn't let him starve to death in that freezing winter... Yet... while some were still here, others were gone forever. Decades had slipped by, and some had grown old and decrepit. Before long, Li Guanqi caught sight of an elderly woman tremblingly putting away bamboo steamers. Li Guanqi stopped in his tracks. He rubbed his eyes, the rims turning slightly red. If he remembered correctly, back then she had been a charming, attractive woman. How... how had her hair turned gray and her back grown hunched all of a sudden? Time was ruthless. It had been over twenty years since he began walking the path of cultivation. Cultivators could retain their youthful looks forever and abstain from mortal grain. Yet how could a mere mortal withstand the erosion of time? The old woman had a kindly face and plump cheeks, so at least she hadn't starved herself. "Cough, cough..." The old woman coughed softly twice, furrowed her brow, and thumped her chest with a fist before finding some relief. Her slightly clouded eyes swept over the street, and the hands holding the steamer suddenly gave a faint tremor. Those tear-filled white eyes of Li Guanqi's were all too familiar to her. Yet she dared not let her mind wander there. Going by the passage of time, that poor little blind boy in the city would be in his forties by now, wouldn't he? The old woman shook her head with a wry smile, picked up a cloth, and resumed wiping down a table. The little shop was barely ten feet across, yet she kept it spotlessly clean. Li Guanqi took a deep breath and walked slowly toward her. "Could you give me something to eat?" The old woman looked Li Guanqi up and down. Seeing his healthy complexion and neat attire, she assumed he was some kind of swindler. Straightening her face, she said sternly, "There are leftover buns from this morning, three wen a basket. If you want to eat, pay first. "No freeloading here..." Li Guanqi pressed his lips together to hide a chuckle. To think that after all these years, Sister Hui was still sharp-tongued yet soft-hearted. If he remembered correctly, her name was Jiang Hui. She was a widow whose husband had died working abroad years ago, leaving her with no children. A look of mild reverie touched Li Guanqi's eyes. Pretending to retrieve three copper coins from his robes, he said softly, "Then give me a basket of buns. No vinegar, no need to heat them up—cold is fine." Jiang Hui frowned, but said nothing as she tottered toward the stove. Li Guanqi went inside, sat down, and looked around. This was actually the first time he had ever stepped foot inside this shop; back then, he had always leaned against the doorway, waiting hungrily. Back then, when Sister Hui steamed buns, the drifting warmth had made him feel so cozy. Jiang Hui had never chased him off either, and whenever breakfast service ended, she would bring him whatever buns were left over. Yet as a child he had been bashful, too embarrassed to show up every day... So the buns he got were often cold, day-old leftovers. "Eat slowly. Chopsticks are on the side." With that, the little old lady went to rest. Even with his back turned to her, Li Guanqi could feel her appraising gaze. Li Guanqi didn't use chopsticks. Instead, he picked up a bun and cupped it in his hands. Closing his eyes, he took a bite. The slightly salty, savory taste of the meat bun flooded his mouth. Tears slipped down his cheeks. His voice trembling with a choke, Li Guanqi murmured, "Sister Hui... after all these years... how are your buns still this salty?" The old woman pushed against the table and stood up abruptly. "You... you are... Li Guanqi?" Seeing him bathed in tears, she was finally certain that he was the little blind boy from back then. Her eyes reddened. Pressing her lips tight, she trembled as she walked toward Li Guanqi with outstretched hands. Li Guanqi rose, turned to face her, and nodded repeatedly. Trembling, the old woman came forward and wrapped her arms around him, saying with deep emotion, "Not dead... It's good you're not dead... "Back then, when I didn't see you for so long... I thought... I thought you'd frozen to death. "I searched all over the city for you... so long..." Holding Li Guanqi, she patted his back gently. One could hear how overjoyed she was, her voice brimming with relief. Li Guanqi slowly bent down, his voice quivering slightly as he spoke. "All those years... thank you for everything." The old woman didn't speak, only patting him firmly. Li Guanqi said softly, "Sister Hui, I went off to cultivate immortality. "Now... I'm very strong. Strong enough to reach the heavens." The old woman sighed and couldn't help saying, "What good is reaching the heavens? Can you make an old crone like me young again? "I haven't got many years left to live anyway." Her gaze lingered on Li Guanqi. His face looked as though it were frozen in his twenties. A slight smile curved Li Guanqi's lips as he supported her arm. A wisp of pure primal energy coursed through her body, sweeping away all the deep-seated ailments accumulated over the years! Suddenly, the old woman felt her breath come much easier, the ache in her waist vanished, and her posture straightened considerably. Her eyes went wide as she stared at Li Guanqi. Li Guanqi merely smiled and said nothing. The two sat opposite each other behind the counter. Li Guanqi drew a jade bottle from his storage ring, sealed its aura inside, and handed it to the old woman. Holding her withered hands, he felt a surge of bittersweet emotions in his heart.