Chapter 5

In the early morning, the warm sunlight shone into the house. Tang Ning carried water back to the room, and the two of them finished washing up. Xiaocui walked in and said, "The master wants you to come over."

The two followed Xiaocui to the living room. Wang Dehu was sitting above, talking to a woman beside him. When he saw the two enter, he stopped.

Tang Ning pulled Liu Ruhang's small hand and walked in front of him.

"Wow!" Wang Dehu exclaimed in surprise: "What a beauty! At such a young age, she has already grown into such a fine young lady. No wonder Xiaocui kept saying she looks like a fox spirit last night."

"Are you attracted to her? Why don't you keep her here, and when she fully grows up, she can be a concubine for you, Master Wang?" the woman said, full of jealousy.

"How could I? I wouldn't dare," Wang Dehu laughed awkwardly.

Liu Ruhang lowered her head, and upon hearing that she might be left behind, she tightly held Tang Ning's hand.

"I'll be going now," Wang Dehu said to the woman beside him.

"Hey, why are you in such a hurry? Have a meal before you go," the woman pulled his hand.

"No, the road is quite long, and I need to leave early, or I won't make it by nightfall," Wang Dehu said as he walked towards the door, with Tang Ning and Liu Ruhang following behind.

Outside the door, a large black horse was tied to a locust tree. Wang Dehu untied the rope, mounted the horse, and looked at Tang Ning: "Get up."

Tang Ning walked to the horse. The tall and strong horse was undoubtedly a giant to him. Just as he was thinking about how to get up, Wang Dehu grabbed him and pulled him up onto the horse. Then, he pulled Liu Ruhang up as well.

"Hold on tight," Wang Dehu said, and he slapped the horse's flank, making it start moving.

Tang Ning tightly held onto Wang Dehu's clothes. He had never ridden a horse before, and he was startled by the horse's movement. However, after a while, he gradually felt comfortable with the rhythmic swaying.

Liu Ruhang sat behind Tang Ning, her hands wrapped around his waist, holding on tightly.

The three rode out of the city, and Wang Dehu snapped the reins, making the horse speed up and gallop.

Tang Ning sat on the horse, his body bouncing up and down, watching the scenery pass by.

After more than an hour of galloping, the horse stopped. Wang Dehu dismounted: "Get down, let the horse rest for a while."

Tang Ning tried to dismount like him but fell with a thud. He got up, patted his bottom, and stretched to help Liu Ruhang down.

Wang Dehu took a water flask from the saddle, gave the horse a few big gulps, drank some himself, and then handed it to Tang Ning.

Tang Ning took a sip, gave some to Liu Ruhang, and then returned it to Wang Dehu.

Wang Dehu leaned against a big tree, while Tang Ning and Liu Ruhang leaned against another tree. The horse wandered around, looking for grass to eat.

The area was overgrown with weeds, and there were no signs of people. A few acres of wheat fields could be seen not far away.

After a while, Tang Ning walked to Wang Dehu and asked softly, "Uncle Wang, where are you taking us?"

"You'll know when we get there."

"Oh." Tang Ning responded and was about to walk back when Wang Dehu called him.

"Hey, boy, I heard you say to Lord Shen that your parents were killed. Do you know who did it?"

Tang Ning shook his head: "I don't know."

"How did you escape?"

"That day, we went to the mountain to cut firewood..."

"Everyone in the village died?" Wang Dehu frowned after hearing this.

"Uncle Wang, do you know where the Luoyun Mountains are?"

"Luoyun Mountains? Why are you asking about that?" Wang Dehu's expression became serious.

"My father said he originally wanted Uncle Liu to take me to the Luoyun Mountains."

"Take you to the Luoyun Mountains? What does your family do?" Wang Dehu's expression grew even more serious.

"My family grows immortal grains for the immortal lords. They come to collect them every few years," Tang Ning said.

"I see. I've heard that those sects indeed choose some places in the world to plant immortal herbs."

"Uncle Wang, do you know where the Luoyun Mountains are?" Tang Ning asked hopefully.

Wang Dehu shook his head, "I don't know. I've only heard that it's the sect of the Immortal Sect of Qianyi. Only a few people know where it is. I've traveled far and wide for many years, but I've only heard about it."

"Oh." Tang Ning nodded, his expression darkening.

Wang Dehu looked at him and said, "Actually, my parents were also killed by others. I was about your age at the time. Over the years, I've trained hard, and finally, I avenged them. Do you know where I'm taking you?"

Tang Ning shook his head.

"The Horse Gang. Their leader is an old friend I made when I roamed the world. I'm taking you there because I had a similar experience, and I hope you can learn martial arts and avenge your family. However, it seems your enemy is not simple."

"Thank you, Uncle."

"You don't need to thank me. Normally, I wouldn't bother with such things, but Lord Shen asked me to, so I have to do it. Anyway, it's the same to take you anywhere, and I can visit an old friend."

Tang Ning returned to Liu Ruhang and sat down. Liu Ruhang was rubbing her hands to keep warm. When Tang Ning came, she put her warm hands on his to warm him up.

After resting for a while, the three set off again. They stopped and rested several times along the way. By evening, as the sun was setting, Wang Dehu stopped in front of a mansion and said to the two, "This is it."

Tang Ning dismounted. After several practices, he could now dismount smoothly without falling. The two stood behind Wang Dehu.

The mansion's gate was very tall, with two golden characters, "Horse Gang," carved above it.

Two men in black stood at the gate, with large knives at their waists.

"What do you want?" one of them asked as he walked forward.

"Brother, please inform your leader, Cui, that Wang from Xizhou has arrived."

"Wait here." The man said and walked back inside.

Soon, six or seven people came out. The leader wore a white robe, had a fair face, and looked like a scholar.

"Brother Wang." The man greeted Wang Dehu with a bow.

"Brother Cui." Wang Dehu returned the bow.

The man grabbed Wang Dehu's arm and smiled, "It's been over ten years since we last met in Xiangcheng. I never thought we would meet again today. This is a joyous occasion. Come, come, come, let's go inside and have a good drink tonight. We won't stop until we're drunk."

Wang Dehu followed him inside, and Tang Ning and Liu Ruhang followed closely behind.

They passed through the first gate and followed the main path to the second gate, which was guarded by four men. The third gate was guarded by eight men, the fourth by sixteen, and the fifth by thirty-two.

Tang Ning had never seen such a large mansion, not even heard of one. It took a long time just to walk to the main hall. The mansion covered several acres, with nearly a hundred rooms, and pavilions, gardens, and water pavilions were scattered everywhere.

They arrived at a large hall. The man in the scholar's attire sat at the head of the table, and the others took their seats.

Tang Ning and Liu Ruhang stood behind Wang Dehu.

The man pointed to Wang Dehu and introduced him to the others, "Everyone, let me introduce you. This is Wang Dehu from Xizhou, the Iron Arm."

"Long admired, long admired." The others bowed in greeting.

"Brother Wang, let me introduce you. This is Xu Helì, the Lone Traveler of Ten Thousand Miles, and this is Ge Xianzhi, the Miracle Doctor."

The man finished the introductions and asked, "Brother Wang, why have you been out of touch in recent years?"

"To be honest, I'm tired of the life in the martial world and don't want to live a life of constant fighting anymore. Now, I live a humble life in Nansha County as a minor official."

"Ah!" The man sighed, "Everyone has their own path. It's commendable that Brother Wang has seen through fame and fortune and chosen to live a secluded life. Unfortunately, I am tied down by mundane affairs and can only envy you. By the way, who are these two young men?"

"Brother Cui, I came here today not only to meet an old friend but also to ask for a favor."

"Please speak."

"I hope Brother Cui can take them in."

"That's a small matter. Someone!" The man called out.

A man bowed and asked, "Leader, what do you need?"

"Prepare a guest room and take these two young men to rest."

"You can go now," Wang Dehu said to the two.

The two left the hall.

"Brother Wang, who are these two young men?"

"Brother Cui, I now serve Lord Shen Congnan. The other day, Lord Shen encountered a beggar on his way back from a ceremony. Out of compassion, he asked me to find a place for them, so I came to trouble you."

The man nodded, "A gentleman sees life and cannot bear to see death. Lord Shen Congnan is well-known for his benevolence and righteousness. He truly lives up to his reputation."

"This boy's background is somewhat similar to mine. His parents were also killed, so I brought him here, hoping he can train hard in martial arts."

"I'll take care of it. The Horse Gang will be his new home. Let's not talk about this now. It's a rare occasion to meet, so let's have a good drink tonight."

Tang Ning followed the man to a room.

"You will rest here tonight. Don't wander around," the man said.

Tang Ning nodded.

The room was much larger than Wang Dehu's, with a wooden chest, cabinets, a bronze mirror, and all the necessary toiletries. The bedding looked brand new.

Tang Ning opened the window. Outside was a bamboo grove. It was winter, and the bamboo leaves were already yellow. Unlike other trees, bamboo leaves only fall when new green leaves grow in the spring and summer.

A cold wind blew, and the bamboo leaves rustled. Tang Ning shivered and quickly closed the window.

He turned around to see Liu Ruhang already in bed, her shoes off. Tang Ning walked over and sat beside her, "We haven't eaten yet. Why are you sleeping?"

Liu Ruhang made some gestures, and Tang Ning understood that she wanted to warm up the bed first.

"Ruhang, we might stay here from now on."

Liu Ruhang nodded.

"Uncle Wang brought me here to learn martial arts, but I still want to go to the Luoyun Mountains. We'll stay here for now, and if I find the place later, we'll..."

Before he finished, the door opened, and a young maid entered, placed a tray on the table, and then left.

Tang Ning walked over and saw that the tray contained food and a pot of hot water.

The two ate, washed up, and locked the door before lying down.

Liu Ruhang patted the warm spot next to her and motioned for Tang Ning to come over. Tang Ning took off his shoes and lay down, hugging her.

Liu Ruhang wrapped her arms around him, snuggled closer, and rubbed her cheek against his.

"I wonder what they'll have us do tomorrow. Uncle Wang said I'll learn martial arts, but I don't know from whom. Hopefully..."

Night fell, the moon rose, and a new day was about to begin.