Chapter 46

In the north of the State of Zhao, at the foot of the Great Green Mountain, during the season of autumn winds, the vines on the mountain mostly withered, and the fallen leaves drifted down to the great river below. It was unknown whether they would, like the gourds of old, be carried by the river to the Eastern Land of Tang.

At the foot of the Great Green Mountain, there were three counties, among which Yunjie County was the most prosperous. The county was not large, but it was very lively. On market days, people from nearby villages would gather, making the place bustling with noise.

On this day, a young man dressed in a clean blue scholar's robe, with a sense of nostalgia, silently entered Yunjie County. Familiar faces were still there, but his appearance had become unfamiliar. He was none other than Meng Hao.

Walking through the familiar streets, past the houses and shops, amidst the mundane world, Meng Hao thought of many past events. This place held his childhood memories, the loneliness of his youth, the determination of his studies, and the unforgettable past.

"This is where the young lady of the Sun family lived..." As Meng Hao passed by a large courtyard, he looked up. The high walls that once stood there now seemed somewhat shorter. He remembered that behind these high walls was the residence of the young lady of the Sun family, a place he had once fantasized about.

He had often fantasized about whether one day he would be favored by Mr. Sun and be given the legendary beauty of the Sun family as his wife.

Three years had passed, which seemed short, but to Meng Hao, it felt like a lifetime.

He shook his head in regret and was about to leave when suddenly the gate of the Sun family's house opened, and a sedan chair was carried out. Meng Hao's steps paused. In the past, he had often wanted to catch a glimpse of the young lady of the Sun family. Now, as he looked with a sharp gaze, through the undulating curtain in the wind, he saw a plump woman sitting inside. Her face was dotted with many spots, and she was not old, which made Meng Hao pause in surprise.

If it weren't for the familiar maidservant by her side, Meng Hao would never have believed that this was the young lady of the Sun family.

After a long time, as the sedan chair moved away, Meng Hao stomped his foot, feeling extremely regretful.

"I destroyed my dream lover with my own hands... The sages were right; one should not look at what is improper. I shouldn't have looked, I shouldn't have looked." Meng Hao shook his head, his expression filled with regret, and walked away.

By noon, Meng Hao stood in a daze, looking at a small, dilapidated house not far away. The house was already occupied, and the sounds of quarreling came from inside.

This was once Meng Hao's ancestral home. In those days, he had been unable to survive and had sold it. In this ancestral home, he had recorded his past happiness and beauty, as well as the bitterness and resilience after his parents went missing.

These memories floated in Meng Hao's mind, and he stood there until dusk.

In silence, Meng Hao came to the door of the ancestral home and raised his hand to knock.

The sound of the knock made the noise inside stop. Soon, the door was abruptly opened by a middle-aged man with a weathered face, who frowned and looked at Meng Hao.

"Who are you looking for? What's the matter?"

"Is it Uncle Li..." Meng Hao looked at the middle-aged man and spoke softly.

"You..." The middle-aged man was taken aback, looking at Meng Hao carefully. Suddenly, his eyes showed disbelief.

"Meng Hao? You... weren't you missing? Come in quickly." The middle-aged man's face showed surprise, and he pulled Meng Hao into the house.

"Old lady, look who's here."

Inside the house, a middle-aged woman was sitting, wiping away tears. Upon hearing the voice and looking up, she saw Meng Hao and was taken aback. She quickly stood up, her eyes showing surprise.

"It's really Meng Hao..."

"You child, why did you leave without a word back then? Let Auntie take a look. You've grown taller in these few years. Sigh, you're still so thin. You must have suffered a lot." The woman hurriedly came forward, looking at Meng Hao with joy, forgetting the quarrel of the afternoon.

"Sit down quickly. Auntie will cook some dishes for you. Since you're back, don't leave. Although you sold this ancestral home to Uncle Li, this is still your home." The woman smiled happily, looking at Meng Hao kindly, and went to the kitchen, giving the man a stern look.

After a short while, a table full of dishes was brought out. Meng Hao looked at the couple, seeing their kind expressions, and thought of how, after his parents went missing, if it weren't for Uncle Li and Aunt Li's help, he would have had a much harder time.

"The harvest has been poor these past few years. We used the house to help our son get married. Since this place was empty, we moved in." Aunt Li put some food on Meng Hao's plate and said kindly.

"Where have you been these past few years? Your uncle and I searched for you nearby but couldn't find you."

Listening to the couple, Meng Hao felt very warm inside. He only said that he had gone to learn a craft elsewhere and did not go into details. After the meal, Meng Hao stood up and bowed deeply to the couple.

"Uncle Li, Aunt Li, I want to buy back this ancestral home. It was left to me by my parents. Here is the silver. You can continue living here and help me take care of it." Meng Hao took out some silver from his chest and placed it aside.

"This..." Uncle Li hesitated, looking at his wife. Aunt Li was silent for a moment and then nodded.

"You're right. This is what your parents left you. This house is yours. But since you said it, we will live here. We don't need the silver. We watched you grow up like our own child. How can we take your silver?" Aunt Li put the silver back in Meng Hao's hand, speaking decisively.

Meng Hao was silent and bowed deeply again.

He did not stay there but took some items from his home that he remembered and said goodbye to the couple in the middle of the night. He did not take the silver, leaving it on the bed.

In a guesthouse in Yunjie County, Meng Hao sat cross-legged on the bed, looking out the window at the night sky. After a long time, he sighed softly.

"I am no longer an ordinary person, but I have thoughts that are hard to sever. Since I cannot sever them, I will leave them behind..." Meng Hao closed his eyes in silence.

The next morning, Meng Hao found the carpentry shop of the Wang family in Yunjie County. Inside, the old Wang Bo, with a face full of wrinkles, was sitting there, lost in thought. In front of him was a wooden carving, depicting Wang Youcai. In Wang Bo's expression, there was a sadness that could not be concealed.

Meng Hao was silent. He did not know if Wang Youcai was really dead. After becoming an inner disciple, he had found Xiao Hu and gone to the cliff where Wang Youcai had fallen, but found no clues.

Sighing softly, Meng Hao entered the carpentry shop.

Noticing someone had come, Wang Bo looked up. Seeing Meng Hao, he was taken aback, rubbed his eyes carefully, and immediately trembled, standing up abruptly.

"Y-You... You are... Meng Hao?"

"Wang Bo, it's me." Meng Hao looked at the old man and hurriedly went forward to support him.

"Where is Youcai? Did you both disappear together back then? Where is he..." Wang Bo still remembered the days when Wang Youcai disappeared, and Meng Hao from Yunjie County also went missing. Seeing Meng Hao now, he became very excited.

"Brother Youcai can't come back yet. He asked me to tell you that he will return in a few years. Don't worry, Brother Youcai is living very well." Meng Hao smiled, helping Wang Bo sit down and talking to him. During the conversation, he mentioned that he had been taken away to learn a craft, but Wang Youcai was very smart and had learned more deeply, which was why he had not returned.

Tears of excitement streamed down Wang Bo's face as he listened to Meng Hao, nodding repeatedly. Even the wrinkles on his face seemed to relax. Especially when Meng Hao talked about all the interesting things, it made him smile.

"That child was smart from a young age. He didn't want to learn carpentry from me and was always thinking about other things. Good, good, it's good that he went out to learn a craft." Wang Bo's smile grew wider. By noon, Meng Hao did not stay and left with Wang Bo's personal escort.

Xiao Hu and Xiao Pang were not from Yunjie County but from two nearby counties. Meng Hao was not very familiar with Xiao Hu, and he seemed to be fine, but he had to visit Xiao Pang's home to report his safety.

Thinking that Xiao Pang was probably already in the Southern Region, Meng Hao felt a bit nostalgic.

That afternoon, Meng Hao went to look for Zhou Yewai, but could not find him. He learned that the Zhou family had left the area more than half a year ago, supposedly moving to the capital of the State of Zhao. Meng Hao did not continue searching and left Yunjie County.

This place held his past memories, but Meng Hao knew that from the moment he entered the Mountain Support Sect, his path lay throughout the State of Zhao and the entire Southern Region.

He left quietly, taking only some pots, bowls, and bedding from his storage bag. The pots were bought by his father, and the bedding was sewn by his mother. These items were invaluable to Meng Hao.

At the foot of the Great Green Mountain, besides Yunjie County, there were also Yunhai County and Yun Kai County. Xiao Pang's home was in Yun Kai County.

This county was smaller than Yunjie and less prosperous, but because of the surrounding fertile land, it had many wealthy landlords, especially a few large families with considerable wealth in other counties as well.

Xiao Pang's father was a famous wealthy landlord in Yun Kai County. According to Xiao Pang's proud description, his family had hundreds of laborers, and it took an hour to walk through their courtyard. There were many maids and servants.

His chamber pot was made of silver, and his bedding was bought from the capital of the State of Zhao. Since childhood, he had maids warm his bed, and even as he grew older, this continued. He couldn't remember how many maids he had touched, but he had never lacked for them. As for the marriage he longed for, according to his description, it was with a famous and beautiful lady from a scholarly family in Yun Kai County. His father had spent a great deal of effort and money to secure this match.

Thinking of Xiao Pang's proud expression from back then, Meng Hao smiled and entered Yun Kai County.