Blossoming Path

The night had settled over Qingmu, quiet and cool, the air filled with the faint scent of woodsmoke. Most of the villagers had retired for the night, but I was still awake, crouched next to the cart as I double-checked the supplies. We would be leaving soon, continuing the long journey back to my home village. If Lan Sheng wanted to be present in the village before the Iron Claw sect could cook up a scheme, we'd need to speed things up.

I hadn’t expected to stay in Qingmu this long, and part of me was eager to get back on the road, away from the looming threat of sect politics and Shan Huai’s bruised ego.

I tightened the ropes on a bundle of hay and sighed. Despite the victory, my mind was restless, running through the events of the past few days. Sure, I’d won, but it wasn’t the kind of victory I could take lightly. They wouldn't forget the embarrassment I'd caused them.

Damned cultivators and their obsession with face... But then again, I was partially to blame for taking advantage of it.

I glanced around, the silence of the village only broken by the occasional rustle of leaves in the night breeze. The shadows seemed longer now, stretching out from the trees like old memories.

As I was about to secure another bundle, a soft voice called out from behind me. “Elder Brother Kai.”

I turned to see Hua Lingsheng walking toward me, his usual bright energy somewhat subdued in the dim light. His hands were clasped behind his back, and he wore a slightly awkward expression, like he had something important to say but wasn’t sure how to approach it.

“What are you doing up this late?” I asked, standing up from the cart.

He smiled sheepishly. “The villagers wanted to give you something. It took them a while to prepare it.”

Before I could ask what he meant, he stepped forward and handed me two large, rolled-up pelts. The moment I touched them, I felt the surprising weight of the gift. My hands sank under their density, and I immediately recognized the texture—thick, coarse, and sturdy.

“Iron Boar pelts?” I blinked, unrolling a section to confirm it. The dark fur had a metallic sheen under the moonlight, and the leather beneath felt almost like armor. “They kept this from the boar?”

Hua Lingsheng nodded, his smile widening. “It’s our way of saying thank you.We know how valuable these pelts are. They worked fast to preserve them for you.”

I ran my fingers over the fur, feeling the strength of the hide beneath. These pelts were no ordinary gift—Iron Boar leather was known for its toughness, often used in crafting armor for cultivators or reinforcing robes for battle. It could fetch a high price in the right market, and here I was, holding two pristine pelts, freely given by the villagers.

I stared at the pelts, feeling the weight of them in more ways than one. The villagers had given these to me as a sign of gratitude, but my mind drifted to Feng Wu, his unwavering righteousness, the kind of taoist who would never accept such a reward. He would have refused it outright, saying that a true cultivator doesn’t act for reward or recognition.

A twinge of guilt gnawed at me. I didn’t deserve this kind of gratitude, not when my motives weren’t purely selfless either.

"I-I can’t accept these," I stammered, thrusting the pelts back toward Hua Lingsheng. "Really, I didn’t do this for a reward."

He blinked at me in surprise, then shook his head with a knowing smile. "I refuse your refusal, Elder Brother Kai."

"Wait... What?"

He grinned, stepping back as if to dodge my attempt to return the pelts. "The villagers worked hard to prepare these, and they want you to have them. It’s their way of showing gratitude, and it would be disrespectful to refuse. So… I refuse your refusal!"

I stared at him, half-exasperated, half-amused. "That’s not how it works, you know."

"It is now," he said, crossing his arms with a self-satisfied nod. "So you’d better just take them before you make things awkward."

I chuckled despite myself, shaking my head.

As if on cue, Lan Sheng appeared from the inn, carrying a half-asleep Windy draped around his shoulders and Tianyi perched on his arm.

"You ready?" he asked, adjusting Windy, who let out a lazy hiss and stared at me sleepily.

I gave the cart one last tug to make sure everything was in place, then turned to him with a nod. "Yeah. Let’s get going."

Hua Lingsheng waved with both hands, a small but happy smile lighting up his face. “Farewell, Elder Brother Kai! Safe travels!”

I waved back from the seat of the cart. No grand send-off, no crowd of villagers, just Hua Lingsheng standing there in the quiet village under the soft glow of the full moon.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"See you soon," I called back as I clicked the reins, urging the horses forward. The cart began to move, wheels creaking as they rolled over the dirt path, and the horses picked up their pace into a brisk trot.

The boy stood at the edge of the village, waving until he was just a small figure in the distance. The road stretched out before us, dark and empty, illuminated only by the moon hanging above. The village of Qingmu quickly faded behind us, leaving nothing but the soft sounds of hooves clattering against the earth and the occasional rustling of leaves in the night breeze.

Lan Sheng, sitting beside me with Windy curled on his lap, was quiet. He didn’t seem to have much to say now that we were on the move. Maybe, like me, he was lost in his thoughts.

But there was no use dwelling on what had already happened. We were on our way to Gentle Wind Village now, and there was still a long road ahead. Instead of letting my mind wander, I decided to focus on something more productive.

I shifted in my seat and closed my eyes, letting out a slow breath as I started cycling my qi, drawing it in from the air around me, focusing on its flow. It had been a while since I’d had a quiet moment to cultivate, and I needed to keep refining my techniques if I wanted to improve.

Tianyi, resting lightly on my shoulder, seemed to sense my intent. Without a word, her wings began to glow faintly, and a soft, calming energy radiated from her. It was as if the entire world around us had shifted, the flow of qi becoming more vibrant and responsive. I felt a sudden rush as I drew in more than I expected.

It wasn’t just my imagination. Her powers had grown stronger since ingesting the beast core elixir. Her presence magnified the qi around us, making it easier to cycle larger amounts at once. I could feel it pouring into me with a smoothness I hadn’t experienced before, like a river widening to accommodate a flood. My breathing slowed, and I focused on guiding the qi through my body, following the familiar paths but pushing them further, deeper.

The cart moved steadily beneath me, the horses trotting along, but all I could feel was the warmth of the qi filling my core, flowing in perfect harmony with her power.

Hours passed as the cart rumbled steadily along the dirt road, the moon still shining brightly overhead. The brisk pace of the horses continued without faltering, their hooves striking the ground rhythmically as the miles melted away. At first, I thought nothing of it, too caught up in the flow of my cultivation, but as the night dragged on, a subtle unease began to creep in.

The horses hadn’t slowed once. In fact, they seemed to be moving faster than they should have for this long. Their breath, visible in the cool night air, came in regular puffs, but something about the way steam continuously rose from their flanks concerned me.

Frowning, I looked over at Lan Sheng, who was still sitting beside me, quietly observing the passing landscape. “Let’s stop for a moment. The horses have been keeping this pace for too long. I need to check on them.”

He nodded, glancing toward the horses as if just now realizing what I’d pointed out. With a quick tug of the reins, he slowed the cart to a stop, and I hopped down to examine the horses more closely.

Their coats were slick with sweat, but oddly enough, they didn’t look particularly tired. I ran a hand over their sides, feeling the heat radiating from their bodies. Despite how long they had been running, they weren’t even panting heavily. It was strange.

Tianyi fluttered lightly from my shoulder and landed near the horses, her wings glowing faintly in the moonlight. The horses nuzzled her affectionately, their breath still calm and steady. It was as if her presence had soothed them in some way.

“They’re not worn out,” I muttered to myself. But even if they seemed fine, I wasn’t going to take any risks with their health. Elder Wen would have my head if I let something happen to these two.

I walked back to the cart, retrieving a few key ingredients from the supplies: licorice root and ginseng, both known for their restorative properties. With quick hands, I pulled out my Two Star Pagoda Pill Furnace from my storage ring and crouched down, gathering a handful of fresh snow from the ground and melting it into water.

As the furnace heated, I prepared the ingredients, grinding the licorice root and slicing the ginseng thinly before adding them to the water. The mixture bubbled gently, and soon a simple yet effective supplementing feed was ready. I mixed it into some hay, letting the scent of the herbs infuse the feed.

Approaching the horses once more, I offered them the enhanced hay, watching as they eagerly devoured it. Their calm demeanor reassured me, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something more was at play.

I turned to the butterfly, who was still perched on the cart, her wings shimmering in the moonlight. “Tianyi,” I asked, my voice quiet, “do you have something to do with this?”

She fluttered closer, her glowing wings brushing against the horses. A soft pulse of energy washed over them, and I could feel the faint echo of her response through our bond.

'Yes,' her voice echoed gently in my mind. 'I can help restore their energy, just like I do for you.'

I couldn’t help but smile at the realization. Tianyi’s powers had grown immensely, more than I’d even noticed until now. She wasn’t just aiding in my cultivation, she was amplifying everything around her.

“You’re incredible,” I said aloud, earning a soft hum of agreement from our bond.

With the horses now resting and eating contently, I turned back to Lan Sheng. “They’re in better shape than I expected,” I said, climbing back into the cart. “We should be good to keep going after this break.”

The cart rolled steadily through the night once again, and as the hours passed, the familiar landscape of Gentle Wind Village finally began to take shape in the distance. The familiar silhouette of the place I once called home came into view—tall trees swaying gently, casting long shadows over the quiet path. Everything looked just as I remembered, but as I sat there, watching it all come into focus, I felt an odd sense of distance settle within me.

The village was the same, but somehow different. The narrow dirt roads, the simple homes, the fields beyond... I had walked these paths a thousand times, yet now they felt like memories I was only visiting. I had left this place as one person and returned as someone else entirely.

I wasn’t sure what I had expected. A small part of me had clung to the naive notion of a triumphant return, like a hero coming back from distant lands. But there was no grand celebration waiting. Just the quiet, the steady creak of the cart, and the gentle rustling of trees as the wind moved through them.

This was home, yet it wasn’t. The village was a river, flowing just as it always had, but I was no longer the boy who had lived here. The battles I’d fought, the lessons I’d learned... they had changed me. I wasn’t the same, and neither was this place, even if it looked the same on the surface.

I inhaled deeply, letting the cool morning air fill my lungs. The road stretched ahead, leading me back to where I started, but it didn’t feel like a return. It felt like a continuation, another step forward into the unknown.

“We’re here,” I murmured, pulling the reins gently to slow the horses to a stop just before the main path leading into the village.

Lan Sheng glanced over at me with a small smile. "What now?"

"I’ll take the horses to Elder Wen’s and visit Elder Ming," I said, gesturing toward my home on the outskirts of the village. "Can you take the cart, Windy, and Tianyi there? It'll be a quick thing, I promise."

He nodded without hesitation. "Of course. I’ll take care of everything while you finish up."

I handed him the reins and hopped down from the cart. As the horses snorted softly, I gave their necks a reassuring pat before guiding them down a narrow path toward Elder Wen’s place. The quiet surrounded me as I walked, the only sound being the soft crunch of my boots on the dirt.

Arriving at Elder Wen’s home, I tied the horses to the post near the small stable, and headed toward the door. But before I went to knock, I felt a tug toward Elder Ming’s house. Knowing Elder Ming, the old man would probably already be awake, tending to his garden and sipping tea.

"If I have to bother someone first, it might as well be him..." I muttered to myself.

Giving one more glance at the horses, I jogged over to the Village Head's home.

As I neared Elder Ming’s house, the familiar creak of the old wooden gates echoed faintly in the early morning quiet. But instead of the usual peaceful silence that accompanied the village at dawn, I was met with unexpected sounds, grunts of exertion and the rhythmic thud of feet moving against the ground. It reminded me of the training grounds back at the Verdant Lotus Sect.

Curiosity piqued, I approached the slightly ajar door of the courtyard, my brow furrowing as the noises grew louder. I peered through the gap in the door, cautiously pushing it open just enough to take a look inside.

There, in the courtyard, were two familiar figures.

Wang Jun and Lan-Yin, fully engaged in martial arts conditioning exercises, sweat dripping down their foreheads as they moved through forms with a surprising level of precision. Wang Jun's usually carefree expression was focused, his movements sharp as he executed each strike, while Lan-Yin mirrored him, her slender frame flowing with an intensity I hadn’t seen in her before.

I blinked, feeling a wave of confusion wash over me.

"What the hell?"

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