Chapter 24 - 2#
“Taoist temple.” Xiao Cuan murmured these two words, thoughtful.
*
At the same time.
Yanzhi was on the neighboring peak praying and requesting his mother’s longevity tablet.
The Taoist temple was not large, hidden in the mountains, with only one old Taoist priest and a few young acolytes.
There weren’t many longevity tablets settled here; Yanzhi was one of those who had paid more.
His mother’s tablet was quite new, and the altar was clean; the young acolytes cleaned it daily.
Under the guidance of the old Taoist priest, Yanzhi snapped off a cypress branch and lit it in the snow.
So—
The white smoke Xiao Cuan saw from Yanqi Village was lit by Yanzhi at the Taoist temple.
The ritual was simple.
In moments, the branch had burned out.
Yanzhi carefully took down his mother’s longevity tablet with both hands, wrapped it carefully in clean cloth, held it in his arms, bid farewell to the old priest, and prepared to descend the mountain.
As they descended, Tanggao scouted the path ahead while he, holding the tablet, rode Peanut Cake behind.
Yanzhi held his mother’s tablet as his mother had once held him.
While watching the path, he spoke softly to his mother.
“I’m sorry, Mother, for not visiting you for so long.”
“I was really too busy in the palace. Because I’m a Great General, I have to follow His Majesty to fight everywhere, so I didn’t have time to come.”
“But I’ve missed you every day, every single night, and I even dream of you, dreaming of you telling me stories.”
“It’s better now. Now that His Majesty has unified the world, I don’t have to fight anymore, I’ve… I’ve returned to my fields.”
“His Majesty granted me an estate in the south. I’m taking you there now…”
He lied unnaturally to his mother. Before he could finish, a cold wind blew past, shaking snow from the trees.
With a huala, the cold snow landed right behind the little donkey, on the spot Yanzhi had just passed.
If Yanzhi had been a step slower, the snow would have hit him on the head.
Yanzhi glanced back, then looked around: “Mother? Is that you? Mother?”
He pursed his lips, turned back, and continued: “Mother, don’t disbelieve me. I’m not lying; I really am a Great General…”
In the next instant, another clump of snow fell, still landing behind him.
Yanzhi’s eyes lit up, and he looked toward the treetops in the forest.
Is it Mother?
It must be Mother.
Mother saw through his lies but still couldn’t bear to hit him with snow, so…
So she only let the snow fall behind him.
Riding on the donkey’s back, Yanzhi swung his feet and mischievously said on purpose: “I am a Great General.”
No snow fell this time; presumably Mother hadn’t heard.
So Yanzhi raised his hand and shouted loudly: “I am a Great General! I am Great General Yanzhi! I am also the Prime Minister! I am Prime Minister Yanzhi!”
He was the most powerful person in the world!
But this time, the wind stilled and the snow stopped; there wasn’t a single sound in the forest.
Yanzhi grew anxious and hurriedly said: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Mother! I won’t lie anymore! Don’t ignore me!”
“I’m not a Great General, nor am I a Prime Minister. I’m just…”
He paused and finally lowered his head, admitting in a small voice.
“I’m just a small attendant.”
“I did follow His Majesty to war, but I rarely went onto the battlefield. His Majesty didn’t grant me a large estate; I ran away secretly.”
“I’m just a small attendant who followed His Majesty.”
“I am nothing at all.”
Just then, a gentle, warm spring breeze, seemingly blowing from the south, lightly brushed his cheek, dispersing the tears in his eyes.
Just as his mother used to touch his face when he was little.
Yanzhi looked up, having regained his confident look.
“It’s okay, Mother. I don’t want to be a Great General, and you wouldn’t want me to be one either; it’s too dangerous.”
“Even though I ran away, I can still protect you and make sure you live a good life.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of myself.”
Yanzhi rode the little donkey, muttering to his mother all the way, and in a blink, they reached the foot of the mountain.
He had to keep moving forward.
*
Yanqi Village.
Xiao Cuan stood on high ground, seeing the white smoke rise from the neighboring peak and then be dispersed by the wind into the clouds.
He felt something was wrong, felt his heart sinking.
Had he looked in the wrong place?
Should he have gone to…
Just then, the village chief said: “Officer, speaking of which, these are the graves of Yan Shan and the widow he remarried.”
Xiao Cuan snapped his head up, his heart sinking even further: “What did you say?”
“That widow wasn’t Young Master Yanzhi’s biological mother. Young Master Yanzhi returned a few years ago and moved his biological mother’s grave.”
“Where did he move it?”
The village chief pointed to the neighboring peak, where the white smoke had just risen.
“Right over there.”
Right over there? Right over there!
He truly had looked in the wrong place!
Xiao Cuan finally understood. He hurried outside, grabbed the reins, and flipped onto his horse.
He had forgotten! He had forgotten that Yanzhi’s mother’s grave had been moved!
How could he have forgotten?
How could he forget such an important matter?
How could Yanzhi possibly return to Yanqi Village?
He had suffered so much bitterness here, endured so much pain—how could he return to Yanqi Village?
How could a little swallow fly from one cage into another?
How could Yanzhi possibly fly from the Daliang Palace to Yanqi Village?
Xiao Cuan spurred his horse, and without time to bid the village chief farewell, he led his men galloping down the mountain.
Wrong! He was wrong!
He was completely wrong! He was utterly wrong!
*
Yanzhi reached the foot of the mountain and continued forward on his little donkey.
He had planned before setting out that to get to the south, the fastest way was by boat.
But now that it had snowed, he didn’t know if the river would freeze.
So Yanzhi intended to check the ferry crossing first.
If it really didn’t work, he would just have to trouble Peanut Cake to carry him all the way.
South of Yanqi Village, there was a ferry crossing, not far away.
Yanzhi also feared tiring Peanut Cake. Feeling he had strength, he jumped off its back to walk for a bit while holding his mother’s tablet.
With his back to Yanqi Village and the layered mountains, he walked forward step by step.
Just then, from within the mountain forest, came the faint roar of a wild beast—
“Yan-zhi—”
Puzzled, Yanzhi looked back and looked around.
What kind of beast was this, whose cry sounded like it was calling his name?
Immediately after, another howl came from the distance—
“Come-back—”
Yanzhi wrinkled his face, quickly turned back, and continued walking forward without looking aside.
Don’t think he can be fooled!
That kind of thing was just a lonely ghost in the mountains!
Deliberately calling his name to make him look back; as long as he answered, his soul would be snatched away by the mountain ghost to be a little slave.
Hmph, he had read many storybooks!
Soul-snatching ghosts could forget about tricking him!
Yanzhi quickened his pace: “Quick, let’s go, don’t look back.”
“Yan-zhi—”
“Come-back—”
In the mountain forest, on the mountain path.
After a day and night of rapid riding, combined with the steep mountain paths, the warhorse finally exhausted its strength. Its front hooves buckled, and it collapsed.
Xiao Cuan violently pushed away the horse that had crashed onto his leg and snatched the reins from a guard.
But the guard’s horse had also reached its physical limit and refused to move another step.
Xiao Cuan simply tossed the reins aside and ran down the mountain in big strides.
This time it must be right! He must have calculated correctly this time!
Yanzhi was on the neighboring peak, in the Taoist temple on the neighboring peak!
If he went now, he would surely catch Yanzhi and bring him back!
But in the next instant, at the end of the path, a precipice abruptly appeared before him.
He had taken the wrong path.
Xiao Cuan stood before the cliff, unable to take another step.
He looked up, his eyes blood-red, staring ahead.
He could already see Yanzhi!
The swaying shadows of the trees in the forest were Yanzhi, the frozen water in the mountain spring was Yanzhi, the shadow of a swallow crossing the horizon was Yanzhi!
Only a little bit! Only a little bit more and he could have caught Yanzhi!
Every time, only a little bit!
Just then, the group of personal guards finally caught up.
“Your Majesty, now…”
Exasperated and enraged, Xiao Cuan instead calmed down and turned back.
His tone was calm as he spoke only two words: “Back to the palace.”
It was just one Yanzhi!
Just a clumsy, thick-headed Yanzhi!
Just a Yanzhi with a look of 86 and a talent of 59!
His learning was only 49, his martial arts only 42—he hadn’t even passed!
What was there to linger for? What was there to pursue?
He had set aside memorials, set aside government affairs, spent days and nights in pursuit—what on earth was worth pursuing?
What Yanzhi? Be he Yanzhi, Quezhi, or whatever Zhizhi!
If he wanted, he could have hundreds of Yanzhis!
He would load a save right now, use points right now to buy several, dozens, hundreds of identical Yanzhis.
He could have hundreds…
But only this one, only this one, he could not catch.
He only wanted this one.
Xiao Cuan stopped, kicked a nearby tree trunk heavily, cursed twice, and let out a roar like a tiger or a wolf.
—“YANZHI!!!”