After two days of trekking and sneaking past Deviant Beasts, the trees gradually thinned and finally ended as the youth made his way out of the Yellowleaf Forest.
“Ah, fuck! Finally!” he heaved a sigh of relief. He had been in that forest for far too long. It felt like he was going insane.
“Hell, yeah!” Jian Gong felt the same way. “Let’s get to a city. I can’t wait to be in civilization once again.”
The youth nodded in agreement and walked around the forest outskirts for a bit, trying to find a road. Soon, he found a dirt path that went in four different directions including into and away from the forest. He started walking in the opposite direction of the forest following the path.
On either side of the path stretched vast meadows. No longer were there any Deviant Beasts he had to keep an eye out for. Normal goats, cows, and other animals grazed on the fields as birds flew overhead.
“It’s a miracle that there are still animals without Qi in them,” the youth murmured to himself.
“Well, Deviant Beasts don’t actually do anything to them normally,” Jian Gong answered.
“Is it because they disdain to eat weak animals like these?”
“Bingo! Just like how Cultivators despise physically hurting ordinary people.”
“I see…” the youth nodded though he didn’t like how Jian Gong specified ‘physically’.
As they walked down the path, the peacefulness made their previously taut nerves lax. They were finally not at risk of being attacked anytime.
Half an hour later, a clacking sound came from behind. The youth turned his head around. A carriage was slowly approaching from behind. It wasn’t lavish nor did it have any kind of roof. It was made out of common wood. The driver was a middle-aged man with a clean-shaven face and long hair that he kept in a bun. The passengers consisted of a woman and two children- a boy that looked about 12 and a girl of 5.
The youth stopped and waved his hand at the driver who caught sight of him. The driver pulled on the reins and the horses pulling the carriage stopped.
“What can I do for you, lad?” the middle-aged man asked with an amiable smile. The youth nodded back but he didn’t let up his vigilance.
“Does this path-” the youth pointed in the direction he was walking, “-lead to a city?”
“Yeah,” the man nodded. “It leads to Bluebranch City.” He then paused and asked, “Say, lad. You’re not from around here, are you?”
“Oh?” the youth raised an eyebrow. “That’s right, I’m not.”
“That makes sense. Anyone who lives around these parts should know about Bluebranch City.”
“Are you and your family going to Bluebranch City as well?” the youth asked.
“Yep!” the man nodded. “We got a job offer from one of our friends in the city. It pays better, so, we decided to pack up and come to the city.”
“Well, then I wish you all the best on your travels. Hope we meet again!” the youth bade them goodbye and turned around to leave.
“Hold on, lad!” the man stopped him.
The youth stopped and looked at the man with an inquisitive look, “Yeah?”
“Don’t tell me you plan to walk all the way there?”
“I…uh…yeah,” the youth nodded. “That was the plan.”
“Are you bloody crazy!?” the man exclaimed in disbelief.
“Excuse me?”
“N-No, I mean…” the man backpedaled and scratched his hair in frustration, “it’s just that Bluebranch City is more than 35 kilometers away. It’s going to take you days if you walked there.”
“Well, it’s not like I have any other choice now, do I?” the youth shrugged helplessly.
Suddenly, the man looked like he was enlightened and looked at the youth, “Say would you like to travel with us?”
His sudden decision surprised the woman on the carriage who hit him on the back, “Chen Dong, what are you doing!?”
“Come on, Feifei,” the man, Chun Dong smiled dumbly, “I don’t see any harm in taking this young lad with us. He could even tell us stories to keep the kids entertained.”
“He’s suspicious!” the woman called Feifei hissed.
“I hate to say it but-” the youth cut in, making the other two look at him, “-your wife’s right. It’s quite dangerous to let a stranger travel with you.”
“See?” he nudged Feifei who had come closer, “no suspicious person would advise against this.”
“Ugh…” Feifei had seemed to have given up and receded inside the carriage.
The man turned to the youth once again, “So, will you come with us?”
The youth hesitated as various thoughts swirled in his hands. “What the fuck is he thinking? Why is he so happy-go-lucky? Is this some sort of elaborate ruse to capture people? The woman was right, I am suspicious. I have a cloth wrapped around the lower half of my face. I look very suspicious.”
“But I do want to reach the city as fast as possible. Let’s take their hand just once.”
“Uh, yeah sure.” The youth made up his mind in the moment’s pause. Feifei snorted and started sulking.
“Good choice!” Chun Dong flashed him a thumbs-up and allowed him to climb aboard the carriage. The youth gently boarded the carriage trying to avoid breaking anything.
The eldest son of the couple moved from the left and went over to the seat on the right, sitting with his mother and younger sister. Feifei kept her eyes on him while the two children looked at him with curious eyes.
Chun Dong whipped the reins and the horses started walking again with a neigh. As they sat on the shaky carriage, Chun Dong made small talk with the youth.
“As you might’ve heard, my name is Chun Dong,-” he then pointed towards Feifei, “-she’s Ma Fei, my wife-” his finger shifted towards the two children, “-and those are our two children, Chun Long, and Chun Jia.”
“Hello,” the youth nodded and greeted them. The two children hastily bowed their heads while Ma Fei reluctantly did the same.
“What’s your name, lad?” Chun Dong asked.
“Oh, my name is-” before he could finish, the wheels of the carriage hit a pebble and it jerked roughly. Some of the luggage shifted and fell down. One of the larger luggage which seemed to be wrapped in a cloth fell from the pile of luggage. Ma Fei reacted first and with a shout, reached out to break its fall. But she could not reach it in time.
Fortunately, the youth had reacted in time and grabbed the luggage before it fell to the ground. Ma Fei, who felt her heart in her throat, heaved a huge sigh of relief. The youth then put the cloth-wrapped luggage back where it was.
He then sat back down in his seat. Ma Fei watched him sit down and cleared her throat. Her lips parted as she said, “Thank you.”
“It’s nothing compared to getting a ride,” the youth waved dismissively and changed the topic, “Do you play the zither(guqin)?” His eyes fell on the little girl who was still looking at him with a sparkly and curious gaze.
“Yes, I play the zither,” she answered easily. She seemed more amiable after the youth saved her zither which was wrapped in the white cloth.
“And I play the pípá!” Chun Dong chimed in. “We were the best players in our town! The owner of the Swallowtail Tavern, who’s our friend, by the way, was so impressed that he offered us a job in his tavern.
“Oh, you play the pípá?” the youth asked in interest. “I’m quite interested in music myself.”
“Really?” Chun Dong’s tone increased by one pitch. His excitement in having found someone with similar interests was evident.
“Yeah,” the youth nodded.
“What do you play?”
“Flute.”
“Can you play us a song?” Chun Dong requested.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
“I would but I don’t have my flute with me.”
“Really…?” Chun Dong’s shoulders slumped.
The youth felt a bit bad seeing Chun Dong this down. So, he added, “…I know a bit of pípá too.”
“Really?” Chun Dong’s mood immediately lifted as he grinned at the youth. “Play a song for us!”
Unable to refuse, the youth just sighed and asked, “Where’s the pípá?”
“It’s at the back, tucked between two sacks of clothes.”
The youth rummaged around and found a pípá wrapped in a white cloth. He unraveled the cloth and looked at the pípá made out of acacia. He strummed the strings and checked if it was tuned properly. After twisting the knobs and adjusting them accordingly, he strummed the strings once again. Satisfied, he closed his eyes and began to play for real.
The soft melody being played sounded like nature. The chirpings of birds, the rustling of leaves, the gentle howl of the wind, everything felt encapsulated in the melody of four strings. The tone of the music was incredibly simple yet it harnessed a feeling of calmness and joy seldom felt. Like the fading gurgling of the river, the youth finally finished his song. Opening his eyes, he found that everyone else stared at him mesmerized. The carriage was stopped by the roadside; by the looks of it, they had only traveled a few dozen meters after he started playing.
“You guys okay?” he spoke, breaking everyone from their revere.
Ma Fei who came to her senses the earliest stood up and looked at him with shining eyes, “How did you learn to play like that?!” She had leaned in super close to him.
The youth leaned back clearly uncomfortable at his personal space being invaded. Ma Fei having understood this as well, backed away.
“Well, I can tell you but how about I do it as we travel?” he emphasized the last words whilst looking at Chun Dong.
Chun Dong got the hint and whipped the reins again. The horses started walking with a neigh as the carriage once again moved towards Bluebranch City.
----------------------------------------
As night fell, the group had parked their carriage a little bit to the side of the path and took out their camping gear. They decided to sleep in a vast open field which was a strategically good place to stay as any enemies would be spotted from a mile away.
Chun Dong and his family only had one large tent for their family and expressed their regret at not having another one for him but the youth waved it off. They lit a campfire and roasted a nearby wild animal they caught. Ma Fei was a particularly good cook. Her skillful use of spices really enhanced the dish of the simple roast by a lot.
After the hearty meal, Chun Dong and his family tucked in for the night while the youth offered to stay up and take the first watch.
The youth sat next to the campfire and tended to it. The flames danced and crackled, bathing the surroundings in a soft orange glow. He used this time to reflect and reorganize his thoughts.
Poking the fire with a stick, he thought about what to do next. “I have to learn all the techniques of my Cultivation Art as well as learn what happened to the family that lived in the house near where I woke up. I can put the main quest on the back burner. It might take years if not decades for me to meet the King of Ninth Heaven.”
“Right now, I should head to Bluebranch City and earn some money as well as gather some news. Maybe I’ll join a Sect or work in a merchant group.”
The youth sighed; he had no idea what to do. He had no idea if the side quest about the couple was tied to something bigger, something he couldn’t handle as he was right now. And he knew that if he wanted to start that quest, he needed to go back to the village where he woke up. It had become evident that the previous owner of this body has some relation to the quest. Maybe he was the one to issue the quest.
People can issue quests. He had learned that by now. Anything that is being asked of him can be a quest, whether the system notifies him about them was a completely different matter. He was stuck in a rut. Feeling directionless, he sighed once again.
As he was ruminating again, the tent behind him rustled quietly. He did not look behind him. The rustling stopped only to be followed by the pitter-patter of little feet. Chun Dong’s daughter, Chun Jia had come out of the tent and was peeking at him sneakily.
The youth smiled and quietly said, “Would you like to join me?”
His sudden request had made the young girl flinch but she meekly nodded her head and joined him. She sat on the ground and hugged her knees, keeping a slight distance between them.
“Isn’t it a bit past your bedtime?” the youth asked gently.
After a moment of silence, Chun Jia replied, “I can’t sleep.”
The youth finally turned to look at the young girl- black hair and curious eyes like her father, and a soft face like her mother. Her cheeks still had baby fat making them look like balls of mochi.
The youth inhaled. It smelled homely. Warmth emanated from deep within. He did not question it. For once, he’d like to relax.
“I see,” the youth nodded. “You look like you want to ask me something.”
The girl quietly nodded.
“What is it?”
“Where are your papa and mama?” She innocently asked a question that pricked his heart.
“…They’re in a faraway place.” Whether it be his original parents that he has no memories of or the parents of this body, this answer seemed to be the most fitting.
“Are they having fun?” Chun Jia leaned in and asked eagerly. It seemed she found the concept of adventures cool, so much so, that it made the youth laugh.
“Haha, yeah. I guess you can say that” he laughed, keeping his voice to a minimum.
“They didn’t take you with them…?”
“I…uh, no. I guess it wasn’t my time to go with them. Maybe one day when I’m old enough, I can go and visit them.”
“Ooh, then can I go adventuring too?” she seemed to jump from one topic to another. But that was fine, his mind was occupied.
“Hmm…” he pretended to think, “You know you have to be strong to go adventuring.”
“How strong?” she asked with a deep desire.
He replied in an exaggerated tone, “Very~ strong. Strong enough to level mountains.”
The young girl’s spirits dampened immediately. “B-But, I can’t be t-that strong.” She then pouted and sulked, “Why do I have to be that strong anyway!?”
“That’s because there are a lot of suspicious people around and they kidnap anyone who’s not strong!” He exclaimed in a whisper, “All strangers are suspicious! Aren’t I the same?”
The girl narrowed her eyes at him, “You are suspicious.” She reached out with her chubby hand and pulled down the mask on his face.
Seeing his face, she marveled at him. After a few seconds, the youth waved his hand in front of her face, “Are you okay?”
“You’re pretty,” she touched and rubbed his face.
“Oh?” he giggled, “how pretty?”
She took her hands off his face and spread them as far as she could, “Like, this~ pretty!”
The youth smiled warmly, “Thank you.”
“You’re even more pretty this way,” she once again started kneading his face like clay.
After a while of babbling, Chun Jia yawned and rubbed her eyes. Her eyes became droopy as sleep finally caught up to her.
“Are you finally sleepy?” the youth smiled and asked.
“N-No,-” it seemed as though simply asking this question had made her alert, “-I’m not sleepy!” Even if she said so, it was clear as day that she was about to nod off any second.
“Then, wait a second.” The youth got up under Chun Jia’s confused look and went to the nearby carriage. After coming back, the young girl saw her father’s pípá in the youth’s hand.
“Are you going to sing?” she asked excitedly.
“Yeah, a lullaby.” The youth tuned the pípá to match the melody he was going to play, “It’s a bit hard to tune it to a guitar, but I can make it work.”
After tuning it, he began playing. The song started with a repeat of simple chords and more chords were added after a while. Soon, he began to sing quietly and softly, just like you would a lullaby.
“Close your eyes
Feel the smell of cold air
Blowing outside this room.
Let's sing a little song together
So then the sleep fairy comes,
Sits next to you and pats your head.
Don't be scared, I'm here right next to you,
Holding your hands in mine smilingly
As you lay on my lap.
This dark night is silent
But the fireflies are still awake.
Maybe they're just waiting for you to fall asleep.
Holding your hands in mine.
Sitting next to you,
Waiting for the sun to rise.
O’ Sandman!
Come and plant a
Kiss on her forehead.
So sleep takes over and everything gets silent
O’ Moon,
Come closer
Remove this darkness.
Place yourself over her softly glowing forehead.
So that everything becomes enlightened around us.
So she doesn’t get scared.
"O’ Sleep Fairy,
Holding both her arms,
Take her to the dream's playhouse.
Wherein lies all her happiness.
"O’ Polaris,
Come down to earth.
And take her to the bed of paradise.
So, that her sleep isn’t disturbed.
If you see me there,
Singing a lullaby sitting next to you,
Plant a sweet kiss on my cheeks.
This dark night is silent
But the fireflies are still awake.
Maybe they're just waiting for you to fall asleep.
Holding your hands in mine,
Sitting next to you,
Waiting for the sun to rise.
O’ Sandman!
Come and plant a
Kiss on her forehead.
So sleep takes over and everything gets silent
O’ Moon,
Come closer.
Remove this darkness.
Place yourself over her softly glowing forehead.
So, that everything becomes enlightened around us.”[1]
As his hums and melody quietly faded, the surroundings once again fell to lonely silence. Chun Jia was curled up beside him and sleeping soundly. The youth smiled and wrapped the pípá in the white cloth.
He exhaled softly and looked up at the stars above. The moon was not there but the sentiment was.
A blue screen appeared in his periphery. He quietly looked at the sudden blue screen. It only contained two words.
[tHaNK yOu.]