Chapter 19: Changshan

Day broke, and the honored guests of Little Forest Castle prepared to leave. The giant man pulled the carriage, slowly heading toward the castle gate. Su Tang had already prepared himself and was waiting by the door. He knew his place; no one would be sent to invite him. Compared to him, the status of those attendants was far more noble.

Seeing Su Tang, Xue Jiu smiled and said a few words to the carriage. The giant man stopped as Xue Jiu walked to Su Tang’s side.

The carriage curtain was lifted, and the girl poked her head out. She looked Su Tang up and down and smiled, “Are you ready?”

“Thank you for your kindness, Grand Exalted, I…” Su Tang wanted to use some fancy words.

“I just feel that you are amusing. Kindness… I wouldn’t call it that.” The girl then said to Xue Jiu, “Uncle Jiu, give it to him.”

Seeing that infectious and beautiful smile once again, Su Tang suddenly realized that this Grand Exalted also had her own joys and sorrows. Because of her high status, she did not need to hide her emotions.

When she sat on the swing, she had seemed so cold. That was not intentional, but rather a deep-seated indifference toward humble lives, just as Zhou Jin had gone on a killing spree at Black Wind Castle.

Now, she was interested in him and wanted to give him some guidance. Therefore, in her eyes, Su Tang had finally become a human being, which was why she showed normal emotions.

Before this, he was just an ant!

However, among such high-status groups, she certainly leaned toward being kind. When he had sneaked into the East Courtyard to get close to her, she was not angry at being disturbed. When Zhu’er refused to let them stay, Xue Jiu had negotiated politely without making any threatening moves.

Overall, he felt he had not followed the wrong person, and that smile was very warm. Su Tang trusted his intuition.

Xue Jiu took out a black longbow from a saddlebag and handed it to Su Tang. Su Tang accepted the bow with great respect, his eyes glancing at the girl. He wondered if she wanted him to pursue the cultivation of archery.

“Uncle Jiu saw many ruined vegetable stumps. Were you practicing flying knives?” the girl asked.

“Yes.”

“That is just a child’s trick; it cannot be used on a real stage,” the girl said. “Since you like flying knives, you should also like archery.”

“This longbow is a keepsake from an old friend of mine. His talent was originally very good, but unfortunately… fate is unpredictable.” Xue Jiu sighed, then added, “These are his Martial Formula and Battle Formula. Study them slowly on your own, and ask me as soon as you find anything unclear.” After speaking, Xue Jiu took two yellowed booklets from his chest and handed them to Su Tang.

Shang Bin was also standing by. Hearing that flying knives were just child’s play, he felt beyond ashamed. Then, seeing Su Tang receive a longbow, a Martial Formula, and a Battle Formula, he became exceptionally excited.

Zhu’er and Ke’er did not care much about what Su Tang received. They just stared at him in silence. When Su Tang said this morning that he wanted to leave with the guests, they were completely stunned.

Shang Bin supported the idea with both hands. He believed a man’s ambition should be broad, and he should go out and explore the world. Zhu’er’s feelings were complex; if she didn’t let Su Tang go, she worried she would ruin his future, but if she let him go, she worried he would encounter danger outside. Ke’er was much simpler, expressing her feelings through crying. Su Tang spent a long time persuading them, exhausting his words before they finally calmed down.

“Thank you, Uncle Jiu,” Su Tang thanked him very seriously.

“No need to thank me. The name of this bow is Night Cry, and it is somewhat famous. Just do not let it down,” Xue Jiu said.

Su Tang put the longbow on his back and looked back at Zhu’er, Ke’er, and Shang Bin. After a moment, he smiled. “You remember my words, right?”

Zhu’er and Ke’er both nodded vigorously, and tears welled up in Shang Bin’s eyes. Su Tang turned around decisively and jumped onto his horse, following at the end of the convoy.

Su Tang did not like a sorrowful atmosphere, as it only brought sadness. It was better to be direct.

The convoy traveled east. Su Tang was very observant. Whenever the convoy stopped, he always ran back and forth to help. Once the chores were done, he had to practice the Martial Formula, often only finding time to rest in the middle of the night.

Everyone in the convoy, including the girl, greatly underestimated Su Tang. His performance at certain times made them feel he was clumsy, but this was because their resources, horizons, and experience were severely unequal.

In fact, Su Tang was much smarter than they thought!

For example, when Xue Jiu said upon leaving Little Forest Castle to ask him anything he didn’t understand as soon as possible, Su Tang immediately judged that he would not follow the convoy for long. The Grand Exalted would likely make arrangements for him at some nearby place and then leave, and the most likely place was Changshan County.

Of course, Su Tang’s ability needed time to be proven, and he also needed time to grow.

More than ten days later, as Su Tang had analyzed, the convoy slowly approached the town of Changshan County. The south of Changshan County was near the border of the duchy, and to the north was the endless Black Forest. It was a strategic location and home to several Practitioner families who were quite famous in the duchy. It had a large population and covered a vast area.

When entering the city gate, Su Tang saw that Xue Jiu paid the fee just like everyone else. The soldiers guarding the gate did not think much of Xue Jiu; they only looked at the giant man pulling the carriage with some curiosity. Su Tang smiled secretly to himself. Coming to Changshan County, he was finally a country bumpkin, but the knowledge of the people in the county did not seem much better than his own.

He added one more evaluation of the “higher-ups”: they were not the type who liked to bully others or feared losing face.

Walking straight along the main street, they approached the city center. The convoy then turned aside and entered a courtyard. Strangely, there seemed to be no one in the courtyard, so Zhou Jin had to climb over the wall to open the gate from the inside.

Su Tang had been observing. The bolt of the courtyard gate was rusted, and the path was covered in layers of withered yellow or blackened fallen leaves. It felt soft underfoot. Weeds grew wild in the courtyard. Passing several houses, he saw thick dust on the windowsills. This place had not been lived in or cleaned for at least two or three years.

Su Tang shook his head. He didn’t know how many times higher the land prices in Changshan County were compared to Little Forest Castle. This courtyard was near the city center and was so large; leaving it empty was too wasteful. But then he remembered that they didn’t even care about the Magic Orchid, so what was there for him to be surprised about?

The girl got out of the carriage and looked around. After a moment, she sighed softly, “Perhaps… there will be no chance to return in the future. Young Master Su, this place now belongs to you.”

“This…” Su Tang tried to decline, but remembering the girl’s temper, he shut his mouth.

“Uncle Jiu, go and call Long Qi over,” the girl said.

“Yes, Grand Exalted,” Xue Jiu replied.

Su Tang’s eyes shifted. He had always been curious about what the title “Grand Exalted” represented, but unfortunately, he could not find a suitable way to ask.