Chapter 101: Zhu Han Takes a Master

An old ox, a simple cart shed, and three people – that was all Old Wang owned.

"Uncle, where are you going?" Gu Feng looked at the five-year-old girl before him, who was calling him uncle, and felt a bit awkward. He was only sixteen! Already an uncle to someone. He smiled and said, "I'm going to Earth City. What about you?"

"Wow! Uncle is going to Earth City too? So are we! But it's a long way from here to Earth City."

"Why are you going to Earth City then?" Gu Feng was puzzled. All three of them were ordinary people. Crossing the mountains and grasslands, at an ordinary pace, would take at least half a month, not to mention the dangers along the way.

"Because my mom is from Earth City! We're going to see my grandma and grandpa."

"Oh!"

"Uncle, let me tell you! My dad is really amazing. He tricked mom from Earth City to Muwang City! Everyone in our village praises my dad for being so clever. Don't you think my dad is amazing?"

Gu Feng looked at the burly middle-aged man and said from the heart, "He really is amazing."

The man laughed heartily. "Hahaha! Don't listen to my daughter's nonsense. Miao Yun, my wife, is someone I saved while hunting outside the city. She was grateful to me, so she married me. Come to think of it, Miao Yun has been married to me for seven years now, and this is her first time visiting her parents' home."

Miao Yun studied Gu Feng but said nothing.

Gu Feng said with a grin, "Uncle, you're really lucky. You picked up a wife just like that, and she's so beautiful."

Gu Feng looked at Miao Yun. Though her face was scarred, he could tell she must have been a great beauty before.

Everyone had their own story. Since others didn't want to share, Gu Feng didn't ask.

The man asked, "Young man, what are you going to Earth City for?"

Gu Feng said calmly, "My surname is 'Gu.'"

"What? Your surname is 'Gu'?" Gu Feng hadn't expected Miao Yun to be so shocked by his family name. Perplexed, he asked, "Do you know the Gu family?"

Miao Yun recalled, "The Gu family of Earth City, though a second-rate power, has quite a reputation."

Miao Yun added, "Since you're from the Gu family, you must not be an ordinary person."

Gu Feng gave a wry smile. "So what if I'm ordinary? So what if I'm not? As long as we're still flesh and blood, what difference does it make? Why care so much?"

The man didn't fully understand, but what he did grasp seemed full of reason. He declared loudly, "Well said! What's wrong with being ordinary? Eating, drinking, and answering nature's call, living and dying – so what if you're not ordinary? Can you escape death? Can you stop eating?"

Gu Feng also smiled. "Uncle, that's quite an insight."

"Haha! Having lived this long, I naturally see many things clearly."

"Uncle, have a cornbread." The little girl handed Gu Feng a cornbread.

Gu Feng took the cornbread, feeling nostalgic. In the past, even cornbread had been hard for them to get; they often filled their stomachs with wild vegetables.

He took a bite of the hard cornbread, eating it with relish. Patting the little girl's head, he said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, uncle. The cornbread is tasty, right? My mom made it herself. It's delicious and fragrant."

"Delicious. You have a good mother." As he said this, Gu Feng's tears fell.

The little girl panicked. "Uncle, why are you crying? Is the cornbread not tasty?"

Miao Yun also looked at Gu Feng but said nothing.

"No, no, the cornbread is very tasty. Uncle just remembered something sad."

The little girl wiped Gu Feng's tears with her small hands and asked innocently, "Uncle, do you have something sad? Tell Han'er, okay? Mom says that if you have worries, you should talk about them. Once you do, you'll feel happier."

Gu Feng smiled but didn't want to speak. However, seeing the girl's innocent, expectant eyes, he couldn't help telling her about his life.

"I'm an orphan. An old man found me and raised me. His surname was Gu, so I took his surname. I've never eaten a meal cooked by my mother. I don't even know who they are."

As he spoke, Gu Feng almost cried again.

"Don't cry, uncle. Han'er's mom can be your mom too."

Hearing this, Gu Feng looked at Miao Yun in surprise, thinking, "That mother is too young!"

Miao Yun looked at Gu Feng and asked, "So this is your first time to Earth City. You want to go to the Gu family? But have you considered that you're not of Gu blood? They might not acknowledge you."

Gu Feng smiled. "It doesn't matter if they acknowledge me or not. I just want to go and see."

Miao Yun nodded, fell silent, and turned to look at the scenery.

Seeing the awkward atmosphere, the man said loudly, "Young man, don't be afraid. No matter what you do, as long as you've put in your effort, that's enough. The result isn't really that important."

Gu Feng smiled knowingly. The man was a good person, and he was moved. He said softly, "I understand, uncle."

All four of them kept traveling. The old ox seemed not to know fatigue. Though its pace was slow, it kept pulling everyone forward without the slightest complaint.

The sun gradually receded, leaving a patch of rosy clouds in the distant sky. Night was approaching.

The man said to the ox, "Old ox, let's find a place to rest. Traveling at night is too dangerous. You need rest too."

"Moo!" The old ox let out a low bellow, then pulled them toward a nearby grove of trees.

Gu Feng said in surprise, "Uncle, can the ox understand what you say?"

The man said proudly, "Of course. When I was very young, I was the one who herded him. He's been with me for over thirty years. He understands me, and I understand him."

Gu Feng clicked his tongue in amazement. An ox over thirty years old had indeed become spiritual. He marveled at how vast the world was, full of wonders.

The old ox pulled the cart and stopped not too far from the main road. The man untied the rope for it, and the old ox went off to graze on its own.

The man said to Gu Feng and the mother-daughter pair, "Rest here. I'll go see if I can hunt some game." With that, he went into the cart, slung a bow and arrows, and entered the forest alone.

Watching the man walk far away, Miao Yun let Han'er go play by the ox, then walked up to Gu Feng and said, "You look familiar. I feel like I've seen you before. When I left the city this morning, a young man fought his way into Muwang City. He looked a lot like you."

Gu Feng smiled slightly. "Is this question really that important?"

"The question isn't important. I only worry about my husband and daughter."

"You think I'd hurt them? If I wanted to hurt them, would I need to go to all this trouble? I'm tired. I just want to live like an ordinary person, like before – when there was old Gu, and my little sister. The food wasn't good, the clothes weren't good, and I was timid too. But that feeling was wonderful. Now I can't go back. My sister's whereabouts are unknown, old Gu is dead, and my close companion is dead too. I'm all alone. I'm tired. Truly tired."

"I'm sorry."

"Why apologize? You've done nothing wrong. You have your own story, don't you? If you need my help, you can tell me. Consider it payment for traveling together this way."