Chapter 74: Chapter 73: A Steadfast Dao Heart, Forging Ahead

Huailing City is just ahead!

After surviving the disaster, some laughed, some cried.

The group rested in place for only about ten minutes before the Escort Masters raised their Escort Flags once more and called out to set off.

Those who remained at the foot of Cold Hill Mountain would remain there forever.

The survivors had to keep moving forward.

Fortunately, Huailing City truly wasn’t far. After the group traveled another ten li, they saw a city rising up from the open land ahead!

It wasn’t particularly tall or grand, but bathed in the twilight glow, it looked so stable and serene.

From a distance, they could see that besides the City Guards at the gate, there were also five or six people dressed as clerks and Government Officials.

A table was set up to the side of the gate, and behind it sat a person in a light cyan official’s robe—the color of the Ninth Grade. But regardless of whether they were Ninth Grade or some other rank, no matter how low, they were still an official.

The men from the Situong Escort Agency went ahead to inquire, and in just a moment, the Escort Agency relayed the news back.

The Escort Masters urged everyone, "Hurry, let’s move quickly! Get your Household Registrations and exchange them for Number Plates to enter the city. Don’t keep the masters waiting!"

What was going on?

It turned out the Government Office in Huailing had already made preparations to receive the people of Su Yang!

The person sitting by the gate was a Director sent from the County Magistrate’s Office, specifically to handle the settlement of Su Yang’s people.

According to the Escort Masters, this was because while the people were making their arduous journey, the Su Yang County Magistrate, Fang Jintai, had already dispatched messengers to several places to coordinate with the surrounding cities, requesting that their local Government Offices help settle the refugees.

This news struck the most tender spot in the hearts of the people who had just survived the great calamity, and a cheer erupted from the crowd.

Aunt Jin Hua, however, burst into tears. She hugged Yu Chan tightly and said to Song Ciwan beside her, "Lady Yue, we only left Su Yang a day ago, but for some reason, I feel like it’s been so much longer."

"As if... as if it’s been half a lifetime..."

Yu Chan trembled in her arms, and she too said tremulously, "Our group, the ones who left with the Situong Escort Agency, originally had at least two or three thousand people. But now, those of us lining up here... if you count carefully, haven’t we lost a huge chunk?"

Aunt Jin Hua couldn’t count exactly how many were gone.

Up on the front shaft of the cart, Yu Lin wiped the cold sweat from his face and said, "Ma, we’ve lost several hundred people. Of those walking on foot at the back, more than half are gone."

Aunt Jin Hua was crying and laughing at the same time. "So many people are gone, but at least we survived."

"No wonder they say it’s hard to travel. If we had known it would be like this, I wonder if everyone would have preferred to stay and die in Su Yang rather than leave?"

Song Ciwan asked, "Auntie, are you regretting leaving the city?"

Aunt Jin Hua sighed. "Regret it or not, we had no choice. Your Uncle Yu insisted that I take the children and leave. He said he would catch up to us before long..."

At this, her tone grew more dejected, and she lost all of her former brisk energy.

’Just getting from Su Yang to Huailing was this difficult. How much harder would it be to cross several more cities to reach Pinglan City? Did they really have to go to Pinglan?’

In fact, Aunt Jin Hua wasn’t the only one thinking this way.

From the moment they escaped death at the foot of Cold Hill Mountain, most of the people in the group had already started thinking about staying in Huailing.

They were all leaving their homes behind, so what did it matter where they went?

It would be better to stay in Huailing. At least it was closer to Su Yang, the accents weren’t too different between the two cities, and it would be easier to blend in.

Most importantly, the Huailing Government Office was actually helping the people settle!

Later, the people received their respective Number Plates at the city gate. Those with little money and no place to stay mostly followed the officials to the government-run Inn. They could stay there temporarily in large, communal sleeping rooms for a very cheap price.

Huailing offered several ways to settle the people. Those who planned to stay in Huailing had three days to choose a plan, while those who didn’t could exchange their Number Plates for a Road Guide.

Yu Lin drove the cart toward the Inn. On the way, Aunt Jin Hua said to him, "Ah Lin, once the cart stops, take some silver and buy a couple of gifts. Also, take that ten-year-old ginseng of ours and go ask your Uncle Wei at the Situong Escort Agency how many people are staying in Huailing."

"Also, ask if the Escort Agency has a way to send a message back to Su Yang. If they can, ask him to help pass a message to your father. Tell him we’re not going to Pinglan City for now; we’ll wait for him here in Huailing!"

"We’ll decide whether to go to Pinglan after he comes and finds us."

Aunt Jin Hua’s decision was decisive. Yu Lin was stunned for a moment, then quickly and loudly agreed.

The whip cracked, and even Yu Lin’s driving seemed to become a little lighter and quicker.

Aunt Jin Hua also breathed a sigh of relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted from her heart. A smile returned to her face as she said to Song Ciwan, "Lady Yue, you should stay in Huailing, too. It was my fault for not thinking it through, telling you to go to Pinglan. This long journey... it’s really not something ordinary folks like us can handle."

Song Ciwan said, "What you say makes sense, Auntie, but since there’s a road ahead, I still want to walk it."

Her words stunned both Aunt Jin Hua and Yu Chan. She continued, "Auntie, my life was given back to me. Now that I’ve left Su Yang, the whole world is my home. Since that’s the case, why not travel farther? Why not see more distant scenery and a wider world?"

"Think about it. Pinglan has all the great Immortal Sects and countless masters. If I go and take a look, I might even find my own immortal destiny, right?"

She turned her head and gave Aunt Jin Hua a playful wink.

Aunt Jin Hua was so shocked she was speechless. After a long moment, she stammered, "We’re... we’re just ordinary folk, and you... you’re still a young lady! Shouldn’t you find a safe place to settle down, get married, and have children? You..."

’Immortal destiny! Who hadn’t dreamed of it? But how many people would truly dare to risk their lives and everything they had to pursue it?’

This overturned Aunt Jin Hua’s entire view on life. Although she had Yu Lin practice martial arts, that was Yu Lin. She had never once thought of letting Yu Chan do the same!

Yu Chan peeked out from Aunt Jin Hua’s embrace, her bright, watery eyes looking at Song Ciwan with the curiosity and admiration of a young fawn.

The Heaven and Earth Scale appeared, collecting two clumps of energy in succession.

[Human Desires: Shock, worry, fear. Three jin and two taels. Sellable.]

[Human Desires: Affection, reverence, longing. Two jin and one tael. Sellable.]

One clump came from Aunt Jin Hua, the other from Yu Chan.

’This is a real surprise.’

’If I had known that making a few comments against worldly conventions could provoke such a strong emotional response, wouldn’t I have gotten rich long ago?’

Aunt Jin Hua pointed a finger at Song Ciwan, her tone full of exasperation. "You silly girl, why must you be so crazy? To not cherish yourself like this... if your parents knew, they’d probably want to jump out of their graves and smack you a few times! You, oh... you’re really something else!"

She clutched her chest, looking as if she couldn’t speak or catch her breath.

Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Song Ciwan quickly supported her and patted her back to help her breathe.

As she did, she said, "Auntie, since I’ve been to the Washing Room, I’m no longer considering marriage and children. Even if I don’t say anything and you don’t say anything, maybe no one will ever know. But I can deceive others, I can’t deceive myself. To marry and have children after being tainted by Demon Fiend Malice would only harm others and myself. So why bother?"

This was actually a lie Song Ciwan had made up. She didn’t actually have any Malice on her; if she had, she would have sold it to the Heaven and Earth Scale long ago.

But her decision not to marry and have children was true.

The path to longevity was destined to be a lonely one. Song Ciwan was already on this path, and she would continue to forge ahead without looking back!

That meant some things would inevitably have to be abandoned.

Song Ciwan’s Dao Heart might not yet be perfect, but at least it was resolute!

The Heaven and Earth Scale appeared again, this time obtaining another clump of energy: [Human Desires: Love, worry, regret. One jin and two taels. Sellable.]

This clump of energy came from Yu Lin, who was outside the cart.

He had also heard Song Ciwan’s words and thus contributed a burst of intense emotion.

It was the awakening of young love. In that moment, the young Yu Lin’s heart was stirred.

But he also clearly understood that sometimes, a feeling must be extinguished the moment it sprouts. And so, besides regret, there was only his silence.

Aunt Jin Hua, however, was not silent. She sighed several times before finally saying, "Fine. Since your mind is made up, you should go with Yu Lin when he goes to find his Uncle Wei later."

"Travel with the Situong Escort Agency. It’s better to have them look after you than for you to rush off blindly with no sense of direction."

Song Ciwan agreed, a warmth spreading through her heart.

’I once held a grudge because Constable Yu had taken Song Youde’s pension, but thinking about it now, I realize that mortals in this world truly face too many helpless situations. Aunt Jin Hua had, in a way, already paid back the five taels of silver from the pension, and all the care she’d shown since then had been genuine. After all, the world isn’t black and white. Learning to let go is, perhaps, a form of Cultivation in itself.’

The cart arrived at the Inn, where an attendant came over to take the horse and unhitch the cart. Ahead, they saw a bustling crowd of people, creating a lively scene.

Yu Lin asked what was going on, and the attendant replied enthusiastically, "It’s the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List! The last update before the new year! A transcribed copy of the list just reached our Huailing today, and everyone is clamoring to get a look!"

The attendant was bursting with excitement, his expression full of vicarious pride. "This time, a Celestial Pride from our very own Huailing City made the list!"

"The Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List records one hundred Celestial Prides from the Ten Thousand Races. For the Human Race, it only includes those under fifty years old, and for the Demon Race, only those under one hundred. The list is updated once every three months. At the Longevity Platform in our Great Zhou Capital, the Celestial Pride List hangs day and night. On the day of an update, the names on the list wash away like a waterfall and are replaced on their own, with no one needing to do a thing."

"It’s absolutely miraculous! No one knows how the Ten Thousand Spirits Celestial Pride List gathers information on all the different Celestial Prides, but it is definitely the most impartial!"

"This time, a Celestial Pride from our Huailing City has made the list—it’s the Chi Hua Fairy!"

It was actually the Chi Hua Fairy!

’The Chi Hua Fairy was originally from Huailing?’

The question had barely formed in Song Ciwan’s mind when Yu Lin voiced it aloud: "I know of the Chi Hua Fairy, too. She came to Su Yang a while ago to vanquish Demon Fiends. But I heard the Fairy was from the County. How could that be?"

The attendant immediately jutted out his chin and said loudly, "The Chi Hua Fairy may be a true disciple of Qionghua Pavilion, but her ancestral home is Huailing. It’s recorded on the Celestial Pride List. If you don’t believe me, you can buy a copy of the list and see for yourself. It’s right there in black and white. You think I’d lie to you?"

Yu Lin was good-natured, however, and just scratched his head sheepishly. "It’s not that I don’t believe you, I was just asking. Where can I buy one of these lists? I’d like to get a copy."

The attendant instantly pulled a sheet of paper densely covered in writing from behind his back and said with a grin, "As it happens, this humble one has some for sale right here. That’ll be two cents, thank you."

Yu Lin: "..."