togophonebook Chapter 55 The Return Journey
Chapter 55 The Return Journey
The next day, early in the morning.
Zhang Lin bid farewell to Sun He, used earth magic to leave Qingyun Town, and embarked on the official road to Chuzhou.
The official road of Huainan Road was wide and flat, wide enough for four horses to ride abreast. The road surface was paved with bluestone, and drainage ditches were dug on both sides. Locust trees were planted along the ditches, their branches and leaves lush and rustling in the morning breeze.
This is the official road of the Great Yan Dynasty.
The Great Yan, a mortal dynasty in the Divine Continent, has been established for over three hundred years. Although its power has gradually declined, it is still the nominal master of this land.
Zhang Lin walked along the official road, slowing his pace.
He's not in a hurry.
Qingyun Town is only two hundred li away from Chuzhou, and can be reached in half a day by official road, around noon.
If one uses the Wind Control Technique, they can arrive in less than half an hour.
But he didn't do that.
Firstly, although the Wind Control Technique is fast, it consumes true energy, which is a waste.
Secondly, he wanted to take a walk.
Spring has arrived, and the wheat seedlings in the fields are green and stretch as far as the eye can see, like a green carpet.
Farmers are busy in the fields, bending over to weed and irrigate, sweat dripping down their dark faces and onto the soil.
Occasionally, an oxcart would pass by, the driver shouting to urge the oxen on, while the peasant woman on the cart, holding her child, would curiously observe the young man traveling alone.
Looking at all this, Zhang Lin felt a little dazed.
The mundane world of human life and the bloody battles of the cultivation world seem like two completely different realms.
He spent several months cultivating at Shangqing Temple, fought several battles at Black Wind Mountain, and engaged in a battle of wits and courage with the Zhou family in Qingxuan City. He almost forgot that the majority of people in this world are still mortals.
Ordinary people are born, ordinary people die, ordinary people farm, ordinary people work, ordinary people marry and have children, and ordinary people grow old, get sick and die.
A century has passed in the blink of an eye.
But he has already embarked on a different path.
A path to immortality and transcendence from the mundane.
He didn't know how far this road would take him.
But since we've started, we must see it through to the end.
Zhang Lin withdrew his gaze and continued walking.
Chen Shi (7-9 AM).
Zhang Lin took a break at a roadside tea stall.
The tea stall was simple, a few pieces of wood supporting a thatched shed, with a few rough wooden tables and benches placed under the shed.
An old woman was boiling water in front of the stove, while an old man was greeting guests beside her.
Zhang Lin found a corner to sit down and ordered a bowl of tea.
The tea was coarse, bitter, but it quenched thirst.
He sipped his drink slowly, gazing into the distance.
The official road of Huainan Circuit winds forward and disappears behind the distant hills.
Beyond the hills lies Chuzhou.
The Zhang family.
He recalled the mansion from the original owner's memories.
In the east of Chuzhou city, there is a quiet alley with an old locust tree at the entrance. Under the tree, several old men often play chess.
The Zhang family mansion is not large, with three courtyards, gray bricks and tiles, and two stone lions in front of the gate, which have been polished smooth and rounded by the years.
There is an old osmanthus tree in the courtyard, which fills the courtyard with fragrance every autumn.
His mother, Wang, would set up a small table under the osmanthus tree and do some needlework while waiting for him to come home from school.
My father, Zhang Chongyuan, once served as the chief administrator of Chuzhou, in charge of the prefecture's finances and taxes. Although his official rank was not high, he was still quite influential in the area.
Three years ago, Zhang Chongyuan resigned from his official post, saying he was tired of the infighting in officialdom and wanted to go home for some peace and quiet.
The original owner always thought of her father as a frustrated scholar and her mother as a virtuous and capable housewife.
Until that night, the words spoken in the study shattered his sixteen years of understanding of the world.
Immortals. Immortality. Cultivation. Bloodline. Marriage alliance.
The original owner had only seen these words in supernatural tales and never imagined they would become entangled with her fate.
He couldn't accept it.
Or rather, he didn't know how to accept it.
So he ran away.
He left a letter, carried a bundle, and left Chuzhou City overnight.
He wanted to go up the mountain to seek the Tao.
Zhang Lin picked up the teacup and drank the remaining tea in one gulp.
The bitter tea slid down his throat and into his stomach. He put down the bowl, took out a copper coin, and placed it on the table.
"Old man, here's the money for the tea."
The old woman took the coin and smiled kindly, "Take care, sir."
Zhang Lin got up and continued on his way.
As the sun rose higher, more and more pedestrians appeared on the official road.
There were farmers driving donkey carts into town to sell vegetables, scholars riding donkeys, peddlers carrying loads on their shoulders, and women traveling in groups.
Zhang Lin blended into the crowd, keeping a low profile.
At noon, the sun was blazing.
Chuzhou City is in sight.
The city wall is not high, and it is made of blue bricks. It has been weathered and is somewhat mottled.
The city gates were wide open, and pedestrians came and went in a bustling and lively atmosphere.
Zhang Lin slowed his pace, stood outside the city gate, and looked up at the two characters "Chuzhou" on the gate.
The original owner had seen these two words countless times.
When I was a child, I went to the city with my father. I sat on his shoulders, looked up at those two words, and was filled with curiosity.
As I grew up, I studied and learned to write, and I went in and out of the city gates every day. It became a routine, and I no longer felt that there was anything special about it.
Then one morning, he ran out of the city gate without looking back.
Now, he's back.
Zhang Lin took a deep breath and stepped into the city gate.
The city streets remain bustling.
The bluestone pavement has been polished smooth as a mirror by the years, and shops line both sides, including restaurants, teahouses, cloth shops, and pharmacies.
The shouts of vendors, the laughter of children, and the storytelling voices emanating from restaurants all intertwined, creating a lively symphony of everyday life.
Zhang Lin walked among the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the familiar street scenes.
The original owner's memories came flooding back like a tidal wave.
He had walked this street countless times.
He often went to that bookstore to buy writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.
He often went to that teahouse with his classmates to drink tea and listen to storytelling.
His father had taken him to that restaurant for a meal on his sixteenth birthday, which cost thirty taels of silver, making his father frown with heartache.
Zhang Lin withdrew his gaze and turned into a small alley.
The alley was deep and secluded, with high walls and courtyards on both sides. One alley was planted with locust trees, whose branches and leaves were so lush that they blocked out the sun.
This is the Nobleman's Lane in Chuzhou, inhabited by prominent families in the city.
The Zhang family lived at the very end of this alley.
Zhang Lin walked to the end of the alley and stopped.
Before us stood a three-courtyard house with blue bricks and gray tiles, upturned eaves, and two stone lions in front of the gate, which, though somewhat mottled, were still quite imposing.
Above the door hangs a plaque with the two characters "Zhang Mansion," written in a vigorous and powerful style by Zhang Chongyuan himself.
Zhang Lin stood in front of the door, silent for a moment.
The door was ajar, and the sound of sweeping could be heard from inside.
He raised his hand and pushed open the door.
"Who is it?" An old servant emerged from behind the screen wall, holding a broom. He was stunned when he saw Zhang Lin.
"Young Master?"
The old servant rubbed his eyes, looked again carefully, then suddenly dropped the broom, turned and ran inside, shouting as he ran, "Master, Madam, the young master is back! The young master is back!"
The sound echoed through the courtyard, carrying a mixture of surprise and sobs.
Zhang Lin stood inside the gate, looking at the familiar courtyard.
The osmanthus tree in the courtyard has grown thicker, and its canopy now covers half of the yard.
Moss had grown on the stone steps, indicating that they hadn't been tended to for a long time.
The parrot cage under the eaves was still there. The old parrot tilted its head and looked at him, cawing twice.
"They're back, they're back."
Zhang Lin strode towards the main hall.
Zhang Chongyuan had already come out to greet them in the main hall.
He appeared to be in his forties, with a thin face, three long wisps of beard, and wore a worn-out blue cloth robe with a cloth belt around his waist. He no longer possessed the air of a former governor of Chuzhou.
He looked much older after several months.
More gray hair at the temples, deeper wrinkles at the corners of the eyes, and a slightly hunched back.
Upon seeing Zhang Lin, he paused, stood at the entrance of the hall, and stared blankly.
The father and son looked at each other.
(Thank you to all the readers who have voted for this book since its release, with monthly tickets and recommendation votes. Your names are all too long to mention, but thank you all for liking this book!!!)