Chapter 174

"Young Master Lu, Old Doctor Chen, are you really leaving?"

In the Wei residence, upon hearing that Lu Qing and the others were preparing to leave, Wei Zian immediately ran to the Bamboo Grove Courtyard.

He then saw that his father and mother were also present.

"Indeed, we have stayed at your esteemed residence long enough. It is time for us to return, or else the people in the village might become worried," Lu Qing nodded.

They had stayed in the county for nearly half a month.

Although they had previously asked the Wei residence to send a message back to Jiuli Village, it was inevitable that the villagers would still worry after such a long absence.

Now that the matters in the county had been satisfactorily resolved, there was no reason for them to stay any longer. seaʀᴄh thё novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Moreover, while the county was nice, it was also restrictive, making many things inconvenient.

During this period, even Lu Qing had to be very careful while practicing his skills, fearing he might disturb others.

So home was still the best place. In the mountains, he could practice without worrying about disturbing anyone.

Even the old doctor had a strong desire to return.

He still had a few patients in Jiuli Village whose illnesses were not completely cured.

Before leaving, he had prepared medicine for them, but it was likely nearly used up by now, and he needed to go back for follow-up treatment.

"Young Master Lu, how could you say such a thing? Having you and the old doctor stay here is an honor for our Wei residence, how could it be considered a disturbance?" Wei Xinghe said hurriedly.

He wished Lu Qing and the others would stay in the residence indefinitely.

"Indeed, Young Master Lu, you can stay as long as you like. How could you possibly be a disturbance?" Madam Wei also said.

She did not want Lu Qing and the others to leave, especially reluctant to part with Xiaoyan.

These days, she had been teaching Xiaoyan to read and write, and they had grown very close, almost treating her like a real daughter.

"Thank you for your kind offer, but we have been away from home for a long time and should go back to check on things."

In the end, no matter how much Wei Xinghe and the others tried to persuade them, Lu Qing and the old doctor expressed their intention to leave.

Helpless, Wei Xinghe had to order preparations to be made.

As for Wei Shanhai, he had not appeared at all. It was unclear whether he was not in the residence or simply did not care about their departure.

Soon, Wei Xinghe and the others escorted Lu Qing and the others to the city gate.

"You are living quite comfortably, I see."

Seeing the significantly plumper White-Horned Bull in front of the cart, Lu Qing laughed and scolded.

"Moo!"

The bull seemed very happy to see Lu Qing, lightly nudging his hand.

Lu Qing began to take some boxes from the Wei family's servants and place them on the cart.

Most of the contents were special products he had bought for the villagers.

As for the generous gifts from the Wei residence, they only took a token amount, politely declining the rest.

Given their current status, they no longer had a great need for gold and silver.

At home, they already had large boxes of gold and silver, which they had not yet figured out how to use.

"Xiaoyan, let's go!"

After everything was loaded, Lu Qing called out.

"Auntie, goodbye! Xiaoyan is going home!"

Hugging Xiaoli, Xiaoyan reluctantly said goodbye to Madam Wei.

During these days, she had spent every day with Madam Wei, and they had developed a deep bond.

Madam Wei was even more reluctant, her eyes filling with tears. "Xiaoyan, be good. When Auntie has time, she will visit you in Jiuli Village."

"Really? Then Xiaoyan will wait for Auntie at home!" Xiaoyan's eyes lit up.

Madam Wei felt a pang in her heart, almost wanting to follow them.

Fortunately, she still had her reason, and she nodded with tears in her eyes. "Of course it's true."

The little girl immediately became happy, bouncing towards Lu Qing and was lifted onto the cart.

The old doctor still wore his hat, sitting at the front.

Because he had been living a secluded life, keeping a low profile, during this period, except for the people in the Wei residence, no one in the county knew that the mysterious Precelestial expert who had suddenly appeared was the well-known Old Doctor Chen.

"Master Wei, there's no need to see us off any further. As the saying goes, a thousand miles together must part eventually. Let us part here."

Lu Qing cupped his hands, speaking politely.

"Young Brother Lu, once I'm done with family matters, I'll visit the Grand Bazaar and have a meal and drink at your place!"

Just arriving at the city gate, Mago called out heartily.

"Haha, that would be great. I'll prepare a few good dishes for you." Lu Qing laughed as well.

Amidst the laughter, the old doctor snapped the whip, and with a crisp sound, the cart started moving, slowly heading out.

Just as it had arrived from afar.

Except, there were now two or three fewer people on the cart.

Madam Wei and Wei Zian watched the cart slowly leave, their eyes reddening.

Initially, they had returned with great anxiety.

Now, the cart that had escorted them was leaving.

For a moment, their hearts were filled with various emotions, a mix of feelings.

"Auntie, goodbye!"

As the cart moved far away, almost out of sight, Xiaoyan stood up, waving vigorously.

Her childish voice echoed from afar.

Madam Wei's tears finally could not be held back, streaming down her face.

Lu Qing and the others left the city openly, without trying to conceal their departure.

So, before long, news of their departure spread throughout the various forces in the city.

"They really left?"

In the County Magistrate's residence, Yan Canghai looked at his confidant who had come to report, his face serious.

"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. Young Master Lu left in a cart, with the young lady also on board. The driver seemed to be an old man, and many people in the city saw it," the confidant confirmed.

"Did you see the old man's face?" Yan Canghai asked quickly.

"No, the old man wore a hat, hiding his face. His voice sounded very old, but his appearance couldn't be seen," the confidant replied.

"Still hiding his identity," Yan Canghai was disappointed and waved his hand. "Alright, you may go."

After the confidant left, Yan Canghai sat there, pondering for a while, then suddenly got up and went to the small building where the plain-clothed youth stayed.

Just as he was about to knock, he heard a faint voice from beside him, "What is it?"

Turning his head, he saw his friend standing in the pavilion not far away, holding a book.

Yan Canghai smiled and walked over, "I just received news that Young Master Lu and his master have left the county."

"Mm." The plain-clothed youth nodded, showing no surprise on his face.

"Zhi Yue, since they have left, can you now tell me who Young Master Lu's master, that mysterious Precelestial expert, really is?"

Ever since the plain-clothed youth said that the suddenly appeared Precelestial expert was someone he knew, Yan Canghai had immediately started investigating.

However, after checking all the martial arts experts he knew, he still had no clue.

Not a single identity matched that mysterious Precelestial expert.

Later, he tried to investigate Lu Qing, but that also led nowhere.

Because this one was even more mysterious.



No one knew Lu Qing's background.

It was as if he had appeared out of thin air. Before coming to the county, there had not been any rumors about this young man in the world.

So, Yan Canghai was extremely curious about their identities.

The plain-clothed youth did not speak, just quietly looked at him.

Yan Canghai felt a chill in his heart, but he forced himself to remain calm. "Previously, you spoke of that thousand-year upheaval in such a terrifying manner. I couldn't inquire about that, but I should at least know the identity of this mysterious Precelestial expert, right? You said I even know him."

The plain-clothed youth looked at Yan Canghai for a while, knowing that he would not rest until this matter was clarified.

So, he sighed and said helplessly, "I suppose there's no harm in telling you. That Precelestial expert is indeed someone you know. He is the old doctor you once invited, Chen Songqing."

"What?!"

Yan Canghai's eyes widened, completely stunned by this revelation.

It took him a long time to recover.

"Zhi Yue, are you sure that Precelestial expert is Old Doctor Chen Songqing?" Yan Canghai asked with difficulty.

The plain-clothed youth glanced at him sideways, seemingly disdaining to answer.

"But, how is that possible?" Yan Canghai swallowed, still finding it hard to believe.

"That Old Doctor Chen, though his martial arts were decent, reaching the peak of the Internal Organs Realm, his age had long surpassed his prime. It would be impressive if he could maintain his realm without regression. How could he have broken through to the Precelestial Realm in such a short time?"

Moreover, he was so powerful that even the old Precelestial expert, Wang Cangyi, did not dare to offend him.

The more Yan Canghai thought about it, the more incredulous it seemed.

"Frankly, I was also surprised," the plain-cl

othed youth sighed.

"Old Doctor Chen is indeed an extraordinary person. From what I have found, he spent his life doing good deeds, healing and saving people, truly embodying the heart of a benevolent healer and a great philanthropist.

Years of doing good deeds accumulated a light of merit around him.

If I'm not mistaken, it was this light of merit that allowed him to defy his declining vitality in his old age, continually breaking through to the Precelestial Realm, a dream for many martial artists.

In essence, it was the result of his long accumulation, but his path was different from the typical martial artist's."

"The light of merit from doing good deeds?"

This left Yan Canghai completely bewildered.

He did not understand what that meant at all.

Unfortunately, this time, the plain-clothed youth did not explain further.

He brushed off his clothes and placed the book he was holding on the stone table in the pavilion.

"Alright, since Young Master Lu and the others have left, I should also be going. Canghai, thank you for your hospitality these past days."

"You're leaving too?" Yan Canghai was caught off guard, greatly surprised.

"Yes, I've stayed in Cang County long enough. It's time to go. However, before I leave, I have a few words to say to you."

The plain-clothed youth's expression became serious.

This made Yan Canghai's words of persuasion get stuck in his throat, so he quietly listened.

"Canghai, to be honest, I'm disappointed this time.

I originally thought you were laying low, honing yourself all these years in Cang County.

But what I saw was that you were not only wasting time, but regressing, far worse than you were before.

Frankly speaking, the current you have no qualifications to compete with your brothers.

So, I advise you to abandon that thought and focus on being the County Magistrate here.

As long as you remain honest, the capital will likely not pay attention to this place.

This way, your mother won't have to worry about you taking the wrong path every day."

The plain-clothed youth's words left Yan Canghai in deep silence for a long time.

"Alright, think it over. I'm leaving."

The plain-clothed youth did not wait for his response, his figure flickering and disappearing from the pavilion.

"Zhi Yue..." Yan Canghai was startled.

"One last thing, remember, don't provoke Young Master Lu."

The voice faded away, leaving Yan Canghai in the pavilion, feeling lost.

…

"Brother, brother, that flower is so beautiful, and so is that one over there!"

The cart continued forward, the surrounding scenery changing.

Originally feeling sad about parting with Madam Wei, Xiaoyan quickly put that sorrow behind her.

She pointed at the wildflowers and grasses along the road, constantly calling out to Lu Qing.

Even though she had seen them on the way before, she still found them new and interesting.

"Yes, they are very beautiful."

Seeing her cheer up, Lu Qing felt relieved.

After all, children’s sadness comes and goes quickly.

As for Xiaoli, it was already happily bouncing around the cart, its figure appearing and disappearing, exuberantly burrowing through the air.

During their time in the Wei residence, Xiaoli had always remembered Lu Qing's instruction not to display its talents casually.

So all this time, apart from showing great intelligence, it had not done anything unusual.

It was always harmless, being held by Xiaoyan.

Accompanying her in reading and writing, eating, and playing.

Apart from being very intelligent, in the eyes of the Wei family, it was no different from an ordinary pet.

Even Madam Wei, though suspecting Xiaoli's extraordinariness, had never witnessed its true abilities.

Because of this, Xiaoli had been quite stifled.

Now finally leaving the Wei residence, it was having the time of its life.

Because they had started early and did not delay the journey on the road.

This time, they did not stay overnight on the way.

Instead, they hurried back, reaching Jiuli Village before dusk.

"Almost home!"

Seeing the familiar surroundings, Xiaoyan was excited.

After being away for so long, she missed everyone in the village.

Xiaoli, too, stood on Lu Qing's shoulder, its eyes shining as it looked towards Jiuli Village.

Everything was good in the Wei residence, and it had plenty of fish to eat every day.

But for some reason, it still preferred the days in Jiuli Village.

"We're finally back."

The old doctor had already removed his hat, looking ahead and sighing.

Having lived in Jiuli Village for so many years, he had a deep attachment to it.



"Master, I'll go take down the red rope."

When the cart reached the village entrance, Lu Qing jumped down.

After he took down the red rope from the tree and placed it back under the stone slab, the villagers finally noticed the cart.

Soon, the whole village began to buzz with excitement.

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