Chapter 317 - 123: Leaving at Last

Chapter 317: Chapter 123: Leaving at Last

"Was such a price... truly... worth it?!"

...

At dusk, the heavy snow had just let up. Majestic mountains were cloaked in ice and snow, and the mighty river surged and roared—a vast, boundless vista.

"Throughout the mountains, only boundless white remains; along the great river, the raging torrents are stilled."

Fang Rui stood with Fang Ling and Nannan, gazing at the scene before them and murmuring the lines aloud.

Not far behind them, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Lady were directing the maids as they prepared dinner.

Overhead.

A pair of Flowing Cloud Cyan Simurghs circled, showering down streams of light. Immortal Cranes danced among them, completing the picturesque backdrop.

"Brother, aren’t we riding the simurghs anymore?"

"We’re not."

"We’ve come to the Mortal World. How can we let the opportunity go to waste? From now on, we’ll measure the land with our own two feet and journey across its countless mountains and rivers."

In his heart, Fang Rui had no love for fighting and killing. He much preferred to be with his family, traveling across the vast landscapes and discovering the beauty of the world.

"Ling’Er, Nannan, you can consider this your coming-of-age journey."

"I’ll lead you for thousands of miles—to see the grass grow and warblers take flight, to see the vast, clear sky, to see frosted leaves as vibrant as flowers, to see the world locked in ice—and then we’ll return to where we began, to listen to the sound of snow melting and rivers thawing..."

"Of course, what’s even more worth seeing are living things: a fledgling’s first chirp, a pupa emerging as a butterfly, a young eagle’s first flight... and beyond that, good and evil, black and white, and the myriad complexities of the human heart."

Fang Rui spoke with earnest gravity, "I don’t expect you to understand everything perfectly. I just hope that after traveling for thousands of miles and seeing how vast the world truly is, you will, at the very least..."

He paused, casting an almost imperceptible glance toward the Qing Yan Little Child. "...not be so easily deceived and led astray."

Of course, Fang Rui wasn’t targeting anyone in particular. He wouldn’t object to them falling in love; he was just afraid that Fang Ling and Nannan would be tricked, having seen so little of the world.

Fang Ling and Nannan listened, their hearts soaring. A blush like the rosy clouds of sunset spread across their delicate, jade-like faces, and their eyes, as clear as glass, shone with anticipation and longing.

The two young girls had blossomed, growing ever more lovely.

Fang Ling was the more spirited and lively of the two, possessing a charming, artless innocence. Nannan was more like the classic image of a demure beauty—delicate as a willow, with soft, smoke-like eyes that held a sharp intelligence.

’Though among the heroines of the Red Chamber, I always preferred Xue Baoqin. Her worldliness and beauty were in a class of their own.’

Fang Rui mused, shaking his head.

"Of course, that’s all for later."

His tone suddenly grew serious. "Ling’Er, have you memorized the Cultivation Technique I gave you? And Nannan, don’t you smile. Have you achieved Qi Sensation with your Cultivation of the Primordial Scripture?"

"Ah!"

The two girls cried out, their gazes darting away like startled fawns. They were clearly feeling guilty.

However, when Fang Rui checked their progress, he found that both had passed.

It wasn’t surprising. The two girls were quite clever; even though they spent a good deal of time reading other books, they only needed to apply a fraction of their minds to complete the tasks he had given them.

"Yay, we passed!"

"Brother Ah Rui, will you tell us another story? It’s been so long."

"Alright. I remember I once told you the story of *The Legend of the White Snake*. Today’s tale is different. This one is called *White Snake: Origin*."

Fang Rui began to tell the story softly, and before long, Third Lady, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, all the maids, and the Qing Yan Little Child had gathered around to listen.

In the distance, the faint voices of a merchant caravan could be heard.

"Did you hear? Two important figures from the Zhen Family died in Huaiyin Prefecture."

"I heard that too. The Zhen Family is a Half-Immortal Family from Wuzhou... I heard they brought out the Ten Thousand Miles of Mountains and Rivers Map to perform a Divination, but it backfired and made their own Old Ancestor cough up blood..."

"That’s a cataclysmic event! For a Half-Immortal Family like that to be targeted... I wonder which Great Power was scheming against them?"

"I heard a different version of the story. Listen to this..."

...

’Here I am, telling the stories of others, never imagining that I’ve become a story, a legend, myself—told and retold by others. How strange!’

Listening to their chatter, Fang Rui gave a slight shake of his head and smiled.

「At that moment.」

The sun sank in the west and the sky grew dim. The mountains, the river, and the story all faded into the faint winter twilight, like curtains slowly drawing to a close upon a stage.

...