ARK SPIRIT

The next morning, Hao Nhien woke a little later than usual.

Not because he had overslept.

Before closing his eyes the night before, he had already given himself permission not to fall immediately into his usual training routine today.

He pushed open the door and stepped onto the deck.

Morning mist still lingered over the Thanh Van River. Sunlight had only just cleared the mountains, spreading a thin layer of silver across the water. Wind blew down from the foothills, carrying the scent of wet earth and grass, along with faint traces of cooking smoke from Thanh Van Town.

Tieu Lan was sitting at the front of the boat.

She held a slender willow branch in one hand, its tip lightly touching the surface and tracing circles that spread outward before dissolving into the current.

Hearing the door open, she turned around.

The moment she saw Hao Nhien, her eyes brightened.

”Young Master is awake?”

”Mm.”

Tieu Lan studied him for a moment, then smiled.

”You look much better today.”

Hao Nhien walked to the side of the boat and looked down at the river.

”No training today.”

Tieu Lan froze.

”No training?”

He turned toward her.

”No. We’re going into town.”

She blinked.

”To… have fun?”

”Mm.” Hao Nhien nodded. ”These past few days, you’ve been worrying about medicine, food, and everything else. You haven’t had a chance to relax either.”

”We’ll take the day off. Buy whatever we need, see if there are any medicinal books, and find something hot to eat.”

The surprise on Tieu Lan’s face quickly turned into delight, though she still asked cautiously,

”Really? Young Master won’t change his mind halfway there?”

Hao Nhien found that amusing.

”Do I seem that unreliable to you?”

Tieu Lan lowered her head, though the smile in her voice was obvious.

”Young Master has done nothing but train lately. I’m afraid the moment you see the mountains, you’ll want to turn around and go back to the waterfall.”

Hao Nhien was silent for a breath.

Then he laughed.

”No. Today, I’ll listen to you.”

Tieu Lan looked up.

”Really listen to me?”

”Mm.”

She immediately stood and began packing her small basket.

But this time, she did not fill it with herb knives and medicinal bottles as she usually did.

She only brought a small cloth purse, a few loose coins, and a clean handkerchief.

Watching how quickly she moved, Hao Nhien felt something inside him lighten as well.

Perhaps taking one day off truly was not such a bad thing.

Thanh Van Town was not large.

But in the morning, it was full of life.

The main road was paved with uneven stones. Low wooden houses lined both sides, their tiled roofs covered in moss.

Bundles of dried vegetables, dried fish, and dyed cloth hung outside the doors.

Smoke rose from small food stalls, mixing with the smells of steamed buns, plain porridge, roasted meat, and medicinal herbs drifting from a nearby apothecary.

Children ran along the roadside, waving bamboo branches like swords.

A yellow dog lay basking in the sun outside a rice shop. Whenever someone passed, it opened one eye, decided they were none of its concern, and lazily closed it again.

Farther down the road, beneath an old willow tree, an elderly man was plucking a stringed instrument.

The tune was slow and simple.

At times, the sound was completely drowned out by people bargaining nearby, but the old man continued playing without concern.

Hao Nhien walked slowly.

Not because he was tired.

He was watching.

The price of rice.

The price of meat.

Medicinal herbs.

How people traded.

How the townsfolk dressed.

Most were ordinary people, but every so often he noticed someone with stronger vitality, steadier steps, or more controlled breathing.

Perhaps they had practiced a little martial arts or some basic breathing method.

Their cultivation was not high.

Still, it was enough to show Hao Nhien that even in a small town like this, cultivation was not completely separate from ordinary life.

Tieu Lan was different.

She cared far less about the price of rice than he did.

A stall filled with colorful cloth was enough to slow her steps.

A display of wooden hairpins made her tilt her head and look twice.

But the moment she noticed a small medicinal shop, everything else lost its appeal.

Tieu Lan crouched beside the stall and carefully examined bundle after bundle of herbs.

Hao Nhien stood nearby.

He did not hurry her.

He did not ask questions.

Tieu Lan chose more Clearheart Grass, Mystic Spirit Flower, and several dried pieces of Warm-Bone Root.

Then, after hesitating for a moment, she asked the shopkeeper,

”Old Uncle, do you have any introductory books on medicine?”

The shopkeeper rummaged through a wooden cabinet behind him for quite a while before pulling out two old books with worn edges.

Common Medicinal Herbs of the Thanh Van Mountains.

And An Introduction to External Injuries.

The moment Tieu Lan picked them up, her eyes lit up.

”Young Master…”

Before she could finish, Hao Nhien had already taken out the silver.

”We’re buying them.”

Tieu Lan hurriedly shook her head.

”But they’re a little expensive…”

”More expensive than using the wrong medicine?”

She fell silent immediately.

A short while later, Tieu Lan held both books tightly against her chest, unable to hide the curve of her lips.

”I’ll study them carefully.”

”I know.”

Hao Nhien answered so naturally that it sounded as though there had never been any reason to doubt it.

Beside the apothecary was a small stall selling embroidery thread and simple jewelry.

Spools of thread covered the wooden table.

Bright red.

Fresh green.

Pale yellow.

Deep blue.

Beside them lay thin silver bracelets, wooden hairpins, scented pouches, and small pieces of cloth embroidered with flowers and grass.

Tieu Lan walked past.

Then slowed.

Looked for a moment.

Took another two steps.

Then turned back.

Hao Nhien had been watching several children duel with bamboo branches farther down the street.

Noticing her hesitation, he glanced over.

Tieu Lan was lightly touching a very thin silver bracelet with the tip of one finger.

The elderly woman running the stall had nearly white hair. She looked at Tieu Lan and smiled warmly.

”Such a pretty girl. That bracelet would look even prettier on you.”

Tieu Lan immediately blushed and pulled her hand back.

Hao Nhien looked at the bracelet.

Then at the spools of thread she had been staring at.

None of them were worth much.

In his old world, he probably would not even have noticed such things.

But somehow, Tieu Lan’s expression made those small objects seem a little more valuable.

He placed some silver on the table.

”This bracelet.”

Tieu Lan froze.

”Young Master…”

Hao Nhien pointed toward the spools of thread she had looked at longest.

”And this one.”

”This one too.”

”You don’t need to buy that much!”

”Young Master is feeling generous today.”

He added solemnly,

”Stop looking. If you stare any longer, I’m afraid I’ll have to buy the entire stall.”

The old woman burst out laughing.

Tieu Lan could not hold back either.

”Young Master!”

She tugged on his sleeve, then lightly smacked his arm.

Very lightly.

Hao Nhien immediately stepped back half a pace, clutching his arm as though gravely wounded.

”All right. I won’t buy anything else.”

The old woman laughed even harder.

Tieu Lan lowered her head, laughing as well.

Their laughter blended into the small street.

Not loud.

Not boisterous.

But real.

A little farther on, Hao Nhien stopped at a weapon shop.

Several iron swords, long spears, bows, crossbows, and short knives with worn handles hung from the walls.

Hao Nhien picked up a sword.

He turned his wrist a few times.

Then put it back.

”Doesn’t suit me.”

Tieu Lan looked curious.

”Why?”

He picked up a long spear.

Lifted it.

Judged the weight.

Then set it down again.

”Too heavy. Annoying to carry.”

Tieu Lan blinked.

Hao Nhien looked down at his own hands.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

”Besides, no need to look too cool.”

”Cool?”

Tieu Lan tilted her head.

Hao Nhien paused.

He had forgotten that this was not a word people in this world normally used.

”I mean…” He thought for a moment. ”Looking more impressive than necessary.”

”Oh.”

Tieu Lan nodded as though she understood.

They walked several more steps.

Then she said very naturally,

”Then my Young Master is already cool enough.”

Hao Nhien turned his head.

Tieu Lan looked back at him.

They were silent for a moment.

She blinked.

”Did I say it wrong?”

”…No.”

Hao Nhien looked at her for another heartbeat before turning away.

”You learn quickly.”

Tieu Lan smiled.

Then Hao Nhien laughed as well.

It was only an unfamiliar word.

Perhaps she simply remembered things quickly.

Near noon, they came across a stall selling candied hawthorn.

Bright red fruits were skewered on sticks and planted upright in a bundle of straw, each coated in a clear shell of sugar.

Under the sunlight, they glittered with tiny points of light.

Several children stood around the stall, staring without blinking.

Hao Nhien stopped.

A very distant memory suddenly returned.

When he was young, he too had once stood staring at snack stalls whenever he passed them.

Hao Nhien bought two skewers.

He handed one over.

”Here. Try it.”

Tieu Lan accepted it, looking slightly surprised.

”For me?”

”If it wasn’t for you, why would I buy two?”

She looked at the skewer in her hand.

It was only a cheap snack.

Yet she held it very carefully.

After a moment, she said quietly,

”I’ve never eaten this before.”

Hao Nhien paused.

He looked at the skewer in his own hand, then held it toward her.

”Then take this one too.”

Tieu Lan immediately shook her head.

”No. One is enough.”

Then she took a very small bite.

The brittle sugar shell cracked.

Sweetness and sourness spread across her tongue.

Her eyes immediately brightened.

”It’s so sweet…”

She took another bite.

Her cheeks puffed slightly, and the mixture of surprise and happiness on her face made Hao Nhien laugh.

”Is it really that good?”

Tieu Lan nodded vigorously.

”It is! Sour and sweet, and crunchy too.”

Then she looked at the skewer in Hao Nhien’s hand.

”Young Master should eat too.”

”I am.”

”You can’t make me eat alone.”

Hao Nhien sighed with exaggerated helplessness.

”Fine. This Young Master obeys.”

He took a large bite.

Chewed a few times.

Then frowned.

”So sweet my teeth are going to fall out.”

Tieu Lan burst out laughing.

He immediately took another bite.

Tieu Lan laughed so hard her eyes curved like crescent moons.

The two continued walking as they ate.

A child holding a bamboo branch came running past and nearly crashed straight into Hao Nhien.

The boy stopped in alarm and looked up.

Before Hao Nhien could say anything, the child’s eyes had already fallen onto the candied hawthorn in his hand.

Hao Nhien looked at the child.

The child looked at the candy.

The two stared at each other for several breaths.

Finally, Hao Nhien broke off one piece and handed it over.

”Take it. Run slower next time.”

The child accepted it with a huge grin.

”Thank you, Big Brother!”

He ran back toward his friends, waving the piece of candy proudly in the air.

Children’s laughter rang through the stone-paved street.

The afternoon breeze carried cooking smoke, the old musician’s tune beneath the willow tree, the voices of bargaining townsfolk, and the clatter of bowls and chopsticks from small restaurants.

Hao Nhien stood there for a while.

At some point, his body had stopped feeling tense.

For the past several days, he had constantly pushed himself forward.

Practice the fist.

Cultivate.

Enter the water.

Come ashore and train again.

Almost no space had been left between one thing and the next.

But now, on an unfamiliar street, beside a girl whose cheeks had turned pink simply because a skewer of candy made her happy, Hao Nhien suddenly forgot why he had been in such a hurry.

Only for a little while.

He was simply someone walking beneath the afternoon sun.

Eating candy that was slightly too sweet.

Listening to children laugh.

Watching cooking smoke rise from low rooftops.

Ordinary.

So very ordinary.

And it had been a long time since he had felt anything so ordinary.

Tieu Lan walked beside him, holding the small bag of purchases against her chest.

Every so often, she looked down at the newly bought silver bracelet, then glanced toward the stalls lining the street.

Hao Nhien saw everything.

He said nothing.

He merely slowed his steps slightly.

Perhaps life in this world was not only cultivation, danger, and mysteries he did not understand.

There were streets like this too.

Cooking smoke.

An old man playing music beneath a willow tree.

A lazy yellow dog sleeping outside a rice shop.

Children running around with bamboo branches, convinced they were already great heroes.

And Tieu Lan smiling beside him.

Hao Nhien exhaled.

This time, the breath was light.

He turned toward her.

”Come on. I think they’re selling steamed buns farther ahead.”

Tieu Lan immediately looked up.

”Young Master can still eat?”

Hao Nhien finished the last piece of candied hawthorn.

”How will I know whether they’re good if I don’t try them?”

She stared at him for a moment.

Then smiled brightly.

”Yes!”

The two continued walking.

At that moment, an urgent voice called from behind them.

”Sister Tieu Lan!”

Tieu Lan turned.

Hac Cau was running toward them from the far end of the street, breathing heavily.

Compared with the last time they had seen him, much of his swagger was gone.

The wooden stick was no longer resting across his shoulder. He simply carried it in one hand.

When he saw Hao Nhien, he stopped short, then hurriedly clasped his hands in an awkward salute.

”Young Master Quan.”

Hao Nhien looked at him.

”What happened?”

Hac Cau swallowed a breath.

”Uncle That is injured. He heard the two of you were in town, so he told me to find you. He wants to speak with Young Master Quan.”

Tieu Lan’s expression immediately changed.

”Uncle That is injured? Is it serious?”

”I don’t know. He looked terrible. His arm was bandaged too.”

Tieu Lan turned toward Hao Nhien.

”Young Master…”

Hao Nhien nodded.

”Lead the way.”

Uncle That’s house stood on the western side of town, not far from the Thanh Van River.

It was a simple wooden house.

Several treated animal hides were drying in the courtyard. A hunting bow hung from a rack nearby, along with several coils of rope.

The moment Hao Nhien entered the yard, he smelled medicine.

The door stood partly open.

Several neighbors were inside asking after the injured man.

When a middle-aged woman saw Tieu Lan, she immediately called out,

”Tieu Lan is here? Quickly, come take a look at Uncle That.”

Tieu Lan hurried inside.

Uncle That was sitting on a bamboo couch in the middle of the room.

His face was very pale.

His left arm was wrapped in white cloth, and his chest also seemed to have taken a heavy impact. Every time he breathed deeply, he frowned slightly.

When he saw them, he still forced a smile.

”You came. Sorry to trouble you two.”

Tieu Lan hurried over.

”You’re injured this badly and still saying it’s no trouble. Who did this to you?”

Uncle That waved one hand.

”Not a person.”

He paused.

”A beast.”

Hao Nhien’s eyes shifted slightly.

Seeing that Uncle That had something important to say, the neighbors gradually took their leave.

Hac Cau remained outside the doorway for a while longer, until Uncle That glared at him and chased him into the yard.

Soon, only the three of them remained inside.

Tieu Lan took out medicinal liquid and began checking the injury.

Hao Nhien sat down on a bamboo chair across from Uncle That and did not immediately ask anything.

After a while, Tieu Lan finally let out a small breath.

”Fortunately, the wound isn’t too deep. But your chest took a strong impact. You must not circulate force for the next few days.”

Uncle That gave a bitter smile.

”I don’t have much strength left to circulate anyway.”

Only then did Hao Nhien ask,

”What did you encounter?”

Uncle That’s expression gradually turned serious.

”An Ironhide Black Wolf.”

Tieu Lan looked startled.

Hao Nhien did not know the name.

He waited.

Uncle That continued,

”That kind of vicious beast should not normally appear anywhere near Thanh Van Town. I’ve hunted in these mountains for many years, and even I had only heard the older hunters speak of them.”

”They live much deeper in the mountains. Fierce temperament. Black hide as tough as iron. Red eyes.”

He paused to catch his breath.

”Today, I only entered the old forest not far from town.”

”And I ran into one there.”

Tieu Lan helped him sit more comfortably.

”Don’t speak so quickly.”

Uncle That waved her concern aside.

”What worries me isn’t one Ironhide Black Wolf.”

Hao Nhien asked,

”It’s because it came too close to the town?”

Uncle That looked at him.

Then nodded.

”Exactly.”

Hao Nhien thought for a moment.

”Is there normally something that keeps the deeper mountain beasts from coming down?”

”There is.”

Uncle That answered.

”The Great White Ape.”

Tieu Lan immediately looked up.

”The Great White Ape?”

”Mm. There is an enormous White Ape somewhere in the Thanh Van Mountains. Few people in town have ever seen it with their own eyes, but old hunters know it exists.”

”White fur like snow. Red eyes. Taller than two grown men standing one atop the other.”

”It usually stays around the old waterfall and the rocky grounds deeper in the mountains.”

Hao Nhien frowned.

The old waterfall.

The rocky grounds.

The place where he trained every day.

Uncle That noticed his reaction, and his voice became heavier.

”The place where you usually train, Hao Nhien—if you go only a little farther in, you’re already near its old territory.”

Tieu Lan unconsciously tightened her grip on the hem of her clothes.

”Young Master…”

Uncle That continued,

”That White Ape has never actively harmed people as far as I know.”

”Over the years, perhaps the reason deeper mountain beasts rarely came close to the town was precisely because it was there.”

He looked toward the door.

”But now there are two possibilities.”

”If it is still there, and you go too deep, it may see you as intruders in its territory.”

”And if it isn’t there anymore…”

Hao Nhien finished the thought.

”Then the creatures deeper in the mountains will begin moving down.”

Uncle That nodded.

”The Ironhide Black Wolf I encountered today may be a sign of exactly that.”

The room fell silent.

Hao Nhien thought of the Thanh Van waterfall.

A place almost perfect for training.

Perhaps he had misunderstood why it had been so quiet.

The area might not have been peaceful because nothing dangerous lived nearby.

It might have been peaceful because something powerful enough to frighten everything else away had claimed it.

Tieu Lan looked at him.

”Young Master, for the next few days, let’s not go any deeper into the mountains, all right?”

Hao Nhien was silent for a moment.

Then nodded.

”All right. I won’t go deeper.”

Tieu Lan continued looking at him.

He added,

”I mean it.”

Only then did she relax slightly.

Uncle That watched them and laughed.

”Being careful is a good thing. Hao Nhien, you’re still young. Don’t trade your life for a good place to practice your fist art.”

Hao Nhien noticed the way Uncle That had addressed him and said,

”Uncle That can just call me Hao Nhien.”

Uncle That nodded.

”Fine.”

He studied Hao Nhien for another moment.

”Your aura is different from when you first arrived.”

”You broke through?”

Hao Nhien did not hide it.

”I was fortunate enough to reach the second layer of Qi Condensation.”

Uncle That looked surprised.

”Second layer?”

He examined Hao Nhien for a while before exhaling.

”At your age, the second layer isn’t considered strong.”

”But reaching another layer in such a short time without a master beside you isn’t simple either.”

Uncle That leaned back against the wall.

”If you get the chance, you should go to Thanh Van City.”

Hao Nhien immediately paid attention.

”Thanh Van City?”

”Mm.”

Uncle That spoke more slowly.

”I don’t know much myself. I only heard about it from my master many years ago.”

”Follow the Thanh Van River downstream from here. By boat, it takes around two months to reach Thanh Van City.”

”Two months…”

”It is far larger than Thanh Van Town.”

”Once every ten years, sects from the surrounding regions gather there to recruit disciples.”

Hao Nhien’s eyes shifted slightly.

”How long until the next recruitment?”

Uncle That thought for a moment.

”If I remember correctly…”

He calculated silently.

”About half a year.”

Tieu Lan looked up as well.

”Half a year?”

”Mm.”

Uncle That nodded.

”If you intend to go, you should prepare early.”

”The river route isn’t dangerous everywhere, but a two-month journey is nothing to take lightly.”

He looked at Hao Nhien.

”When the sects recruit disciples, they look at age, aptitude, and cultivation.”

”You’re still young.”

”If you can advance further during these next six months, naturally your chances will improve.”

Hao Nhien did not answer immediately.

Thanh Van City.

Sects.

A place where people cultivated systematically.

A place where there would be far more information.

For the first time since arriving on the Remnant Cloud Continent, a specific destination had appeared before him.

He did not necessarily have to join a sect.

But he certainly needed to see the place.

In Thanh Van Town, he could train.

He could survive.

But there was too little knowledge here.

If he wanted to understand this world, find the parents of the previous Quan Hao Nhien, and search for more clues concerning the Ark Spirit and the events of his old world, he could not remain beside this river forever.

Half a year.

Hao Nhien gathered his thoughts and bowed slightly.

”Thank you for the guidance, Uncle That.”

Uncle That waved a hand.

”I’m only repeating things I once heard.”

”As for what the cultivation world outside is truly like, even I have never seen it.”

He gave a bitter smile.

”Back then, the man who taught me breathing cultivation once said that if I could reach the seventh layer of Qi Condensation before the age of thirty, I should try going to Thanh Van City and seek an opportunity.”

”Unfortunately…”

”My aptitude was ordinary.”

”I’ve only reached the sixth layer even now, and I’m already too old.”

”I no longer dare dream about entering a sect.”

Hao Nhien looked at him.

”The sixth layer is already very good.”

Uncle That laughed.

”In a small town, perhaps.”

He looked toward the doorway.

”Outside, it means very little.”

Hao Nhien remembered those words.

Then his own second layer of Qi Condensation was even less reason for pride.

The two of them remained for a little longer.

Tieu Lan left behind a bottle of medicinal liquid and carefully explained how Uncle That should use it, along with several things he absolutely must not do over the next few days.

At first, Uncle That refused to accept it for free.

Hao Nhien only said,

”Consider it thanks for the information today.”

Only then did he accept it.

The two were about to take their leave when Uncle That suddenly called out.

”Hao Nhien.”

He stopped.

Uncle That sat leaning against the chair, silently studying the two of them for a moment.

The relaxed expression he had worn earlier was gone.

”There is something else I think you two should know.”

Tieu Lan turned back as well.

Uncle That spoke slowly.

”I don’t know why the two of you came to Thanh Van Town.”

He raised a hand before Hao Nhien could speak.

”And I have no intention of asking.”

Hao Nhien remained silent.

Uncle That continued,

”But this morning, Sixth Aunt from the eating house came by to speak with me.”

”Yesterday, a stranger asked her about the two of you.”

Hao Nhien’s gaze immediately darkened.

Tieu Lan’s fingers tightened slightly around the strap of her basket.

”What did he ask?” Hao Nhien said.

”Not much.”

Uncle That shook his head.

”Where you came from.”

”How long you’ve been staying in town.”

”Whether you were locals.”

He paused.

”Sixth Aunt thought it was strange, so she didn’t tell him much.”

”She only said you were acquaintances of mine who had arrived here recently.”

Tieu Lan glanced toward Hao Nhien.

He said nothing, but all the ease had vanished from his eyes.

Uncle That watched their reaction and exhaled.

”I’ve lived in Thanh Van Town for many years.”

”Plenty of travelers pass through.”

”But ordinary travelers ask where they can eat, where they can sleep, or which road leads into the mountains.”

His finger tapped softly against the arm of the chair.

”No one asks about the background of two young newcomers without a reason.”

The room grew quiet for a moment.

Uncle That poured himself another cup of tea before continuing.

”I don’t know whether that person is looking for you.”

”It may only be coincidence.”

”But when lives are involved, don’t gamble on the word coincidence.”

Hao Nhien nodded slightly.

”I understand.”

”For the next few days, if there’s nothing necessary, limit how often you appear in town.”

”If you need to buy something, ask about something, or run into trouble…”

He paused.

”Come to me early.”

Tieu Lan bowed.

”Thank you, Uncle That.”

Hao Nhien also cupped his hands.

”I’ll remember this kindness.”

Uncle That waved him off.

”Forget kindness.”

”Keep yourselves alive first. We can talk about gratitude afterward.”

Hao Nhien looked at him for a moment.

Then nodded.

”Yes.”

The two left the house.

Only after walking some distance did Tieu Lan ask quietly,

”Young Master…”

”Mm?”

”Do you think those people…”

She did not finish.

But Hao Nhien understood.

He looked at the road ahead, his voice lowering.

”I don’t know.”

”But from now on, we act as though they are looking for us.”

Tieu Lan paused.

Hao Nhien continued,

”It doesn’t matter whether they truly are.”

”If we prepare for the worst, we won’t be caught unprepared.”

Tieu Lan nodded softly.

”Then for the next few days…”

”We don’t enter town unless necessary.”

Hao Nhien answered.

”And don’t go too far alone.”

”Yes.”

They continued toward the river dock.

This time, both of them unconsciously paid closer attention to every person who passed nearby.

After they had walked a little farther, Tieu Lan seemed to remember something.

”Young Master…”

”Mm?”

”Please don’t take any risks with the Great White Ape either.”

Hao Nhien looked at her.

”You’re afraid?”

Tieu Lan answered without hesitation.

”I’m afraid you’ll get hurt.”

Hao Nhien was silent for a moment.

”I won’t recklessly go looking for it.”

Tieu Lan lowered her head.

”But Uncle That said…”

She hesitated.

”I’m afraid that place isn’t safe anymore.”

Hao Nhien looked toward the river ahead.

”I’ll think it through carefully.”

Tieu Lan pressed her lips together.

”Young Master always says that.”

”This time I mean it too.”

She did not answer.

When they were nearly back at the boat, Hao Nhien finally spoke again.

”The recruitment in Thanh Van City is half a year from now.”

Tieu Lan looked up.

”If the river journey takes two months, then the time we truly have to prepare isn’t very long.”

”Young Master wants to go?”

”I want to see it.”

Tieu Lan answered almost without thinking.

”Then I’ll go with you.”

Hao Nhien turned toward her.

She hugged the two medicinal books more tightly against her chest.

”I already told you.”

”Wherever Young Master goes, I go too.”

Her voice was quiet.

But firm.

”I’m not strong.”

”But I can learn medicine, prepare remedies, cook, ask for directions.”

”At the very least, I won’t leave you alone.”

Hao Nhien did not answer immediately.

Wind swept in from the river, lifting a few strands of hair beside her face.

Her words brought back a strangely familiar feeling.

Not a clear memory.

Only a feeling.

As though someone had once stood before him and said they would walk with him too.

Hao Nhien did not allow the thought to go any further.

He looked away.

”Then starting tomorrow, study those two medicinal books carefully.”

Tieu Lan immediately smiled.

”Yes.”

”And I…”

He looked toward the mountains slowly sinking into the colors of evening.

”I need to become a little stronger before we leave this place.”

By the time they returned to the boat, the sky had already darkened.

Hao Nhien remained standing on the deck for a while.

Today had clearly been a rest day.

Yet he did not feel as though he had wasted even a moment.

One day in Thanh Van Town had shown him what life in this world looked like.

A street.

A bowl of porridge.

A silver bracelet.

A skewer of candy that was far too sweet.

Children wielding bamboo branches as swords.

Then the Ironhide Black Wolf had shown him that danger did not exist only in the deepest parts of the mountains.

The Great White Ape had left behind a question.

The stranger asking about them had added another shadow.

And Thanh Van City had given him a direction.

Hao Nhien looked toward the Thanh Van River.

The water continued flowing downstream.

Somewhere far away along that current stood a city he had never seen.

There were sects there.

Stronger cultivators.

Knowledge he did not possess.

Perhaps even clues he had been searching for.

Half a year.

Hao Nhien silently committed that amount of time to memory.

Behind him, Tieu Lan was organizing everything they had bought that day.

Every so often came the soft rustle of paper as she opened her two new medicinal books.

Hao Nhien glanced back.

The thin silver bracelet around her wrist caught the lamplight from inside the cabin.

He smiled faintly.

Their day in town had ended.

But for the first time since arriving in this world, the road ahead no longer consisted only of one day of survival after another.

Now there was somewhere to go.

Thanh Van City.

Half a year from now.