Eternal Tale

The child sitting on the ground next to him gave an embarrassed smile and glanced at the child of similar age. Why didn’t he have a mother...

”Uncle, do you want to buy wood carvings? My father’s craftsmanship is excellent,” the child said timidly but with enthusiasm in his words. ”They bring good fortune...”

And they were none other than Chen Xun and Qian Wuhen, who had traveled from afar, casually setting up a stall in a city to make a living, using the sky as their blanket and the ground as their mat.

”Oh?” The middle-aged man smiled, his gaze falling on Qian Wuhen. ”I didn’t expect such a young child to be so articulate. Let’s buy a few.”

The underlying implication was that the seller was not as good at business as his own child.

The middle-aged man shook his head and glanced at Chen Xun, then turned his head and said, ”Yan’er, pick whatever you like.”

”Wow, thanks, Father!” The child jumped with joy, loving how generous his father was, and everyone envied him for it.

Qian Wuhen lowered his head, pursed his lips, and leaned closer to his father. It turned out there were so many wealthy people outside the mountains who could buy whatever they liked without having to earn it themselves.

But he felt no envy; instead, he thought to himself:

In the future, he would buy things for his father too, letting him buy whatever he wanted without having to farm or sit on the ground earning spirit stones with his craftsmanship.As for why Xiao Wuhen’s worldview was like this, it was naturally influenced by the various teachings of the relatives from the Five Aggregates Sect.

Although his worldview was small and vague, his disposition was shaped by his environment.

Before long, the child chose three wood carvings and took them away.

Qian Wuhen quickly picked up a clean cloth to wipe and wrap them, carefully accepting three fragmented spirit stones, and gave them a bright smile.

The middle-aged man graciously thanked Qian Wuhen, making the latter secretly delighted for a long time. It was wonderful.

In the mountains, he couldn’t encounter such scenes, and although there were many immortals rumored to be there, it was better down here, where everyone was the same, without the fear of offending an immortal.

”Father, we’ve earned more fragmented spirit stones,” Qian Wuhen whispered, his little face flushed with excitement, afraid others might overhear. ”We can buy lots of things now.”

He now knew that there were many man-eating beasts down the mountain and many bandits in Kingdom Qian, making it less safe than up the mountain, and he understood the principle of not flaunting wealth.

Xiao Wuhen learned things quickly, except for his father’s wood carving skills. No matter how he carved, it felt off, with form but no spirit, often not even resembling anything...

And he hid the fragmented spirit stones in his pants, as his father taught him, absolutely secure.

”Hehe.” Chen Xun finally stopped his work, turned his head, and smiled. ”How does this feel, or do you envy those wealthy people who come to buy these wood carvings?”

”Father, I love earning spirit stones!” Qian Wuhen nodded vigorously, a smile always on his lips, then turned serious, his expression becoming much calmer. ”But I never envy others.”

”Oh?” Chen Xun turned his head and slowly resumed carving the wood, meticulously.

”Hehe, I just like earning spirit stones with my skills. Everyone greets me with a smile,” Qian Wuhen said with a simple smile, still thinking about the middle-aged man’s thanks. ”If I let Father buy things, I wouldn’t have this feeling.”

”Not bad.” Chen Xun nodded gently. ”When your father was young, it was the same. Of course, now... it’s still the same.”

”Mm-hmm.” Qian Wuhen watched his father and smiled.

He also had some secrets but didn’t say them out loud. His father was not only dignified but also strict, and saying certain things directly would result in a beating.

Gradually, it became evening.

Chen Xun looked at the sky, preparing to close the stall. He needed to sell skewers... the night market was hard to find a spot, so he had to go early.

However, just before they closed the stall.

A young man leading a horse suddenly approached. It seemed he had mustered a lot of courage, as he had been watching these wood carvings from the city gate for a long time but didn’t dare to come closer due to his empty pockets.

”What’s up, young man?” Chen Xun, usually silent, suddenly became somewhat enthusiastic, surprising Xiao Wuhen.

”Boss...” The young man took a deep breath, staring intently at a horse-shaped wood carving. ”Do you have any flawed wood carvings that are cheaper? I really like these wood carvings.”

”Son.”

”Father!”

”Pick a few horse-shaped wood carvings and give them to this young man. We’re closing the stall anyway, and they won’t sell,” Chen Xun said with a smile, quite generously.

”Okay, Father.” Qian Wuhen jumped, almost stumbling, but was lifted by Chen Xun, who shook his head and laughed.

The young man became even more nervous, quickly waving his hands. ”Boss, that’s not what I meant. I never intended to take your things for free. I have some grain to trade.”

Hearing this, Chen Xun’s eyes narrowed, as if struck by a bolt of lightning, and he remained silent for a long time.

He slightly raised his head, giving the young man leading the horse a deep look, and instinctively praised, ”Good, young man, you have the makings of a dragon or phoenix, with a bright future ahead.”

Qian Wuhen gasped, not expecting his father to praise someone like that.

The young man gave a shy smile, a bit embarrassed by the compliment, and looked at his horse with a silly grin. ”Boss, when I earn spirit stones in the future, I’ll come back to buy your wood carvings.”

”Alright.” Chen Xun’s smile was clear as he leisurely accepted the bag of grain the young man handed over.

”Brother, here are your wood carvings.” Qian Wuhen wrapped them up with a cheerful smile.

”Thank you, little brother.” The young man accepted them with both hands, his breathing noticeably heavier, and solemnly bid farewell to Chen Xun, showing great courtesy.

In the sunset, the young man fiddled with the wood carvings in front of the horse, the previous calm and restraint gone, joy evident on his face.

Chen Xun silently watched them leave, smiling warmly, murmuring, ”Young man, may you never lose your edge to the passage of time, may your heart remain unchanged, and may you find peace and joy.”

Peace and joy...

The voice was low, almost inaudible, as if even time couldn’t carry it forward, only letting it drift backward...

Blowing across the Kingdom Qian in the Great World of Taiyi, across the yet-to-be-destroyed boundary, across the Tian Duan Plains, across the intact Panning City.

Blowing to that past under the sunset, finally reaching the ears of the young man with light in his eyes, full of enthusiasm for all things.

It seemed that at this very moment, he was shyly taking out a bag of rice to exchange for a cow-shaped wood carving.

”Father?”

”Mm, let’s pack up and go.”

Chen Xun patted his body and stood up, lifting the cloth-wrapped wood carvings onto his shoulder with his right hand, holding Xiao Wuhen’s hand with his left, disappearing into the bustling crowd, brushing past countless people.