Eternal Tale

”Eat dirt.”

Chen Xun turned his head and cursed under his breath, snatching the straight wooden stick from Xiao Wuhen’s hand. ”If you want to feast, go to the village. What are you shouting about in front of your old man? You think you can feast on my watch?”

This sudden scolding left Xiao Wuhen dumbfounded, not even noticing that the stick in his hand had been taken by his father.

He grinned foolishly, knowing better than to argue or explain when his father was scolding him, as it would only lead to a harsher reprimand.

Yuxuan observed this scene, especially how Dao Ancestor Chen Xun deftly took the stick from the child’s hand—it was so smooth, clearly a practiced move.

She shook her head with a light laugh, surprised to see this side of Chen Xun, a side she hadn’t seen before due to their limited interactions.

”Let’s go.” Chen Xun quickened his pace, occasionally swinging the stick behind his back, causing the fallen leaves to flutter beautifully.

Xiao Wuhen was speechless, staring blankly at the stick in his father’s hand. Wasn’t that his stick?!

”Father!”

”What?””The stick.”

”Your old man wants to play with it.”

”You can’t just take mine!”

”If you can snatch it back, it’s yours.” Chen Xun laughed heartily at Xiao Wuhen’s anxious antics. ”Let’s see how much you’ve improved.”

Xiao Wuhen was genuinely anxious, trying to snatch it back as they walked, but his father easily kept it out of reach.

Yuxuan glanced forward, a gentle smile on her lips. She had once teased Mo Ye Han in the same way, but now that boy had graduated and ventured into the world, and they could never return to those days.

Under the moonlit night.

They walked on, with Chen Xun teasing the anxious Xiao Wuhen circling around him, while Yuxuan occasionally glanced sideways, remaining silent.

Before they knew it, they had returned to the village.

As soon as Yuxuan returned, the village was in an uproar. Chen Xun shook his head and led them away under the cover of night.

Yuxuan’s current demeanor was difficult to reconcile with the locals, despite her past experiences in the mortal world. She no longer fit in, so Chen Xun chose to avoid unnecessary trouble and left quietly.

Xiao Wuhen didn’t mind, feeling no attachment. As long as he was with his father, he was content.

This attitude caught Yuxuan’s attention, making her take a closer look at Xiao Wuhen. The child seemed naturally indifferent, and he wasn’t human, lacking the myriad emotions of the human race.

That Chen Xun could make such an emotionally indifferent child so attached suggested he was genuinely caring for the boy, not just acting on a whim.

Yet this man, with his deep and mysterious eyes, harbored countless secrets, rarely speaking of them, choosing instead to act silently.

On a deserted path.

Chen Xun rode a pedal-powered open-top cart, loaded with luggage and all sorts of pots and pans. The once small cart had finally been upgraded to a pedal-powered one.

Xiao Wuhen sat in the back, laughing joyfully in the night breeze. ”Father, you’re riding so fast! Haha~~”

”Son, how’s your old man’s craftsmanship? Isn’t it better than those spirit-powered vehicles? And it doesn’t cost a single spirit stone.”

Chen Xun laughed heartily, eyes forward, hands firmly on the handlebars. ”At this speed, I’m not even trying!”

The wind howled softly. Though the riding speed was the slowest ever, it seemed to be the most enjoyable for Chen Xun.

He wished to move slower, for time to pass more leisurely, allowing him to clearly see the roadside scenery, rather than it flashing by due to speed.

Chen Xun never thought longevity was a waste of time. Whether in the small village or after entering the world of immortals, even now as an ancestor, he remained unchanged.

Yuxuan sat elegantly in the back, among the old and simple luggage, without a hint of disdain.

After all, those who cultivate immortality, having lived long, are not so particular. They often dine in the open and travel far and wide, choosing a suitable place to establish a cave abode.

Her eyes brightened slightly, resting her chin on her hand, admiring the roadside fields.

Every blade of grass was clearly visible, every field animal moved leisurely, as if everything had slowed down. She listened to the night wind brushing past her ears, her expression more relaxed than ever.

Though this speed was only slightly faster than a mortal’s walking pace, it carried an inexplicable sense of difference.

Sitting on a wooden cart pedaled by the Dao Ancestor of the Five Elements... who would have thought that the man who dominated the world was so simple, needing no grand flying artifacts or powerful immortal spells.

He pedaled the cart through the fields, under the bright moon, with a child, smiling like a youth, as if time itself slowed down for him... slowed down a bit.

Xiao Wuhen shouted loudly at his father’s back, his black hair tousled by the night wind, occasionally greeting the wild animals by the fields.

The little animals were startled, their fur standing on end. What just passed by?!

Yuxuan no longer spoke, her domineering aura long retracted, her expression serene under the moonlight, as she quietly enjoyed the slow journey.

In the days that followed, Ancestor Chen Xun pedaled the creaky wooden cart, taking the two across the mountains and rivers of Kingdom Qian, meeting many interesting people along the way.

Laughter and joy accompanied them. Xiao Wuhen was genuinely happy, having thought his father would settle in the village and later return to the sect to farm.

But who would have thought his father would pedal the cart, taking them on a tour of Kingdom Qian’s mountains and rivers!

Xiao Wuhen also began to draw like his father, never required to write any insights, doing whatever he wanted, thinking about whatever he saw.

His smile never faded along the way. When hungry, they ate wild vegetables; when thirsty, they drank from mountain springs.

Of course, the cart had its share of problems, causing Chen Xun to curse, occasionally having to get off and push, which amused Yuxuan...

She quietly got off to help push, and Xiao Wuhen, understanding, ran to the front to pull the cart.

Though the days seemed simple and ordinary, this little journey became an indelible memory for Xiao Wuhen. He met many people along the way, some warmly greeting, others unfriendly.

They crossed vast glaciers and expansive grasslands, encountering many wild beasts.

He sketched them all with rough strokes, though the style wasn’t clear enough for others to understand, but as long as he understood, it was enough. His father said, pleasing oneself is the way of the world.

”Look at me, though not wealthy, we can freely traverse hundreds of cities, seeing countless sights unseen by others. This is pleasing oneself, without comparing to those rich households.”

Even Sister Yuxuan agreed with this, and Xiao Wuhen nodded emphatically, fully grasping the meaning of the words, not needing to learn others’ truths from books.

Ancestor Chen Xun pedaled the wooden cart for a hundred years. Suddenly looking back, the mountains and rivers had turned to autumn, a new generation replacing the old.

A hundred years, the mortal world had changed dramatically.

And they were travelers through the sea of change, a wooden cart’s track in the fields, gradually becoming figures in others’ paintings.

Now even Xiao Wuhen’s eyes had matured, becoming wiser, though he still shouted and jumped in front of his father, he appeared mature beyond his years to outsiders.

He cherished many things along the way, collecting many strange stones, once even causing a hole in the cart... leading to a beating in the woods by his father.

At that time, Sister Yuxuan watched with a playful look, not intervening as one might expect from a relative, her teasing gaze almost saying:

”Chen Xun, if your hands are tired, let me take over!”

Xiao Wuhen cried out in the woods, lamenting that his father and Sister Yuxuan were of the same nature, no wonder they didn’t get along...

As he thought this, he was beaten even more, no longer daring to mess around on the cart.

However, Yuxuan’s demeanor was quite infectious. After spending time with her, Xiao Wuhen adopted a bit of her boldness, combined with his father’s social prowess.

Now, he was open and cheerful, without any childish pretense or affectation.