"My name is Li Shao. That day, the nobleman saved my child..." Li Shao spoke with visible anxiety. It was unclear whether he was wary of Ning Cheng's previous identity as 'Young Master Ning' or grateful to Ning Cheng for saving his son.
What somewhat eased Ning Cheng's mind was that after Li Shao's carriage had run for a whole day on increasingly remote roads, still no one had come after them.
"Big Brother Li, let's let the horses rest for a bit. You can leave us here; there shouldn't be much of a problem after this," Ning Cheng said, noticing the horses were somewhat weary and took the initiative to speak.
Li Shao, too, pitied his two yellow horses and complied with Ning Cheng's suggestion by stopping the carriage. He also took out some dry food and offered it to Ning Cheng and An Yi, "Noble sir, don't worry. After I take you a bit further, we can bypass Dingbi Town's station. Then I can go directly to Haicheng Slope, where there are many adventurers returning from the Mango Sea Area. I can earn more Silver Coins there."
An Yi, who had been silent all this while, suddenly said, "Big Brother Li, I have some memory of this place. You can go ahead to Haicheng Slope; I can lead Ning Cheng out."
Seeing that Li Shao still wanted to speak, Ning Cheng decisively said, "Let's do it this way then, Big Brother Li. You take us up ahead to bypass Dingbi Town. After that, we'll split up, and you head to Haicheng Slope."
An Yi originally had no opinion on the matter, and with Ning Cheng saying so, she certainly had no objections.
Ning Cheng had rested for a full day, and as a cultivator at the third level of Qi Gathering, combined with An Yi's knowledge of healing, his injuries had significantly improved by then.
Once the horses had rested enough, the three of them continued on their journey. By early morning the next day, Ning Cheng and An Yi parted ways with Li Shao.
This time, An Yi was not speaking without knowledge; she truly recognized the way. Even though the paths they took were through mountains, they did not get lost. After two more days of travel, she finally led Ning Cheng into a lush green forest. Upon entering the forest, An Yi immediately grabbed Ning Cheng's hand and said, "There are formations here. You must follow me closely, otherwise you'll get lost."
Ning Cheng had been here for more than a day or two and, of course, knew about formations. They seemed to have some connection to the ancient Chinese civilization, a mysterious arrangement involving direction and some things he didn't understand. In any case, he was utterly ignorant on the subject.
Following An Yi around several twists and turns, they finally emerged from the verdant forest, and before Ning Cheng was a mountain that was not particularly tall. At the foot of the mountain were several acres of farmland, growing various vegetables. Midway up the slope was a grey nunnery with three characters that Ning Cheng could see from afar, 'Lan Xin Nunnery.'
"Is that Lan Xin Nunnery where you live?" Ning Cheng asked.
Letting go of Ning Cheng's hand, An Yi's face revealed a happy smile as she said, "Yes, I have grown up here since I was a child. I have been worried during the days I was away, but now I am finally back. I want to check on my teacher. Come with me..."
As An Yi spoke, she quickened her pace and rushed towards the grey nunnery on the flank of the hill.
Ning Cheng followed her, feeling somewhat uncertain. An Yi was already at the third level of Qi Gathering; her teacher's cultivation was certainly not weak. What if An Yi's teacher had a quirky temperament? What then? This wasn't Earth; there was no room for reasoning here.
"Come in," a somewhat aged voice rang in Ning Cheng's ear. He knew it must be An Yi's teacher, who already knew of his arrival.
Ning Cheng walked through the somewhat mottled gate, a faint scent of sandalwood wafting towards him.
That surprised Ning Cheng quite a bit. An Yi had said her teacher was dying, yet there was not the slightest hint of decay inside; instead, there was the fragrance of sandalwood.
An Yi's teacher was a middle-aged woman who did not appear to be that old. She wore a grey robe and sat in the center of the main nunnery. She did not seem aged, just somewhat pale. Nonetheless, Ning Cheng still sensed a hint of death on her, verifying that what An Yi had said about her teacher nearing death was true.
What astonished Ning Cheng was not that she looked far from old yet was nearing death, nor was it impossible to discern her cultivation level. It was that An Yi's teacher was not a nun, for she had long hair. Even surrounded by deathly energy, her hair remained jet-black, albeit less lustrous.
"Although An Yi has always seen me as her teacher, in truth I couldn't teach her anything. Presumably, you can see that I'm about to depart this life. An Yi is kind-hearted and innocent of worldly affairs. If possible, I hope you can take An Yi with you, until the day she can stand on her own," the woman in the grey robe said calmly to Ning Cheng.
Without asking how Ning Cheng came to be with An Yi, or inquiring about his origins or his injuries, she went directly to such a straightforward request.
An Yi was taken aback and protested, "Teacher, I won't leave you. I want to stay at Lan Xin Nunnery forever. How could I possibly go with Ning Cheng? He was just passing by here."
Ning Cheng also hastily said, "Senior, I am planning to go to the Mango Sea Area. It is said to be extremely dangerous, where one can be killed at any moment, and I also have some adversaries. An Yi is much safer staying at Lan Xin Nunnery than with me."
Ning Cheng wasn't lying. He had been somewhat concerned for An Yi. An Yi was as pure as a blank slate, but now that they had arrived at Lan Xin Nunnery, Ning Cheng's worries had dissipated. The place was protected by formations, and ordinary people couldn't get in at all.
An Yi's teacher sighed, took An Yi's hand, and said gently, "I am going to go eventually. You don't need to consider me your teacher. Although this place seems safe, it is immensely dangerous. Once I'm gone, it would be impossible for you to survive here alone."
Having said that, she no longer tried to persuade An Yi; instead, she turned to Ning Cheng and said, "One can learn a lot when facing death. No matter how you came to know An Yi, I believe you are not a deceitful man, so I would like to ask if you are engaged or married..."
As soon as Ning Cheng heard this, he immediately thought, could it be that An Yi's master was suggesting to give An Yi to him as his wife? How could he marry a nun as a wife? Even if An Yi were not a nun, he could not consider marrying her.
Realizing this, Ning Cheng quickly said, "I have a girlfriend, although we have had some minor quarrels and broke up recently, I still want to win her back."
The moment he spoke these words, Ning Cheng sighed inwardly. Regardless of Tian Muwan's resolute attitude that made reconciliation seem impossible, even if Tian Muwan changed her mind, would he ever see her again?
With that thought, Ning Cheng added, "I also have a fiancée; she has just left temporarily..."
He couldn't continue speaking; even he knew that his fiancée Ji Luofei no longer had any connection with him. It wasn't just a question of whether he could reach Huazhou; even if he could, Ji Luofei and he were a thing of the past. He was grateful to Ji Luofei, but to say he truly liked her would not be true.
To Ning Cheng's surprise, after hearing his words, the gray-robed middle-aged woman nodded and said, "Then I am relieved. Remember, An Yi can stay with you, but she absolutely cannot marry anyone. And she absolutely cannot have romantic entanglements with anyone, otherwise..."
Before she could finish, a faint trace of blood spilled from the corner of the gray-robed woman's mouth. An Yi hurriedly embraced her middle-aged master, crying and calling, "Master, what's wrong with you?"
Ning Cheng didn't expect that the gray-robed woman asking about his marital status was a reminder for him not to harbor designs on An Yi; he had misinterpreted her intentions. An Yi, who turned out to be incapable of marriage, was a little nun after all; the reasons for this were beyond his knowledge. But then he saw the gray-robed woman's expression grow even more listless, and he didn't dare say more.
The gray-robed woman signaled to An Yi with a wave of her hand. She took out a pear-yellow jade and hung it around An Yi's neck, then took out a brown cloth pouch and attached it to An Yi's waist before saying, "An Yi, when I first found you, this jade was by your side. It must have been left by your parents. This bag is a storage pouch I've used for many years, remember not to take it out carelessly for others to see... And, you must remember that you cannot get married... "
Having said this, she then looked at Ning Cheng and said, "Please take good care of An Yi. An Yi is no ordinary person, and she will not disappoint you in the future..."
Ning Cheng cupped his fists and spoke earnestly, "My life was saved by An Yi. Predecessor, please be assured, as long as Ning Cheng is breathing, I will definitely not allow An Yi to be hurt."
"An Yi, I'm leaving. Live well and don't be sad. What should come will always come, and what should go will also go. Your journey is still long; take good care of yourself."
After the gray-robed woman spoke, she looked up at the vast empty sky outside the nunnery door, let out a faint sigh, her eyes filled with a hint of desolation, and slowly closed her eyes.
An Yi, who had reached the third level of Qi gathering, knew immediately when the life force of her master dissipated. She became inconsolable with grief. Despite knowing her master's life was nearing its end, she still couldn't accept this reality.
Ning Cheng knew that the gray-robed woman had undoubtedly been waiting for An Yi to return; otherwise, she might have passed away much earlier. He stepped forward and patted An Yi on the shoulder, saying, "An Yi, birth, aging, sickness and death are all natural parts of life. You don't need to be too sad; we will all reach this step sooner or later, it's just a matter of time."
As Ning Cheng said this, he also sighed. He did not know if, when his time came, he would be able to see his sister Ruolan again.
An Yi's master, clearly dozens of times more powerful than him, could not escape this universal law of nature, despite her strength.
An Yi knew full well that everything Ning Cheng was advising her was true, yet she couldn't contain the sorrow in her heart. For over a decade, she had lived with her master, depending on each other. Now that her master had suddenly gone, she felt utterly lost.
Seeing An Yi's state, Ning Cheng knew he had to help her settle these matters.
With Ning Cheng's persuasion, An Yi gradually calmed her grief. Together with Ning Cheng, they buried her master behind the Lan Xin Nunnery.
After staying with An Yi in the Lan Xin Nunnery for three days, Ning Cheng and An Yi finally left and continued towards the Mango Sea Area.
With An Yi's help over those three days, Ning Cheng's injuries had mostly healed. However, An Yi's mood had turned gloomy, and she had always been a quiet and reserved person. After this incident, she spoke even less.
Although Ning Cheng was curious to see what was in An Yi's storage pouch, he didn't feel it was right to ask.
(The second update is posted, friends who haven't added this to their bookshelf, please do so. Goodnight!)
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