Since close brothers have stepped into this conversation, and since we're leaving anyway, Master had no choice but to spill the truth.
"..." Wu Jinliang was stunned on the spot.
After finally snapping back to reality, he thought about it, realizing that many tried to leave the Land of Exile. Randomly asking someone from Bowan Building for a lift was bound to be denied, not just because they wouldn't agree, but because they wouldn't even bother with you.
Understanding this, he couldn't help but laugh. He had the same concern regarding Shen Youkun's background but didn't expect Chun Tian to have prepared for this long ago; yet, the method of handling it was indeed quite humorous.
Remembering Chun Tian's pursuit of Miss Miao in the past, he found it even funnier and burst out laughing, "Why didn't you say earlier? I truly thought you had a crush on Miss Miao."
"I truly did fall for her; she is beautiful and kind. It's normal to like her, right? But my admiration is useless; no matter how good she is, she's out of my league. She's not used to people like us. Why make such a wonderful woman suffer?" Shi Chun muttered self-deprecatingly, then reached out his wet hand to pat Wu Jinliang's face, "We are lowborn; surviving is what's important. Don't think too much."
With that, he closed his eyes again, mumbling about Miss Miao, but the image in his mind was of another woman, whose grace was eternally etched into his memory.
It was an encounter from his youth when that woman first appeared on the East Nine Plain. He hid in the corner and stealthily watched her, resembling a figure in imminent danger. In his covert observation, all he could feel was the presence of a young, attractive woman, emanating a comforting vibe and an indefinable charm.
When that woman grabbed his hand, which clutched a tree branch, and half-embraced him to teach him how to write the character "Su" on the ground, the heat from her body and the scent that emanated from her gave him a heart-fluttering, eternal moment.
As they sat on the cliff, swinging their legs and watching the sunset, he felt melancholy. He was worried about participating in a lethal fight the following day, anxious whether he could survive to adulthood like most locals plagued with a grim future. It was she who taught him that I am my own destiny; destiny shall not dominate me.
In the sunset, her long hair fluttered and her gentle smile was truly beautiful; the boy sneaked peeks from time to time.
When sandstorms came, while others sought shelter, she would laugh like a madwoman and dash into the storm, dancing freely, even if she ended up in a disheveled state, her skirt fluttering all the while.
Sometimes, she acted like a wandering hero, crafting songs by tapping stones, and even tucking a blade of grass behind her ear, charmingly asking everyone if it looked good.
She loved bathing, talking from inside the cave while he was on alert, even asking if he wanted to peep.
Despite her cultivation being disabled, she lived so uncontrollably charming and with such calm brilliance, her wisdom was unshackled by adversity; even then, he knew she was no ordinary person.
Since then, he had encountered many women of various kinds, including the kind Miss Miao, but never had he met anyone as enchanting.
She bathed in glory without considering sanctity as nobility; could stoop to the soil, lie sideways on sandy ground, cradling her head, playfully winking at you.
She dazzled his youthful years and set the direction for his pursuit of beauty.
Later one day, that woman left as she came, without anyone having the right to retain her, silently coming and going with a wave of her sleeve. Until her departure, no one knew her real name, and from then on, the young man adopted the surname "Shi."
From then on, the young Master Shi no longer feared destiny and bravely advanced, eventually becoming the master of the East Nine Plain, but that was not his endpoint.
He hoped that one day, when he knew who that woman was, he would have the strength and standing to face her openly and tell her how much that boy had admired her, feelings unchanged to this date.
He didn't want to meet her feeling disgraceful, afraid and unnecessary to confess his admiration.
He believed such a woman was not obscure and unknown; it wasn't necessary to search hard. As long as he had real strength, he would naturally get the chance to meet her.
The tub he was soaking in was the one that woman had once used for her baths.
Some people, even unseen, stir like the wind, ready to touch anytime.
Thinking of that figure in his mind, as if enjoying the bath with closed eyes, he suddenly blurted out a phrase—uncertain whether it was for himself or for Wu Jinliang—his tone unusually firm and resolute, "We must get out!"
Wu Jinliang: "Exactly, the colorful world outside is waiting for us."
Shi Chun suddenly opened his eyes, looking at him, "Let me ask, why are you always fumbling with my hair? What's your intention? Tell the truth."
Indeed, Wu Jinliang was always touching his hair under the pretext of shaving him. When caught out, he stopped pretending and asked bluntly, "Where exactly did you hide that shiny purple nebula? I can't find it on you or in your hair... your butt?"
Shi Chun gave him a look, "Now I see why you're so eager to help me bathe. Tell me, if you knew where it was hidden, and someone captured you one day, under torture, would you betray me?"
"Hehe…"
Wu Jinliang chuckled repeatedly, and after a long while, he hesitated and mumbled, "That depends on the situation, doesn't it? If not confessing means losing my life, then preserving my life is more important."
"Humph!" Shi Chun scoffed coldly, "Then stop asking."
With a sigh of resignation, Wu Jinliang had no choice but to give up.
A while later, Shi Chun suddenly lifted his left hand, showing him the scar from a whip mark, "It entered my body through the wound when my hand touched it…"
He recounted the incident at the end of the mine, even revealing the abnormal conditions that followed, including what his right eye saw, especially what he had been repeatedly asked: how he had deciphered the immobilization charm. He disclosed the details and method of breaking it.
Finally, he frequently reminded, "We're about to leave; remember, don't forget. If you encounter another immobilization charm, use the method I told you; it should work. Absolutely do not leak this technique; otherwise, we might risk our lives."
Wu Jinliang nodded excitedly, "Got it, got it. Uncovering someone's secret is like cutting off their means of earning, and they will definitely seek to kill. Don't worry, this is a life-or-death matter; I won't leak it even if I die."
"Can you not wave that knife around in front of me?" Shi Chun watched warily as he happily danced with the knife blade. "The water's getting a bit too hot."
"Sure thing, will remove the fire," Wu Jinliang cheerfully said as he moved to the side, bending down to remove the firewood under the stone mortar.
The two spent quite some effort bathing and afterwards changed into clean clothes.
Although they had just washed, they still didn't look as clean as their clothes.
On their faces, and especially on the backs of their hands, there were dark patches and dry cracked skin due to limited conditions that had long hindered proper cleanliness, and their lips were also chapped.
However, Shi Chun's clothes were relatively decent, a robe that had been washed to a slight whiteness, paired with a neatly combed hairstyle fastened with a hairpin. Whether he had a scholarly aura or not was debatable, but he certainly looked like a different person.
Unfortunately, just as he took a few steps, he heard a "rip" from beneath, and looking down, saw his big toe poking out of the fabric of his left shoe, the toe itself sticking up.
The shoe had fallen apart just after two steps, probably because it was old.
What to do? Everything that could be taken had already been distributed.
It was not very troublesome, a few stitches with a needle and thread would do – those little things were available, it was just finding a matching fabric that was difficult.
In the end, he just picked a random piece of cloth and patched it up quickly. In order to match the colors, he scraped some soot from under the stone mill used for heating bath water and darkened both pairs of shoes to wear again.
Stamping his feet, Shi Chun declared refreshing, "Perfect."
After packing up, the two thus descended the mountain.
Wu Jinliang carried two knives, one of his own on his shoulder and the smaller one on Shi Chun's back because Shi Chun felt that carrying a knife would disgrace his scholarly appearance.
After climbing over a hillside, both simultaneously looked back, their expressions complicated as they gazed at the cylindrical stone mountain standing solitary in the wilderness.
"Will we come back here?" Wu Jinliang asked.
"Coming back is easy, just commit some offense, but I won't join you," Shi Chun said as he walked away with resolve—he had his own determined goals.
Wu Jinliang quickly followed, muttering, "Are we really leaving? It feels like a dream…"
In the walled compound of Zhixu City, the City Lord Ba Yingshan once again knocked on a guest's door.
Qi Yueru, with tears-reddened eyes, opened the door to let him in.
Ba Yingshan came to deliver news, and was direct, "As expected, those two ruffians from East Nine Plain have entered the city and brought their bundles. It looks like they're planning to leave for good."
Normally, delivering such minor news wouldn't require his personal involvement, but some matters needed to remain confidential and couldn't be handed to someone else.
Qi Yueru's eyes flashed, asking, "When did they go out?"
Ba Yingshan said, "It's not certain when exactly they will leave; they'll probably head to Bowan Building first. Someone is watching over there and will notify you promptly."
In Zhixu City, Wu Jinliang, carrying a large knife, strutted about flauntingly.
Shi Chun on the other hand, tried to appear scholarly, his face carrying a practiced gentle expression, smiling courteously at anyone he met.
After having learned to read from that female teacher, he felt cultured, different from the barbarians of the Land of Exile.
The two went straight for Bowan Building, exchanging nods and greetings with acquaintances amidst the steady stream of passersby.
As they walked past the bustling storehouse of Bowan Building, they merely glanced inside but simultaneously stopped, their attention caught by a woman checking around the goods.
The woman, though voluptuous and charming in plain clothes, had large bright eyes that radiated competence and vitality as she directed the moving of goods.
They recognized her; she was the proprietress of Bowan Building, and also Miss Miao's mother, named Lan Qiaoyan.
An old man following the woman noticed the two at the gate and chuckled briefly before quickly notifying her. She turned her head to look.
Seeing her gaze, Shi Chun instantly took on the gentle and courteous stance of a man bowing in greeting.
Wu Jinliang, on the other hand, waved his arms and excitedly shouted, "Mom!"
This exclamation, like a thunderclap, made everyone in and around the storehouse turn their heads in surprise, wondering how the proprietress suddenly acquired another son.
Lan Qiaoyan frowned, whispered something to the old man beside her, who then gestured with a wave of his hand for them to come in.
The gate guards immediately allowed them entry.
Shi Chun walked deliberately and calmly while Wu Jinliang, as if seeing a family member, excitedly ran towards the woman, calling out warmly as he approached, "Mom!"
Lan Qiaoyan's face bore a cold sneer as if she could castrate him on the spot, "Shut up! Big guy, I've recently heard that you've called too many women 'Mom' to count on two hands. Do you have a problem where you call every woman Mom?"
Wu Jinliang stiffened, puzzled how she knew and unsure how to explain.
Then Shi Chun, ever serious, raised his hand as if swearing an oath, "Madam, I can testify that he does not call just anyone 'Mom'. He only calls beautiful women 'Mom'."
Wu Jinliang quickly nodded in agreement.
Calling every beautiful woman 'Mom'? Lan Qiaoyan rolled her eyes at such flattery, then sternly warned Wu Jinliang, "Stay as far away from me as possible. I don't want such a shameless son. If you dare call out like that again, I'll tear your mouth apart!"