"No matter whether it's an iron sword or a wooden sword, as long as it suits my heart, it's a good one," Gu Ning'an said with a smile as he turned to Carpenter Zhao. "I wonder, can Carpenter Zhao make a wooden sword?"
"Can~ I~ not?" Carpenter Zhao drawled, his previously sunken eyes now gleaming brightly. "If it can be made from wood, there's nothing that Zhao's Carpenter Shop can't craft!"
"Good!" Gu Ning'an clapped his hands. "Then I'll leave this matter to you."
"Uh…" Feeling something was off, Carpenter Zhao stared at Gu Ning'an for a moment before nodding. "Alright, then, please choose your wood, sir."
Without hesitation, Gu Ning'an pointed to a corner of the shop. "That one."
Looking in the direction indicated, Carpenter Zhao saw a round log leaning against the wall.
The log was pitch black with branch-like patterns running along its surface, and a faint charred smell lingered near it.
"Sir, you mean that one standing in the corner?" Carpenter Zhao thought he might have misunderstood and asked again.
Gu Ning'an nodded. "Yes."
Hearing the confirmation, Carpenter Zhao's lips twitched. "Sir, perhaps you should consider the other wood stacked nearby… redwood, nanmu, or huanghuali wood would all be excellent choices."
Gu Ning'an waved his hand dismissively. "I'll take that one. Judging from the tree rings at its cross-section, it must have come from a centuries-old tree."
"Are you sure, sir?" Carpenter Zhao gestured at the charred log and said seriously, "To tell the truth, it did come from a hundred-year-old willow, but it's been struck by lightning and burned. It can't be used as raw timber anymore. I only picked it up to use as firewood..."
Gu Ning'an smiled. "As long as the inside is intact, the charred exterior doesn't matter."
Seeing that Gu Ning'an insisted on this "firewood," Carpenter Zhao stopped trying to persuade him and nodded. "Alright, but if the finished sword turns out as brittle as a dry branch, don't blame it on my craftsmanship."
"Even the most skillful craftsman can't work without good materials…"
"Just focus on making it," Gu Ning'an said, waving his hand. "I'm not unreasonable."
"Now that's reassuring," Carpenter Zhao sighed in relief before continuing. "There's no charge for the wood itself—it's just something I picked up. The labor cost for the sword and the wooden chopsticks will be two coins. How about that?"
"Deal." Gu Ning'an flipped his palm, placing two silver coins on the wooden board in front of him. Smiling, he said, "Let me know when it's ready."
Carpenter Zhao picked up the coins, weighed them in his hand, and smiled. "No problem. Do you have any specific requests for the sword's design or patterns?"
"No need for patterns," Gu Ning'an replied. "Just keep it simple."
"Got it." Carpenter Zhao nodded. "Once it's done, I'll deliver it to your courtyard."
Gu Ning'an cupped his hands in thanks. "I appreciate the trouble, Carpenter Zhao."
"No trouble at all." Carpenter Zhao gestured to the silver coins in his hand and grinned. "You've made it easy with such simple requests, so these two coins are finally earned fair and square."
Gu Ning'an responded with a smile, "At least now you won't keep bringing up those two coins from before, right?"
Carpenter Zhao's face flushed, and he scratched his nose awkwardly. "Of course, I won't bring it up again."
"Alright then, I'm off." With those words, Gu Ning'an turned and walked out of the shop. Carpenter Zhao escorted him out and then returned to his workbench, only to discover a small clay jar sitting on the wooden board. He had no idea when it had appeared.
Carpenter Zhao quickly grabbed the clay jar and ran out of the shop, shouting toward the end of the street where Gu Ning'an was disappearing. "Sir, did you leave behind a clay jar?"
A leisurely voice carried back on the breeze. "It's been a while. Consider it a cup of tea for you."
Hearing this, Carpenter Zhao froze for a moment, then shouted back, "Thank you, sir!"
In the distance, Gu Ning'an's figure grew smaller and smaller until it vanished from Carpenter Zhao's sight.
Zhao brought the clay jar closer to his nose. Even though the lid was still sealed, he could faintly catch a whiff of tea's fragrance.
"One sniff, and you can tell this is good tea!" Carpenter Zhao glanced at the two coins in his left hand, then at the tea jar in his right. He burst into laughter. "A sage, a sage… even sages are human, approachable and kind!"
…
At noon, under the blazing sun, the shade of the trees along the street filled with elderly folks chatting or playing chess.
Gu Ning'an, dressed in a white robe, stood out particularly under the bright sunlight. Many passersby would glance at him and remark, "That handsome gentleman looks unfamiliar. Where's he from?"
Although Gu Ning'an had only recently returned, many already recognized him by his distinctive attire. After all, in Lexiang County—a place neither too big nor too small—any peculiar incident, especially one tied to rumors of gods or spirits, spread quickly.
Curious townsfolk who didn't know the full story added strange titles to his name.
Often, when these gossiping villagers noticed Gu Ning'an approaching, they would fall silent, some even avoiding eye contact in embarrassment. Yet, once he was out of earshot, they would resume their chatter.
Fortunately, the gossip wasn't too far-fetched. Gu Ning'an viewed it as human nature and simply smiled it off, pretending not to hear.
As he passed through a narrow alley and took a shortcut home, he spotted the "Sun's Mutton Stew" cloth banner swaying under the shade of a tree.
Granny Sun was deftly tidying up a nearby wooden table, her face lit with a gentle smile.
Gu Ning'an quickened his pace and approached the stall, smiling as he asked, "Granny Sun, I haven't seen you out for the past two days. What's kept you?"
Granny Sun, holding a bowl and chopsticks, looked up with a hint of confusion in her eyes. "Sir, you are?"
So, she'd forgotten him again… Gu Ning'an paused and replied, "I am Gu Ning'an, an old patron of yours."
"Gu Ning'an…" Granny Sun muttered, a faint sense of familiarity stirring within her. After a moment of thought, her dark brown eyes quivered. "Mr. Gu! You're the one staying at Ansi Courtyard!"
"Good heavens! How many years has it been? You haven't changed one bit!"
"Where have you been all these years?"
"Were you off pursuing official examinations?"
Noticing that Granny Sun had forgotten him from a few days ago yet remembered him from over twenty years ago, Gu Ning'an felt puzzled. He activated his spiritual power, focusing it on his eyes to carefully examine Granny Sun's three souls: the heavenly, earthly, and human souls.
At that moment, Granny Sun's heavenly and human souls were churning, while her earthly soul remained murky, even more clouded than before.
The turbidity of her heavenly soul was descending into her earthly soul, causing her to recall distant memories while more recent ones became increasingly elusive.
Understanding this, Gu Ning'an smiled and said, "These years, I wandered through the world, seeing and learning. When I grew tired of wandering and reminisced about your fresh mutton stew, I decided to return here."