allonlinenovel Chapter 48 Departure for Lucheng
Chapter 48 Departure for Lucheng
The next morning, as dawn broke and the first light of day streamed through the window into the room, Gu Changfeng slowly opened his eyes. He was always an early riser, and today was no exception. After washing up, he opened the door, ready to begin his day.
Just then, a soft footstep sound came from outside the door. It turned out to be Han Zhi and Zhao Fei, the two little ones. Unlike usual, they seemed unusually clever today, arriving early at the entrance of the Heavenly Class Hall to wait, their eyes full of anticipation, seemingly eager to serve their master.
Looking at their energetic appearance, Gu Changfeng felt very gratified. He thought to himself, "These two lads have made a lot of progress today. It seems that my usual teaching has paid off." Thinking of this, he smiled slightly and said, "You've come at the right time. Go and help me unpack my luggage."
Han Zhi and Zhao Fei responded in unison, "Yes, Master!" After saying that, the two rushed into the house like arrows and busied themselves with their work.
Meanwhile, Gu Changfeng went into the next room. He saw Ye Qingchen gently dressing Xiaoyue'er, her movements practiced and meticulous. Seeing Gu Changfeng enter, she looked up and smiled, saying, "Brother Changfeng, Xiaoyue'er will be ready soon."
Gu Changfeng nodded and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Qingchen. Let's go downstairs for breakfast first, and then we'll set off together."
Ye Qingchen dressed Xiaoyue'er in a pink outer garment. It wasn't made of fine brocade, as they wanted to keep a low profile, but it still made the little girl's fair skin look beautiful. Her mother must have been a beauty too, but sadly, she died young. Ye Qingchen's eyes suddenly welled up with tears. She carried Xiaoyue'er downstairs.
In no time, everyone was ready. The group went downstairs to the inn's restaurant. The restaurant was already full of diners, but fortunately there were still a few empty tables. Gu Changfeng found a seat by the window and then called everyone to come and eat.
In the morning, the five of them ate some wontons and steamed buns, and specially ordered a poached egg for Xiaoyue'er. Everyone quickly started eating. After finishing, Ye Qingchen had Han Zhi take the luggage upstairs, and Zhao Fei went to catch the carriage that had brought back the money. She then had Gu Changfeng pay for the food, and ordered a package of steamed buns wrapped in oil paper, flatbread, three roast chickens, and 20 boiled eggs. She had also bought a lot of pastries yesterday, which would serve as provisions for the journey. Traveling alone with Gu Changfeng was fine, but now they were practically traveling with their families, so it was better to prepare more food.
Han Zhi skillfully wielded his whip, urging the spacious carriage forward, its wheels rolling rhythmically. Zhao Fei sat steadily beside him, helping Han Zhi control the carriage's direction and speed.
Inside the carriage, Gu Changfeng sat upright, with Ye Qingchen and Xiao Yue'er on either side. The carriage was spacious enough that even with three or four more people, it wouldn't feel crowded.
The five people traveled on and finally arrived at the pre-arranged meeting place where they would wait for Dong Sheng and his mother. Han Zhi gently pulled the reins, and the carriage slowly came to a stop. At this time, Dong Sheng's mother and son had been waiting there for quite some time.
This courtyard may seem ordinary, but Gu Changfeng had already meticulously arranged for people to handle the relevant matters after they left. In this way, they could act in Jincheng without any worries.
Beside Dong Sheng's mother and son lay a rather large bundle, which piqued Ye Qingchen's curiosity. She couldn't resist peeking inside and saw that it contained many books, presumably the result of Dong Sheng's diligent studies. There was also a small bag of loose silver, several writing brushes, and a few worn-out garments, clearly belonging to Dong Sheng and his mother. Aside from these, the bundle seemed to contain nothing else.
Ye Qingchen, with a smile, invited them to board the beautifully decorated carriage. Upon seeing her today, everyone was astonished to find that Dong Shengniang seemed much younger. Looking closely, although she hadn't fully recovered her youthful appearance, if one said she was only thirty, many would believe it. Dong Shengniang had a beautiful face, skin as white as jade, and a unique charm in her eyes and brows; she truly possessed a captivating beauty and enduring allure. Even Zhao Fei, who had accompanied her yesterday, couldn't help but secretly marvel, thinking to himself, "Our master is truly powerful, possessing such miraculous rejuvenation techniques!" The more he thought about it, the more he admired his master's skill, and at the same time, he was filled with curiosity and longing for the secrets behind it.
Dong Sheng and his mother boarded the carriage, and Dong Sheng began to express his loyalty, deeply grateful to Ye Qingchen and Gu Changfeng. He had thought he was already doing well enough to cure his mother's illness, but these past few days, seeing his mother's increasingly youthful face, he truly understood why she had once wanted to die. No beautiful woman could bear the loss of her youth and beauty. And all of this was for him; if it weren't for saving him, his mother wouldn't have suffered what she had. Yet now, even with her hair casually wrapped in a cloth, his mother still looked beautiful.
However, he still didn't reveal his background. How could he? Even if he did, not just anyone could restore his status as the heir of Prince Yi. The carriage continued on its way. Ye Qingchen, worried that Dong Shengniang and Xiao Yue'er might not be used to it, didn't let them travel too fast. Because there was a mountain road from Jincheng to Lucheng, and one of the roads in the mountains wasn't very smooth; it was a bit bumpy.
Upon hearing that they had arrived in Lucheng, Dong Shengniang began to worry, her face turning pale. Ye Qingchen, fearing she wouldn't be able to adapt to the carriage, asked, "Aunt Dong, what's wrong?" Dong Shengniang replied, "There were bandits here 10 years ago. I don't know if they still are. We have old and young people, and we're rather frail, so I'm very worried about traveling this road!"
Ye Qingchen wondered what was wrong with her, not expecting her to be worried about this. However, she knew about their background from Gu Changfeng's investigation of Dong Sheng, so Ye Qingchen found it normal for her to think this way. To prevent her from being frightened, Ye Qingchen simply offered to continue examining her. She then took Dong Sheng's pulse and discovered that the spatial water's restorative abilities were excellent; Dong Sheng's internal injuries had already healed. Now that she had taken the Rejuvenation Pill, she didn't need any further treatment. However, to distract her, Ye Qingchen simply used a golden needle to insert into Dong Sheng's Neiguan acupoint and then channeled her internal energy into it, using her newly learned techniques to open the acupoints. This time, Ye Qingchen opened Dong Sheng's Ren and Du meridians. She felt that after her treatment, Dong Sheng could practice martial arts, at least to improve her health. Whether she wanted to practice or not was up to her.
Ye Qingchen actually wanted to show Dong Sheng her skills, after all, as the heir of Prince Yi, no matter how talented he was in literature, his lack of martial arts skills was a weakness. However, just as she was about to reach out, Gu Changfeng glared at her, and she could only awkwardly put her hand back. Just as Dong Sheng's mother relaxed, they heard a group of shouts: "This mountain is mine, this tree is mine, if you want to pass, leave your toll!"