He sighed and shook his head. Just as he was about to leave, the main gate of the Sun family suddenly opened, and a sedan chair was carried out. He paused his steps. In the past, he had often been moved when looking at this compound, wanting to see that Miss Sun. At this moment, with a lightning-fast glance at the curtain being blown by the wind, he saw a plump young woman inside, with quite a few freckles on her face. She wasn't very old, which truly astonished him.
If he hadn't seen the maidservant by her side, which gave Meng Hao a slight impression, he would have firmly believed that this was not Miss Sun...
Later, the sedan chair had gone far away, but Meng Hao still stood there, filled with regret.
"I actually destroyed my dream lover from back then with my own hands... The sages were right, do not look at what is improper, one should not look, one should not look."
Meng Hao shook his head, a look of regret on his face, and walked into the distance.
It wasn't until noon that he looked in surprise at a small house in front of him. The house looked old and dilapidated, yet there were people living inside, and noisy sounds continuously emanated from it.
This place had once been Meng Hao's ancestral home, but he couldn't make a living there back then, so he sold it. This place recorded the happy times he once lived, as well as the bitter and resilient moments of his life after his parents went missing.
Scene after scene appeared in his mind, making him stand there until dusk.
Silently, he walked to the door, raised his hand, and knocked.
The sound of knocking echoed, causing the noisy sounds from earlier to suddenly cease. Not long after, the door was forcefully opened from the inside, and a middle-aged man with a weathered face appeared, frowning as he looked at Meng Hao.
"Who are you looking for, what do you want?"
"It's Uncle Li, isn't it..."
Meng Hao looked at the middle-aged man and said softly...
"You..."
The middle-aged man was startled, carefully scrutinized Meng Hao, and then suddenly showed an expression of disbelief.
"Meng Hao? You... weren't you missing? Come in quickly..."
A look of pleasant surprise appeared on the middle-aged man's face. He grabbed Meng Hao and pulled him into the room.
"Wife, look who's here..."
Inside the house, a middle-aged woman was sitting there, wiping away tears, but when she heard the call, she looked up. Upon seeing Meng Hao, she was startled for a moment, then quickly stood up, her face filled with pleasant surprise.
"It really is Meng Hao..."
"This child, he left without saying a word back then. Come here and let Auntie take a look. We haven't seen each other for years, you've grown tall, but why are you so thin? You must have suffered a lot these past few years..."
The woman stepped forward to look at Meng Hao, her eyes filled with joy, having long forgotten the argument from earlier that day.
"Sit down quickly, let Auntie go cook some dishes for you. Now that you're back, don't leave again. Although you sold this place to your Uncle Li, this place is still your home."
A kind smile appeared on the woman's face as she looked at Meng Hao, then she glared at the man and walked into the kitchen.
Not long after, a table of food was brought out. Meng Hao looked at the couple before him, seeing the kindness in their eyes. He remembered that year when his parents went missing; if it weren't for the help of Uncle Li and Auntie Li, he would have faced much more hardship.
"The harvests haven't been good these past few years, and the house has been given to our son who just got married. Your place here was empty, so we came to live in it..."
Auntie Li served food to Meng Hao, her face amiable as she spoke.
"Where have you been all these years? Your uncle and I searched everywhere, but we couldn't find you."
When Meng Hao heard these words, his heart felt incredibly warm. He only said that he was going out to study an art, without elaborating. After finishing the meal, he stood up and bowed deeply to the two of them.
"Uncle Li, Aunt Li, I want to buy back this ancestral house. After all, it was left to me by my parents. Here is the silver. Please stay and help me look after it for a while..."
Meng Hao took the silver from his chest and placed it aside.
"This..."
Uncle Li hesitated for a moment, then looked at his wife. Aunt Li was silent for a bit, then finally nodded...
"You're right, this was left to you by your parents. This house will be returned to you. But Uncle Li and I are old now. Since you've said so, we will stay."
"As for the silver, forget it. We watched you grow up, and we treat you like our own child. How could we take your silver?"
Aunt Li took the silver and placed it back in Meng Hao's hand, saying decisively.
Meng Hao was silent, then clasped his hands and bowed deeply.
He did not stay there, but only took a few items from his memories. Late at night, he bid farewell to the couple, turned, and walked into the darkness. He did not take the silver, leaving it on the bed instead.
In an inn in Yun Jie County, Meng Hao sat cross-legged on the bed, looking out at the sky. After a while, he sighed softly.
"I am no longer a mortal, but I cannot sever these earthly ties. If I cannot sever them, then I shall let them remain..."
Meng Hao fell silent again, then closed his eyes tightly.
Early in the morning, Meng Hao found the Wang family's carpentry shop. He saw the wrinkled face of Old Man Wang, sitting there lost in thought. In front of him was a wooden sculpture. It was a carving of Wang Youcai. One could see the boundless sorrow in Old Man Wang's expression.
Meng Hao was silent. He didn't know if Wang Youcai was truly dead or not. After becoming an inner disciple, he had gone to find Xiao Hu, to the cliff where Wang Youcai had slipped, but found no clues.
He sighed softly, then walked into the carpentry shop.
Seeing someone approach, Old Man Wang looked up. When he saw Meng Hao, he was startled, carefully rubbed his eyes, then his whole body trembled uncontrollably.
"You... you are... Meng Hao?"
"It's me, Old Man Wang."
Meng Hao stepped forward to the old man, reaching out to support him.
"Where is Youcai? Weren't you two missing together that year? Where is he..."
Old Man Wang still clearly remembered the day Wang Youcai went missing, Meng Hao also went missing. Now, seeing Meng Hao, he was incredibly agitated.
"Brother Youcai hasn't returned yet. He also wanted me to tell you that he will be back in a few years. He wants you to rest assured, because he is living a very good life."
Meng Hao said with a smile, helping Old Man Wang to a chair. Then he continued to talk about what happened that year, only saying that he was taken away to study an art, and that Wang Youcai was intelligent and was studying a specialized art, which was why he hadn't returned yet.
Old Man Wang was so agitated that tears fell. He nodded incessantly as he listened to Meng Hao, and even many of the wrinkles on his face seemed to smooth out. After Meng Hao finished telling him everything, he finally broke into a bright smile.
"That child was intelligent from a young age. He didn't want to learn my carpentry trade; all day he just thought about doing other things. It's truly good, that he can go out and study an art, it's truly a good thing."
Old Man Wang smiled even more brightly. By noon, Meng Hao did not stay any longer. After being personally seen off by Old Man Wang, he left the place.
Little Hu and Fatty were not from Yun Jie County, but from two nearby towns. Meng Hao was not very familiar with Little Hu, and the other party was also fine. But as for Fatty, Meng Hao absolutely had to go to his house to report his safety.
Thinking that Fatty must have already arrived in the Southern Domain, Meng Hao felt a little emotional.
One afternoon, he went to look for Steward Zhou, but could not find him. After inquiring, he learned that Steward Zhou's entire family had left this place more than half a year ago. It was said that they had moved to the capital of Zhao State. Meng Hao therefore stopped searching and left Yun Jie County.
This place held his memories, but Meng Hao understood that ever since he entered the Reliance Sect, his path encompassed the entire Zhao State and this entire Southern Domain.
He left quietly, with only a few cooking pots, blankets, and bedding in his storage bag. These cooking utensils were bought by his father, and the blankets and bedding were sewn by his mother herself. To Meng Hao, these items were extremely precious.
The three towns at the foot of Mount Daqing, besides Yun Jie County, also included Yun Hai County and Yun Kai County. Fatty's home was in Yun Kai County.
This place was a little smaller than Yun Jie County. Although it was not as prosperous, because there was a lot of land all around, there were many wealthy landlords, especially several large ones who owned countless properties in the county.
Fatty's father was the famous wealthy landlord Li throughout Yun Kai County. According to Fatty's smug way of speaking, his entire family had several hundred people living there. It took a full hour to walk through their courtyard, and there were even more servants and maids.
His chamber pot was made of silver, and his blankets and bedding were bought from the capital of Zhao State. From a young age, he had maids to warm his bed. Even after growing up, he couldn't remember how many maids he had touched. In short, until now, he had never lacked anything. When he mentioned the marriage he would never forget, according to him, the famous young lady of Shu Xiang Sect in Yun Kai County was extremely beautiful. His father spent a lot of effort and money to help him successfully marry her.