He staggered towards the cave, suddenly his knees buckled and he collapsed onto the ground.
Struggling to get up, but unable to swallow food for days and sleepless at night, his body was already severely depleted. If not for his extraordinary will, he would have collapsed long ago.
Even so, by today, he was running on empty.
He extended his hand laboriously, as if trying to grasp someone, but the world before his eyes grew darker. Eventually, his arm fell limply as he sank into a boundless stupor.
The expressionless man in black was fighting a fierce beast in the mountains, his lips chapped, his complexion jaundiced.
His aura was grave, his demeanor serious, preferring quick, decisive action even if it meant exchanging injury for injury.
With a kick to the beast’s chest, he moved on impassively, not minding the beast lying on the ground, howling in pain, as he strode away swiftly.
But the world is so vast, where could she possibly be?
By the river, amidst the poplar woods...
A man with disheveled black hair sat cross-legged on a woven bamboo mat.
A guqin lay horizontally on his knees as he plucked the strings with icy fingertips, causing soulful melodies to resonate, yet his expression seemed lost.
In the farmhouse courtyard, beneath the setting sun.
The man, who was usually composed and gentle, stood dumbly under the eaves. He suddenly smiled, picked up a jar of wine, tilted it bottom-up, and guzzled it down.
He choked, coughing hoarsely as if he was going to hack out his heart and lungs, the corners of his eyes wet with moisture. He kept forcing a smile, but his smiling face seemed more like crying.
"Excuse me, have you seen a person ? She’s pretty, has a nice voice, her cooking is delicious, she knows medical skill, she..." He choked up, feeling a sourness in his eyes, his nose, and his chest.
Usually a brash and careless man, but at this moment he was like a little dog abandoned by its owner, eliciting pity with his forlorn appearance.
At Black Wind Camp, recently relocated to Anyang Village.
"Master, you’re back?"
Su Lang looked at the travel-worn man, his brows tightly furrowed as if weighted with heavy thoughts.
"Su Lang, help me find someone..."
Time flew by, and before you knew it, a month had passed.
Qingfeng Prefecture, named for the Qingfeng Mountain.
This place bordered Pingchang Prefecture, and on this day, a little girl carrying an ugly little basket walked in. Her little face was pitch-black and smudged with mud.
The little girl entered a medicine shop, lifted the tattered cloth off the basket to reveal several freshly dug-up herbs.
"Not bad quality!" The "Doctor" examined the herbs and then casually handed over some money. The little girl thanked him cheerfully before carrying her basket through the marketplace.
"Staples, condiments, tea..." she mumbled under her breath, stuffing her coin purse into her bosom, then sighed heavily.
At evening hours, her basket contained several pounds of rice, a small piece of meat, and a little bag of coarse salt. After leaving the market, her small form leapt up like a nimble monkey.
On Qingfeng Mountain, the White Tiger was bored, swishing its tail back and forth. It glanced occasionally at a coarse pottery jar nearby, displaying a surprisingly human-like expression of disdain.
The little girl entered the cave, put down the basket, casually stroked the tiger’s head, then quickly rushed toward those pots.