Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

However, it is certain that it was not an ordinary horse, nor was it castrated.

It is said that General Wu Jing'an loved his horse very much, and every time he won a battle, he would lead Jueying to the enemy's stable.

Although warhorses are all steeds, a cavalryman usually needs two or three horses. Apart from one warhorse, the horses used to carry things are mostly mares.

After Jueying won the battle, Wu Jing'an let it choose its own concubine and enjoy itself for three days and three nights.

That was a libertine who left his seed everywhere and didn't care about anything else.

That's why Jueying seems to have many descendants.

But Wuzhui was not a descendant of such promiscuity; it was bred through proper breeding.

Hopefully, in a few years, it won't learn bad habits from its great-grandfather.

Zhuang Xing packed all the items into the saddlebags on either side of Wuzhui, and hung the straw hat and raincoat beside it.

He was about to leave, and the little sister bit her lip, hiding behind her mother to watch him.

The younger sister was sulking and ignored him all day, not speaking to him at all.

When they parted, Zhuang Xing still wanted to make his younger sister happy.

If she were away for a whole year and all she did was sulk over her brother, how depressed she must have been.

After Zhuang Xing finished packing everything, he went to his younger sister's side, wanting to comfort her.

"Brother is leaving. Say goodbye to him." Mother patted her little sister on the back.

"Can I have a hug from my brother?" Zhuang Xing squatted down and called to her.

The younger sister looked up at her mother, then at Zhuang Xing.

She suddenly threw herself into Zhuang Xing's arms, but before Zhuang Xing could pick her up, she bit his finger hard, as if she had returned to the time when she couldn't speak properly.

This time, even when Zhuang Xing tickled her, she refused to let go.

Helpless, Zhuang Xing could only look to his mother for help with his eyes.

The mother simply took off her little sister's shoes and tickled the soles of her feet.

The younger sister couldn't hold it in any longer, opened her mouth, and laughed a few times.

"Alright, stop being naughty." The mother picked up the little guy.

"I want to go with my brother!" the little sister said stubbornly.

"You're so young, why are you walking with your brother?" her mother advised her.

"I'm not young!"

"Look at you, you're not even as tall as your brother's leg when you stand up." Her mother put her down on the ground. "When your brother was two and a half, he could go to the toilet by himself. You're almost three and you still need your mother to accompany you. How come you can walk with your brother?"

"I want it!"

"But you haven't even learned how to use chopsticks yet, you don't know how to dress yourself, you don't know how to put on shoes, you can't cook, you can't do laundry, you're still just a little kid..."

The mother stroked her little sister's head. Although her tone was gentle, the little sister looked like she was about to cry as she spoke.

"You can't even take care of yourself. If you go with your brother, you'll only cause him trouble. Don't you think so?"

The little girl's eyes welled up with tears, and Zhuang Xing thought she was about to explode, but she held back and didn't shed a tear. She just walked over barefoot, hugged Zhuang Xing's leg, and wouldn't let go.

Zhuang Xing picked her up and held her in his arms.

The younger sister didn't say anything and buried her head in Zhuang Xing's chest.

"Son, don't keep waiting by giving way."

"We'll take good care of her, you should go now."

The father, who was standing to the side, reached out his hand, wanting to take his younger sister away.

"I'd like to say a few more words to my little sister, Father," Zhuang Xing said.

He patted his sister's head; it was no wonder she was acting this way.

My little sister is only three years old. Her world is very small, so small that there are only three people in it.

With Zhuang gone, a full third of her world was missing.

That was a huge void for her.

"Your brother will miss you over there," Zhuang Xing said. "When your brother comes back, and it snows, he'll take you to build a snowman, okay?"

His sister responded to him in a very low voice.

"Um..."

"Good sister." Zhuang Xing patted her on the back and handed her over to his father.

He saw a fat rat's head peeking out from the corner where radishes were planted, and a white rat came to say goodbye to him.

He smiled and said, "Then I'll be going now, and I'll come back next year."

"Go on, son."

Zhuang Xing led the horse out of the courtyard.

He suddenly heard a childish voice behind him, a voice that trembled slightly and sounded a little sob.

"I...I miss my brother too..."

"And there's cooking...cooking clothes...washing...washing rice..."

Zhuang Xing turned his head and saw his sister's face.

She was only a hair's breadth away from bursting, but it was incredible that her sister, who usually cried so easily, had held back for so long this time.

As an older brother, how could I let my younger sister cry?

Zhuang Xing stopped in his tracks, turned his back, drew his sword, and tossed it into the air.

The flying sword hovered in the air, circled the courtyard, leaving only a sword shadow that twisted and turned, slicing off a few withered leaves in the bamboo forest, and finally returned to its scabbard with perfect accuracy.

The young Taoist priest raised his hand, waved, and his figure disappeared into the distance along with the black horse.

The little girl, her eyes glistening with tears, smiled as she watched the trail left by the flying sword.

She looked at the shadow and waved her hand like the adults next to her, waving very hard.

"My brother is the best!"

She shouted it out loud, as if she wanted the whole world to know.

Chapter 145 Returning to the Mountain

After leaving home, Zhuang Xing followed the Taoist priest and left along the road back to the mountain.

There was no rush this time, and once everyone had arrived, they strolled out at a leisurely pace.

The black horse followed behind Zhuang Xing without needing to be led by a rope; it knew to follow him.

Zhuang Xing looked back and saw that the once simple village had changed dramatically.

He walked along the path he used to take a few years ago and felt as if he were immersed in a golden ocean.

As far as the eye could see, there were wheat fields, with wheat stalks piled up at the edge of the fields and tied into haystacks, some of which were taller than him. Winter wheat seedlings were surrounded by the haystacks.

Looking ahead, the once conspicuous waterwheel is now old and small. A dozen waterwheels turn along the riverbank, and the water is channeled into the ditches amidst the creaking of the wood.

The village looked completely different from what I remembered; it was like a completely new place.

Many new faces were coming and going along the edge of the fields.

The road leading out of the village has now been paved into a wide and smooth highway.

Several inns for outsiders to rest have appeared at the entrance of the village. When a group of Taoist priests left the village, merchants also drove their oxen and horses carrying goods into the village.

Zhuang Xing saw Yunling ahead. Yunling had tied her long black hair up with a bun, and a faint fragrance of herbs wafted from her. Although she was wearing loose Taoist robes, her figure was gradually showing the charm of a girl.

Zhuang Xing followed her gaze and saw the old waterwheel turning.

The waterwheel was covered in moss. Although it was still turning, no one used it or maintained it.

Perhaps when it returns next time, it will only circulate in people's memories.

Things are constantly changing, and people always have to move forward.

"Let's go together." Zhuang Xing walked forward to Yunling's side.

“Mm,” Yunling replied.

"Would you like to have Wuzhui help you carry your things?"

"I didn't bring much, so I don't need to."

"It's okay, it just likes running with weights on its back."

"really?"

"You see, I often take it out for a run, right? It can't stay indoors, so it asks me to take it out, and it even insists on taking me along."

"It's very energetic..."

The two chatted and laughed as they walked forward.

Although the journey is long, having someone to accompany you makes it less tedious and boring.

The horses from Xuanqing Temple led the way, and the figures of a group of Taoist priests slowly disappeared into the main road, heading towards the mountain path.

Six days passed with frequent stops and starts along the way.

When we returned to Qingxuan Mountain, it was already late autumn.

The maple leaves on the mountain have all turned red, turning the entire mountain a vibrant red.

They rested for the night at an inn at the foot of the mountain, and Zhuang Xing left his horse, Wuzhui, at the stables down the mountain.

He entrusted Wuzhui to his senior brother who was in charge of feeding the horses at the foot of the mountain. He used a demon core to pay off the debt and asked his senior brother to arrange a shed, fodder, and care for Wuzhui. He had also told his senior brother about these matters.

When it snows and gets cold, Wuzhui will be much more well-behaved and won't be so eager to run away.

Judging from the temperature today, Zhuang Xing felt that the day of snowfall was fast approaching.

However, it seems that whether it snows or not doesn't make any difference.