NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 47: Returning Home in Glory
It was the time of sunset, and behind, the city of "Mu Zhi City" was bathed in a fantastical beauty against the backdrop of red skies.
Ling Yi, sitting by the window of the carriage, watched the scenery gradually recede, lowered the curtain, and remained calm and serene.
Over the past three years, Ling Yi has traveled back and forth between "Mu Zhi City" and his hometown, Shanhai Village, more than thirty times. He has long been familiar with the road ahead.
The coachman, who had known Ling Yi for years, had driven this route carrying him seven or eight times.
As they traveled along the main road and with twilight settling in, there were fewer and fewer people on the road as they moved away from "Mu Zhi City" until they saw no one else. The horses pulling the carriage even managed to pick up speed and trot.
Due to a stretch of mountainous road, winding up and down, left and right, it was near midnight when the carriage carrying Ling Yi arrived at Beikou River Town, finally reaching his destination—the Jiang Family Blacksmith Shop.
Ling Yi courteously thanked the coachman, "Thank you, all the best," and promptly settled the fare. Amidst the coachman's sincere gratitude, Ling Yi turned and followed Ling Bai, who had come out to greet him, into the blacksmith shop.
…
The next morning, as dawn broke, Ling Yi bid farewell to Master Jiang and his cousin Ling Bai, slinging his pack over his shoulder and setting off with long strides towards Shanhai Village.
It wasn't because he was unwilling for the carriage to take him directly to Shanhai Village the previous night, but because the road from Beikou River Town to Shanhai Village wasn't a main road; it was a country dirt road. Narrow, potholed pathways were passable by mule carts but difficult for the broader carriage to navigate. Even if they forced it, the bumps and struggles were unavoidable.
With the strength of a tenth-level soul force and years of physical training from a young age, Ling Yi's pace was swift and enduring, allowing him to cover the forty-plus miles in just over an hour.
"Xiao Yi? Isn't that Xiao Yi?"
“Xiao Yi is back—?”
“Hey! It really is… Xiao Yi is back—!”
On the western outskirts of Shanhai Village, amidst the fields lining the road, villagers stopped their work to talk among themselves at the sight of Ling Yi's figure.
Someone even shouted out loudly, “Xiao Yi—! You're back again—!!”
“Yes—! I'm back—!” Ling Yi responded in kind, raising his voice in reply to the familiar calls.
Just like that, with a call and response, the village burst into a chorus of barks from over a hundred meters away: “Woof—! Woof woof woof—!!!”
Before Ling Yi could even enter the village, a tall yellow figure dashed towards him at breakneck speed.
“Ah Huang—!”
Ling Yi caught the large yellow dog that leapt up to him in an embrace, vigorously rubbing its head, all the while dodging the long tongue trying to lick him.
After finally calming Ah Huang down and setting it back on the ground, before Ling Yi could continue walking into the village, a grey silhouette elegantly appeared in his path. Sitting quietly, the creature looked at him with shimmering vertical pupils, seemingly calm but unable to hide a hint of joy.
“Meow Meow~” Ling Yi patted Ah Huang’s head, which was circling around him, and spread his arms wide towards Meow Meow, joyfully calling out.
"Whoosh—"
A swift shadow flitted by, and Meow Meow's figure vanished in an instant, only to reappear in Ling Yi's arms.
Meow Meow's fluffy head nuzzled against Ling Yi's chest before it withdrew, turned around to face the direction of the village, and then looked back at Ling Yi with its head tilted at nearly a hundred and fifty degrees, waiting for its master's company.
Similarly, Ah Huang stopped circling and came to a halt at Ling Yi's side, wagging its tail in anticipation.
“Ha ha~” Ling Yi laughed heartily at the scene, waving his hand as he declared, “Let's go! Homeward bound!”
The heartwarming reunion at home is skipped over so as not to challenge those who are not skilled at depicting emotional scenes.
At noon, the Ling and Zhang families came together for a sumptuous lunch, celebrating Ling Yi's return.
After the meal, the grandparents headed back to their respective homes, Uncle Zhang Dahe went to the fish pond, and Ling Xiaoshan took Ling Yi's cousin, Zhang Lei, to the fields.
Meanwhile, Mom Zhang Xiaoyu and Aunt Ling He stayed in the Ling Family's yard, keeping watch over the children playing as they wove fishing nets and bamboo cages.
Zhang Xin, born in December of Douluo Year 2593, is now nearing eight years old in October of Douluo Year 2601, just two months shy of his eighth birthday.
Ling Shan, born in March of Douluo Year 2594, is now seven years and seven months old.
Ling Si, the little girl who was still cradled in arms when Ling Yi left for schooling, was born in February of Douluo Year 2598. Sharing the same birthday as Ling Yi, she will be four in another four months.
Zhang Miao, born in January of Douluo Year 2600, is not yet two years old. At present, she totters behind her siblings, always on the verge of tumbling over. However, the courtyard is filled with 'Blue Silver Grass', ensuring she won't hurt herself if she falls.
With the two little girls still at such a tender age, they play blissfully unaware, reveling in pure joy.
Zhang Xin and Ling Shan, despite claiming to be playing, were actually practicing the 'Basic Body Conditioning Exercise' taught by Ling Yi. To Zhang Miao and Ling Si, however, seeing them occasionally mimicking a cat’s crawl or stretching like Ah Huang, it appeared as if they were just pretending to be cats and dogs for fun.
At present, both Zhang Xin and Ling Shan had undergone their spirit awakening ceremonies and possessed their own spirit powers.
Each had their ceremonies on their birthdays, and thanks to Ling Yi's connections with Deacon Yan Bin from the local Spirit Hall branch, as well as having paid the necessary fees, there was no delay like in the past when Zhang Lei and Ling Yi had to wait for the regional awakening ceremony in Beikou River Town.
Ling Yi had been studying in 'Muzhi City' for three years, benefitting from a full scholarship due to his status as a work-study student, though he spent on food and drink. Yet, through the sale of finely crafted weapons from the 'Silver Xin Blacksmith Shop' run by Senior Brother Five Wang Meng and the 'Golden Geng Blacksmith Shop' managed by Senior Brother Nine He Wen, he earned a substantial income.
Naturally, his craftsmanship fees were never short, whether from Senior Brother Five or Senior Brother Nine.
Over these three years, Ling Yi's savings surpassed the combined wealth of the Ling and Zhang families in Shanhai Village.
Returning to Zhang Xin and Ling Shan, the two little fellows' spirits were no surprise: a Zhang family heirloom "Hoe" spirit and a Ling family legacy "Blue Silver Grass" spirit.
Regarding innate spirit power, Zhang Xin was not lucky; there was almost no reaction from his spirit power. Deacon Yan Bin used the measuring crystal ball on him for over ten minutes, yet not even a flicker appeared.
Ling Shan fared slightly better. The crystal ball at the time showed about two percent light, indicating an innate spirit power of 0.2.
Although 0.2 is indeed very low, it at least allowed Ling Shan to start cultivating the 'Basic Meditation Method' under Ling Yi and Zhang Lei's guidance to enhance his spirit power.
The results of the second younger sons' spirit awakenings in the Ling and Zhang families were mixed, with both joy and disappointment, and there wasn't much more to say about it.
In Ling Yi's estimation, although the two had not undergone as many deep sleeps through his hypnosis as Zhang Lei had in the past, the nutrients they absorbed since conception, due to improved family conditions, definitely surpassed those of Zhang Lei and Ling Yi himself.
So, in the end, it was the weak quality of their martial souls that made the chance of awakening innate soul power exceedingly low.
Fortunately, thanks to Ling Yi's establishment of the "Blue Silver Grass - Mimicry Training Ground," Ling Shan lived in this environment for many years. Three years ago, when they were closely associated, and over the past three years, Ling Shan returned almost every month to hypnotize the family, inducing deep sleep to adjust their bodies.
As a result, Ling Shan ultimately benefited by fortunately awakening a 0.2 level innate soul power.
On a related note, when Ling Yi first returned home three years ago, he had invited Master Jiang’s family from the town to visit Shanhai Village. Over the three years since, Jiang Kai, Master Jiang’s grandson, had been repeatedly brought to the village by Ling Yi. Each time, he received the same treatment as Zhang Xin and Ling Shan: ginseng chicken soup and deep sleep.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Kai, who awakened his martial soul a month earlier than Ling Shan, achieved an innate soul power of one level and was now Ling Yi's junior at the Green Leaf Primary Soul Master Academy in Muzhi City.
As for Ling Shan, following Ling Yi’s recommendation, he decided to stay home and train with Zhang Lei for two years before attending Muzhi City’s school in the new academic year.
At six years old, if there are no resources, one must seize every learning opportunity. However, with Ling Yi’s personally-prepared study materials at home and guidance from cousin Zhang Lei, there was no hurry to leave for a distant, unfamiliar city.
After all, Ling Yi had decided to apply for early graduation from the academy once he absorbed his first soul ring.
Without Ling Yi's presence at the academy, Ling Shan, with an innate soul power of just 0.2, might face immense pressure.
The more exceptional Ling Yi’s performance over the past three years, the more pressure would fall upon Ling Shan.
The chapter marks the conclusion of the current volume, encapsulating the profound achievements and transformations within the narrative.
(End of Chapter)
