Eternal Tale

Chapter 322: A Heart Grown Old

The next day, at dawn, in a small inn.

Chen Xun entered, catching the attention of the innkeeper, who was busy with his abacus. Glancing up briefly, the innkeeper assessed him as an unremarkable, likely penniless customer—not worth his personal attention.

“Shopkeeper,” Chen Xun said, stepping up with a warm smile. “This place is quite nice. May I have a word with you in the back courtyard?”

The innkeeper’s expression shifted slightly, but he resumed his calculations. “Customer, we’re just a modest establishment. If you’d like to order something, one of my assistants will assist you.”

Chen Xun’s sleeve shifted, revealing a small but striking glint of pure gold. The innkeeper’s eyes widened as he glanced around quickly, then leaned closer, whispering, “Please, right this way.”

The inn was busy, with patrons from all walks of life, so as he led Chen Xun to the back, the innkeeper kept nodding to his guests. “Enjoy your meal, everyone!”

Once in the courtyard, Chen Xun didn’t waste words. He simply offered ten times the price of the inn to buy it outright.

Greed flickered in the innkeeper’s eyes; the offer started with gold! But he restrained himself. This youth, refined and charismatic, wouldn’t be an ordinary buyer. He might be far beyond the innkeeper’s reach.

Reading people was a skill essential for an innkeeper.

“Good.”

Chen Xun nodded, his thoughts wandering as he surveyed the courtyard. A soft smile crossed his face. “Heh… time sure flies.”

The innkeeper paused mid-step, a shiver running up his spine as he glanced back, a sense of awe and urgency quickening his pace as he hurried to settle the sale.

Three days later, as spring blossomed in Pan Ning City, a blacksmith shop opened its doors once more.

“Moo moo moo~~”

Brother Ox was ecstatic, dashing around the shop, letting out joyful moos.

Chen Xun leaned back in a chair, gazing down the familiar yet changed street with a calm and distant look in his eyes. “Old Sun… we’re back.”

His voice was soft, laced with the wear of years past, the passing of time leaving traces on his heart.

Xiao Chi sat sunning himself at the shop’s entrance, watching the people passing by, feeling an unparalleled sense of peace. Not a single cultivator in sight.

Brother Ox continued running around, a black blur of energy and enthusiasm. His eyes shone with joy as he took in the shop, unchanged from how it was when he and Chen Xun first called Pan Ning City home. This place held countless memories.

Chen Xun closed his eyes, letting the sunlight warm his face. He finally understood why Old Sun had enjoyed napping in this very spot.

“Brother Xun, is this really your old home?” Xiao Chi asked, glancing around. “It’s way better than my dirt hole.”

Chen Xun smiled softly, shaking his head. A gentle warmth filled the blacksmith shop, like a spring breeze carrying them back to the past.

“Xiao Chi, a home is a home—there’s no need for comparisons, good or bad.”

“Moo moo~~”

“Roar~~”

After their words, a peaceful silence fell over the blacksmith shop.

Brother Ox lay down beside Chen Xun, staring out at the street with him, while Xiao Chi resumed basking in the sun.

Before long, Chen Xun dozed off in his chair. Ever since leaving for Da Li, he’d rarely rested. For the first time, he felt a wave of exhaustion settle over him.

Brother Ox and Xiao Chi softened their breathing, careful not to disturb him.

In the midst of Pan Ning’s bustling, the blacksmith shop remained a quiet oasis. A red “mutant dog” sat at the entrance, a black ox lounged inside, and a young man slept peacefully under the spring sun.

They remained this way for half a month. Chen Xun, bare-chested, even took up the hammer, pounding away as they reopened the shop in earnest, pricing goods simply and humbly.

Brother Ox resumed his familiar tasks with ease, even teaching Xiao Chi a few tricks for quenching metal. Xiao Chi, covered in soot and grinning, dared not use his powers, enjoying the simple work.

The morning light was soft and calm, filling the street with a serene atmosphere.

They officially sealed the blacksmith shop, purchasing the land and treating it as an ancestral home.

No one would dare touch it. Anyone who tried would find their walking stick kicked from under them, face an all-you-can-eat knuckle sandwich, and maybe even see smoke rise from their family’s ancestral graves!

The peaceful morning was interrupted by the tinkling of a bell as the three of them strolled away from the shop. Their figures gradually merged into the early morning mist.

At the Ning family’s ancestral hall, a large painting hung prominently.

Xiao Chi stared at it, eyes wide, studying it over and over. It was unmistakably Brother Xun and Brother Ox!

Hundreds of memorial tablets filled the hall, yet among them, the tablets of Ning Si and his wife, Ning Yuanru, and Ning Chongwan stood out.

Spreading his divine sense across Pan Ning City, Chen Xun saw that the Ning family was safe and well, though with fewer members. Most had gone to the capital.

Under the protection of the Five Elements Sect, the Ning family had flourished, with some even stepping onto the immortal path. However, they remained true to their ancestral teachings, keeping medicine prices and fees low to serve the people.

The Ning ancestral hall was held in high regard across the land. Long ago, a rogue cultivator, skeptical of the family’s fortune, broke into the hall, believing that some treasure guarded their lineage. Within an hour, a vast number of cultivators surrounded Pan Ning City, with spirit ships hovering above, sealing off the entire area.

The terrified rogue was dragged off, his lineage investigated to the eighteenth generation before disappearing into an uncertain fate.

Since then, no one dared target the Ning family. Cultivators joked that while Pan Ning City might seem like any other mortal city, it was perhaps the safest place in the cultivation world.

Inside the hall:

Chen Xun walked to the front, respectfully lighting incense. “Master, Mistress…”

Brother Ox mooed softly in reverence, while Xiao Chi lowered his head, trembling slightly as he realized this was Brother Xun’s master.

“Master Ning, you always said that a healer’s heart is bound to compassion, that a man’s home is wherever he roams, and that one should keep the world in his thoughts.”

Chen Xun’s aura intensified, his gaze sharp as he continued, “I, Chen Xun, will not forget your teachings. I’ll be leaving again, venturing forward on an uncertain path. I don’t know when I’ll return to pay my respects.”

He took a deep breath, determined that the world would not fall into ruin at the hands of the corrupted beings. This place was his root.

Soon after, he coughed lightly, almost laughing at his own seriousness. But in front of his master’s spirit tablet, it seemed right to say comforting words.

“Moo~~~” Brother Ox let out a long, resonant moo, bidding farewell as well.

Outside the hall, a little girl peered over the threshold, her small face filled with curiosity.

Chen Xun turned, smiling gently. “Are you from the Ning family?”

The girl’s jaw dropped, her whole body trembling as she struggled to speak. Wasn’t this man and ox pair the very ancestors from the painting?

“O-old… ancestor. I’m Ning Feiyi,” she stammered, dropping to her knees, tears welling up. “I-I’ve never done anything wrong!”

Ning Feiyi’s tears fell like pearls, dripping onto the floor as she shook. She had always admired the painting, sneaking in to gaze at it. Now, seeing the real thing, she was on the verge of fainting.

A gentle breeze stirred, and Chen Xun lifted her with a light touch to her brow. “Our meeting is destiny. I’m skilled in reading fortunes and auspicious events. You, young one, are blessed.”

Ning Feiyi’s eyes brightened as a warm sensation spread through her mind. She managed a quivering bow. “T-thank you, Ancestor, for your gift.”

“Heh.”

A light laugh echoed in the air as she looked around, but they had already vanished, leaving no trace.

She rubbed her eyes, then shook her head, barely believing what had just happened. Only the tear-streaks on her face proved that it hadn’t been a dream.