Chapter 117 A Sudden Enlightenment

Chapter 117 A Sudden Enlightenment

I feel apprehensive as I get closer to home.

Even a brat like Duan Wuheng, who never holds back his words, started to get nervous.

"What, are you afraid to see your mother?" The wheels rolled forward, and today it was Wang Sumo's turn to drive.

The others were either resting in the carriage or riding horses and walking pigs in front, but Duan Wuheng couldn't concentrate on anything. He couldn't stay still in the carriage either, so he simply sat next to Wang Sumo to keep her company while waiting to get home.

Wang Sumo suddenly asked him a question, and Duan Wuheng finally snapped out of his daze.

The old man always said that "this guy (Duan Wuheng)" was the one with the worst posture in the Eight Treasures Restaurant.

Because Duan Wuheng disliked sitting, but he couldn't stay still either; he liked to run and jump around. He would either sit on the roof of the carriage, or as the carriage moved, he would run around aimlessly. Even when he had to sit, he would never sit properly. He would stand upright, but always cross his legs in a double lotus position, with nowhere to lean against, using this extremely difficult movement to "nail" himself to his position.

The moment I was lost in thought, my legs were crossed like lotus flowers, resembling a Buddha statue. But without a foundation or any support, if I encountered a slightly larger bump, I would sway back and forth like a roly-poly toy, and it seemed that I would fall straight down in the blink of an eye.

Wang Sumo could see his nervousness.

She had heard Bai Cen mention that Duan Wuheng had been taken to the Bewitching Town by the Fengyang Sect and hadn't seen his mother for over a year.

At first, his mother thought he was always running around, idle and doing nothing.

Just then, the Fengyang Sect came to our doorstep to recruit people. My mother inquired around and found out that it seemed to be a legitimate sect, so she sent him there without a second thought. Little did she know that this was just the beginning of getting on a sinking ship.

Duan Wuheng rested his chin on his hands and said dejectedly, "I'm still thinking about whether or not to tell Mother about the Bewitching Town..."

Wang Sumo glanced at him.

Duan Wuheng sighed, his hands supporting his chin, his face full of worry, the kind of anxiety typical of a child not quite grown up.

“My mother always thought we’d found a good place for me to settle down and work properly. If I told her about my experience of being trapped in this godforsaken place, Bewitching Town, for over a year, she would be worried sick…”

Besides being energetic and playful all day long, young children also have their own worries.

This includes thinking ahead about how to express one's longing for one's mother in a way that is considerate of her feelings and avoids making her feel guilty...

Wang Sumo gained a new understanding of Duan Wuheng.

On a bright sunny day, the autumn sunlight filters through the leaves of the trees, creating a unique "golden and magnificent" effect.

Beneath the golden splendor, one could hear someone ahead telling Wei Meng to slow down.

What a harmonious autumn day!

Wang Sumo thought so.

In the harmonious autumn sunshine, the young boy continued to bask in the autumn light, his heart still conflicted: "If I don't tell my mother about what happened in Bewitching Town, she'll definitely ask me where I went and what I did. I've never been able to lie to my mother since I was little; if I lie, she'll find out. Or should I tell her the truth? No, she'll definitely be terrified..."

Young children have their own troubles.

I haven't thought it through myself.

I'm almost home, and my mind is still a complete mess.

Sometimes, Wang Sumo really felt that he and He Qingque were very similar, but He Qingque was an orphan and didn't have Duan Wuheng's troubles. He Qingque's troubles were more about how to eat good food and how to get his fellow disciples at Qingyun Manor to take him somewhere fun...

Wang Sumo said leisurely, "Duan Duan."

Duan Wuheng: →_→

He's also called Duan Duan!

But I've never heard her call Yu Tang "Jiang Jiang," Bai Cen "Bai Bai," or Zhao Dage "Zhao Zhao," or anything like that.

“A nickname, huh?” Wang Sumo suddenly blurted out.

Duan Wuheng was startled.

Is this mind reading?

“No, that’s too easy to guess,” Wang Sumo once again hit the nail on the head.

Duan Wuheng was both annoyed and helpless.

Wang Sumo is at the top of the food chain at Bazhenlou!

But she can also read minds!

Duan Wuheng is experiencing what Bai Cen went through before.

As Wang Sumo drove the carriage, he said softly, "Duanduan, don't overthink it. You're not a child anymore. Even if you were, you should have your own judgment."

Duan Wuheng looked at her, puzzled.

Wang Sumo continued, "Whether you want to put your mother's mind at ease, or whether you want to tell her everything that has happened this year, the choice you would make would be different if this happened when you were a few years old, a teenager, a twenty-something, or even at any point in your life. So, don't overthink it. Just tell your mother what you most want to tell her..."

Duan Wuheng was slightly surprised.

Wang Sumo looked ahead, a slight smile playing on her lips: "When I was little, when my mother was still alive, I always thought that I would be with her no matter where I was, but later I found that things didn't go as planned... If I were to see her again, what I would want to say to her now would be different from what I would want to say to her when I was little."

“So, it’s not important.” Wang Sumo looked at him again and smiled. “Child, what you want to tell your mother right now, what you want her to know, you don’t need to think too much about, because there are some things you might find you can’t say after you get this age.”

Duan Wuheng seemed to understand but not quite.

But then again, there seemed to be an indescribable sense of sudden enlightenment...

Wang Sumo continued gazing at the warm autumn sun ahead, and said gently, "If she were still here, I would tell her that yesterday, in the pouring rain, I used a wooden bucket to collect natural water; last night, when I was staying in the countryside, all the lights in the Bazhen Tower were out, and a few stars in the night sky were particularly bright, reminding me of her; this morning, I ate her favorite fried dough sticks and a cup of rich soy milk; now, I am driving my carriage in the warm autumn sun, the autumn wind rustling through the leaves..."

Duan Wuheng looked at her.

She said gently, "Tell your mother whatever you want to say. She'll listen to whatever you say. Don't worry about anything else. Don't you miss your mother? Just go see her."

Just go see her...

Wang Sumo also calmly let it go.

Duan Wuheng was slightly surprised. After a long while, he loosened his lotus-like legs, moved closer to her, and sat down obediently. While curiously looking at her, he said, "I understand what you mean."

Wang Sumo smiled at him.

Duan Wuheng put his hands behind his head, leaned back leisurely in the carriage, and said dreamily, "I will tell my mother the truth, what I saw and heard in the Enchanted Town. Anyway, the world is dangerous, there are bad people everywhere, and the Fengyang Sect is not a good people either. In the future, I will venture into the world on my own and see the outside world. I will inevitably encounter all kinds of people and things, and I will tell her everything."

Wang Sumo pursed her lips.

Duan Wuheng was also relieved: "If she is timid and gets scared, I will choose to tell her the less scary parts; if she is brave and wants to hear more, I will learn from the storyteller at the village entrance and tell her everything in detail."

Duan Wuheng had probably gotten over this hurdle in his mind, and he felt much more relaxed, returning to the carefree young boy he used to be.

She even told Wang Sumo a lot about her family in one go.

As if remembering something, Wang Sumo casually asked, "Duan Duan, where did you learn your lightness skill? How come it's so good?"

She had actually wanted to ask this for a long time.

Firstly, Duan Wuheng often speaks without thinking, saying things here and there; secondly, they weren't that close, but they had just had a good chat and became closer.

Although Duan Wuheng still didn't sit properly, he was willing to speak: "Actually, my mother didn't know what our ancestors did, but in the bottom box, besides a few life-saving silver notes, there was also a booklet. My mother never touched it. I heard that my grandfather and father had tried to practice it before, but they didn't make any progress. But things left by our ancestors are very important, and it's not good to show them to outsiders, so they've always kept them at home."

“When I was little, I was naughty and caused trouble everywhere. My mother would get angry and lock me in the house. I had nowhere to go, so I rummaged through the drawers and cupboards at home and found that book. I couldn’t read at that time, so I couldn’t see the mental techniques written in the book. I just followed the symbols in the book and started practicing. Maybe it was because I was young, but I learned many things without realizing it. I imitated the steps in the book and sometimes I could even float on the grass.”

"Then I gave myself a nickname, 'Floating on Grass'."

"You all know what happened next."

"Master, my mother forbids me from telling anyone about this. You must keep it a secret for me, or she'll worry."

Wang Sumo smiled and said, "A promise is a promise."

Duan Wuheng sighed, "I feel so much like my mother!"

"I miss my mom's dumplings and her flatbreads, I'm so hungry for them..."

Listening to the chatter and nagging around him, Wang Sumo suddenly understood the advice of his Uncle Yu Daozi: "Possessing a treasure is a crime. When you travel in the martial world in the future, you must never mention to others that the Eight Treasures Pavilion was drawn by your mother. Just say that by chance, I gave it to you."

It is likely that Duan Wuheng's ancestors were once renowned masters of lightness skills in the martial arts world.

But as time goes by, countless seasons have passed in the martial world.

Many names and sects have disappeared into the long river of time, and many legends in the martial arts world are unknown even to their own descendants.

These martial arts manuals were quietly sealed away in an inconspicuous corner, until one day, by sheer chance, a talented member of the family suddenly opened one of the books, and thus began another legendary tale of the martial world…

A sudden thought struck Wang Sumo.

Who knows if, many years from now, Duan Wuheng will truly become the legendary master of light-footed kung fu, the Grass-Floating Master?

Wang Sumo smiled.

Lost in thought, Zhao Tong rode his horse back from the front: "We'll reach Plum Town soon. I took a quick look; the town is quite large. We can pass by the Eight Treasures Pavilion."

"We're here?" Duan Wuheng sat up straight with a "whoosh." He had been so focused on talking that he hadn't realized he was home!

I'm home!

I can see my mother again!!

Duan Wuheng instantly reverted to his little kid form!

Jiang Yutang also reached out and lifted the curtain of the car window, looking at Duan Wuheng's excited expression. They had arrived at Plum Town.

In this carriage, besides his mother, only Duan Wuheng remained.

I can't tell if it's jealousy or envy.

But everyone was happy for Duan Wuheng.

The old man glanced at it and asked, "Where's Bai Cen?"

Speaking of this, Zhao Tong clenched his fist and coughed lightly: "Weimeng dragged him into the town first."

Wang Sumo had a headache: "..."

At the entrance of Meizi Town, Duan Wuheng jumped off the carriage first: "Then I'll go back first!"

Wang Sumo instructed, "Go ahead, be careful on the road."

"See you later~" The person had vanished without a trace, leaving only the voice.

Grandpa Weng stroked his beard: "The town is quite big; we can resupply properly."

Wang Sumo saw Bai Cen being dragged around by Wei Meng, running rampant through the town and frightening passersby.

Wang Sumo was also impressed.

“Then we’ll open for business near Plum Town tomorrow. Duan Wuheng’s mother is here too. Seeing that Bazhenlou is a properly licensed restaurant, she should feel comfortable letting him come along.” Wang Sumo had already thought it through.

Jiang Yutang smiled. She had gotten used to Wang Sumo's sharp tongue over the past few days. Every time Duan Wuheng asked if she could stay, she would say she would think about it later, but she had already made up her mind.

Zhao Tong thought to himself: I'm so pent up! Finally, I can use the knife!!