Chapter 6: The outside world – “Good and evil, right and wrong, if you haven’t experienced any of them…”
As darkness fell, the towering mountains turned into gray shadows in the twilight, making this remote village seem even more isolated from the world.
The makeshift guesthouse was brightly lit with several times more lamps than usual, illuminating the spacious rooms and making the guests who were about to stay see the simplicity of the rooms even more clearly.
The servants spent the entire afternoon tidying up, polishing the room inside and out until it shone, and then redecorating it with the brocade and utensils they had brought, but this was clearly still not enough to satisfy their master.
Upon entering from the outside, Qin Yuqi only glanced around before frowning. Jia Qianyang released him from his restraints, and the anger he had been holding back was ignited like a spark finding a tinderbox.
"A bunch of useless bastards, all trash!"
"Damn barbarians, how dare they treat me like this!"
"What a terrible place! If it weren't for..."
Inside, shouts and curses continued, and the sound of objects breaking could be heard from time to time. The loud, sharp cracks were terrifying.
The servants knelt outside the house, trembling with fear. One of the servants closest to the door was hit on the head by a teacup that flew out from inside the house. Blood slowly dripped from his forehead, but no one dared to move, for fear that he might bring trouble upon himself if he was not careful.
Qin Yuqi had indeed never experienced any setbacks from childhood to adulthood.
He was made crown prince of the Great Yong Dynasty at birth—the successor to a thriving and expanding empire. Coupled with his intelligence, courage, and decisiveness, he was highly regarded by the old emperor. Therefore, no matter how unreasonable or even tyrannical his actions, he was never criticized. Of course, no one dared to criticize him except the emperor.
But today, he was first ignored by a wild girl who appeared out of nowhere, and then questioned by pointing her finger at him. He had to swallow his anger and endure it.
He had never been treated like this before, never... She had trampled his dignity and pride underfoot!
He longed to capture her right now with his guards, to torture her, to see fear appear in her beautiful, defiant eyes. She should look at him with reverence and awe, just like everyone else, and submit to him!
Once the noise inside had subsided, Jia Qianyang prepared to enter. Before entering, he waved away the servants scattered on the floor, who, as if granted a pardon, quickly withdrew completely.
Upon entering the room, one sees a gloomy-looking young man sitting on a small couch.
Jia Qianyang sat down opposite Qin Yuqi across a small table.
Of all those traveling this time, only he possessed the confidence to repeatedly and forcefully suppress the Crown Prince's anger. To avoid provoking the sensitive nerves of these barbarians, they traveled under the guise of merchants, claiming only that they were from the Qin family, mining merchants from Cangwu County, who had discovered abundant mineral deposits they needed. They were willing to exchange the silk fabrics, gold, silver, and jade artifacts produced by Dayong for the minerals of Liyue Village. Cangwu County was the closest territory of Dayong to Liyue Village, itself a region rich in mineral resources, teeming with mining merchants. Merchants coming for profit were unlikely to arouse suspicion.
"Liyue Village is wild and crude, unlike the refined palace. It's normal that Your Highness isn't used to it." Jia Qianyang poured tea into Qin Yuqi's teacup, not mentioning a word about the unpleasantness of the day. He was the one who had sealed his acupoints without permission, and Qin Yuqi was probably still full of resentment towards him.
Jia Qianyang continued to comfort him: "However, this trip is not something that can be accomplished overnight. Your Highness should adapt as soon as possible and prioritize the overall situation."
Qin Yuqi gripped the teacup tighter and tighter, gritting his teeth as he said, "It's alright, Grand Preceptor, there's no need to worry." He picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp, then slammed it down again, as if swallowing all his anger back down.
Jia Qianyang nodded, looking at the young man opposite him with considerable admiration. As a favored son of heaven who had always held a high position, he already knew how to advance and retreat at such a young age, and was sure to achieve great things in the future. Out of admiration, he couldn't help but say something that he shouldn't have said from his position, "In any case, Your Highness must remember the purpose of this trip. His Majesty is still waiting, and Your Highness's brothers are also watching."
"I understand." Qin Yuqi's expression calmed down, but his two sword-like eyebrows were still deeply furrowed.
As the legitimate son of the heir apparent, and with a noble maternal family, he was born a venerable Crown Prince. However, some overconfident individuals always attempted to test the weight of the throne, and even some cowards in the court dared to choose sides. This mission was specifically assigned by his father, the Emperor, to accompany the Imperial Advisor, Jia Qianyang, on a training expedition. Although he was said to be accompanying him, given his status, Jia Qianyang naturally prioritized his wishes in everything. Ultimately, success or failure would be attributed to him.
"I just don't understand. Having arrived here today, I've discovered how wild and backward this place is. What strength do they possess that requires the Great Yong Iron Cavalry to go to such lengths to conceal their presence?"
"The Imperial Advisor refused to explain the reason before, only instructing us to keep a low profile, making people think it was a tough nut to crack. But today, it's nothing more than a desolate wilderness and a group of rural savages," Qin Yuqi said disdainfully, his eyes revealing the sharpness and arrogance unique to young people.
*
Now, Xiao Jiang followed Jiang Liuyun home, not forgetting to bring along the servant who had lashed out at her with a whip.
The servant's hands were tied with hemp rope by her, and he cursed all the way behind her as Xiao Jiang led him by the rope.
Jiang Liuyun had always indulged her temper, knowing that although she hadn't suffered any physical injuries, she was still angry, so he let her be. After all, she was just a child and had no intention of harming anyone; at most, she was just teasing him. Seeing that the anger on her face had subsided considerably, Jiang Liuyun felt temporarily relieved.
The group then went to the riverbank. Xiao Jiang asked her servant to go down into the river to catch fish to compensate her. She also picked up a sharp-rooted tree branch and handed it to him as a tool, while she watched him intently as he supervised the work.
Jiang Liuyun chuckled. Just as he had expected, his daughter's mind was as pure as her eyes—innocent and straightforward, but also very vengeful. Very much like that person.
The servants were catching fish in the river, while Xiao Jiang and Jiang Liuyun watched from the bank. Taking advantage of this time, Xiao Jiang told Jiang Liuyun everything that had happened by the river earlier.
"Father, I don't think they are good people."
"I don't like these people."
Xiao Jiang's face was unusually serious when she said this.
Jiang Liuyun remained silent for a while. Liyue Village was isolated from the world, a self-contained community. The villagers rarely went out, and it was even more difficult for outsiders to come in. But this did not mean that the people here did not want to have contact with the outside world. It was just that the rugged mountains and rivers were a barrier, and in addition, the constant wars in the outside world over the years had gradually closed Liyue Village off from the inside, and it had lost all news from the outside world.
He recalled the sacrificial ceremony three days earlier.
The marks on the tortoise shell clearly indicate that a distinguished person will arrive from the north.
How many years has it been since any outsiders have come in?
Jiang Liuyun looked at his daughter, who was now half his height, and realized it had been ten years. When his daughter was just over a year old, she suddenly disappeared one day, and since then, no outsiders had ever come to Liyue Village.
People are always afraid of unfamiliar things. Jiang Liuyun understood Xiao Jiang's feelings. After all, there had never been a stranger in the village since she could remember, let alone someone who had a conflict with her.
However, unfamiliar things are not always a bad thing.
According to these outsiders, the wars that ensued after the collapse of the Great Zhou Dynasty have subsided for many years, and the Great Yong Dynasty now reigns supreme. A new dynasty has established a stable rule from the ruins; the wars have ended, the world is about to be unified, there are no longer any barriers between the thirteen continents, the people live in peace and prosperity, and people from all over the world interact frequently.
The envoy said that now is an era of unity, and contact and communication with the outside world is the general trend.
Jiang Liuyun knew that he said those words to promote the cooperation in mining in Liyue Village, but he couldn't help but wonder if it would be much easier to find someone if the war had ended? Would he be able to find out about her?
Ten years have passed, and she has asked him to wait for her, but she has never returned.
What is she doing out there? Does she even remember she has a home here? Is she... still alive? He was fed up with waiting, fed up with the desperate waiting year after year.
Jiang Liuyun closed his eyes, but Xiao Jiang's voice was still chattering in his ears.
“Father, I think we can’t agree to whatever they want to do. They must have a purpose in coming here. The road into the village is so hidden and difficult to navigate, how did they manage to find it?”
"...Father, could you please send them away?"
Jiang Liuyun chuckled, suddenly freeing himself from his emotions.
“Little Yu’er is even more old-fashioned than her father.” He smiled and comforted his daughter, who had a closed mind, saying, “It’s true that they came with a purpose, but not everyone who has an ulterior motive is a bad person. It’s normal that you don’t like them since you’ve never met anyone from outside the village before.”
"But Yu'er, don't resist things from the outside world. There are many things in this world that you don't know. If you keep refusing to learn about them, you'll just stay stuck in the same place."
"If you haven't experienced good and evil, how can you tell the difference? Liyue Village is just a small part of this world."
Jiang Liuyun changed the subject, "Your mother... she also came from outside. Don't you want to see the outside world in the future?"
Xiao Jiang was somewhat bewildered. Jiang Liuyun rarely talked to her about her mother, and this was the first time she had learned that her mother was not from the village.
As for the outside world...
Xiao Jiang scratched her head, to be honest, she didn't really want to go. Although Wu Hu and the others were annoying, she was content with the life she had with her father in the village—food, drink, and leisure—and now she had Xiao Hai.
Little Sea... The sea is outside.
Xiao Jiang immediately remembered that he had promised to take Xiao Hai home, and he had to keep his promise.
Xiao Jiang honestly replied, "I want to go."
"So, what does Xiaoyuer want to do outside? Do you want to go find your mother?" Jiang Liuyun looked at the mountains and forests on the other side of the river. Beyond the mountains and forests, there were still more mountains and forests, but his gaze had already gone to a very distant place.
After a long silence, Jiang Liuyun turned his gaze to Xiao Jiang, who was deep in thought.
Xiao Jiang had never seen her mother since she could remember; her mother was just a name to her, a name she had no real connection with. She wanted to release the mermaids back to the sea, but seeing the warmth and hope in Jiang Liuyun's eyes, Xiao Jiang nodded emphatically.
"Yes, I want to. Let's go find Mother together."
A note from the author:
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