With the couple's comforting words, Qin Qiong had no choice but to accept reality. However, he was determined to protect his son and make amends.
They summoned a maid to tidy up the room, and the three of them sat down again in the courtyard. Qin Mu asked, "Father! When are we going back to Chang'an?"
"Say goodbye to your friends and set off the day after tomorrow!" Qin Qiong said after thinking for a moment, then asked Luo Cheng, "What do you think?"
“Okay!” Luo Cheng nodded in reply.
"Have you made up your mind? When are you moving to Chang'an?" Qin Qiong asked again.
“Since the decision has been made, there’s no need to think about it anymore. We’ll go to Chang’an after we return,” Luo Cheng said, his brow slightly furrowed. Having said that, he felt much more relaxed. At least he no longer had to worry about the Luo family’s future. Moving to Chang’an, although it had a bit of a hostage situation, he believed Li Shimin wouldn’t treat him unfairly.
"Alright, I'll wait for you in Chang'an." After confirming, Qin Qiong breathed a sigh of relief. Although the two families weren't on good terms, it was certainly the best outcome to avoid armed conflict.
"Dad! I'm going to say goodbye to my friend." Seeing that there was nothing else to do, Qin Mu got up and said.
"Go! Call a few of the Qin family guards to come along," Qin Qiong instructed.
"Okay!" Qin Mu agreed and went out the door.
"Please inform him that Qin Mu has come to pay a visit." He first went to the nearest Mo family residence. When he arrived at the door, Qin Mu told the guards what was happening and then waited there obediently.
"Young Master is here!" Before long, Xianglizhong strode out and greeted Qin Mu with a smile.
"I wouldn't dare! Just call me Qin Mu, senior." Qin Mu said respectfully, cupping his hands in greeting.
"I'll still call you Huaidao."
"That would be for the best."
"Please come in, Huai Dao!"
"please!"
After exchanging pleasantries, the two entered the courtyard, went to the living room, and sat down. Sōrizuka then asked, "Kaidō, what brings you here?"
"I have two things to say here. First, I want to express my gratitude to Elder Xiangli for making the jade seal for me. Second, I want to say goodbye to you all, as we will be returning to Chang'an soon," Qin Mu explained.
"Hehe, Huai Dao, don't worry about it. For my uncle, making the jade seal is just a piece of cake."
"Is Senior Xiangli here? I would like to express my gratitude in person," Qin Mu asked.
"He can't stay idle, so he went out of the city to survey the terrain," said Xianglizuka.
Qin Mu understood that he meant to go and see the terrain for building the reservoir, and said regretfully, "Seniors, when you come to Chang'an in the future, you must tell the Qin family so that I can treat you well."
"Definitely! Definitely!" Xianglizuka nodded with a smile. Then he added, "Huaidao, please sit down first. Yanran has just returned. I'll go call her."
"good!"
Since he was already there, Qin Mu felt it would be better to say goodbye in person, so he sat quietly and waited. The Mohists valued frugality and were not used to being served, so Xiangli Zhong had to go and call for someone himself.
“Girl, Qin Huaidao has come to say goodbye.” Xiangli Yanran sat at the stone table under the tree in the courtyard, and Xiangli Zhong saw her as soon as he entered.
"Ah! What!" Xiangli Yanran suddenly stood up and asked.
"What are you thinking about? Why are you in such a panic?" Aisatozuka asked curiously.
"N-nothing!" Xiangli Yanran stammered.
"Where did you go just now?" Xiangli asked with a smile as he turned his head to the side.
"I didn't go anywhere. By the way, what did you just say, Uncle?" Feeling guilty under Xianglizuka's gaze, Xiangli Yanran glared at him and asked.
"Qin Huaidao has arrived..."
"Brother Qin Mu is here!" Xiangli Yanran's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and she hurriedly ran outside.
“He came to say goodbye…” Aisatozuka almost choked on the second half of his sentence, lowered his arm, and murmured with a sigh, “Our little girl has grown up!”
After saying that, Xianglizuka frowned and said, "The Duke of Yi's mansion!" Then he shook his head and walked out.
"Brother Qin Mu, what brings you here?" Xiangli Yanran ran to the door, then stopped abruptly, walked in gracefully, and asked with a smile.
"I've come to say goodbye. I'll be returning to Chang'an with my father and the others the day after tomorrow," Qin Mu explained as he stood up.
"Ah! Are you leaving already?" Xiangli Yanran said with a hint of disappointment.
"Yes! We've been out for so long, it's time to go back." Qin Mu nodded.
"Oh!" Xiangli Yanran lowered her head and responded sullenly.
"If you want to see me, you can come to Chang'an!" Qin Mu said with a smile. He hadn't really thought much about it; he just thought Xiangli Yanran was being childish and didn't want to be separated from her friend.
Upon hearing this, Xiangli Yanran thought about it and agreed. She blinked twice, then smiled again, her eyebrows curving, looking quite adorable. Of course, it would be even better if she didn't have that greatsword on her back.
"Are you leaving the day after tomorrow? I'll come see you off then."
"No need to bother, they probably set off early this morning."
"Okay, I understand."
"I need to say goodbye to Brother Lingyun and the others, so I'll be leaving now."
"Okay, goodbye, Brother Qin Mu."
Qin Mu smiled and nodded, then walked outside.
“Everyone’s gone!” Xianglizuka said, walking up behind Xiangli Yanran.
"Second Uncle, I want to go to Chang'an!" Xiangli Yanran turned around and said with certainty.
“No, if you don’t go home, your father will skin me alive,” Xianglizuka hurriedly shook his head.
“There are many masters in Chang’an, I’m going to learn from them,” Xiangli Yanran said, her eyes wide with delight.
Sōrizuka looked at her with an expression as if she thought he was stupid, shook his head and said firmly, "No, no means no. You go home first, and then it's none of my business where you go."
"Hmph!" Xiangli Yanran kicked her little foot and turned away angrily.
Not long after, a loud "bang" came from the villa where Xiangli's family was staying.
Having not heard that sound for a long time, the deputy guard trembled in fright and instinctively grabbed the hilt of his sword. Then he relaxed his grip and waved his hand, saying, "Don't worry, it's just that the alchemy furnace exploded."
Sōrizuka was also startled, his hand trembled, and he spilled tea on his lap. He then gave a wry smile, shook his head, and went back to change his clothes.
"Bang!" Just as Xiang Lizuka, who had changed his clothes, reached the backyard gate, another loud noise came, making him rub his ears.
In the courtyard, a large pile of firewood was burning, and a dark jar was placed on top of the fire, which Xiangli Yanran was shaking angrily.
"My dear aunt, didn't you promise not to do this kind of thing here?" Sōrizuka asked with a bitter face.
"I'm going to do it!" Xiangli Yanran turned her head away from him, looking furious.
"Please, Uncle, put this away. This much will last you a long time," Xianglizuka said, clasping his hands together.
"No way!"
"Alright! Alright! You just want to go to Chang'an, fine, we'll go." Xianglizuka pressed his hands down repeatedly, admitting defeat.
"Really?" Xiangli Yanran turned around and stared at him.
“Of course it’s true, but you’ll have to convince your great-grandfather first,” Sōrizuka nodded.
"No problem!" Xiangli Yanran's anger turned to joy, and she was almost jumping for joy.
Qin Mu bid farewell to Qin Yue and his sister, promising to meet again in Chang'an, before returning to his residence. Reflecting on this period, he realized it had been quite fulfilling, a life he could never have experienced before. The world of cultivation was truly wondrous.
Although they are two completely different worlds, their drastically different worldviews still made him feel unfamiliar, yet filled him with a sense of anticipation for the future. Imagining Chang'an, which was ten times larger than Youzhou, Qin Mu was eager to see it soon.
Qin Mu rode his own one-horned rhinoceros, stretching comfortably. This rhinoceros, which he had won, was nearly four meters long and two meters tall, with a single, long, and sharp horn on its head, making it look extremely imposing. Crucially, the rhinoceros's back was very broad; a person could lie down on it comfortably. When running, its stability was no less than that of a warhorse.
The one-horned rhinoceros has a hairless body and somewhat rough skin, most of which is very hard, like a shield. However, its fleshy back looks quite nice.
"The Murong family is really stingy. They lost the rhinoceros and took away its armor and saddle," Qin Mu said with some dissatisfaction. The marks on the rhinoceros indicated that it used to have not only a saddle for a knight but also armor.
"Haha, you should be content. Murong Yun never expected that they wouldn't win a single round, and you got a rhinoceros for free. Such a large rhinoceros must be Murong Yun's own mount. Training a rhinoceros that can be ridden for long distances is no easy task. Very few outsiders can obtain a rhinoceros from the Murong family," Lu Ce laughed loudly.
They had been away from Juyong Pass for two days and were now traveling slowly. After all, unless one was in a hurry, no one would urge their mounts to gallop at full speed.
"So, Murong Yun never intended to give the rhinoceros a single horn?" Qin Mu sat up straight and asked.
“Of course it is. It is said that a rhinoceros can only give birth to a calf every five years, and it takes four years for the calf to grow up. It takes one or two years of training to adapt and train, and ten years in total, to obtain a qualified one-horned rhinoceros mount. This requires a lot of time and effort. How do you think he would be willing to give it up?” Lu Ce said happily, obviously pleased to see Murong Yun in such a bad mood.
"So this is really troublesome!" Qin Mu exclaimed in surprise.
"Hehe, Murong Yun suffered a loss in silence this time, but the Murong family is so powerful that it's not a big deal, just a bit embarrassing. But armor is different; its craftsmanship must be excellent. The Murong family still has unicorn rhinoceroses, but a good set of armor is another matter," Qin Qiong said with a smile.
Equipping another rhinoceros with armor would create another excellent mount. Although Murong Yun's mount was extraordinary in both appearance and spirit, it wasn't irreplaceable. However, armor was a different story; crafting a fine set of armor for a mount in a short time would be extremely difficult.
Perhaps armor is more important to Murong Yun, but for Qin Mu, it doesn't really matter. There are plenty of ores in the Heavenly Mystery Tower, so making a good set of armor is relatively simple.
"Let's part ways here!" Luo Cheng said, reining in his horse as they reached the crossroads.
"Alright, then we'll part ways here," Qin Qiong nodded.
"Huai Dao, Duke of Yi, take care!"
"Take care, everyone!"
See you again in Chang'an!
See you again in Chang'an!
With Luo Cheng and his men gone, only Qin Qiong and his son, along with thirty ordinary soldiers, remained.
"Let's go, it's still early, let's travel a little further!" Qin Qiong called out.
"Yes, Dad!"
"Giddy up!" Qin Qiong spurred his horse forward. Qin Mu hurriedly patted the rhinoceros and followed.
Although the one-horned rhinoceros has thick legs and looks clumsy, it is a trained mount and its running speed is in no way inferior to that of a warhorse. The key is that the one-horned rhinoceros is much larger and heavier than a warhorse, and a single one can run with the imposing presence of a herd of warhorses.
The rhinoceros's running sound was full of momentum. Qin Mu, riding on the rhinoceros's back, was very happy and satisfied. After all, in his mind, apart from shepherds, those who could ride oxen were all fierce and skilled people.
On the official road, pedestrians occasionally passed by. Hearing the sound from afar, they would move aside and look at Qin Mu's mount with surprise and envy.
That's one of the advantages of returning to Chang'an. Most of the time, it's on official roads, and there are fewer mountainous areas, making it much easier for warhorses to travel.
However, nowadays people live on their own farmland, so there aren't many houses along the roadside, and overall, there is still a sense of desolation.
As horses gallop past, birds take flight in fright; ahead of them, birds are always startled into flight by the galloping horses, filling the world with vitality.
"Stop!" Qin Qiong, who was in front, suddenly raised his left arm, reined in his horse, and shouted.
The soldiers were all skilled riders, and given their already slow pace, they all stopped. Only Qin Mu, who reacted a beat slower, managed to stop the rhinoceros after it had already passed Qin Qiong by half a body length.
At this moment, Qin Mu also noticed something was wrong. The air in front of the road was shimmering like water.
"What is this?" Qin Mu asked in surprise. The thing in front of him gave him a bad feeling. This thing looked like a teleportation portal from a movie, but much larger. The area in front of him was like this for at least two or three hundred meters.
"I don't know, be careful," Qin Qiong instructed, then reached for the horizontal sword at his waist.
Seeing this, Qin Mu also drew his sword. Without being told, the soldiers drew their weapons, picked up their bows and arrows, and watched the scene warily ahead.
With a loud "boom!", a huge monster suddenly burst out of the air and crashed to the ground with a thud.
"Moo!"
"Hiss!" A fierce aura spread out, and the rhinoceros and warhorse neighed.
Qin Mu could feel his mount tense up instantly. It was clearly frightened by the sudden appearance of the object; if it hadn't been well-trained, it probably would have turned tail and run away.
The monster that suddenly appeared was much larger than the one-horned rhinoceros, about four meters tall. Since we were facing each other, we couldn't see its length clearly, but it was estimated to be at least ten meters long. The monster had its hind legs on the ground, its forelimbs were much shorter, it had long claws, a long neck connected to a large head, and a long, large mouth.
The large creature, resembling a lizard, startled Qin Mu, causing his pupils to dilate involuntarily.
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