The journey was very smooth, and on the afternoon of the second day, they arrived at the foot of a mountain.
Bai Houpu and his companions got off the carriage and spoke to everyone.
The carriage could no longer proceed; we had to cross the mountain.
Li Lanzhen asked him how long it would take after crossing the mountain.
Bai Houpu said it would take a day to reach that small mountain village.
Later, Xuan Shen arranged for three attendants to stay behind and watch over the horses and carriages.
Bai Houpu told everyone that the carriage could go a little further up, where there was a large cave that could fit three carriages and horses, so that the three of them could rest and wait there.
After settling their three attendants and the carriage, they continued climbing the mountain.
After crossing the mountain, they rested for the night in a cave at the foot of the mountain.
When Li Lanzhen and her group entered the cave, she discovered signs that someone was living there.
The cave floor was covered with a thick layer of thatched grass, and several bundles of dry firewood were piled inside.
The stove at the entrance of the cave was made of three stones.
The three stones were blackened by smoke, and on a large stone slab next to them were three pottery jars and several earthenware bowls.
She knew this must be the place where Bai Houpu and his group stopped on their way out of the mountains.
Bai Houpu went to the back of the cave, took out half a bag of black flour from the pile of firewood, and placed it on the stone slab.
Then he called out to Xuan Shen to go fetch water with him.
"Mr. Bai, are there any rivers nearby?"
"Yes. There is, not far from here. After we fetch water, we'll cook something hot to eat."
Chang An didn't sit idle either; he found a lot of wild vegetables nearby.
She wanted to see if there were any pheasants or rabbits, but she didn't find any.
Seeing her unwillingness, Li Lanzhen wanted to go to the more distant mountains to take a look.
He quickly stopped her, "Chang'an, it's alright, let's just eat something simple. We'll make something delicious when we get back to Peach Blossom Spring."
In the evening, Li Lanzhen made wild vegetable porridge and heated up wild vegetable pancakes.
After the four of them had eaten their fill, Xuan Shen and Bai Housheng told the two women to go and rest while they kept watch.
Li Lanzhen didn't refuse any longer, and pulled Chang An to lie down fully clothed, sleeping on the grassy bed.
In the morning, after drinking wild vegetable porridge and eating wild vegetable pancakes, we prepared to continue our journey.
The baskets that Scrophularia and Magnolia officinalis carried on their backs were filled with grain.
Li Lanzhen also had some food in her basket. She planned to take out more food from her spatial storage if there wasn't enough food for everyone once she arrived.
After Chang Fu and his four companions lived in Peach Blossom Spring for more than a month,
Li Lanzhen discovered that the five of them were all of good character, practicing martial arts with Xue Laohu and the others every day, and then working diligently.
Li Lanzhen's family didn't need her or Han Yuemei to do any of the heavy work in the yard.
It was all done by those five people.
So one night, Li Lanzhen called over five people and, in front of them, put a powerful pill into a bowl of spiritual spring water.
After it melted, it was divided into five bowls of water, which the five people drank.
The five of them accepted the drinks without hesitation and drank them.
The next morning, during their morning exercise, Chang Fu and the other four felt changes in their bodies.
Their bodies became stronger, and their strength increased.
The five of them knew in private that the changes in their bodies were due to the bowl of medicine imbued with spiritual energy that Li Lanzhen had given them.
Changfu warned the four men that they must never betray their master!
Make good use of the changes in your body, study martial arts diligently, and protect your master.
The five men were still making a vow under the moon in the Western Hills.
The five of them became sworn siblings, vowing never to betray the Lord, nor to betray one another, never to abandon one another, to unite in love, and to protect the Lord and live well.
So, of the four of them, Bai Houpu is the weakest and has the least strength.
Seeing Li Lanzhen and the other two carrying heavy baskets on their backs, yet walking without blushing or skipping a beat.
Bai Houpu couldn't help but sigh that he was really getting old, his pace had slowed down, and his physical strength couldn't keep up!
Li Lanzhen noticed his mood and comforted him with a smile.
"Mr. Bai, once you've settled down in Peach Blossom Spring, take good care of your health, and your strength will gradually recover."
For so many years, you've been hungry, cold, and lived in constant fear, which is why your bodies haven't kept up."
Bai Houpu laughed heartily and said optimistically.
"Yes, everything will be alright once we return to Peach Blossom Spring."
He thought to himself, "Peach Blossom Spring is truly a paradise on earth. Everyone there is kind, simple, hardworking, and diligent."
In particular, Li Lanzhen is quick-witted and has many novel ideas; most importantly, she has a strong sense of righteousness.
Bai Houpu cherished his dreams of a better life in the future.
The sun hung over the western mountains, casting a red glow on the mountainside.
At this moment, looking into the distance, there is a small village nestled in the mountains.
The houses are just not clustered together; they're scattered here and there.
At this time, it should be dinnertime in the village, with smoke rising from every chimney, curling up into the valley.
In the early winter, a sense of warmth and life filled the mountains.
Bai Houpu pointed over there and said, "We've finally arrived. Look, that's the little village where we live."
"What's the name of this village?" Li Lanzhen asked Bai Houpu.
"Hehe, this village is called Little Mountain Village."
Li Lanzhen was stunned for a moment, then chuckled to herself, "Heh, how capricious! A small mountain village, fine, then let's call it a small mountain village."
As soon as they arrived at the village entrance, a skinny little boy of about five or six years old rushed up to them.
Shout loudly, "Grandpa! Grandpa, you're back?"
She stretched out her arms and rushed into Bai Houpu's arms.
Bai Houpu laughed heartily and lifted him high in the air.
"Haha, Grandpa's back."
"Grandpa, hurry up! Dad and Mom said Grandpa should be back today. He's cooked dinner and is waiting for you."
Turning around, he saw Silver Fox and Li Lanzhen, the three of them, and asked excitedly.
Are your grandfather and the others your friends?
Xuan Shen took him from Bai Houpu's arms and lifted him high, saying, "I'm your uncle."
"uncle?"
"Grandpa, do we have any relatives?"
Bai Houpu smiled bitterly, "Yes, Grandpa found a relative this time. This is your uncle."
He's your great-aunt's son, and you also have a younger cousin. When we get back to Youzhou, you can all have a good time together.
The boy was so happy that he danced with joy, and after getting down from Xuan Shen's arms, he ran towards the village, yelling loudly.
"Aww, we have relatives now! We have relatives in our family! I have an uncle and a little cousin!"
As Xuan Shen watched this scene, her eyes reddened.
He knew that Bai Houpu's family must have told their descendants that they had no other relatives in the world, only themselves, in order to protect him and his sister.
Bai Houpu looked at the sad Xuan Shen and patted him on the shoulder.
"Alright, Xuan Shen, it's all over now. Better days are ahead. Let's all be well."
Li Lanzhen also said, "Yes, the good days are far from over, and we are all doing well."
At this moment, a large group of people came out of the village.
Walking in front was a man around 30 years old, very tall and thin, but with bright, piercing eyes.
"Father, Father, you're back! Is this Xuan Shen? Xuan Shen, I'm the eldest brother."
As he spoke, he stepped forward and hugged Xuan Shen tightly, patting his shoulder repeatedly.
Both of their eyes were red.
Bai Houpu patted the two of them, "Alright, let's talk about it when we get home."
The villagers also came up to greet him.
"Mr. Bai, you're back. It's good that you're back. It's good that you're back."
“Mr. Bai, we are always worried about you when you go out. It’s good that you’re back safely. Go home now, you must be hungry after a long day. Go have some dinner.”
Bai Houpu smiled at everyone and said.
"Okay, let's go home and have dinner first. We'll discuss things with everyone again tomorrow."
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