Early on the seventh day, just as dawn broke, Lu Yuan left the house.
People had already begun their morning training in the East Training Area. Hu Liena stood by the edge of the field, loosening her wrists. When she saw him heading out, she casually asked, "Going to the North Gate?"
"Yeah."
"When you see the Young Lord, tell her I wish her a smooth journey."
Lu Yuan paused.
"You're not going?"
Hu Liena jerked her chin toward Yan Tuo.
"I'd like to."
Yan Tuo was standing not far away, watching them. He had clearly heard.
Lu Yuan did not ask further and simply nodded.
"Alright."
After leaving the training area, he headed straight for the North Gate.
There were not many people in Spirit City that early in the morning. The shops along the street had only just opened, while the breakfast stalls were already sending up clouds of steam. By the time Lu Yuan reached the North Gate, there was still some time before the hour of Chen.
The city gates were already open.
He leaned by the roadside and had not waited long before several carriages slowly approached from within the city.
There were no Spirit Hall banners, nor were there any conspicuous markings.
The guards at the front wore ordinary fitted outfits and rode common horses, though they kept their auras well concealed. The carriages behind them looked even more ordinary. Had Lu Yuan not known beforehand, he would likely have taken them for a caravan preparing for a long journey.
The caravan stopped not far from the city gate.
The curtain on the second carriage lifted slightly, then quickly fell back into place.
Not long after, the carriage door opened.
Qian Renxue stepped down.
She was dressed completely differently from how she looked during training. Her golden hair was neatly arranged, and she wore a light-colored travel outfit, fitted cleanly at the cuffs and waist. It was convenient for the road, while concealing the usual appearance of Spirit Hall's Young Lord.
Lu Yuan looked her over.
Qian Renxue walked over.
"What are you looking at?"
"I almost didn't recognize you."
"Is it really that exaggerated?"
"A little."
Qian Renxue lowered her head and glanced at her clothes.
"I'll probably look even more different in the future."
Lu Yuan's gaze paused at those words.
She had said them casually and clearly did not intend to explain further.
Lu Yuan did not ask either.
"Hu Liena asked me to pass along a message."
"What message?"
"Have a smooth journey."
Qian Renxue smiled.
"Why didn't she come?"
"Instructor Yan wouldn't allow it."
"Then that's normal."
Lu Yuan looked at her.
"You saw the Grand Pontiff last night?"
"Yeah."
"He didn't come to see you off?"
"We said everything that needed to be said last night."
Qian Renxue glanced at the caravan behind her.
"And if he really stood here, it would only draw attention."
Lu Yuan nodded.
One guard went to the lead carriage to check its reins, while two others were speaking with the gatekeepers.
Standing nearby, Lu Yuan could see one of the guards writing an entirely ordinary merchant name on the City Exit Permit. The gatekeeper merely gave it a routine glance before handing it back without asking questions. Two inconspicuous riders at the rear of the caravan had remained mounted the entire time. Their eyes occasionally swept over the surroundings. They did not seem hurried, but they were more alert than those in front.
Qian Renxue did not need to get into the carriage yet, so the two of them stood by the roadside and talked.
"After you reach Tiangou, will you still be able to send messages back to Spirit City?" Lu Yuan asked.
"That depends."
"So maybe not."
"Sometimes I can. Sometimes I can't."
Qian Renxue looked at him.
"Why are you asking?"
"You can't just leave without any word at all."
"What do you want to know?"
Lu Yuan thought for a moment.
"As long as you're alive, that's enough."
Qian Renxue froze for a moment, then frowned.
"You make it sound like I'm going somewhere very dangerous."
"When we set out from Qingshi Valley, we didn't know we would run into a Man Faced Demon Spider either."
"..."
Qian Renxue could not refute that.
Lu Yuan continued, "If you really run into trouble, don't think you have to shoulder everything alone."
"I should be saying that to you."
"I'm not going to Tiangou."
"You're staying in Spirit City, but it's not like you've ever been particularly well-behaved."
Lu Yuan laughed.
"Then we're even."
Qian Renxue looked at him for two breaths, then smiled as well.
"Fine."
Outside the city gate, carriages and horses were beginning to pass through one after another. Morning light slanted in through the gate, casting long shadows across the stone pavement.
When it truly came time for her to leave, Lu Yuan found that he did not know what to say.
Qian Renxue did not seem to be deliberately searching for something to talk about either. She merely stood beside him, looking out beyond the city.
After a while, she suddenly asked, "Will you leave Spirit City someday?"
"I will."
"Where will you go?"
"I don't know yet."
"Then why did you just ask whether I could send messages?"
"I haven't left yet."
Qian Renxue turned to look at him.
"What if you leave before I do?"
Lu Yuan considered it.
"Then we'll talk about it when the time comes."
"That answer is the same as saying nothing."
"Your 'that depends' earlier was about the same."
Qian Renxue was stumped by that and simply ignored him.
After a stretch of silence, she suddenly said, "If a message really comes back from Tiangou in the future, don't ask me about everything in it."
Lu Yuan looked at her.
"Why?"
"Some things can be written. Some things can't."
"Can't even mention names?"
Qian Renxue paused.
"Sometimes, no."
After hearing that, Lu Yuan merely nodded.
"Got it."
Qian Renxue was instead a little surprised.
"You're not asking?"
"You wouldn't tell me even if I did."
"That was smart for once."
"I've never been stupid."
Qian Renxue gave a soft snort.
The person in charge of leading the caravan finally walked over.
"Miss, it's time to depart."
The form of address was entirely ordinary.
Qian Renxue nodded.
The man did not give Lu Yuan another look before turning back toward the lead carriage.
Qian Renxue looked beyond the city.
"I really have to go."
"Yeah."
She took two steps forward, then stopped again.
"One more thing."
Lu Yuan looked at her.
"What is it?"
"Don't rush your cultivation, and don't train yourself into an injury."
Lu Yuan was somewhat surprised.
"Instructor Yan told you that?"
"It's not as if I haven't seen how you used to train with a spear."
"I won't do that now."
"You'd better not."
After saying that, Qian Renxue added, "And those second-ringers in the north—if you can't beat them, admit defeat. Don't insist on hanging on for a few extra moves every time."
Lu Yuan frowned at her words.
"Why are you talking so much today?"
"I'm about to leave. Can't I say a few more things?"
Lu Yuan had nothing to say to that.
"Fine."
Only then did Qian Renxue seem satisfied. She turned and walked toward the carriage.
When she reached the carriage door, she looked back once more.
"I received Hu Liena's wish for a smooth journey."
"Yeah."
"And you?"
Lu Yuan was taken aback.
"What?"
"She had you bring hers. What about your own?"
Lu Yuan understood.
"Be careful on the road."
Qian Renxue looked at him.
"That's it?"
"Arrive safely in Tiangou."
This time, she did not find fault with it.
"Alright."
Qian Renxue boarded the second carriage.
After the carriage door closed, the guards in front quickly mounted their horses.
No one called out loudly, and no one came to see her off.
The entire caravan simply began moving again in silence, one carriage after another heading toward the North Gate.
When the second carriage passed in front of Lu Yuan, its curtain lifted once more.
Qian Renxue looked at him through the carriage window.
Lu Yuan raised a hand.
She raised her hand in return, then quickly lowered the curtain again.
The carriage passed through the city gate.
The moment the wheels completely left Spirit City, a familiar gray glow suddenly appeared before Lu Yuan's eyes.
[Qian Renxue]
[Nine years old: Leaving Spirit City]
The final line swayed gently.
Then it slowly faded away.
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