Idle Chatter, Distant Tongchuan Town

By the time Chen Mo hurried home, it was nearly dark.

The courtyard gate was unchanged.

Chen Huan had been reading inside. Hearing the commotion, she immediately ran out.

"Brother, why are you back again?"

"Just came back to take a look."

Chen Mo answered, his gaze sweeping across the courtyard first.

His father was sitting beneath the locust tree, repairing a bow.

Seeing him rush back in such a hurry, his father found it rather baffling.

"The martial hall gave you another day off?"

"No."

Chen Mo set his things on the table.

"I heard someone got hurt out west again, so I came back to check on you."

His father paused, then laughed.

"What could possibly happen to me?"

"Don't laugh."

Chen Mo sat down beside him.

"Try not to go into the mountains lately."

"Got it."

His father lowered his head and fiddled with the bowstring in his hands.

"I haven't gone deep into the mountains recently either."

Chen Mo stared at him for quite some time. Only after confirming that his father truly seemed fine did he finally let out a breath.

His mother said from the side:

"You child, you hear a couple of rumors at the martial hall and come rushing home in a panic."

"I was worried, that's all."

Chen Mo muttered quietly.

His father heard him and raised a hand to rap him on the head.

"If you're worried, then practice your fists properly. Don't keep running home all day long."

Chen Mo covered his head.

"Go easy."

Chen Huan watched from the side and giggled nonstop.

"Brother got hit."

"Eat your food."

Chen Mo glared at her.

Early the next morning, he returned to the Blue Martial Arts Hall.

After this incident, Chen Mo finally felt somewhat reassured.

As long as his father did not venture deep into the mountains for the time being, he would not have to worry about that matter every day.

As for the rumors outside, let the adults worry about them.

Life at the martial hall returned to normal.

Of course, only on the surface.

After the expansion in enrollment, the number of people never decreased.

Every day, people fought over the wooden posts in the Training Ground. The dining hall was more crowded than before, and even the shade beneath the corridors had become prime territory.

Chen Mo had gradually grown used to it.

After finishing his morning fist practice today, he found a relatively quiet corner and sat down.

He had barely taken two sips of water when Zhao Chuan came running over.

"Move in a little."

"How do you manage to find me everywhere?"

"Because I'm smart."

"I think your skin's just thick."

Zhao Chuan did not care. He sat down beside him.

The two rested for a while before Zhao Chuan suddenly said:

"Chen Mo."

"Yeah?"

"How big do you think the outside world really is?"

Chen Mo turned to look at him.

"Why are you thinking about that again?"

"The more I think about it lately, the more I feel that Qinghe Town is far too small."

Zhao Chuan gestured outside.

"From east to west, even on horseback, it doesn't take long."

"It's the same people every day. I'm practically getting to know even the bun sellers by the roadside."

After hearing him out, Chen Mo smiled.

"Didn't you used to say Qinghe Town was great every day?"

"That was before I knew there were even bigger places outside."

"And now you know?"

"Of course."

Zhao Chuan sat up straighter.

"Yesterday, I even asked my dad whether there were any other big places besides Westplain City."

"He said there were plenty."

"But when I kept asking, he told me to stop letting my imagination run wild."

Chen Mo chuckled.

"Because you haven't even left Qinghe Town yet."

"Isn't that why I'm working hard?"

Zhao Chuan patted his chest.

"Once I've gained some skill, I'll definitely go out and see the world."

At that moment, an older student nearby happened to overhear them.

"What are you two talking about?"

Zhao Chuan immediately perked up.

"The outside world."

"Then do you know which large town is closest to here?"

Zhao Chuan thought for a moment.

"Westplain City?"

The older student burst out laughing.

"Westplain City?"

"You really think Westplain City is right outside Qinghe Town?"

Zhao Chuan was somewhat embarrassed.

"Then where is it?"

"Tongchuan Town."

"Tongchuan?"

Zhao Chuan repeated it.

Chen Mo turned his head as well.

It was the first time he had heard that name.

Seeing that they were all interested, the older student leaned against a corridor pillar and sat down.

"It's normal that you haven't heard of it."

"Qinghe Town is remote, and news is scarce."

"Tongchuan Town is different."

Zhao Chuan immediately asked:

"How big is it?"

"Much bigger than Qinghe Town."

"How much bigger?"

"You'll know once you go see it yourself."

"..."

Zhao Chuan immediately felt unconvinced.

The older student said with a smile:

"Tongchuan is a key point on the trade routes around here."

"Many merchant caravans pass through."

"The town has a large population too. Its streets are wider than ours, and it has more shops."

"During the day, there's no need to even mention it."

"Even at night, it's just as lively."

Zhao Chuan's eyes lit up as he listened.

"There are people out at night too?"

"Yes."

"Wouldn't that make it much livelier than Qinghe Town?"

"Of course."

Zhao Chuan could not help sighing.

"That's what I said. Places outside must be much more fun."

Chen Mo said from beside him:

"All you think about is having fun."

"Aren't you curious?"

"A little."

"Then there you have it."

Zhao Chuan immediately looked pleased with himself.

The older student continued:

"Tongchuan also has a garrison."

"Patrols along the trade routes are stricter than they are here."

"There are also several martial halls in town. The largest among them is far bigger than our Clear River Martial Hall."

Just as they mentioned martial halls, Wang Lie happened to pass by.

Hearing that, he stopped.

"How big?"

The older student glanced at him.

"The Training Ground is at least quite a bit larger than this one."

"And it has more apprentices."

"What about the martial instructors there?"

Wang Lie asked directly.

The older student thought for a moment.

"Naturally, there are more of them than here too."

Wang Lie nodded.

"Oh."

Then he asked no more questions and turned toward the wooden posts.

Watching his retreating back, Zhao Chuan could not help saying:

"See? There he goes again."

Chen Mo smiled.

"What he cares about is different from what you care about."

"I care about martial halls too."

"How many questions did you ask just now?"

"I..."

Zhao Chuan thought for a while.

"Fine, I really do want to know more about whether they have good food there."

Chen Mo smiled and shook his head.

The people beside them all laughed.

The atmosphere remained relaxed.

Until someone suddenly asked:

"Is Tongchuan Town right by the mountains?"

The older trainee nodded.

"Yes."

"Tongchuan may be prosperous, but its location is unusual too."

"Head west, and there are vast stretches of forested mountains."

Zhao Chuan frowned.

"Isn't that the same as here?"

"It's different."

The older trainee said:

"Tongchuan is closer to the mountains."

"The trade routes pass through there because several roads lead westward."

"It's convenient for business, but more people also go into the mountains."

At this, the smile on Chen Mo's face gradually faded.

He recalled the news he had heard over the past few days.

Hunters had been injured.

Livestock had died at the foot of the mountains.

And herb gatherers had gone missing.

Qinghe Town had already been thrown into turmoil.

If Tongchuan was closer to the mountains, then over there...

He could not help asking:

"How has Tongchuan been lately?"

The older trainee shook his head.

"I don't know about that."

"But I heard fewer people have been going into the mountains recently."

"Why?"

"Not sure."

"Seems like a few things happened over there too."

The people nearby immediately fell quieter.

Zhao Chuan asked:

"Wild beasts too?"

The older trainee nodded.

"That's what I heard."

"What does the government say?"

"What else could they say?"

The man gave a small laugh.

"It was all caused by wild beasts in the mountains."

"Anyway, whenever something happens, that's always what they say in the end."

After hearing that, Zhao Chuan did not press further.

"Then it probably isn't anything serious."

Once he said that, he grew excited again.

"But I still have to go see Tongchuan."

Chen Mo glanced at him.

"Weren't you afraid of wild beasts?"

"I never said I was going into the mountains."

Zhao Chuan spoke with a solemn face.

"I'm going to see the girls and restaurants in town."

"See?"

Chen Mo smiled helplessly.

"That's what you really want to go for."

Their voices made the people around them laugh again.

Zhou Ye sat not far away, wiping his hands.

He had only joined the Blue Martial Arts Hall not long ago, and training was usually what interested him most.

But this time, he had been listening all along as well.

Only when Zhao Chuan mentioned the Tongchuan martial arts hall did he raise his head.

"Are the people there much stronger than the ones here?"

The older trainee nodded.

"There are definitely more strong people than here."

Zhou Ye fell silent for a moment.

"Then that's good."

Zhao Chuan glanced at him.

"What do you mean, that's good?"

Zhou Ye said:

"Only with more people are there opponents."

With that, he got up and headed toward the Training Ground.

Zhao Chuan could only shake his head at the sight.

"I give up."

But Chen Mo smiled.

"That's more like him."

"You really want to fight him?"

"Sooner or later."

Zhao Chuan immediately perked up.

"Then I want to as well."

Chen Mo looked at him.

"Practice your defense properly first."

Zhao Chuan's face instantly fell.

"Here we go again."

As they chatted and laughed, someone suddenly shouted from afar:

"Food's ready!"

The people beneath the corridor immediately scattered in all directions.

Chen Mo rose to his feet as well.

After taking two steps, he suddenly turned back and looked west.

There was nothing to see there.

Only a stretch of sky lit by sunlight.

Tongchuan Town.

A place whose name he had never even heard before seemed not as far from him as he had imagined.

And that place was also nestled against the mountains.

Chen Mo thought about it, then did not let his thoughts continue.

Zhao Chuan was already calling to him from ahead:

"Chen Mo, are you coming or not?"

"Coming!"

Chen Mo quickly followed after him.

Just as they reached the entrance to the dining hall, Zhao Chuan suddenly remembered something else.

"Oh, right."

"What?"

"Does your father still go into the mountains lately?"

Chen Mo halted.

"Sometimes."

"Then you should talk him out of it more."

Zhao Chuan said:

"There's been more and more news coming out of those mountains lately."

Chen Mo said nothing.

After a while, he finally spoke:

"I already tried to persuade him yesterday."

Zhao Chuan nodded.

"Then that's fine."

The two entered the dining hall together.

Under the corridor behind them, the apprentices who were still chatting began discussing it again.

"I heard they sealed off one of the roads into the mountains near Tongchuan recently."

"Really?"

"I only heard it from someone else."

"Why seal it off?"

"Seems like... someone else didn't come back."