Wenlong was delighted to see his mother's health improving by the day. It seemed it was time to put his journey of tempering himself on the agenda.
One day, Wenlong inspected the Huaxia Sect and Huaxia City. From what he saw, Shitou had done a solid job arranging the work.
He would leave them to gradually improve whatever remained imperfect. He offered no pointers; after all, growth was a process.
He handed Shitou the copy of The Art of War he had written out during this time, telling him to study it thoroughly and apply its lessons flexibly.
Shitou was delighted, knowing the book would surely prove useful. Something passed down from their ancestors had to be good.
After giving Shitou his instructions, Wenlong began preparing for his journey.
He packed a few simple belongings, his heart full of anticipation and a desire to explore the unknown.
On a bright, sunny morning, Wenlong bid farewell to his parents, his three younger siblings, and the others, then set out to temper himself.
Naturally, his mother would never have agreed to let him go out on such a journey. Wenlong had prepared his explanation long ago.
His excuse was the ingredients for the Life-Extending Pill. Linzi's mother had sent people to search all the nearby towns and cities, but they had failed to gather everything they needed.
Once his mother heard this, she reluctantly agreed to let him leave, knowing how important the Life-Extending Pill was. But she did not know what its recipe contained. Had she known, she would have refused to let Wenlong go, no matter what.
He did not dare head straight up the mountain from the village, either. Everyone knew that deep beyond the mountain behind it lay the endless Hundred-Thousand Mountains, fraught with danger.
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