A Long Journey to Seek Kin

Shocked by the news of the Xu family's tragedy, the neighbors sighed in sorrow and all came to help with the funeral arrangements.

Niu Er's wife took Chen Shi's hand and comforted her. "Sister, the dead cannot come back to life. There's still a long road ahead of you. Please bear your grief and take care of yourself!"

Since both Xu Qingtong's father and the stranger had died from a deadly poison, Xu Qingtong did not bury his father according to custom, but cremated him instead. After all, most of the world's strange poisons feared fire!

After gathering his father's ashes, Xu Qingtong burned the stranger's body as well. Although his father had died because of this man, leaving the corpse unattended in their home was no solution! He might as well see the rescue through to the end and escort the Buddha all the way to the Western Paradise!

While clearing away the stranger's ashes, Xu Qingtong made a new discovery-a small pouch lay among them! "Huh? What's this?"

Xu Qingtong lifted the pouch out with a wooden stick and examined it carefully. It was palm-sized, made of something that looked neither quite like brocade nor quite like cloth. A cord bound its opening, and strange patterns were printed on its surface.

For it to survive so long in a blazing fire without damage, Xu Qingtong felt this pouch must be something special. If there were some gold, silver, or valuables inside, they would at least serve as a little compensation from that man to his family.

Xu Qingtong did not dare touch it directly. Instead, he fetched a basin of limewater, lifted the pouch with the stick, and dropped it in, intending to let it soak overnight before doing anything else.

With the neighbors' help, Xu Qingtong laid his father to rest.

Back home, Xu Qingtong and his mother sat numbly beside the table, neither saying a word. The pillar of their household was suddenly gone. How were they to live from now on? Both felt lost and helpless.

After a long while, his mother let out a deep sigh, seeming to have made up her mind. "Son, your father is gone now. Tomorrow, sort out everything in the house. Sell what we can, and give the rest to the neighbors! We'll leave the day after tomorrow and go to your uncle in Bingzhou. You can learn a trade from him. At least you'll have a way to put food on the table!"

Xu Qingtong's uncle was named Chen Jialiang and lived in Houtang Town, Bingzhou. According to his mother, the founding ancestor of the Chen family had been an imperial physician of remarkable skill. By his uncle Chen Jialiang's time, the family line had reached its sixty-sixth generation.

The Chen family had also produced another famous figure: their fifth-generation ancestor, Chen Yuanhua. It was said that an immortal had taken a liking to him and accepted him as an apprentice in medicine refining. When he was over two hundred years old, he returned home once to visit his family, but afterward, no one knew where he had gone.

Chen Jialiang had inherited the finest traditions of his ancestors, and his medical skills were marvelous. Many difficult and baffling ailments vanished at his touch. If Xu Qingtong could learn such things as removing corns, cutting away hemorrhoids, stimulating milk production, or treating fright in children during his stay with his uncle, he could at least scrape together a living!

The next morning, Xu Qingtong rose early and began sorting through the family's possessions. He could not take the tables, chairs, benches, pots, bowls, and basins with them, so he might as well sell them for money that would be easier to carry.

While sorting through the pots and jars, Xu Qingtong suddenly remembered the pouch he had left soaking in the basin the day before. He lifted it out with the wooden stick, fetched a fresh basin of clean water, and put the pouch into it.

I need to test it on something alive! Xu Qingtong thought. He caught a chicken from the coop and, without further ado, pressed its head into the basin, forcing several mouthfuls of water down its throat.

A little while later, the chicken ran off, lively as ever. Only then did Xu Qingtong feel reassured enough to reach in and retrieve the pouch.

The pouch felt very light in his hand. He pinched it and found it soft, leaving him rather disappointed.

He wanted to open it and see what was inside. Yet no matter how long he worked at it, he could not undo the cord around its mouth. Forget it. I'll keep it for now and work out how to open it when I have time!

By noon, Xu Qingtong had finally finished sorting through everything in the house. Apart from a pile of books his father had left behind, he sold it all to a junk dealer.

These books were of little use, and Xu Qingtong had already learned passages such as "The Way cannot be departed from for even an instant" so thoroughly that he could recite them by heart. Carrying them would only be a burden. He might as well give them to Auntie Li to make shoe patterns!

Aside from those, there were chickens, ducks, geese, a dog, and the like. He sold whatever he could and gave away whatever would not sell.

Once everything had been dealt with, Xu Qingtong and his mother bade farewell to the villagers and set out on their long journey to seek kin!

Upper Yang Village lay in Qingzhou, more than eight hundred li from Houtang Town in Bingzhou. A long road awaited them.

After discussing it, mother and son decided to go to Bluestone Town first, find a carriage service, and travel to Bingzhou by carriage. For one thing, they would arrive sooner and spare themselves some of the hardships of the journey. For another, it would be safer. After all, traveling was fraught with difficulties for a fatherless child and his widowed mother.

Once they reached Bluestone Town, Xu Qingtong found a teahouse and settled his mother there to rest. After asking the proprietor where he could find a carriage service, he went out.

Before long, Xu Qingtong returned. He had arranged passage with a carriage service to Bingzhou City for five taels of silver per person.

Xu Qingtong had received thirteen taels from selling their possessions. Together with their previous savings, they had only a little over fifteen taels in all. Spending more than half of it on a carriage ride made his heart ache.

Moreover, the journey to Bingzhou would take seven days at the quickest, or more than ten if they traveled slowly. They would also need food along the way, so their money would only just stretch far enough.

Xu Qingtong bought some dry rations and other necessities for the journey, and only then did he and his mother head to the carriage service.

After boarding, Xu Qingtong looked around and discovered that five people were already seated inside.

There was a middle-aged man dressed as a merchant, accompanied by a dark-faced man with a curling beard. The latter wore a short jacket and practical clothes; one glance was enough to tell that he had strength to spare.

On the other side sat a wealthy gentleman with well-shaped lips and a straight mouth, wearing a tall hat and a deep-red robe. Beside him were two women, one older and one younger, who appeared to be members of his family.

The carriage swayed and rattled along for three days before finally leaving Qingzhou and entering Bingzhou.

"Young fellow, how old are you this year? And what is your name?" Once their initial unfamiliarity had worn off, the passengers began chatting.

"Sir, my name is Xu Qingtong. I'm from Upper Yang Village in Bluestone Town, and I'm ten years old," Xu Qingtong replied. "We're going to Houtang Town in Bingzhou to seek out relatives. Where are you headed, sir?"

After some conversation, Xu Qingtong gained a general understanding of his fellow passengers. The gentleman in the deep-red robe was named Huang Yuan. The older woman beside him was his wife, and the younger one was his daughter.

Huang Yuan also had a son named Huang Yifei, who currently served as the Bingzhou Garrison Commander. The three of them were traveling to Bingzhou to join him.

The middle-aged man dressed as a merchant was named Li Changde. He dealt in antiques and jade in Qingzhou City and was going to Bingzhou to survey the market, intending to open a branch there.

They were chatting idly when the carriage suddenly stopped. The driver poked his head inside and said, "Everyone, Black Wind Pass is twenty li ahead. Beyond it lies Liuqiao Town. Bandits often prowl around Black Wind Pass. Shall we press on to Liuqiao Town to rest, or stop somewhere nearby for a meal?"

Huang Yuan looked at the sky outside and considered briefly before addressing the others. "It's still early. How about we urge the horses on and rest once we reach Liuqiao Town?" The passengers exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

The driver raised his whip, and the carriage creaked and rattled onward.