"Dr. Lu, Dr. Chen, are you really leaving?"
Upon hearing that Lu Qing and the others were preparing to leave, Wei Zi'an immediately ran to Youzhu Courtyard.
Then he saw that his father and mother were there too.
“Indeed, we have disturbed your residence for long enough, and it is time for us to return. Otherwise, the villagers may worry.” Lu Qing nodded.
They stayed in the county town for nearly half a month during this trip.
Although the Wei family had previously asked someone to send a message back to Jiuli Village, the villagers were still worried because he hadn't returned for so long.
Now that the matter in the county town has been resolved satisfactorily, there is naturally no need for them to stay there any longer.
Moreover, although county towns are nice, they also have many restrictions, making many things inconvenient.
During this period, Lu Qing had to be very careful even when practicing his martial arts, so as not to disturb others.
So home is still the best place. Once you're deep in the mountains, no matter how much you wander around, it won't bother anyone else.
Even the senior doctor was quite eager to return home.
When he was in Jiuli Village, he still had several patients whose illnesses had not been fully cured.
He got their medicine before he left, but they should be almost finished by now, and he needs to go back for a follow-up appointment.
“Young Master Lu, what are you saying? It is an honor for our Wei family that you and the old doctor can stay here. How can you say that we are disturbing you?” Wei Xinghe quickly replied.
He wished Lu Qing and the others could stay in the mansion forever.
“Yes, young master Lu, you can stay as long as you want, how could we possibly disturb you?” Madam Wei added.
She didn't want Lu Qing and the others to leave, especially Xiao Yan.
These days, she teaches Xiaoyan to read and write, and spending so much time together, she's almost treating Xiaoyan like her own daughter.
"Thank you all for your kind offer, but we've been away from home for a long time, and it's time for us to go back and visit."
In the end, no matter how Wei Xinghe and the others tried to persuade them to stay, Lu Qing and the old doctor both expressed their intention to leave.
Left with no other choice, Wei Xinghe had to send people to make preparations.
As for Wei Shanhai, he has not appeared yet. It is unknown whether he is not in the mansion or does not care about Lu Qing and the others' departure.
Not long after, Wei Xinghe and the others escorted Lu Qing and the others to the city gate.
"You're living the good life, aren't you?"
Looking at the oxcart brought by the Wei family servants, and the ox that had obviously gotten fatter, Lu Qing laughed and cursed.
"Moo!"
Da Niu was very happy to see Lu Qing and the others. He let out a soft call and gently nuzzled Lu Qing's hand with his head.
Lu Qing took several boxes from the servants of the Wei family and put them on the oxcart.
Most of the items inside were local specialties he bought for the villagers.
As for the generous gifts prepared by the Wei family, they only accepted a token amount and politely declined the rest.
Having reached the current level of Lu Qing and the old doctor, their need for gold and silver is no longer very great.
They still have large chests of gold and silver at home, and they haven't figured out what to do with them yet.
"Xiaoyan, let's go!"
After everything was put away, Lu Qing called out.
"Goodbye, Auntie! Xiaoyan is going home now!"
Xiao Yan, who was holding Xiao Li, said goodbye to Madam Wei with some reluctance.
These days, she spends every day with Madam Wei and has developed a deep affection for her.
Madam Wei was even more reluctant to part with her, and tears were about to fall: "Little Yan, when Auntie has time, I will come to Jiuli Village to see you."
"Really? Then Xiaoyan will wait for Auntie at home!" Xiaoyan's eyes lit up.
Upon hearing this, Madam Wei felt a pang of sadness and almost wanted to leave with Lu Qing and the others.
Fortunately, she was still rational and simply nodded through her tears: "Of course it's true."
The little guy immediately perked up, skipping and jumping towards Lu Qing, and then being carried onto the oxcart.
The old doctor, still wearing a straw hat, sat in the front.
Because he lives a secluded life and deliberately keeps a low profile, apart from the people of the Wei family, no one else in the county knows that this mysterious innate realm expert who suddenly appeared is actually the famous Doctor Chen.
“Master Wei, there’s no need to see me off. Even after a thousand miles of seeing you off, we must eventually part ways. Let us say goodbye here.”
Lu Qing cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.
"Brother Lu, once I've finished dealing with my family matters, I'll go back to Daji and come over for a meal and drinks!"
Magu, who had just arrived at the city gate, said cheerfully.
"Haha, that would be great. I'll cook you a couple of good dishes then," Lu Qing laughed.
Amidst laughter, the old doctor cracked his whip, and with a crisp snap, the oxcart slowly started moving and headed away.
Just like on that day, it slowly drove in from afar.
However, there were two or three fewer people on the bus.
Madam Wei and Wei Zi'an watched the oxcart slowly depart, their eyes slightly red.
They returned with immense fear in their hearts.
Now, the oxcart that had escorted them all the way was about to leave.
In an instant, a flood of emotions welled up in their hearts, leaving them overwhelmed with mixed feelings.
Goodbye, Auntie!
When the oxcart had gone far away and was almost out of sight, Xiaoyan stood up and waved her hand vigorously.
I heard that childish voice coming from afar.
Madam Wei could no longer hold back her tears, which streamed down her face.
When Lu Qing and his group left the city, they did so openly and without trying to conceal their identities.
So the news of their departure spread throughout the city's various factions in no time.
"They really left?"
Inside the county magistrate's residence, Yan Canghai looked solemnly at his trusted confidant who had come to report.
"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. Young Master Lu left in an oxcart, and the young lady was also in the cart. The driver seemed to be an old man. Many people in the city saw it too," the confidant confirmed.
"Did you see the old man's face?" Yan Canghai asked hurriedly.
"I didn't see him," the confidant replied. "The old man was wearing a bamboo hat, which concealed his face. He sounded quite old, so I couldn't see his features clearly."
"They're still hiding their identity." Yan Canghai was disappointed and waved his hand. "Alright, you can go now."
After his trusted confidants left, Yan Canghai sat there, pondered for a while, and then suddenly got up and went to the small building where the young man in plain clothes lived.
Just as I was about to knock on the door, I heard a faint voice from the side: "What is it?"
Turning my head, I saw my friend standing in the pavilion not far away, holding a book in his hand.
Yan Canghai smiled and walked over: "I just received news that young Master Lu and his master have already left the county town."
"Hmm." The young man in plain clothes nodded, showing no surprise on his face.
"Zhi Rui, now that they've left, can you finally tell me who Lu Xiaolangjun's master, that mysterious Innate Realm expert, is?"
After the young man in plain clothes revealed that the suddenly appearing Innate Realm expert was someone he knew, Yan Canghai immediately began an investigation.
However, after checking all the martial arts masters he knew, he still had no clue.
No one's identity matches that of the mysterious innate being.
Later, he tried to get to Lu Qing, but he was at a loss again.
Because this one is even more mysterious.
No one knew Lu Qing's background.
He seemed to have appeared out of thin air; before he came to the county town, there had never been a single rumor about this young man in the world.
Therefore, Yan Canghai was extremely curious about the identities of these two people.
The young man in plain clothes didn't speak, but just looked at him quietly.
Yan Canghai's heart skipped a beat, but he forced himself to remain calm: "You described that once-in-a-millennium change as so terrifying that I can't inquire about it, but surely I can find out the identity of this mysterious innate being, right? Didn't you say I know him?"
The young man in plain clothes looked at Yan Canghai for a while and knew that he wouldn't give up until he figured things out.
So he sighed and said helplessly, "It's alright to tell you. You do know that Innate Realm expert. He is the same doctor Chen Songqing that you once entertained."
"What?!"
Yan Canghai's eyes widened instantly, completely stunned by the answer.
It took him a while to come to his senses.
"Zhi Rui, are you sure that the person at the Innate Realm is Doctor Chen Songqing?" Yan Canghai asked with some difficulty.
The young man in plain clothes glanced at him sideways, seemingly disdainful of answering the question.
"But how is this possible?" Yan Canghai swallowed hard, still unable to believe it.
"That old doctor Chen, although his martial arts cultivation is quite good, has reached the Great Perfection of the Internal Organ Realm."
Given his age, he has long passed the peak of his physical and mental abilities, so it is already quite remarkable that he can maintain his cultivation level without regressing.
How is it possible to break through to the Innate Realm in such a short period of time?
And it was so powerful that even a veteran innate realm expert like Wang Cang dared not antagonize it.
Yan Canghai found it increasingly unbelievable the more he thought about it.
"To be honest, I was surprised too," the young man in plain clothes sighed.
"This Dr. Chen is truly an extraordinary person. According to the information I have found, he has spent his whole life doing good deeds, treating the sick and saving lives. He can be called a true doctor with a benevolent heart and a person of great kindness."
His years of doing good deeds and accumulating merit have caused him to radiate a light of virtue.
If I'm not mistaken, it was precisely through that light of merit.
That's why, even in his later years when his vital energy was declining, he was still able to go against the tide, constantly break through, and step into the Innate Realm that countless martial artists dream of.
It can be said that all of this is the result of his accumulated knowledge and experience, only the path he took to achieve this was quite different from the typical path of martial arts.
"The light of merit gained from doing good deeds and accumulating virtue?"
Yan Canghai was completely stunned.
Because he didn't understand what it meant at all.
Unfortunately, this time, the young man in plain clothes did not explain to him.
He brushed his clothes aside and placed the book in his hand on the stone table inside the pavilion.
"Alright, now that Young Master Lu and the others have left, I should also depart. Canghai, thank you for your hospitality these past few days."
"You're leaving too?" Yan Canghai was caught off guard and taken aback.
“Indeed, I have stayed in Cang County long enough, and it is time for me to leave. However, before I leave, I have a few words I would like to say to you.”
The young man in plain clothes had a somewhat serious expression.
This made Yan Canghai unable to utter the words he wanted to say to persuade him to stay, and he could only listen to him quietly.
"Canghai, to be honest, I was disappointed with this trip to Cang County."
I had thought that you had been biding your time and honing your skills in Cang County all these years.
But what I see is that you are not only wasting your time, but you are also getting worse and worse, not even as good as you used to be.
To put it bluntly, you are no longer qualified to compete with your brothers.
Therefore, I advise you to give up that thought in your heart and honestly be your county magistrate here.
As long as you behave yourself, the capital won't notice this place.
That way, your mother won't have to worry about you every day, afraid that you'll go down the wrong path.
The young man in plain clothes' words silenced Yan Canghai completely, and he remained silent for a long time.
"Alright, think it over yourself. I'm leaving."
The young man in plain clothes ignored him, and after saying what he wanted to say, he vanished from the pavilion in a flash.
“Zhi Rui...” Yan Canghai was startled.
"Finally, there's one more thing. Remember, don't provoke that young master Lu."
The sound gradually faded away, leaving only Yan Canghai in the pavilion, feeling lost and forlorn.
...
"Brother, brother, that flower is so pretty! And the one over here is beautiful too!"
The oxcart continued on its way, with the surrounding scenery changing.
Xiao Yan, who was initially saddened by parting with Madam Wei, quickly put her worries behind her.
Pointing to the wildflowers and weeds along the road, he kept shouting to Lu Qing.
Although we had already seen it once on the way here, the little guy still found it fascinating to see it again.
"Yes, it's very beautiful."
Seeing that she was happy, Lu Qing felt relieved.
They're just kids; their worries come and go quickly.
As for Xiao Li, she was already jumping around the oxcart happily, her figure appearing and disappearing, constantly darting in and out of the air, overjoyed.
During her long stay at the Wei residence, Xiao Li always kept Lu Qing's instructions in mind: not to casually display her talents and skills.
So, apart from exhibiting extremely strong spirituality, it has never done anything out of line.
He was harmless every day, being held by Xiaoyan.
I accompanied her as she read and wrote, ate, and played.
Apart from being a bit more spiritual, in the eyes of the Wei family, it was no different from an ordinary pet.
Even Madam Wei, though she guessed that Xiao Li was unusual, had never witnessed its true abilities.
That's why Xiao Li was feeling quite stifled.
Now that we've finally left the Wei residence, we can't help but let loose and have a blast.
Because we set off early enough and didn't delay our journey on the road.
So this time, Lu Qing and his group did not stay overnight on the road.
Instead, they hurried back to Jiuli Village before dusk.
"Almost home!"
Looking at the gradually familiar scenery around her, Xiaoyan was excited.
Having been away for so long, she missed everyone in the village.
Xiao Li also stood on Lu Qing's shoulders, looking in the direction of Jiuli Village, her eyes shining.
Everything was wonderful in the Wei residence; they could even eat their fill of fish every day.
But somehow, it still prefers the days in Jiuli Village.
"Finally back."
The old doctor had already taken off his straw hat and looked ahead with a sigh.
Having lived in Jiuli Village for so many years, he has developed a deep affection for it.
"Master, I'll go and take the red string down first."
When the oxcart arrived at the village entrance, Lu Qing jumped off.
After Lu Qing took the red rope off the tree and put it back under the stone slab.
The villagers finally noticed the oxcart.
Soon, the whole village began to stir.
