Chapter 571: 161 Encounter with the Girl Again_1
Ah Dai gradually regained consciousness from the darkness. The bright light made him squint, while constant painful stabs stimulated his senses. It seemed to be a humble room, simplified to a minimum with only a table and a few chairs, and some farming tools hanging on the walls. The piercing light was coming from the window. In his daze, Ah Dai muttered, "Where... where am I?"
"You’re in my house." A middle-aged man walked over to Ah Dai. He was plainly dressed with traces of hard work etched on his face, a typical honest farmer. "Brother, what happened to you? You look quite terrible!"
Upon hearing the man’s words, Ah Dai recalled the scene before he fell unconscious. He was running non-stop, falling down repeatedly, getting back up over and over. After an unknown period, when his body and will failed him, he finally collapsed and passed out. This was all he remembered. "Uncle, did you save me?" He inquired.
"Uncle? Brother, you don’t look much younger than me. Why do you call me uncle?"
Ah Dai was taken aback, subconsciously touching his face, surprised to find a thick beard. Struggling to sit up, he managed a bitter smile. "Uncle, I am actually in my twenties..."
The middle-aged man laughed out loud: "Oh wow, that’s hard to believe! You really do look a mess, young man. I found you passed out while I was chopping wood in the mountains and brought you back. Were you robbed?"
Ah Dai had no idea how to explain everything to the man, so he just nodded, "Yes, yes, I was robbed."
The middle-aged man, a simple farmer, did not probe any further into Ah Dai’s past. With a smile, he said, "Feeling better now? Get up, wash your face, and have something to eat. You must be hungry."
Ah Dai nodded, "Thank you for saving me. Yes, I do feel hungry." He wasn’t even sure himself how long it had been since he last ate. Although True Qi can sustain life, one does need food after all.
The middle-aged man laughed heartily after hearing Ah dai’s words, "Alright, then, get freshened up first. I will prepare some food for you." After which, he turned and left the humble room.
Meditating in silence, Ah Dai was surprised to find that he still had sixty percent of his True Qi. Despite the consumption over several days, his strength had not waned.
The situation Ah Dai was in reflected the greatest attribute of his True Qi- self-circulation, even though it was consuming rapidly. Since he had reached the pinnacle of his skill, the True Qi did not cause any physical harm to him. Compared to when he had left the Elf Forest, Ah Dai was now in a much stronger position. This was why Xi Wen had said it would not be so easy for him to die.
After washing his face, shaving his beard, and changing into some of the middle-aged man’s clothes, Ah Dai felt much better. After suffering for so many days, he was numb. He could think of nothing to do but escape.
The place the middle-aged man lived was a small village, with a stream flowing by, nourishing the surrounding paddy fields. After having a meal of coarse food, Ah Dai felt much better, and his strength had partly recovered. Stretching his body, he couldn’t help but think- since facing everything is so painful, why don’t I just live out my days here? A peaceful life seemed most fitting for him.
"Brother, where are you from? And where are you coming from? You look quite strong."
Ah Dai turned towards him and gave a bitter smile. Where did he belong? As far as his memory went, he was from the Empire of Tian Jing, but physically he had the black hair and eyes of the Empire of Sunset City and Empire of Huasheng. After a moment of thought, he mumbled, "I guess I belong to the Empire of Tian Jing, from the City of Nino."
The middle-aged man was surprised, "City of Nino? That’s far from here! I’ve heard it’s freezing throughout the year over there. You must be mixed blood. We in the Empire of Tian Jing are all blondes with blue eyes."
Ah Dai was surprised, "Is this still within the boundaries of the Empire of Tian Jing? I thought I was in the Empire of Sunset City."
The middle-aged man laughed heartily, "Of course, this is within the Empire of Tian Jing. This place belongs to the Mica Province, about a hundred miles from the capital, Mica City. The nobles there love the rice from our fields, calling it ’organic food, free of chemical fertilizers and industrial pollution.’"
The Mica Province? How familiar it sounded to Ah Dai! He felt he’d heard it somewhere. The City of Nino, the Mica Province... Ah! It suddenly dawned on him. Wasn’t the old woman who had taken the maid away from the small town of Nino, the wife of the Governor of Mica Province? That meant that he was very close to the maid now. Thinking of her, Ah Dai’s heart began to warm. The maid was the first person who became more important to him than his beloved steamed bun. She held a special place in his heart, second only to Xuan Yue. He finally knew what he needed to do.
"Uncle, does the Governor of the Mica Province live in Mica City?"
"Of course, the governor of every province lives in the capital of that province."
"Could you please tell me how to reach Mica City? I would like to go there."
"Sure, just keep heading north from here. Young man, you look rather downcast. What are you going to Mica City for?"
