readytorunbook Chapter 322 That's My Home
Chapter 322 That's My Home
Xu Ning had always been quite laissez-faire towards Belial, whom he had personally brought out from the snowy mountains.
"Alright, you still have that Cave Heaven Pass with you, right? There are only Wendy and Qingyi inside, and you recognize them. Whenever you want to get out, just have Qingyi give me a heads-up."
Belial smiled and agreed, then went into the cave.
Seeing Shen He looking at his Dust Concealment Gourd with some curiosity, Xu Ning smiled and said, "Want to go in and take a look? Although it's also a grotto-heaven, it's completely different from your master's place."
Shen He was clearly tempted, yet seemed to be hesitating about something.
Finally, he shook his head slightly, "Let's go and make the Qianqi Core first."
Xu Ning looked at Shen He, who was almost as tall as her. Compared to the silent little girl she used to be, Shen He now had an even more aloof and otherworldly air about her.
This makes it even harder for people to guess what she is thinking.
"Okay, let's go find Old Zhang first."
Xu Ning led Shen He to a teleportation anchor point on the southern slope of Tianheng Mountain, and then reached out his hand to her.
"Take my hand, and I'll take you straight to Eat Tiger Rock."
Shen He nodded and placed his hand in Xu Ning's palm. For no reason, he thought of Xu Ning holding Ning Guang's small hand. A strange look flashed in his eyes, but he eventually calmed down.
Xu Ning didn't think too much about it, but just slightly wondered why girls' hands were always a little cold.
As the teleportation anchor point beside the Tiger-Eating Rock Bridge lit up slightly, Xu Ning and Shen He appeared simultaneously.
"The Hanfeng Ironware shop over there is Old Zhang's shop. It seems to be a century-old shop that has only been passed down for two generations. But don't say that in front of Old Zhang, or he'll get angry."
Old Zhang, who had previously collaborated extensively with Xu Ning, greeted him with the elation of a god of wealth, immediately rubbing his hands together and asking with a broad smile, "Brother Xu, what kind of favors do you have this time?"
Xu Ning smiled, "Of course there's good business. Ningguang is building a new Qunyu Pavilion, and they're short a few Qianqi cores. You helped out last time, and I thought I'd have to get you to do this job so I could feel at ease."
Old Zhang patted his chest and said, "I've been wondering why they didn't call me this time. Turns out they were saving the big job for you. Don't worry, I'll put aside all my current work and work overtime to get it done for you."
Xu Ning told Shen He to hand the blueprints to Lao Zhang, "It's okay if you take your time, there's no rush. There's still a lot of supporting work to prepare. Please take a look at these blueprints first, and Ningguang will send someone to deliver the materials you need."
Old Zhang seemed not to have heard Xu Ning's words, and became engrossed in the blueprints from the moment he received them.
After Xu Ning finished speaking, seeing that he was engrossed in his words, she didn't wake him up. Instead, she gently tugged at Shen He's sleeve, and the two of them left Hanfeng Ironware without making a sound.
"You can rest assured once you leave things to Lao Zhang; he'll take care of the rest himself."
Xu Ning turned to Shen He and smiled, "The matter is settled. What are your plans now? Liyue Harbor is very lively at night. You can drink tea and listen to opera or storytelling. Of course, if you want to try something new, I can take you to listen to rock music..."
Shen He suddenly spoke up: "I want you to come home with me to visit my family."
Xu Ning paused for a moment.
From the moment Shen He led him to the cave of Minghai Qixia Zhenjun to retrieve the Floating Life Stone, and they passed through the cave where the two first met, Xu Ning knew that this topic was inevitable.
When they reached the mountaintop, Xu Ning noticed Shen He glancing intentionally or unintentionally in the direction of her childhood home. However, since Shen He didn't mention it, Xu Ning naturally wouldn't bring up what had happened in her family.
Now that Shen He has spoken, Xu Ning will not stop him in the slightest.
After all, many things don't cease to exist just because you ignore them.
It will hide in the deepest darkness of your heart, staring at you with cold eyes, and every time your gaze sweeps over that corner, you will feel a deep tremor.
Often, it's when you turn on the light, take it out, wipe it carefully, and place it where you can see it that you can sleep more peacefully, until time quietly shatters it.
"Okay, let's go together."
When they reached the teleportation anchor point, Xu Ning reached out his hand, intending to teleport Shen He there again.
Shen He didn't extend his hand. "I want to walk over slowly, is that alright?"
Xu Ning withdrew his hand, took a sip of wine, and nodded.
"it is good."
The rest of the journey was rather quiet.
Shen He spoke first, "How did you find me back then?"
Xu Ning thought for a moment and said, "At that time, I had just obtained the Eye of God and learned to use elemental vision to observe my surroundings. I saw that your father was covered with an aura that resembled evil spirits, and I followed him out of curiosity..."
"...We missed each other for the first time at this fork in the road. We only found out from Uncle Mingjun when we got to the village that you had gone out. But after we caught up with you on the mountain, we missed each other a second time at the cave entrance. We went straight to the top of the mountain and even got a treasure chest."
Xu Ning smiled and said, "Fortunately, heaven has been kind to me and didn't miss your third chance."
Shen He listened quietly until Xu Ning finished speaking before saying, "In the years since my master brought me up the mountain, I secretly came here once and stood at the top of the mountain."
"I didn't dare go home, as if if I didn't go back, home would remain frozen in the image of the last time I saw it; I also didn't dare go to find you..."
As they spoke, Xu Ning and Shen He had already reached the stone archway of Tianheng Mountain.
This is the entrance to the village where Shenhe lives.
Once you walk past here, you can turn around and see the village where Shen He lived as a child. If you are familiar with the area, you can easily find Shen He's hometown among the few households.
Xu Ning stopped here and turned to look at Shen He.
However, Shen He only paused for a moment before walking straight over. Xu Ning smiled with satisfaction and followed him.
"That's my home."
Xu Ning followed. He had only visited Xiangling once when she went into the mountains to train, and had never been back since.
After all, for Xu Ning, knowing that Shen He is still alive and well is enough.
Xu Ning and Shen He walked over. The house had been uninhabited for a long time and was in a dilapidated state.
The roof tiles were missing, the doors and windows were rotten, and the house was in a mess. It was even clear that someone had once slept on the floor here, probably mostly bandits.
"I've been here once before."
Xu Ning stood behind Shen He and said softly, "Uncle Mingjun said that your father became somewhat lucid after returning. After waiting for three days without any result, he committed suicide here in despair. Uncle Mingjun arranged his funeral and buried him in the back mountain."
Shen He listened quietly to Xu Ning's words, his face showing no sign of sorrow.
However, Xu Ning could clearly sense Shen He's sadness.
"I want to go and see..."
Xu Ning nodded. "I'll take you there."
Just as the two turned around, the door of a house next to the old house suddenly opened.