Li Yan looked at the scenery around him, slapped his waist, and a jade slip appeared in his hand. It was the map jade slip. After sinking his Divine Sense into it, a moment later, he looked up and observed his surroundings again, and smiled lightly. He turned back to the two women. "That Bloodleaf Elder was right. We are only ten thousand li away from Green Mountain Pass. There are no more teleportation arrays nearby, but it will be very fast to fly from here."
Thinking of the teleportation these few days, a journey of hundreds of thousands of li took only half a day, and a journey of tens of thousands of li could be reached in half an hour. The speed was truly incredible to Li Yan. It was just that the amount of Spirit Stones consumed made his heart pound with pain. The sect's several-hundred-thousand-li teleportation array could not be activated by low-grade Spirit Stones at all and required six mid-grade Spirit Stones. Li Yan had known this for a long time, so before coming, he had also exchanged for eight of them in the sect, spending nearly eighty thousand low-grade Spirit Stones. His fortune had shrunk by half again. Fortunately, his master and senior brother had given him another forty thousand Spirit Stones.
In the end, six of Li Yan's mid-grade Spirit Stones were consumed in that one teleportation at Lord Lao Peak.
What he hadn't expected on the rest of the journey was that the identity of the Malevolent Spirit Sect was so revered. Although the three second-rate sects did not have a several-hundred-thousand-li teleportation array, they had a several-thousand-li teleportation, and even that required several thousand low-grade Spirit Stones. But these three sects did not charge a single Spirit Stone. This made Li Yan experience the benefits of being in a super-large sect for the first time.
Afterward, the small sects' several-thousand-li teleportation arrays, these third-rate sects and families also did not charge. Although it was only nearly a thousand low-grade Spirit Stones each time, it was actually extremely extravagant for a small sect. But no matter how Li Yan insisted on giving them, they gritted their teeth and refused.
"A journey of ten thousand li, even without teleportation, with the speed of Min'er's green gourd, we should be there in about half a day," Gong Chenying's cold and beautiful voice came from behind Li Yan. As she spoke, the two balls of mist dispersed, revealing two faces that could topple nations. Now that they were here, there was no need to cover their figures anymore. Zhao Min looked around curiously. The spiritual energy here was thin, but it gave her a very fresh feeling. She had grown up in a place with dense spiritual energy since she was a child. It was the first time she had felt a place like this.
She took a deep breath. The scent of earth and vegetation filled her nose, which made a look of interest appear on her fair face. On her face, which was carved like an ancient goddess, a jade-like luster appeared. Her very dark, beautiful brows relaxed on her smooth forehead, setting off a strange kind of androgynous beauty.
After looking around, Zhao Min blinked her beautiful eyes. Looking at Li Yan who was watching her and the other woman with a smile, her pretty face couldn't help but feel a little hot. She immediately waved her delicate hand, and the green gourd was already suspended in mid-air. After exchanging a glance with Gong Chenying, the two women once again stepped onto the gourd gracefully. Li Yan also stepped on afterward. The green gourd swirled and had already turned into a streak of light, shooting toward the horizon.
In May, the Great Green Mountains were lush and green. The vegetation, as in previous years, spread from the foot of the mountain to the top in layers of green. Wildflowers dotted the bushes and thorns, yellow, blue, red, and white, like stars, like the smiles of a beautiful woman in a crowd, making the rolling mountains exude the rich atmosphere of late spring and early summer in May.
At the foot of the Great Green Mountains, a small village was nestled among layers of terraced fields. The wheat in the fields had already turned yellow, and the shade of the trees lining the field ridges was thick. The noon sun shone down, the mountain was vast, and a cool breeze blew, causing waves in the wheat and rustling the leaves of the trees. The mountains in May did not feel too hot. In the gentle breeze, there was a trace of coolness in the air, which, combined with the sunlight on the body, was very comfortable.
At this time, in the terraced fields, among the patches of yellow wheat, figures could occasionally be seen. It was the harvest season. Many field heads were already piled with stacks of wheat, waiting to be pulled back for threshing and winnowing.
In one of the fields, a young man with a limp was carrying a tied bundle of wheat on his shoulder toward the head of the field. Although he had a limp, he walked quite fast. The young man had dark skin, and his eyebrows were seventy to eighty percent similar to Li Yan's.
He took a few quick steps and unloaded the bundle of wheat from his shoulder at the head of the field. Then he lifted the hem of his short-sleeved coarse cloth shirt and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He casually picked up the porcelain bowl at the head of the field, dipped it directly into the bucket, and scooped up a large bowl of cool water. He tilted his head back and drank it down. He drank so hastily that a lot of clear water spilled from the corner of his mouth and fell onto the front of his shirt, making the already sweaty shirt even darker.
At this moment, with a "thud," another bundle of wheat fell to the head of the field. An old voice came over. "Third son, slow down. The weather has been very clear these few days. There's no need to rush the harvest."
"Hey, Dad, I know. It's fine. This leg is long healed." The dark-skinned young man put down the porcelain bowl and answered, looking at the old man beside him who had also just unloaded a bundle of wheat from his shoulder. Seeing the old man breathing a little heavily, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He thought of the promise he had made to his brother, but now he was still letting his father work hard. A sense of apology arose in him. This person was none other than Li Yan's third brother, Li Wei.
"Dad, you also said that the weather has been clear these few days. You don't have to come. Just stay at home and take care of Little Wu with Mom."
The old man beside him was none other than Uncle Chang. In a few short years, Uncle Chang had aged a lot. His originally straight back was gradually becoming stooped, and there were more wrinkles on his face. But his spirit was still hale and hearty.
"What nonsense are you talking about? You're the only able-bodied man in the family, but there are fifteen mu of land. How long will it take to harvest like this..."
Uncle Chang's temper was still like a bull's. But before he could finish his words, a clear child's voice came from afar. "Grandpa, Grandpa, I... I... I brought you food." As he spoke, a two or three-year-old child wearing a green dudou, holding a steamed bun larger than his small hand in one hand, was running over from the distant field ridge. As the child ran, his little legs wobbled, and he still couldn't walk very steadily. His speech was also a little intermittent due to the bumpy run. And behind the child, two women were following anxiously. The old woman in front had some trouble with her legs. Seeing the child running unsteadily, and the field head being full of wild grass and wheat stubble, she was so anxious that she shouted from behind, "Little Wu, Little Wu, slow down. There's wheat stubble everywhere. Don't hurt yourself. Do you hear me? Slow down..." And behind the old woman was a young and dignified woman, carrying a food box in both hands, also unable to walk fast. Seeing the child running so fast, she just called out "Little Wu, walk slowly" and then followed behind with a smile.
Uncle Chang was talking to Li Wei. Hearing the child's voice behind him, he hurriedly turned around. When he saw the three people coming from afar, and especially the child running with a steamed bun, a smile appeared on his old face, and even the wrinkles on his face smoothed out.
"Who do I see? It's my good grandson. Little Wu knows how to dote on his grandpa. You come over slowly. Grandpa will taste the food Little Wu gave him in a while." Uncle Chang hurried forward to meet him. After a short walk, he had the child in his arms. He doted on him even more. After holding him in his arms, he used his graying stubble to gently prick the tender white arm exposed outside the dudou, which made the child giggle.
The group of people came to the head of the field one after another. Li Wei looked at Uncle Chang who was holding the child and constantly teasing him, and couldn't help but say, "Dad, put Little Wu down. We've been busy all morning. I say, you don't have to come over in the afternoon. Just stay at home and take care of Little Wu, and let Mom cook. Xiao Yu and I can handle the work in the fields. If you come, Xiao Yu will be alone at home with the child and won't be able to cook. That's one less person to help."
As he spoke, the old woman also caught up, a little out of breath. She said, "Little Wu, you're so naughty. Grandma doesn't like it anymore. If you fall and hurt yourself, what will we do?"
Hearing this, Uncle Chang stopped teasing the child in his arms and turned his head, his eyes glaring. "You old woman, you have so many things to say. A boy from the mountains, how can there be so many rules? When the third and fifth sons were young, didn't they all come over like this? If they got a little scrape, you would cry and annoy people. Why did I marry such a woman?"
Hearing this, Auntie Chang became meek and submissive, but she still muttered in a low voice, unwilling to give in.
At this time, the dignified young woman also walked over with a food box. She also heard Li Wei's words and said softly, "Dad, my husband is right. My husband and I can do the work in the fields. You can stay at home and take care of Little Wu, and let Mom have some free time to cook." As she spoke, she placed the food box on the field ridge.
After the young woman spoke, strangely, Uncle Chang did not say anything more. Instead, after putting down the child, he opened the food box without a word, took out a small dish, and started eating the steamed bun that his grandson had been holding just now, sitting at the head of the field.
After putting down the food box, the young woman went to Li Wei's side and helped to tighten the bundle of wheat at the head of the field. But then she felt that besides Little Wu throwing clods of earth into the distance, there were no other sounds behind her. She couldn't help but turn back to look.
She saw Uncle Chang eating in silence, and her mother-in-law was also opening other food boxes with a dim look in her eyes. She couldn't help but look at her husband beside her with worry. She didn't know what she had said wrong.
Li Wei, on the other hand, sighed softly, patted her on the back of her hand, and said in a low voice, "It's nothing, Xiao Yu. Dad mentioned the fifth son just now. It brought back some sad memories."
Hearing this, the young woman's heart was finally at ease, but she couldn't help but feel curious. She had never met this younger brother-in-law. Since she had married into the family, she would occasionally hear Li Wei mention that he seemed to have been a high official in Green Mountain Pass before. But later, the imperial court urgently summoned him. She heard that his master, who was also a high official in the court, had gone elsewhere, and there had been no news since.
At home, Li Wei didn't even let her mention that younger brother-in-law. As long as he was mentioned, the two old people would be depressed for a few days. But just now, her father-in-law had said it himself, which had brought the sad memories to his heart.
After patting his wife's hand, Li Wei also limped to the head of the field, picked up a steamed bun, and started eating it with a bowl of green vegetables. Looking at his mother whose eyes were a little red, and his father who was just munching on the steamed bun with his head down, Li Wei's heart also filled with sadness.
The last time Li Yan had sent a message was four years ago through Li Shan and the others. It was a belt said to be from Strategist Ji. In the end, it was placed in the ancestral hall by the village chief. At the same time, a lot of silver was also brought back. After that, there was no more news from this younger brother.
After several months without news, Uncle Chang anxiously asked Li Guoxin to inquire at the military camp. The last news they got was that Li Yan had been transferred elsewhere by the imperial court with Strategist Ji a few months ago. Even Marshal Hong of Green Mountain Pass had been transferred elsewhere with a new appointment.
This matter came suddenly and without any warning, which plunged Li Yan's family into a state of panic. But no matter how Li Guoxin asked around, he couldn't find out anything about Li Yan's whereabouts. In this situation, Li Yan's family could only wait patiently, waiting for the day Li Yan would send a letter. But they waited for several years.
In those few years, Li Wei had also built a new house with the silver that Li Yan had sent home back then, and he had also married a woman from another mountain village dozens of li away. The following year, they had a child. The birth of the third generation brought joy to the Li family and diluted some of the depression. Uncle Chang personally named his grandson Li Wenwu, with the nickname Xiao Wu.
Li Wei looked at his son who was squatting on the field ridge, poking at the ants on the ground with a wheat stalk. A smile appeared on his face. He actually knew the meaning behind his father's name for this child. Xiao Wu—Little Five. That was because he missed his fifth son.
He could only sigh in his heart, 'Fifth brother, I owe you for this, third brother. This can be considered as starting a family. But where are you now?'
...
Just after noon, at the entrance of the official road outside the small mountain village, three people were walking slowly. The one in the lead was a young man with slightly dark skin, over eight feet tall. Behind him were two women wearing veiled bamboo hats. They were now standing on an official road, looking at a small path that slanted into the Great Green Mountains.