Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 506 - 277 Leaving

He packed his bag, which really wasn't much—most of it had been prepared in advance by Old Apricot. After that, he looked around the house, taking in everything one last time.

Although he had only lived in this place for a short time, Lu Xun had come to regard it as his second homeland. In this unassuming little courtyard, he had acquired the greatest wealth of his life, something that would benefit him for a lifetime.

Stepping out of the room, Lu Xun walked under the lush apricot tree with its spreading branches and gently touched its sturdy trunk. Then he knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to the apricot tree. The thumping sound echoed in the courtyard, and by the time he finished, Lu Xun's forehead had turned red.

"Old Apricot, thank you for your care," Lu Xun said softly, tears brimming in his eyes. Although he had looked back several times, he still resolutely left the small courtyard to face his own life—even if the road ahead was filled with thorns, and even if it was built on mountains of corpses and seas of blood. At this moment, Lu Xun was no longer timid; he had found his confidence and courage in this courtyard.

As he passed through the small wooden gate, it separated two worlds. With one step forward, Lu Xun entered a new realm. Before him lay rugged mountains, and the warm little courtyard that had felt so comforting was no longer visible, obscured behind a blanket of white fog. Within this mist, it seemed an old man was smiling and nodding at him, his eyes filled with worry and reluctance.

Lu Xun's eyes welled up. He reached out to touch the old man once more, but a Great Wind blew, instantly scattering the fog between heaven and earth. All that remained before him was a desolate waste, overgrown with weeds.

Seeing this, Lu Xun sighed gently. He knew that once he made his choice, it wouldn't be easy to see that comforting little courtyard again. Fortunately, having overcome the obstacles of the heart, he was now resilient enough to face everything. He quickly collected himself and set off on his journey. As Old Apricot had told him, he had to travel northeast towards Mountain Luoxia.

He wanted to consult his ancestors, to hear their opinions. At this moment, he was no longer the Crown Prince who had once stood for great righteousness. Now he had to start all over again, needing to seize every opportunity to strengthen himself, and the presence of the ancestors was his greatest source of confidence.

It was only when he started on his journey that Lu Xun realized the difficulty of the world was beyond his expectations, even the short mountain road was unbearably hard to traverse.

The young and tender lad carefully trod on the rugged mountain path, the protruding rocks causing his feet to ache incessantly. In the past, a slightly longer walk would mean riding in a palanquin, but now he had to rely on his own legs to reacquaint himself with the world.

However, at this moment, he had no mood for self-pity. He knew that most of the common people of the world lived with similar hardships. Instead, he curiously observed the surrounding flora. Even though he had grown accustomed to the rare and exotic plants of the Imperial Garden since childhood, Lu Xun always felt there was something artificial about them.

This was not to say those plants were poor or unattractive, but rather they lacked the artisan's touch, far less vivid than those in the forest. Therefore, at this moment, Lu Xun found every plant and tree in the mountains particularly endearing, distracting him from the fatigue on his body and the pain on the soles of his feet.

When he had passed through the dense forest and forded the rivers, his view gradually broadened, and soon a major road appeared before him. Covered in weeds, the worn ruts on the road signaled to Lu Xun that caravans had passed through here.

Walking on the official road, Lu Xun finally felt relief in his feet. The soft sounds of the green grass underfoot whispered as Lu Xun pressed forward towards his predestined direction with determination.

On both sides of the official road tall locust trees sheltered him from the sunlight, casting dappled shadows below. Lu Xun felt the intense sun overhead growing less fierce as his feet stepped into the shadows. These trees had been specially planted during the construction of the road and had turned lush over the years. During the times of peace, Great Chu even appointed rangers to look after these trees.

"If nothing unexpected occurs, there should be a ranger's hut not far from here," Lu Xun muttered to himself.

As the Crown Prince of a nation, he was not the subject of his father, the king's, suspicion; on the contrary, the king was very intent on familiarizing him with state affairs, which is why he was aware of such policies once established by Great Chu.

Following the official road, Lu Xun's eyes missed nothing in the woods, and soon he spotted a small hut hidden at the bottom of a hill. He couldn't help but reveal a knowing expression; the hut from the past was indeed here.

Hurrying over, he then discovered that the hut seemed to already be inhabited, as could be seen from the piles of firewood and various items scattered around.

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Lu Xun approached the hut cautiously, noticing that nightfall was approaching. It was necessary to spend the night here, for these parts were rarely visited by humans and were teeming with wild beasts, a single careless moment could lead to being devoured by a beast.

Gently pushing the door open, the old wooden door creaked. A fierce voice came from inside soon after, "Who's there!"

The voice was fierce but sounded somewhat juvenile; Lu Xun guessed that the speaker was probably around his age.

"A traveler passing by. I mean no harm. It's just that night has fallen and I was hoping to take shelter here for the night. Would that be convenient?" Lu Xun tried to keep his tone as peaceful as possible; he did not want to quarrel with the inhabitants of the house.

The voice behind the door fell silent, seemingly contemplating something. Then a girl's clear voice rang out, "Brother, he doesn't seem to be a bad person. Should we let him in?"

"Come in, but let me warn you, watch your behavior once inside, or you'll regret it," that previous voice spoke up again, fiercely addressing Lu Xun.

"Rest assured, brother, I am a learned man acquainted with proper manners; I shall not behave disrespectfully," Lu Xun quickly replied.

With that said, he slowly entered the hut and found a young man and woman inside—just like the voices had suggested, both were teenagers not long past childhood. However, judging by their attire, they did not appear to be from a wealthy family. Lu Xun shook his head; what was he thinking? Children of rich families obviously wouldn't end up in a wilderness like this—well, except for himself.

Yet, looking at their features, they appeared quite similar, and most likely were siblings. It was unclear why they were living here, in a place that was far from easy to survive, surrounded by desolation and frequently visited by ferocious beasts.

The siblings inside the hut, upon seeing Lu Xun enter, had their cautiousness diminished by a great deal.