Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies

Chapter 169: Chapter 93 Farewell, The Green Mountains Remain Unchanged, The Ever-Flowing Waters

Boom!

On the official road, Li Linfeng and his caravan were gradually picking up speed, when suddenly they heard a huge explosion from behind, causing them to exchange worried glances.

"What happened behind us?"

"I don't know, let's hurry." Li Linfeng urged frantically.

To tell the truth, he was already a bit scared now.

He had encountered nothing but trouble today, and each incident posed a threat to his life, making him anxious and fearful.

He simply had no desire to find out more.

Up ahead at the foot of the mountain forest, Shen Qing sat astride a steed, deliberately slowing Zhuifeng's pace to wait for Li Linfeng and the others.

After a short while, Shen Qing heard the sound of wheels and horses' hooves getting closer, signaling that Li Linfeng and his party would soon arrive.

Shen Qing gently pulled on the reins, signaling Zhuifeng to come to a slow stop.

As the caravan drew near, dust gently rose in the air.

The caravan flashed past him.

Shen Qing tugged on the reins and, squeezing with his legs, urged Zhuifeng forward into a swift chase.

Li Linfeng sat at the front of the carriage, his brow furrowed and a look of unease in his eyes.

"Master," Shen Qing, noticing Li Linfeng's unusual demeanor, asked, "It seems all is well on the road now, without the slightest anomaly. Are you rushing like this because something has happened?"

Li Linfeng turned to Shen Qing, his worry apparent, "Not long after you left, I heard the sound of thunderous explosions behind us. I think the Huang Tian Sect is on our tail."

Shen Qing's face showed shock, "Ah, so soon?"

"Let's hurry."

Following this, the journey continued without incident, and Li Linfeng breathed a sigh of relief, as did everyone else, their tense nerves finally relaxed.

As they moved away from Taiping County, the official road they traveled on became narrower and the terrain rougher.

After another five or so miles, they had completely reached the wilderness.

Ahead on the official road, it branched off into two paths, one winding eastward, the other quietly leading west.

Yong City in the county town was on the east side of Taiping County, which is where Shen Qing needed to go.

Lu'an Prefecture was on the west side of Taiping County, so Li Linfeng and the others would need to go westward.

The sun was setting in the west, the surroundings enveloped by the gloom of twilight.

The caravan involuntarily slowed down, with Li Linfeng sitting in the carriage, his gaze wandering between the two roads, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

He knew that the time for parting had come.

Shen Qing pulled on the reins to stop, and the silent caravan behind him stopped as well.

The air was filled with an unspeakable heaviness.

Shen Qing turned to face Li Linfeng and the others, breaking the silence, "Master, it's time for us to take separate paths."

Li Linfeng, unskilled in dealing with such scenes, could only let out a long sigh after a moment.

He looked up at Shen Qing, his direct disciple, and his gaze grew more complex.

Shen Qing, now sitting on the back of a horse, had grown to a point where his master had to look up to him, which was both a fortune and misfortune for his master.

Fortunate to have led such a prodigy into the world of Martial Arts, proving his excellent judgement; unfortunate because the disciple's cultivation only served to highlight the master's mediocrity and incompetence.

Realizing that the moment of parting was upon them.

Sitting in the carriage, Aunt Shen Xiu took the initiative to step out from the cabin, and Li Lingchan followed her.

Compared to the former's pure reluctance, the latter's feelings were much more complex.

Even with a tough exterior, Li Lingchan could no longer deny a fact in the face of such ironclad reality: she had missed out on a young man with boundless potential.

To say she wasn't regretful would be impossible.

And as for Shen Qing, he had long since become indifferent to it.

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Once his strength and vision had expanded, such minor episodes could no longer cause any emotional turmoil to him.

After simply nodding to Li Lingchan, Shen Qing walked up to his aunt Shen Xiu and earnestly expressed his gratitude, "If it weren't for aunt's help, Shen Qing would not have reached this day. Aunt, this kindness, I shall engrave it in my heart forever."

Aunt Shen Xiu pulled him close and said, "There's no need for this. We are family after all. If I didn't help you, I wouldn't be able to face your parents down below after my demise. So, spare me these words of gratitude."

Taiping County was almost a thousand li away from Yongzhou, and Taiping County to Lu'an Prefecture was also nearly a thousand li.

If Shen Qing's cultivation did not break through to the level of traveling with the wind in the future, it was foreseeable that it would be a long while before they would meet again.

Shen Qing spent a long time exchanging pleasantries with his aunt Shen Xiu, his uncle Shen Er, and the rest of the family.

Aunt Shen Xiu and Uncle Shen Er, the siblings, overwhelmed by deep emotion, could not help but burst into tears and embraced each other tightly.

Seeing that it was about time, Li Linfeng lifted the corners of his mouth into a bitter yet resolute smile and said, "Let's go."

"Master, the green mountains will not change, the clear waters will flow forever. If fate allows, we will meet again," shouted Shen Qing from the horseback.

With a heavy neigh, the carriage slowly set in motion.

Shen Qing watched Li Linfeng and the others fade into the distance until they completely disappeared from the official road.

He stood in place, motionless for a long time.

After a while, Shen Qing mounted his horse and called out, "Let's get going! Giddyup!"

With the crack of a whip, Zhuifeng started to gallop, quickly picking up speed.

Shen Qing faced eastward, only to see the world ahead gradually enveloped in darkness as the sun set.

…

"Look ahead, there's a village," Tian Xiaohu, who was sitting on the carriage, pointed at a spot and exclaimed, "We can stay near that village for the night."

Shen Qing followed the direction Tian Xiaohu pointed to and saw a small village of four to five households beside the official road straight ahead.

One of the houses had two red lanterns hanging, their crimson light seemingly bleeding into the night.

"Eagle Eye!"

Shen Qing's expression was as calm as water as he activated his Eagle Eye skill.

Scenes after scenes came to his mind, one after another.

Shortly thereafter, these scenes began to combine, forming an overhead perspective.

Shen Qing then used his "sharp eyesight" skill to closely observe the village. Experience new stories on M V L

The night fell, the evening wind whispered.

Through Shen Qing's eyes, a thin layer of mist gently shrouded the village, making it difficult to see clearly.

He looked carefully but did not find anything out of the ordinary.

Tian Xiaohu said to Shen Qing, "Let's go over and see if there are suitable dry goods and water. If so, it would be best to replenish. From here to Yongzhou, it's more than a thousand li. We will likely need to travel for over ten days to get there, and we'll require plenty of provisions along the way."

Shen Qing withdrew his gaze and nodded, "Let's go and have a look."

The carriage rumbled on the desolate official road, gradually approaching the isolated village.

This village was situated by the official road, and as Shen Qing and his party approached it, they felt an indescribable desolation and loneliness emanating from it.

"I'll go knock on the door."

Tian Xiaohu jumped down from the carriage, stood outside the wall and shouted, "Is anyone there? We're passing by; may we stay in your village for the night?"

Walls surrounded the village, a protection against beasts from outside.

They seemed new and not as if they were long neglected.

After calling for a while with no response, Tian Xiaohu felt puzzled.

"Where is everyone?"

Just as they thought the place was deserted, the door with the red lanterns flung open.

A middle-aged farmer cautiously stepped out, looked Shen Qing and his party up and down a few times, his face not showing any goodwill, and shouted fiercely, "Who are you people, where are you from, and what do you want?"

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