Vol 9 Chapter 12 (2/2)

“Eh?”

Just as I was nodding, Sima Hui said something very surprising. I looked up and saw that he was looking over with a smile that was not diminished in the least.

“Why do you say so?” I asked somewhat hypocritically.

To put it simply, he’s right. Compared to Water Mirror, I was more concerned with Crouching Dragon. When I realised this, I felt like I was a bit rude to have invited him. I wonder if Sima Hui rejected my offer because he detected this?

“Just a guess.” But after a moment, that was all he said.

“Alright, that’s it for now. It’s not getting any early, we should be getting to bed.” He said as he stretched his back and began to head back in.

“Eh? We’re sleeping now?” I exclaimed as I looked up at the moon. It hadn’t been long since night fell and it could not have been more than an hour since the sun set.

“Countryside living is different from the city. There’s a lot of time at night for fun and games when you live in the city. But here, people have to tend to their fields in the morning. If you don’t sleep early, you can’t wake up early.”

Ah, that’s right. This is a very realistic problem, that hermits have no way of procuring food. This means that choosing to be a hermit means having to grow one’s own food. Honestly speaking, it feels like a giant waste of talent.

“Alright, I got it.”

Even though I felt that it was a waste for him to remain here as a hermit, he clearly had no intentions of coming with me. Nor does he seem to be dissatisfied with his current lifestyle. In which case, I have nothing to say and all I can do is agree and follow him back to the house.

“Ah right,” Sima Hui said as we walked back, “You will be leaving tomorrow right?”

“Ah un. There’s a lot going on and a lot to do at Xinye after all so I have to get there as soon as possible.” I said as I nodded resolutely. When he mentioned this, I could feel something rumbling in my stomach and rubbed it a little, hoping to alleviate the discomfort. Looks like stress really does cause gastric problems.

“There’s no need to be too anxious. Have a good night’s sleep. Your body still has not fully recovered yet.” Sima Hui said and then gave a wry smile, “Moreover, it’s already been 10 days, another day or 2 wouldn’t make too much of a difference right?”

Wu… That’s right. It’s been 10 days now. When tomorrow rolls in, it will be 11 days. And honestly speaking, my body still feels a bit weak. If not, I would have untied Dilu and galloped out by now.

Hai… Never mind. I yawned, stretched my back and entered the house.

Everything begins tomorrow. All I can do now is pray that nothing goes wrong in Xinye.

I woke up very early naturally the next day.

As I left the bed and made my way to the window, I could see that the sky was just beginning to brighten up. Even so, the sound of land being plowed could be heard coming from the slopes nearby. Looks like what he said about tending to his fields early was right after all.

“Un? You’ve woken up huh?” Just then a voice came from beside me. When I looked over, I found that it was Sima Hui with Xiang Lang behind him. They were both wide awake, did not have any sign of fatigue on their faces and had hoes in their hands, looking ready to get to work on their land.

“Ah, un. I’m awake.”

“Morning, Imperial Uncle.” Xiang Lang greeted me and bowed while holding the hoe.

“Un, morning.” I felt like it was a bit awkward but I returned the greeting anyway.

“How was it? Did you sleep well last night?”

“Yes, I slept well.”

This was the truth. My head was in a mess before I slept as the many things I had to do and attend to filled my head. But the moment I lay down in bed, I was a.s.sailed by so much tiredness that my head became empty and I couldn’t think of anything at all. And so, I fell asleep in no time at all.

“It’s good that you slept well.” Sima Hui nodded and stroked his beard with his spare hand, “Well then, Imperial Uncle is planning…”

“Yes,” I continued Sima Hui’s trailing words and bowed, “I’m planning to leave now.”

“Alright, I understand. Let’s leave together then.”

I nodded, put on my shoes and followed after them out of the house. Along the way, Xiang Lang gave me some directions, “Go upstream this way and head north after you reach the next village.”

“For more details on how to find your way to Xinye, just ask any pa.s.sers-by you meet. Jing state commoners are typically good-natured and you are very unlikely to meet with any scammers or thieves.” Sima Hui said, “It would be very helpful for you if you were to meet with any wandering singers. They know the roads better than anyone else.”

Wandering singers? Are they just people on a journey? I suppose that they are rather similar to hermits in a way. The only difference is that they are on the move while hermits stay in one location.

“I understand. I’ll take note of it.” I said as we stepped out of the house.

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