Chapter 225 - Five - We arrive at my home village (1/2)
They travelled with only a couple of short breaks, in order to let the horses eat and drink before carrying onward at a sedate pace and being that the road was a main thoroughfare for many farming villages and established towns, it was peaceful for the most part. This was not because there were no bandits in these regions, more that in these rolling plains without much tree coverage and with guard towers placed at forks and divisions, a bandit might as well be a beggar for all the wealth that could be taken from carriages and wagons on this route.
Despite this, when they stopped for the night, they did so fairly close to one of these guard towers, but not so near as to give the guards concern regarding their identities and still the two drivers and Sun's manservant set up rolling duties to be on guard. All were highly trained in the arts of martial combat, something required by the General of his servants. In the meantime, the four youths slept more or less comfortably within the carriage.
It possibly would come as no surprise that the Dao couple claimed the bed to rest upon, or rather Jin Li pushed Leon upon it to rest and dared Sun to complain. Of course this Young Master was not courageous enough to! The bed was spacious enough for two and who else would share one mattress anyway? Sun slept on the cushioned sofa instead. This left poor Russ the choice of the carpeted floor or the hard wooden servant bench. He chose the latter, it was still fairly good and the Young Master had thrown him a blanket, so he couldn't complain about being cold. All in all, it was better than sleeping outside on the cold ground or huddled with strangers in the open bed of a wagon.
By lunch the following day, they reached a small town known as Cedar Town, due to the cedar wood trees that lined its streets. The houses scattered over the area were a mix of small stone cottages and old courtyard buildings, both were built in terrace lines with cobblestone roads connecting entrances and gates. Shops clustered together either side of the widest streets, which had a smattering of stalls down the centre. Naturally, large carriages could not breach the crowds of people gathering here, one would have to take a small, two wheeled cart drawn by horse or person if one did not wish to use their own legs.
Sun and the others got out here, planning on grabbing something to eat for the midday meal before moving on towards the village. In the meantime, Sun's drivers took a backstreet in order to avoid the crowded area as advised by a local guard.
Seeing the silk dress of a Young Master, the waiter eagerly guided them to a room with a balcony and made a suggestion regarding food and wine before rushing off with Jin Li's suggestion that it all sounded good (aka ”That will do.”) As they waited, Leon's eyes were drawn to the bustling streets below and an unfamiliar memory flashed before his eyes...
Those stalls were replaced by tables and proud looking men and women all of whom appeared no older than their mid-twenties and who were sitting or standing at those tables. Youths in various states of clothing, mostly of hemp for there was only a handful of families who could afford silk in town, lined up at the tables. The boys, for he did not recall any girls in amongst them, just a handful of mothering women, would step forward one by one and were tested for age and aptitude. He himself eventually reached the front of the queue and placed his hand upon the thick plate.
”Age sixteen, primary cultivation, body root...” the adult glanced up looking at him with some pity and resignation. ”Look kid, I'm saying this for your own good, but are you sure you wish to study at the Ascending Mountain Institute? With your aptitude, it really will not be easy.”
”Want t-t-to,” he replied as firmly as he could. Everyone knew that people that studied at school could have a better life in the future, but it was costly to go to ordinary school, most commoners could not afford it. So once his grandfather had heard that the school for Cultivators, the Ascending Mountain Institute was recruiting in their area this year, he sent his close grandson to try his luck. Neither of them knew whether he'd have a chance to be a Cultivator in the future, not knowing if Leo had the fortune, they could only hope. And though it seemed his luck wasn't great, it wasn't awful either and he did not pass up the opportunity to study for his future...
Leon's mind came back to the present. The memories felt odd to him, for while he knew that they belonged to him, they still somehow felt as if they had occurred to someone else. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he had believed that he and Leo were two separate entities for so long before learning otherwise, he was still not quite as resigned to the fact that they were one as he had originally thought.
A steamed, white bun was placed in the bowl before him, its scent distracting him from his thoughts and he glanced up at the man who had placed it there. ”Eat,” Jin Li commanded, before he began to devour the various plates of food without reserve.
”En,” he agreed.