Chapter 217 — Homeland
The Sword Questions the Heavens · Page 2 of 7
Before her lay a fork in the road, and Lu Xueling halted. It was not that she did not know the way—among the disciples of Canglan, she was one of those who came down the mountain most often. The broad, level road before her she had walked countless times; it was the quickest route out from Canglan Mountain, leading straight to He Yin City, the largest town at the mountain's foot.
The other branch of the fork looked long abandoned, overgrown with wild grass. Only the stretch near the junction was faintly visible; further in, the distance was already drowned in weeds.
In truth, there were countless such narrow mountain paths leading down from Canglan. Many had been worn by the villagers of the hamlets at the mountain's foot, who climbed the slopes to cut firewood or gather wild fruit to make a living; and many, for one reason or another, had over the years fallen into this same abandoned state.
This road—who knew where it led? And who would remember what people had once walked it?
Lu Xueling shook her head slightly and smiled bitterly within. Since returning from the southern frontier, since parting from that person, her state of mind had truly changed a great deal.
She gave her head a light shake, wanting to cast the thought aside, and was about to set off again down the main road. Just then, a few villagers came straggling along it—old and young—most of them carrying axes, hemp ropes, and carrying poles, by the look of their clothes and gear; woodcutters from the nearby hamlets, evidently bound up the mountain to cut firewood.
As they drew near and saw Lu Xueling, each of them stepped aside, their faces showing respect. The disciples of Canglan had always been revered throughout these several hundred li, and Lu Xueling's peerless beauty and ethereal, fairy-like bearing made it all the harder for anyone to look her in the face.
Lu Xueling halted and gave them a slight nod by way of returning their courtesy, then made to leave. At that very moment, one old woodcutter—his hair already white, yet still hale and vigorous—seemed quite eager to be helpful, and chuckled: "Miss, don't you know the way?"
Lu Xueling paused slightly, her gaze shifting to glance at the old woodcutter. She hesitated, then gently shook her head; but before she could speak, the helpful old man had already continued: "I know you cultivators of the Canglan Sect are formidable—half the time you're flying about up in the sky. But when it comes to the roads under our feet, well, sometimes you're not as familiar with them as us country folk."
The other woodcutters nearby all laughed at this. Looking at their kindly faces, Lu Xueling felt a sudden warmth in her heart for no reason she could name, and the step she had been about to take halted once more.
The old woodcutter chuckled: "That big road ahead of you leads south to He Yin City—the liveliest place within a hundred li. Once you're there, it's much easier to get anywhere else." With that, he pointed at the abandoned path: "That one there, you'd best not take. Years ago it was a lively village too, but it's all ruined now—nobody left."
Lu Xueling smiled faintly and said, "I understand. Thank you, elder."
The old woodcutter waved his hand and laughed twice, then went on up Canglan Mountain with the others. Meanwhile, a woodcutter somewhat younger than he sighed and said, "There used to be a temple in that village—they say it was very efficacious. More than ten years ago my wife and I went there to pray to the Bodhisattva for a child, and wouldn't you know it, we got one. A pity it's gone now."
The old woodcutter nodded: "That's right, I remember too. A real shame the temple's gone."
Their voices gradually faded, and their figures dwindled away into the mountain woods. In the light breeze that came from afar there seemed still to linger their cheerful, hearty laughter. Lu Xueling turned around, the smile still on her face; somehow, her mood seemed to have improved a good deal.