Chapter 173: Small village, we are back!

"Let's go pack some more things for the road. It's a long journey, and we can't go without food." Chen Xun licked his lips and looked around. "Old Ox, in the future, we should get something like a treasure shuttle or a flying boat. Crossing the vast Tian Duan Plain without a ride? Are we supposed to keep flying? We can't do anything like that."

"Moo!!"

The big black ox was so excited that its scalp tingled. Their good days were finally coming.

Chen Xun's smile gradually widened. The vastness of the Tian Duan Plain was something they had deeply experienced twice; no matter how they flew, they couldn't see the end.

By then, sitting in the flying boat, they could rest and cultivate, much better than flying through the air.

"Old Ox, I already have a plan in mind. We'll collect materials from various parts of the cultivation world and transform them into our ideal flying boat!" Chen Xun spoke solemnly, painting a grand picture. "Just like that mobile little house back then, unique in this world, damn it!!"

"Moo!!"

"Old Ox, can we do it?"

"Moo~~~!!"

The future days were beyond the big black ox's imagination, already exceeding what it could fathom...

It was so excited that it almost couldn't contain itself, lying weakly in the corner, breathing heavily.

Outside the alley, a few big yellow dogs passing by urinated beside them, shaking their heads. What were this man and ox shouting about inside?

"Old Ox, let's go. Are you done?"

"Moo~~"

"Buy things, go home, hurry."

"Moo!"

They instantly rushed out of the alley, with a few big yellow dogs barking behind them, scared.

...

In the Qian Nation, Yongquan Prefecture, because it was a remote area, there were only a few places where spiritual energy gathered.

Most of them were dominated by martial arts sects, and small cultivation sects were scattered and hidden deep within various mountain ranges.

Now, the mundane Qian Nation was thriving, with martial arts sects opening their doors everywhere to recruit disciples, and many stories were born from this. Yongquan Prefecture was home to many large mundane cities, with many ancient cities being repeatedly rebuilt, as there were no more wars after the Wu Nation cultivation world was destroyed.

Many small towns had sprung up around the large cities, and some remote mountain villages had moved into the towns.

Today, the eastern sky was changing rapidly, with light and clouds shifting colors every second.

On a country path, a cattle herder walked slowly, his face slightly red, and his eyes seemed quite excited. In front of them was a vast field with no pavilions or towers, filled with the fragrance of flowers.

There seemed to be a few small houses in the field, with smoke rising and drifting into the dreams of Chen Xun and the big black ox, floating towards the white clouds in the sky.

At this moment, an old farmer was leading an old yellow ox along the path. His skin was dark, and he was wearing a simple cloth jacket, with prominent veins on his hands.

He stopped and looked at them with a smile, "Young man, are you from Hongyang Town?" After asking, he looked at the big black ox in surprise. The spirit and vigor of this ox were worlds apart from his own old yellow ox.

_Hongyang Town?_

Chen Xun shook his head, "Uncle, is no one living here now? I remember there used to be many villages."

"Moo~~" The big black ox glanced at the old yellow ox and then looked at the old farmer in confusion. They hadn't seen a single village on their way.

"Young man, there used to be villages here?" The old farmer grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Haha, young man, where are you from?"

"I..." Chen Xun was suddenly at a loss, smiling awkwardly, "Uncle, maybe I took the wrong road."

"Moo~" The big black ox instinctively moved closer to Chen Xun. After breaking through the Nascent Soul stage, their memory had greatly improved, and many vague memories had become clear.

Moreover, it would never mistake the road; this was indeed the path they had taken when they left the small mountain village.

"Young man, if you keep going that way, you'll reach the ancestral lands of various clans." The old farmer waved his hand animatedly and said, "Many ancestors from Hongyang Town have their ancestral lands there; don't go the wrong way."

"Thank you for the reminder, Uncle." Chen Xun cupped his hands and laughed heartily.

_Wow, such manners for a city person!_

The old farmer's pupils shrank slightly, but looking at the young man's attire, he didn't seem like one. Could he be from the martial world...

"Alright, young man, I'll be on my way. My wife is waiting at home."

"Okay, Uncle, take care." Chen Xun and the big black ox stepped aside with bright smiles.

The old farmer's face was simple, his smile spreading unconsciously, and he continued leading the yellow ox.

The golden light from the sky shone on his figure, like a ripple on the country path, with a gentle breeze.

Chen Xun and the big black ox continued forward, seeming to forget their loneliness and melancholy, letting it fade away in the country breeze.

"Old Ox, the small mountain village and the surrounding villages have really changed..."

"Moo~"

They looked around, finding no familiar traces. Their steps became hesitant, and they felt a bit of homesickness.

There was no village around, not even a fence in sight. It seemed they had all moved to the town. The big black ox followed its memory, leading Chen Xun forward, softly mooing all the while. Everything felt so unfamiliar.

Chen Xun remained silent, observing the changes around them. In a haze, he seemed to see two blurred figures...

One was an arrogant youth wielding an axe, and the other was a big black ox following behind, exclaiming in surprise.

They had dashed out of the village, fleeing wildly, filled with hope for the future, leaving this place without any regret.

Half an hour later, the big black ox suddenly stood up, excitedly patting Chen Xun: "Moo moo!!"

"Holy crap!" Chen Xun's previously calm expression suddenly changed, and he cried out in surprise, "Holy crap!!!"

They saw a place that made these two Nascent Soul ancestors jump for joy.

"Old Ox, is it that small hill? Is it?!" Chen Xun's face turned red as he looked into the distance, "Isn't it?!!"

"Moo moo moo!!" The big black ox snorted heavily. Absolutely, positively, and without a doubt, it was.

The two figures turned into light, instantly standing on that small hill.

Chen Xun slowly sat down, and the big black ox squatted down as well, its black back standing straight. They gazed into the distance as a breeze blew, causing all the trees to bow...

"Wuhu!! Old village chief, fellow villagers, we are back!!"

"Moo moo moo moo!!!"

They spread their arms, shouting loudly towards the distance, as if their voices could be heard in the heavens.

But below, there was no cave, no small village, and no small children running behind them.

After calling out for several incense sticks' time, countless blurry memories fully opened in their minds. They then sat quietly, without saying a word, their expressions complex and tinged with sadness.

After cultivating for a thousand years, the seas had changed, the fields had turned to dust, people had come and gone, and even the old places were erased in the river of time.

As the sun rose and set, they followed their memories to a clearing.

This place was quite desolate, with nothing but a few strands of mournful wind carrying specks of yellow sand.

The farmers living in this field now knew nothing of the small village that once stood here, only knowing of a place called Hongyang Town.

Chen Xun and the big black ox gathered a lot of materials from the surroundings and built a straw hut, their first real home in this world of cultivation.

"Old Ox, we can build houses now." Chen Xun sat on the ground in the straw hut, grinning broadly. As he laughed, his mood gradually fell. "We can build houses now..."

"Moo~" The big black ox sat tightly next to Chen Xun, nudging him.

No matter how exquisite this straw hut was, it could never be the original one, nor would it ever feel like home.

They stayed there for two days, then went to the ancestral land filled with eerie winds. The densely packed graves there were unrecognizable to Chen Xun and the big black ox, with no familiar names.

"Old Ox, let's go." Chen Xun shook his head, sighing softly, "Let's go back to Panning City and check on the Ning family."

"Moo~" The big black ox kept searching, its nose sniffing everywhere, still not giving up.

Chen Xun didn't disturb it, standing quietly among the graves, taking out his 'details,' and instinctively playing a tune on the suona, not knowing who he was sending off.

The next day, early in the morning, the farmers were already busy.

The big black ox was playing in the fields, surrounded by a dozen or so young cows, frolicking around. Chen Xun had rented all the young cows from the neighboring villages, spending quite a bit of money, fulfilling the big black ox's dream of overcoming its past sorrow.

"Moo moo~~" The big black ox proudly posed in various stances, looking quite majestic, loving the admiration from the young cows.

"Hahaha..." Chen Xun sat on a ridge, laughing heartily, taking out a drawing board, and starting to paint.

After playing for half a day, the big black ox, satisfied, ran towards Chen Xun. Its long-held dream was finally realized; the young cows no longer ignored it.

From that moment on, with its mind at ease, it was ready to leave with its big brother.

"Old Ox, want to take a few with us?" Chen Xun smiled, patting the big black ox, which had been busy running and playing.

"Moo?" The big black ox thought seriously for a moment, then quickly shook its head, feeling no regrets.

"Alright, then let's go back to Panning City." Chen Xun looked in another direction, his mouth unconsciously lifting in a smile. Hopefully, that place hadn't changed...

"Moo moo~~" The big black ox nudged Chen Xun, growing a bit impatient.

They returned the young cows one by one and set off for Panning City.

They finally understood a saying: places you can't reach are called distant lands, and places you can't return to are called hometowns.

But Chen Xun and the big black ox always yearned for places even further than the distant lands.