Chapter 29

Chapter 29: The Sadness of Parting

Each of these black-robed people was tall, and their black robes covered their whole body. Their heads were cloaked, so it was impossible to see their actual appearance.

But the icy cold eyes that occasionally flashed from within the black robes made the onlooking scavengers all tremble.

The eyes of these black-robed people were completely indifferent to life, as if they were just killing machines with no trace of humanity.

Even as they stood there, the June heat was silently dissipating, turning the outside of the general store into a cold and gloomy place.

As soon as he arrived, Xu Qing heard their identities from the whispered discussions of the surrounding scavengers.

“It’s the Departurist Church’s law enforcement team!”

“Departurist Church… that bunch of lunatics. They rarely show up in scavenger camps, why did they run over here this time?

“I heard that they’re looking for someone. Apparently, they’ve already searched all the cities and scavenger camps nearby.”

As he listened to the discussions in the surroundings, Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and the iron skewer appeared with a flip of his hand. Right when he looked coldly at the general store, three people walked out.

There were two people in front, one tall and one short.

The tall one stood proud and upright, like a bloody sword drawn from its sheath.

This person’s clothes were the opposite of the Departurist Church’s law enforcement team outside. Their robe was blood-colored, and the sun pattern on it was black. In addition, their head was uncovered, revealing a head of black hair and a well-defined face.

It was a young man.

The moment he stepped out, all the members of the black-robed Departurist Church law enforcement team moved in unison, bowing their heads and kneeling down on one knee.

When he saw this, Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed. The aura emanating from the young man gave him a feeling similar to when he encountered a powerful mutated beast in the depths of the jungle.

Next to the tall young man was a shorter person. It was the little girl.

At that moment, her face revealed an unprecedentedly happy smile as she tightly held the young man’s hand.

Judging from the age, it seemed like the young man was her elder brother. His cold expression softened when he looked down at the little girl, but his eyes held a deep sense of grief.

It was as though he was remembering his family who died in the catastrophe.

Behind the two was the owner of the general store. With a flattering expression on his face, he trailed behind them cautiously and spoke in a soft voice.

Seeing all this, Xu Qing silently put away his iron skewer. He touched the small stones in the leather bag, feeling a little hesitant.

At the same moment, the little girl who had walked out of the store also noticed Xu Qing in the crowd.

She hurriedly said a few words to the young man beside her, and as the young man turned a scrutinizing gaze on Xu Qing, the little girl let go of his hand and ran over.

The scavengers beside Xu Qing instinctively retreated, so the little girl smoothly ran the short distance to bid farewell.

“My brother is here to pick me up. Big Brother Kid, do you want to come with me?”

As she said goodbye, the little girl looked at Xu Qing with some anticipation.

Xu Qing shook his head.

The little girl was a little disappointed with this answer. She glanced at Xu Qing and a smile appeared on her face again.

“It’s okay, we can still meet when I grow up. Big Brother Kid, I said I would repay you for saving my life, so I definitely will."

“I’m leaving with my brother. My brother is very nice to me, he gives me whatever I want. Do you have a brother too?”

The little girl had a lot to say, but while she was talking, the young man outside the general store called her over.

“Big Brother Kid, I’m leaving.”

The little girl looked at Xu Qing. She had been in the camp for more than two months, but the only person she was familiar with was this person in front of her. Now that it was time to leave, she felt a little bit reluctant.

Xu Qing looked back at the little girl before taking out a small rainbow-colored stone from his leather bag and handing it to her.

“Here, this stone can remove scars.”

The little girl was taken aback. She held the stone and looked at Xu Qing, wanting to say something, but her brother called out to her again. Finally, the little girl looked deeply at Xu Qing, grasping the rainbow-colored stone tightly in her hand as she returned to her brother’s side. The pair of siblings left, surrounded by the group of black-robed men.

As she left, she turned her head once and waved to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing waved back. Watching the little girl who seemed to always have a happy smile walking away, he felt that it was a good thing for her to leave the camp.

“Best wishes.”

After speaking, Xu Qing turned around and walked back to his residence.

Life went on the same as before. He cooked silently, ate silently, cleaned silently, cultivated silently, and attended classes silently.

Seven days went by in this manner.

Xu Qing had also completely returned to how he was in the slums. He also came to the realization that Grandmaster Bai… probably wouldn’t remain in the camp for much longer.

This was something that Xu Qing guessed after seeing Grandmaster Bai’s convoy begin to reorganize over the past few days.

Grandmaster Bai had once told him that the convoy came from Purple Earth. Regarding Purple Earth… Xu Qing had heard many people mention that it was the core of the South Phoenix Continent.

One day, when Xu Qing went to Grandmaster Bai’s tent in the early morning, he didn’t see any guards. Chen Feiyuan and Tingyu were also absent.

Grandmaster Bai was the only one inside the tent.

Xu Qing already had an answer in his heart.

During this class, Grandmaster Bai spoke very deliberately, and Xu Qing listened carefully. Time still passed quickly, and soon the end of the lecture came. Looking at Xu Qing sitting there silently, Grandmaster Bai sighed softly.

“I must leave."

“Before I leave, let me teach you something that will truly help you in the future. Due to a restrictive oath, I can’t tell you directly. Whether you can understand or not will depend on you.” Grandmaster Bai said as he gave Xu Qing a deep look.

Xu Qing looked back at Grandmaster Bai with intense concentration.

The instant their eyes met, Grandmaster Bai’s soft voice echoed in the tent.

“Kid, first take the herbs I explained to you on the third, seventh, eleventh, fifteenth, seventeenth, and nineteenth days in a ratio of one to two to four. Combine them with an proportionate amount of seven-leaf grass, and continuously refine them at a high temperature. If you do this, you will produce that which countless people in this world need… the White Pill!

As soon as he heard these words, Xu Qing’s eyes widened and his breathing hastened.

He was no longer a young boy who didn’t know anything about plants and vegetation. After nearly two months of lectures, he clearly understood how valuable pill recipes were!

They were extremely precious resources that were grasped firmly in the hands of large factions!

Especially… the White Pill, which was even used as hard currency like spirit coins. Its recipe was so valuable that it was beyond description, and it was strictly regulated so as to be near impossible to leak.

After mastering the method of producing White Pills, Xu Qing wouldn’t even need a high cultivation base. On the basis of this pill recipe alone, he could live out his days in luxury.

This was a huge favor!

Xu Qing’s body trembled slightly as he looked at Grandmaster Bai. Seeing the white hair on his temples and his gentle gaze, the scenes of the past two months surfaced in Xu Qing’s mind.

From Xu Qing’s time eavesdropping outside the tent to when he was allowed to attend lectures inside the tent, Grandmaster Bai’s earnest teachings made Xu Qing have a thousand words to say in his heart. In the end, everything turned into deep gratitude and reluctance.

Finally, Xu Qing lowered his head, saluting and bowing deeply to the seemingly stern but softhearted old man in front of him.

"Thank you, teacher."

If Captain Thunder was like his family, then this Grandmaster Bai in front of him was like a teacher, imparting to him an incredibly important skill that would help him survive in this world.

Grandmaster Bai looked at Xu Qing’s deep bow with a smile on his face. Noticing, Xu Qing’s emotions, he laughed.

“Kid, I’m treating you like this because you are clever and eager to learn. I loathe those people who stipulate that you can’t leak their pill recipes, but unfortunately, because of my identity, sometimes I have no other choice."

“However, you aren’t the first person to learn the Dao of Alchemy or this pill recipe from me. This old man has traveled around South Phoenix and taught many people. The Dao of Alchemy of our human race must not decline because of gaps in status."

“Finally, between us… You must know that heaven and earth are the guesthouse of all living things, and time is the sojourner through the ages. As long as we don’t die, we will meet again. I hope that when I see you again, your talent will have matured.”

Grandmaster Bai’s words were very profound, especially the last part, which had the most profound sentence Xu Qing had heard in all these years. He firmly kept it in his heart.

That same day, Grandmaster Bai’s convoy left. Before leaving, Grandmaster Bai gave Xu Qing a thick herbal encyclopedia for him to study on his own.

Xu Qing saw them off until they were outside the camp, staring blankly as the convoy left into the distance. He also saw Tingyu’s figure in the convoy, constantly glancing back at him.

As dusk fell, the convoy drifted farther and farther away.

Under the setting sun, Xu Qing’s shadow was very long. He stood there for a long time before slowly turning around and returning to camp.

The scavenger camp wouldn’t be any different just because a few people left.

There was no change. It was still dirty, and it was still a collection of all kinds of people. The elderly scolded, children cried, strong men laughed, and women moaned.

Under the setting sun, the vicissitudes of life seemed to be reflected in the scavenger camp.

Walking among the scavengers, Xu Qing didn’t immediately return to his residence. He ended up going to the general store. Looking at the new employee inside who took over from the little girl, he bought a jug of wine.

That night, after returning to the residence with the wine, Xu Qing didn’t eat.

He sat in the empty room looking at the jug. After a while, he picked it up, put it to his lips, and took a big gulp.

The spicy flavor flowed down his throat into his stomach and exploded, spreading throughout his body. This wine hadn’t tasted good to Xu Qing back then, but today, it seemed to have some flavor.

So he took another sip.

One sip after another.

In his slightly drunken mind, images of his life in the slums over the past six years emerged. Then he saw the scenes of Captain Thunder walking through the city gate, Grandmaster Bai’s convoy leaving, and the little girl walking away.

The words that the little girl said before leaving also surfaced in his mind.

“Do you have a brother too?”

“I also have an older brother, but I can’t find him.” Xu Qing held the jug of wine and murmured in a soft voice as he leaned against the wall, looking up at the moon outside.

On the other side of the wall, the purple-robed old man and his servant stood there, listening silently, until the young man's murmur came from inside the room.

“Heaven and earth are the guesthouse of all living things, and time is the sojourner through the ages.”

“As long as we don’t die, we will meet each other eventually.”

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