Chapter 99: Departure

In the end, Han Li walked step by step into the village.

As soon as he stepped past the village entrance, he heard a joyous clamor of musical instruments, yet along the village path, not a single villager could be seen.

Han Li’s heart stirred—he knew this scene and sound all too well from childhood; it was clearly a wedding celebration, and all the villagers had gone to offer congratulations or simply to watch the spectacle.

Han Li straightened his posture and slowly extended his spiritual sense. He discovered that every villager, young and old, had gathered in one place—but the location filled him with uncanny familiarity. Wasn’t this his own home?

Han Li was greatly startled.

“Could it be…?” Han Li vaguely guessed what was happening.

He quickened his pace, swiftly circling several houses and turning a few corners, when suddenly his vision brightened.

Hundreds of villagers stood gathered before a dirt courtyard.

Inside the courtyard stood several tile-roofed houses, far superior to the surrounding dwellings; on either side of the courtyard gate and the house doors were pasted large red double happiness characters. A small troupe of musicians played loudly before the gate, creating a lively bustle.

The villagers stood, squatted, or even sat directly on the ground in groups of three or five—some whispered to each other, others shouted in heated debate, while others stared longingly into the courtyard with envy.

Beside the villagers, many children chased and played around the adults.

Seeing this familiar scene, Han Li felt a wave of dizziness—as if, in that instant, he had returned to the past, once again a child among them, running and playing alongside them.

“Tsk tsk! The fourth daughter of the Han family is truly lucky—they say the groom is a Licentiate from the city, a learned scholar’s family!”

“Isn’t that right? She was just a common girl, and now she’s become a Licentiate’s wife!”

“I heard the Han family’s dowry is staggering—dozens of taels of silver!”

“How wealthy they are!”

…………

The noisy gossip of the village women jolted Han Li out of his daze.

“The Han family’s fourth daughter—that’s my little sister! Could it really be her wedding day?” A flood of indescribable emotions surged within Han Li, churning endlessly.

For reasons he couldn’t explain, Han Li stepped a few paces behind a nearby large tree and fixed his gaze tightly on the courtyard gate.

Suddenly, a distant shout rang out: “The bridal carriage has arrived! The groom is here to fetch the bride!”

At these words, the villagers erupted in commotion—instantly, the air filled with clamor.

“The bride is coming out!”

“The new bride is about to appear! Come and see!”

……

The children joined in, shouting just as loudly. Han Li’s spirit lifted, his gaze fixed eagerly on the courtyard gate.

“Creak,” the wooden gate opened, and out walked a dozen men and women. Among them, a young girl dressed in a red floral wedding gown was surrounded.

The girl had a pointed chin and delicate features, about sixteen or seventeen years old, her face flushed with shyness.

Han Li widened his eyes, studying her face closely, searching for traces of his little sister’s childhood likeness.

Aside from a faint familiarity in her eyebrows and the corners of her eyes, nothing else about her could Han Li connect to the little sister he remembered.

“Hmph! ‘A girl changes beyond recognition in eighteen years’—how true that saying is!” Han Li gave a bitter smile, then shifted his gaze to those beside her.

“That fat man is Third Uncle—I recognized him at once, still as fat as ever!”

“That tall black fellow is Big Brother Han Tie; the woman right beside him must be his wife!”

……

As Han Li silently named each person aloud, he muttered under his breath, as if this could ease his inner turmoil.

When his gaze fell upon an elderly couple, both with snow-white hair, Han Li fell silent.

He stood frozen behind the tree, motionless, his expression deeply complex.

There was joy, fear, and a touch of confusion.

His parents had aged far beyond what he had expected. He remembered when he left for the mountain, his mother’s hair was still jet black—but now her temples were streaked with gray, and his father’s once-straight back had bent.

Han Li remained silent, his mind spinning like thick paste. He no longer registered what happened next.

When he came to his senses, his little sister had already boarded a colorful carriage draped in red silk, departing into the distance. Beside the carriage rode a scholar on a chestnut horse.

Han Li stared hard at the retreating carriage, then turned to look once more at his parents among the crowd, before closing his eyes.

After etching the faces of his parents and closest kin deep into his heart, Han Li turned on his heel, his face suddenly hardening with resolve, then strode purposefully toward the village entrance.

Han Li knew that when he stepped past the village gate again, his connection with these people might end forever.

He understood clearly: since learning the Eternal Spring Art and discovering the existence of cultivators, his path would diverge entirely from that of ordinary people.

No matter what fortune or misfortune, good or ill, lay ahead—he would never regret his choice!

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