Early Spring Journey

The shadows of the two figures overlapped and intertwined, casting a long, ink-like stroke on the ground. “Young Master, I can walk by myself…” Chuxia said awkwardly. The young master did not reply, merely standing still. From the darkness not far away, the faint cries came again, very clear. “You want to get down?” The young master chuckled, “If you get down… when we encounter evil spirits later, you might not be able to run fast enough.” He made as if to set her down, and Chuxia, frightened, quickly clung to him, saying, “I… I’ll still trouble you, Young Master.” The young master grunted in acknowledgment, bent down to pick up something, and walked a bit further before asking, “Where’s the tinder?” Chuxia hurriedly took it out, lit the torch, and asked, “Where did this torch come from?” The young master was silent for a moment before saying, “I picked it up just now.” So, it must have been left by He Bu Cuo and his companions… Earlier, he didn’t let her get down, probably because he was afraid she would be startled by the corpses on the ground. Chuxia felt a warmth in her heart and softly called, “Young Master…” He turned around, “What?” “You…” Chuxia hesitated, then praised him, “You walk so steadily… steadier than a horse.” The young master was taken aback for a moment, then gently laughed, “Thank you for your compliment.” After walking for half a cup of tea’s time, the cries became clearer. The young master stopped, and in the flickering firelight, Chuxia exclaimed, “Young Master, look!” Chapter Twenty (Part One) It was the same leopardess from yesterday, lying on the ground, the cries coming from beneath her. Chuxia could see clearly, and with a “Ah!”, she jumped off the young master and quickly walked forward. The young master did not stop her, merely standing by her side to prevent the leopard from attacking. Chuxia carefully pulled out a small leopard cub from under the mother leopard and stroked its head, saying, “So it was you crying.” The cub rolled in her hands, licked her hand, then struggled to roll back to its original place. “Young Master, what’s wrong with it?” Chuxia asked, not daring to touch the mother leopard lying on the ground, looking up at him. The young master examined it by the firelight and sighed, “It was injured last night.” Chuxia took a closer look and indeed saw a deep sword wound on the mother leopard’s abdomen, already near death. The cub took the opportunity to roll out of Chuxia’s arms and crawled to its mother’s side, licking her wound with care, whimpering. Chuxia, unable to bear it, looked at the young master and said, “Let’s think of a way to save it. This cub doesn’t even have teeth yet… how will it survive if its mother dies?” The young master frowned, “There’s no medicine here…” Chuxia’s eyes lit up, “Then I’ll go find some bitter herbs.” The young master gave a wry smile, “For minor injuries, bitter herbs can be used. But this sword wound is too deep—” “Young Master, didn’t you give me some medicine?” Chuxia suddenly remembered, “My wound is almost healed, do you have any left?” In the warm glow of the fire, the young master saw her brows furrowed, even the tip of her nose wrinkled, showing her anxiety. He sighed softly, “There’s still some.” Chuxia saw the medicine in a delicate small porcelain box and couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Young Master, why don’t you carry more medicine when you travel the martial world?” The young master gave a half-smile, “There aren’t many opportunities for me to get hurt.” Chuxia knelt to apply the medicine to the leopardess, who was very obedient, not moving at all, only the cub whimpering from time to time. Chuxia held it in her arms and whispered, “Don’t cry, let it rest well, maybe it’ll be better by tomorrow.” The cub’s body was very soft, its fur rubbing against Chuxia’s arms, and it blinked its green eyes, quieting down. Chuxia felt the warmth in her arms, and due to her own injuries, she drowsily fell asleep. The next day, when she woke up, the cub was suckling next to its mother, who still lay on the ground, but the wound looked much better than the day before. However, the young master was not there. Chuxia felt a bit panicked, standing there dumbfounded, when she saw the cub, now lively, pouncing towards her, circling her feet. Chuxia bent down to pick it up, not daring to wander far, until she heard footsteps behind her. The young master threw half a wild boar in front of the mother leopard, then looked at Chuxia, smiling, “Awake?” Chuxia was startled by his bloody scent and stepped back a few paces before asking, “What have you been doing?” The young master pointed at the mother leopard starting to tear at the wild boar, saying, “Didn’t you want it to live? How can it live without food?” Chuxia was stunned, as if she didn’t recognize this blood-stained young man. The Jun Ye’an she knew, held books in the study, played the zither under the window, and admired flowers in the Plum Valley. Elegant, refined, and unparalleled in grace. But now, he seemed just like a young, handsome hunter, without coldness or mystery, just laughing freely and unrestrainedly—Chuxia had never seen Jun Ye’an like this before. He was like a new man. Seeing her in a daze, he called out to her, “Are you hungry?” Chuxia’s cheeks flushed slightly as she nodded. “Come on, let’s roast some meat.” The young master ruffled her hair, “Have you ever roasted meat before?” Before leaving, Chuxia did not forget to pick up the well-fed cub, following behind the young master, softly asking, “Young Master, is this how you always travel in the martial world?” The young master did not turn back, “What do you mean?” “I can’t describe it…” Chuxia whispered, “But you… seemed to be wearing a mask before.” The young master slowed his steps, turned around, and took her hand, softly saying, “I would also like every day to be like today.” As her fingers touched his, something seemed to slide through Chuxia’s heart, making her shiver involuntarily, but he did not let go, holding her hand firmly, and continued in a calm voice, “In the Jun Mansion, you saw it too; it seems the safest place, but it’s full of hidden dangers. Here in the wilderness, though surrounded by beasts, it’s much more carefree, naturally joyful.” “But… we still have to go back.” Chuxia sighed softly, “You are the master of the Jun Mansion, not someone else.” The young master sighed very lightly, “Yes, we still have to go back.” They stayed there for over three days, watching the mother leopard’s injury improve day by day until she could get up and move. However, the wound on the young master’s back, due to his reluctance to apply medicine, only using the juice of bitter herbs, was healing very slowly. That evening, as Chuxia was playing with the cub, she suddenly saw the young master stand up, his expression alert. She tensed up too, and in a moment of distraction, the cub fell from her lap with a white roll, scratching at Chuxia’s leg in displeasure. After a while, the young master relaxed, signaling to Chuxia with a smile, “It’s one of our own.” In the early summer, Chuxi was overjoyed: “Can we leave now?” Surely enough, shadows flickered, and in the blink of an eye, several figures landed before them. Upon recognizing the young master, they all knelt on one knee and saluted, “Young Master.” The mother leopard, which had been patrolling nearby, suddenly became alert at the sight of so many strangers and let out a hiss. The dark guards instantly drew their weapons, making the leopard even more agitated. Chuxi, who was familiar with it, quickly stepped in front of the guards and urged, “Put away your weapons. It won’t hurt anyone!” However, the guards didn’t move, just looking at the young master. With a slight nod from the young master, “Stand down,” Chuxi breathed a sigh of relief, but noticed the lead guard quietly observing the young master, which made her chuckle. This must be the most disheveled they had ever seen Jun Ye’an. He didn’t even have a shirt to cover himself, with bandages haphazardly wrapped around his body, covered in scars, a stark contrast to the usual master of the Jun residence. The guard quickly removed his own robe and handed it to the young master, whispering, “It’s my fault for being late.” The young master casually waved his hand, “It has nothing to do with you. Have all the remnants of the Heavenly Stems at Qingchuan River been cleared?” “Yes, one hundred and seventy-three in total, none escaped.” The young master gave a cold smile, “There are still thirteen left at Little Mirror Lake.” The guard was taken aback, “Young Master, your injuries?” “Just minor wounds, nothing serious.” The young master casually draped the robe over himself, “Since you’re here, let’s leave the mountain tonight.” At his words, Chuxi was stunned, looking down at the little leopard cub at her feet, feeling reluctant to leave. She bent down to pick up the cub, placing it back beside its mother, and ruffled its head, “I have to go now, I… don’t know if we’ll meet again.” The cub seemed to understand, its bright green eyes rolling around as it gently tugged at Chuxi’s pants with its paw, whimpering softly. Chuxi sniffed, gently pushing its paw away, not daring to look back as she turned and stood up. Behind her, the mother leopard let out a low growl, gently biting the cub that was trying to follow, as if bidding farewell. Chuxi quickened her steps, unable to bear looking back. After walking dozens of feet, she found the young master by her side, softly asking, “Are you crying?” She instinctively wiped her cheeks, finding them wet. She quickly wiped them again before saying, “I… I just couldn’t bear to leave.” The young master sighed gently, taking her hand, “The mother leopard’s sword wounds are almost healed; they’ll be fine.” Chuxi nodded, walking a few more steps before suddenly saying, “I didn’t know… that parting could be so hard.” On this spring night with a light breeze, the young master was startled by her sudden words… He turned to look at her expression, and as if by some unspoken understanding, Chuxi also turned her head, her gaze so soft it was almost unbearable to look at. The young master pressed his lips together, feeling a premonition of the unknown future flowing through this moment.