Chapter Six: Farewell

  Time flies like an arrow; days and nights pass swiftly.

  In the blink of an eye, Zhang Yang has been in this world for ten years already.

  In recent years, Qing Shi Inn has been quiet as usual, with few guests visiting.

  The only thing that can be called not peaceful is that Zhang Yang's maid Xiao Qing married a family in the town, and the former took out 60 taels of silver as Xiao Qing's dowry, making the townspeople and people from nearby villages envy and praise her.

  Sixty taels of white silver, how much land can be bought with that!

  This silver was naturally obtained by Zhang Yang from his father, Zhang Dapang. Although Zhang Dapang was somewhat unwilling, he still lost to his son's fondness.

  After all, a maid getting married, sixty taels of silver is indeed too generous! Being able to let Xiao Qing work at the Qing Shi Inn was already a blessing in Zhang's eyes.

  Zhang Yang didn't think so, after crossing over, Xiao Qing had been serving him all along, and over the years, they had already developed a familial affection for each other; silver was just an external object.

  On this day, a horse-drawn carriage drove into Qing Shi Town from the west.

  The carriage slowly drove through the streets and stopped in front of the Qing Shi Inn, where the horse's hooves came to a stop, its nose let out a loud snort, and it emitted a long whinny.

  The carriage was painted a glossy black all over, and the horses driving it were also exceptionally fine. What caught people's attention even more was that on the frame of the carriage, a red flag with the four big words "Dragon Gate Escort Agency" embroidered on it was inserted.

  It is the banner of Longmen Escort Agency, a generation of overlords in Qingyuan County and Le'an County.

  A man in his forties, dressed in black, jumped down from the carriage. He was one of the two escorts who had sent Zhang Ruo back home that year, but today only one of them came.

  It seems even the carriage is the same one from back then.

  It's been nearly seven years, and the middle-aged man has returned to his hometown. A strange expression flashed across his face, but he immediately walked into the Qing Shi Inn and met with Zhang, the shopkeeper. He stated his purpose in a respectful tone.

  ……

  "Master, sir is calling you!"

  Zhang Yang and Zhang Tie were competing in martial arts in the backyard when they heard a loud cry from Xiao Qing, the maid.

  The two engaged in a fierce battle, no longer as unorthodox as they were at the beginning. With each step and movement, their forms seemed like ghosts, and anyone who had not practiced martial arts or had poor eyesight would have been unable to see their actions clearly.

  However, for safety reasons, they still used wooden swords, and it was unknown how many had been broken.

  "Right!"

  "Oh!"

  Two wooden swords touched and separated, Zhang Yang curiously responded with a sound, and followed Zhang Tie to the front hall of the inn. At the same time, a black shadow rushed over and followed beside Zhang Yang, it was Xiao Hei.

  Now Zhang Yang is a handsome young man, with a pair of sword-like eyebrows adding a few points to his youthful face.

  Zhang Tie was only twelve years old, but he had already grown to over 1.7 meters tall, with a sturdy skeleton and a robust build, looking like an adult if not for the youthful appearance on his face.

  When Zhang Yang arrived at the inn's main hall, he saw Old Dad and Liu, the middle-aged escort who had escorted his sister home that year.

  The old man sat on the wooden chair, frowning and constantly pinching his small beard, as if he couldn't figure something out. Maybe he had figured it out, but couldn't make up his mind.

  Seeing the arrival of Liu's middle-aged escort, Zhang Yang thought for a moment and knew his intention, probably because he had arrived at the time when he joined Longmen Escort Agency.

  But the old man was clearly reluctant to leave himself, or rather, he didn't feel at ease.

  "Dad, Uncle Liu."

  Zhang Yang let out a sigh, nodded to the two of them, and sat down by himself, placing his wooden sword on the table. Zhang Tie stood behind him, while Xiao Hei crouched beside the wooden chair.

  Liu surname escort leader repeatedly said he didn't dare, this young man although looking not big in age, is actually the younger brother-in-law of the head escort, he doesn't dare to mess with the order of seniority.

  Seeing the wooden sword his son had placed on the table, Zhang Dasheng thought of his son's infatuation with martial arts and sighed softly, saying: "Yang'er, the Dragon Gate Escort Agency is recruiting new disciples. Are you thinking of going?"

  Zhang Yang's small face showed a few points of reluctance, but more was his yearning for the Jianghu. Having come to this world for ten years, he had never left this small Qing Shi Inn, how could he be willing?

  Although he had been a human for two lifetimes, Zhang Yang had long been deeply moved by the loving care of his father and mother, and had acknowledged them as his own family. However, despite being reluctant to part with them, he still wanted to go out and make a name for himself.

  "Dad, I want to go."

  Zhang Yang nodded and looked at the Liu surname escort master, pointing to Zhang Tie and asked: "Uncle Liu, can he join me in joining the Longmen Escort Bureau?"

  "I don't dare to be called 'young master' like that." The Liu surname escort leader waved his hand, looked Zhang Tie up and down a few times, and smiled as he said: "As long as one's family background is clean and there's someone to recommend them, they can participate in the assessment for my Longmen Escort Bureau. I can be their recommender!"

  Although he knew it was his sister's face, Zhang Yang still smiled and said, "Thank you, Uncle Liu."

  As for the assessment, I was directly filtered out by Zhang Yang!

  "It's too much for me to bear!" The Liu surname escort leader waved his hand with a hint of pride, although he said he didn't dare, in his heart he secretly thought that suddenly surpassing the chief escort by one generation was quite refreshing!

  Looking at his son, not only wanting to go, but also starting to find a way for Zhang Tie, Zhang Dapang sighed again. However, he knew that his son had been a resolute person since childhood, and he didn't want to keep his son by his side forever, it was just reluctance and worry.

  Zhang Tie naturally had no opinion, wherever Young Master went, he would follow!

  Only Xiao Hei was wagging its tail by itself, unaware of the impending separation from its owner.

  ……

  The next morning.

  "Dad, Mom, don't worry, I've grown up and know how to take care of myself."

  Outside the Qing Shi Inn, all the staff of the Qing Shi Inn gathered, including Zhang Dapang couple, Xiaoqing, the waiter, the inn's chef, Zhang Yang, Zhang Tie, and a yellow dog.

  There was also a horse-drawn carriage, a fine horse, and a Liu surname escort.

  Li's eyes were red, obviously having cried, but a faint smile was forced onto her face: "Don't forget, my child, come back home often..."

  Before she had finished speaking, Li already couldn't bear it and turned her head away, with tears brimming in her eyes.

  "My son has been sensible since he was young, and must take good care of himself when he is outside." Zhang the shopkeeper didn't cry, but his red and swollen eyes clearly showed that he hadn't slept well all night.

  "Got it, Father! Mother!" Zhang Yang held a precious sword in his hand and responded obediently, also suppressing the reluctance in his heart.

  It was Zhang Tie who stood behind Zhang Yang with a package on his back. The changes in his family at a young age made him mature prematurely, and he didn't have too much separation anxiety. In his eyes, as long as he followed Young Master, wherever they went was fine!

  "Mr. Liu, take care on your way."

  Zhang Dashang quickly took out a heavy bag from his body and handed it over to Liu, the escort.

  "The shopkeeper has been cheated by Liu! I will take good care of the young master." The surnamed Liu, a strong and brave man, glanced at the heavy bag, which was obviously not gold or silver, but he didn't dare to really want it.

  As a guard of the Longmen Escort Agency, Zhang Rang'er was one of the concubines of the chief guard, but to him, the Zhang Yang family were like royalty!

  Moreover, since Miss Shang Yu'er was favored by the leader of the escort, Zhang Ruo'er's status also rose with the tide, second only to a few official wives.

  The two of them pushed and yielded a bit, seeing that the Liu surname escort didn't dare to want it, Zhang the shopkeeper had no choice but to stop pushing, and handed the money bag over to Zhang Yang.

  Although everything was ready for his son and all the gifts of money were in the package on Zhang Tie's back, it would not be a good idea to go out with little money.

  Zhang Yang didn't decline, took the money bag without looking at it, and stuffed it into his bosom.

  In this way, amidst the sorrow of parting, and under the reluctant gaze of Zhang Da's parents and Xiao Qing, Zhang Yang and Zhang Tie got on the horse carriage.

  With a crack of the whip and a loud yell, Liu, the escort, drove his horse carriage out of Qing Shi Town.

  Sitting in the carriage, Zhang Yang's thoughts were a thousand miles away. He lifted up the curtain at the back of the carriage and looked out, seeing his family's figures getting farther and farther away. Only Xiao Hei was still following the carriage, running all the way to the outskirts of Qing Shi Town.

  "Xiao Hei, go home!"

  Zhang Yang let out a sigh and called out to Xiao Hei who was following behind the horse carriage.

  The little black dog stopped in its tracks, staring with wide eyes at its master until the carriage disappeared from view. It then barked a few times before returning to the Qing Shi Inn on its own.