Chapter 1: The Magic Gourd

  A small bridge over flowing water, withered trees and dark crows.

  Yi Chu walked on this increasingly familiar small road, looking at the unknown small flowers competing to bloom by the roadside. He felt like he was about to fly away, and at that moment, he wished he could fly straight home to see his parents.

  "Huangshi Slope"! Yi Chu looked at the yellow slope in front of him, and a wave of joy rose involuntarily in his heart. Beyond Huangshi Slope, it was only five miles to Yijia Village where he lived. His hometown, which he had left for three years, would soon appear under his feet.

  Father, mother, little cow, two eggs...... One by one, the figures flashed in Yi Chu's mind. Unable to conceal his inner excitement, his footsteps quickened unknowingly, and at this moment, if someone saw Yi Chu walking, they would be shocked, because his stride was three times faster than usual.

  Those who can reach such speeds are at least martial artists who have reached the third-tier boundary, and people as young as him who have reached the third tier are not many in the entire Dalo country.

  "Chu Wa Zi, are you Chu Wa Zi?" A delighted voice came from an old farmer who was carrying a hoe and returning home, looking at Yi Chu with a heroic air, shouting in disbelief.

  Upon hearing the familiar yet strange voice, Yi Chu stopped in his tracks. He looked at the old farmer wearing a coarse linen garment for two moments before exclaiming: "Old Master Gan, Old Master Gan, how's your body doing?"

  "Haha, it's really Chu Wazi! You're back from being a soldier?" Old Uncle Gan looked at Yi Chu's green tight-fitting clothes and asked with delight.

  "Yes, Old Master Gan, I've returned from my military service. The war between our country and the Doruo nation has ended, and His Majesty the Emperor has allowed us to return home." Yi Chu's face lit up with joy as he spoke of the end of the war, if it hadn't ended, who knows when he would have been able to come back.

  "Good, finally no more fighting, no fighting is good, ah, in the army for one day, in the world it's already a thousand years!" Old Uncle Gan knocked his tobacco pipe on the ground and said with a trembling voice.

  It's still good to be in my hometown. Yi Chu looked at Old Uncle Gan, who was as withered as an old elm tree, and thought of his parents, who had loved and hurt him, and his eyes became hot, his heart softening like a pool of mountain water warmed by the sun.

  Lao Gan Shu gazed at Yi Chu's excited and enthusiastic back, muttering to himself, "Poor child."

  Lao Gan Shu called Yi Chu "wa" for the first time, he knew that after this excitement, this wa, this poor wa, would never be happy again!

  Lao Gan Shu's sigh was not heard by Yi Chu, who had already become completely immersed in the joy of returning home. Seventeen years of fighting on behalf of his father, three years of bloody battles on the battlefield, countless flashes of swords and spears, numerous cycles of life and death, several years of bloody days on the edge of a knife, Yi Chu had changed a lot, he had become more robust, his temperament had broadened, and his eyebrows and eyes had become wider and more relaxed. The young man from back then had already grown into a passionate and capable young adult.

  Back at last, and still alive!

  Looking at the familiar land of his hometown, Yi Chu's heart jumped wildly like a bird that had been locked in a cage for too long.

  They finally arrived at the village entrance! This place that had been on his mind countless times! Yi Chuqiang held back tears in the corners of his eyes, with a humble and clear smile on his face, greeting familiar yet strange villagers.

  Xīng xī zhōng de yì chǔ, bìng méi yǒu fā xiàn lín jū men shén qíng yì cháng, tā de xīn ràng kuài lè sài dé mǎn mǎn de, zài méi yǒu dì fang zhuāng xià bié de dōng xī le！

  Translation:

  Excited Yi Chu didn't notice the abnormal expressions of his neighbors. His heart was filled with joy and there was no room for anything else!

  At this time, he would like to take a step into the house and see if his father still likes to hold that dark wine gourd, nestled in the corner of the kang and savoring the wine with relish; nor does he know whether his capable mother has steamed again the fragrant and sweet jujube buns.

  "Yi Chu Ge, you're back?" A sturdy man with a robust build looked at Yi Chu and exclaimed in surprise.

  Excited, Yi Chu looked at the changed face in front of him and walked up to punch that person: "Ergou, you rascal, I didn't expect that after not seeing each other for a few years, you'd actually grow taller than me!" As he spoke, he patted his childhood friend's body twice before heading towards his own home.

  "Yi Chu Ge..." Er Dan gazed longingly at Yi Chu's gradually disappearing back, a hint of worry on his face. He shouted something loudly, but didn't know if Yi Chu could hear him.

  "Second Brother, I'm heading home first. When it's time to eat, call up Little Niu and come over to my place together. Let's have a good drink." Yi Chu shouted without turning his head back.

  After turning a corner of an alley, I'm almost home. A crooked-necked elm tree appears in Yichu's line of sight from afar.

  Later, Yi Chu thought, from heaven to hell, it turned out that only less than three years of time were needed!

  He almost couldn't recognize his own home. The charred elm tree, the street walls blackened by fire, the collapsed courtyard, the air filled with sorrow, not a single dog, pig or chicken in sight, it was as if he had walked into a desolate wilderness. Yi Chu's legs went weak! Suddenly, he remembered Old Master Gan's words: "In the army, one day is like a thousand years on earth." His heart racing with anxiety, he frantically pounded on the door: "Father! Mother! Open the door, open it quickly!"

  According to Yi Chu's experience in the army, he could tell that this door had not been opened for a long time. He didn't know what omen was hidden behind it, which made him worried. However, standing still in front of the door, he still deeply hoped that his parents had just gone out to work or visit relatives.

  "Dad! Dad! Mom! Mom! I'm back, your son is back!" Yi Chu shouted again at the top of his lungs, hoping that this shout would bring his parents back.

  "Yi Chu Ge, don't shout, Uncle and Auntie are..." Er Dan said in a low voice, panting as he ran over to Yi Chu, who was frantically anxious.

  "What's wrong? What happened to my parents?" Yi Chu's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly picked up Er Dan, asking anxiously.

  The two eggs weighed at least 200 catties, and in the countryside, they were also considered strong men, but they were lifted up by Yi Chu with one hand. "Brother Yi Chu, let go quickly, you're choking me to death!"

  Two eggs let out a loud, pig-like scream, and his hands danced wildly as he tried to pry open Yichu's hand that was grasping his collar. Unfortunately, his strength compared to Yichu's was far too inferior, trying to pry open Yichu's hand was like a dragonfly shaking a pillar, it didn't have any effect at all.

  Under the violent tearing of Er Dan, Yi Chu finally let go of Er Dan and asked in a trembling voice: "Er Dan, tell me, what happened to my father and mother?"

  "Yi Chu Ge, in the second year of your expedition, news came that you had died in battle at Hu Yang Guan. When she heard this news, Auntie fainted on the spot, and Uncle's body deteriorated day by day. Less than two months later, both elders passed away." Er Dan dared not hide anything anymore and quietly told everything.

  "Boom!"

  The news was like a bolt from the blue, striking Yi Chu's heart. For three years, he had been thinking of his parents day and night, but now they were gone! From then on, they would be separated by the boundaries of life and death, never to meet again!

  In the silence, the dusty door slowly creaked open.

  It's as if he's walking backwards through the years, when he was young and didn't understand things, his hungry eyes only stared at the bowl in front of him, his father had to do heavy physical labor, but always hid in the kitchen to secretly drink porridge, when he was really tired, he would drink a few mouthfuls of poor-quality liquor; his mother's bowl was always a clear and transparent soup that could reflect people's shadows, but she never forgot to stick a few dates and buns in the pot for him... The kindness of his parents, bit by bit, was all stored in his heart, just like pearls hidden in an oyster shell.

  On the dusty kang table, a dark gourd was placed there, which was the gourd that Father used to drink wine. The gourd was not big, and one hand could hold it in his hand, small and delicate, very likable. When Yichu was young, he liked Father's wine gourd the most. Now, the gourd is still there, but Father can't be seen anymore. Touching the small dark gourd, Yichu's heart felt sour.

  Now he has returned, but his parents are nowhere to be seen. The tree wants to be still but the wind will not stop; the son wants to care for them but they do not wait!

  "Yi Chu Ge, you must take care of your body. Although Uncle and Aunt are no longer here, if they knew in the afterlife, they would definitely be happy that you're back alive!" Er Dan muttered for a long time before finally squeezing out two sentences to comfort him.

  "I understand, Er Dan. Thank you for taking care of my parents when I'm not at home. I'm fine now, you can go ahead and attend to your business." Yi Chu calmed down from his sorrow, patted Er Dan's hand, and spoke softly.

  The two eggs didn't know what to say either, and stuttered: "Yi Chu brother, wait a while and come to my house for dinner, my mother made delicious food, waiting for you."

  He took two steps, and then the second egg seemed to remember something, looked at Yi Chu twice, and hesitated before saying: "Yi Chu brother, I'm useless, couldn't protect your family's property, it was all taken over by your uncle."

  What's the point of having land? Yi Chu hesitated for a moment, not speaking, and only patted Er Dan's shoulder. As Er Dan left, the house was empty with only Yi Chu remaining. Looking at all these familiar things, the smell of his parents wafted before him, and Yi Chu seemed to see his mother sitting in the kitchen beckoning to him. The rising smoke from the stove seemed to carry a warm and fragrant air, and Yi Chu's eyes welled up with tears, and a stream of hot tears flowed out.

  A man has tears but does not easily shed them, only when he is deeply hurt.

  On the battlefield, Yi Chu had shed blood and been wounded, but he had never cried. Yet now, as if intoxicated by the smell of smoke and fire, his nose stung uncontrollably, and tears flowed unstoppable.

  Tears dripped from Yi Chu's face, falling to the ground, onto the table, and into his hands which were holding a dark, dusty gourd. He cried sorrowfully for a long time, tears streaming down like rain. Clutching his father's wine gourd in his hand, he muttered "Mother! Mother! Mother..." but his words were choked back by sobs.

  Yi Chu, completely immersed in his suffering, did not notice that the dark gourd, under the erosion of tears, emitted a faint black glow. This black light continued to expand and in an instant, it enveloped Yi Chu. Under the encirclement of this black light, Yi Chu fell into a deep sleep.