It was a breezy, bright day with a clear blue sky, and Gouge was in an indescribably good mood.
Ever since his martial arts and internal energy had reached their absolute peak, Shi Potian no longer paid much mind to the turbulence of the mortal world. He had never been obsessed with the pursuit of martial prowess; instead, he cared far more about feeling the warmth of nature and the beauty of the surrounding environment.
If prior to this, Gouge's ideal had been to find his mother, live with Ah Huang at Dry Grass Ridge on Mount Xiong'er in western Henan, and continue a leisurely, secluded life year after year, day after day, then ever since returning from Xiake Island, he had forever lost the possibility of such a life. It turned out that the ugly mother he once knew was nothing more than an impostor; his real parents were the world-renowned Black and White Twin Swords, Shi Qing and Min Rou. Nor was he some unknown Gou Zazhong—he was Shi Potian, the greatest martial artist in the world.
This transformation in identity had not stripped him of his innocent heart; on the contrary, it allowed him to truly feel the meaning of being alive.
His gaze drifted into the distance, a calm and effortless smile lingering on his face as if the disturbances of the mundane world were of no consequence to him.
The Little Carpenter walked over, acting somewhat coy and bashful, and said to Gouge, "Brother, I want to tell you something, and I must ask you not to laugh at me."
Gouge smiled and said, "What is it, Little Carpenter? Brother Tian was telling me yesterday that you vanished for a whole day and night."
Tian Rulie chuckled. "He's quite blessed with the ladies! I suppose he got so carried away that he couldn't bear to leave, eh? Did I say a single word wrong, Little Carpenter?"
Without taking offense, the Little Carpenter grinned broadly and said, "Thank you, Brother Tian. If not for your kindness, I never would have met someone so important."
Tian Rulie patted the Little Carpenter on the shoulder and said earnestly, "Starting today, you've finally grown into a man. I'm very pleased for you."
Liu Xiaowan asked with a puzzled look, "What on earth are you all talking about? I can't understand a single word."
The Little Carpenter said, "I've decided to stay here and live with my mother."
Liu Xiaowan asked, "Your mother? Didn't your mother pass away long ago?"
Tian Rulie wore a blank expression of utter astonishment, having no idea what on earth the boy was talking about.
The Little Carpenter respectfully bowed to Tian Rulie, then called out toward the rear. The courtesan gracefully stepped forward. The only difference was that she had washed away the heavy, thick layers of makeup and powder from her face, revealing her original pure and clean appearance.
The courtesan curtsied to the group, offered them a shy, gentle smile, and said with poised dignity, "Pardon the intrusion, everyone. My surname is Zhou, and my given name is Ting, though people call me Xiaoting. I have resolved to live with this child and take good care of him."
Recalling clearly that she had been a courtesan from that very establishment, yet seeing not a trace of worldly dust about her now—making her look instead like an unmarried maiden—Tian Rulie asked in profound bewilderment, "You... aren't you—?"
The courtesan smiled and said, "Yes, just as Young Master Tian said, I was indeed once engaged in those unspeakable trades. But with the money I earned myself over the years, I bought back my own freedom. I am a free woman now."
Liu Xiaowan's eyes suddenly grew somewhat moist, and she embraced the courtesan with deep emotion. The courtesan gently held Liu Xiaowan in her arms, smiling softly and lightly without uttering a word.
Raising her head, Liu Xiaowan blinked back the shimmering tears pooling in her eyes, which threatened to fall at any moment, and asked, "You—you make it sound so simple, but Sister, those were all the savings you accumulated over the years!"
The courtesan shook her head with a smile. "I can rely on my own labor to earn a living, even if it means washing clothes, doing dishes, or sewing. Besides, don't I have this child?" She glanced back at the Little Carpenter, who simply grinned innocently at her.
The courtesan continued, "I lost my family when I was a child. Having stayed in that place for over twenty years, I grew all too accustomed to the fickleness of human warmth and coldness, and I long stopped expecting any happiness in this life. But then I met this child, and I realized that happiness was right before my eyes."
Wiping the tears from her face with a smile, the courtesan said, "I have suffered far too many insults. From this merciless world, I have almost no demands or expectations left. In the eyes of others, I am merely a lowly, despicable woman who would sell herself for a few coins. I have lived in the mire for too long, and no one has ever given me a chance to crawl out. I have been far too lonely and desolate in this world."
The Little Carpenter said, "Mother, from now on you have a son; you won't be alone anymore."
Gently and affectionately stroking the Little Carpenter's head, Zhou Ting said, "There, there, my son. The two of us, mother and son, will live a good life together."
They simply gazed at each other quietly for a long time without speaking, happiness blossoming like fresh flowers within their shared gaze.
Two clear tears fell from the courtesan's eyes as she said, "The life I led there robbed me of my fertility long ago. I will never be able to bear children in this lifetime, so from this day forward, he is my child. Though I was once a woman who sold her smiles and lived in loneliness, from now on I have a home—a little home of my very own. You know, I have waited for this day for far too long."
Gouge smiled and said, "Congratulations, Sister, and congratulations to you too, Little Carpenter."
Thinking to himself, *Well, this is truly bizarre. The Little Carpenter randomly adopts a prostitute as a mother—just how starved for affection must he be? Are these two out of their minds?*, Tian Rulie forced a smile, joining Gouge in offering perfunctory congratulations while pretending to be deeply moved.
Hugging Zhou Ting, the Little Carpenter cried out, "Mother, let's go! I'm going to build you a huge house."
Liu Xiaowan said gently, "Sister Ting, since you used all your savings to buy your freedom, you must have no money left. I still have a few small silver pieces here; take them and use them." With that, she produced ten taels of silver from her pouch and placed them in Zhou Ting's hands. Zhou Ting embraced her, deeply moved.
Suddenly thinking of something, Tian Rulie pulled Zhou Ting aside and asked, "Won't your former patrons come looking to make trouble for you?"
Zhou Ting shook her head and replied, "I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Right now, I just want to live with my son and don't want to worry about those people."
After a moment of thought, Tian Rulie drew a small iron piece from his tunic and said, "Take this and go to Xiangyang to find someone surnamed Guo. He stays near the city's largest tavern, the Yuxian Tower. Just tell him that Tian Rulie sent you to have him repay this favor."
Zhou Ting waved her hand in refusal. "I couldn't possibly accept this. It must be something very valuable; how could I dare trouble Young Master Tian?"
Tian Rulie smiled. "No need for such formalities. It's rare for this boy to smile—when I first met him, he was so despairing he wanted to end his life. Now that he's found you, he's at least found a good place to belong. Don't decline it; just think of it as doing it for your newly acquired son."
Zhou Ting glanced back at the Little Carpenter, who was staring at her unblinkingly. Catching her gaze, the boy happily waved at her. A tender expression surfaced on Zhou Ting's face, and she finally nodded, accepting the iron piece, which bore the carved character for "Tian."
Zhou Ting walked back over and instructed the Little Carpenter to thank Tian Rulie. Obediently, the Little Carpenter bowed deeply to Tian Rulie.
Gouge smiled and said, "Brother Tian, you turn out to be a thoroughly good person after all." Naturally, with his acute eyesight and hearing, he had seen through everything long ago.
Tian Rulie smiled noncommittally. Liu Xiaowan gave the Little Carpenter a few parting words of advice on how to take good care of Zhou Ting.
The Little Carpenter said to Gouge, "Thank you for looking after me all along the way. I know my actions are shocking to the world, but I don't regret them. I'm going back to see my master through his old age, and even if he hits me or scolds me, I won't hold it against him anymore. Now that I've finally found the gentle mother I've wanted most in my heart, I have no regrets about making this trip through the world. Even if I were given ten or eight more chances to choose, I would still make the exact same choice. I won't let a moment of hesitation lead to a decision I'd regret for the rest of my life."
With a happy and contented smile fixed on his face, the Little Carpenter tightly grasped Zhou Ting's hand as they walked away. The wind was fierce, and Zhou Ting frequently turned to look at the Little Carpenter with a tender smile, as if she could never get enough of his face. Stroking his head affectionately, she vowed in the depths of her heart to take good care of her child for the rest of her days. Their retreating figures grew smaller and smaller until they vanished completely.
Gouge sighed. "For someone who wanted to end their life, nothing is impossible. Perhaps ever since he was a little boy, the Little Carpenter had always hoped his mother would be a gentle, kind-hearted woman."
Tian Rulie merely smiled and said, "Who knows? As for this fellow—I only meant to tease him, but I never expected him to come away with a mother. He certainly knows how to pick them! Going to a place like that to find a mother is like panning for gold in the vast sea."
Liu Xiaowan said, "You two big men don't understand. For Sister Zhou Ting, life was already full of adversities, and she had long since learned to endure misfortune. Can her first half of life really be summed up by mere suffering? But at least now the two of them can endure things together. There is nothing shameful in this; it is simply a son who was lost for many years finally following his umbilical cord to find the mother destined for him by fate."
Gouge smiled and said, "Everyone ought to find where they belong, and I suppose the Little Carpenter has found his."
Tian Rulie said, "Enough of this, Brother Potian. Old Tian really is having his sad memories stirred up by your words. There was once a young woman who was willing to stay by my side, but at the time I was obsessed with martial arts. I had encountered a formidable swordsman and was busy seeking him out for duels, leaving me no time to spare for her. To my surprise, by the time I defeated that man the following year and went back to share the good news, I discovered she had already married. She wed the son of a prominent local wealthy merchant. Ah, it was only then that I realized I actually loved her; otherwise, I wouldn't have wanted to be the very first person to share my success with her."
Liu Xiaowan asked, "And later? Did you ever look for her?"
Looking up at the sky, Tian Rulie remained silent for a long moment before saying, "To truly love someone is to avoid disturbing their life; seeing that she is doing well is satisfaction enough for me. Some things don't have to be spoken aloud. By keeping silent, at least we can still remain ordinary friends. On the day she was married, I watched her from the crowd. She looked truly breathtaking in her bridal attire—her phoenix coronet and draped robes as pure as snow, and her red lips indescribably lovely and charming. It's just a pity that the man who was supposed to marry her should have been me."
Gouge patted Tian Rulie on the shoulder and said, "Look forward, Brother Tian. I used to fancy Ding Dingdang myself, but now I understand that Axiu is the only choice for me in this lifetime; she is the only one I want."
Tian Rulie chuckled self-deprecatingly and cursed, "Is this supposed to be comforting? You're just showing off your affection! When your wedding day arrives, your brother here will certainly have to see just how stunning this legendary Axiu is, to keep our Brother Potian so utterly captivated!"
Gouge merely offered a gentle smile, though in his heart he recalled Axiu's refined and dignified demeanor, picturing the charming, petulant look she wore when she was annoyed with him, causing a wave of sweet ripples to stir through his heart.
Liu Xiaowan unexpectedly grew somewhat quiet. Thinking of her martial-arts-obsessed father and her mother, who had passed away early in life, a shadow fell over her face.
The three of them continued their journey in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Far from growing more vibrant, the gloom left behind by the Little Carpenter's departure seemed to weigh heavier upon them.