Seeing Brother Wuming refuse her silver, Maiden Yuan Xin hurriedly explained, "Brother Wuming, you've misunderstood me. I just want to wish you good luck on your journey so that fortune and wealth will follow you."
"Is that so? You've thought of everything," Wuming replied, still refusing. "I appreciate your kind intentions, but I truly cannot take your silver. After all, this is private money you've saved up with such difficulty."
Despite this, Maiden Yuan Xin pressed on with her explanation, "As the old saying goes, 'At home a thousand days are easy, but away from home every hour is hard.' Brother Wuming, you are bound to face hardships traveling out there to search for your biological parents, and there's no telling when you will be reunited with your family. That is why you must bring plenty of travel money. As for this small bit of loose silver, just consider it a token of my regard. Why do you have to be so stubborn about it?"
Without waiting for further argument, Maiden Yuan Xin shoved the silver straight into Brother Wuming's hands, because only by doing so could she ease her mind.
Wuming felt endlessly grateful from the bottom of his heart for everything Maiden Yuan Xin had done. It was clear that she was truly a kind-hearted soul.
To tell the truth, in order to raise him, his master had been so poor that the temple was completely bare; having enough just to stave off hunger was already a luxury, let alone having any spare cash.
Even so, he felt he still could not accept Maiden Yuan Xin's silver, and immediately said in earnest, "Maiden Yuan Xin, you are underestimating me. After all, I am a grown man. No matter where I go, I can always manage to earn a living and won't starve to death. You can rest assured."
"Brother Wuming, say no more," Maiden Yuan Xin said, looking quite upset. "If you won't accept it, you're treating me like a stranger."Seeing Maiden Yuan Xin's expression, Wuming stopped declining and instead changed his tone to comfort her. "All right, all right, stop being mad. I'll take the silver you're giving me, okay?"
"That's more like it. You're traveling alone this time, so it's really necessary to carry a bit more travel money so you won't suffer out there," Maiden Yuan Xin said, a smile finally appearing on her face.
"Thank you for caring about me so much. I'll gladly accept, then." Only then did Wuming take the silver and tuck it into his robe.
Then Wuming felt around in his pocket, pulled out a small pouch, and placed it in Maiden Yuan Xin's hand. "These are some fresh red dates I just picked on my way down the mountain. Keep them and eat them slowly!"
Hearing Brother Wuming say this, Maiden Yuan Xin was instantly overjoyed. She immediately opened the small pouch, picked out a red mountain date, brought it to Brother Wuming's lips, and said, "Brother Wuming, hurry up and open your mouth."
Seeing Maiden Yuan Xin's action, Wuming involuntarily opened his mouth and accepted the red date she offered.
Right after that, Maiden Yuan Xin picked another red date, put it into her own mouth, chewed it, and said, "Brother Wuming, you're right. These red dates are indeed delicious."
"Really? Next time I come, I'll definitely bring more red dates so you can eat your fill."
The two of them ate red dates and chatted and laughed as they walked.
Even so, Wuming couldn't bring himself to be truly happy. He kept wondering when he would finally be able to return and see Maiden Yuan Xin again after wandering the martial arts world alone this time.
Seeing Brother Wuming looking so worried and frowning all the time, Maiden Yuan Xin guessed that he must be reluctant to leave her.To speak the truth, knowing that she had such a wonderful brother thinking of her made her feel truly happy from the bottom of her heart. Yet, how could she not miss Brother Wuming just as much?
Be that as it may, she tried to comfort him with a reassuring tone: "Brother Wuming, don't be so gloomy. Aren't we only parting for a few days? Besides, a man's ambitions lie in the wider world, and you must cheerfully go find your biological parents. No matter how long it takes, I will wait for you to return."
Could Maiden Yuan Xin's words be considered a sacred vow?
Hearing this, Wuming replied with a grateful tone: "Maiden Yuan Xin, thank you for comforting me like this. By the way, you should be heading back now, or Uncle Yuan will scold you again."
"It's alright. Today, I must see you off part of the way," Maiden Yuan Xin said, her affection lingering.
Wuming did not want Maiden Yuan Xin to walk any further with him, as it only made his heart more unsettled.
He immediately declined: "As the saying goes, no matter how far you travel with someone, you must eventually part ways. Maiden Yuan Xin, you should hurry back home!"
Hearing Brother Wuming say this, Maiden Yuan Xin did not press him further. Instead, she agreed and replied: "Alright then, I wish Brother Wuming a safe journey in finding his biological parents!"
After saying goodbye, Wuming hesitated no longer. He quickly turned around and officially set off on his journey.
Although Brother Wuming had walked far away, she still stood fixed in her spot, watching him with an unbroken gaze until his figure vanished from sight long ago before she finally left.
***
Wuming finally walked out of the deep mountains and arrived at a bustling market town. By now, it was already midday.
The atmosphere on the streets was quite lively. Customers streamed in and out of the various shops in a steady flow, and everywhere could be seen figures hurrying about to make a living.
Wuming had no heart to admire the streetscape; he needed to seize this opportunity to get some food first. Otherwise, if he found himself stranded between villages with no place in sight, it would be troublesome once hunger struck.
Besides, no matter how rushed his journey was, he certainly couldn't search for his biological parents on an empty stomach.
After making some inquiries, Wuming learned that this place was Qingfeng Town.
As he walked along, Wuming suddenly spotted an inn. The dining hall was already packed with people, and the business indeed looked quite good.
His master had told him long ago that when traveling outside, one must always choose lively places to stay; lodging in a shady inn would result in both lost wealth and forfeited life.
Without further ado, he hurried into the inn.
Seeing a guest arrive, the inn waiter immediately stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and greeted him: "Welcome inside, esteemed guest!"
Guided by the waiter, Wuming came to the back dining area and sat down at a relatively secluded table.
As the waiter poured him a cup of tea, he asked, "What would you like to have today, guest?"
Wuming glanced at the menu handed to him by the waiter, then picked the cheapest dish and said, "Ah, just bring me a bowl of rice and a plate of mapo tofu!"
"Right away, please wait a moment," the waiter said, then called out the order toward the back kitchen.
To tell the truth, from childhood until now, Wuming had never properly sat down inside an inn to have a meal; today was truly an exception.
Just as Wuming was sipping his tea and waiting, he suddenly noticed two burly men walk in. One had a dark face and the other a pale face; both were heavily built and wore fierce expressions.
Guided by the waiter, the two burly men also came to the back dining area and sat down at the table right next to Wuming's.
Wuming glanced at them once and paid them no further mind.