Chapter 39 Nuoding
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The next day, early morning, Niuma Village.
Jiang Bai opened his eyes, staring for a moment at the familiar, somewhat blackened ceiling beams above, before slowly sitting up.
Although the wooden bed beneath him was hard, it gave him a long-lost sense of security.
This was his home.
When he returned last night, the room had already accumulated a thick layer of dust.
He cleaned it up briefly; though still simple, it was at least livable.
Pushing open the creaking wooden door, the morning breeze rushed in, carrying a fresh scent.
Jiang Bai washed up, retied his long hair, and changed into clean clothes.
Taking out the gifts he had prepared the night before from his storage bracelet, Jiang Bai went to Xi Hai’s house first.
After leaving Xi Hai’s house, Jiang Bai went to the village head’s house.
The village head grandmother’s eyesight was failing, and she was a bit hard of hearing, but her spirits were still good.
She sat alone on a rattan chair under the eaves, a thin blanket over her knees, squinting in the sun.
As Jiang Bai approached, she seemed to sense something, slowly turning her head, her cloudy eyes struggling to focus.
"Grandma Village Head, it’s me, Jiang Bai." Jiang Bai crouched down, holding her withered hand, his voice very soft.
The old lady was stunned for a long time before she tremblingly reached out to touch Jiang Bai’s face.
Her fingers were as rough as tree bark, but her movements were very gentle.
"Xiao Bai—is that you, Xiao Bai?" Her voice was very light, with the characteristic slurring of an old person, "Your mother—if your mother could see you now, how happy she would be—"
Jiang Bai’s nose soured, and he nodded vigorously, "Yes, I’m back."
He set down the gifts he had brought. He chatted with the old lady for a while, telling her he was doing well outside, so she wouldn’t worry.
The old lady asked him to stay for breakfast, and this time, Jiang Bai did not refuse.
It was a simple meal of porridge, pickles, and steamed buns.
The old lady watched him eat, a gratified smile on her face, rambling on about what had happened in the village over the years—who had married, who had had a baby—
The breakfast took nearly half an hour.
When he left the village head grandmother’s house, the sun had risen higher. Jiang Bai did not return home but walked straight toward the back hill of the village.
There was a hillside there, which served as the village cemetery.
Halfway up the mountain, on a relatively flat slope, dozens of graves were scattered.
Most were simple mounds of earth with wooden boards or stone tablets; some were crooked, others half-hidden by weeds.
Jiang Bai stopped in front of one of the graves.
This grave was smaller than most others around it, with sparse weeds growing on top, and the tombstone was a crude wooden board with crooked characters carved into it by a knife.
The writing was somewhat blurred, and the wooden board had cracked from wind and rain.
It’s been six years.
Jiang Bai slowly knelt, pressed his forehead to the ground, and solemnly kowtowed three times.
"Mother," his voice was soft, yet it echoed clearly across the silent cemetery, "I’m back. I’ve come to see you."
He knelt for a long time before slowly rising.
He took out the tools he had prepared from his storage bracelet: a hammer, chisel, saw, and several bags of stone materials and lime. He also cut some sturdy wood nearby and built a simple shed.
Next, Jiang Bai cleared the weeds from the grave and used a shovel to shape the mound to be rounder and taller.
Then, using the chisel and hammer, he shaped the granite blocks he had brought one by one. This was not easy; after all, he was not a stonemason, and every stone had to be measured and chiseled repeatedly to ensure they fit perfectly together.
The grave foundation, stone tomb, and tombstone were completed one by one.
The tombstone was a piece of cyan granite nearly two meters high, with a fine texture and a calm color.
Jiang Bai used a chisel to carve the six large characters "Tomb of Loving Mother Jiang Ning" on the front, and a smaller line below: "Erected by son Jiang Bai."
On the back of the tombstone, he simply carved some patterns of auspicious clouds and an Auspicious Beast.
Finally, he used the remaining stone materials to pave a flat area around the grave.
By the time he finished, it was two and a half days later.
The newly built stone tomb shone with a cyan-gray luster in the sunlight; the tombstone stood solemn and upright, and the surrounding evergreen plants swayed gently in the breeze.
Jiang Bai neatly arranged the prepared offerings before the tombstone. Then he lit three sticks of incense and inserted them into the incense burner.
Wisps of blue smoke rose, swirled, and dissipated.
He knelt again, his forehead pressed against the cold stone surface.
"Mother," he said in a low voice, his words exceptionally clear in the silence, "I am sorry, I cannot stay by your side forever. I have revenge that must be taken, a path that must be walked, and I have to leave again to wander, to become stronger."
"A ship is safest when docked at the pier, but that is not the purpose of building a ship. A great vessel must eventually face the test of storms and waves."
"A person is most comfortable lying at home, but that is not the meaning of life. Life must be tempered in the wind and rain to shine brightly."
"Mother, I will definitely become a powerful Spirit Master. Not just for revenge, but also—to not let down this life you gave me, to not let down those who have been good to me, and to not let down myself."
"I will make your spirit in heaven proud of me."
After speaking, he solemnly kowtowed three more times.
Jiang Bai slowly stood up, took one last look at his mother’s tombstone, and reached out to gently brush a speck of dust off the surface, as if caressing his mother’s cheek.
"Wait for me to return next time, Mother."
After saying this, he turned and, following the path he had come by, walked down the hillside step by step.
He did not look back.
After returning from the cemetery, Jiang Bai went to Xi Hai’s house to say goodbye. Then he went to see the village head grandmother.
Hearing he was leaving, the old lady silently squeezed his hand, saying nothing, but stuffed a small cloth bag into his hand. Jiang Bai opened it; inside were several pieces of rice cake she had made by hand, still warm.
"Eat it on the road," the old lady’s voice was soft.
Jiang Bai nodded vigorously, "Thank you, Grandma."
He walked alone along the dirt road to the village entrance and stood under the old locust tree for a moment.
The hometown remained the same, but he was no longer the youth of yesterday.
Jiang Bai took a deep breath and walked slowly out of the village.
In an open space several miles away from the village, he summoned the Wind Dragon.
"To Nuoding City." He pointed in a direction, swung onto the dragon’s back, his voice calm.
The Wind Dragon spread its wings and soared into the sky.
Two and a half days later.
Outside Nuoding City.
Jiang Bai landed outside the city, put away the Wind Dragon, and walked into the city.
He first found a hotel that looked clean and tidy—the Oak Inn, a simple name for a three-story building.
The receptionist was a young attendant who, seeing Jiang Bai enter, quickly stood up to greet him, "Staying the night, sir?"
"I’d like a superior room." Jiang Bai said, taking out a money bag from his storage bracelet.
"Right away! The superior room includes meals!" The attendant registered him efficiently and handed over a brass key, "The innermost room on the third floor, the window faces south, it’s quiet."
Jiang Bai paid for the room and, just as he took the key and prepared to go upstairs, suddenly thought of something and turned back to ask the attendant.
"By the way, let me ask, has the enrollment period for new students at Notting Academy passed?"
The attendant paused, thought for a moment, and then said.
"Notting Academy? Uh—it seems to have passed a few weeks ago. The academy should have officially started classes by now. Do you have a relative enrolling, sir?"
"Just asking." Jiang Bai nodded, "Thanks. Send up some dinner later, something light will do."
"Very well, sir! I’ll have dinner sent up around 6:45 PM!" The attendant replied enthusiastically.
Jiang Bai turned and went upstairs. The wooden stairs creaked slightly under his feet; the third-floor corridor was covered with an old carpet, and the light was somewhat dim.
He used the key to open the door to the innermost room; it was more spacious than he had imagined.
A large bed, table and chairs, a wardrobe, and a south-facing window that was currently open, offering a view of a corner of the street outside.
The room was cleaned thoroughly, the sheets and bedding were freshly changed, and they gave off the scent of sun-dried laundry.
Jiang Bai closed the door and walked to the window.
He pondered how to disgust Yu Xiaogang.
He was never a Saint who repaid evil with kindness. Bibi Dong had killed him once, and he had noted this grudge.
Since he couldn’t beat Bibi Dong right now, he would collect some interest from the person she cared about most.
He couldn’t kill Yu Xiaogang right now; that would be letting him off too easily, and it would be too easy to be exposed.
Tang Hao had been secretly protecting Tang San; if he made a move against Yu Xiaogang directly, it would be hard not to attract Tang Hao’s attention.
Besides, Tang San still needed this "Divine Teacher" to guide him onto the "right path"!
Therefore, Yu Xiaogang could not die so easily for now.
There were many ways to disgust him; the key was to do it naturally and leave no traces.