Chapter 122: Trepidation Near Home

"All right, let's leave this place quickly!" Gu Weiyu cast a glance at the Nightmare beast not far away.

As a strange beast, the Nightmare does not possess strong offensive power; it relies primarily on spiritual attacks when its target is caught off guard. Now that Gu Weiyu was on her guard, the Nightmare could no longer do anything to her.

"Little Bud, we are leaving." Gu Weiyu glanced at the little creature, who was currently lying on a pile of black stones, twisting its leaves and branches in blissful delight, and urged it to hurry.

"Coming, coming!" Since receiving a scolding from Gu Weiyu, Little Bud had become exceptionally obedient. Its tender leaves disdainfully swept over the black stones it had finished absorbing, causing them to instantly crumble into a pile of dust. Then, its seven tender leaves expanded instantly, sweeping up all the black stones in its vicinity, wrapping them all into a large bundle. Only then did it return to Gu Weiyu’s Dantian, still feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

Seeing this, Gu Weiyu would collect any black stones she encountered while walking, storing them in her storage ring as provisions for Little Bud. Subconsciously, she steered clear of the area where the Nightmare beast resided, crossing through the mist at the bottom of the abyss to reach the other side.

The dreams woven by the Nightmare beast were so realistic that as Gu Weiyu climbed, she constantly had the illusion of being trapped in a dream. Standing once more at the edge of the abyss to look down, she could not help but sigh with emotion. Thinking of a plan, she even took the time to carve the character "Gu" into a giant tree beside the cliff before turning to continue heading north.

The further north she traveled, the further she was from the abyss, which meant she was moving deeper away from the hinterlands of the Monster Sea. Although Gu Weiyu was anxious to return, safety remained her top priority. Thus, she traveled during the day and sought out secluded spots to rest at night.

Six days later, Gu Weiyu finally emerged completely from the range of the Monster Sea.

"Ahead lies Anlin County!"

Anlin County looked quite different from what she had seen in the dream woven by the Nightmare. In truth, many details in the dreams woven by the Nightmare differed from reality, yet if one did not observe carefully, it was almost impossible to notice. This was exactly where the Nightmare beast’s prowess lay. They were best at finding the regrets within a cultivator’s heart to weave their dreams, and these dreams were perfectly designed to prey upon the weaknesses of human nature. Often, many cultivators knew it was merely a hollow dream, yet they remained unwilling to wake up.

Anlin County was a city comparable to Qin County, bearing the rugged characteristics of the northern cities. It was situated on a vast plain, surrounded outside the walls by ancient and weathered woods.

Gu Weiyu did not intend to enter the city. She summoned Qing Tuan and sat upon it to overlook the scene below. In a fleeting glance, she saw that Anlin County was filled with towering wooden buildings and orderly houses; the streets were bustling with pedestrians, lively and vibrant.

Traveling several hundred miles north from Anlin County would bring one to Qin County, with nothing but rugged mountains and steep ridges in between. Qingshan Village was located in those very mountains between Anlin County and Qin County, closer to the side of Qin County. Gu Weiyu had long since made up her mind; she still wanted to return to Qingshan Village first.

Qing Tuan sped through the high sky like a stray arrow. Gu Weiyu felt as though only a moment had passed before Qing Tuan came to a sudden halt.

"Master, we have arrived!" The childlike voice of Qing Tuan echoed in her mind.

Gu Weiyu leaned over Qing Tuan to look down. The setting sun shone obliquely, and the autumn wind blew crisp and cool. The flowers and trees on the Qingshan mountains below had shed their emerald greens, donning yellow robes instead, with faint specks of red dotted here and there. The stone houses were shrouded in the afterglow of the sunset, and as the clansmen of Qingshan Village walked among them, the red clouds seemed to drape a thin veil over them, creating a sense of peace and beauty.

Gu Weiyu sat listlessly on Qing Tuan, remaining motionless for a long time.

"A-Yu—" Little Bud poked its head out from her Dantian, its voice sounding delicate. "I'm hungry again..."

Gu Weiyu snapped out of her daze and pulled several black stones from her storage ring. Little Bud unfurled its tender leaves, wrapped the stones, and retreated back into her Dantian.

"Master, why don't you go down?" In her sea of consciousness, the confused voice of Little Shu rang out.

Gu Weiyu shook her head. "I'll go down in a little while."

When it came time to descend, for some reason, her heart suddenly began to pound. She was simultaneously worried about the safety of her family and afraid that if she returned rashly, she might alert the enemy. If this were to draw Chu Xingyun here and implicate her clansmen, would it not be a loss that outweighed the gain?

Gu Weiyu chose a spot in the woods near Qingshan Village to rest for a while. In the village below the mountain, wisps of cooking smoke rose one after another as the sunset gradually faded from the horizon. Having been away from the comforts of home for so long, Gu Weiyu smelled the familiar aroma of food, and her stomach suddenly began to growl, while her mouth could not help but salivate.

Remembering the meat of the frog-like and snake-like monsters she had obtained in the Monster Sea, she took some out from her storage bag and skillfully set up a fire to roast it. Soon, an alluring scent of meat drifted through the wilderness, attracting some ordinary beasts. Although these beasts had not yet gained spiritual intelligence, they possessed an instinct for survival; deterred by the intimidating aura radiating from Gu Weiyu, they could only lie in the distance, twitching their noses incessantly and drooling pitifully.

Gu Weiyu picked up the meat skewers at a leisurely pace, feeling quite satisfied as she watched the glowing green eyes of the wild beasts. She had meat to eat!

*Want some?* After eating a few skewers, Gu Weiyu, with a bit of mischievous spite, took the remaining skewers and walked over to one of the dog-like beasts. She teased the beast by dangling the meat, making it jump up and down, yet it could never quite reach it. After teasing it for a good while, Gu Weiyu finally felt the inexplicable anxiety in her heart dissipate for the most part. Only then did she toss the skewers to the ground, letting the beasts scramble for them, and for a time, the sound of howling echoed endlessly through the forest.

When dusk gathered and night gradually fell, Gu Weiyu took advantage of the darkness to arrive outside the village. Within the range of her spiritual sense, she could see every movement of the people in the village clearly. As early as dusk, she had noticed that while the village seemed as it always had, something was missing. Furthermore, within Qingshan Village, her spiritual sense could not detect the presence of Little Stone.

Therefore, as soon as it grew dark, Gu Weiyu could wait no longer. She bypassed the village gate with light, nimble steps, moving like a shadow. The clansmen on night watch did not notice a thing as she slipped into the village without a sound.

In just a few moments, Gu Weiyu stood before the familiar stone house. Inside, a middle-aged couple sat silently facing each other. Their faces were etched with sorrow, their eyes and brows tinged with the frost of time, and streaks of white hair were visible among their locks.

Gu Weiyu stood there perfectly still, her heart overflowing with a sour ache: in just three short years, her father and mother seemed to have aged by more than a decade!

Gu Weiyu took a step forward, and the door of the stone house creaked open. Inside, Gu Yun and Madam Qin looked over at the sound, their gazes falling simultaneously upon that familiar yet changed face: although the young girl before them had grown taller, the shadows of A-Yu as a child could still be seen in her brows and eyes.

For a moment, they were both stunned. A thought rose in both their hearts simultaneously: Was this their A-Yu, finally home?