Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

They should continue their journey to the capital.

He discussed it with Yunling and decided to leave the next morning. He also went to the valley to tell her that he was leaving.

At night, Yunling listened to Huaixia's quiet footsteps, went out the door, took her hand, and walked with her in the valley.

Huai Xia was always bouncing around, and she was always very lively whenever she came. However, no matter what, she was unwilling to appear in front of Zhuang Xing.

"Huaixia, I'm leaving tomorrow." Yunling handed her a hair tie. "This is a hair tie I made myself. Please accept it."

"Can't we stay a few more days?"

"I've been staying here for quite a few days now."

"Ok."

Huai Xia carefully took the hair tie, then placed her hand on her hair, and a small strand of hair was pulled off.

The hair that was pulled out became the roots of the Chinese yam.

“Yunling, you are my friend, I’m giving you my root,” Huaixia said. “If you get sick or injured, eat some. In the past, when someone in the valley got sick, the valley master would pluck a bit of my root, and they would get better quickly.”

"Thank you, Huaixia." Yunling took out her brocade pouch containing herbs, tied the roots with a rope, and carefully put it away.

"You can't leave it all for that man," Huaixia said. "This is a gift for you; you can only give him half at most!"

"Okay, I understand." Yunling smiled. "I'll come visit you again."

"It's arranged."

"Let's pinky swear."

"it is good."

"Pinky promise, a hundred years from now."

Huai Xia suddenly started to cry and threw herself into Yun Ling's arms.

Although she had lived in the valley for many years, she did not have a friend like Yunling.

She was reluctant to part with it and felt a little sad.

The two girls hugged each other, and Yunling patted her on the back.

"No matter how much time has passed, we will always be good friends."

"Yes, we're all good friends, it's a deal!"

...

The next morning, Zhuang Xing found Wuzhui among the monkey troop.

The black horse and the macaques in the valley became inseparable. It ate and slept with the monkeys, and it felt like its horse face was turning into a monkey face.

"Wuzhui, let's go!" Zhuang Xing said. "If you really want to be a monkey, then you can stay here."

Wuzhui exhaled two heavy breaths from its nostrils, stood up from the group of monkeys, and walked to Zhuang Xing's side.

The monkeys suddenly started crying out, making a lot of noise.

Although it has only been ten days, they seem to have already regarded Wuzhui as their best friend.

My best friend is leaving, shouldn't I give him something as a parting gift?

So the monkeys, from who knows where, took out the fruit they had hidden and stuffed it into Wuzhui's horse saddlebag.

They patted Wuzhui's legs, and Wuzhui lowered its head, letting the monkeys hug its neck.

Before they left, the Valley Master appeared before them once again, bringing with her a broken spruce branch.

"If you encounter Yan Huai'an, give her this spruce branch," the Valley Master said.

"Don't we need to send any messages?" Zhuang Xing put away the spruce branch.

"No need," the Valley Master shook his head.

"This junior understands," Zhuang Xing said, bowing.

The Valley Master nodded and vanished into the wind.

Someone came to see her off in the valley. Yunling looked behind a small spruce tree, where a beautiful figure was waving to her.

Yunling noticed the red hair tie. Huaixia didn't tie the hair tie in her hair, but tied it on her wrist, making the red strand quite eye-catching.

Yunling waved to Huaixia, bidding him a final farewell. The two of them and their horse turned their backs to each other, facing out of the valley.

A gentle spring breeze was blowing, but the weather was not cooperating today; it started to drizzle as soon as we left the valley.

But they didn't get wet in the rain; the spruce bushes sheltered them from the rain, and the road out of the mountains was surprisingly smooth and flat.

When we came out of the mountains, the rain had stopped.

Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling both turned around and looked at the huge spruce tree.

Zhuang Xing thought of the scenery in the tree, a view he had never seen even in his previous life.

I never knew there were trees like this in the world.

The people who shared the beautiful scenery with him were right beside him.

“Let’s go,” Zhuang Xing said.

“Yes.” Yunling nodded.

The two continued forward until they reached Huacheng, but did not linger there.

The road ahead was wide and broad. As Zhuang Xing walked along the official road, he hummed a folk song.

This is a folk song I learned in Hundred Flowers Valley. It has no lyrics, just a simple rhythm, which is easy to remember and learn.

When he got thirsty from walking, he took a piece of fruit from his horse's saddlebag to quench his thirst.

Spring is already more than halfway over, and the weather is gradually getting a bit hot and dry.

The weather in Xizhou is naturally a bit dry.

Traveling alone would be very boring.

Fortunately, he wasn't alone, and he felt that he had seen a lot on this trip.

"I wonder what will happen in the capital?" Zhuang Xing said.

Chapter 197 Young Horses Should Eat Tender Grass

Leaving Huacheng, we continued north for another twelve days, and were not far from the capital.

Counting the days, it has been more than two months since the two left Yidu.

They were approaching the border of Xizhou. Beyond Xizhou lay Zhuzhou, the capital of the current dynasty.

It will take about another half month to reach our destination.

The weather is getting hotter and hotter. It's not summer yet, but the sun is already quite dazzling when you walk on the street.

Although the winter was bitterly cold this year, the summer was not cool at all; on the contrary, it felt hotter than in previous years.

That noon, Zhuang Xing found a shady spot under a tree to rest. This section of the road was not an official road; rather, it was just a dilapidated, overgrown old official road.

It's unclear which dynasty built this official road. The road surface, which should have been paved, was covered by mud and sand blown in, and overgrown with weeds. Over time, it has become a rural area.

Yunling took out pots and pans from the saddlebag, and Zhuang Xing took advantage of the time to go outside and collect some firewood.

The two of them cooked rice over a fire under the tree.

The small stove was made of stones, and the pot was a small iron pot. Since there were no rivers or lakes nearby, they used water from their water bags.

He poured some water into the pot, and Yunling took out the rice, then added the cured meat and sausage she bought on the way, along with some wild vegetables picked from the roadside, and cooked a pot of rice.

This method is similar to claypot rice. In the post stations of Xizhou, there are often shops that sell this kind of braised rice. It must be made with local cured pork and sausage to be considered authentic.

Once the water in the pot had boiled away and a crispy crust had formed, Yunling lifted the lid and ladled rice for Zhuangxing.

Zhuang Xing watched silently as she rolled up her sleeves. The girl's forehead was slightly damp with sweat, and her hair was draped over her chest.

Yes, that's the image of a virtuous wife and loving mother that I've always imagined.

With no one around, Xiao An also crawled out, staring longingly at the rice simmering in the pot.

"Is it good?" she asked.

"It's delicious, do you want some?"

Zhuang Xing picked up a piece of rice crust and placed it in front of her, grinning.

Xiao An, wanting to avoid the sight, made a face and ran off to watch the horses graze.

Zhuang Xing put the piece of rice crust into his mouth along with the sausage, chewing it with a crunchy sound.

Halfway through the meal, the black horse that had been grazing nearby suddenly came over.

"Neigh~" Wuzhui raised one of its legs and placed it in front of Zhuang Xing.

Zhuang Xing was initially puzzled, but upon seeing the horseshoes under the horse's hooves, he realized what Wu Zhui was doing.

The horseshoes that used to be nailed to it were so worn that even the nails had fallen off, and it was on the verge of collapse.

Moreover, the horseshoe doesn't look like the right size.

Speaking of which, since Wuzhui joined Zhuangxing, its horseshoes have not been replaced. It has been running with these four horseshoes for two years.

Wild horses don't need horseshoes because they often walk on soft ground. In the wild, they don't walk on hard roads; they can always find sandy areas and grasslands. Walking on such surfaces causes very little wear and tear on their hooves.

Horses are naturally suited for sandy and grassy terrain. Their hooves are flexible and not well-suited for hard surfaces. That's why horses that frequently travel on official roads and carry goods and people are shod with horseshoes to protect their feet from injury.

A worn-out horseshoe is like a worn-out shoe; if it's not repaired properly or replaced, it will hurt your feet.

Wuzhui has been hardworking and dutiful, serving him for over two years. Zhuang Xing couldn't possibly be so stingy as to not even provide his horse with shoes.

He quickly finished eating and inspected the four hooves of the black horse. All four horseshoes were worn to varying degrees. The most serious damage was on the right foreleg, which was only hanging by two or three nails, and the rest were missing.

"They need to be replaced completely," Zhuang Xing muttered. "Your hooves also need to be fixed."

He simply removed all the horseshoes from Black Steed's hooves; it's better not to wear broken shoes than to wear them at all, as it's more comfortable that way.

The black horse raised its head and answered, its tail sweeping back and forth. Summer was approaching, and mosquitoes were becoming more numerous.

After eating and tidying up, Zhuang Xing shoveled dirt to put out the fire, followed the old official road for a while, and soon arrived at the official road of the current dynasty.