The Hidden Immortal

Chapter 46 How Could He Be So Foolish

Chu Xun looked at the bright red peeking through the crack, a smile spreading across his face: "It's already halfway done, it'll be quick, won't it?"

Just then, a voice called out from outside the courtyard: "Xun-ge, have you seen my Shitou?"

Chu Xun turned his head and saw Shi Tou's mother and his wife Qiao Hua rushing into the yard.

The two hadn't seen Stone since early morning.

I thought he had gone to the outhouse, but after waiting for a long time and still not seeing him, I realized something was wrong.

After searching the house, he found that several pieces of clothing and a few taels of silver were missing, and he immediately felt something was wrong.

They rushed over in a panic, but Stone had never been there.

Chu Xun was slightly taken aback, then understood and couldn't help but sigh.

That child probably hasn't forgotten about joining the army.

With the family's incense offerings secured, how could one possibly remain patient?

Not long after, Qi Ermao's family also came looking for them.

While no one was in sight, the only good thing was that Qi Ermao seemed to have left without his clothes or money.

Conversely, this is even more worrying.

"Don't rush, sit inside and warm up first."

Chu Xun invited the group inside, and Zhang Anxiu quickly put on some clothes and came out to comfort them gently.

But when she looked at Chu Xun outside the house, her expression wasn't very good either.

I bought some pills at a temple fair a few years ago, and I've already finished them all, but my stomach still hasn't started to grow.

They knew they had been tricked and deceived.

If I went to the temple fair again to settle accounts with that old man, I wouldn't be able to find him anywhere.

She wanted to have a son but couldn't, while other people's sons disappeared without a trace.

For a moment, Zhang Anxiu felt a sense of shared misfortune.

Chu Xun stood outside the courtyard, looking up at the crows on the eaves.

"Go find Stone and Er Mao."

The crows shook themselves, then flapped their wings and flew off in different directions.

With the crows' help, finding the two shouldn't be a problem.

But bringing them back will probably not be easy.

At this moment, several miles away from Songguo Village, Shi Tou, wearing a thick coat and carrying a bag, stood at the crossroads.

"You really not coming with me? If we fight side by side, we're sure to make something of ourselves!" Stone said.

Qi Ermao lowered his head; he wanted to go.

But he had just gotten married a few months ago, and his bed was warm and cozy every day, so he was completely absorbed in his new life.

My desire to join the army has faded considerably.

"I... my wife isn't pregnant yet," Qi Ermao explained in a low voice.

Shi Tou didn't try to persuade him further, but simply patted him on the shoulder and said, "You're the only one in the village who can wrestle with me. But it's alright, you can come after I've established myself in the army!"

"Then I'll be going. Please take good care of things at home. When I achieve merit in battle, you'll get a share of the credit!"

Stone confidently shouldered his bag, turned, and ran away.

Hearing his excited footsteps, Qi Ermao looked up and watched the familiar figure grow smaller and smaller in the cold wind.

He suddenly regretted it; he should have gone!

But what about my mother and wife at home?

In terms of strength, he was only slightly inferior to Shi Tou.

But in terms of temperament, he's not that strong-willed.

When he was a child, he was always loud and boisterous. But as he grew up, it was usually Stone who charged ahead while he followed behind to lend a hand.

The sound of wings flapping came from the air. Qi Ermao looked up and saw a black bird descending from the sky.

Although it wasn't a crow, it was already about 1.3 feet tall.

Qi Ermao knew these were Chu Xun's crows, so he asked, "Did Xun-ge send you to find us?"

The crow flapped its wings twice, as if in response.

Qi Ermao didn't ask any more questions, but looked up into the distance, where the stone was no longer visible.

He sighed and thought, "Oh well, I'll go after my wife gives birth to a son. A year earlier or a year later, it doesn't matter."

He turned to the crow and said, "Let's go back."

The crow tilted its head slightly to look at him, and Qi Ermao felt a little guilty under its gaze: "I don't know where Brother Stone is."

The crow couldn't speak; it just stared at him.

Qi Ermao felt increasingly guilty, so he simply turned around and ran back into the village.

When he arrived at Chu Xun's house, he heard sobbing coming from inside as soon as he entered the courtyard.

"His wife just married into the family, and they don't even have a baby yet. How could he be so foolish!"

That's my mother's voice.

"Do you think my family is any better off? He ran away before the baby was even weaned. What if something happens to him? How are the three of us supposed to survive?"

This is Qiaohua, Shitou's wife, crying.

Seeing Chu Xun standing in the courtyard, Qi Ermao, who was already eighteen years old, married, and had started a family, was surprised.

Just like when I was a child, I walked up to you with my head down, like a child who had made a mistake.

"Xun-ge'er..."

Chu Xun looked at him, and already understood: "Shi Tou went?"

Qi Ermao wanted to say he didn't know, but he didn't dare to lie to Chu Xun, so he could only give a low "hmm".

"You..." Chu Xun wanted to scold them, but felt it wouldn't help, so he could only sigh: "Take your mother and wife home. Don't let them live in fear anymore. It's only been a short time, and their eyes are already swollen from crying."

Perhaps upon hearing Qi Ermao's voice, the people inside ran out of the house.

Qi Ermao's mother and wife Chunni, upon seeing a living person, were relieved and came over to him, constantly complaining.

Just as Chu Xun had said, both of them had red, swollen eyes from crying.

Stone's mother and Qiaohua searched the yard inside and out, but didn't see anyone.

He asked, trembling, "Er Mao...where's my Shi Tou?"

Although it was Shi Tou who volunteered to join the army and even wanted to take him along, Qi Er Mao felt extremely guilty in the face of such questions.

He didn't even dare to look the two of them in the eye. He was asked three times in a row until Stone's mother grabbed his arm and trembled like a leaf.

The voice was shrill, and the face was bluish-purple, which was somewhat frightening.

Qi Ermao gritted his teeth and said, "Brother Shitou went to join the army."

Although she had expected it, upon hearing it with her own ears, Stone's mother turned pale, let out a hiccup, gasped for breath, and collapsed.

Chu Xun's expression changed, and he quickly helped her up.

But when he reached out and touched his nose, his heart sank.

It's out of breath!

"Aunt Tian!" Zhang Anxiu cried out and came over to help support her, only to find her hands incredibly stiff, and knew something was wrong.

She quickly looked at Chu Xun and saw the grief in her husband's eyes; she immediately understood.

Tears immediately streamed down his face.

Chu Xun ran back into the house, took out the treasured old ginseng, and cut off a slice.

When they got back, they pried open Stone's mother's mouth, opened her teeth, and stuffed it in.

Old ginseng can keep you alive until your last breath.

But she couldn't get any air out.

Qi Ermao looked on in a panic, not knowing what to do.

His mother came over and checked the woman's breath. Then she jumped up, grabbed Qi Ermao and started tearing at him while cursing loudly.

"Look what you've done! Look at this!"

"This... how am I supposed to face your Uncle Liao after I die? How will I ever be able to face them again!"

Qi Ermao's face turned deathly pale; he never expected such a thing to happen.

But can we blame him for this?

No wonder.

It's hard to say.

Nobody can say for sure.

The thirtieth year of the Jing Kingdom.

The Spirit Pearl Grass is more than halfway grown.

That year, Chu Xun was thirty-four years old.

At the age of nineteen, Shi Tou left his hometown with his luggage, determined to make a name for himself and become a majestic general.

Let everyone in the surrounding villages know that although his father died young, his mother still raised a brave and daring man!

Little did he know that in the cold wind, his mother, who had raised him with great difficulty, suffered a stroke from anger and died.

The crows in the yard poked their heads out and looked down, but didn't make a sound.

A few field mice cautiously peeked out from the corner, scratching their paws, seemingly puzzled.

A mournful, hoarse cry echoed from the small courtyard, over the walls, and through the cold wind, mercilessly piercing through this winter!