Chapter 172: Waiting for You to Return for Tea

Fine, downy snow fell, covering the rooftops in a thin layer of white.

It was already deep winter.

Haoyang Alley had lost some of its usual bustle. The figures moving along the street were far sparser than in autumn, and the occasional passerby at the alley entrance walked noticeably faster than usual.

Li Daniu had not been seen in the alley since that day. The neighbors would occasionally mention him and sigh, as if speaking of a wind that hadn't quite settled, only to swallow their words halfway. Life went on as before, and no one asked any more questions.

Xiao Ling'er, however, came by often. Sometimes she would lean against the counter, watching Jiuyou carve jade without a word, just quietly observing. Other times she would ask him random things—if he had eaten, if he was cold, or what he was carving today.

Jiuyou would occasionally answer, or just give a faint grunt. She didn't mind, happy to keep to herself. Sometimes she played until the sky turned dark and Physician Zhang's voice echoed from the alley entrance, calling for her. Only then would she cry, "Ah!" and jump up, hurrying outside.

Today, she was leaning against the counter again, twirling a piece of jade scrap in her hands.

After thinking for a while, she finally asked, "Shopkeeper, when do you think Uncle Daniu will come back?" Her voice was quiet, as if she were afraid of disturbing something. "The granny next door said Uncle Daniu went to the Upper City to find an immortal master to save Aunt Li, but Brother Xiaoniu was beaten to death by an immortal master... Will Uncle Daniu be okay going to the Upper City?"

Jiuyou did not answer immediately. He reached down and opened a drawer beneath the counter, placing a newly carved jade pendant inside to pin down the corner of a somewhat yellowed piece of paper. The paper was folded neatly, and a few characters could still be made out on the edge, reading something like "Title Deed."

Closing the drawer, he casually replied, "He should be fine."

His tone was flat, as if speaking of some trivial matter.

Xiao Ling'er was just about to ask something else when a laughing voice came from the doorway.

"Oh, the sky is getting dark. Xiao Ling'er still hasn't gone home? Your grandfather will probably come looking for you again." Old Man Yang stood at the door, his back hunched. Carrying a wooden box in one hand and holding his small green turtle in the other, he wobbled inside.

Xiao Ling'er turned her head to look out the window and let out a startled cry, "Ah, the sun is setting!"

She hastily put down the jade scrap and waved to both Jiuyou and Old Man Yang. "Grandpa Yang, Big Brother Qing, I'm leaving first!"

Before her voice even faded, she had already run out the door, her clothes kicking up a gust of wind. She quickly disappeared into the alley heading toward the clinic.

Old Man Yang watched her small figure disappear around the corner and smiled, shaking his head. "This little girl... I don't know whether to say she can sit still or can't." Retracting his gaze, he walked over to the counter.

Jiuyou made a welcoming gesture. "Elder Yang, please sit." He glanced at Old Man Yang, then looked at the wooden box in his hand, his tone carrying a hint of teasing. "I see your complexion is much better today than recently. Could it be you've been hiding some good tea, unwilling to share, and secretly drinking it all by yourself?"

Old Man Yang chuckled, walking to the counter and sitting down. He gently placed the wooden box on the surface and pushed it toward Jiuyou. "Shopkeeper, you really know how to joke. Look, haven't I brought the tea over now?"

The box was closed, yet a faint tea aroma already wafted from it. The scent wasn't strong, but it was deep, as if seeping out from old wood.

Jiuyou slowly lifted his gaze from the wooden box and fixed it on Old Man Yang's face. He looked at him for a moment without reaching for the box, merely asking calmly, "Elder Yang, is something the matter?"

Old Man Yang did not answer right away. He subconsciously touched the storage pouch inside his robes, then lowered his hand. After a moment of silence, he nodded, his voice softer than before. "Yes. I'm leaving."

He paused, as if weighing his words. "I've lived for so many years, and I've always felt that in this life, a person has to try at least once. Whether it ends in success or failure, if you don't take that step, that breath will forever hang in your chest, unable to rise or fall. Rather than wasting away like this, it's better to give it a try while I still have some strength. Even if it all ends in vain, at least when I look back, I won't have to tell myself, 'If only I had taken one more step back then.'"

He reached out and rubbed the shell of the small green turtle in his arms. "I haven't achieved much in this life, but for this final step, I have to take it myself." As he spoke, he looked down at the turtle by his hand and smiled, his tone carrying a bit of self-deprecation. "This old man doesn't want to spend his final days living in regret."

He stopped halfway, as if unsure how to continue, and waved his hand. "Actually, it's nothing... I just feel it's time to go."

Jiuyou didn't ask any more questions. He reached out and gently pressed his hand on the wooden box, his fingertips rubbing lightly across its surface. A moment later, he nodded. "Alright. I'll accept this tea."

He didn't say anything else, nor did he ask where the old man was going.

Old Man Yang looked as if he had breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had let go of a heavy burden.

He reached into his robes, brought out an ancient manual with somewhat yellowed pages, and placed it on the counter. His fingers pressed lightly on the cover before letting go. "I came across this book by chance during my early travels. It's of no use to me. Rather than keeping it in my pocket to gather dust, I might as well use it to repay a favor. If it's convenient for you, little brother, please pass it on to Xiao Ling'er for me."

With that said, his gaze lingered on the book's cover for a moment, but he never opened it to take another look.

Jiuyou didn't refuse, softly replying, "Alright."

The two sat and exchanged a few more casual words before Old Man Yang stood up to take his leave. He turned around, walking a few steps toward the door with his back to the shop.

Behind him, Jiuyou's voice suddenly rang out, "Elder Yang, I'll save this tea for you. When you come back, we'll brew a good pot together."

Old Man Yang's footsteps halted. Standing by the threshold with his back to Jiuyou, he took a long while before softly replying, "Alright."

Then, he stepped over the threshold and walked off into the twilight.

The setting sun stretched his shadow long, casting it slantingly across the bluestone slabs, where it wavered slightly with his steps. The small green turtle in his arms suddenly shifted, as if startled by something. It poked half its head out to look around before shrinking back inside.

Old Man Yang gently patted its shell. Without saying a word, he walked step by step deeper into the alley. He never looked back.

Jiuyou stood behind the counter, watching the old man's retreating figure grow smaller and smaller until he turned the corner and disappeared entirely. A moment later, high above Haoyang Alley, a streak of spiritual light silently pierced the clouds, tore across the sky, and vanished in an instant.

Jiuyou pulled his gaze back and looked down at the wooden box on the counter. He picked it up with both hands, brought it to his nose, and took a gentle sniff before making sure the lid was tight. Turning around, he placed it on the top shelf behind him, padding it with a few pieces of cloth, as if afraid it would catch dust.

He stood there for a moment, as if remembering something else, and murmured softly, "How much time has passed... This old man was once just like him... If it weren't for that Little Green Bottle..."

He trailed off, as if there was no need to finish the thought. He merely stood there, his gaze falling somewhere in the empty air, as if looking at himself from a long time ago.

The shop fell silent. Only the wind squeezed through the cracks in the door, rustling the pages of the book with a faint, crisp sound.

Outside the window, the twilight deepened, and the lamps in Haoyang Alley lit up one by one. The old book still lay on the counter. Jiuyou glanced at it but didn't immediately put it away. He walked back behind the counter and sat down, as if waiting for someone to return, yet knowing that person never would.