After finishing breakfast, Ling Ye had no plans for the rest of the day.
The sword is still being worked on by Jiao Man, Bai Da had already been given his task, and there is nothing else in Green Path Village that demanded his attention.
So he chose to rest.
Returning to his room, Ling Ye initially intended to spend the day sleeping and recovering from the exhausting journey through the Great Forest. However, when he lay down on the bed, he quickly realized that sleep would not come.
No matter how comfortable the bed is, he simply wasn't tired enough and as a result, the day passed in a normal and uneventful manner.
Sometimes he would lie on the bed and close his eyes, only to drift into a short nap before waking up again a few minutes later. Other times, he sat by the window, silently watching the clouds drift across the sky.
The hours crawled by and cloud after cloud floated overhead, changing shape as they crossed the heavens. Some resembled mountains, others looked like beasts, while many dissolved before he could make sense of them.
It was monotonous, boring, even and yet Ling Ye preferred this boredom to trouble.
The last thing he wanted is another unexpected visitor like Qing Daheng appearing at his door. He had no desire to involve himself in the affairs of local families or attract unnecessary attention.
Thankfully, nothing happened, with no visitors to came and no disturbances luckily arose.
The day passed quietly and before long, Ling Ye noticed the sunlight outside growing softer. The golden glow of the afternoon slowly faded as the sun descended toward the horizon.
Seeing this, he knew evening is approaching and dinner would soon arrive. So, with little else to do, Ling Ye sat down in his chair and waited.
Not long after, "Knock. Knock."
A light knock echoed from the door of his room.
As Ling Ye stood up from his chair, he heard a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" he asked and a moment later, a familiar voice answered from the other side.
"Village Head, it's me!" Hearing Bai Da's voice, Ling Ye let out a quiet sigh of relief and thankfully, it isn't another unexpected visitor like Qing Daheng.
This is the last thing he wanted to get involved in, unnecessary trouble.
Walking over to the door, he unlocked it and pulled it open and standing outside is Bai Da, wearing his usual carefree smile.
"Hello!" Bai Da greeted cheerfully and Ling Ye smiled faintly in return and gave a small nod, "Come in."
Without waiting for a second invitation, Bai Da stepped inside and as he entered the room, he stretched his arms above his head and rolled his shoulders, clearly relaxed.
While watching him, Ling Ye noticed something, the edges of Bai Da's green robe were stained with dirt, and there were even a few grass stains near the bottom.
Seeing this, Ling Ye could already guess that Bai Da had spent part of the day wandering around outside.
He sighed but chose not to comment on it. Instead, he gestured toward the chair, "Sit."
Bai Da gladly accepted the offer, "Don't mind if I do."
He dropped into the chair with a satisfied smile, leaning back comfortably as if he owned the place. Meanwhile, Ling Ye walked over to the bed and sat down opposite him.
Now that they were both seated, Bai Da leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs comfortably.
"Village Head Ye, I spent most of the day walking around and speaking with the villagers here," he began. "I asked quite a few people about hiring a carriage, but unfortunately, it seems that Green Path Village doesn't have many reasons to travel far from home and so there are no people who have a carriage."
He paused and scratched his chin, "As far as I could find out, only the Qing Family owns carriages."
Hearing the name Qing Family, Ling Ye frowned slightly, as the less he had to do with them, the better and fortunately, Bai Da soon clicked his tongue in annoyance and continued,
"But they don't lend them out. From what I heard, those carriages are reserved exclusively for members of the Qing Family. Outsiders have no chance of using them."
Ling Ye silently breathed a sigh of relief and although the news wasn't ideal, he was at least glad they wouldn't have to deal with the Qing Family directly.
Still, without a carriage, their journey home would become far more troublesome and thinking of the long road ahead, Ling Ye could only sigh.
Seeing his reaction, Bai Da couldn't help but grin. A faint chuckle escaped him as he shook his head, clearly amused by Ling Ye's expression.
"Village Head Ye, why do you look so defeated?" he asked with a laugh.
Ling Ye narrowed his eyes and seeing Bai Da so relaxed despite the situation, he immediately sensed that the man had something else to say.
"Out with it," Ling Ye said. "What did you find?"
"Hehe." Bai Da's grin widened, "Village Head doesn't need to worry so much. As the saying goes, even if one is surrounded on all sides, there's always a path forward."
He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice as if revealing some great secret, "And I found another way."
"Bold," Ling Ye exclaimed, genuinely surprised by Bai Da's confident declaration and yet despite his surprise, he also felt relieved, as If Bai Da really is speaking with such confidence, then he must have already found a solution!
"Indeed! Indeed!" Bai Da replied proudly, nodding his head several times before laughing loudly, "Although the villagers rarely travel outside Green Path Village, there are currently several merchant caravans staying here. They came to purchase the Qing Family's medicinal herbs, tea leaves, and various other goods."
His grin widened, "And as if the heavens themselves are favoring us, those merchants are scheduled to leave the day after tomorrow, early in the morning!"
Hearing this, Ling Ye's eyes brightened slightly and that certainly are good news.
"Good." He nodded in approval, "Well done!"
Although Ling Ye would have preferred to leave immediately after retrieving his sword from Jiao Man, waiting one additional day is hardly a problem if it meant securing safe transportation.
With their departure settled, Ling Ye relaxed slightly.
"Then tomorrow is yours to spend as you wish," he said. "There's nothing else that needs to be done."
But halfway through speaking, his expression suddenly became serious. His gaze fixed firmly on Bai Da, "However…"
The change in tone immediately caught Bai Da's attention, "Don't do anything stupid."
Ling Ye leaned forward slightly, "I don't want any trouble while we're here and more importantly, don't forget where we are."
His voice grew stern, "This isn't our home. If you offend someone important or cause problems, there's very little I can do to help you. So keep your head down and stay out of trouble."
For a moment, silence filled the room and then, "Hahaha!" Bai Da burst into laughter.
Seeing Ling Ye's serious expression only seemed to amuse him more, shaking his head, he wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
"Village Head Ye, you worry too much." He grinned, "Just because I usually act like a carefree bird doesn't mean I'm foolish enough to fly straight into a tiger's den."
Bai Da placed a hand on his chest dramatically, "I know when to be careful."
Hearing this, Ling Ye felt somewhat relieved.
It isn't that he doubted Bai Da's judgment. On the contrary, Bai Da had proven many times that he understood his own limits and knew when to retreat. Still, Ling Ye felt it is necessary to give the warning.
After all, caution had carried them safely through the Great Forest, so with a final nod from Ling Ye, Bai Da smiled and left the room and with that, once again, Ling Ye found himself alone.
With nothing else to do, he lay down on the bed and quietly waited for the old innkeeper to bring dinner.
Walking toward the door, Ling Ye opened it and found the old innkeeper standing outside, with the old man greeted him with a bright smile, "Good morning, sir."
"Morning," Ling Ye replied calmly.
He had no desire for a lengthy conversation, and the old innkeeper quickly picked up on that. Without saying anything further, he entered the room and began placing the breakfast dishes on the table.
Once everything was arranged, he stepped back and gave a small bow, "Enjoy your meal, sir."
With that, he quietly left the room and closed the door behind him and with that Ling Ye sat down and slowly ate his breakfast.
Unlike the previous days, his mind is occupied with something else, as today, he would finally retrieve his sword and so after finishing the meal, he stood up and began preparing to leave.
First, he secured his money pouch inside his robe. Then, with practiced movements, he carefully concealed his dagger beneath his clothes, making sure it remained hidden from view while still being easy to reach if necessary.
The rest of his preparations took only a few moments and once he was satisfied, Ling Ye gave the room one final glance before leaving.
Passing through the inn's entrance, he stepped back into the village, with the morning air being cool and refreshing, so without wasting any time, Ling Ye began walking toward the blacksmith's shop, eager to see what had become of the old sword.