My steps took me to the eastern part of Wuyin City,where the people's market stretched with a chaos unlike that of the city center.
Here, there were no elegant fabrics hung high,no melodious calls of perfume or spiritual pill vendors only the clamor of life, the scent of dust,and a harsh but real existence.
"I need to change my clothes," I thought."What I'm wearing now stands out too much easy to recognize as an academy student."
A dark blue robe with a flying dragon emblem on my left shoulder the official attire of Qinglong Academy.
Not only did it stand out,it also made me an easy target for pickpockets…or anyone looking for trouble.
My hand reached into my inner pocket—just a few bronze coins and a single piece of silver remained.
"I need to start living like a wanderer.Not as a student pampered by facilities."
At the edge of the market,in a narrow, barely maintained alley,an old man sat cross-legged before a pile of used clothes and modest gear.
The fabrics were worn, but clean.Unremarkable—perfect for someone who wanted to explore the world without drawing attention.
"Pick what you want," the man said without looking at me."No bargaining. If it suits you, take it. If not, move along."
I nodded and examined the items one by one.Eventually, I replaced my academy robe with a faded gray outfit—a bit heavy, but thick enough for long travel.
"How much?" I asked.
The old man looked at me for the first time.His eyes were dim,but a sharp glint hid behind his wrinkles.
"Pay what you think it's worth.What matters is you understand the value of blending in with the crowd—not standing out from it."
I gave him three bronze coins and a small piece of silver.He nodded and accepted them without a word.
As I was about to leave, I turned back.
"Were you… ever a wanderer?" I asked.
He didn't answer.But his hand slowly pointed toward a narrow alley behind his stall.
"If you want to know more about the world…Don't just walk the main roads.Sometimes the truth lies in the small paths, behind the market."
"That's the path of those never recorded in history."
I paused for a moment, then walked toward the alley he pointed to.
There—no sound.Only silence,and old walls marked with unfamiliar scribbles.
But as I stepped deeper,it felt as though my steps pierced into another world.
Suddenly it felt…like I was walking among forgotten thoughts.
A faded inscription was etched on the wall:
"The truth is not always what's visible.The wise are not always loud.The eternal is not the powerful,but those who know how to hide."
I stopped, reading it over and over again.
"This… isn't just an alley.""This… is the beginning of another understanding."
I turned around—but the old vendor was gone.His stall, too, had vanished—as if it had never existed.
"Was he… merely an illusion?""Or a teacher in an unexpected form?"
With new clothes and a shifting mindset,I returned to the inn.
But my steps had changed.Lighter…quieter…and more aware.
"The path behind the market.A world unwritten.I will record it… with my own steps."
The night air in Wuyin City was silent.
Oil lamps in the inn swayed gently,casting dancing shadows on the wooden walls.
Li Yuan sat cross-legged on a thin mat in his small room,a single candle burning beside a fresh notebook.
His hand slowly turned the first page.With a calm stroke of a bamboo brush, he wrote:
"A Journey to Understand the World."
"This is not the journey of a student.Nor is it the path of a warrior.But a journey of someone who longs to know…the meaning of existence."
The soft sound of brush against paper filled the stillness.
But in the midst of that silence,Li Yuan suddenly paused.
A sound.
Not from outside…but from within the folds of the paper.
"…You wish to understand the world?""Then are you prepared to not understand it at all?"
Li Yuan closed his eyes.The voice wasn't human.It came from understanding itself—from something that could only be heardwhen silence and awareness meet.
His hand stilled,but his thoughts surged.
"Can the world ever be fully understood?""Or is understanding merely an illusion that soothes us?"
He wrote again:
"Understanding is not the answer.It is the bridge between ignorance and meaning."
"I do not write to remember…but to never forget that I once asked."
Beyond the ink and paper,he began to realize:every word holds an echo,and within every echo lies a presencebound to awareness.
The voice returned:
"Keep writing.For through your words, the world within you will begin to speak back."
Li Yuan smiled faintly.He wrote one more sentence before closing the book:
"I do not know where I'm going.But I will keep walking.For the world need not be conquered—only understood."
The candle began to dim.
But that night…beneath the stillness of the inn,a sound could be heard—inaudible to ordinary ears
the voice of understanding.