Third Brother

After wolfing down a huge basin of rabbit meat stewed until tender, Fang Yuan felt a warm current spread from his stomach, flowing through his limbs and bones.

The strength he had spent swinging his saber, traveling, and digging traps seemed to have been replenished. Even the hidden injury in his chest, which had been faintly aching, eased considerably.

Was this the benefit of eating meat?

He felt brimming with energy, as if he could immediately swing his saber several hundred more times.

Liu Wanwan and Little Bean Sprout cleared the bowls and chopsticks and went to the kitchen to wash up.

Seizing this warmth, Fang Yuan once again practiced his saber technique in the little space available inside the house.

It was still that chopping knife, and the movements were still the basic chops, slashes, lifts, and sweeps. But this time, his arms felt steadier and his strength flowed more smoothly.

Every swing tore through the air with a distinct whistle.

Only when his body began to ache slightly and his breathing grew heavy did he stop, still wanting more.

His awareness swept over the panel. In just this short while, the proficiency of [Basic Saber Technique] had risen by over a hundred points again!

"Sure enough, I need meat!"

Fang Yuan was elated.

With sufficient blood and vitality to replenish him, training was more efficient. He could squeeze more potential out of his body, and naturally improve faster.

One moment, he was concentrating on the techniques of exerting strength; the next, he could not help grinning foolishly at his soaring proficiency.

To Liu Wanwan, who had just returned from the kitchen, he looked especially strange.

Sitting on the kang's edge, Liu Wanwan watched her husband acting so abnormally, and the worry in her heart rose again.

Her husband had changed far too much since waking up.

Not only did he dare enter the mountains alone to hunt, he had also learned such deft slaughtering skills. And now he was swinging a knife at thin air and giggling to himself... Could he really have been possessed by something evil?

Should she secretly find a spirit medium to take a look?

Though her thoughts ran wild, her hands did not stop.

Using the faint remaining flames in the stove, she heated another small pot of water and carried it inside.

"Husband, you walked all day. Soak your feet and drive out the chill."

She spoke softly, crouching down to remove Fang Yuan's shoes and socks.

Fang Yuan froze and instinctively tried to pull his feet back.

In his previous life, what girl would wash someone's feet? Yet Liu Wanwan's movements were perfectly natural, as though this were only right and proper.

He watched as she carefully placed his feet into the warm water and gently scrubbed away the mud and weariness from them.

The hot water wrapped around his feet, gradually dispelling the soreness and chill accumulated from a day of mountain travel. It was indescribably comfortable and soothing.

Even the blood and vitality throughout his body seemed to stir more vigorously.

Lowering his head, he looked at Liu Wanwan's intent profile.

The stove ash had failed to completely conceal her delicate skin and lovely features. Her long lashes hung low, casting a small patch of shadow beneath her eyes.

A few strands of hair fell across her forehead, swaying gently with her movements.

Fang Yuan unconsciously swallowed. Something deep within him was touched by her gentle, meticulous care.

The taut nerves and suppressed emotions he had carried since crossing over seemed to find a soft outlet at this moment.

But he swiftly jolted awake and forcibly suppressed that restless tenderness in his heart.

This wasn't the time for such thoughts!

Hou San! That potential threat was like a thorn lodged in his heart.

He would certainly need to enter the mountains often in the future, leaving only these two frail women at home.

Leaving a rascal like Hou San lurking greedily in the village, how could he possibly rest easy?

Late at night.

The earthen house was silent. Only the whimpering of the cold wind through the cracks outside the window, along with the even, deep breathing of Liu Wanwan and Little Bean Sprout in the inner room, could be heard.

Fang Yuan silently opened his eyes. His gaze was crystal clear, without the slightest trace of sleepiness.

He listened carefully to the sounds in the outer room. Only after confirming that they were sound asleep did he slowly sit up.

His movements were light and gentle, disturbing no one.

Feeling about, he put on his tattered padded jacket, then reached out and gripped the logging axe resting against the kang's edge.

The cold axe handle in his hand gave him a heavy, solid sense of reassurance.

Like a shadow blending into the night, he silently unlatched the inner room's door, slipped out, and carefully pulled it shut behind him.

As he passed through the outer room, he paused. By the faint snowy glow filtering through the window paper, he could see Liu Wanwan and Little Bean Sprout squeezed beneath a single thin quilt, sleeping deeply.

Even in sleep, Liu Wanwan's brows were faintly furrowed.

Fang Yuan's gaze darkened. No longer hesitating, he gently opened the front door, and a biting gust of wind immediately swept in with fine snow.

He squeezed out sideways, shut the door behind him, and his figure completely merged into the howling wind and snow outside.

Following his memories from the day and the scattered information left behind by the original owner, he headed toward the cluster of even more dilapidated earthen houses at the eastern end of the village.

The wind and snow were fierce, perfectly concealing his footsteps and figure.

Before he even reached the place, he heard a burst of noise in the distance, utterly out of place in the silent snowy night.

It was a low, rundown courtyard with half its walls nearly collapsed, yet dim, flickering light spilled from within. An oil lamp had clearly been lit.

The rough laughter and curses of men, the sounds of finger-guessing games, and boastful chatter mingled together, carrying far on the wind.

"Ha ha ha! Brother Hou San, is your news reliable? Master Zhang from the city really wants to recruit people from our poor little backwater?"

A man with a drake-like voice shouted.

"Bullshit! When has I, Hou San, ever bragged?" Another voice rose, thick with drunkenness and pride. It was Hou San.

"My cousin Zhang Biao is a guard at Master Wang's residence in the city now! He's damn impressive!

"He came back this time on Master Wang's orders to recruit a few quick-handed, obedient, sensible fellows! Food and lodging included, and this much every month!"

A chorus of sharp intakes of breath sounded inside, mixed with the clatter of bowls and chopsticks.

"R-Really... that much?" someone asked in a trembling voice, unable to believe it.

"Brother Hou San, you have to pull your brothers along!" someone immediately began to flatter him.

"Yeah, yeah! Third Brother, we'll be following you from now on!"

Hou San seemed to thoroughly enjoy being surrounded like the moon among stars, and his voice grew even more smug.

"Easy, easy! We're all brothers here! My cousin said there are only limited spots this time, so he has to pick smart, obedient fellows!

"You have no idea how gloriously my cousin is doing now! Even Master Chen from our village has to be polite when he sees him!"

"Even Master Chen has to show him respect?" The others were even more envious.

Master Chen was a truly important figure in the village, a landlord and local gentry.

"Of course!" Hou San lowered his voice and said mysteriously.

"And let me tell you, my cousin... is probably about to cultivate blood and vitality! You know what a martial artist is? That's what he is!"

The room fell silent for an instant before erupting with even more fervent amazement and flattery.

"A martial artist?! Good heavens!"

"Brother Hou San, you have to look after us from now on!"

"Third Brother, drink, drink! When you make it big, don't forget your brothers!"