Inconvenient

Liu Wanwan's heart sank completely. She looked up at her Husband, her eyes full of panic.

"Husband..."

Their lives had only just begun to improve, with hope for things to flourish day by day. How had they ended up being targeted by such a pack of vicious men?

Fang Yuan reached out and gently patted the back of Liu Wanwan's hand, signaling for her to stay calm.

He looked at Old Madam Chen. His expression remained calm, though his gaze had grown deeper. "Thank you for telling me, Auntie. I know what to do."

Seeing that he seemed to have taken her words to heart, Old Madam Chen finally relaxed slightly. She nagged him a few more times to be careful and said things like enduring for a moment would bring calm seas and fair winds.

Only then did she return uneasily to her own courtyard.

She was afraid that if something happened to Fang Yuan, her own family would be dragged into it as well!

The courtyard gate closed once more.

The worry in Liu Wanwan's eyes was nearly spilling over.

"Husband, what do we do? How about... how about we stop selling that meat and keep it for ourselves? Or... stop going into the mountains from now on?"

Fang Yuan shook his head. He glanced at the cured meat hanging beneath the eaves, then at the Chopping knife in his hand.

Heizi, his belly full of rage and uncontrollable greed, led several of his men out of Fang Family Village.

The moment they reached the Old Scholar Tree at the village entrance, he abruptly stopped. His face was so dark it looked as though water could be wrung from it.

He turned and shot a vicious glare toward the Fang Family home. Spitting on the ground, he gritted his teeth and said to Scarface and the other confidants beside him:

"Scarface, take two men and keep the Fang Family under watch! Especially that Fang Yuan. The moment you see him leave,

especially if he heads toward the mountains, report to me immediately! At once! Not a moment's delay!"

One of the men was puzzled and muttered, "Brother Heizi, isn't he just some poor scholar? Even if he has a bit of strength, is this really..."

"What the hell do you know?" Heizi cut him off sharply, his keen gaze sweeping over the group.

"Are all of you blind? You think he was practicing some farmer's moves? That force, that stance—it was clearly genuine skill passed down by a master! He definitely wasn't just flailing around!"

His breathing quickened, and blazing greed flickered in his eyes.

"Think about it. A scholar who couldn't even truss a chicken a few days ago—why did he suddenly become so strong?

Why would he dare challenge me? He must have a treasure on him! Most likely a Cultivation Method that can let someone quickly make something of themselves!"

"A Cultivation Method?" The men all sucked in a breath. Though they knew nothing of Martial Dao, they had heard of the rarity and wonder of cultivation methods.

"That's right!" Heizi clenched his fist, as if the cultivation method were already in his grasp.

"Even if I've got poor talent and can't cultivate it myself, if I bring that thing before the rich and powerful masters in the county town, do you know how much silver it could fetch?"

He held up two fingers, then decided that was not enough and abruptly spread his whole hand.

"At least this much! Five hundred taels! No less, only more! I heard that those Martial Arts Schools in the city charge over a hundred taels just for entry fees!

A real Cultivation Method is absolutely worth that price!"

That number stunned the men senseless. Their breathing instantly grew heavy, and their eyes turned red.

Five hundred taels! That was a fortune they could never save even if they hunted their entire lives!

Just then, a lewd-looking man with a mouthful of yellow teeth squeezed forward and said with a filthy grin:

"Brother Heizi, the Cultivation Method is important, but... once we kill that Fang Yuan, could you let us brothers have some fun with that pretty wife of his?

I'm still a bachelor!"

Another immediately chimed in:

"Yeah, yeah! I heard Fang Yuan's wife used to be some big family's Miss, too?

Then her family fell on hard times, so she married into this poor backwater? That soft, delicate skin..."

Heizi's eyes flashed. Naturally, he had heard some rumors about Liu Wanwan's origins before, but he had never paid them much attention.

Now that his men had brought it up, Liu Wanwan's slender figure—impossible to conceal even beneath worn clothes—immediately surfaced in his mind,

along with the occasional fleeting glimpse of her delicate features.

Compared with the rough-handed, broad-footed women in the village, she truly had a different kind of charm.

An even filthier thought instantly crossed his mind. If the rumors were true and she really was a young lady fallen on hard times,

then the taste of her... might be even more exciting than the whores in the city!

Those young ladies—he had heard even their sweat smelled sweet...

A lecherous smile appeared on his face. He patted the yellow-toothed man on the shoulder and readily agreed.

"No problem! Once this is done, there'll be plenty in it for all of you! When the time comes... everyone gets a share!"

Though he said that, he was secretly calculating: if she really was such fine goods, then of course I'll have the first taste! Once I'm tired of playing with her, I'll reward her to you worthless bastards!

"Thank you, Brother Heizi!"

"Brother Heizi is righteous!"

The men became even more excited, rubbing their fists and flexing their palms as if silver and beautiful women were already within reach. Their slight wariness of Fang Yuan had long since been swept away by greed.

Heizi watched with satisfaction as the desires of his men were stirred up, then once again barked sternly:

"Keep your spirits up! Watch him closely! The moment he dares enter the mountains... hmph!"

It was as though he could already see the cultivation method, silver, and beauty all beckoning to him.

The group hurried away from the village entrance, vanishing into the twilight of the wilderness.

Only the Old Scholar Tree remained standing alone in the wind, as if silently witnessing another coming storm of blood and carnage.

The sun sank completely behind the mountain ridge, and night descended.

In the courtyard, Fang Yuan had just finished another round of training that was almost self-torture.

He was drenched in sweat, his muscles aching so badly he could barely stand. He held himself upright entirely through force of will.

Whenever his strength ran dry, he carefully pinched off a tiny bit of Snow Ginseng rootlet and held it in his mouth. Its cool, sweet medicinal power quickly dissolved,

nourishing his nearly depleted blood and qi and supporting him as he swung his blade and ran once more.

As the cycle repeated, his control over his strength grew ever more refined, while his blood and qi became increasingly powerful and condensed through repeated draining and replenishing.

Yet the irritation in his heart also grew stronger. This village was truly too inconvenient!

He had to train in secret. The moment he ate a decent meal, countless prying eyes appeared. People came one after another to sound him out, borrow grain, and beg for food. There was not a moment of peace.

Once I've saved enough money, I have to move to the city! This thought grew firmer and firmer in his heart.

The city at least had better public security, with government offices and constables. Petty scoundrels would not dare act so openly there, and he could train and live with greater peace of mind.

Inside the house, the oil lamp had already been lit.

Three bowls of steaming White rice sat on the small dining table. In the middle was a plate of glistening, fragrant fried cured meat, with a small dish of pickled vegetables beside it.

Such simple yet substantial food was enough to make countless people's eyes turn red and their mouths water in this year of disaster.

Little Bean Sprout had already sat down obediently. She stared eagerly at the plate of cured meat, swallowing again and again.

Liu Wanwan served Fang Yuan a heaping bowl of rice, then placed several thick slices of cured meat into it, saying softly:

"Eat up. You've been tired all day."

The family had just picked up their chopsticks when hurried knocking suddenly sounded outside the courtyard!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The knocks were urgent and heavy, utterly unlike the timid beggars from the daytime.