Young Blade Wielders

The sky was faintly lit, and a light morning mist enveloped everything.

It was just after the Minor Fullness (Xiao Man), and a proverb states, "Minor Fullness, Minor Fullness, the wheat grains gradually fill." North of the Yangtze River, winter wheat began to fill with grain, gradually becoming plump but not yet fully ripe, hence the name "Minor Fullness."

The Guanzhong Plain, with its millennia of wind, frost, blood, and fire, its drums and bugles, had long since vanished into the loess ravines. At this moment, only the morning breeze rustled through the wheat waves, shaking off dewdrops and making soft, rustling sounds.

White Deer Plain, Li Family Fortress.

Outside the village, in the farmland, two youths walked slowly.

The one following behind was lean and capable, dressed in coarse black cloth, with leggings wrapped around his calves and a wooden-handled spear slung over his shoulder.

The youth's skin was dark, and a slight smile revealed a mouthful of white teeth.

This was the mark of constant labor in the fields.

Children of farming families, from a young age, followed their elders to the fields, braving wind and rain, sweating profusely under the sun; it was only natural for them to be a bit darker.

The one walking in front was noticeably taller, with a straight back, fair skin, and delicate features, his hair casually tied up in a topknot.

He wore the same black cloth attire and leggings, but carried a bow on his back and a saber at his waist.

This youth couldn't be called handsome, but his features were refined, and his eyes were particularly striking.

They were narrow at the corners, standard phoenix eyes, but his black pupils were like suspended pearls. If one met his gaze, they would feel a chilling light that pierced through, hinting at an imposing presence.

These were called Dragon Eyes, also known as Dragon Pupils. The Guan Ren Jing states: "Dragon Pupils' spirit is unique in the world, their radiance unmoving like mysterious pearls. Calm as a tranquil autumn pool, they are truly wonders of the human world."

Phoenix eyes with Dragon Pupils were an even rarer physiognomy.

The youth's name was Li Yan, and he was not from this world.

Walking into the field ridges, he couldn't help but gently stroke the wheat ears, feeling their plumpness. His eyes narrowed slightly, the intimidating cold light receding, and a smile appeared on his lips.

The wheat before him was all planted by his own hands.

Since arriving in this world, Li Yan had initially found it difficult to adapt. But as the brilliant lights of his past life gradually faded from his memory, he had grown accustomed to this life.

The earth can accommodate all things.

Working from sunrise to sunset, his past anxieties and restlessness had long been buried by this loess earth, and washed away by the joy of each harvest.

"Yan-ge."

The lean, dark youth behind him interrupted his thoughts, looking around and saying, "Blind Old Three might have already run off. Let's go back."

Li Yan turned his head and scoffed, "What nonsense are you spouting? Aren't we going to get revenge for Er Niu?"

"What did you say!"

The lean, dark youth's face flushed as if his tail had been stepped on. He twisted his neck and said, "Er Niu is my sister! If I don't get revenge for this, I, Hei Dan, will pull out a single hair and hang myself!"

"It's just that wolves eat chicks when they're on the roost, and the old man is out when the wolves are happy. We don't go out at night, and we don't go out at noon. At this early hour, how can we find them?"

"Such fancy words! Are you trying to become a Recommended Scholar?"

Li Yan cursed him and looked towards the distant mountains, shaking his head. "Blind Old Three is no ordinary wolf..."

Wolf infestations in Guanzhong have been a constant problem since ancient times.

Especially in the last two years, something unknown has happened in the Qinling Mountains, causing fierce wolves to frequently emerge and descend to the various plains to wreak havoc.

These wolves are larger and more ferocious and cunning than before.

They not only prey on livestock but also have a preference for eating children.

"Chicken on the roost" refers to dusk, and "the old man is out" refers to noon.

"Wolves eat chicks when they're on the roost, and the old man is out when the wolves are happy" means that wolves are most likely to appear during these two periods.

Some might wonder, if it's understandable at night, why would wolves dare to enter the village to harm people at noon?

They don't know that ordinary people work from dawn till dusk, avoiding the hottest part of the day at noon, which is precisely when the wolves appear.

They are exceptionally cunning and will secretly snatch away children who are sleeping between their parents, a practice called "pulling garlic sprouts."

They will even hide in the wheat fields and whimper like crying babies. If curious children wander into the wheat fields, they will be snatched away.

"Blind Old Three" is one such wolf that descended from the Qinling Mountains.

It is even thicker than other wolves.

For the past two years, the villages in White Deer Plain have set up traps to guard against wolves. When "Blind Old Three" first arrived, it fell into a trap and was blinded in one eye. It harbored a grudge and began to target Li Family Fortress.

It escaped every encirclement.

From then on, the name "Blind Old Three" began to circulate.

Some say that "Blind Old Three" is different from other wolves; it grew up in Zhongnan Mountain, absorbed the spiritual energy of the mountains, and gained some Dao progress.

Others were fearful and even wanted to build a temple to offer it sacrifices, hoping it would stop harming the village, but fortunately, the Clan Leader of the Li family intervened.

In short, "Blind Old Three" has become a source of fear for Li Family Fortress.

Every year around the time of the Summer Harvest, the wolf problem becomes most severe.

Er Niu is Hei Dan's sister, just two years old. When her parents went to the fields, fearing it wouldn't be safe to leave the child at home, they carried her on their backs to the fields.

Halfway through their work, finding it inconvenient, they placed her at the edge of the field.

The field edge was close to the official road, and there were still many villagers coming and going, so I thought it would be safer.

Little did I expect that in the blink of an eye, "Blind Old Three" would dart out, snatch Er Niu, and run.

The people of Li Family Fortress, armed with sickles and hoes, chased for several miles, but when they found them, only a tattered blood-stained cloth was left.

Hei Dan's mother cried as if her life was over, and his father, a man of even hotter temper, gathered his clansmen and searched the mountains and plains for days and nights, but to no avail.

Later, someone advised that after all, she was just a little girl, and with the busy farming season, the search was called off.

But Hei Dan couldn't forget, and he found Li Yan to help.

Li Yan also wanted to get rid of this menace, so he pondered for a while.

He guessed that "Blind Old Three" was indeed cunning, and perhaps like a surprise military attack, it wouldn't appear at night or at noon, but would show itself before dawn, when people were most asleep. So, for the past few days, he had been taking Hei Dan to search two hours earlier.

However, for several consecutive days, they didn't even find a wolf hair.

This made Li Yan begin to doubt his own judgment.

As the two were talking, the eastern sky had already turned pale, reflecting the winding mountain range in pitch darkness. Smoke was also rising from Li Family Fortress.

"Let's go."

Li Yan pressed the hilt of his saber at his waist and shook his head, "We'll continue tomorrow."

Although Hei Dan was disappointed, he nodded.

The children of Guanzhong had a stubborn streak. He had decided that he wouldn't consider this matter finished until "Blind Old Three" was dealt with.

The two didn't take the main road but hurried up the mountainside towards the village.

Hei Dan had sneaked out. He wanted to climb back home over the village's back wall before his parents discovered him, otherwise, if they found out, he wouldn't be able to go out again.

The closer they got to the village, the more dejected Hei Dan became, not saying a word.

Li Yan glanced at him, "What's wrong?"

Hei Dan mumbled, "In a few days, my dad is going to take me to be a wheat harvester."

Li Yan frowned upon hearing this, "Why go out when you have your own fields to harvest?"

Hei Dan said, "My dad said that last year, many factories opened in Jinmen and Jiangnan, and many young people ran off to make money. Now, all the plains are short-handed."

"This year, several major patrons have already announced that they're offering good wages. My dad wants to take me around to save some money for me to get married."

Wheat harvesting was an ancient profession.

Due to climate differences in the Guanzhong region, wheat generally ripens from south to north, and from west to east.

As the saying goes, "Three wheat harvests are not as long as one autumn, and three autumns are not as busy as one wheat harvest." Every time the Grain in Ear festival arrived and the summer wheat harvest began, it was no less busy than going to war.

Although it was common for the Guanzhong climate to be dry and hot with scarce rainfall at this time, the Dragon King might sneeze at any moment.

Wheat feared rain the most. Once wet, it would easily sprout or mold.

There was a folk saying: Harvesting wheat is like saving a fire, snatching grain from the dragon's mouth.

So, during this time in Guanzhong, there were people everywhere cutting wheat for a mouthful of grain, called wheat harvesters.

In the past, they didn't earn much. If the patron was kind and treated them with white flour steamed buns as best as they could, the wheat harvesters would be grateful.

In lean years, they couldn't even get enough mixed grain cakes, let alone wages.

Even so, wheat harvesters came in droves.

The reason was simple: by eating at others' homes, they saved their own grain.

Life was hard, so what was wrong with selling their strength?

Li Yan knew that Hei Dan wasn't afraid of hard work, but of "Blind Old Three" running off elsewhere or hiding in the Qinling Mountains after the summer harvest, leaving the matter unresolved.

Thinking of this, he patted Hei Dan's shoulder and said seriously, "Don't worry, after eating your chicken, it's considered a done deal. I will definitely handle the matter of 'Blind Old Three'!"

"Yan-ge, I believe you!"

Hei Dan nodded seriously.

The Eight Hundred Li Qin Chuan of Guanzhong had a strong knight-errant spirit since ancient times.

Now, there were also Guanzhong Blade Wielders who kept their promises worth a thousand gold.

Li Yan's father was once a renowned blade wielder in Guanzhong.

Many people in the village believed that Li Yan would follow in his father's footsteps in the future.

As if his worries were lifted, Hei Dan looked at the distant mountains again, a hint of longing flashing in his eyes, "I heard that the young men who went out as apprentices last year all sent money home before the New Year..."

"Yan-ge, what do you think it's like on the other side of the mountains?"

Li Yan sneered, "What else could it be? It's still mountains, still people."

Before he finished speaking, his expression changed slightly. He grabbed Hei Dan and sniffed the air, lowering his voice, "Hei Dan, do you smell anything?"

Hei Dan also sniffed, confused, "No."

Li Yan didn't say more, his expression gradually becoming solemn.

In the fields and along the paths, some stories were told in a rather fantastical way, such as "ghost obscures eyes," "spirit possession," and "tiger auntie."

There wasn't much entertainment in the village. Only during festivals or the Social Fire Temple Fair would the clan invite an opera troupe from Chang'an City, drawing people from villages within ten li.

During ordinary times, however, stories told by the elders under the old trees at dusk became the children's pastime, passed down through generations.

Some of those stories were about royalty and generals, but more were absurd and bizarre.

Some people believed them wholeheartedly, claiming such events had happened in a particular village, though they had never seen them firsthand.

Others scoffed, dismissing them as jokes.

But Li Yan vaguely felt that some of these things might actually be true.

The reason was simple: a year ago, his sense of smell began to change. Not only did it become unusually sensitive, but he could also detect scents others couldn't.

For instance, at the Earth God Temple at the village entrance, even without incense burning, he could smell a faint scent of burning incense...

And at Widow Wang's house, every time he passed by, he could smell a scent of incense, but it carried a hint of fishy foulness...

Now, he smelled another scent.

Fishy, cold, and with a hint of blood.

And he had smelled this particular fishy, foul scent before, when he found Er Niu's remains...

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