The two left the schoolhouse and strolled outside the fence, carefully avoiding cow dung beneath their feet.
Leaving the village, they arrived beside a little bridge over flowing water, the stream babbling at their feet.
Looking out, they saw emerald fields, old oxen leisurely grazing, and layers of post-rain mist half-veiling the sky, obscuring the distant green mountains.
The schoolteacher seemed moved and sighed. "A land fair as a painting!"
The peddler shook his head slightly. "Sir, you should let it go. From the moment I made my move, this land could never be reclaimed. Trying to seize it by force will only cost you your life. When that happens, I won't be able to protect you either. Just look at it."
The schoolteacher asked, "Is Mother well?"
The peddler said, "I don't know. I went there once and found something amiss. They may well have laid a net that covers heaven and earth, waiting for us. I didn't dare go again. But you may rest assured, sir. With the eldest young lady there, the old madam will certainly be treated well."
The schoolteacher asked, "Why did you come to see me?"
The peddler said, "I brought good news to ease your gloom. Niu Youdao is dead. He died in the Sacred Realm. I don't know whose hands he died by, but one thing is certain: he truly is dead!"
The schoolteacher's mouth twitched violently, hatred surfacing in his eyes. "Good death! He got off too easily by dying at someone else's hands!"
He knew all too well how Zhao Kingdom had fallen. Niu Youdao had been the one who stirred up the Yan-Zhao War. Because of Niu Youdao, Dawn Moon Pavilion had raised troops and joined forces to attack Zhao Kingdom. The man he hated most was Niu Youdao,