Something Happened

Something Happened

Slaughtering pigs.

First, stab. Then, cut.

Stab meant stabbing the neck to let the pig's blood drain out quickly.

Cut meant cutting off the pig's head, removing the organs, and carving up the meat.

Before transmigrating, Li Yuan had read some tale about a General Zhang who wielded a serpent spear.

General Zhang had once slaughtered pigs. So did he.

Sometimes, Li Yuan wondered whether General Zhang had honed his spear technique by stabbing pigs like this. On the battlefield, he treated people like pigs, thrusting his spear at their necks again and again—fast, accurate, and fierce.

There was no secret to it. It was simply practice.

The thought flashed through his mind. Li Yuan gripped his knife, half-closed his eyes, and recalled scenes from his previous life.

Before his eyes seemed to be rows of chopping blocks, each bearing a pig hooked by the neck and unable to move.

Whoosh!

Stab the throat!

He flipped his wrist and abruptly struck, driving the tip of his blade toward the imagined pig's neck.

At once, the white blade went in and the red blade came out, pig's blood trickling forth.

Then, once the blood had drained and the carcass had been cleaned—

Huff!

Cut off the head!

A current of heat flowed through Li Yuan's arms. With the boost from his blood power, this downward cut was neither fast nor fierce. Something seemed to be missing; he could not pour his strength into every inch of the blade. It was merely an empty motion.

Swish, swish, swish!

Right after that, the long blade in his hand began slicing through the air, taking out the intestines, cutting up the organs...

After going through the full sequence, he sheathed his blade, paused briefly, then began imagining himself slaughtering the next pig.

Snowflakes drifted down onto the wooden crates and basins piled in the backyard, the hard yellow earth and rocks, and the bare tree, only to be swept back into the air now and then by the flashing blade.

Inside, Yan Niangzi leaned against the window, watching her man practice with his knife amid the wind and snow.

Snow rose, blade fell.

As he dashed and stamped, the white snow beneath his feet was trampled into black, dirty ice.

Ordinary people would slip if they hurried across it, but the young man was as steady as a rock.

The power in his blood circulated around his body with every movement, leaving him steaming with heat. His sweat turned to white mist like vapor rising from a boiling pot.

"My man is truly impressive..."

Yan Niangzi's pretty face bloomed like spring. Her right hand, shaped like a half-open lotus, supported her delicate cheek as she gazed dreamily at the snow and the man in the backyard.

Her eyes swept over his strong waist, sturdy thighs, and bulging muscles, and her face suddenly reddened again.

Li Yuan practiced for most of the afternoon, yet aside from loosening up his muscles and bones, he gained absolutely nothing.

Sure enough, skills aren't so easily formed.

Still, only that first stab felt right. The later cuts and chops all seemed to be missing something.

Forget it. No rush. I slaughtered so many pigs in my previous life. At the very least, I should have some advantage when it comes to using a knife.

I'll continue tomorrow.

He returned inside and ate.

Yan Niangzi did not bring up going out for a stroll either.

Li Yuan had said he returned because his old injury had flared up. What sense would there be in going shopping that very day?

After the meal, Aunt Wang busied herself without being told, boiling plenty of hot water and pouring it into a wooden tub, saying she would prepare baths for Master and Madam.

Snow had fallen today, so there was no need to fetch water outside. They only needed to take it from the outdoor water vat.

Li Yuan did not stand on ceremony. He took a comfortable bath and went to bed.

After waiting a while, Yan Niangzi's fiery body slipped beneath the covers as well.

Outside was a world of ice and snow, but the people beneath the blankets were burning hot.

In the blink of an eye, another two days drifted by.

The snow had long since stopped. The cold was harshest when it began to thaw.

After resting a little following their meal, the bored young man and his wife sat in the backyard.

"After this snow, the weather should slowly start warming up," Yan Niangzi said. Still wrapped in her old blue cotton jacket patterned with white flowers, she sat on a wooden chair beneath the eaves and looked at the bare tree in the distance. "I wonder what kind of tree it is, and what sort of flowers it'll bloom with in spring."

"It's an Apricot Tree," Li Yuan said. When he had used his token to buy this shack, he had asked a Blood Saber Sect disciple in charge of the area.

"Apricot blossoms?" Yan Niangzi brightened at once. Her large, lovely eyes shimmered like rippling spring water. "There were some in my old home, but none in Little Ink Village. Now there are some again. That means this place is my home too."

Li Yuan smiled. "Of course it's your home. Wherever I am is your home."

Yan Niangzi shot him a sidelong glance but did not deny it.

After a while, Yan Niangzi suddenly sprang from her chair, stepped into the yard, and assumed an opening stance. "Husband, I've watched you practice your knife these past few days, and I want to pick up that martial art you practiced before."

She was somewhat unwilling to accept it.

She had been the one to pass that martial art on to her husband.

Why had her husband learned it in only a few days while she had practiced for so long without succeeding?

Li Yuan said, "Practice. I'll correct whatever you do wrong."

Yan Niangzi giggled, then her expression turned solemn. She spread her hands, swaying them like willow branches in the wind. Her steps were light, and her breathing expanded and contracted in a particular rhythm.

Li Yuan had been through it himself, so he naturally understood the mysteries of the technique. "Breathing and movements are only superficial forms. The purpose is to stir the flow of blood and qi within your body.

"Your blood and qi will circulate and revolve within you. Through certain cycles of movement and relaxation, over time, they will gradually form a special kind of blood power.

"It is a warm, even scorching force, but it makes you feel extremely comfortable. It can even strengthen your entire body."

"Mm."

Yan Niangzi practiced earnestly.

Now that Aunt Wang handled the housework, her hands had been freed as well.

Li Yuan, meanwhile, continued practicing his pig-slaughtering knife technique.

By evening, steaming Foxtail Millet rice was served, along with a plate of stir-fried meat with scallions, a plate of scrambled eggs with chives, and a bowl of meat soup sprinkled with salt and oil.

That was truly a lavish meal.

The county still had a fairly abundant supply of goods. It was not difficult to leave the shack district and buy scallions and chives at the market.

After Li Yuan finished eating, he went to the front yard. Aunt Wang was bustling about, boiling water for his bath.

Just then, there came a sudden knock at the shack's door.

"Brother Li, are you home? It's Cai Ze."

"Cough, cough. Cough, cough. I'm here."

Li Yuan answered between coughs and went to open the door himself.

Outside stood a young man dressed in a constable's uniform. Who else could it be but Cai Ze?

Cai Ze carried a basket of Winter Jujube and a fish. Upon seeing Li Yuan, he said, "Brother Li, I just heard that your old injury flared up, so I came to see you as soon as I got off duty."

"Come inside, Brother Cai. But I can't accept these things. I was only able to come here thanks to your help. How could I accept more gifts from you? Cough, cough."

"We're brothers. Don't be so polite." After saying that, Cai Ze added in a joking tone, "You're already ninth rank, yet you kept it from your older brother?"

Li Yuan made up an excuse. "It wasn't that I was hiding it. Didn't I get injured? Once the injury flares up, I could fall back to square one at any time, so I didn't tell Brother Cai."

Cai Ze sighed after hearing that, then suddenly leaned closer and said, "If your body can hold up, you should go back sooner rather than later."

"What's wrong?"

"The laborers at all the sites follow whoever is around. If you go back too late, they'll all end up following your partner. It'll be troublesome when you need to get things done in the future."

"Is that so?"

"Your partner is named Wen Xiaoqiao, right?"

"Yes."

"Wen Xiaoqiao's family are grain merchants from Wutong Ward. She has money and means. I heard she's investigating the previous disciples' disappearance case this time. If she solves it, that'll be a major achievement.

"You should hurry back. First, to fight for some say in matters. Second, to work with her and get to the bottom of the disciples' disappearance case. If you succeed, the sect might even promote you two to Outer Sect Disciples."

"Brother Cai, what exactly happened with that disappearance case?"

"They just vanished. People disappear in the county every year."

"But those were Blood Saber Sect Outer Perimeter Disciples on night watch."

Cai Ze leaned closer and smiled. "My guess is they were quietly butchered.

"But this time is different. Lord Li on the island will definitely pay attention. Now it depends on who dares to step forward and handle it.

"Lord Li will provide the muscle.

"And he won't take the credit. What a great opportunity."

With that, he waved his hands repeatedly. "I'm just talking nonsense, so don't take it to heart. What do you think? Have you made up your mind to hurry back?"

Li Yuan sighed. "Brother Cai, I want to as well, but my body... Ah."

"Then that really is a pity."

The two chatted a while longer. Cai Ze even stayed for another meal before finally leaving.

Only after he had left did Yan Niangzi emerge from behind the curtain, asking worriedly, "Husband, what should we do?"

Recalling the cold, sinister aura he had sensed that day, Li Yuan said gravely, "I hope Wen Xiaoqiao can make a great contribution, so I can stay properly in the Black Market."

Another three days passed in the blink of an eye.

The weather gradually warmed.

That evening, Li Yuan's door was knocked on once more.

The knocking was urgent and piercing.

"Brother Li, Brother Li!" Cai Ze's voice came from outside.

Li Yuan opened the door and saw Cai Ze with a grave expression.

Li Yuan asked curiously, "What's wrong, Brother Cai?"

Cai Ze hesitated, then said in a low voice, "Wen Xiaoqiao has disappeared too."