Barley's Morning

In the villages scattered across the plains at the foot of the mountains, mornings were always filled with chirping insects and birdsong, as well as the warm, bustling atmosphere unique to rural life.

The sky had already brightened, though the sun had only just risen. Its rays pierced the morning mist, dreamy and hazy. Dewdrops on the wheat stalks gleamed crystal-clear, trembling in the breeze before dripping down.

Wang Yan wore a baseball cap pulled low over his hair, which had been slept into a bird's nest. Dressed in a tracksuit and sneakers, he sprinted in long strides along the asphalt road through the wheat fields. After a swift burst of running, he gradually slowed until he came to a complete stop.

Breathing a little heavily, Wang Yan took his phone from his pocket and checked the data on his fitness app. Twenty kilometers in forty-five minutes, with a pace of 2:15. He then opened his browser and looked up the world record for a half marathon: fifty-seven minutes and thirty-one seconds.

Wang Yan nodded in satisfaction, then stretched, extending his arms and legs and doing a standing split.

On a whim, he had gone for an exhilarating run at nearly full strength. Ever since he had undergone a physical examination at his own company and discovered that his body exceeded what ordinary people could accept, he had never had another checkup. It was simply too shocking, and that clearly wasn't a good thing. He also had no way of conducting a comprehensive physical examination on himself, so he had just left it at that.

It was the same with his usual exercise. There were always people around, so to avoid drawing too much attention, he kept his performance roughly at the level of an elite athlete.

Yunmiao Village was