Early morning.
A fiery golden glow crossed the horizon, illuminating Yuyang Village.
Jiang Yan woke early, drew water, and washed his face. The cool well water splashed against his skin, slipped from his fingertips, and dripped into the basin.
He poured the leftover water in front of the house, where a silverleaf grass grew. He had found it when he first moved here.
During this time, Jiang Yan had occasionally watered it, and the silverleaf grass had grown from a tiny sprout to knee height.
Its vitality was truly vigorous.
Bending down, Jiang Yan gently brushed the silverleaf grass's leaves, then flicked them lightly. Droplets of water flew from the blades.
"Little one, I won't be coming to water you anymore, but you still have to grow nice and tall."
The order appointing him a junior leader had been issued. Aside from a higher salary, he was now entitled to a small courtyard of his own.
Today, he was moving there.
Jiang Yan slung a bundle over his shoulder. A common sword hung at his waist, and inside the bundle were some of his clothes.
He kept his talismans and several books on martial techniques close to his body.
They were his most precious possessions.
He took a careful look around the little hut he had called home and saw that he hadn't left anything behind. Then he picked up his bedding with his right hand, walked out, and turned to leave.
His new home was a small courtyard. The main house had three rooms, and there was also a side room where he could store odds and ends.
In the middle of the courtyard stood a very conspicuous well. Jiang Yan had come here once before and drunk its water. It was clear, with a sweet taste.
Above the well grew a pear tree that had stood there for who knew how many years. Its best fruit-bearing days were long past, and only a few pears still hung from its branches.
Clap,
Clap,
Jiang Yan passed row after row of houses. Whenever he encountered villagers from Yuyang Village, he merely nodded in greeting.
The house wasn't far from Tang Long's, and it was on the same row as Ren Yuan's current residence.
He took out the key, unlocked the door, and carefully swept the entire house and courtyard.
At last, Jiang Yan looked with satisfaction at the fruits of his labor. He would be living here for a while.
Just then, someone knocked.
Jiang Yan opened the door.
Outside stood Tang Long, holding two large roosters and a half-grown piglet.
A jar of wine hung from his neck.
Jiang Yan was taken aback. To be honest, ever since their return from the wilderness, even though Tang Long and Fei Shan had tried to smooth things over and make amends, a rift had still opened between them. Their relationship had grown distant, reduced to exchanging nods and acting like formal colleagues.
He hadn't expected Tang Long to bring him a housewarming gift. But Jiang Yan was only surprised for a moment before a smile appeared on his face. He gestured for Tang Long to come in.
"Let's get these three little fellows settled first."
Tang Long raised the two clucking roosters and the snorting piglet in his hands.
"Sure."
The roosters were easy enough to deal with. Jiang Yan found some rope, tied it around their legs, and let them cluck away for now.
As for the piglet, Jiang Yan found some wooden sticks and built a fence in a corner of the courtyard, then tossed it inside.
After they sat down, Tang Long took a drink of water and said, "I heard you were moving today, so I brought you some meat. It's a humble gift, so don't be offended."
"That's thoughtful of you, Brother Tang. I'm only moving to a different place." Jiang Yan shook his head.
The two men fell silent.
"Oh, right." After a while, Tang Long pointed to the piglet, which was snorting and rooting around in the corner of the courtyard. The corners of his mouth lifted. "Miss Ren sent you this."
Miss Ren? Ren Shurong.
Jiang Yan nodded without expression. What did Ren Shurong mean by sending him a pig? And a half-grown piglet at that.
"I think you should raise this pig a little longer. It'd be a shame to eat it now," Tang Long suggested.
"Mm." Jiang Yan nodded.
Damn it. He couldn't even have the pork; now he had to raise a pig. He was supposed to become an unrivaled powerhouse, and now he had to raise a pig.
After chatting for a while, Tang Long took his leave. Jiang Yan watched him go, silent.
They were both smart men. Tang Long had come only to show some goodwill; he hadn't expected their relationship to return to what it had been. By accepting the gift, Jiang Yan showed that he accepted the goodwill.
Jiang Yan now remained on guard against everything in the world. Not for any other reason—he didn't want to scheme against others, nor did he want to be framed. He only wanted to live in peace.
Once he had finished tidying everything up, he looked at the roosters and piglet in the courtyard with a headache.
"Hmm... I can make the roosters sacrifice themselves for me tonight, but this pig... Do I really have to raise it?"
Damn it, he really wanted to know whether Ren Shurong's brain was as undernourished as some other part of her.
You're a pig, and so is your whole family.
With the sun already high, Jiang Yan went to the village square and practiced his sword as usual.
As his practice improved, he felt that he was becoming more and more proficient in the basic sword forms. Many moves were no longer confined to rigid routines; he could freely break them apart and combine them with other moves.
Having mastered Fast Sword, he could draw his blade like lightning with its special method of exerting force.
The villagers of Yuyang who occasionally sneaked over to learn martial arts watched, dazzled.
"Brother Jiang?"
"Brother Jiang!"
"Why are you practicing your sword again? Isn't your swordsmanship good enough already?"
Hearing the pleasant calls beside him, Jiang Yan reluctantly sheathed his sword.
Hah, Brother Jiang? Was this woman always so familiar with people?
"Miss Ren." Jiang Yan cupped his fists toward Ren Shurong. "Thank you for your gift."
Ren Shurong was dressed plainly today, like an ordinary woman from Yuyang Village. She wore coarse cloth clothes, and her smooth hair had been braided into two thick plaits.
When she saw Jiang Yan looking at her, she didn't act shy. Instead, she stepped forward, spun lightly in a circle, and smiled sweetly at him.
"Do I look nice?"
She asked in a clear voice.
Hmm?
Jiang Yan immediately grew wary. She'd given him a gift, called him Brother Jiang to get close to him, and now she was using a beauty trick.
"You look lovely." Jiang Yan considered the situation, but his face showed only admiration. His gaze was clear, his manner sincere. "Miss Ren, you were born with beauty, blessed by nature..."
Jiang Yan racked his brains, searching for words of praise.
He praised Ren Shurong until her head began to spin.
Was he really talking about her?
She didn't understand what he meant by "sinking fish and falling geese" or "shutting out the moon and shaming the flowers," but it all sounded so beautiful.
Seeing Ren Shurong dazed by his torrent of praise, Jiang Yan turned and walked away without the slightest hesitation.
He didn't know what this woman was up to, but it was surely another troublesome matter she wanted him to deal with.
He didn't think Ren Shurong had feelings for him. They had only known each other for two or three days, and he wasn't so arrogant as to think himself some Long Aotian.
When Ren Shurong saw Jiang Yan suddenly turn and leave, she immediately came to her senses and hurried after him in small, quick steps.
This man really wouldn't take a hint.
She'd made three overtures: given him a pig, called him Brother Jiang, and shown him the new outfit she'd just had altered at the first opportunity.
And then he'd turned around and walked off, planning to ignore her.
How could that be?
"Jiang Yan, wait for me!"
Ren Shurong called out.
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