The Pig and the Girl

Morning.

Crimson golden light pierced the horizon, illuminating Yuyang Village.

Jiang Yan woke early, fetched water, and washed his face. The cold well water splashed on his face, then slipped through his fingers, falling into the basin.

He poured the remaining water in front of his house, where a Silver Leaf Grass grew. He had discovered it when he first moved in.

During this time, Jiang Yan occasionally watered it, and the Silver Leaf Grass had grown from a tiny sprout to his knee.

Its vitality was truly vigorous.

Bending down, Jiang Yan gently brushed the leaves of the Silver Leaf Grass. With a flick, water droplets on the leaves flew off.

"Little thing, I won't be watering you anymore, but you still have to grow tall."

The order from the small leader had been issued. Besides an increase in his salary, he would also have his own independent small courtyard.

Today, he was moving.

Jiang Yan slung a bundle over his shoulder, a common sword hanging at his waist, containing some of his clothes.

Talismans and several martial arts manuals were kept close to his body.

These were his most precious possessions.

He took a careful look at the small hut that had sheltered him, ensuring nothing was left behind. He picked up his bedding with his right hand, walked out the door, and turned to leave.

The new residence was a small courtyard. The main house had three rooms, and there was a side room for storing miscellaneous items.

In the center of the courtyard stood a conspicuous well. Jiang Yan had visited once before and drunk the water from it; it was clear and had a sweet taste.

Above the well was a pear tree of unknown age. It had long passed its peak fruiting season, and only a few pears hung from its branches.

Thump.

Thump.

Jiang Yan walked past rows of houses, occasionally meeting villagers from Yuyang Village. He merely nodded in greeting.

This house was not far from Tang Long's, and even in the same row as where Ren Yuan was currently living.

He took the key, unlocked the door, and thoroughly cleaned the entire house and courtyard.

Finally, Jiang Yan looked with satisfaction at the results of his labor. He would be living here for some time.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Jiang Yan opened it.

Outside stood Tang Long, carrying two large roosters and a half-grown piglet. A jar of wine hung from his neck.

Jiang Yan was momentarily stunned. To be honest, since their return from the wilderness that one time, even though Tang Long and Fei Shan had smoothed things over and apologized to Jiang Yan, a rift had formed, and their relationship had grown distant. They were now mere acquaintances, formal colleagues at best.

He hadn't expected Tang Long to bring gifts for his move. But Jiang Yan only paused for a moment before a smile appeared on his face. He gestured invitingly, ushering Tang Long inside.

"Let's settle these three little guys first," Tang Long said, holding up the squawking roosters and grunting piglet.

"Okay," Jiang Yan replied.

The roosters were easy. He found a rope, tied their legs, and let them cluck. As for the piglet, Jiang Yan found a wooden stick and built a small enclosure in a corner of the yard, tossing it in.

Sitting 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, don't stand on ceremony."

"Brother Tang is too kind. It's just a change of residence," Jiang Yan shook his head.

The two men fell silent.

"Oh, right," Tang Long said after a while, pointing at the piglet rooting around in the corner of the yard, a smile on his lips. "Miss Ren sent this to you."

Miss Ren? Ren Shurong.

Jiang Yan nodded expressionlessly. What did Ren Shurong mean by sending him a pig, and a half-grown one at that?

"I think this pig needs to be raised a bit longer. It would be a shame to eat it now," Tang Long suggested.

"Mm," Jiang Yan nodded.

Damn it, no pork for dinner, and now he had to raise a pig. He was destined to become an unparalleled powerhouse, and now he had to raise a pig.

After some idle chat, Tang Long took his leave. Jiang Yan watched him go, remaining silent.

Both were intelligent men. Tang Long's visit was merely to express goodwill, not expecting their relationship to return to its previous state. Jiang Yan accepted the gift, signifying his acceptance of this goodwill.

Jiang Yan was now vigilant about everything in the world. It wasn't for any other reason than that he didn't want to scheme against others or be framed. He just wanted to live his life well.

After tidying everything up, he looked with a headache at the rooster and piglet in the yard.

"Ugh... I can make those roosters sacrifice themselves for me tonight. This pig... do I really have to raise it?"

Damn it, he really wanted to know if Ren Shurong's brain was as lacking in nutrients as some other part of her.

You're the pig, your whole family is.

The sun was high when Jiang Yan arrived at the square, practicing his sword as usual.

As his practice improved, he felt his grasp of the basic sword moves becoming more proficient. Many sword techniques were no longer bound by rigid routines, but could be freely dismantled and combined between moves.

Having gained an initial understanding of fast sword techniques, the special power-exerting methods made his sword strikes as swift as lightning.

This left the Yuyang Village villagers who occasionally snuck over to learn martial arts dazzled.

"Brother Jiang?"

"Brother Jiang!"

"Why are you practicing sword again? Isn't your swordsmanship good enough yet?"

Hearing the pleasant calls by his ears, Jiang Yan reluctantly sheathed his sword.

Heh, Brother Jiang? This woman is quite forward.

"Miss Ren." Jiang Yan cupped his fists towards Ren Shurong. "Thank you for your gift."

Ren Shurong was dressed very ordinarily today, in the attire of a common woman from Yuyang Village, wearing coarse cloth clothes, her long, smooth hair also tied into two large braids.

Seeing Jiang Yan looking at her, she didn't blush shyly. Instead, she stepped forward, turned around lightly, and smiled sweetly at Jiang Yan.

"Does it look good?"

She asked crisply.

Huh?

Jiang Yan immediately became vigilant. This woman was giving him gifts, calling him Brother Jiang to get close, and now she was using a honey trap.

"It looks good." Jiang Yan thought to himself, but his face showed admiration. His gaze was clear, his attitude sincere. "Miss Ren is naturally beautiful, endowed by heaven..."

Jiang Yan racked his brain, spewing out words of praise.

This completely dazed Ren Shurong.

Is he really talking about me?

Although she didn't understand what he meant by "sinking fish and falling geese" or "hiding the moon and shaming the flowers," it still sounded beautiful.

Seeing Ren Shurong dazed by his "grand showering of compliments," Jiang Yan turned and left without any hesitation.

He didn't know what this woman was up to, but it was definitely something that would trouble him.

He didn't think Ren Shurong had any romantic intentions towards him. They had only known each other for two or three days, and he didn't have the overconfident swagger of a protagonist.

Seeing Jiang Yan suddenly turn and leave, Ren Shurong snapped back to clarity and quickly trotted to catch up with Jiang Yan.

This man is truly unyielding.

Her three-pronged approach to get his attention – gifting a pig, calling him Brother Jiang, and showing off her newly made clothes – had all failed. And then he just turned and left, intending to ignore her.

How can that be?

"Jiang Yan, wait for me."

Ren Shurong called out directly.