Sudden Change

In front of the stove.

Hu Liena watched Qian Yun working hard in front of the stove and laughed, "Not bad. Looking at you, I thought you were some young master who ran away from home; I didn't expect you to be so nimble with chores."

Qian Yun didn't mind, saying, "It's just washing dishes, how hard could it be?"

Hu Liena smiled and said nothing.

Qian Yun glanced at Hu Liena, who was working alongside him, and said nonchalantly, "Your cooking is quite good. By the way, was that Ghost Moth today really a spirit beast?"

"Could it be fake? Didn't you taste it?" Hu Liena replied without hesitation.

Qian Yun tilted his head, reminiscing, "The taste was much better than ordinary meat. But I haven't seen a spirit beast before, so I'm just curious."

Hearing him say this, Hu Liena stopped what she was doing, tilted her head, and said indignantly, "I haven't seen one either. They never take me when they go hunting. How annoying."

"So, is Grandpa Village Chief really a spirit master?" Qian Yun really wanted to see a spirit master with his own eyes and watch them use spirit skills. If he didn't have to worry about acting too strange, he would have definitely asked Grandpa Village Chief to demonstrate his spirit skills.

"Ah! I have actually seen that!" Hu Liena said with some excitement, "I saw Grandpa cultivating before. At that time, a spirit ring appeared around him. It was light, white, and truly beautiful."

"Oh?" Hearing her describe it like that, Qian Yun felt even more intrigued.

"But it's nothing special! I will become a powerful spirit master in the future, with a beautiful martial soul and gorgeous spirit rings!" Hu Liena seemed to have found an outlet, even blurting out the dream she had kept as a secret.

Realizing what she had done, Hu Liena turned bright red. She pouted and glared at Qian Yun, saying, "This is my secret... you aren't allowed to tell anyone, or else I'll..."

Hu Liena puffed up her cheeks and spoke for a long time, but couldn't decide what she would actually do. Qian Yun naturally wouldn't ask for trouble by provoking her; instead, he was interested in another part of what she said.

So he asked, "Why is wanting to become a spirit master a secret?"

Hu Liena's expression faltered. She sat on the floor, feeling somewhat discouraged, a sorrow that didn't belong to her age appearing on her young face. She pursed her lips and said, "Grandpa and A-Qiang have always opposed me becoming a spirit master, saying that finding a good family to marry into in the future is enough."

"This..." Qian Yun was speechless. In his heart, he felt that the Village Chief and the others were wrong. But as an outsider, what could he say?

"Don't worry, you will definitely become a spirit master." Qian Yun looked at her small face and said firmly.

Hearing this, Hu Liena looked up, unable to believe it, and met Qian Yun's eyes.

"Really?"

"Of course." Qian Yun nodded.

Hu Liena stared blankly into Qian Yun's clear eyes, only realizing her loss of composure a moment later.

Dropping a "You're sensible enough," she stood up and began to work again.

Qian Yun smiled. Knowing the original story, he wasn't panicked at all. Hu Liena would not only become a spirit master, but she would also grow into a leader of the younger generation in Martial Soul Hall.

The two of them worked in silence, and soon the pile of dishes became clean and shiny.

"Clang, clang... bang!"

Suddenly, a dull knocking sound rang out.

The two turned around and looked at each other. Who would be knocking on the door in the middle of the night? And knocking on the kitchen door, at that.

"Who is it?" Hu Liena shouted toward the door.

"Clang, clang... bang..."

The response was still the same dull knocking. Hu Liena's little face hardened, and she was about to step forward to teach whoever it was a lesson for not having ears.

Qian Yun was quick-witted and grabbed her.

"What are you doing...?" Hu Liena asked, confused. Before she could finish, she saw Qian Yun frowning and making a shushing gesture at her.

Seeing his expression, Hu Liena finally realized something was wrong. The knocking continued, and it was becoming increasingly violent. Now, it didn't sound like knocking at all; it sounded like someone was slamming their body against the door! Fortunately, the door opened outward, so it was very difficult to break through from the outside.

Qian Yun frowned, his heart pounding.

The blood-red moonlight shone into the kitchen through the window, and the constant knocking filled Qian Yun with a growing sense of foreboding. He took Hu Liena's hand, walked over to the woodpile, picked out a thick wooden club, and weighed it in his hand.

Seeing this, Hu Liena's eyes widened, and her nervous little hand grabbed his arm in return.

"We don't need to be afraid. With the door blocking them, they can't get in." Qian Yun held the wooden club in one hand while shielding Hu Liena behind him.

"Mm." She was usually never quiet, but now her hands were trembling.

In truth, there was one thing Qian Yun didn't say: there was no way to run now.

As they spoke, a shrill cry came from outside. It started with one household, then gradually ten, then a hundred. Old people, children... in a very short time, the village was ablaze with fire, and screams filled the air!

Soon, thick smoke began to drift in from outside the door.

"Hoo—" Qian Yun took a deep breath. Listening to the commotion, something major had definitely happened outside. Combined with the door that was about to give way and the burning house... Damn it, why haven't the Village Chief and A-Qiang woken up yet?!

He couldn't wait any longer!

Staying here would only mean waiting for death. To be safe, he had to find an opportunity to break out and find the Village Chief and A-Qiang.

Qian Yun turned back and gave Hu Liena, who was on the verge of tears, the most reassuring smile he could muster. "Close your eyes. We're going to rush out in a moment. No matter what happens, don't open them."

Hu Liena wiped away her teary eyes and said tremblingly, "Qian Yun, we'll both be okay, right?"

Qian Yun nodded, and Hu Liena finally closed her eyes.

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

The sound outside could now be described as smashing the door. Qian Yun stared at the door bolt, which was already under immense strain, and estimated it could only hold for five more hits.

Five, four... three, inhale, don't be nervous two...

Qian Yun lowered his body, counting down in his heart the seconds until the door would be breached.

Finally.

One!

"Bang!!"

The door shattered on cue, and Qian Yun darted rapidly toward the opening with Hu Liena in tow.

By the light of the flames, and just as Qian Yun had expected, there was indeed someone outside ramming the door. Just as he was wondering who it could be, his shoulder crossed the threshold, and in a fleeting glance, Qian Yun finally saw the face of the intruder!

"A-Qiang?!"

Qian Yun's body brushed past A-Qiang's, and who else could this person with the hideous, bloodshot eyes be but A-Qiang?

No wonder... no wonder! I was wondering why A-Qiang hadn't come to save us yet; it turns out he had been here all along.

Before he could even recover his senses after stepping out, a scorching gust of wind was violently forced down his throat.

"Cough, cough." Qian Yun glanced back at A-Qiang once, then relied on his memory from earlier in the day to charge toward the courtyard exit. If A-Qiang is here, then where is the village chief?

Carrying this doubt, Qian Yun pulled Hu Liena through the thick smoke, and he soon found out where the village chief was.

Looking toward the entrance of the courtyard, where the village chief stood holding a torch, Qian Yun's face darkened as he slowly retreated in silence.

The village chief walked toward them with bloodshot eyes, a pure white ring floating beside him. His signature deerskin cap was nowhere to be seen.

At this moment, tongues of fire licked the air behind the village chief, his messy black and white hair flying as he walked slowly toward them. His gaunt, thin frame felt like a towering mountain, pressing down on Qian Yun until he couldn't catch his breath.

In his current state, Qian Yun had no chance of winning against the village chief, and coupled with the head-spinning dizziness that had set in the moment he entered the courtyard, even walking felt like a struggle.

"Qian Yun, are you done yet? My head hurts so much, I can't take it anymore. Did I open my eyes?... Village Chief!" As soon as Hu Liena opened her eyes, she was terrified pale by the scene before her.

The courtyard, usually filled with warm memories, was now engulfed in flames. The sound of cracking timber filled her ears, and hot, swirling ash slapped against her pale face. Before her eyes lay a scene of hell on earth, and the person responsible for it all was the one person who should have been the least likely: the village chief?!

"Village Chief, is that you?" Hu Liena asked with a trembling voice, finding the bloodshot, murderous man before her too unfamiliar to recognize.

Qian Yun gripped her wrist tightly, preventing her from rushing forward.

Who would have thought that this cry of "Village Chief" would trigger something? The village chief let out a bestial roar that didn't sound human, and in the blink of an eye, he charged at them.

"Ah!" Amidst a piercing scream, Qian Yun barely managed to dodge, but they had been forced back into the burning house.

Having narrowly escaped one disaster, Qian Yun now had to face the village chief's pursuit.

It's over, this is the end.

Just then, another figure lunged out of the thick smoke; a tall, sturdy frame that sent the village chief flying with a single impact. Both of them were sent crashing into the sea of flames.

"Village Chief! A-Qiang!" Hu Liena let out a miserable shriek, which also exhausted her final ounce of energy.

Qian Yun gritted his teeth and scooped up the unconscious Hu Liena, fighting against his increasingly heavy head. He wasn't sure if he could make it out, but he had to at least try to find a way. The surroundings were now a sea of fire, with broken timber constantly falling from above. The scorching heat was enough to roast a person alive.

Finally, as the last piece of broken timber crashed down right in front of him, the last possibility of survival was cut off.

Collapsed on the ground, Qian Yun held the fainted Hu Liena tightly, trying his best to shield her within his embrace. He didn't know how much time had passed, but his consciousness seemed to clear once more. In a daze, he felt a power emanating from within, gradually enveloping them both. In that final instant, he vaguely heard a voice:

"First Spirit Skill, Gale Wave!"