Returning to the Village

Hu Liena could only think about such things to herself. She still didn't have the nerve to actually act on them.

Qian Yun carefully tended to her wounds. Fortunately, they were only superficial and hadn't damaged her muscles or bones, so Hu Liena didn't need to worry about them affecting the development of her leg.

"This should do it. Just make sure you don't move around." After warning her, Qian Yun set about preparing lunch.

They had prepared thoroughly for this trip, and the mission was already complete, so he didn't need to ration their supplies anymore. He threw all the remaining dried meat and vegetables into a pot and stewed them into a hearty soup.

Hu Liena was resting comfortably against the bedding. Hearing the activity outside the tent, she wrinkled her delicate nose. "That smells so good."

Just then, Qian Yun came in carrying a steaming pot.

"Here. You're the patient today, so I made you some bone broth to help you recover."

"Great, I can hardly wait... Mmm, you're a wonderful cook. Much better than the chefs at Pope Hall." Hu Liena had only taken one taste, but she was already lavishly praising Qian Yun's cooking.

"Heh." Qian Yun served himself a bowl and tried a sip. It did taste good, though somehow it still felt like something was missing...

"It's all right, but it's not as amazing as you say. Maybe one day I can take you to try some truly delicious food."

Hu Liena wasn't convinced. She could cook too, and she knew Qian Yun's skill was already excellent. If this didn't count as good, what did?

After draining her first bowl, Hu Liena said, still wanting more, "I'll hold you to that. Give me another bowl."

"Sure."

Hu Liena and Qian Yun were both still growing, and Bibi Dong was hardly going to skimp on their meals. They could eat far more than their appearances suggested.

After their lavish lunch, both of them were clearly feeling much better.

All that remained was to wait for the scouts to finish handling the Ghost Moth's corpse. Then they could leave.

It was nearly dusk when Qian Yun, who had been cultivating, finally heard movement outside the tent. He got up and helped Hu Liena to her feet, and the two of them left the tent together.

Quite a few people had gathered outside. What caught his attention most was the pile of gray fur on the ground and the stark white bones beside it.

"My lord, we've handled the Ghost Moth as you instructed," one of the scouts reported to Qian Yun.

Qian Yun gave the remains a cursory look. They really had cleaned it up thoroughly. He supposed they must have thought he wanted the parts for his collection.

"You did well. You've worked hard on this trip. Take this to the Spirit Hall and claim your reward." Qian Yun handed over a token.

The leader's eyes lit up, but he hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no, my lord. We only did our duty. We can't say we worked hard."

"Take it. Besides, I'm not giving it to you for nothing. We'll still need you to escort us to Beast King Village." Smiling, Qian Yun held the token out a little farther.

"Ah, yes." At last, the man stopped refusing. He took the token, ordered his subordinates to load the remains onto the cart, and set off with Qian Yun for the Spirit Hall in Muyi City.

Sunset Forest was a long way from Muyi City. Even traveling day and night would take quite some time. Fortunately, they could rely on their status as members of the Spirit Hall. They took the main road, which added some time to the journey but kept it mostly trouble-free.

A few days later

The night sky was always bright with stars. In the carriage, Qian Yun glanced at Hu Liena in the dim lamplight. She had already removed the bandages from her leg. "Is something on your mind?"

Hu Liena was quiet for a moment, then finally nodded and said softly, "We're almost back..."

"Yeah, we're not far from Muyi City or Beast King Village now." Qian Yun agreed, then asked, "What are you planning to do?"

Hu Liena knew what he meant. She lowered her head and glanced at Qian Yun, looking conflicted. "I... First, promise you won't laugh at me!"

"Sure."

Qian Yun moved to sit closer to Hu Liena and waited quietly for her to continue.

Hu Liena's eyes darted away. Then, cautiously, she began, "I... I want to compensate the villagers with gold coins."

"With gold coins? You want to compensate them with money?" Qian Yun was a little surprised.

Hu Liena thought he didn't understand, and quickly added, "I know it would feel rather impersonal, but I really can't think of a better way. Don't worry, I've saved nearly thirty thousand gold coins over the years."

Hu Liena lifted her head and said earnestly, "I've already worked it out. If I give each family two hundred gold coins, it should be just enough."

Qian Yun understood. "No wonder you insisted I accept Lina's payment back then. This is what you had in mind."

Hu Liena awkwardly scratched her head. "I couldn't help it. Twenty thousand gold coins is a huge fortune..."

"Heh." Qian Yun chuckled, interrupting her. "That's not what I was surprised about. What surprised me is that we finally came up with the same idea."

"What... Could it be?" Hu Liena gasped, her eyes widening.

As she stared in shock, Qian Yun pulled a black-and-gold card from the Cat's Eye Stone against his chest. "Twenty thousand gold coins... I'd been wondering if that would be too little to compensate the villagers. It looks like the two of us should have enough between us."

Hu Liena stared blankly at the black-and-gold card in Qian Yun's hand and asked without thinking, "Where did you get so much money?"

Qian Yun held the card out to Hu Liena. "Missions from the Enforcement Team at Pope Hall are hard to get, but the rewards are just as impressive. I've saved up this much over the years without even realizing it."

"Qian Yun..." Hu Liena pinched one corner of the black-and-gold card. Her lips trembled, and her eyes glistened.

"You can't cry again. You're practically an adult now. You won't look pretty if you keep crying."

Hu Liena quickly stopped herself and nodded firmly. "I won't cry anymore!"

"Good." Qian Yun nodded in satisfaction as he watched Hu Liena put the card away. Then he remembered something. "Why don't we go to Muyi City first instead of heading straight to Beast King Village?"

"Huh? Why?"

Qian Yun only smiled. "It'll come in handy."

"Oh."

Two days later, Qian Yun's group, who had originally been headed for Beast King Village, suddenly changed course and arrived at the Spirit Hall in Muyi City.

Duomeng, now serving as acting bishop, greeted them at the entrance.

"Youngsters, you've had a hard time." Duomeng chuckled as he helped them down from the carriage.

Qian Yun and Hu Liena bowed, then smiled. "Thanks for your help, Uncle Duomeng."

Duomeng waved a hand and sighed. "Oh, what hardship? I've heard what happened. I can't believe you really managed to kill that Ghost Moth. You're so young, yet so capable. Your future is boundless!"

"You're too kind, Senior Duomeng. Without your kindness in saving our lives back then, Xiao Na and I wouldn't be where we are today. But we'll have to trouble you to help us again this time."

"Heh." Duomeng smiled and stepped aside, gesturing for them to come in. "Of course. You're the Spirit Hall's rising stars, and old friends of mine. I ought to help you, both out of friendship and duty. Just tell me what you need."

"Good, I'll be direct. I need people from the Spirit Hall to go with me to Beast King Village."

After their brief meeting, Duomeng understood what they had come for. He immediately promised to take care of relocating the graves of Grandpa Village Chief and A-Qiang himself, and told them to go to Beast King Village and take care of their own business without worry.

Qian Yun also learned something unexpected from him: Beast King Village had already been rebuilt.

After asking for details, he learned that when the disaster first struck, the Spirit Hall had planned to simply notify the empire and arrange some compensation. But when Bibi Dong heard about it, she personally ordered the Spirit Hall to fund the village's reconstruction.

The rebuilt Beast King Village was even more beautiful than before. Standing there, Hu Liena and Qian Yun felt this especially keenly.

Hu Liena stood outside Beast King Village once again, gazing at the familiar yet strange sight before her.

Qian Yun followed behind her. Perhaps to Beast King Village he was nothing more than an ordinary passerby, but to Hu Liena, this little village was home. She had been born and raised here. Beast King Village held far too many memories for her.

"Beast King Village..." Hu Liena rested one hand against the support post at the entrance and looked at the three familiar characters on the signboard, her heart stirred.

Just as Duomeng had said, the Spirit Hall had completely renovated the place. Now, apart from the signboard, everything looked different from before. Hu Liena didn't know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. She only felt a strange sense of familiarity and unfamiliarity.

At the village entrance, an old woman carrying a basket watched Qian Yun's group from a distance. She frowned as she looked at Hu Liena's movements, feeling that she seemed familiar. When Hu Liena said "Beast King Village" aloud, the old woman's eyes widened. Her voice trembling, she cried, "Xiao Na!"

Hu Liena came to her senses and hurriedly lowered her head in a fluster. "I... I..."

The woman stepped closer and took a good look at her, growing even more certain. "You're Xiao Na! My goodness... Xiao Na, you're back!"

The old woman rushed forward and grabbed Hu Liena's arm in excitement. Having just finished her farm work, she left a gray-black smudge on Hu Liena's dress.

Hu Liena couldn't care less. She, too, had recognized the identity of the haggard old woman before her.

"Aunt Wu!" Hu Liena cried, throwing her arms around the stooped old woman.

"Ah! You're back, you're back!" Aunt Wu's eyes brimmed with tears as she gently patted Hu Liena's back.

Looking at the girl who had grown into a young woman, Aunt Wu brushed her rough fingers across Hu Liena's fair, delicate face and nodded repeatedly. "Xiao Na's grown even prettier. Aunt Wu is so happy."

Hu Liena blushed a little. Looking at the wrinkles at the corners of Aunt Wu's eyes and the white at her temples, she smiled. "Aunt Wu is the prettiest."

"Ah, I'm past it. Aunt Wu's an old woman now. I can't compare to how I used to look." Aunt Wu waved a hand, only then noticing the group behind Hu Liena.

"Who's this?" Aunt Wu asked Hu Liena, looking at the handsome young man behind her.

"Oh, him... This is Qian Yun. He's my friend, and like me, he's with the Spirit Hall." Hu Liena pulled Qian Yun over to introduce him to Aunt Wu.

"Hello, Aunt Wu." Qian Yun followed Hu Liena's lead and addressed her as Aunt Wu.

Aunt Wu studied the young man, then looked at Hu Liena as if she understood something. Her gaze turned teasing. "Oh, a friend, is he?"

Hu Liena immediately realized Aunt Wu had misunderstood. She hurriedly explained, "Aunt Wu, we really are just friends."

Aunt Wu chuckled, looking as if she knew exactly what was going on. "All right, I understand. You're very close friends, right?"

Qian Yun didn't understand what they meant, so he could only nod blankly. "Right, we're good friends."

"Haha."

"You..." Seeing that he'd actually agreed, Hu Liena was so embarrassed and annoyed that she smacked his shoulder.

"All right, Xiao Na, Qian Yun. You've come all this way—why don't you visit my home?"

Hu Liena hesitated. "Um, maybe not, Aunt Wu. Qian Yun and I have something important to take care of. Could you take me to see the village chief?"

Aunt Wu nodded, understanding. "After that fire, I searched everywhere for you, but couldn't find you. Later, someone told me you'd gone to the Spirit Hall. You want to speak to the person in charge? Come with me."

Hu Liena hurried after her and took her basket. "Aunt Wu, who's the village chief now?"

"You know him. It's Er Hu's father. Er Hu's the only Spirit Master in the village now, so when his father wanted to be village chief, no one could compete with their family."

"Er Hu..." Hu Liena murmured. She had known him well. Back when the old village chief was still around, Er Hu had been one of the only two Spirit Masters in the village, and he'd been able to do whatever he wanted.

Hu Liena had been pretty since she was young, and he'd often pestered her. He had bullied her plenty even when she was little.

Hu Liena shook her head, pushing aside these unpleasant thoughts. She quickly caught up with Aunt Wu and asked, "What about Uncle Kahn? Does he still drink? I remember him saying many times that he was going to quit."

Aunt Wu slowed to a stop and fell strangely silent. After a long while, she said, "Your Uncle Kahn is gone. After that fire, I was the only one left in the family."

The smile vanished from Hu Liena's face. Her fingers clenched around the basket handle until it creaked. "I'm sorry."

She didn't know why she was apologizing, but she couldn't think of anything else to say.

After a brief moment of sadness, Aunt Wu returned to normal. "It's all right. What happened wasn't your fault."

Hu Liena lowered her voice. "You know what happened?"

Aunt Wu nodded and smiled, sounding a little resigned. "Forget it. Let's not talk about him. Even if he hadn't died in the fire, the way he drank like there was no tomorrow would've killed him a few years later anyway."

Aunt Wu smiled, but Hu Liena couldn't smile at all.