Seven Years Fly By

"What? Constable Yan is not at the yamen? Nor at home?"

At this moment.

Patriarch Zhao, perhaps having had a bit to drink, raised his voice and frowned at Eldest Young Master.

"Are you saying that when you went to deliver the gifts this evening, you didn't see Constable Yan? How did I instruct you? If you couldn't find him, you should have searched the entire town!"

"Yes... Father..." Eldest Young Master said, sounding a bit fearful. "But... it is not that your son is unreliable, nor that I did not search. It is just that I inquired with the yamen runners, and it seems Constable Yan... left town five days ago leading a group of martial arts experts."

"You say... he left town before the New Year?" Patriarch Zhao asked, curious, then looked at his brothers and nephews who were equally puzzled. "What could this mean?"

"Indeed, why would he leave town before the New Year?"

"Could there be some major event?"

"Brother, don't overthink it. Constable Yan is the head constable of this town! How could people like us guess the motives of a head constable?"

"That's right. If we can't deliver the gifts before the New Year, we can just visit him once he returns. As long as the gifts arrive, that's what matters."

"Brother, in my opinion, as a great expert and head constable, perhaps Constable Yan is currently enjoying himself in a big city..."

"Enjoying himself? Right! What Second Brother says makes sense..."

As they spoke, everyone exchanged smiles, feeling that enjoying the New Year away from home was a guess that fit Constable Yan's status.

The Zhao family ran a rice business, ranking among the top five in Little Liuzi Town. However, greasing the wheels was a necessity. Especially for Constable Yan, who held the power of law enforcement over the entire town; in the eyes of the Zhao family, he was a "superior" who had to be appeased.

Meanwhile, Chen Guan knew nothing of these business matters, but he did know of Constable Yan.

"According to our agreement, the New Year is the time to hand over the secret manuals. But as for me now?"

Chen Guan was speechless, but speechless or not, he continued to eat his fish. After all, he was currently just a toddler. It would take a long, long time for him to grow up.

"I wonder how my younger sister is doing?"

Chen Guan suddenly thought of his sister. Perhaps at this very moment, she was once again drifting alone in the ruined temple, as was her habit. Because, without him realizing it, half a year had already passed.

Late at night. In a mountain forest hundreds of miles away.

Constable Yan, whom the merchants of the town were thinking of—the man they assumed was enjoying himself—was currently panting heavily as he led Tree Demon Knight and the others, struggling over high ridges and through deep waters.

Beneath their cotton coats, they wore White-Browed Tiger Skin Vest, and on their backs, they carried the secret manuals. They had come this time specifically to fulfill the "secret manual pact with Senior Black Bear".

But when they arrived at the former Mountain Rock, they gazed at the stone that had been molded into something resembling a throne. Beyond marveling at the profound magical power of Senior Black Bear, they waited there day after day. Even by the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, they had yet to see Senior Black Bear.

"We have... kept our promise..."

"Senior, this junior and the others take their leave..."

Finally, with sadness and sighs, they cupped their hands toward the surroundings and buried the secret manuals beneath the throne. Seeing that the task was done, they looked at one another.

"Brothers, the path of the pugilistic world is long..."

"Brother Yan! Until we meet again!"

The group bowed one after another, then shared a carefree laugh.

Whether alone or in pairs, they departed in different directions.

Although they had not seen Senior Black Bear this time.

This wondrous experience was etched into their hearts, unforgettable for a lifetime.

Time hurried by.

Four years old.

Chen Guan had his own small side room and a young maid with an ordinary appearance.

The Fourth Mistress had given birth to a baby boy, and the wet nurse had gone to care for him.

But occasionally, the wet nurse would find time to return, bringing him small wooden carvings and some food.

"Many thanks, wet nurse..."

This evening.

The wet nurse brought another small piece of braised wild boar meat.

Yet, in response to Chen Guan's thanks.

The wet nurse smiled and patted Chen Guan's head.

"Little Young Master, call me Auntie Hua."

The wet nurse was only twenty-five years old.

At twenty, her husband and child had died in a bandit raid, and she had come to the manor to work as a wet nurse.

"Call me Auntie, it sounds younger, like an unmarried girl!"

Auntie Hua looked very ordinary, but her hair was smooth, and when she smiled, a shallow dimple appeared on her clean left cheek.

"Noted, Auntie Hua."

Five years old.

The maid had been summoned away again by the meddlesome Fourth Mistress.

Chen Guan lived alone, becoming the Fifth Young Master whom no one in the manor cared to see.

Because Chen Guan stayed in his room every day, silent and withdrawn, he gave people a very strange feeling.

Especially since Chen Guan was only five, yet his height was already comparable to a normal child of eight or nine.

He had reached about 1.3 meters.

His weight was also a size larger than that of a normal child.

On top of that, Chen Guan's ears were becoming increasingly round, unlike those of a normal person.

His body hair was also thicker than that of an average toddler.

His entire personality and appearance were very strange.

In ancient times, it was best to keep one's distance from such a freak, especially when he was a young master of one's own manor.

It was better to avoid the bad luck of the "freak young master."

Nowadays.

Only Auntie Hua came by from time to time.

But as two years passed.

The Fourth Mistress had recovered her health after childbirth, and being lazy by nature, she left the child entirely to Auntie Hua to manage.

Chen Guan had seen very little of her lately.

However.

Chen Guan did not care; in fact, he felt it was better to have no one disturbing him.

He wanted to practice his martial arts in secret.

And on this day, at over seven years old.

It was autumn.

Evening.

Inside the slightly cramped side room.

Chen Guan, wearing thin clothes, was moving his nearly 1.6-meter frame, properly practicing the secret manuals he had learned in his past life.

Seven-year-old Chen Guan was already nearly 1.6 meters tall.

His physique had also slimmed down significantly compared to before; he was now only slightly chubby.

However, the practice of "Refining Essence into Qi" still yielded no results.

Perhaps it was due to a low spiritual root, coupled with his young age and an underdeveloped dantian, that he could not yet step onto the path of cultivation.

But innate talents and the like were unaffected.

Although Chen Guan was still young, ever since he learned to walk, he had been practicing for several years.

His Bear-type talent had increased by 50 points of proficiency.

His Basic Blade Technique had increased by 76 points.

Although I am only seven years old now, with the Bear talent, my strength is already quite significant, even surpassing that of some adults.

After practicing for a while.

Once Chen Guan was tired, he came to the courtyard and walked over to a stone table.

This stone table weighed about two hundred and seventy catties.

A normal person would not be able to lift it.

Clap—

After resting for a moment, Chen Guan gripped the crevices of the stone table with both hands, one on each side.

"Up!"

The next second, faint, thick muscle lines emerged on Chen Guan's arms, which had previously appeared somewhat chubby.

On this child's body, it looked somewhat eerie and ferocious.

Grrr...

The stone table strained against the ground, shifted slightly in direction, and then gradually left the floor.

It wasn't until he had lifted the stone table to his chest that Chen Guan withdrew most of his strength and placed it back on the ground.

"Aside from being small, my strength is no longer weak; I can consider myself to have some ability to protect myself."

Chen Guan sat on the stone table and cast his gaze toward the direction of the forest.

"Seven years. I really want to go back and take a look, see my sister, and retrieve the Yin-Yang Eyes. Also, over at Mountain Rock, I want to see if Constable Yan and the others left anything behind.

The manuals I have now don't contain any specialized fire-attribute techniques, nor do they have blade techniques."

Chen Guan pondered in the small courtyard for a moment.

Autumn nights fall quickly.

Before long, it was night.

Having recovered his strength, Chen Guan watched the moon for a while, then ran a few steps to the back courtyard wall, grabbed the gaps between the bricks with his palms, nimbly used the wall for leverage, and flipped over the top.

Chen Guan stood in the alley behind the courtyard.

"My first time leaving the estate, and it's a 'run away from home' style wall-jump. Thinking about it, it's fucking exciting.

But that old man doesn't care about me anyway; I only see him once a year during the New Year.

I can't be bothered to report it, and even if I did, he wouldn't let me go to the mountains and forests.

No use overthinking it; better to go seek out the past."

Chen Guan looked left and right, identified his direction, took a few light steps, and soon vanished into the shadows of the alley.