The morning sun filtered through the crude wooden window lattice, dappling Qian Renxue's face.
She had barely slept all night. The unfamiliar hard bed, the rough bedding, and the chorus of crowing chickens and barking dogs outside had all made it difficult for the young mistress of Spirit Hall, accustomed to the palace's silence and luxury, to adjust.
She rose quietly and looked at the shattered remains of the table and chairs on the floor, her brows knitted.
She had to leave.
Staying in this village, so deeply tied to "Ye Yang," and playing the part of an ordinary person she knew nothing about would not only risk exposing her, but also make it impossible to uncover the truth behind their body swap and the source of this power.
As she pushed open the creaking door, Old Jack was chopping wood in the yard.
The moment he saw "Ye Yang," the old man's face broke into a kindly smile. "You're awake, Xiao Yang? You gave Grandpa quite a scare yesterday. I'm glad you're all right. Breakfast is warming in the pot. Go eat."
Qian Renxue's heart stirred. The old man's unconditional concern filled her with a faint, unfamiliar warmth—but more than that, it weighed on her.
She walked up to Old Jack, took a deep breath, and tried to imitate the tone Ye Yang might use. Yet her voice still held a trace of barely perceptible detachment and resolve.
"Grandpa... I've eaten. I... want to leave the village for a while."
"Clatter!"
The hatchet slipped from Old Jack's hand and hit the ground with a clear ring.
"What?! You're leaving?!"
Old Jack stared at Ye Yang in shock, seeming unable to understand why the child had suddenly gone mad. Without a Martial Soul, what could he possibly do out there?
"Grandpa, don't worry. Hear me out." She gently freed herself from Old Jack's grasp, softening her tone. "It's not because you've treated me badly. You've done more for me than I could ever repay. It's just... I don't think I can go on like this forever."
"Yesterday's events... made me think about a lot of things. Even though I... don't have a Martial Soul, I still need to find a way to make a living. I want to go out and see the world, see if there's... any other way, or learn a trade. That has to be better than... than relying on you to support me in the village for the rest of my life."
It was a very practical reason.
The confusion in Old Jack's eyes did not fully fade, but it was joined by a hint of bewilderment and understanding.
He looked at "Ye Yang," at the young face bearing a calmness he had never seen before, and his lips trembled.
"But... but it's so dangerous out there! You... you're just a child, with no Soul Power. What could you possibly do? What if people bully you? What if you go hungry or freeze? Grandpa... Grandpa can't stop worrying about you!"
"Grandpa, I'm not a child anymore." Qian Renxue's voice held an unshakable conviction.
"I can take care of myself. Besides, I'm only going out to try my luck and see the world. It's not as if I'll never come back. Once I... once I find a way forward, or figure things out, I'll come back to visit you."
Tears welled up in Old Jack's cloudy eyes.
He looked at the child he had raised with his own hands. The familiar face was now marked by a resolve and an unfamiliarity he had never seen before.
His lips moved as he tried to find something to say to make her stay, but in the end, all that came out was a heavy sigh. His shoulders slumped.
"Ah... Xiao Yang, Grandpa... Grandpa knows I can't keep you here anymore." Old Jack's voice was thick with tears and deep helplessness.
"You've always been stubborn, ever since you were little. Once you make up your mind, not even ten bulls could drag you back... Go on, then. Go."
He stooped shakily to pick up the hatchet. Turning his back to Qian Renxue, he chopped the wood with all his might, as if trying to pour all his reluctance and worry into the dull, repetitive task.
"Grandpa..." Complicated emotions rippled through Qian Renxue's heart.
Old Jack's reaction made her realize what the real Ye Yang meant to the old man.
The weight of this affection stirred a trace of guilt in her, but it only made her more determined to leave.
This place did not belong to her. Playing Ye Yang would only add to the old man's worry and put her at greater risk.
"Grandpa, don't worry. I'll take good care of myself." Qian Renxue's voice softened further, carrying a hint of a promise.
"Once I'm settled and find work, I'll find a way to send word back, or... or come visit you."
Old Jack didn't turn around. He only chopped the wood harder and gave a muffled "Mm."
Qian Renxue didn't hesitate any longer and went back inside.
She looked around the humble room that had held more than a decade of Ye Yang's life, her gaze finally settling on the battered wooden chest in the corner.
She went over and opened it. Inside were only a few coarse clothes, faded from countless washes and covered in patches, along with a shriveled little purse.
She picked up the purse and weighed it in her hand. It held only a dozen or so Copper Soul Coins, the meager savings Ye Yang had scraped together over the years.
Without a word, Qian Renxue tucked the purse close to her body, then took two clothes that looked relatively intact and bundled them in a piece of coarse cloth.
When she walked out of the room again with the bundle on her back, Old Jack had stopped chopping wood and was wiping his eyes with his sleeve.
Seeing "Ye Yang," he hurriedly lowered his sleeve and forced a smile. He rummaged inside his clothes, pulled out a small cloth pouch, and pressed it into Qian Renxue's hand without giving her a chance to refuse.
"Take it. A poor home makes for an expensive road. Grandpa... Grandpa only has these savings. You... you should spend them carefully..." The pouch held dozens of Copper Soul Coins and a few bits of silver. It was clearly all Old Jack had saved in his life.
Holding the heavy purse, still warm from the old man's body, Qian Renxue felt a genuine stir in her heart for the first time—moved by this unfamiliar world and unfamiliar identity.
She took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Old Jack. "Grandpa, thank you. Please... take care of yourself."
With that, she didn't linger. She turned and strode out of the small yard, then out of Holy Soul Village.
Behind her, Old Jack leaned against the doorframe, his hunched figure gazing after her for a long, long time.
After leaving Holy Soul Village, Qian Renxue felt no regret.
Using the scraps of information she had heard from the villagers, she figured out the direction and headed toward the nearest town—Nuoding City.
Nuoding City was a small city on the border of the Heaven Dou Empire. It wasn't large, but compared to Holy Soul Village, it was far more prosperous.
Shops lined both sides of the street, and crowds of people bustled past, filling the place with the clamor of everyday life.
Wearing Ye Yang's faded coarse clothes and carrying her shabby bundle, Qian Renxue stood out as she walked among the crowd.
Her striking looks and tall, straight figure drew some glances, but most people either ignored or looked down on her shabby appearance.
She didn't care in the slightest.
She entered a teahouse that looked reasonably clean, chose a seat in the corner, and ordered a pot of the cheapest rough tea.
As she sipped the bitter tea in small mouthfuls, she focused on listening to the conversations around her.
"...Have you heard? The Crown Prince beat the Fourth Prince in the palace yesterday! He whipped him with a thorny switch. I heard his back was a bloody mess!"
"Pfft..."
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