Qian Renxue Arrives in Nuoding City

The morning sunlight filtered through the crude wooden lattice, casting mottled shadows across Qian Renxue's face.

She had barely slept all night; the unfamiliar hard bed, the coarse bedding, and the cacophony of roosters and dogs outside were difficult for the Spirit Hall young mistress, who was accustomed to the silence and luxury of the imperial palace, to adapt to.

She rose gingerly, her brows knitting together as she looked at the shattered remains of the table and chairs on the floor.

She had to leave this place.

Remaining in a village so deeply entangled with "Ye Yang," and playing the part of an ordinary person she knew nothing about, was not only a risk for exposure but also made it impossible to investigate the truth behind the body swap and the source of this power.

Pushing open the creaking door, she saw Old Jack chopping wood in the yard.

Seeing "Ye Yang" emerge, the old man's face immediately crinkled into a kind smile. "Xiao Yang, you're awake? You gave your grandfather quite a scare yesterday, but I'm glad you're alright. Breakfast is warming in the pot, go on and eat."

Qian Renxue felt a stir in her heart; this unconditional concern brought a strange warmth, though it felt more like a burden.

She walked up to Old Jack, took a deep breath, and tried to mimic the tone Ye Yang might use, though her voice still carried a trace of imperceptible detachment and resolve.

"Grandfather... I've already eaten. I... I want to leave the village for a while."

Clang!

The wood-chopping knife slipped from Old Jack's hand and clattered onto the ground.

"What?! You're leaving?!"

Old Jack looked at Ye Yang in astonishment, seemingly unable to comprehend why the child was suddenly acting so strangely. Without a spirit, what could he possibly do outside?

"Grandfather, don't be anxious, let me finish." She gently pulled away from Old Jack's hand, her tone softening. "It's not that you haven't been good to me; your kindness is as heavy as a mountain. It's just... I just feel that I cannot go on like this forever."

"Yesterday's events... made me think a lot. Although I... don't have a spirit, I have to find a way to make a living. I want to go out and see the world, see if there are... other ways, or learn a trade. It's better than... better than relying on you to support me for the rest of my life."

This reason was pragmatic.

The confusion in Old Jack's eyes did not fully fade, but it was joined by a sense of bewilderment and understanding.

He looked at the young face of "Ye Yang," which now held a composure he had never seen before, his lips trembling.

"But... the outside world is so dangerous! You... you're just a child, with no spirit power, what can you do out there? What if you get bullied? What if you go hungry or freeze? Grandfather... Grandfather is worried!"

"Grandfather, I am no longer a child," Qian Renxue said with unquestionable persistence.

"I will take care of myself. Besides, I am only going out to explore and gain experience; it's not as if I'm never coming back. Once I... once I find my way or figure things out, I will come back to see you."

Tears welled up instantly in Old Jack's cloudy eyes.

He looked at the child he had raised with his own hands, yet that familiar face now held an unprecedented sense of alienation and determination.

His lips moved as if to say something to make him stay, but it eventually turned into a heavy sigh, and his shoulders slumped.

"Sigh... Xiao Yang, Grandfather... Grandfather knows I can't keep you." Old Jack's voice was thick with nasal congestion and a deep sense of helplessness.

"You child, you've always been deep in thought since you were little. Once you've set your mind on something, ten oxen couldn't pull you back... Go then, go."

He bent down tremblingly, picked up the wood-chopping knife, and turned his back to Qian Renxue, hacking at the firewood with force as if to vent all his reluctance and worry into the monotonous task.

"Grandfather..." A complex ripple stirred in Qian Renxue's heart.

Old Jack's reaction made her realize what the real Ye Yang meant to this old man.

This heavy, sincere affection made her feel a tinge of guilt, but it only served to strengthen her resolve to leave.

This place did not belong to her; playing the role of Ye Yang would only increase the old man's worries and her own risks.

"Grandfather, please rest assured, I will definitely take care of myself," Qian Renxue's voice grew softer, carrying a hint of a promise.

"Once I am settled outside and find work, I will find a way to send word, or... or come back to see you."

Old Jack did not turn around; he only chopped the wood with more force, letting out a muffled "Mm."

Qian Renxue did not hesitate any longer and turned to walk into the house.

She looked around the humble room that had held over a decade of Ye Yang's life, her gaze finally landing on the worn-out wooden chest in the corner.

She walked over and opened it; inside were only a few coarse cloth garments, washed white and covered in patches, along with a shriveled little money pouch.

She picked up the pouch and weighed it; there were only a dozen or so copper spirit coins inside, the meager savings Ye Yang had scraped together over the years.

Qian Renxue silently tucked the pouch close to her body, grabbed two pieces of clothing that looked relatively intact, and tied them into a simple bundle with a piece of coarse cloth.

When she stepped out of the house with the bundle on her back, Old Jack had stopped chopping wood and was wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

Seeing "Ye Yang" emerge, he quickly lowered his sleeve, forced a smile, fumbled for a small cloth bag from his bosom, and shoved it into Qian Renxue's hand without room for refusal.

"Take this. A poor man needs money for the road. Grandfather... Grandfather only has these savings. You... you spend it sparingly..." The cloth bag contained several dozen copper spirit coins and some small silver coins—clearly the savings of Old Jack's entire life.

Holding the heavy pouch, still warm from the old man's body heat, Qian Renxue felt a genuine stir in her heart for the first time because of this strange world and this strange identity.

She took a deep breath and bowed deeply to Old Jack. "Grandfather, thank you. Please... take care of yourself."

With that, she did not linger, turned, and strode out of the small courtyard, out of Holy Soul Village.

Behind her, Old Jack leaned against the doorframe, his hunched figure watching her for a long time.

Leaving Holy Soul Village, Qian Renxue felt not a shred of attachment.

Following the scattered information she had overheard from the villagers, she identified the direction and headed toward the nearest town—Nuoding City.

As a small town on the border of the Heaven Dou Empire, Nuoding City was not large, but it was far more prosperous than Holy Soul Village.

Shops lined both sides of the street, and the bustling crowd was filled with the atmosphere of everyday life.

Qian Renxue wore Ye Yang's faded, coarse cloth clothes and carried a tattered bundle, appearing completely out of place as she walked among the people.

Her outstanding beauty and upright posture drew a few glances, but most people met her shabby attire with indifference or disdain.

She did not care about this in the slightest.

She walked into a teahouse that looked reasonably clean, chose a seat in a corner, and ordered a pot of the cheapest coarse tea.

As she took small sips of the bitter tea, she focused her attention on listening to the conversations of the patrons around her.

"...Have you heard? The Crown Prince beat the Fourth Prince in the palace yesterday! He used thorny branches, and I heard his back was shredded to pieces!"

"Pfft..."