Chapter 3

He could clearly hear the sound of blood rushing through Tang San's body. Focusing his senses, he could even perceive the rhythmic pulsing of the carotid artery in Tang San's neck; the sound of the flow and the cadence of the beat were unexpectedly beautiful.

Tang San looked at the sudden change in Jiang Chen's eyes and felt his entire body break out in goosebumps. A chill shot straight from his tailbone to the top of his skull, making his scalp tingle instantly.

"Jiang Chen, I still have to go back and make breakfast. I'm leaving." Before his words had even faded, Tang San had already dashed over ten meters away, clutching the large fish and fleeing back toward Holy Soul Village in the blink of an eye.

"Damn it, why did I get greedy again?" Jiang Chen muttered, wiping the glistening drool that had inadvertently escaped the corner of his mouth, and hurriedly circulated his cultivation technique to suppress the desire in his heart.

If Tang San's old man found out, he would probably flatten him with a single hammer blow.

Chapter 2: Child Abandoned by Heaven?

Returning home, Jiang Chen first put away one fish, then carried the other toward the home of the village chief, Old Jack.

Come to think of it, Old Jack was his savior. He had lived with Old Jack initially, but after he began practicing that evil cultivation technique at the age of three, the entire village began to view him as a harbinger of plague.

Even Old Jack couldn't bear it; he would fall deathly ill every few days. Eventually, unable to endure it any longer, Old Jack gave Jiang Chen the most remote courtyard to live in by himself.

Jiang Chen was well aware of the harm he brought to the villagers, so he held no resentment toward their ostracization.

Ever since his cultivation had matured and his abilities had greatly increased, he had learned to hunt and had caught many pieces of game to give to the villagers, but they were all heartlessly rejected.

The villagers' fear of him had reached an unimaginable level. Not only did they dare not approach Jiang Chen, but they also refused the game he brought, fearing that they would be tainted by bad luck.

The only ones who weren't quite as afraid of him were Old Jack and Tang San's family.

Every time he caught wild game, he would send some to Old Jack, and Old Jack felt deeply comforted by Jiang Chen's actions.

Along the way, everyone who encountered Jiang Chen—whether it was the women out washing clothes, the men carrying farm tools to work, or the children who had just woken up to play together—all dodged away with terrified eyes, fearing they might be tainted by misfortune.

"He's nothing but a scourge, a jinx!" the women whispered to each other.

Some children even threw stones at him from a distance, but they had no hope of hitting Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen turned his head abruptly and made a move to pounce, instantly scaring the group of children into screaming and scattering like birds and beasts in terror.

"Heh, with that little bit of courage, you want to mess with me?" Jiang Chen shook his head and smiled. Scaring these ignorant little brats was, in its own way, a form of amusement.

Old Jack's house was located near the center of the village, and it didn't take long for Jiang Chen to arrive.

By now, the morning sun had risen. Old Jack knew how to enjoy himself; he had moved a bamboo recliner into the courtyard early in the morning to bask in the sun.

"Grandpa Jack!" Jiang Chen called out from a distance.

Hearing Jiang Chen's voice, Old Jack's entire body trembled imperceptibly. He immediately stood up, scurried to the courtyard gate, and nimbly locked it. The entire sequence of movements was fluid and seamless, completely unlike something a man over sixty should be capable of.

After closing the door, he took a few steps back and let out a long sigh of relief.

Jiang Chen was long accustomed to this and felt no anger in his heart. He walked quickly to the gate and stopped.

"Grandpa Jack, I've brought you some fish."

"Mm, little Chen is truly a good child. Just hang the fish on the door handle; I'll come get it myself in a moment." Old Jack stood five meters away from the gate, not daring to get too close.

Jiang Chen skillfully hung the fish on the door handle and looked at the large courtyard where he had once lived for three years, his eyes filled with nostalgia.

From the time he was an infant wailing for food in his swaddling clothes, Old Jack had taken him in and raised him for three years.