Poisoned Bun

After making up his mind, Jiang Fu'an did not return to the bedroom. Instead, he reached out and pushed open the main hall door, stepping into the small courtyard shrouded in night.

Public safety in this world was far worse than in the previous life he remembered. Theft and petty burglary happened often.

A few years ago, shortly after he had transmigrated here, thieves had broken into his home once.

Fortunately, the family had been poor then, so nothing important had been stolen.

But things were different now.

There was a yellow ox, two fat pigs, more than a dozen white geese, and dozens of hens in the courtyard.

These were all important liquid assets for the family. There could be no carelessness.

So many years ago, Jiang Fu'an had moved his bedding beneath the eaves and kept watch himself at night.

It was now the twelfth lunar month. In order to have a prosperous New Year, quite a few people would inevitably risk everything.

Especially during these days, he could not let down his guard.

Just as he turned and shut the main hall door, Big Yellow, sleeping in its nest, was startled awake. It wagged its tail and quietly came up beside his leg.

The dog was a light sleeper and woke at the slightest sound. It was a great help to Jiang Fu'an during his night watches.

Jiang Fu'an reached out and rubbed Big Yellow's fluffy head, saying softly,

"Come on, let's sleep."

The bed beneath the eaves was thickly laid, and the cotton quilt was covered with an animal hide sewn by Su Wanqing, keeping out the wind while retaining warmth.

Although winter had arrived and the weather grew colder by the day, it still felt pleasantly warm beneath the quilt.

Jiang Fu'an lay down, his thoughts returning to that cultivator's cave dwelling in the Mizhang Mountains.

Entering the mountains alone on a freezing winter night without making thorough preparations would likely mean more danger than safety.

If it snowed, he would need a pair of shoes with a firm grip on the ground.

The mountain wind was biting, and body heat dispersed quickly. To keep his limbs from freezing stiff, he would also need to fill a flask with strong liquor to warm himself...

As he thought, his eyelids gradually grew heavy, his consciousness blurring until he finally sank into sleep.

"Woof—"

After an unknown amount of time, a low, wary growl pierced his dreams.

Big Yellow!

Jiang Fu'an jolted and woke completely.

In the hazy moonlight, he saw Big Yellow standing in a corner of the courtyard, its nose pressed to the ground as it sniffed at something.

Above it, atop the earthen wall, a dark figure was silently climbing upward!

In the blink of an eye, the person had straddled the wall and was craning his head to look into the courtyard.

Jiang Fu'an did not hesitate in the slightest. Reaching beside him, he grabbed the forked pole propped against the bed.

Its long shaft was tipped with a forged iron three-pronged fork. It was used to pitch haystacks during the busy farming season and could deal with wild beasts in the mountains. He knew it like the back of his hand.

"Bold thief!"

He roared, driving force through his waist and abdomen as he flung his arm. The forked pole shot like an arrow loosed from the bow, streaking toward the dark figure's chest atop the wall!

An ordinary person would have likely missed the mark when throwing it, but Jiang Fu'an had hunted year-round. Throwing spears and piercing targets had long become steady, accurate, and ruthless for him.

Yet the thief on the wall reacted with astonishing speed. The fork aimed at his chest was evaded as he abruptly ducked low, barely brushing past its path. With a clatter, it smashed into the ground outside the courtyard.

However, the move also caused him to lose his balance, and with a thud, he fell outside the courtyard wall.

Only then did Big Yellow seem to finally react, barking furiously toward the top of the wall.

Unhurried, Jiang Fu'an grabbed another wooden stick, opened the courtyard gate, and led Big Yellow out to investigate.

But only the forked pole lay on the ground outside. The thief had vanished without a trace.

"Woof woof—!"

Big Yellow suddenly barked fiercely toward the distant village road.

Jiang Fu'an focused his gaze and saw a dark figure rapidly fleeing toward the outskirts of the village.

His steps were hurried yet light, and he was clearly faster than an ordinary farmhand.

"Could he be a martial artist?"

Thinking back to the opponent's nimble dodge just now, that guess surfaced in Jiang Fu'an's mind.

Seeing Big Yellow about to rush after him, he immediately shouted,

"Big Yellow, come back!"

The other man was no weakling, and he likely had accomplices waiting nearby. Chasing after him rashly was too dangerous.

Besides, after Big Yellow's barking, dogs from every household in the village began barking one after another.

He saw dim yellow lights appearing behind several windows.

The rest could be left for the villagers to handle.

Three children and his delicate wife were still sleeping at home. He truly could not set his mind at ease enough to leave.

"Husband, what happened?"

Su Wanqing's concerned voice came from inside the courtyard.

Jiang Fu'an turned and saw her hurrying over in an outer garment, carrying a small oil lamp in her hand.

He bent down to pick up the forked pole, led Big Yellow back into the courtyard, and deliberately kept his tone light.

"It's nothing. A petty thief came by just now, but I already chased him off."

Though he said that, Su Wanqing's face still turned pale with fright.

She hurried forward, seized Jiang Fu'an's sleeve, and looked him over from head to toe.

"You weren't hurt, were you?"

"What could happen to me?"

Jiang Fu'an smiled as he took the oil lamp from her.

"Don't you know what your husband is capable of?"

Holding the lamp, he walked toward the courtyard wall.

When he had first awakened, Big Yellow had been lowering its head and sniffing there without making a sound.

Bringing the oil lamp closer, he saw a steamed corn bun lying on the ground in the corner of the wall.

It looked intact, but it seemed to have been broken open in the middle.

Jiang Fu'an's eyes turned cold.

They had intended to drug and poison the guard dog.

Fortunately, he had awakened in time and stopped Big Yellow before it could take a bite.

He had heard the village elders mention such methods before, but this was the first time he had encountered one with his own eyes.

He casually brought over a bamboo basket and covered the poisoned bun with it, intending to dig a hole and bury it at dawn so it would not harm the chickens and geese in the courtyard.

After finishing, he turned around and found Su Wanqing still standing quietly behind him, the night breeze stirring the ends of her hair and her thin clothes.

"Wanqing, it's really fine now. Go back inside and sleep. It's cold outside—be careful not to catch a chill."

Unexpectedly, Su Wanqing hesitated before speaking.

"Husband, why don't you sleep inside tonight too? It's too dangerous out here."

Jiang Fu'an was taken aback, then found it somewhat amusing.

He had not expected his wife to be so timid.

He pointed toward the cowshed beside them and smiled.

"If our ox gets stolen, who will plow our fields when spring comes?"

Su Wanqing also realized she had said something foolish. Her face warmed slightly, and she changed her words.

"Then I'll sleep outside with you."

Jiang Fu'an thought that after the commotion just now, no thief would likely dare come again during the latter half of the night. He nodded.

"All right. Then get under the quilt quickly. Don't freeze."

After the two lay down, Su Wanqing nestled against him and suddenly asked softly,

"Husband, do you think the people who came tonight might have been those bandits? Could they have come looking for me?"

Jiang Fu'an froze, not expecting her to connect it to that.

Wanqing's father had once been a high official at court. After offending powerful figures, he was falsely accused and stripped of his office.

While returning to their hometown with his family, they encountered bandits. The entire family perished, and only Wanqing escaped by sheer luck before Jiang Fu'an saved her.

She had always suspected that those bandits had been acting on someone's orders, sent specifically to silence them.

But Jiang Fu'an felt it was exceedingly unlikely that tonight's thief had been a bandit.

For years, he had told outsiders that Su Wanqing had been introduced by a distant relative. Her identity had been concealed tightly, and no one in the village knew her background.

Moreover, the thief's build and gait as he fled had inexplicably reminded him of the Mountain-Calming Martial Hall in town.

A few years ago, when Jiang Fu'an possessed the Devouring Physique, he had once considered learning martial arts.

For that reason, he had specifically gone to inspect the Mountain-Calming Martial Hall in town.

But learning martial arts required not only paying a fee to become a disciple and buying secret manuals, but also regularly using medicinal baths to temper the body. The initial investment was enormous and the returns slow, so he had ultimately given up on the idea.

However, while wandering around the martial hall, he had seen its disciples practicing.

The posture the thief had adopted while fleeing, hunching his back and driving himself forward, was exactly like those disciples.

Those martial hall disciples spent all day doing nothing but sparring and competing. They did not work the fields or do labor, so being short on money was commonplace.

With some skill to rely on, it would not be strange for them to engage in sneaking and stealing at night.

Thinking this, he drew his wife closer into his arms and comforted her.

"Don't overthink it. The chances of it being bandits are very small. Sleep first. When dawn comes, I'll go out and ask around."

Su Wanqing softly hummed in acknowledgment and said no more.

A few barks occasionally drifted over from afar, but soon everything returned to silence.