Return to the Village

Zhou Yan had just emerged from Blackwind Ridge.

The sky had yet to brighten.

Instead of heading straight back to the village, he followed the foot of the mountain for half a li and found that old locust tree.

Its roots were twisted and gnarled, forming a natural hollow.

The entrance was hidden beneath weeds; no one would spot it without deliberately looking.

Zhou Yan glanced at it twice, then stuffed all the stolen goods he had obtained into the hollow.

He scraped up some gravel from nearby to block the entrance, then grabbed a few handfuls of dry grass to cover the outside.

He took two steps back and looked it over. Nothing stood out.

After finishing, he took out two taels of loose silver from his chest, weighed them in his hand, and tucked them back away.

Then he headed toward the village entrance.

Zhou Yan hardened his heart and used the Mountain-Breaking Fist to seriously injure himself. A dull ache spread through his shoulder, and he struck the left side of his chest twice more.

Beads of blood seeped out, making the wounds look terrifying.

His clothes had already been torn to shreds in the mountains, so he ripped several more holes in them and tore half a sleeve away.

Together with his original injuries, he looked as though he were barely clinging to life.

Dawn had just broken.

Beneath the old locust tree at the village entrance, Old Wang was carrying two buckets of water back home.

The shoulder pole creaked against his shoulder.

Suddenly, he looked up and saw a figure on the road.

In the dim morning light, the person limped toward the village entrance.

His hemp clothes were in tatters, his face was covered in bloody cuts, and half of his left sleeve had been torn away, revealing a shoulder mottled with bruises.

A thick stench of blood rushed toward him.

Old Wang squinted for a look, and the shoulder pole slipped from his shoulder.

The buckets crashed to the ground. One tipped over, spilling most of its water, while the other rolled far away.

"Third son of the Zhou Family?"

Zhou Yan did not answer. He merely continued inching forward.

Old Wang threw aside the pole and ran over. When he got close, he sucked in a cold breath. "Good heavens, how did you end up like this?"

By then, people had already begun coming out near the village entrance.

There was Old Zhao, carrying a hoe and preparing to head to the fields; Second Sister-in-Law Li, holding a water jar; and a half-grown child leading an ox.

Old Zhao tossed aside his hoe and rushed over, asking in a rough voice, "Wh-what happened to you?"

"Hurry and tell Zhou Dazhuang's family!" Old Wang shouted at the top of his lungs.

Old Zhao took off into the village, shouting as he ran, "Zhou Dazhuang! Zhou Dazhuang! Your third son is back!"

Two men heading for the fields hurriedly supported Zhou Yan.

Old Wang hooked one of Zhou Yan's arms over his shoulder, while Second Sister-in-Law Li set down her water jar and held him up from the other side.

The households along the road heard the commotion, and doors opened one after another.

"What happened?"

"Who came back?"

"The Zhou Family's third son? Didn't he lead people from the martial hall into the mountains two days ago?"

"Why is he the only one? Where are those people from the martial hall?"

A plump woman in a blue cotton shirt leaned close to Second Sister-in-Law Li and whispered, "Look at his face. It looks like something clawed him."

Second Sister-in-Law Li shook her head and said quietly, "I heard Blackwind Ridge is unclean. Who knows what he ran into!"

An old man stood by the roadside with both hands resting on his hoe. After frowning at Zhou Yan for a long while, he turned to the person beside him and said, "When I was young, people from the village also went deep into Blackwind Ridge. When they came back, they had only half a life left. They lay paralyzed in bed and died not long after."

"Why are those martial hall people nowhere to be seen?"

"Who knows?"

Supported by the others, Zhou Yan slowly moved onward with his head lowered and eyelids drooping.

Every step felt as though he were walking on blades.

Old Wang asked from beside him, "What exactly happened? Where are those people?"

Zhou Yan's lips moved. His voice was hoarse as sandpaper. "Ran into a demonic beast... got separated."

Everyone nearby heard those few words.

"A demonic beast?" Old Zhao had just run back and happened to hear it. His mouth fell open. "There really are demonic beasts in Blackwind Ridge?"

"See? What did I tell you!" The old man holding the hoe slapped his thigh. "My father said long ago that there was something in that place. It isn't fit for people to live in."

Discussion instantly erupted.

Several children ran after them, only to be shouted back by the adults. They shrank away and could only crane their necks from afar.

Willow Village was usually as quiet as a stagnant pool. Even if someone's chicken went missing, people would gossip about it for half a day.

With Zhou Yan appearing at the village entrance in such a state, the entire village knew within the time it took to burn an incense stick.

The Zhou Family's courtyard gate stood open.

The packed-earth walls were low enough that one could see inside just by standing on tiptoe.

A few skinny chickens scratched at rotten vegetable leaves in the yard, while chopped firewood was piled in the corner.

Madam Liu was tending the fire in the kitchen.

The stove crackled, and smoke from its mouth blew straight into her face.

"Sister-in-law Zhou! Sister-in-law Zhou!" Old Zhao's voice came from the alley entrance.

Madam Liu straightened up, frowned, and walked outside.

The moment she reached the courtyard, she saw several people supporting Zhou Yan as they turned in from the alley.

She froze for a moment.

Only for a moment. Then her face darkened.

"How did you get yourself like this?" Madam Liu's voice was shrill and loud. "You went into the mountains and came back covered in blood? Where is this family supposed to get money to treat you?"

Though her mouth was scolding him, her feet were already moving forward.

She shoved Old Wang aside, braced Zhou Yan's arm with her shoulder, and half dragged, half hauled him into the house.

Zhou Yan was laid down and let out a muffled groan.

Madam Liu lifted his torn clothes and examined him.

The bruising on his shoulder had turned deep purple, with yellowing around the edges. There were also two bluish bruises on his chest.

The cuts on his face had scabbed over, but the swelling had yet to fade, leaving half his face still puffy.

"Did you run into a ghost or something?"

Zhou Dazhuang ran back from the fields, his hands still stained with mud.

He stood before the bed and stared silently for a while. His lips moved, but no words came out.

His face was dark, his brows twisted tightly together.

That was simply his nature. He was anxious inside, but could never put it into words.

"What are you standing there for? Go get the village doctor!" Madam Liu shouted at him. Then she called toward the neighboring room, "Zhou Ping!"

His second brother, Zhou Ping, came out of the next room, still wearing the sleepy look of someone who had just awakened.

He walked to the doorway, glanced at the bed, and frowned.

Madam Liu brought over a bowl of warm water from the kitchen, dipped a rag into it, and wiped the blood from Zhou Yan's face.

"One tael of silver was enough for you to risk your life?"

Zhou Yan closed his eyes. He did not have the strength to answer.

Physician Sun lived at the eastern end of the village. He was over sixty, with a slightly hunched back.

Zhou Dazhuang dragged him over.

He flipped open Zhou Yan's eyelids and felt along his bones.

"Nothing is broken. Just external injuries and bruising. Young people have strong foundations. Rest for three or four days, and he'll be able to get out of bed."

After leaving behind some herbs and explaining how to boil and apply them, he collected five copper coins for the consultation and left.

Madam Liu squatted in the kitchen, boiling the herbs.

The bitter, astringent scent of medicine drifted from the stove.

Zhou Yan took out the two taels of loose silver from his chest and placed them beside the bed.

"Payment from the White Cloud Martial Hall for leading the way."

Madam Liu poked her head out from the kitchen. When she saw the silver, she wiped her hands on her apron, came over, picked it up, and weighed it in her palm.

She paused, and more than half her anger disappeared.

"Only two taels? You nearly died for just two taels!"

She tucked away the silver, turned around, and returned to the kitchen to continue boiling the medicine. The hand fanning the fire had grown gentler.

Zhou Xiaoshi slipped in through the doorway.

The eight-year-old was barefoot, his face covered in dirt.

He leaned over the bedside, his eyes round with curiosity. "Third Brother, what did the demonic beast look like? Was it bigger than an ox?"

Zhou Yan had no strength to answer. He closed his eyes and said nothing.

"Did it have fangs? Was its fur long?"

"Xiaoshi!" Madam Liu shouted from the kitchen. "Stop bothering your third brother!"

Zhou Xiaoshi shrank his neck and muttered softly, "When I grow up, I'm going into the mountains to see demonic beasts too."

Just after noon, Zhou Dashan arrived.

He wore a fairly new blue cotton shirt and cloth shoes, both made from fabric much better than the hemp clothes Zhou Dazhuang wore.

After the family split up, the second branch had lived more comfortably. He stood at the doorway without entering, merely craning his neck to peek into the room.

Madam Liu came out of the kitchen with a medicine pot still in hand. The moment she saw Zhou Dashan, her face fell.

"Here to watch a joke?"

Zhou Dashan gave an awkward laugh. "What are you saying, Sister-in-law? I'm just concerned."

He kept asking questions, all of them about how Zhou Yan had been hurt and what the physician had said.

Madam Liu dismissed him with a few curt sentences.

As he left, Zhou Dashan muttered, "That kid's tough."

Zhou Dazhuang was tidying the farm tools in the yard. He glanced at his brother but said nothing.

That evening, Old Master Zhou arrived leaning on a cane.

He stopped at the courtyard gate and did not enter the house.

"As long as he isn't dead."

Four words. Then he turned and left.

His cane tapped against the dirt road, steady and unhurried.

The second branch's boy had now joined the martial hall. If luck favored them, he might one day have a grandson who became a Martial Adept.

Madam Liu heard it from the kitchen. She said nothing.

The fire tongs in her hand clacked loudly as she fed wood into the fire.

Zhou Dazhuang saw him to the gate and called out, "Father."

The old man did not turn back. The sound of his cane faded farther and farther away.

The relationship between father and son had become strained after the family split.

After all, the old man had been terribly biased back then, giving most of the family property to the second branch.

Over the next two or three days, Zhou Yan put on a show and lay in bed recovering.

Because he had brought back the enormous sum of two taels of silver.

No one in the family gave him trouble. His second brother Zhou Ping, however, had been following their father to the fields and fetching water these days, and seemed rather dissatisfied with him.

Two bowls of medicine a day.

Madam Liu had mastered the heat perfectly. The medicinal liquid was thick and bitter enough to pucker the mouth.

Zhou Dazhuang still headed to the fields before dawn and returned only after dark.

On the morning of the third day, Auntie Zhang from next door brought over a bowl of mung bean porridge with a little coarse rice mixed in. It was thick and hearty.

She leaned close to the bed and looked over Zhou Yan's complexion.

"You look much better." Auntie Zhang lowered her voice. "Third boy, tell Auntie the truth. What happened to those people from the martial hall?"

Zhou Yan replied calmly, "We got separated. I passed out, and when I woke up, they were gone."

Auntie Zhang clicked her tongue, chatted about a few more trivial matters, and then left.

But her visit drew even more listening ears.

Willow Village was only so big, with a few dozen households. Nothing that happened in any family could stay hidden.

When the women went to wash clothes by the well, one after another joined the gossip, and the Zhou Family's third son became the hottest topic of the past few days.

"Did you hear? The Zhou Family's third son ran into a demonic beast."

"There really is something in Blackwind Ridge? Then how did he make it back alive?"

"I heard from Old Wang that he was covered in blood when he came back that day."

"The Zhou Family's third son is usually so quiet. Yet when something really happened, he turned out to have a tough life."

The tale passed from mouth to mouth.

Old farmer Zhao made a fair point. "Something happened in Blackwind Ridge long ago. My father said that when he was young, hunters went into the mountains and came back mad, babbling nonsense. For the Zhou Family's third son to return in one piece, his ancestors must be watching over him."

Zhou Yan lay in bed with his eyes closed, listening to the voices outside the window.

His injuries were real and could not be faked. So was the pain.

But he had hidden what needed hiding and fabricated what needed fabricating. The villagers' guesses were all heading in the direction he had anticipated.

That was enough!

Three more days passed. Zhou Yan was drinking his medicine when he suddenly heard hoofbeats outside the courtyard.

They struck the dirt road with a dull clopping sound.

Horses were precious, and horses rarely came to Willow Village.

Zhou Yan set down the bowl. His fingers paused on its rim before he casually placed it by the bed.

The hoofbeats drew closer. There was more than one horse.

The few scrawny chickens in the courtyard suddenly fell silent.

Madam Liu stood at the kitchen door with a fire poker in hand, looking outside. Three horses stopped at the courtyard gate.

The leader swung down from his horse.

He was around forty, dressed in a blue robe, with a sharp and capable appearance. As he stood in the courtyard, his back was ramrod straight.

Two young men in their early twenties followed behind him, dressed in gray robes. They were indeed from White Cloud Martial Hall.

Several of the bolder villagers followed from afar.

Instructor Zhou took two steps forward.

His gaze swept over the courtyard. He walked to the door and looked inside.

Zhou Yan was half-reclining on the bed.

Most of the swelling on his face had gone down. The bloody gashes had scabbed over, and strips of cloth were wrapped around his shoulder.

His face was pale, and his breathing weak.

Instructor Zhou did not sit down.

"Are you Zhou Yan? Were you the one Zheng Tong and the others sought out before entering the mountains?"

Zhou Yan nodded.

"Tell me. What happened after you entered the mountains?"

Zhou Yan fell silent for two breaths, as if recalling the events. His voice was hoarse and intermittent.

"We went into the mountains to gather herbs when a demonic beast suddenly sprang out."

"What did it look like?"

"Black, four legs, teeth this long." Zhou Yan shakily raised a hand to gesture. "Zheng Tong and the others went up to deal with it. The beast swatted me away with one claw, and I crashed into a tree and passed out."

"When I woke up, it was already dark." He paused and swallowed. "They were all gone. I could only crawl down the mountain by myself."

Instructor Zhou stared at him with a sharp gaze.

He reached out and pressed a hand against Zhou Yan's shoulder.

Zhou Yan's heart tightened.

His expression did not change, but his breath remained weak and his gaze unfocused. He looked exactly like a farm boy scared out of his wits.

Instructor Zhou merely gave him a casual examination.

He did not probe for cultivation techniques. A farm boy could not possibly possess martial arts techniques.

Then he stood and said to the disciples behind him, "Into the mountains. Search in the direction he described."

The two disciples acknowledged the order.

Instructor Zhou turned and headed outside, then mounted his horse. Soon, the hoofbeats faded into the distance.

The villagers who had come to watch also dispersed, and the alley fell quiet.

Zhou Yan closed his eyes. Sweat from his back soaked through the cloth strips.

He had finally fooled them!

The room fell quiet.

Madam Liu came in to take a look.

She collected the empty medicine bowl and placed another bowl of warm water on the table.

"The people from the martial hall were fairly polite," she muttered. "Better than I expected."

Her voice gradually faded away.

Zhou Yan opened his eyes and looked at the roof beam overhead.

The mud-plastered walls had cracked in several places with age, and several dried corn cobs rested atop the beam.

The people from White Cloud Martial Hall would search the mountains. When they failed to find anyone, they would only assume the demonic beast had dragged them away.

As for the things he had hidden earlier, he would retrieve them once his injuries healed.

Once the heat died down, he would make further plans!