Proofreader & Editor: Lotas
On a beautiful mountain, there is a village that is unknown to most people.
Fulong Village.
There are close to three hundred households in the village.
When night falls, smoke rises from every household.
Women in floral jackets open their courtyard doors and call out the names of the children.
"Tie Dan!"
"Gou Dan!! Come home for dinner!"
"Cui Hua~ You're back."
"Chenchen, that brat, come back right now!"
A tall boy fiercely throws another boy to the ground.
He curses, "Useless blind, if I see you again, I'll beat you up!"
The boy lying on the ground shows a hint of a smile and softly says, "Zhao Beichen, just you wait."
The boy is about thirteen or fourteen years old, with sharp features, a high nose, and thin lips.
He is wearing a gray linen robe, with a white silk band covering his eyes.
As soon as he finishes speaking, Zhao Beichen's eyes show a fierce look, and he raises his hand to strike the boy.
But he is stopped by another child, who says with a pained expression, "Beichen, hurry back, my mom is calling me for dinner."
After a few children leave, the boy lying on the ground gets up with a spring in his step.
Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he walks back home with his hands behind his back.
As he walks, the boy wrinkles his nose, as if he hadn't been the one beaten just now.
Following the scent, the boy leans on a fence and calls out, "Auntie Li~ What's the occasion today? Stewed hen?"
Creak~
A slightly plump middle-aged woman comes out, smiling and greeting the boy.
"It's Guanqi, have you eaten? Auntie will get you some."
Li Guanqi pretends to pat his stomach and says, "I haven't eaten yet."
"I have such a keen dog's nose, don't want to eat the pickled vegetables my grandpa made, so you came here."
The woman quickly waves her hand and says, "Brat, don't talk nonsense. Just in time, Auntie still has half a pot left."
"I'll get you some rice, so you can eat with your grandpa."
The boy's face lights up at these words, and he sweetly says, "Thank you, Auntie Li."
"Ah… it's a shame that Auntie Li doesn't open a restaurant down the mountain with her cooking skills."
The woman's eyes curve, and there are a few more wrinkles at the corners of her eyes.
"Sweet-talker, just you wait."
Soon, a doll-like little girl comes out carrying a pot of fragrant stewed chicken.
The little girl carries the brimming pot of stewed chicken, her eyes fixed on the pot to prevent any spills.
As she walks, the little girl mutters, "Li Guanqi, are you a dog? Every time my family makes something delicious, you come right on time."
Li Guanqi can't help but say as he leans on the fence, "Meng Wanshu, who do you think will marry you in the future, the perfect wife and mother?"
Meng Wanshu's face turns red, and she struggles to put the pot on the fence.
She rolls her eyes at Li Guanqi and runs back into the house, but then she remembers that Li Guanqi can't see.
Pouting, she looks up at Li Guanqi and scolds, "You rascal!"
Li Guanqi laughs and turns around, still standing in place, and bows slightly.
Somewhat awkwardly, he says, "Um… is Uncle Meng back?"
The man standing in front of Li Guanqi doesn't say anything, but kicks him in the butt.
Laughing and scolding, he says, "Stop teasing Wanshu. You're almost of marriageable age, and you still don't have a serious."
"Get lost~"
Li Guanqi chuckles and nods, saying, "Alright~ I'll bring wine for Uncle Meng tomorrow."
***
After a few turns, he arrives at a courtyard a little further away.
After pushing open the door, the boy calls out softly, "Grandpa? I'm back."
At the door, an old man smoking a pipe suddenly brightens up.
He comes to Li Guanqi and grabs a piece of chicken, stuffing it into his mouth, and squints his eyes.
Chewing, the old man says, "It's still Old Meng's wife's cooking that's the best."
Li Guanqi puts down the pot and sways slightly.
Su Xuan sneers and scolds, "You've only just opened your insight, and you're using it like this? You'll have to hit the punching post a hundred times today!"
The boy's face immediately turns bitter, and he mutters, "Grandpa, really…?"
"A hundred times, or three hundred times, I'll be up half the night hitting it."
With that, the old man takes out a pitch-black scabbard, and the boy wisely closes his mouth.
The old man and the boy sit on the doorstep and start eating.
As they eat, the boy asks, "Grandpa, why do you always tell me not to fight back?"
The old man spits out a bone and slaps the boy's head, making him stumble.
"Do you practice punching on the weak? Is that how I taught you?"
"If you fight back, I'll have to go to Old Zhao's house for a feast tomorrow."
The boy rubs his head and doesn't say a word for a long time.
Pretending not to notice, the old man says, "You're holding back, there must be something bothering you, I can't be bothered."
"Did you meet Uncle Meng on your way back?"
Li Guanqi chuckles, "Wanshu is getting prettier as she grows older."
Smack!
"Who asked you about their daughter?!"
"Oh, oh, you mean my father-in-law?"
Smack!
"After dinner, soak in the medicinal bath and hit the punching post four hundred times!"
"Grandpa~ my dear grandpa!!"
But the old man suddenly gets up, leaving the boy reaching for nothing.
"Burp~"
"I'm done eating."
Li Guanqi suddenly realizes that something is wrong.Chopsticks clattered several times in the bowl, the only sounds being the clinking of the bowl and chopsticks.
"Did you go to play chess with Old Lu again?"
"Focus on practicing your boxing!"
The youth's face soured as he shoveled rice into his mouth, not stopping until the bowl was empty.
***
After finishing his meal, the young man went to the backyard, stripped off his clothes cleanly, and sat down in the bath barrel.
The dark green medicinal liquid continuously irritated the youth's skin.
In just a few breaths, his skin turned bright red, and fine beads of sweat began to seep from his forehead.
His body trembled slightly, teeth clenched tightly.
It was as if he was enduring some unusual pain.
Through the dark green medicinal liquid, one could vaguely see the dense and mysterious patterns on the youth's body.
This year, Li Guanqi had just opened his Insight and was able to see things.
But in his 'eyes,' although there were only black and white, it was already a huge surprise for him.
Therefore, he would exhaust his spirit every day to activate his Insight.
Li Guanqi sat silently in the bath barrel, enduring the pain brought by the medicinal bath.
Meanwhile, his mind was preoccupied with the things he would do after finishing his boxing practice.
***
To the east of Fulong Village, there stood a centuries-old tall tree.
Su Xuan, dressed in a gray robe and carrying a saddlebag, strolled leisurely to the tree.
An amiable-looking old man was sitting under the tree, playing chess by himself.
Seeing Su Xuan arrive, he greeted him warmly.
"Tsk tsk, just finished eating?"
Su Xuan picked a piece of meat from his mouth, flicked it away with a snap of his fingers, and said, "Old Lu, today I'll accompany you for one last game."
The white-haired old man slowly raised his head and said softly, "Leaving?"
Su Xuan placed the saddlebag on the ground and softly replied, "Yes, leaving."
After speaking, he casually picked up a white chess piece and placed it on the board, then looked up at the old man and said softly, "I know who Old Meng and Old Zhang from the west of the village are."
"But only you, I've racked my brains for eight years and still can't figure it out."
"Who are you… what's your name?"
The old man smiled faintly, placing a black chess piece next to the white one.
"Me? I'm just a lonely old man."
"As for my name… Lu Tiancheng."
Su Xuan frowned slightly, murmuring in a low voice, "Lu Tiancheng… never heard of it."
"Then he must not be someone important."
"But…"
Bang!
The black chess piece was casually shattered by a scabbard.
Su Xuan's gaze sharpened as he looked into the old man's eyes and said softly, "I don't care who you are, nor how your name defies the heavenly way."
"As long as I'm here, you can't touch my grandson! And you won't be able to!"
Buzz!!
In the next moment, the shattered black chess piece miraculously reassembled, as good as new.
The old man, as if unfazed by Su Xuan's threat, said softly, "Whether I can or cannot, it's always worth a try, isn't it?"
Su Xuan smiled faintly, scratched his head with the scabbard, and stood up saying, "Then let's do it now, I'm afraid I'll be too busy tomorrow, and I won't have time."