Chapter Thirty-Seven: People of Jianghu

  In the blink of an eye, six years have passed.

  This winter was exceptionally cold, and the streets were covered with thick snow. There wasn't a single pedestrian on the road, only snowflakes falling quietly.

  Ding Yan's appearance was no longer that of a young boy, having shed his youthful innocence and transformed into a steady young man. He wore a long blue shirt, and his face looked somewhat gaunt.

  In six years, the neighbors all knew Ding Yan. They knew he was a bookworm. He had encountered bandits and drifted to Qiushui Town. Moreover, because he was with a child, many neighbors would lend him a helping hand, often using their remaining rations to support them.

  Of course, in return, Ding Yan also taught the children of the town to recognize characters and read, and over time, the people of the town knew about this person named Ding Xiucui. Many families would come to visit Ding Yan when their child was born, asking him to name their child.

  Inside the house.

  Ding Yan was still wearing that old faded blue long shirt, standing by the table, holding a brush and writing stroke by stroke.

  These papers and brushes were all taken by him when he borrowed silver from the government office that year. The paper quality is much better than what's sold on the market.

  "Uncle, why do you always write these words?"

  By the table, a five or six-year-old boy opened his eyes wide and curiously looked at Ding Yan.

  The child's name is Ding Chen!

  The name was given by Ding Yan, and Chen also means morning, implying a new beginning. As for the surname, Ding Yan abandoned the child's father's surname and followed his mother's surname, because in his opinion, this child is the continuation of his sister and the bone and blood of the Ding family.

  "Because these words are all alive, every time I write them, it's a new understanding." Ding Yan didn't lift his head, still writing.

  The strokes are neither tight nor slow.

  "Is it alive?" Ding Chen seemed to understand but didn't quite get it.

  "When you grow up, your uncle will teach you how to write, okay?" After Ding Yan finished writing the last stroke, he put down his sleeve and placed the brush aside.

  Ding Chen nodded slightly.

  In his heart, Uncle is the most powerful and can do anything.

  Clang...

  The door was suddenly pushed open, and the wind and snow howled in. Snowflakes drifted in through the gap under the door, bringing with them a chill.

  A young man covered in blood burst in, wearing a large cloak and holding an iron sword in his hand. There was a clear sword wound under his ribs. At first glance, it was obvious that this person was from the martial arts world.

  The young man quickly closed the door behind him and leaned against it, panting heavily.

  Ding Chen looked at the person who suddenly rushed in and felt a wave of fear in his heart. Subconsciously, he grabbed Ding Yan's pant leg tightly.

  "Don't be afraid, I'm just using this place to hide from my enemies. After this is over, I'll repay you." The young man's face was somewhat pale, and as he spoke, he seemed to suddenly remember something. He took out a silver ingot from his chest and placed it on the table.

  "These are for you first. In a moment, no matter what sound you hear, don't make a peep, or else..."

  The young man had originally wanted to say, otherwise don't blame the ruthless steel knife in my hand. However, when he raised his head and saw Ding Yan's gaze, he subconsciously swallowed back all the remaining words into his abdomen. Although this person looked like just a bookworm, for some reason, the young man still felt a sense of fear deep within his heart.

  Damn it, what's wrong with me! How can I be afraid of an ordinary person!

  The young man's name is Xue Pan. He was an assassin of the Blood Clothes Sect, but he betrayed them due to dissatisfaction with their arrangements. The person chasing and killing him is also an assassin of the Blood Clothes Sect.

  "You can stay, but don't scare Chen'er." Ding Yan withdrew his gaze and didn't say another word.

  As for the silver on the ground, he didn't even glance at it from start to finish.

  "Thank you!" Xue Pan thanked him.

  Intuitively, he felt that this bookworm in front of him was not an ordinary person. Although there was no evidence, Xue Pan still believed his intuition.

  Outside, the wind and snow continue.

  Xue Pan, who had been living on the edge of a knife for years, naturally carried medicine to heal wounds on his body. After some simple treatment, the bleeding was stopped.

  Ding Chen hid behind Ding Yan's back, poking out his head and curiously looking at Xue Pan.

  In his young mind, he didn't understand what "jianghu" meant, but only felt very curious.

  Xue Pan rested for a while and his physical strength recovered a lot. Only then did he start to look around the room. The room was very simple, except for a wooden bed, there was only a table and a still burning brazier.

  "This is..." Xue Pan was stunned, and unintentionally, he saw that Ding Yan's calligraphy and painting were still in the corner of the wall.

  These words are all the marks of Ding Yan's careful consideration and writing failures.

  In Qiushui Town, Ding Yan decided to take care of Ding Chen for the rest of his life as an ordinary person and as Ding Chen's uncle. The current him has no aura of a loose immortal on his body, from the outside, he is just an ordinary person who will grow old, get sick, and die.

  The life of an ordinary person is too short compared to that of a free immortal.

  After becoming a loose immortal, the lifespan will break through the shackles of the cultivator and reach 500 years. Only after 500 years will the first calamity of the loose immortal be ushered in. In this regard, it is far from comparable to Ding Yan's previous life as a foundation-building cultivator. After passing through the first tribulation of the loose immortal, the lifespan of the loose immortal will increase again, reaching 1,000 years. After 1,000 years, the thunder calamity will appear again. From then on, every time you pass through the thunder calamity, your lifespan will increase by 1,000 years, and the thunder calamity will also appear once every 1,000 years.

  Of course, the arrival of Thunder Tribulation is not absolute. Some people cultivate too quickly and break through the limit before the time limit is reached. At that time, the Heavenly Tribulation will sense the person's aura and arrive ahead of schedule. This is also why some Thunder Tribulation Immortals in the Scattered Immortal World are only a few hundred years old.

  Ding Yan is now a free immortal, with a lifespan of 500 years. Five hundred years seems long, but it's not really the case. Accompanying Ding Chen for his entire life would require Ding Yan to spend at least 80 to 100 years, which means that one-fifth of his time has already passed.

  For such a long time, Ding Yan naturally wouldn't completely give up on cultivation, he just changed his method.

  A method of elevating one's mood through calligraphy.

  This method was learned by Ding Yan in his previous life when he became a god, and it is also applicable to the cultivation of scattered immortals. This method enhances one's state of mind and soul, and at the same time, it is a kind of accumulation that will be beneficial for future advancements.

  "Where did you get these paintings from?" Xue Pan's expression was somewhat agitated.

  The characters and paintings are extremely profound, and even with Xue Pan's current martial arts vision, he cannot see the subtleties within. He only vaguely feels that these characters and paintings should contain a set of extraordinary martial skills. If he can learn them, he will no longer need to fear being pursued by the Blood Clothes Sect. Even joining the Fairy Friends Society would be possible.

  Xian You Hui, no one knew more about the terror of that power than Xue Pan.

  Everyone in Jianghu knows that the Xianyou Association is founded by an immortal, and those who can join it are at least top-notch masters in Jianghu.

  "These were all written by Uncle and then casually thrown away!" Ding Chen couldn't help but say.

  "What?!" Xue Pan was shocked.

  Her gaze at Ding Yan was completely different now.

  A person who can write such characters is no ordinary person.

  Hurray! Hurray!!

  Just then, a shrill and ear-piercing laughter suddenly came from outside the door...