Chapter Four Past Events

  Things of the Past

  At dusk, Li Li and Yuan Futong were transporting a fierce tiger into the village.

  Every household has started cooking dinner, with smoke curling up from chimneys, creating a peaceful and serene scene.

  Two women, Li Nainai and Wang Shi, the wife of Lǐlǐ, sat under a pagoda tree at the village head, anxiously waiting for something, occasionally looking into the distance. They were waiting for Yuán Fú Tōng and Lǐ Lǐ. After all, it was Yuán Fú Tōng's first time entering the mountain, Li Nainai was worried that her grandson would get into trouble, so she seemed especially anxious. Infected by Li Nainai's emotions, Wang Shi also became anxious. The sun had already set, and the sky was almost dark, why hadn't they returned yet?

  Wang stood up again, shading his eyes to gaze into the distance. Seeing two figures walking towards the village from the southwest, he hastily called out to Li Nainai to go and greet them together. As they approached, they saw that it was indeed Li Li and Yuan Futong returning with a full load. Especially eye-catching was the fierce tiger that Li Li was carrying on his shoulder.

  Yuan Futong saw his grandmother come out and hurriedly ran over to support her. Li Nainai saw the fierce tiger that Li Liantang was fighting, and carefully looked at Yuan Futong, finding no injuries on him, and his clothes were also intact. Only then did she put her mind at ease, repeatedly saying: "It's okay, it's okay."

  "Grandma, I'm fine, don't worry. Li Shu and I even killed a big tiger today. Your grandson is quite capable."

  "As long as you're fine, Grandma is happy. It doesn't matter what's caught. With Uncle Li around, how much help can you be? How many tigers has Uncle Li fought in all these years?"

  "Aunt Li, you must be mistaken! This old tiger was shot dead by your family's good fortune, it wasn't my credit!"

  "How is that possible? Don't deceive me, Xiao Li. Fu Tong has only entered the mountain for the first time, and it's not certain whether he has any prey or not, how can it be him who shot the tiger?"

  Li Li smiled and walked towards the village while explaining the process of tiger-beating to Grandma Li and Wang.

  A few people entered the village and saw Li Lijiao's tiger in the middle of the village, several villagers who were chatting on the playground came over to congratulate.

  "Brother Li is quite lucky, got another tiger, now you can take a break for two years again."

  "What luck is that? It's just my brother's skill, isn't it? Who else in the village can hit a tiger besides my brother? Your family didn't get less of the tiger meat that time either."

  "That's it, that's it. Li Touren is really skilled. My son has been practicing with him for several months and his strength has increased a lot, even surpassing mine when I was young. It's all thanks to Li Touren's good teaching."

  Everyone congratulated Li Li with seven mouths and eight tongues, and for a time the school grounds were bustling. Others at home hearing the commotion also slowly walked out of their doors and headed to the school grounds to take a look at the excitement.

  Li Li threw the tiger onto the high platform on the north side of the training field and pulled Yuan Fu Tong up to the high platform.

  "Gentlemen, everyone please quiet down for a moment. I have an announcement to make."

  After the villagers below the platform quieted down, Li Li continued: "This tiger is Futong's prey, and Futong has the right to dispose of it. Futong, what do you say we should do with this tiger?"

  The village name under the stage suddenly exploded, and people in the lower seats whispered to each other, exchanging words. Li Li saw this and shouted loudly.

  "Quiet! I know some of you don't believe me, let me tell you what happened today."

  Li Li was speaking eloquently on the stage about today's adventure, while Yuan Fu Tong was thinking deeply beside him. In the past, whenever Li Li hunted a tiger or something, he would distribute the meat to each household, and sell the bones and skin. A village with 70-80 households could get two catties of fresh tiger meat per family. Now that Li Li asked him to take charge of distribution, there was also consideration for his temperament. At this moment, he couldn't be stingy, or else he would be ridiculed by the whole village.

  "Grandpa, grandma, uncles and aunts, my wife and I have been in the village for 4 years now. In these four years, we've received a lot of care from everyone, so I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all. This tiger was hunted by both me and Uncle Li together. If it weren't for Uncle Li and Big Black, I might have already been eaten by the tiger. And if it weren't for Uncle Li's one knife, I wouldn't have had the chance to shoot the tiger either. So this tiger is our common prey. Since Uncle Li asked me to handle it, let's follow his old way of doing things - divide the tiger meat evenly among the villagers. I'd like to keep the tiger bones for Master Li Ke to make some tiger bone paste, which can be used to nourish the village children. As for the tiger skin, we can sell it in the city and split the money between me and Uncle Li. How does that sound?"

  "Good, Fu Tong really has skills."

  "Good job."

  The villagers all praised Yuan Futong, Li Li patted Yuan Futong's shoulder and smiled with relief. Li Ke also smiled at Yuan Futong from under the stage, looking very relieved.

  That night, Li Li skinned and deboned the tiger, then chopped the meat into blocks of roughly equal size for the villagers to collect. The village was filled with laughter and happy voices.

  Yuan Futong carried the ten or so catties of tiger meat that Li had given him earlier, amidst the villagers' thanks, and supported his grandmother back home. He went to the kitchen, hung up a big pot, and boiled the tiger meat. After finishing up, he came to the main room. But saw his grandmother staring blankly under the oil lamp. Grandma Li saw Yuan Futong come in and beckoned him over. Yuan Futong moved a stool to sit in front of his grandmother.

  "Fu Tong has really grown up, he can even fight tigers now." Grandma stroked Yuan Fu Tong's head and said slowly. Her eyes stared at the oil lamp, her face revealing a nostalgic expression.

  "Your Three Yang Decisive has broken through to the second layer, right?"

  Yuan Futong was slightly startled, Grandma had never asked him about these cultivation matters before. What's going on today?

  "En, broke through a few days ago, now I've started cultivating the third layer of acupoints all over my body."

  "Oh? It seems you're more talented than your father. That's right, with a mother as good as yours, it's only natural that you'd have great talent too."

  "Grandma, tell me about our family's affairs, I've grown up." Yuan Futong had also asked Grandma before, but she always said he was too young and wouldn't tell him. Now that he has proven his own abilities, he should also know about his own family's matters.

  "Alright, I'm old too, don't know how many more days I have left. Let me tell you about our family's affairs. First, let me ask you, you saw what happened today, didn't you? Your Uncle Li is thinking of grooming you to be the next village head, are you willing?"

  "I never thought of that..." Yuan Futong hesitated. Li Ri's actions today, and the careful guidance he had received from Li Ri and Li Ke over the past year, made him realize this meaning. Indeed, if he stayed in the village, relying on his own martial arts skills and knowledge, Li Jia Village would definitely be better off than before. Those two also saw his potential, so they taught him with all their might. Today's incident was just Li Ri helping him build momentum and win over people.

  But Yuan Futong really didn't want to spend his whole life in the village. After all, it was too closed off here. Most people in the village had only been to Longxing Town at the foot of the mountain. They went to town to sell fur, game, and herbs, and bought salt, cloth, and grain. Even fewer people had gone to Nanhua City, over 200 miles away. As a young person who had experienced the information explosion era, this kind of life was unbearable for long. In the past year or so, Yuan Futong had put all his energy into studying, practicing martial arts, and archery. He used these to pass the dull days. After all, herbal medicine, martial arts, and archery were still very attractive to him. Now that he had mastered all the skills in the village, he couldn't bear the boredom anymore, so he was eager to go into the mountains. Half of it was to make a living for this family, but mostly because life was too boring.

  Staying in the village, maybe finding a wife and having a child after a few years. Raising him to grow up, until he himself grows old. Such an ordinary life was unacceptable to Yuan Futo. Another thought kept emerging in his mind: what exactly was the piece of fire jade inside his body?

  So many people wanted it in their past lives. In the end, a Daoist with a flying sword came to snatch it away. What's the reason behind this?

  Is that Taoist a legendary immortal?

  Can immortals really live forever and be carefree?

  Can I be one of them?

  This idea had been haunting him, and in his past life he had also seen some online fantasy novels about immortals, thinking they were just human fantasies. But after the scene before his rebirth and what he heard in this world, he vaguely discovered that such people really existed, which was a great temptation for someone who had experienced loneliness and struggle in his past life and was now at the bottom of society in this life.

  Transcending worldly dust, roaming freely between heaven and earth. How delightful this must be!

  So, Yuan Futong yearned to go out and travel the world to find his destiny. With Huo Yu by his side, he believed that he was not a person without fate.

  Seeing the hesitation and longing on Yuan Futong's face, Grandma Li understood her grandson's thoughts. She let out a long sigh, shook her head, still unwilling to accept the ordinary life.

  Yuan Futong saw his grandmother sigh and knew she understood what he was thinking. So he didn't say anything else. Li Nainai perked up her spirits and said to Yuan Futong, "Since you've decided to go out, I won't stop you either. After all, your father was the same back then. If you're going out, there are many things I need to tell you, otherwise you'll suffer losses when you leave."

  "Your grandfather was an outer disciple of the Yuan family, and back then he was in charge of the herbal medicine business in Longxing Town. I also got to know your grandfather at that time. When your father was ten years old, he hadn't even broken through the first layer of the Three Yangs, and it seemed like he could only become an outer disciple like your grandfather. Your grandfather wanted your father to have better prospects, so he went into the inner mountains of Suolong Mountain to pick spiritual herbs to improve his physique."

  "Uchiyama, is it a deep mountain two hundred miles inland from the foot of the mountain?"

  "Yes, only the inner mountain has spiritual medicine produced. For those who practice martial arts to improve their physique and increase their power, they must have the spiritual medicine of sufficient years. There are so many villagers living in the outer mountain, and many medicines have been lost. To collect spiritual medicine, one must enter the deep mountains, but it is also very dangerous inside. It is said that there are immortals in the center who are cultivating." When he heard about immortals, Yuan Futong's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he didn't say much, quietly listening to Grandma speak.

  "Your grandfather picked a thousand-year-old fire ginseng, but was bitten by a poisonous insect. Although he persisted in returning home, he passed away soon after. Before his death, he handed the ginseng to me, gave me a prescription, and asked me to make medicine with the ginseng for your father to take in installments. Your father relied on the medicinal power, broke through to the third layer of the Three Yang Decision at the age of sixteen, was selected into the inner hall, and became an inner disciple of the Yuan family."

  "Grandpa is really amazing, what happened next?"

  "After your father became an inner disciple, he learned several powerful martial arts and his martial skills improved greatly. His ambition also grew, and he always wanted to go out and make a name for himself. After five years of training in the inner sect, he applied to leave and travel the world. Five years later, he brought your mother back home."

  "Mom?"

  "Your mother was a member of the Lin family from Ye City, named Lin Yue'e. The Lin family in Ye City is as prominent as the Yuan family. After your parents got married outside and returned, your mother was pregnant with you at that time. When they came back, I saw that both your father and mother were injured, and your father said it was because someone had used a cold and ruthless technique to hurt them, and their injuries were quite severe. Later, after your mother gave birth to you and her injury relapsed, she passed away, and not long after, your father also left due to grief. He entrusted you to me, and I raised you until you grew up."

  "Ah... Then who did Father say hurt them?" Yuan Futong jumped up, his face flushing red.

  "Alas... you can't even avenge your father now, your enemy is already dead."

  "Ah!"

  "Your grandfather accidentally received a strange book back then, which was about the cultivation of immortals. It seemed to be a cultivator's notes. The formula for changing one's physical constitution with fire ginseng and medicine came from that book. Your grandfather didn't give me the book at the time, but instead gave it to your father. After your father achieved great martial arts success, he couldn't bear the loneliness and left home to search for a chance to cultivate immortality according to the records in the book. Later, he met your mother, who was from a wealthy family and knew that one needed spiritual roots to cultivate immortality; otherwise, they could only practice martial arts and not achieve longevity. Your mother also didn't have spiritual roots and wasn't valued at home, so she left to make a name for herself. Later, when your mother became pregnant with you, she wanted to find some spiritual medicine to change your physical constitution, so that you could cultivate immortality after birth. That's why they went to the inner mountains."

  "Weren't my parents beaten by someone?"

  "In the inner mountain, they two had some gains, but encountered a cultivator who robbed them of their spiritual medicine. Your parents resisted and were injured by that cultivator's cold energy. The robber was then killed by another cultivator claiming to be a disciple of the 'Liang Yang Sect'. So your parents' revenge has been avenged. Before your father passed away, he told me everything in detail and left me the book that his father had given him. He instructed me that when you grew up, if your martial arts progressed quickly and reached the third layer of the Three Suns Decision, and you wanted to go out and make a name for yourself, I should tell you about this matter and let you decide for yourself. If your talent was not good, I should forget about it and let you live a peaceful life. When you were young, you might have been born with an injury from your mother's womb, and couldn't cultivate, so I didn't tell you. But now that you've grown up, the injury has healed, and your martial arts skills are good, this matter should be told to you."

  Grandma Li finished speaking, went back to the inner room and took out two books. One had a brownish-yellow cover with no title. The other was an ordinary paper-covered book called "Yuan Bing's Experiences". That was his father's name.

  "This is what your father left for you. If you want to go out and make a name for yourself, take good care of the things your father left for you. This was written by your father especially for you before he passed away." Granny Li said, tears streaming down her face.

  Yuan Futong's eyes were also hot, took over two books, looked at the tearful grandmother, speechless for a long time.