Chapter 7: The Imperially Bestowed Bodyguards (Part 1)

  The arrival of these farmers also filled this place, which had been deserted for almost ten years, with a lively atmosphere. To be honest, the environment here is not good, but after the county lord granted permission to open up a small field around the official road, at least making a living was not a problem. And seeing that the young master of the house was also very easy-going, people who were originally worried secretly breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts.

  Especially with a brand new house and courtyard ready, it's beyond their expectations. A lifetime of hard work, isn't it all for the sake of a warm stove for one's wife and children? With such a place to shelter from wind and rain, and land that seems to have some harvest, and many things can be found in the surrounding dense forest to do as a sideline, life is considered to have a promising future.

  Each household is not large, with five or six people, and Qin Yifan did not divide them too carefully. He casually assigned a set of houses to each family. After all, they were new houses, and there was nothing to pick from. These people were specially selected by the county magistrate from those poor and remote areas. Each person had been carefully instructed that with the pressure from the imperial court and the much better living environment here than before, it could be ensured that they would not leave after living for a period of time.

  Just arrived in a strange place, it's inevitable to feel some freshness and excitement. Almost every household is familiar with their own courtyard and surroundings, and the farming season has already passed, so there won't be any harvest this year. Fortunately, the imperial court distributed enough food to each household, so life is not a problem. The children also started to appear in various places in this small village, curiously getting familiar with everything.

  It can be seen that these people used to live in the mountains and forests, and they quickly became familiar with everything here. Since there are no ferocious beasts in the mountains and forests, the men began to enter the dense forest for hunting in groups. Qin Yifan sometimes also went in with them, but the number of times was already very small. With their supply of wild game, Qin Yifan didn't need to go in and out of the dense forest frequently to have food, and there were enough goods in the inn as well.

  It's possible that Qin Yifan was quite good to those postmen before, and on the way back and forth, after seeing that there was a small village and an inn here, those postmen would also take turns helping Qin Yifan run errands from time to time. As long as they mentioned what they needed - oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and some daily necessities - when they passed by, they would help bring them back next time they passed through the county town. Of course, Qin Yifan didn't need them to spend money, the silver left behind by the general was quite substantial, and at this rate of spending, even if the village children grew up to be grandfathers, it still wouldn't be used up.

  The new home life is indeed good, and the people who moved here quickly wiped away their worries and anxieties, and smiles bloomed on their faces. The honest mountain people and this simple host family got along very harmoniously, often having unsold wild game, Qin Yifan would invite a few men to taste the wine while eliminating these things. Of course, they also had them at home, after all, they were hunted by themselves.

  However, this young master has a very strange habit that everyone can't understand. Almost every day at that time, Qin Yifan would be by the side of that strange lake as if fishing. The mountain people have all seen it, and although there are fish in the lake, they're not big ones, just palm-sized, and don't taste good either, no one knows why this young master likes to be by the lake so much.

  People in the mountains are still simple and honest, they don't like things they don't understand, but no one will say anything. Sometimes when there were not many people around, Qin Yifan would spend the night by the lake. Seeing this situation, those kind-hearted mountain villagers spent a whole day building a small thatched hut for Qin Yifan by the lake, so he wouldn't have to sleep under the stars on nights when he didn't go back.

  There was also a mountain dweller who discovered a good tree while hunting, and he had learned some craftsmanship before, so he specially made a sturdy and durable fishing rod for Qin Yifan, which finally ended the embarrassment of Qin Yifan using a withered branch as a fishing rod. However, this way, everyone's relationship became more harmonious, and the days passed very comfortably.

  With so many people, and they are all ordinary people who don't understand anything, Qin Yifan wouldn't do anything that would scare them. Although he knew from Da Jiang's words that this was a place of evil aura, but from his own experience, the so-called demon wouldn't take any action against ordinary people, it had the demeanor of a master, those simple mountain villagers should be very safe.

  So, the only time left to get into the water is at night. But that's okay, if I'm seen getting in the water, I can just say it's because of the hot weather and I want to take a bath or play in the water. It's also strange, since there are so many people here now, even if Qin Yifan gets into the water, that eerie red glow won't appear. I don't know if it's because the monster in the lake knows how to hide its tracks or if Qin Yifan has developed some kind of extraordinary tacit understanding with it?

  As a result, the pressure Qin Yifan received during each cultivation was greatly reduced. Qin Yifan also knew that the red light must have been from another world, but he didn't want to miss this opportunity to frequently temper his will, so he advanced quite a bit into the lake to reach the previous level of pressure.

  Although in such a situation, Qin Yifan could easily enter the position of Lake Heart, but Qin Yifan did not want to explore the lake monster at all. It was as if two masters were exchanging blows, one yielding, and the other not wanting to take advantage of the opponent in such a situation. This is the self-esteem of a master.

  In this way, Qin Yifan and that unknown demon also lost the meaning of confrontation. The current situation between the two sides is very much like mutual sharpening, mutual improvement, and they are all slowly improving their strength by relying on the pressure given to each other.

  During this time, Qin Yifan became more and more harmonious with the mountain people who had moved in. Everyone liked this humble host, and they would often give him precious things. Of course, Qin Yifan also frequently gave them fish and other things, and sometimes he would even personally go to the kitchen to handle some wild game and share it with everyone. The small village was filled with joyful laughter everywhere.

  This scene is completely different from the ominous and sinister places that Lao Yao's mouth often talks about. The small village is full of joy, and even familiar people passing by on the official road are all smiling, without a hint of evil or ominousness. If such a place were an ominous place, I don't know how many people would cry and shout to come here.

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