Chapter 1: The Hero Sets Out with a Grudge and Unyielding Ambition

  The sky is high and the clouds are light, looking out at the distant geese flying south.

  Like a line of geese returning from the edge of the sky, the horse-drawn carriage carrying Ju Ying also gradually disappeared into the distance under the young man's gaze.

  Farewell to Ju Ying, for Xing Yan, it's like bidding farewell to a way of life. Although they only spent two short days together, for Xing Yan, it was enough to leave an indelible mark on his heart.

  For him, a rustic youth from the mountains, the phrase "刻骨铭心" seems too luxurious. Compared to the days spent rushing for life, and the two days of sharing joys and sorrows with her, it was just an accidental encounter in life. When she left, everything disappeared like smoke.

  He had only been dazed for a moment when he suddenly remembered something important: he hadn't gone to work at the Fragrant Rice Building for two days!

  "Can't stay idle here anymore!"

  Silently blaming oneself in one's heart

  "I'd better hurry back and take a look! Who knows what excuses Liu will come up with. Maybe he'll even deduct some wages..."

  And didn't mention his anxiety; besides, his father Old Zhang had just hunted a few wild rabbits these two days and wanted to let his son take them to the city to sell as usual. However, this time the young man felt that he had already been absent from work for two days, and if he were to go now with their own mountain products, Liu Zhuang would be even less likely to have a good face. Thinking of this, he explained the situation to his father, and then the two of them rushed straight to Raozhou City together.

  When he arrived at the Tao Xiang Lou, Shui Wen suddenly realized that things were much more serious than he had imagined. Because he hadn't come for two days, not only did Liu Zhuanggui not give him a single penny of his wages for this month, but what's worse, he had already been fired by the boss.

  He was still speaking kindly and persuasively for a few more sentences, but found that the situation had already passed. His position had obviously been replaced by a young stranger.

  Actually, for the owner of Daxiang Building, Liu Zhanggui, the young man's absence from work for two days was exactly what he wanted! Previously, this young worker often delayed his arrival due to private tutoring sessions and couldn't start work early. The boss had long been displeased with him. If it weren't for the sake of Mr. Ji's face, Liu would have kicked him out a long time ago. Now that this stinky brat has absconded from work, it's a heaven-sent opportunity not only to fire him but also to save on his wages for this month!

  As soon as Xing Yan mentioned his deducted wages, Liu Zhuangui was like a horsefly that had been stung, jumping up high and grabbing an abacus. With a series of loud clicks, he carefully calculated with the former partner the severe consequences that Xing Yan's two-day absence had brought to the Fragrant Rice Building. And this big boss of the Fragrant Rice Building really had some ability; by the time they finished calculating, even Xing Yan began to feel ashamed of his own petty calculations. Because, through Liu's explanation, not only did the Fragrant Rice Building not owe Xing Yan money, but Xing Yan actually owed the restaurant a sum of money - although he didn't have to pay it out of pocket; the kind-hearted boss said so to him:

  "Sigh, never mind. I'm just a soft-hearted person..."

  When the dizzy young man came to his senses, he found that he had unknowingly left the wine tower and was now standing on the main street.

  It is said that when a person is unlucky, even drinking cold water can get stuck in his teeth. Just as he was wandering aimlessly on the street, looking around for job postings, he suddenly saw several young men beside him, laughing and shouting as they tumbled over, their mouths shouting:

  "Oh no! Pīpí liù zhǐ ér, again relying on deceit to cheat people!"

  Upon hearing this, the distracted young man casually followed the direction of the running servants. Who would have thought that with just one glance, his heart would skip a beat! Because in the distance, at the bustling street corner, was exactly where his father sold wild game.

  "Are we both going to be so unlucky today?"

  With a worried mind, he hastily ran over. When he parted the crowd and took a look, his anger was not focused in one place:

  It turned out that the scoundrel Sun Liu, who was pretending to be dead on the ground, was actually being held by his father, Old Zhang!

  This honest and simple old Zhang, is now being bullied and swindled to the point of not knowing what to do; suddenly seeing Xingyan'er who often hangs out in the city, he's like a long-awaited savior, hastily pulling him over, pouring out the bitter water that has been pent up for so long. Old Zhang's heart is stifling with anger, his voice shaking as he speaks.

  After listening to Father's incoherent words, I finally understood what was going on. It turned out that the poor boy Liu Six had come over earlier to buy a rabbit from Old Zhang, but he didn't discuss the price and just kept fondling the rabbit nonstop.

  Old Zhang was getting impatient, and just as he opened his mouth to ask if they had found anything, Sun Liu suddenly shouted out that the rabbit was actually one of his family's raised rabbits, which had gone missing yesterday. He claimed that he had been searching everywhere for it and happened to find it at Old Zhang's place. Therefore, this rascal falsely accused Old Zhang of stealing his rabbit; not only did he want Old Zhang to return the rabbit in his hand, but also demanded that Old Zhang compensate him with several more rabbits.

  Sun Liu's fingers formed a sly face, how could his head bear it, and he was immediately enraged! Heaven have mercy, this rabbit was caught by him with great difficulty in the mountains below Ma Ti Shan; that mountain valley is still ten or twenty miles away from Raozhou City, how could he mistakenly catch Sun Liu's rabbit?!

  Old Zhang was so angry that he couldn't speak, and simply tried to grab the rabbit from Liu's hand. However, Liu had anticipated this and deliberately fell to the ground, pretending to be dead, while tightly holding onto Old Zhang's trousers and shouting "He killed someone! He killed someone!" This performance was so convincing that it turned the tables on Old Zhang, who was originally in the right but now found himself at a loss for words.

  Having heard Father's account and looking at the scene before me, I realized that it was like eating fireflies and snowmen, and my heart was clear.

  It's none other than Sun Liu, who was sleeping on the ground, pretending to be dead. This guy is one of the most notorious rascals in Raozhou City, known for his crooked fingers. Everyone calls him Sun Liu because of this physical characteristic, and over time, his real name has been forgotten. Sun Liu's specialty is to bully honest and kind-hearted villagers, looking for opportunities to pick a fight; as soon as he gets slightly hurt, he pretends to be dead on the ground. The villagers who are often bullied by him are mostly timid and afraid of trouble, so when they see his dying posture, they dare not argue with him and can only hand over their goods and beg to leave. Sun Liu's trick has been proven effective time and again, but today he has met a young man who is not easy to mess with, and things might get awkward!

  At this time, Xing Yan had just been fired and was choking with rage. Seeing his kind and honest old father being bullied, he suddenly became furious. Looking at Sun Liu pointing at him on the ground, he immediately felt a surge of anger; looking around to see if there were any handy objects, he saw a Jianghu heroic guest wearing a ring-headed knife in the crowd, and with one swift step, he rushed over and shouted loudly:

  "What a good-for-nothing scoundrel! Today you're asking for death yourself, and I'll be happy to oblige!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, the young man's right hand shot straight towards the hilt of the knife!

  Just as he was about to grab the knife and kill Sun Liu, he was stopped by the man with the sword. The man saw that the young man had a clear face, but did not expect him to be so reckless, and actually wanted to kill someone because of this small matter, which was really not worth it. At the moment when his heart was unbearable, he quickly pressed down on the young man's hand that had already grasped the knife handle, and sincerely advised:

  "Hey, you little brother, stop and listen to me! I think this guy is just a waste of life, why do you want to sacrifice your youth and life for him?!"

  The impulsive young man, upon hearing the middle-aged man's heartfelt words, suddenly seemed to be overcome with sorrow, and said in a mournful tone:

  "Uncle, you don't know the situation. Nowadays I'm already without any interest in life. Just this morning, that girl I've had a crush on for so long just left me and went who-knows-where; earlier when I went to work at the Fragrant Rice Building, I found out that I was actually fired by the boss. This life of mine is really worthless, what's the point of keeping it..."

  Listening to this desolate tone, all who hear it are moved to emotion.

  But then the young man's tone changed, and he opened his eyes in anger, saying:

  "Although this gentleman is kind, he doesn't need to stop me. Sun Liu pointed at the scoundrel and dared to deceive my old father. Today, even if I have to risk my life, I will cut off his dog head! This way, I can still preserve the name of Zhang Xingyan's filial piety! - Don't worry, good fellow, after beheading this scoundrel, before turning myself in, I'll definitely help you clean this knife first!"

  By this time, the young man was extremely excited, and he let out a loud shout:

  "Six-fingered salted swift come to accept death!"

  The sound of the roar had not yet fallen, and the young man had already lightly swept away the palm of the Jianghu Han. Then everyone only heard a "clang" sound, and the young man had already pulled out a shining ring-headed knife! In an instant, people nearby only felt a chilly knife wind sweeping over, and they hastily retreated backwards in a flurry.

  But that old father, Lao Zhang, had never seen such a scene before! He never thought that his usually smiling and cheerful daughter, Xing Yan, would be so violently emotional! For a moment, this normally kind-hearted and honest man was stunned, standing there like a wooden chicken, unable to utter a word!

  No one was able to stop him, and everyone thought that Pī Pí would be killed on the spot; who knew that the young man with a knife in his hand had just turned around, but saw that Pī Pí Sun Liu Zhi, who had been lying motionless, suddenly sprang up from the ground with a "swoosh" sound, pushed through the crowd, and fled with his pants down.

  When the fierce young man turned around to look again, he found that the yellow mud where the fellow was lying was now empty; there were only a few chicken feathers, which were spinning lonely on the ground...

  "Hah! This guy is quite fast on his feet! Otherwise, I would have struck him down with one slash!"

  The young man who didn't catch Sun Liu's thumb was still resentful there!

  And without reminding the words of regret, the onlookers all let out a sigh of relief! Who would have thought that the young man who usually had a cheerful face in the neighborhood would be so ruthless this time? He was willing to risk his life to avenge his father's injustice. However, although it was comfortable for everyone to watch the commotion, if someone were to actually die, it would inevitably alert the authorities, shock the local community, and cause trouble for the neighbors. Moreover, it would also implicate the young man's family in the crime, which would be a terrible outcome! Therefore, seeing that the matter had been settled, everyone was relieved.

  As the matter was settled, everyone slowly dispersed. The Jianghu guest who had been awakened by the youth's sudden drawing of his sword saw that he was so bold and fearless, not taking human life seriously at all. Even though he himself had traveled extensively and seen a lot, he couldn't help but feel secretly shocked. Therefore, when the youth returned his sword, this man didn't dare to linger and only exchanged a few pleasantries before taking his leave.

  Although the crowd had dispersed, Lao Zhang, who had been standing there for half a day without reacting, was still in a state of shock - it had just been so dangerous, and his precious daughter had almost lost her life over a small matter! As soon as he thought about this, Lao Zhang couldn't help but feel deep regret.

  "If I had known he was so reckless, I should have presented these few wild rabbits with both hands earlier!"

  He thought back to the sword fight earlier and Old Zhang's face turned pale with fright. When he calmed down a bit, he scolded his son for being reckless.

  Seeing his old father getting anxious and flustered, the young man who had been frowning suddenly let out a "heh" of laughter. This laugh startled his father!

  Old Zhang was confused and didn't know what was going on, but he heard his child carefully explaining it to him.

  "Father, please rest assured, although I'm not a good son, how could I be that reckless fugitive? Earlier, I was just thinking about that broken household's six fingers, being utterly shameless; if we tolerate him today and indulge his wishes, we'll only be looked down upon. Unlike me, this kind of person is truly reckless, if we give in to his demands today, later on he won't hesitate to cling to us like a parasite, without end or rest. Our family still needs to come to Raozhou City frequently to sell mountain goods and wild products, we really can't afford this kind of trouble!"

  "So, the kid thought for a moment and decided to use an ultimate trick. Ha! This guy dared to scare me like this today, next time he won't dare to come and bother me again, it's a perfect plan!"

  Having said this, seeing Father's expression had already calmed down, he continued saying:

  "Hah, this fright will spread far and wide. From now on, the remaining rascals in Raozhou City will think twice before coming to bother Father's business again. They'll have to feel their own necks and ask themselves how many lives they have!"

  After being kidnapped and forced to release the officer the previous night, this 16-year-old boy has unknowingly become bold and meticulous, deeply understanding that some evil people must be dealt with severely.

  Old Zhang heard this and felt that there was some truth to it. After all, he had watched his son grow up and knew that he wasn't the kind of person who acted recklessly. Moreover, his son had studied poetry and books with Mr. Ji, so he wouldn't be so rash.

  Although he said so, Lao Zhang's head couldn't help but think of the dangerous scene just now, and his face, which had just calmed down a bit, turned pale again. He then said to Xing Yan:

  "Oh dear! What if Sun Liu's guy is really a scoundrel, and he's just pretending not to run away; or what if he fights back and stabs you with his knife, then how are we going to get our money?"

  Hearing Father ask this, Xing Yan just smiled calmly:

  "Father, there's no need to worry. Before I went to grab the knife, I had already taken a look at where that good-for-nothing was lying. It just so happened that he avoided the cold bluestone slab and only lay on the yellow mud ground - do you think this guy is even afraid of the cold? And now, having heard me exchange fierce words with that Jianghu fellow and seeing me go to pull out the knife, does he still have a reason not to run away quickly? Haha!"

  At this point, Sheng Yan seemed to see Sun Liu's wretched appearance again and couldn't help but burst out laughing!

  "Good! A filial and heroic son!"

  Just as the two were engaged in a one-on-one conversation, someone suddenly appeared from the side and applauded the young man who was enjoying himself!