Retirement begins with summoning Yuan Tiangang

The night is deep.

The moon hung between the branches of the old locust tree at the village entrance, white and mostly round.

The moonlight shone down, bathing the entire Luohua Village in a layer of silver.

The shadows of the mud-brick houses stretched long, lying haphazardly on the ground, as if they were asleep.

Lin Feng emerged from the dilapidated house at the end of the village and walked towards the center of the village under the moonlight.

He didn't know why he went out so late.

I just can't fall asleep.

Lying on that hard bed, I tossed and turned, my mind a jumble of thoughts.

I thought about many things: my master, the cultivation technique, the fight that night, and the past two months.

He planned to leave tomorrow, but...

As I thought about it, I thought of Yue Mei.

Her chattering voice, her eyes that crinkled into crescent moons when she laughed, and the way she ran over calling, "Raymond Lam, time to eat!"

He smiled.

How about we take a look at Yue Mei?

It's getting late.

But he went anyway.

I walk that familiar road, three or four hundred meters long, several times a day.

The moonlight illuminated the road clearly, making even the potholes visible.

As he approached her house, he slowed his pace.

Her mud house was no different from the others; it was low, dilapidated, and had several cracks in the walls.

The lights are on, but it's late at night, and while he may not care about his reputation, others do.

Lin Feng stood at the gate of the courtyard and hesitated for a moment.

But I'm leaving tomorrow...

He cleared his throat and shouted, louder:

"Moonlight!"

A scream suddenly came from inside the house.

"You scoundrel—!"

Lin Feng's heart tightened. Without saying a word, he rushed into the yard and kicked the door open.

The door slammed against the wall with a bang and almost fell off.

There were no lights on inside, but moonlight streamed in through the window, illuminating the scene inside.

Yue Mei was pinned to the bed, and a man was on top of her, about to kiss her.

She struggled desperately, kicking and pushing, her hair disheveled, and her collar torn open.

That guy—Little Tyrant.

Raymond Lam's eyes instantly turned red.

He rushed forward and kicked the little tyrant in the stomach.

"Bang!"

Little Tyrant flew out horizontally, crashed to the ground, rolled twice, and finally stopped after hitting the corner of the wall.

He clutched his stomach, curled up like a shrimp, and rolled on the ground in pain, making gasping sounds.

Lin Feng didn't look at him again.

He turned around and hugged Yue Mei tightly.

Yue Mei trembled all over, like a frightened little animal.

She nestled in Lin Feng's arms, clutching his clothes tightly with both hands, her face buried in his chest.

"It's alright," Lin Feng gently patted her back. "I'm here."

Yue Mei didn't speak, she just trembled.

Raymond Lam continued taking pictures, one after another, very gently.

"It's alright now..."

After a long while, Yue Mei finally raised her head.

Her face was covered in tears, her eyes were red, and her lips were trembling.

She looked at Lin Feng and suddenly burst into tears.

My mother went to Aunt Wu's house tonight and hasn't come back yet.

"Raymond Lam... Waaah..."

She hugged him tightly, sobbing uncontrollably.

Lin Feng hugged her and continued to pat her back.

"It's okay, it's okay..."

He looked at the little tyrant in the corner.

Little Tyrant recovered and slowly got up, clutching his stomach.

When he saw Lin Feng, his expression changed, and when he saw Yue Mei, his expression became even more unpleasant.

He spat to the side.

"Pooh."

Then he looked at Lin Feng with a sinister gaze.

"Great," he said, "very good."

After saying that, he clutched his stomach and staggered out the door.

They disappeared into the night.

Yue Mei was still crying.

I cried for a long time.

Lin Feng just held her there, standing in the room, motionless.

The moonlight shone in through the doorway, casting long shadows on them.

Finally, Yue Mei's crying subsided and turned into sobs.

The sobbing gradually stopped.

She pulled away from Lin Feng's embrace, lowered her head, and wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.

After wiping herself, she straightened her clothes, gathered up her torn collar, and combed her disheveled hair back.

She sniffed, looked up, and looked at Lin Feng.

"It's so late," she said, her voice still a little hoarse.

"You came to see me...what's up?"

Lin Feng was stunned for a moment.

Yes, I came to see her about something.

Thinking about what to say,

He opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a moment.

Yue Mei just watched him and waited.

The moonlight shone on her face, where the tear stains were still wet and glistening.

Raymond Lam finally spoke:

"I might have to leave tomorrow."

Yue Mei was stunned.

"So soon?" Her voice was soft, trembling slightly. "Aren't you going to stay a few more days?"

Lin Feng shook his head.

"No," he said.

"I have some things to do."

He paused, looking at her.

"Do you... want to come with me?"

Yue Mei's eyes darted away for a moment.

She looked down at the white expanse of moonlight shining on the ground.

silence.

After a long while, she finally spoke, her voice still soft:

"The outside world... has too many women."

Lin Feng didn't say anything.

"I'm doing fine here." She looked up, forcing a smile. "Really."

Lin Feng looked at her.

Under the moonlight, her face was pale, her eyes were bright, and her smile was somewhat forced, but she was still smiling.

"The outside world is vast," she continued, her voice ethereal.

"It's really big... so big you can't find the boundaries. There are really a lot of people..." Lin Feng murmured, his expression somewhat forlorn.

Yue Mei lowered her head again.

Lin Feng remained silent for a while.

"Are you really not going to reconsider?"

Yue Mei fell silent.

There was a very long silence.

It was long enough that the moonlight moved from the center of the door to the edge of it.

She finally raised her head, and a smile returned to her face. This time, the smile was more beautiful, with her eyes curving into crescents.

"No," she said, "I'll stay here."

She paused.

"It's so good to have met you."

Lin Feng looked at her, and a feeling he couldn't quite describe welled up inside him.

It tastes sour and astringent.

"Meeting you was good too," he said.

The two of them just looked at each other.

The moonlight flowed silently.

Finally, Raymond Lam spoke first:

I'm leaving tomorrow morning.

He paused.

"I'm gone."

After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the door.

Yue Mei stood inside the room, watching his retreating figure.

He walked out the door, into the courtyard, out of the courtyard, and onto the dirt road.

The moonlight stretched his shadow long, which slowly faded and blended into the night.

Yue Mei stood inside the room, motionless.

Just watch.

Only after the shadow had completely disappeared did she turn her gaze to the other side, to the mottled earthen wall.

Her lips moved, her voice so soft that only she could hear it:

"But right now... I'm really not good enough for you."

After saying that, she twitched her lips, it was hard to tell whether she was laughing or crying.

Then she looked up at the wooden roof.

The roof was pitch black, and you couldn't see anything.

She stood there for a long time.

Lin Feng returned to the dilapidated house at the end of the village.

The room was dark.

He groped his way inside and lit the oil lamp.

The flame flickered, spreading a hazy yellow light.

He sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the ball of light.

I spaced out for a while.

Then he lay down.

Blow out the oil lamp.

The room was plunged into darkness again.

He stared at the dark ceiling, his eyes wide open, lost in thought.

Lin Feng got up before dawn.

It was still gloomy outside the window; the moon had already set, and the sun had not yet risen.

It was the darkest time.

He dressed in the dark and packed his things.

There weren't many things, just a few items: the old cloth bag and the quilt from Yuemei's house.

He stood by the bed, looking at the bedding.

Folded neatly, it was placed in the corner of the bed.

He stared at Yue Mei's blanket for a while before turning and leaving.

The door closed gently without making a sound.

I stepped out of the courtyard and onto the dirt road.

The village is still asleep.

The mud-brick house was dark, with only the occasional lazy crowing of a rooster in the distance.

The air was cool and damp with dew. The yellow earth beneath my feet was a little soft, dampened by the dew from the night before.

Lin Feng walked slowly.

He paused as he passed the old locust tree in the middle of the village.

Look up.

The leaves of the locust tree rustled gently in the morning breeze.

He remembered that two months ago, he had leaned against this tree, covered in blood, too exhausted to move.

Yue Mei walked over from here, squatted down next to him, and bandaged his wound.

That bandaging technique was really bad.

The corners of his mouth curved into a smile.

keep going.

We left the village and walked onto the official road leading out of the village.

The sky began to turn grayish-white.

It's faint, spreading slowly. One by one, the stars disappear, and the sky changes from black to deep blue, then from deep blue to light blue.

Lin Feng walked alone on the official road.

The dirt road stretches out from under your feet, extending into the unseen distance.

On both sides were harvested rice paddies, the rice stalks standing tall, and the sparrows had not yet taken flight.

The wind was blowing from the north, and it was cool.

He went a long way.

Behind him, unseen by his eyes

Behind him, on the small hillside next to the village, stood a person.

Moonlit Beauty.

She stood at the top of the slope, looking at the official road and the black dot that was getting farther and farther away.

The wind blew her hair and the hem of her clothes.

She remained motionless.

There was another person standing next to her.

Little Tyrant.

He crossed his arms and looked in that direction as well. His face was expressionless, but his eyes held a complex look.

Neither of them spoke.

Just stand there.

Behind them, about fifty meters away, a person was squatting next to a large rock.

Er Gouzi.

He didn't look at Raymond Lam.

He was looking at Yue Mei.

His eyes were fixed straight ahead, without blinking.

The wind is still blowing.

The sky slowly brightened.

The black dot in the distance grew smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared completely into the morning mist.

Yue Mei stood there for a long time.

Then she turned around and walked back.

She paused as she passed by Xiaobawang.

"Don't come again."

After saying that, she continued walking.

Little Tyrant stood still, without moving.

Er Gouzi was still squatting there, staring blankly at Yue Mei's receding figure.

The sun peeks out from the east.

The journey continues.