The Smiling, Proud Wanderer: From the Moment He Picked Up Qu Feiyan

Lin Zhennan led the way with his hands behind his back and a steady gait. Chen Qi followed closely behind, his eyes scanning the surroundings with curiosity and vigilance, his grip on the hilt of the knife at his waist.

Shen An remained expressionless, his gaze seemingly unfocused, yet he took in every detail of his surroundings.

Playing a fool is so effective; no one will care about you.

The path had clearly been carefully maintained; its surface was firm and had not become muddy despite its proximity to the river. The reeds on both sides had been trimmed to form a natural barrier without completely obstructing passage, indicating that it was frequently used.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the view ahead suddenly opened up. The tall reed walls receded to the sides, and a village nestled among green trees and bamboo quietly appeared before the three of them.

At the entrance of the village stands a thick old locust tree, and under the tree are several large, smooth blue stones.

A young man who was repairing a fence with a sickle heard footsteps, immediately stopped what he was doing, straightened up, and looked over.

His eyes were filled with scrutiny and wariness.

In ancient villages, any unfamiliar face could be a source of danger, let alone the appearance of people like Lin Zhennan and Chen Qi carrying swords as night was falling.

"Halt! Who are you?" The man's voice was deep and powerful, and he casually held the sickle horizontally in front of him.

Lin Zhennan stepped forward, gently clasped his hands in greeting to the man, and said loudly, "Greetings, brother. I am Lin Zhennan from the Fuwei Escort Agency. Several years ago, I had the honor of accompanying Li Longtou to your esteemed place. Today, I am passing through this area and have come to pay my respects."

The burly man frowned when he heard the name of the security escort agency, but his brow immediately relaxed when he heard the name "Li Longtou".

He looked Lin Zhennan up and down again, then seemed to remember something, and his tense body relaxed. He scratched his head and smiled somewhat embarrassedly: "So it's Chief Escort Lin, look at my memory... Please wait here for a moment, our village chief is getting old and has difficulty walking, I'll go and fetch him right away."

After saying that, he tucked the sickle into his waistband, turned around, and ran quickly into the village.

Watching his departing figure, Chen Qi leaned close to Lin Zhennan and flattered him:

"The chief镖头's reputation remains undiminished; with a single tremor, he made the ignorant villagers bow down in reverence."

Lin Zhennan looked at him helplessly: "When I came last time, he was probably only ten years old. How could he recognize me? I guess he asked the village chief to identify me carefully."

"Hey, Chief Escort, why didn't you exchange a few words with him in slang just now? Don't we all have our own code of speech when dealing with these underworld figures?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhennan looked at him with a face that said, "This child is hopeless," and shook his head, saying:

"Foolish me, didn't I tell you before that this is just an ordinary village? Do you think this is some kind of den of dragons and tigers, where everyone is a bandit?"

He pointed to the neat vegetable patch at the village entrance, then to a few children chasing and playing not far away: "Look at them, are they江湖人 (jianghu people, people from the martial arts world)?"

"What happened to Li Longtou...?"

Lin Zhennan stroked his beard and chuckled, "That's why I say Li Longtou and I are friends. We believe in blessings, not power. Countless villages along the Xiang River have benefited from his kindness. When danger strikes, his men can easily break up into smaller groups and disappear into any available place. Who can possibly cause him trouble?"

Chen Qi listened, stunned, and nodded as if he understood but not quite.

Shen An understood. Wow, the countryside surrounds the city!

Before long, the man from before helped an elderly man with gray hair and a thin frame walk over quickly. Although the old man was old, he was in good spirits, and his eyes were still bright and piercing.

"Oh my! It really is Chief Escort Lin!" Before the man even arrived, the old man's hearty laughter rang out. "I thought it was Shunzi who had mistaken me for someone else! I am so sorry for not welcoming you properly, my esteemed guest."

"You're too kind, old village chief." Lin Zhennan smiled and stepped forward, exchanging pleasantries with the old man. "It's been years since I last saw you, and you're still so healthy."

"Thanks to Chief Li, thanks to Chief Li!" The old village chief grinned from ear to ear, grabbing Lin Zhennan's hand and warmly inviting him, "Come, come, Chief Escort Lin, quickly come with me into the village, let's go to my house for a cup of hot tea!"

Upon entering the village, a sense of peace and tranquility immediately greets you.

Although the village roads weren't exactly smooth, they were kept very clean. Along both sides of the roads, every household's courtyard was surrounded by bamboo fences, and most of them kept chickens and ducks inside.

When the villagers saw the old village chief leading strangers in, they would cast curious glances, but those glances held no hostility; instead, they were filled with kindness and simplicity. There was even a little girl with pigtails who, carrying a bowl of cool water freshly drawn from the well, ran up to them with her short legs, timidly offering it to Lin Zhennan, saying in a childish voice, "Uncle...drink some water."

Upon entering the old village chief's house, one finds that although the house is simple, it is kept in perfect order.

Lin Zhennan explained to the village chief the reason for entrusting Shen An to Li Donglai. Chen Qi went out to buy some chicken, duck, vegetables and eggs, while Shen An was looking at the furnishings of the village chief's house.

The old village chief's wife warmly served him tea in a rough earthenware bowl and also brought out a plate of fragrant roasted pumpkin seeds.

It was stir-fried with salt.

After Lin Zhennan explained why he had come here, the old village chief listened and looked at Shen An, sighing repeatedly.

"Ah, poor child. Don't worry, Chief Escort Lin, this is easy to handle. Chief Li is counting the days; he'll probably come to the village in the next day or two to see everyone and collect some mountain produce. When that time comes, I'll just tell Chief Li about this, and with his abilities, he'll definitely be able to find out the whole story about this child."

As he spoke, the old village chief warmly invited him to stay, saying, "It's getting late, Chief Escort Lin, why don't you stay in the village for the night? Let this young man rest in peace and have a hot meal."

Lin Zhennan was grateful, but still politely declined: "I appreciate the old village chief's kindness. However, I have dozens of brothers on my boat and an important shipment to make, so it's really inconvenient for me to stay any longer. I came here only to entrust the head of the village with a matter. Since he will be arriving soon, I won't bother him any longer."

Another purpose of his trip was to make some dealings with Li Donglai. Sometimes, it's not just about giving gifts; asking for favors can actually build a deeper connection. Now that he's made contact, he'd rather stop while he's ahead and not cause the other party any trouble.

Meanwhile, on the downstream riverbank, two strangely shaped figures were wading upstream along the slippery riverbank, one after the other.

The man in front was an unusually tall figure with skin so white it looked as if he had never seen light before, appearing even paler under the gloomy sky. As he walked, he seemed to trip over something, and suddenly flew into a rage, kicking a fist-sized pebble with a loud "plop" into the river.

"Damn it!" the big white guy cursed, his voice as rough as a broken gong. "Whether that bastard surnamed Qu lives or dies is none of my business! It's better if he's dead, then I can enjoy a few more years of comfort in this northern desert! Those old geezers at headquarters sent us two brothers to this godforsaken place where you could raise fish in your crotch with just one sentence!"

Following behind him was a monk, his robes stiff from washing, but his bald head and exposed skin were as black as the bottom of a pot. Hearing the complaints, he simply let out a low, unhurried "heh heh" laugh.

The black-robed monk spoke slowly and deliberately, his tone devoid of any compassion, "It would be better if he died. What the main altar fears is his betrayal of the sect."