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

The bonfire on the riverbank had burned out, with the last wisp of smoke rising and then being dispersed by the cool morning breeze.

The tiny, crimson embers flickered intermittently, their light fading and shifting uncertainly.

By the campfire, Shen An and Li Donglai were discussing business in Xiangtan.

Looking at the young senior brother in front of him who was so young yet had already shown extraordinary skills, Li Donglai felt a shrewdness beneath his rough exterior and immediately made the most appropriate arrangement.

"Senior Brother Shen," he said, clasping his hands in greeting, "Xiangtan has more than a dozen large wharves along the river, serving as the confluence of Hunan's waterways and land routes, and a gateway for trade between upstream and downstream areas. With territory there, making money will be no problem... However, I remember that the sect assigned that area to Yan Shiqi, didn't it?"

Shen An snorted coldly: "Yan Shiqi is a two-faced, opportunistic man who is truly not a useful person."

"Senior brother means..." Li Donglai was focused on smuggling and was unaware of the many matters surrounding the Sword Testing Tournament, but upon hearing Shen An's words, he already had a guess in his mind.

"Indeed," Shen An nodded slightly and said, "This is exactly the matter I wanted to discuss with you. Yan Shiqi is easy to kill, and he has done a lot of bullying and oppressing in recent years, so there is no shortage of reasons to kill him. However, I really don't have much experience in how to take over his power after eliminating him. This matter needs to be handled by you."

"Don't worry, senior brother!"

Li Donglai patted his chest, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"I've disliked Yan Shiqi ever since he was a bandit on the Xiang River. With just a word from you, Senior Brother, I can kill him without you having to lift a finger. And leave the rest to me! I guarantee I'll take over all his men and make him vomit up everything, bones and all!"

"There's not much else to say right now." Shen An had faith in Li Donglai's abilities. "We'll have to wait until we get to Xiangtan before we call over Steward Li Qingde to explain in detail."

Li Donglai nodded, quite impressed with the business acumen of this fellow clansman.

"For now, let's settle on this arrangement." Shen An stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and then suddenly remembered something, "Oh, right."

"Please speak, senior brother."

"Do you and Sha Xihe have some kind of conflict?"

"Huh? Manager Sha from Changsha?" Li Donglai paused for a moment, racking his brains for memories, but ultimately shook his head blankly. "I... I shouldn't have ever met him, so how could we have any conflict?"

Seeing his expression, Shen An knew that he truly did not know, and there was no need to hide this from him.

"It's nothing, I was just asking casually." Shen An waved his hand. "It's getting late, I should go back."

Li Donglai quickly stood up and said, "I have already ordered a fast boat to be prepared. Why don't you take the boat back, Senior Brother?"

Shen An laughed nonchalantly: "Going against the current, even by boat, you might not be as fast as I am walking."

That's true. Li Donglai then said, "How about this, I'll go find a fast horse for my senior brother?"

"I can't ride a horse..." Shen An said somewhat awkwardly. Perhaps with some practice he could integrate the original owner's memories, but he would definitely be very clumsy when he first got on a horse. Moreover, in this rural mountain village in the south, it would be too much trouble to ask a water transport merchant to find him a horse on the spot.

In the end, Shen An bid farewell to everyone and embarked on his journey home alone.

Lin Zhennan watched his retreating figure, completely convinced and convinced.

He could clearly sense that Shen An's previous guidance was entirely for his benefit, without a trace of personal bias. Such magnanimity and composure—how many people in the martial world could match that?

Li Donglai, watching Lin Zhennan's subservient demeanor, pursed his lips, but his heart was filled with mixed emotions. He still felt that this young superior was too idealistic and unlikely to achieve anything significant.

But without harming himself, he was still willing to lend a hand, to see what kind of world this young man could create in this turbulent world.

Let Lin Zhennan believe it, then so be it. If Li Donglai hadn't known that Lin Zhennan possessed a unique kind of naivety and kindness, how could he have become friends with a scoundrel of a镖头 (bodyguard/escort)?

…………

The journey home is long, and the river breeze caresses my face.

Shen An walked along the riverbank at a leisurely pace.

I was a bit tired today, but I gained a lot.

I wonder if Qu Yang ever caught up with Tian Boguang in the end...

Just as he was lost in thought, a series of hurried and slightly disordered footsteps came from afar and entered his world.

The footsteps were light and graceful, clearly the steps of a young girl, but at this moment, due to the anxiety of her owner, they had lost some of their usual orderliness.

Shen An understood, stopped, and looked up.

In the morning mist, a petite figure stumbled and ran towards them.

Her skirt was covered in mud and dew, and her once glossy black hair was now disheveled. Her usually radiant and pretty face was now filled with indescribable panic and anxiety.

When she finally saw that familiar figure in the moonlight, she felt as if all her strength had been drained away, her legs went weak, and she almost fell.

"Brother An!"

A cry piercing the silence of the night shattered the tranquility.

Qu Feiyan rushed over without hesitation and crashed into Shen An's arms.

Look, it pounces again.

"You...how did your clothes get slashed by the sword?" She bombarded him with questions, her small hands tracing his body as if to check if he was alright. "And where's your sword? Was the fight fierce? Are you injured? Where are you hurt?"

Shen An helplessly opened his arms, letting her examine him, and replied gently, "Because I was in a hurry to go into the water, I was too lazy to take off my clothes one by one, so I cut myself with the sword. I lost the sword in the water; it's just an external object. I'm fine; not a single hair is missing."

Only after confirming that he was safe and sound did Qu Feiyan finally relax. Then, all the pent-up grievances and fear from the previous night poured out like a flood.

"Why are you so late!" She looked up, her bright eyes glistening with tears, her hair disheveled and clinging to her face. Her tone was full of reproach. "Do you know how worried everyone was! You didn't even say goodbye when you left. I thought... I thought something had happened to you!"

"I'm sorry, it was my oversight." Shen An looked at her red and swollen eyes from crying, her heart softened, and she apologized softly.

His gentle and kind words made Qu Feiyan feel a little embarrassed.

And as soon as she finished speaking, she realized that her words had been too obvious, and... too intimate. Her pretty face flushed red instantly, and she quickly pulled away from his embrace, turned her head away, and stubbornly said, "Who...who was worried about you! I wasn't!"

To hide her embarrassment, she rolled her eyes and immediately put on a smug expression, saying boastfully, "Hmph! While you were away, I accomplished something big! At the Sword Testing Tournament, I guessed your plan with that so-called 'Eight-Nine Arcane Arts' and those ridiculous weapons a long time ago! I even helped you... helped you fool those brainless martial artists!"

She vividly recounted how she had skillfully touted the booklet as an unparalleled martial arts manual, and how she had transformed those heavy iron blocks into the ultimate method for forging muscles and bones. When she reached the part where she was most pleased with herself, she gestured wildly, her face beaming with pride, as if she were back on that high platform where everyone was watching.

"Oh?" Shen An's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? I thought it was Junior Brother Li and the others who did it. Wow, Fei Fei is so amazing, truly incredible!"

As he spoke, he reached out and habitually patted Qu Feiyan's head to show his approval.

Qu Feiyan first squinted her eyes in enjoyment, like a kitten being praised by its owner, her chin slightly raised, extremely proud. But then, she realized something was wrong.

This...this is the way you pet a puppy or kitten!

He actually treated me like a little kid!

The girl's self-esteem was instantly and severely "insulted".

She snorted, abruptly tossed her head, and reluctantly broke free from his warm, broad hand, glaring at him angrily to show her dissatisfaction.

Seeing her like this, Shen An found it amusing but didn't take it seriously. He naturally took her slightly cool hand and smiled, "Alright, alright, you know our Feifei is the best. Let's go, it's getting late, we should go back."

Once he took her hand, Qu Feiyan's little temper vanished instantly. Although she still pretended to be unwilling, she obediently followed.

The two walked side by side, going against the current.

Although it was late autumn night, no one felt cold.