Early the next morning, the chattering voice of his nephew, Wang Wen, echoed through the house. The boy was noisy and cheerful, seemingly oblivious to the family’s sorrow.
Knowing that Xu Guang would head into the city after finishing his fish-butchering shift, Mrs. Xu prepared a hearty breakfast.
The dishes consisted of radishes mixed with soybean dregs and boiled cabbage, seasoned with plenty of salt. The staple was millet mixed with bran.
His older sister had sneaked back to pay her respects to Father Xu and hadn’t brought any meat. Under normal circumstances, the Xu Family rarely had the chance to eat meat anyway—or rather, they didn’t have the right to.
Class distinctions were thoroughly displayed in this world.
After his older sister spent the entire night comforting their mother, Mrs. Xu finally didn’t look quite so depressed upon waking up. She seemed much more spirited.
Xu Guang felt deeply relieved. He was never very good with words, having been a homebody in his past life. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone out of his way to program a custom cheat simply to play games at home.
After the meal, his older sister, Xu Chun, went to wash the dishes while Xu Guang strapped on his fish knife and headed to work.
He navigated the village alleys, crossed the stone bridge, and walked along the dirt paths. The neatly arranged farmlands were divided into perfect squares, completely free of weeds aside from the crops. In the distance, a few farmers were already preparing to finish their shifts.
By the time he arrived at the fish stall, the fishermen of the Wei River had already delivered their first batch of the day’s catch.
The owner of the fish stall was Wang Dashan. He shared the same surname as Xu Guang’s brother-in-law and was a pale, plump middle-aged man. He was a Mortal.
"Erlang, you’re here so early today."
Xu Guang smiled shyly. "Mr. Dashan, I have some business to attend to. I’d like to spend a few days in the city..."
Wang Dashan waved his hand. "Go ahead and handle your business. Fish are cheap these days, so we won’t sell much anyway."
Xu Guang hurriedly expressed his gratitude. Wang Dashan was a good man. Although he had initially taken Xu Guang in out of respect for his brother-in-law, Xu Guang had grown to trust him deeply over the years.
"Don’t run so fast on your way to work. Look how dirty your face is," Wang Dashan casually remarked before walking to the back of the fish stall.
Xu Guang’s expression froze. A casual remark had caught a sensitive ear.
The physical manifestation of his Bloodline Power wasn’t overly obvious; when the Blood Eye was closed, it merely looked like a red line. However, a closer look would still reveal the abnormality.
For the past few days, he had been smearing coal slag on his face to cover it up.
Tomorrow, he had to butcher a pig at the Cheng Family’s home. At the very least, he needed to look presentable, meaning the coal slag trick would no longer work.
After a moment of thought, he asked the stall hand, Niu San, for a strip of white cloth and wrapped it around his forehead.
"Brother Guang..." Niu San hesitated, swallowing his words before continuing. "The dead cannot come back to life. In this lifetime, we commoners can only look forward. We never get the chance to turn back."
Xu Guang knew Niu San had misunderstood, but he didn’t bother explaining.
Wang Dashan was right. There were far fewer people buying fish today, allowing Xu Guang to leave before noon.
Since he wouldn’t be coming to work tomorrow, it wasn’t appropriate to take the fish knife home. Instead, he picked up a brick and a wooden stick from behind the stall.
As he crossed the stone bridge, he suddenly spotted three figures walking away from the alleyway near his home, laughing and talking.
The leader of the group was tall and burly, standing shirtless with tattoos covering his torso.
Xu Guang narrowed his eyes, immediately recognizing the man.
His name was Ma San, a notorious thug in the town. The two men trailing him were likely his lackeys.
Ma San had no formal employment and didn’t work the fields, yet he lived quite comfortably. He frequented the local taverns every few days and clearly ate well year-round—otherwise, he wouldn’t be so big and robust.
Xu Guang had once heard that this man had ties to the Ya Bang in the city. In other words, he was a human trafficker.
The reason this made Xu Guang narrow his eyes was that Ma San had once asked to marry his older sister. After Xu Chun married her husband instead, Ma San had vanished without a trace—at least, he hadn’t been seen in their village since.
His sudden reappearance clearly meant he had found a new patron. At the very least, he no longer feared the Third Branch of the Wang Family.
"This is really a nuisance," Xu Guang thought.
When Xu Guang finally reached home, he heard his nephew, Wang Wen, crying. His older sister’s face was extremely pale.
Xu Guang knew in his heart that this likely had something to do with Ma San.
"Brother Guang, you’re back. Let’s leave right away," Xu Chun said, her voice laced with urgency.
Xu Guang asked softly, "What happened?"
Initially, Xu Chun didn’t want to explain. Instead, she stared strangely at the white cloth wrapped around his forehead. "Why do you have a white cloth tied around your head?"
"What’s wrong with Wen? Did Ma San come by?" Xu Guang asked, cutting straight to the point.
Xu Chun sighed. "Somehow, Ma San has gotten involved with your brother-in-law’s oldest brother. He even found out that your brother-in-law is going to be cast out from the family."
Xu Guang instantly understood.
His brother-in-law’s biological mother was merely a serf woman, meaning he was never favored at home. The eldest son of the Third Branch had always seen him as a thorn in his side. Had it not been for his brother-in-law’s decent talent in the Martial Dao—completing his Skin Polishing at a young age and securing a post at the City Guard’s Mansion—he would have been exiled from the household years ago.
Now that the issue of dividing the household was being brought up again, it likely meant the eldest son’s Cultivation had caught up to his brother-in-law’s.
This Ma San truly was as relentless as a lingering ghost.
In truth, Xu Guang had never been optimistic about his older sister’s marriage. But over the years, his brother-in-law had treated him with genuine sincerity, earning Xu Guang’s inner approval.
Now, however...
"Sister, we’ll be staying in the city for quite a few days this time. Let’s bring Mother along as well. I’ve saved up some money from butchering and selling fish over the years. Once we’re there, you can help Mother and me find a small courtyard to rent."
Xu Chun hesitated. She glanced at Mrs. Xu, knowing her mother likely wouldn’t want to live under her son-in-law’s roof, and finally nodded.
Of course, she didn’t say a word about Xu Guang’s savings. She could handle that small amount of money herself.
After finally convincing Mrs. Xu, the four of them packed a few bags. With a bamboo basket on his back and Wang Wen in his arms, Xu Guang led the way toward the city.
Xu Guang had no desire to run into Ma San, but the things you wanted to avoid the most were often the very things that happened.
They walked forward, but before they could even cross the stone bridge, Ma San and his two lackeys appeared, walking right toward them.
It was high noon. There weren’t many people in the village to begin with, and right now, not a single soul was in sight.
Ma San completely ignored Xu Guang. Staring at Xu Chun with a lecherous grin, he spread his arms to block their path.
"Oh my, isn’t this the Sixth Young Madam? What, did you marry into the city and forget all about your fellow villagers? Anyone who didn’t know better would think the Sixth Young Master is the head of the Wang Family now." Ma San mocked them in a sarcastic tone. He perfectly embodied a Zhongshan Wolf—arrogant and insolent the moment he gained a little power.
His eyes were filled with greed and a deep, unsettling possessiveness.
Xu Chun was naturally beautiful, and having done no heavy labor in the city all these years, she exuded even more charm and maturity than before.
Ma San looked fierce and menacing, his body covered in tattoos.
Seeing him, Wang Wen couldn’t help but start WAILING loudly.
Xu Guang patted Wang Wen’s head, looking at Ma San with utter disgust. He was just about to speak, but Xu Chun beat him to it.
"Piss off! Who the hell is your fellow villager?" she snapped. "My Liulang might not be the head of the Wang Family, but neither is that bastard master of yours! Get out of our way! You know exactly what my husband does for a living!"
Since she had spoken, Xu Guang kept quiet. However, his eyes scanned the empty road, his gaze slowly turning resolute.
Some things could never change, and the same applied to some people.
"Hehe, Lady Xu, you’re as fierce as ever. It’s truly admirable," Ma San chuckled. "Alright, alright. I just wanted to catch up, but it seems you’re not in the mood. I guess I’ll just have a chat with Guang in a few days."
Ma San continued his backhanded, sarcastic remarks.
Xu Chun’s heart tightened, but Xu Guang had already spoken up.
"Mr. Ma San, are you going to treat me to a drink?" Xu Guang asked. "I’ve never had alcohol in my entire life. Oh, right, Mr. Ma San, I heard you practiced martial arts in the city a few years ago. What kind of fist technique did you learn? Does it..."
His face was full of sincerity, his eyes shining brightly. As he spoke, he set Wang Wen down and approached Ma San with a look of admiration.
Ma San felt reassured by Xu Guang’s sensible attitude. He let out a light chuckle. "Well..."
SQUELCH!
At some unknown point, Xu Guang had stepped within an arm’s reach of him.
"...make you invulnerable to swords and spears?!"
Xu Guang drove half of a rusty wood-chopping knife directly into Ma San’s kidney. Blood sprayed out instantly.
Ma San proved he had indeed practiced martial arts. Even after suffering such a grievous wound, he managed to clench his fist to counterattack.
Xu Guang completely ignored the incoming strike. He pulled the rusty knife out and stabbed it back in!
His expression was cold and indifferent, yet tinged with a twisted sense of gratification.
The complex mix of emotions on his delicate face painted a picture of pure madness, terrifying Ma San’s two lackeys so much that they didn’t dare approach.
He had suppressed himself and endured for far too long!
Panic finally seized Ma San. "Are you two dead?!"
Xu Guang shouted, "I don’t know if they’re dead, but I do know this: as a commoner, publicly insulting and harassing the legal wife of a Mortal is a crime punishable by death!"
Ma San’s eyes widened in horror. His burly body finally lost all its strength, collapsing onto the ground like a limp, torn rag.
The blood... continued to flow.