Chapter 73: The 29th and New Year’s Eve
Chapter 73: Chapter 73: The 29th and New Year’s Eve
「The twenty-ninth of the twelfth lunar month.」
After a long absence, Xie Yuan returned to Panlong Town.
The town was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers. Bright red lanterns hung everywhere, and lion dance troupes paraded through the streets and alleys. Children ran about wildly. Even the poorest families had tidied up for the occasion, pasting the character for "fortune" on their doors. The whole town was brimming with the spirit of the New Year.
All except for the Ironcloth Sect.
Xie Yuan stood before the main gate of the Ironcloth Sect, staring at the tightly shut doors and the silent stone lions. There were no New Year’s decorations outside, making it stand in stark contrast to the rest of the town.
He frowned slightly, stepped forward, and pulled the bronze ring to knock loudly. For a long while, there was no answer.
Xie Yuan took two steps back and examined the plaque above the gate again. The two gilded words, "Ironcloth Sect," were as bright as new, which meant it hadn’t been left untended for long.
’What’s going on? Why is it closed?’
After a moment of thought, Xie Yuan headed toward the market.
"Fresh pheasants! Fresh pheasants! Buy one for the New Year!"
"Wild greens, wild greens! The last of the winter mountain greens! Miss these and you’ll have to wait ’til spring!"
"Selling fish, selling fish! Big, fat blackfish! Serve a fish for New Year’s Eve dinner, and you’ll have a surplus year after year!"
The New Year’s market was bustling with extraordinary energy, as if the entire town had gathered there. The cacophony of vendors’ calls merged into a massive wave of sound that guided Xie Yuan to the spot.
He looked around as he walked. After a short while, his eyes lit up, and he headed straight for a fishmonger’s stall.
"Customer, would you like a fish? Our fish are... uh, Brother Xie?"
The dark-skinned young man behind the stall was taken aback, looking at the smiling Xie Yuan with great surprise.
"Happy New Year, Brother Tao. It’s been a while."
Xie Yuan clasped his hands in a formal greeting.
Tao Jelin hastily returned the gesture, a delighted smile spreading across his face.
"Happy New Year! Wow, Brother Xie, it really has been a while since you went to the county seat. Hmm..."
Actually, it hadn’t been that long—a month or two at most.
But to the people of the small town, Xie Yuan leaving the Ironcloth Sect and going straight to the Longteng Escort Agency, the largest in the county seat, was akin to making it big.
Therefore, even though the county seat wasn’t that far and not much time had passed, it felt as if a great distance had grown between them.
Tao Jelin was feeling a bit emotional, but he quickly grew excited and asked:
"Brother Xie, now that you’re at the Longteng Escort Agency, you must be... a Martial Artist, right?"
Hearing this, Xie Yuan nodded with a smile.
"I was lucky enough to break through just a couple of days ago."
"A Martial Artist!"
Tao Jelin sucked his teeth, gave a thumbs-up, and his demeanor became a bit more reserved.
"Brother Xie, congratulations! Wow, a Martial Artist... Anyway, right! I just caught a Treasure Fish here. It replenishes Blood Qi and is a favorite among esteemed Martial Artists. I was going to sell it for a high price, but since you’re here, Brother Xie, I’ll... I’ll just give it to you as a celebration gift!"
Having made up his mind, Tao Jelin pulled a large black carp with reddish gills from a large fish basket and tried to thrust it into Xie Yuan’s hands.
Xie Yuan was startled and waved his hands in refusal, but he couldn’t resist Tao Jelin’s enthusiasm. He accepted the fish and then pulled out a handful of silver fragments to give to Tao Jelin.
This time, it was Tao Jelin’s turn to protest, but he was no match for Xie Yuan. His hand was held fast as Xie Yuan swept the silver directly into his coin pouch.
Tao Jelin looked and sighed.
"Brother Xie, this is too much."
"How could it be a high price if it wasn’t a lot?"
Xie Yuan estimated he had given him about seven or eight taels of silver. After joining the Longteng Escort Agency, he had learned that Treasure Fish were a type of mutated fish that were indeed beneficial for martial arts training.
Eating this fish could significantly increase one’s Blood Qi. It was a good item, well worth taking.
He knew the approximate price, so he was sure this amount of silver wouldn’t leave Tao Jelin at a loss.
Xie Yuan cut Tao Jelin off and asked in a low voice:
"Brother Tao, I saw that the martial arts school was closed when I arrived. What happened?"
Hearing this, Tao Jelin put down the fish basket and sighed softly.
"You’ve been in the county seat, Brother Xie, so you don’t know about the changes here."
"Originally, thanks to your incredible display of might, the profit-sharing agreement with the apothecary was settled and wasn’t going to change. But then the apothecary itself ran into problems—"
"It’s said that a major source of their medicinal herbs, the ones from the Beidu Mountain Range, all mysteriously withered and died. The apothecary lost everything. Their supply is insufficient, and prices are soaring."
Hearing this, Xie Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly. ’Beidu Mountain Range?’
The Beidu Mountain Range was a vast mountain chain. The entire Yunzhao region was actually situated on its southern foothills, and Xiaoshi Village was at the foot of one of its mountains.
’The herbs in the mountains withered too?’
’Withered...’
Xie Yuan frowned as he listened to Tao Jelin continue:
"After that, the three martial arts schools couldn’t sit still. The Black Tiger Fist Hall teamed up with the Divine Weapon Hall and had a complete falling out with us. Over the past month, they’ve held several ring matches. All the direct disciples have fought, but there was no clear winner. In the end, it was decided that the three school masters will fight personally on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month!"
"This all happened a few days ago. The very next day, the school gave the disciples a holiday and closed its doors, saying Master Liu needed to enter seclusion for quiet cultivation. But some people are saying he actually skipped town... Ai, who knows? Anyway, that’s the situation. We’ll rest for the New Year and wait to see how things turn out after."
Xie Yuan was stunned. He hadn’t expected the conflicts in Panlong Town to be so intense.
’But did Master Liu really run away? What about my Cultivation Technique...’
Xie Yuan pondered for a moment. ’Forget it. I’ll come back to Panlong Town after the New Year and see what’s what.’
He bid farewell to Tao Jelin, bought some more chicken, duck, fish, and meat, and headed back to Xiaoshi Village to celebrate the New Year.
「New Year’s Eve.」
"Yuanzi, you bought way too much!"
Li Lan wiped a bead of sweat from her brow as she brought the last fish to the table, completing the spread for the reunion dinner.
"It’s fine. It won’t spoil in this weather. We can eat it slowly from the first to the seventh day of the new year."
Xie Yuan said with a smile.
Wang Lei smacked his lips.
"Yuanzi, you’re risking your life at the Escort Agency. Money can’t be easy to earn..."
"It’s easy. Working in the county seat is like picking up silver off the ground. This is nothing. It’s the New Year, let’s just be happy!"
Xie Yuan waved his hands dismissively, placed a piece of meat in Huwa’s bowl with his chopsticks, and then raised his wine cup for a rare drink.
"Brother Shitou, Sister Orchid, Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year!"
The group didn’t eat much of the feast. As for the Treasure Fish, the family of three had just a couple of bites each before they felt full and couldn’t eat more. Without practicing martial arts, it was difficult to digest such energy.
Xie Yuan had just wanted them to have a taste. He ended up eating the entire fish and half the dishes on the table himself, leaving Li Lan and Wang Lei staring with wide eyes.
’Is this the appetite of a Martial Artist?’
’It would be nice if Huwa could eat this much someday. But then again, we probably couldn’t afford to feed him...’
After the reunion dinner, Xie Yuan chatted with his adoptive brother and sister-in-law for a while. Seeing that they needed to put Huwa to bed, he said his goodnights and left for his own small house.
They were as close as family, but they weren’t one. He still had to spend the turn of the year by himself.
Watching the happy family of three before closing the door, Xie Yuan suddenly felt a pang of melancholy.
It was the first time in decades he was spending the New Year alone. Even the boring New Year’s Gala from his past life now seemed something to be nostalgic about.
Xie Yuan carried a jug of wine and walked toward his house on the slope. Suddenly, he turned his head.
In the courtyard of the large house in the village, two people were gazing in his direction. When they saw him turn, they paused for a moment before going inside.
Having broken through to the Second Training and reached the Three Layers of Internal Breath, Xie Yuan’s hearing and sight were sharp. He recognized the two men at a glance.
The Zhang family’s eldest and second sons.
Zhang Yufeng lived in the county seat and only returned to Xiaoshi Village for the New Year, the Qingming Festival, and other holidays.
Xie Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. He paused for a long moment before slowly returning to his own small courtyard.
Sitting in the courtyard and admiring the New Year’s Eve moon, Xie Yuan drank his wine intermittently, silent and still.
The rice wine had a low alcohol content, but the sounds of laughter and firecrackers that occasionally drifted over from the village only accentuated the courtyard’s tranquility. The atmosphere was more intoxicating than the wine itself.
Slightly tipsy, Xie Yuan tilted his head back and thought:
’What were those two staring at me for?’
’They haven’t caused trouble for me in a long time. Did they give up? Are they really that reasonable? Or is this some kind of conspiracy?’
’They’ve been targeting me for so long, even if they’ve given up, I’m not done with them! Dammit, I can’t always let them be the ones to start things. The wheel of fortune turns; never underestimate a young man’s potential!’
Xie Yuan suddenly felt the rice wine burn in his chest. He drained the jug in one go, stood up, and pushed open the gate.
In the Zhang family’s house in the village.
The two brothers were warming wine on the heated brick bed, slowly waiting for dawn. This was something of a tradition for the Zhang family.
"Brother, have some wine."
The crooked-mouthed Zhang the Second poured wine for his older brother. He had only ever been this meek in front of Zhang Yufeng.
Zhang Yufeng nodded and said:
"Second Brother, what percentage of the village’s fields have we acquired?"
"We were almost at half, but we got stuck at Wang Lei’s place. That punk..."
Zhang the Second spat and cursed.
Zhang Yufeng’s face darkened, and he shook his head.
"No matter. I’ve already arranged it with Second Master. He will personally help us take care of this menace."
"What’s the plan?"
Zhang the Second’s eyes lit up.
"Didn’t we just see him? He really did come back to the village. As long as he’s not in the Escort Agency, it’ll be easy. I’ll send a message to Second Master tomorrow. With his speed, it won’t take him long to get to the village. Then we’ll figure out a way to lure him to a secluded place, like the woods behind the mountain..."
Zhang Yufeng’s eyes glinted.
Zhang the Second nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining.
"What’s the method? How about I go grovel a bit, earn his trust, just like we did with Xie Lun?"
Zhang Yufeng slowly shook his head.
"He’s much smarter than his brother. A trick probably won’t work. I have a better way, one that will force him to comply."
"What is it?"
"Aren’t he and Wang Lei’s family as close as can be? We’ll just grab them and take them into the woods. We’ll tell him to come alone and not make a scene. Knowing that kid’s personality, he’ll definitely do as we say."
"Oh! Brother’s plan is always best."
"And after it’s done, what about Wang Lei’s family of three?"
"We’ll dispose of them, of course. Then we can take the fields..."
"!"
Zhang Yufeng was suddenly startled, because that question hadn’t come from his second brother.
The two of them whipped their heads around and saw a figure flash past the paper window.
BAM! The solid wood door was kicked down. A tall figure stood in the moonlight, holding an axe, his face obscured by the shadows.