“A Che, take these with you. If you want, I can escort you back.”
“Qiao’er-jie, it’s fine. Daytime and nighttime roads are the same. Actually, there are fewer people at night.”
Hu Qiao’er looked at Jiang Che with a face full of concern, carefully placing the potatoes, rice, and meat into his bamboo basket.
She couldn’t stop Jiang Che from leaving, but at least she wanted to see him off, though he always refused.
She almost wanted to say that the night road was dangerous because of bad people.
Jiang Che initially thought a simple escort wouldn’t be a big deal, but since Qiao’er had to return too, how could he let a young girl walk the night road alone? Was he supposed to escort her back again?
Besides, that dilapidated temple—he didn’t want Qiao’er-jie to spend the night there with him.
Plus, there was a woman staying in his place. He didn’t want to complicate things. As a Transmigrator, he understood the old saying that a beauty often brings trouble.
Back in the Zhumen, his Shimei often caused trouble, and he was the one who had to deal with it.
“Little Che，don’t leave just yet. Let me talk to you some more.”
“Grandpa, go back and eat! You just got back after all.”
Hu Qiao’er scolded her grandfather with a pout. Her grandpa was always grabbing Jiang Che to talk about this and that. Jiang Che didn’t mind, but she was getting annoyed.
Jiang Che asked curiously, “Did you go on a house call today?”
Hearing his question, Hu Qiao’er glanced at him but didn’t know how to answer.
Before she could speak, Hu Jingzhong replied.
“No, there’s hardly anyone in our little village that needs a house call. It’s just the usual village affairs—worshiping the He Shen.”
“He Shen?”
Jiang Che was puzzled. He’d been in the village for three years but had barely heard about this.
“Yeah, He Shen. To me, it’s just a monster that showed up a few years ago.
At first, it wasn’t a big deal. When it first appeared, it only asked for a few chickens or ducks every few months.
Later, it demanded pigs and cattle.
Our village has been peaceful and prosperous over the years, nothing major.
But recently, the He Shen’s demands have gotten more and more excessive.
Even—”
“Hey, Grandpa. Why are you telling him this? A Che’s not from our village.”
Hu Qiao’er jabbed Hu Jingzhong’s arm, making him smack his forehead and suddenly remember.
“A Che, it’s just this matter. I might have to go to the Village Head’s meeting later. You should head back early and not overthink it.”
“Oh.”
Jiang Che responded simply. He was hungry anyway, and the woman in his house was probably already growling with hunger.
After a brief farewell, Jiang Che leaned on his crutch and hobbled back along the road he came from.
“Qiao’er, I didn’t expect you to be so sensible, even though you’re still so young.”
“Grandpa, it’s not as exaggerated as you say. I just don’t want A Che to get involved in this.”
The old man and the young girl exchanged serious looks before turning and entering the wooden house.
***
Qinghe Town.
About twenty-odd kilometers from Shuiquan Village.
At night, Qinghe Town was quiet except for a few wild dogs fighting over scraps in the alleys. Most people had closed up shop and returned home for dinner with their families.
However, from an ironforge lit by candlelight, the rhythmic sound of a hammer striking metal rang out.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In the warm glow of a dim oil lamp, the forge’s fire burned fiercely, casting a red hue over a shirtless, sweat-drenched middle-aged man.
He was about forty years old, muscular, wearing a leather apron scorched with burn holes from sparks. His exposed bronze skin was streaked with soot and sweat.
At this moment, he was fully focused on hammering a red-hot, partially shaped bar of iron on the anvil.
What was strange, though, was that a woman was standing quietly in front of this rugged blacksmith deep into the night.
She seemed utterly out of place in this simple, soot-filled ironforge.
Dressed in a refined moon-white dress, her clothes were pristine despite the coal dust and smoke. She seemed to glow faintly with an ethereal light.
Her long black hair flowed like a waterfall, framing a complexion whiter than snow and an exceptionally beautiful face.
But her brows were furrowed in an unresolved worry.
“I’m telling you, miss, standing here like this is bad for my reputation.”
Hao Tian’s family was somewhat well-off in town, and he had attended private school for a few years. Even if it was just a few years, it still counted as education!
A woman standing in his shop, staring at him all day with that sulky look—as if she were a little resentful wife—would be the talk of the town.
He didn’t want to face the next day’s gossip among the town’s older women munching on sunflower seeds, spreading rumors.
Before long, the story would turn him into some heartless scoundrel who’d abandoned a woman…
“I’m looking for my disciple…”
Lin Yin’s voice was low but solid, cutting through the clanging of the hammer.
Her brow remained furrowed as she stared intensely at the blacksmith.
It was as if she was trying to see right through Hao Tian, to forcibly extract some crucial clue from him.
Yet her next words seemed stuck in her throat, leaving only the first half of the sentence hanging in the air.
Hao Tian sighed heavily.
“Miss, I’ve told you, I’ve never seen a tall, handsome man who’s blind.”
“But I asked others. They said he appeared in this town three years ago. The last time was in the alley beside your shop.”
Hao Tian’s mind went blank. This woman was probably crazy. She knew it was three years ago—not three months, not three weeks, nor three days.
It was thirty-six months, one hundred fifty-six weeks, one thousand ninety-five days.
Even though Hao Tian had some education, he didn’t have the leisure to remember trivial daily affairs.
He put down his forging hammer and took off his apron, tossing it aside.
This wasn’t really his forging time, but being stared at by a beauty all day long meant he had to keep busy somehow.
He grabbed a bottle of water from the nearby table and drank it down, then glanced at Lin Yin.
“I don’t remember much. You said three years ago? I only recall one night when the dogs were barking fiercely. I didn’t pay it much mind. Don’t think I’m a rough guy—I like dogs too. I wouldn’t chase away strays.
As for the person you’re talking about, I really didn’t notice him near my shop. I’m usually inside, focused on forging. I don’t have time for that.”
Hao Tian could only say so much. That dog barking left an impression because it was really loud. There were at least five or six dogs howling in the back alley.
It scared him enough that he peeked outside the next morning before opening the door.
Hearing this, Lin Yin’s brows furrowed even tighter. She had been asking around from the foothills of the Shenxiao Sect down to here, searching for over a year, visiting every household.
This was her last lead.
But the trail ended here.
Just as the two were at an impasse, a thin old man stepped out from the back room of the forge.
“Master.”
Seeing him, Hao Tian immediately abandoned his standoff with Lin Yin and hurried forward to support the old man with practiced, respectful care.
“Go and cook. I’ll talk to this lady.”
Hao Tian scratched his head, puzzled. His master never married when he was young, didn’t seek a partner when old, and now suddenly seemed so open?
“Not going?”
“Yes, Master. I’ll cook right away.”
Hao Tian turned and went into the back room. The old master slowly walked over to a chair and sat down.
“Elder, please sit here and let’s talk.”
Elder?