Chapter 18: A Dream’s Awakening and a Merchant’s Proposition

A faint floral scent mingled with the gentle breeze, caressing his cheek like a maiden’s delicate hand.

A verdant green leaf drifted down along an invisible trajectory, slowly settling upon his forehead, instantly rousing He Junan from his slumber.

“Ugh…”

When he opened his eyes, he found himself not in his familiar small cabin, but on a vast, endless grassland. The sky above seemed to shift, alternately close and distant, while the grass beneath him felt ethereal and indistinct.

In that fleeting moment, a layer of mist and smoke materialized before his eyes, making his body feel as light as a sheet of paper, as if he could take flight at any moment.

‘Just moments ago, I was sleeping in the house…’

“Xiyu?” He tried calling her name, but received no reply. Everything around him was visible yet intangible, as if merely projected.

At that moment, he noticed a tree behind him—a towering tree adorned with pink flower buds.

“Am I dreaming?” He closed his eyes, rubbed the bridge of his nose vigorously, and then opened them again. The scene before him remained unchanged. ‘This dream feels so real…’

Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind swept in without warning, striking his face with brutal force and forcing his eyes shut instinctively.

“You…”

Accompanied by a deep, resonant voice, the eerie gale subsided, allowing He Junan to open his eyes once more.

To his astonishment, a burly man had materialized out of thin air before him, startling him so much that his eyes widened instantly.

“Who are you?”

“I was about to ask you the same.”

Like He Junan, the man bore neither unicorn horn nor qilin tail.

He had sword-like brows and a curly beard, his countenance exceptionally fierce, and his figure as imposing as a flying dragon soaring through clouds.

Beneath a seemingly expensive, colorfully embroidered robe, he wore a set of exquisitely crafted crimson armor, and a broad, imposing greatsword was strapped to his back.

Even from several meters away, He Junan could feel the intimidating heroic aura emanating from him.

“Hey, can you not hear me speaking?”

He Junan blinked, his mind going blank, completely unsure how to respond. “You answer me first…”

Before he could even utter a full sentence, palpable killing intent assailed him. In the blink of an eye, the man charged directly at him. Before He Junan could even react, the opponent delivered a brutal blow to his abdomen.

“Ugh—” The pain from his abdomen surged through his entire body like an electric current, causing He Junan to lose his balance and collapse to his knees, his expression twisting involuntarily into a grimace.

“Answer my question.” With that, the man grabbed He Junan’s clothes, effortlessly lifting him by his clothes like an eagle snatching a chick. “Who are you?”

“My name is He Junan…”

“By what method have you imprisoned me here?”

“Imprisoned?”

“Answer me.” The man’s eyes reflected He Junan’s pained expression, his pupils devoid of any mercy, instead exuding a bone-chilling dominance.

“I’m completely baffled myself…”

“It seems,” the man’s face suddenly darkened, “unless I show you a taste of my power, you won’t realize the extent of my capabilities.” As he spoke, he raised his fist, his knuckles audibly cracking.

“Wait, wait, wait…”

“Willing to speak now?”

“Let go of me first…”

“Stubborn fool.”

“Wait, wait, wait…”

As the man swung his fist, He Junan seized the opportunity, grabbing his arm, which was as solid as steel.

Gritting his teeth against the tearing pain in his abdomen, he tensed every muscle, bent his knees, and gathered all his strength. Mimicking a monkey hanging from a tree, he swung his body and kicked fiercely at the man’s face.

However, the man was no ordinary opponent. He effortlessly caught He Junan’s kick, then, with a strange, immense force, gripped his left foot tightly, instantly twisting and breaking his ankle.

“Ahhhhhh—”

“Utterly foolish.”

The man continued to hold He Junan by his left foot, swinging him like a ragdoll, slamming him repeatedly against the ground, each blow delivered without the slightest hesitation.

“Ugh—”

Before long, He Junan was gravely injured, like a robot stripped of its parts, without the strength to even twitch.

“Ugh…”

“Do you understand my power now?”

The man lifted him like a young chicken. It was then that a fierce glint flashed in He Junan’s eyes, and he delivered a vicious kick directly between the man’s legs.

“Ahhhhhh—!!!”

A piercing scream echoed through the heavens as He Junan’s consciousness felt swallowed by darkness, plunging into a distorted void in an instant.

When he finally glimpsed light through the cracks, the first person he saw was Wǔ Língfēng, clutching his bleeding nose with a pained expression.

Wǔ Língfēng staggered back several steps, staring at him with a look of fierce resentment.

“Uncle, what’s wrong?”

“You brat, I was kindly checking on your injuries, and you just kicked me in the face without a word!”

“Let me explain…”

“Explain what, nonsense!” Wǔ Língfēng tilted his head back, pinching his nose with one hand and wiping away the flowing blood with the other. “Get up now that your injuries are healed, don’t just lie around on my bed!”

“How could my injuries heal so quickly?” He Junan looked down and found he had unconsciously sat halfway up, all the wounds on his body miraculously healed. “This…”

“I’ve long known you’re a sturdy kid with a constitution that recovers faster than anyone. Stop pretending to be sick and hogging the bed.”

“Alright, alright…” He Junan reluctantly got out of bed. “By the way, are you and Xiyu not arguing anymore?”

“I gave in a little this morning,” Wǔ Língfēng shrugged. “After thinking it over last night, there’s nothing to contend with one’s own daughter over.”

“You admitted you were wrong that quickly?”

“Mind your words! It’s not admitting I was wrong; it’s making a concession!”

“Alright, alright, a concession. Is ‘concession’ better?”

“Smooth talker…” Seeing the bleeding had stopped, Wǔ Língfēng no longer tilted his head back. He lightly wiped the area between his lip and nose with a finger.

“The weather outside looks good; you should wash your clothes and hang them out to dry.”

“Oh…” He Junan looked around, feeling a sense of emptiness. Only then did he realize the familiar busy figure was gone. “Where’s Xiyu?”

“This morning, Yao Tian brought over a wild chicken,” Wǔ Língfēng said, pointing to a bewildered wild chicken in a bamboo cage by the door. “He said it was to nourish your body.”

“He’s that kind?”

“Listen to the rest of what I have to say,” Wǔ Língfēng said with a displeased expression.

“He then took the opportunity to invite Xiyu fishing by the river. She couldn’t refuse and had to agree to go with him. She’ll probably only sneak back by evening.”

“If she didn’t want to go, why didn’t she refuse?”

“Fool,” Wǔ Língfēng said, casting a disdainful look at him. “Since she wanted to keep this wild chicken to nourish your body, it would naturally be very difficult to refuse Yao Tian’s invitation.”

After hearing his words, He Junan’s heart inexplicably sank. ‘There’s no point in drinking this soup…’

A faint smile played on Wǔ Língfēng’s lips. Rubbing his hands together in anticipation, he asked eagerly, “By the way, you brat, she won’t be back for a long time. How about I kill the wild chicken now and stew it into soup for you?”

“No, no, no, I think it’s better to wait for Xiyu to come back and prepare this wild chicken herself.”

“What are you afraid of? The soup I stew is perfectly drinkable! Just try it!”

“Uncle, let me give you an analogy: for a normal person, coarse grains are edible, and delicacies are also edible. But for someone accustomed to delicacies, forcing them to eat coarse grains again… wouldn’t that be too cruel?”

“Oh, you rascal, I think you don’t want chicken soup; you want a good beating!”

He Junan quickly sought a way out. “Wait, wait, my injuries just healed. If you hit me again, old wounds might be compounded by new ones, adding emotional hurt to physical injury. Xiyu will be unhappy when she returns!”

“Hmph,” Wǔ Língfēng frowned, looking at the messy stove. “Always using her as a shield…”

“By the way, I wanted to ask you something: are there any jobs in the village that can earn money?”

“Work for money?”

“Yes. I’m living off your hospitality, and I feel truly embarrassed. So, I was thinking of helping out with household expenses and also saving up a bit for my journey back to Donghua.”

“Oh,” Wǔ Língfēng said, a relieved expression on his face.

“That’s thoughtful of you, but money isn’t easy to earn here. Generally, people in our village grow crops for their own sustenance. Only rarely, if there’s surplus grain, do they take it to Moxuan Market Town to exchange for money. They barely earn anything all year long.”

“Then why don’t the villagers try to plant more fields, produce more grain, and sell it to earn considerable wealth?”

“Do you think planting more grain means you’ll sell it better?” Wǔ Língfēng patiently explained.

“Most villages in our Huangxia region are primarily agricultural, self-sufficient with their small plots of land. There’s almost no demand for imported grain.

Planting large quantities of crops would not only excessively deplete the soil’s nutrients, but the produce wouldn’t sell well either.

Only large towns like Moxuan Market Town would accept surrounding grain, but that’s a very limited demand. If there’s too much, no one will buy it, and you’d just watch fresh produce rot away, which is an extreme waste.”

Just as he finished speaking, an unfamiliar voice came from outside the door: “That’s perfectly normal. When you engage in market behavior, you must always consider supply and demand, otherwise, it’s almost certainly a losing venture!”

He Junan and Wǔ Língfēng simultaneously looked towards the source of the voice, discovering it was an unfamiliar man.

He was quite portly, wearing a very elaborate white long gown with gold trim, and holding what appeared to be a valuable clay teapot. He waddled clumsily as he walked.

“Who are you?” Wǔ Língfēng asked.

“Pardon my intrusion. I am Sai Youcai, the manager of Fengyun Money House.

I have come to Tianmen Village specifically to discuss business, and incidentally, to pay my respects to the renowned hunter Wǔ Língfēng.” Sai Youcai smiled, his jowls bunching up, and a gold tooth glinted dazzlingly in the sunlight.

“I am Wǔ Língfēng.”

For some reason, Wǔ Língfēng spoke without any politeness, not a trace of amicability in his eyes.

“The situation is this,” Sai Youcai rubbed his hands together.

“Our Fengyun Money House recently intends to purchase the usage rights to the Huangnan Prefecture forest area from the imperial court. We plan to open it as a hunting ground for the wealthy, thereby earning a modest profit.”

“Are you here to tell me not to enter the forest anymore?”

“Of course not!” Sai Youcai grinned. “I merely wish to invite Hunter Wǔ to act as a guide in his spare time, simply leading the way for others when they wish to hunt for recreation.”

To his surprise, Wǔ Língfēng didn’t even think about it, replying very straightforwardly, “I refuse.”

“No, no, no, don’t be so quick to refuse me! I haven’t even discussed the remuneration with you yet!”

“No need to consider it,” Wǔ Língfēng didn’t even want to look at him any longer. “Get out before I get angry.”

“Since you put it that way,” Sai Youcai rubbed his sparse stubble, “it might be difficult for you to enter the forest area in the future, you know!”

“Are you looking for trouble?”

“Please consider my proposal carefully. We are all respectable people; mutually beneficial matters can be discussed. It’s simply a matter of more or less money…”

Wǔ Língfēng clenched his fist right in front of him. “Fatty, do you know what this means?”

“What are you doing…?”

“I just said, get out before I get angry!”

“How dare you… Hmph!” Sai Youcai was rebuffed, and with a face full of resentment, he turned and strode out the door, swaggering away, his thick qilin tail swaying.

“These merchants are always thinking about making money; there’s nothing proper in their minds. They even want to enclose the imperial court’s land for their own profit,” Wǔ Língfēng cursed with a dark face. “They’re truly despicable, bah!”

“By the way, Uncle, since he hit a wall with you, he won’t go find others to cooperate with, will he?”

Wǔ Língfēng’s eyes darted about, and he immediately couldn’t sit still. “You’re right, I need to hurry and inform the others… Can you manage at home by yourself?”

“I’m not a child anymore.”

“Alright, your words set my mind at ease. I’ll be back before sunset!” With that, Wǔ Língfēng swiftly left the small cabin, leaving He Junan alone at home.

***

Well, now the house was empty. What should he do?

An hour later…

He Junan sat on the stool, questioning his life. “So boring… No, I’ll go crazy if this continues. I have to find something to do!”

Just then, his gaze fell upon the unlucky wild chicken. It seemed to sense his stare, its body trembling involuntarily as it huddled timidly in a corner of the bamboo cage.

“Now I have something to do…”