He hadn’t quite expected Jiang Feng to be so protective of his food; the guy might have a sharp tongue, but he was genuinely a good person. Just the other time, a mere jest about Su Yi earned him a harsh scolding, and now, a slight expression of desire was met with a stern warning, leaving him feeling somewhat aggrieved.
But before he could fully indulge his grievance, he heard the youth swinging on the chair say: "Oh, right, speaking of which, Sister Bai will also be descending the mountain soon to start her training, in preparation for the Nine Peaks Martial Arts Competition. After I return, I’ll need to go into closed-door training, could you help me practice swordplay with her? Later on, I’ll ask her where she intends to train." Googlᴇ search NoveI(F)ire.net
The spine straightened in an instant.
All feelings of grievance washed away, his old face beamed like a chrysanthemum, though the tone was still somewhat strained.
"We’ll see when the time comes. If you really don’t have time, I can only take over for a bit..."
The two brothers bantered back and forth in front of the restaurant, right under the plaque of this establishment, which was adorned with an inconspicuous cloud pattern featuring an evil beast at the center, exuding a divine presence.
People bustled about; most passersby appeared thin and sallow, the result of years of labor-intensive work without adequate nutrition.
Though Shuipang County was remote, it wasn’t small. Most of its people made a living by selling ore of mediocre purity. There were quite a few mines locally, so many strong young men from nearby cities came to work and earn money, especially since it was only about eight hundred li from the Demon Race territory.
Although there were no frequent wars or invasions by the Demon Race, if a real battle broke out, it would mean catastrophe, so naturally, the locals wouldn’t keep any highly valuable industries around.
Many people cast curious glances at the two gentlemen, whose simple attire couldn’t hide their extraordinary bearing, signaling they were from affluent families.
But the two of them had their eyes on a few elderly gentlemen basking in the sun.
"Hey, someone got possessed last night again, lashing out and hurting others at the mine, swinging a hoe at people’s heads, and this time, three men got possessed all of a sudden."
"Yeah, my son mentioned it when he came back for dinner last night. With things happening, I dare not let him go there today."
"There are seven or eight mines surrounding our county, easily employing over a thousand people. In the past half year, there have been a hundred or so casualties. I’ve already had my son return; even if he can’t continue his studies, it’s not worth risking his life in the mines."
"Don’t worry too much. Isn’t the Lord County Magistrate locking up all those who get possessed, and then sending them to the temple every month for the high monks to exorcise?"
"Right, I saw a few who came back after the exorcism, but they all looked quite haggard. I guess the side effects of possession are pretty serious; it’s bad for the health."
"You all remember the ones who come back? Aren’t there those who don’t return? Some people say that they go mad during the monks’ exorcism and get executed right there. It’s crazy; having an episode right under the monks’ noses, and I heard they even injured some monks in the temple."
"Speaking of which, that Golden World Longevity Temple is indeed powerful. Except for the County Magistrate, no one knows its exact location, said to be where the high monks practice asceticism in the mountains, undisturbed. Oh right, didn’t the He family’s young master just take a wife? She’s got a big belly now."
"Now that you mention it, I remember hearing they went to a fortune teller for a baby name and ended up flipping his table over for some reason."
"Heh, must have heard something unpleasant, no doubt. Speaking of which, have you guys seen that couple lately?"
The group of elderly men soaking up the sun all shook their heads.
Such incidents weren’t unheard of, but most people didn’t pay much mind; they were far more concerned about the recent happenings at the mines than some pregnant woman vanishing without a trace.
After all, most of their children worked in those mines. If someone got possessed, they could end up in jail or even lose their life. But despite their lengthy discussions, they only knew the name of the temple and not its whereabouts.
The group of elders engrossed in their chat didn’t notice that the quarreling couple that had just been arguing with the fortune teller on the street corner had already left. By the looks of it, they were planning to leave the city...