The Young Swordsman of Dalu

After escaping, Wenfei and Changsheng ran all the way to a desolate desert. Looking at the endless desert, the two boys were dumbfounded.

"Chang Sheng, this must be the legendary desert?" Wen Fei said.

"Young master, let's change our route," Changsheng said.

“We’ve come all this way, it would be a waste of energy to go back,” Wenfei said.

“The desert is dangerous. We have no water or food. We won’t be able to get out of the desert,” Changsheng said.

"This should be heading west? It seems we've gone astray," Wenfei said, glancing at the sun.

“We’ve gone astray, young master,” Changsheng said.

“Let’s change course and go find a market to buy two more good horses,” Wenfei said.

Wenjie rode at full speed and arrived at a market. He carefully looked at the passersby but did not find Wenfei and his group.

"Where did those two brats go?" Wenjie muttered.

"Chang Sheng, hurry up! We can practice our lightness skill while we run." Wen Fei said, and started running quickly.

"Young master, wait for me, I'm coming!" Changsheng followed.

They ran all the way and arrived at the market in the afternoon, where they found a shop and had a good meal.

After finishing their meal, it was getting late, so they decided to find an inn to rest for the night before setting off again. During this time, Wenjie, having searched for them for a long time without finding them, left the market and headed north in pursuit.

Wenfei and Changsheng found an inn to stay at, and the innkeeper agreed to help them buy horses, so the two went back to their room to rest.

“Young master, that shop owner doesn’t seem like a good person,” Changsheng said.

"Chang Sheng, do you think all shop owners are bad people?" Wen Fei said with a smile.

“Look, he keeps staring at our silver pouch. Young master, I need to hide the silver better so it doesn’t get stolen. Otherwise, we’ll really have to perform on the streets,” Changsheng said.

"Keep it well hidden," Wenfei said.

The two of them were exhausted after running around all day, so they lay down on the bed and fell fast asleep.

When they woke up, they were found bound hand and foot in the woodshed.

“Young Master, I told you, they are not good people,” Changsheng said.

“We’ve run into a shady business. How interesting,” Wenfei said.

“Young master, we’ve gone through all this, and you’re still happy?” Changsheng said.

"It's so exciting! I've only ever seen this in movies and TV shows before, but now I can experience it firsthand," Wenfei said.

"Young master, what are you saying? Hurry up and think of a solution! Otherwise, we'll all become human meat buns in a moment," Changsheng said.

Just then, the door to the woodshed opened, and the shop owner and his assistant came in. Looking at Wenfei and the others, they said, "Clean them up properly, don't leave any trace."

"Alright, boss! Please come in!" the waiter said.

"What are you trying to do? Is there no law in broad daylight?" Changsheng shouted.

"I am the law! Shut them up as soon as possible!" The shop owner said, then turned and left.

While Changsheng was talking to them, Wenfei vigorously twisted his wrist to break free from the game. It was a game he often played with his friends before he transmigrated. No matter what kind of button he fastened, he could open it. Wenfei was very glad that he still had this skill.

Just as the waiter picked up the axe and walked towards them, Wenfei suddenly swung the rope in his hand at the waiter, catching him off guard. The axe was knocked from the waiter's hand by Wenfei, who then used the rope to tie the waiter up, gagged him with a rag, and finally untied Changsheng.

"Young master, I need to go and get our silver back," Changsheng said.

"Forget about the silver, let's go! I saw they have horses in their backyard, let's steal them and get out of here!" Wenfei said.

"Without money, we'll starve," Changsheng said.

"Listen to me, hurry up! We'll get the money," Wenfei said.

The two of them quietly went into the backyard, untied two horses, mounted them, and galloped away. By the time the shop owner noticed, they had long since disappeared.

Wenjie arrived at the next market, changed his horse, and wondered if he had been traveling too fast since he hadn't found any trace of Wenfei along the way. He decided to stay there for the night.

Wenfei and Changsheng rode their horses at breakneck speed and arrived at the market before dark. After traveling all day, their stomachs were growling with hunger. They had no money and could only endure their hunger.

"Chang Sheng, let's not linger. Let's continue north and see if there are any villages ahead. We'll go to a villager's house and ask for some food," Wen Fei said.

"I'll listen to you, young master," Changsheng said weakly.

The two rode off again. As darkness fell, they came to an open space. By the moonlight, they saw a village not far away. They immediately perked up and galloped toward the light.

Upon arriving, they found themselves in a village. Wenfei and his companions dismounted and went to the door of a house. They knocked, and soon an old man opened the door.

"Who is it?" the old man asked.

"Sir, we have traveled a long way to get here, and it is getting late. Could we please stay here for the night?" Wenfei said politely.

"Come in," the old man said.

"Who is it?" an old woman asked.

"I'm just passing by and would like to stay here for the night," the old man said.

"Come in and sit for a while. The old woman will tidy up the west room and let them stay here," the old man said.

"Thank you so much, sir and madam!" Wenfei said.

"Don't be shy, everyone needs to ask for help sometimes. Young man, you haven't eaten yet, have you?" the old man said.

"Grandpa, you have sharp eyes! I haven't eaten yet," Wenfei said embarrassedly.

"I still have some left in this pot, I'll bring it over for you to eat," the old man said.

"Thank you, sir." Wenfei and Changsheng thanked the old man again.

Wenfei and Changsheng wolfed down their food. The old man watched them eat and said with a smile, "Eat slowly, there's more if you're not full."

"To be honest, sir, we haven't eaten all day. We apologize for the trouble," Wenfei said.

“If our silver hadn’t been stolen by that heartless shopkeeper, we wouldn’t be in such a terrible situation,” Changsheng said.

"Say less about Changsheng," Wenfei said.

"Judging from your accent, you must be from the south," the old man asked.

“Yes,” Wenfei said.

"The further north you go, the more dangerous it becomes. As the saying goes, 'the emperor is far away, and some people do shady things for money.' You are all young and inexperienced. But in time you will know that there is not only good and bad in this world, but also good and evil," the old man said.

“Listen to what you’re saying, sir. You must have a story to tell,” Wenfei said.

"There's no story to tell, it's just about finding a way to live in this world," the old man said.

"It's all packed up. You can go sleep in the west room later," the old woman said as she entered the room.

"Thank you, ma'am," Wenfei said.

Changsheng asked the old man to get some hay to feed the horse. Wenfei then spoke a few more words with the old man before going to sleep in the west room with Changsheng.