He'd rather run than be turned into a cannon fodder for the broken engagement.

A simple and peaceful life is possible, but troubles arise.

-

Behind the dilapidated house, by the broken fence, there was a sapling about half a person's height, and a young girl was muttering to herself in front of it.

"Alas, I don't know if I'll ever have the chance to see you grow up, blossom, and bear fruit. Absorb plenty of sunshine and rain, grow well, and I hope that next time we meet, you'll have grown into a tree, surrounded by children and grandchildren..."

The peach saplings that Leng Huan planted himself swayed in the wind: "..."

Fu Xun, who was about to call her into the city: "..."

Hearing his footsteps, Leng Huan stood up, shook off the dew on her trousers. It had rained last night, and it was a bit chilly this morning, so she was already wearing two layers of cotton thermal underwear.

"Let's go, come back soon." She nodded to Fu Xun, looked at the boy standing against the rising sun, squinted slightly, and felt a little dizzy.

Fu Xun pursed his thin lips and hummed in agreement.

As they passed by Granny Zhou's yard, Leng Huan shouted, "Granny, let's go!"

"Hey!" came the old woman's reply from the courtyard. A moment later, Grandma Zhou appeared at the gate, wiping her hands with her apron as she waved to them, "Xiao Huan, be careful, I'll cook dinner and wait for you to come back!"

"Okay! We'll be back."

The old man stood inside the gate and watched them walk out of the village. The two figures, one tall and one short, quickly disappeared around the birch forest.

Before that, the girl jumped up lively and waved to the old woman who was looking at them, indicating that she could rest assured.

The puppy followed the old man's feet, barking a few times.

The morning smoke curls upwards, the sun shines brightly, and life is peaceful and serene.

This was just a simple and ordinary reminder before leaving home, no different from any other time.

-

The streets were bustling with people. The two of them stood in front of the general store, carrying large and small bags. "We have too much stuff. Shall we hire an oxcart?" Looking at the sun high in the sky, Leng Huan wiped the sweat from his temples. He was quite tired after shopping for most of the day.

Fu Xun was carrying a bag of flour on his back and a large bag of miscellaneous items in the other hand. He had a slight sweat on his forehead, and naturally had no objection when he heard this.

They will be leaving Linjiazhuang soon; they came today to deliver daily necessities to Granny Zhou.

"Okay, Huan-ge, is there anything else we need?"

"The items are almost ready, but what about the money? We can't just give her the money directly. Granny Zhou is an old woman, and we're afraid that too much money might tempt people to do bad things. But she needs some money to protect herself."

"Why don't you exchange more copper coins for silver coins and silver notes, and keep them separately in your little house?"

Leng Huan thought for a moment and agreed. The two of them put all the things on the oxcart, which was half full. They were all food and supplies.

"Let's go to the bank to exchange it, then we can go back." She raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

The two of them drove the oxcart to the silver shop together.

—

At this moment, an uninvited group of guests appeared in Lin Family Village.

"Where is that boy you mentioned?" A middle-aged man dressed as a Taoist priest in a gray robe looked at the simple farmhouse courtyard, his eyes sharp as an eagle's, and narrowed slightly.

If Fu Xun were here, he would definitely recognize this person as the one who, along with Fu Xiao's lackeys, knocked him off the cliff.

"Master, we would never dare to lie to you. A few days ago, a young man from Lin Family Village killed a black bear, and the news spread throughout the entire village. Hehe, I was originally guarding the forest for the Lin family, and I personally witnessed that young man fight the black bear with all his might. In just a few moves, he killed that terrifying bear!"

The man who spoke had a dark face and a pointed, monkey-like appearance. He was indeed the forest ranger of Lin Family Village. He was originally a lazy wanderer who was greedy by nature. He happened to meet someone in the city who was asking about Granny Zhou's relatives, and he seized the opportunity to make contact with the gray-robed Taoist.

Two other shifty-eyed scoundrels nearby quickly chimed in: "Yes, yes, that's right! We saw it with our own eyes. The boy even said he would share the bear with everyone, but the village head took it and donated it to the village head."

Those of them who have neither family nor offspring will not get any benefits.

The gray-robed Taoist remained noncommittal. After watching for a while, he saw only an old woman entering and leaving the courtyard. He thought these people were deceiving him and was about to get angry when he heard the mountain guardian say, "I heard a few days ago that they were leaving to seek immortality at some mountain gate in the east. Could it be that they have already left?"

"What did you say?" The gray-robed man looked over immediately and grabbed the mountain guardian by the collar: "He's already left?"

"No, no, no," the mountain guardian hurriedly said, startled. "It shouldn't be that fast. If you don't believe me, just go and ask!"

The gray-robed Taoist pushed him aside, leaped a few steps, and ran into the courtyard. The courtyard gate shattered with a loud crash, startling Granny Zhou. She was about to leave the kitchen to check when she saw a gray-robed Taoist approaching with a menacing look on his face. She knew in her heart that the visitor was up to no good.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my house?"

The gray-robed man sneered, "Where did your young man go?"

Grandma Zhou was startled, but refused to answer: "I don't know what you're talking about!"

Fearing that Fu Xun had already left and that he would have to relentlessly pursue him, the gray-robed man immediately grabbed the old man by the neck and demanded, "Tell me quickly! Where did the boy who killed the black bear go?"

Granny Zhou's temper flared up, but she wasn't afraid. She took a sip and laughed hoarsely, "You want to find him? You're too late, he's already gone!" She prayed in her heart that Leng Huan and the other man would never come back.

"Speak quickly! Speak and I'll spare your life!"

"Cough cough!" The old man coughed violently as the man gripped his throat tightly, glaring fiercely at the gray-robed Taoist: "You... don't even think about finding out..."

Seeing that he couldn't get any information from the lowly old woman, who remained tight-lipped, the gray-robed man felt challenged by an ant and immediately threw her out with all his might, sending her crashing into the door with a bang.

Grandma Zhou was already a frail old woman, and she couldn't withstand his fall. Her chest tightened, and she had difficulty breathing, making a sound like a broken bellows, "Cough... Huff..."

That wasn't all. The gray-robed man stepped forward and stomped on the old man's chest, shouting sternly, "Will you talk or not!"

Seeing that the old woman remained silent for a long time, the gray-robed man was filled with malice. He looked at her as if she were an ant, drew his sword and stabbed her. Blood spurted out immediately, and the old woman was lifeless. The blood quickly soaked through her new cotton clothes, forming a pool of crimson blood beneath her.

The gray-robed man spat, drew his sword, and left, as if he had just killed not a person, but an ant.

The old woman's last gaze was fixed on the gate, the entrance to the courtyard, where she used to always go out to greet the young girl when she returned.

His cloudy eyes finally closed with regret.

—

Leng Huan and Fu Xun were determined to help the old man arrange everything, but unexpectedly, things took an unexpected turn.

Remembering what Grandma Zhou had said about waiting for them to come back for lunch, the two hurried home as fast as they could and managed to get there by noon.

“Grandma Zhou! I’m going back…” Leng Huan’s voice trailed off.

Because she saw the mess of the yard gate, which had been violently damaged.

Fu Xun's eyes darkened, and he rushed into the courtyard, calling out as he ran, "Grandma Zhou!"

Leng Huan hurriedly followed, just then Sang Biao ran out, howling, "Woof woof! Awooo, woof..." He grabbed her trouser leg and dragged her straight into the kitchen.

“Zhou…” Fu Xun’s voice also stopped abruptly.

"Mother-in-law!!!" Leng Huan was outside the kitchen door, a few steps away, watching the old woman lying in a pool of blood. He rushed over, picked her up and held her in his arms. He reached out and touched her face, which was ice-cold. He checked her breath and found that she was already silent.

"boom---"

Leng Huan felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow. His whole body trembled, his rationality collapsed, and tears streamed down his face instantly.

She reached out to cover Grandma Zhou's wound, but it was no use; the blood had already drained away. Looking at the old woman's tightly closed eyes, the once warm person had become cold. At this moment, she didn't know what to do.

Tears quickly soaked her face, falling onto Granny Zhou's clothes and mixing with the blood, dripping and pooling into pools of blood.

"Waaah..." Leng Huan finally cried out. She didn't cry loudly, but just sobbed softly, tears streaming down her face. Her sobs were filled with deep sorrow.

The sky has fallen—this is the first time she has faced death so directly, and it was someone who was kind to her, meaningful to her, and very important to her.

At this moment, Fu Xun knelt down in front of the old man with a thud. He was a little dazed, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, his nails digging into his palms.

why?

—He suddenly remembered what Fu Xiao had once said, that voice like a devil's whisper, haunting his mind: "Fu Xun, you are an ominous, cursed star, bringing misfortune to your father and mother, with few relatives to rely on. Why don't you just die..."

His mind was shaken instantly. Those voices were like cold seaweeds tightly binding him, dragging him into the boundless deep sea, as if to drown him.

Was it because of him that Granny Zhou met such an untimely end?

-

When people are grieving and lost, they subconsciously seek something to rely on.

Leng Huan looked up at Fu Xun through her blurry, tear-filled eyes, and sobbed, "Grandma Zhou... Waaah, what should we do?"

Hearing her voice, Fu Xun snapped out of his daze, abruptly stood up, and looked at the heartbroken Leng Huan. He only said two words: "Wait for me!"

Before Leng Huan could react, he disappeared through the door.

—