In the southern central plains, before reaching the kingdom of Longxu, there is a place called Baichuan, a farming village built between several spiritual streams. Its waters are used to heal wounds or meditate. That day, very late at night, there was a small hut where a washerwoman and her little daughter lived peacefully. The washerwoman was not young, she was approximately 50 years old, wrinkles were noticeable at the corners of her eyes. The girl was very young, she looked about 6 or 7 years old. She wore two traditional buns. They looked like they had just come home from work. They were carrying a basket full of clothing for both men and women. There was only one candle lit. It seemed like they were about to eat something when suddenly a kick came from the door.
The sound was shocking. It seemed as if someone had just knocked down the door. The girl was scared.
"Mom, mom," the girl said, crying to the washerwoman.
"Who... who are you?" said the washerwoman, trembling. Then a tall, strong young man appeared, but he had a stench of blood all over his body that would make anyone feel nauseous.
The young man wore a mask, covering his entire face. It was carved in a dark hue like ancient wood bathed in shadow. Its surface was rough, uneven, as if it had been hastily carved. But what caught her attention most were his eyes.
Two narrow, elongated openings barely revealed the golden glow of its pupils. They had the shape and ferocity of a wolf on the prowl. From a distance, the mask looked alive. It had fine marks, like scars, etched on both sides of the sculpted snout. Under the moonlight, this scene was terrifying but magnificently beautiful to behold.
This young man was none other than Jing Shao, the girl was crying loudly, Jing Shao said nothing, he just grabbed some white clothes, he seemed to want to bathe in the river, he was hurt, he hadn't eaten anything when he saw the food on the table he couldn't help but take a few slices of bread and leave, he didn't want to scare the lady and the girl any further, he just wanted to leave, his figure disappeared in the middle of the night leaving the washerwoman with her hair standing on end
Jing Shao had never stolen in his life. After scaring the old woman to death, he truly felt guilty and thought, "Is this really okay? Should he return it tomorrow?" As soon as his thoughts touched his mind, he regretted it. It really wasn't important, a piece of clothing. His country had turned its back on him. His parents died, and Jing Lian... At this point, Jing Shao closed his eyes, clearly tired. He ate the bread he stole from the old woman and bathed in the river to bathe and treat his wounds. Then he put on his clothes and left. He didn't know where to go, whether he should look for an abandoned house to rest briefly or just stay on the streets.
Suddenly an inexplicable feeling appeared in his chest. He thought to himself, why did he have to go through this? What did he do wrong? What had he done wrong in his entire life? Jing Shao felt helpless and lost, like an abandoned dog. It really looked like he was going to grow furry ears from his long brown hair. His eyes turned red, making him look even more pitiful than he already was. He was truly lost. After getting out of the river and walking, he decided to go to an abandoned house. But when he went inside, he realized he wasn't alone. There was a boy about 16 or 15 years old. The boy became frightened and then frowned.
Although Jing Shao was already 19 years old, due to his cultivation method, he looked no different from a 17-year-old boy, and he was also extremely beautiful.
"What are you doing here?" "What are you looking for here? This place isn't good for rich kids like you."
The young man had said this because it wasn't normal for a small town to have a young man with such a pretty face wearing such luxurious clothes in a ruined place like this. Of course, he didn't know that those clothes were stolen, and Jing Shao wouldn't tell him anyway because he was too embarrassed. But it's not like he had any other choice. With this thought in mind, Jing Shao didn't respond immediately and smiled softly.
After a while, she said, "I'm sorry for disturbing your sleep, but the truth is, I don't have anywhere to stay. I promise it'll only be tonight. Then I'll leave." The young man was startled by her attitude. He really didn't expect her to answer him so politely, and he couldn't help but feel a trace of guilt that he didn't even know about. It wasn't as if he had done anything wrong. He simply asked a question, but he still felt guilty.
"It doesn't matter," said the young man. "You can stay. You won't find many places to stay."
With that, he turned around.
"My name is Mu Yan, and you?"
After Jing Shao said his name, Mu Yan pretended to be asleep. He felt that Jing Shao wasn't bad, but he was suspicious by nature. He didn't sleep well that night.
Mu Yan, although he was young, worked in a restaurant cutting firewood and running errands. He didn't earn much. In reality, it was barely enough for him to eat. However, he didn't complain. His parents died when Mu Yan was 10 years old. Since then, he asked for food and begged until he was 14. The old lady from the restaurant took pity on him, giving him a simple job where he could earn money, even if it was little, so he wouldn't have to beg for food.
Early the next morning, Mu Yan was already up, but when she went to check, Jing Shao wasn't there.
Had he left earlier?
Mu Yan thought. Without giving it much thought, she went to work as usual and went to buy some food, as she did every day. Only that day, she bought a little more.
He felt that Jing Shao might come back hungry, and sure enough, when he arrived, Jing Shao had already returned, but unexpectedly, he had enough food for two people. With a smile, Jing Shao said to Mu Yan, "I brought food for the two of us. It's not much, but it'll be enough for both of us." Mu Yan was surprised. How could he have gotten money? If he had money, why didn't he go somewhere better than this?
Mu Yan didn't really have a strong temper. She was always extremely kind and sweet to everyone, so she nodded with a smile and showed Jing Shao what she had bought for the two of them. Then, the floor, which had a light layer of dust, was half-cleaned by Mu Yan.
The food was actually quite poor, but Mu Yan was always grateful for the little he could eat, and Jing Shao had no complaints.
There were two bowls of steaming soup.
The broth was clear, barely clouded by the soft white of the unevenly cubed tofu. A few wilted mustard leaves floated like green shadows, and a faint aroma of ginger and spring onion filled the small room. A clean cloth had been placed on the floor. They ate some slices of coarse bread that Mu Yan had brought.
Although the food was nothing compared to the food in the palace, it actually wasn't bad. He wouldn't eat alone.