Xiao Shan returned to the village, and the villagers came to see him upon hearing the news.
When he left, he had divided the 300 taels of silver he saved from hunting among the villagers, so their gratitude was understandable.
However, he truly wasn't accustomed to such enthusiasm.
All sorts of dishes filled the kitchen. Seeing Xiao Shan alone and the furnishings inside the house, the villagers became more reserved. They didn't dare to enter, offering clumsy words of thanks before leaving.
Only Liu Zhuzi, Liu Chengshan, Meng Youliang, and a few other acquaintances remained.
"Come in and sit for a while!"
Xiao Shan noticed Liu Zhuzi's look of reverence, and the others were similarly constrained.
"What's wrong? Don't you recognize me?"
"Brother Xiao, you are the Divine Might General, aren't you? And the lady is the Divine Maiden."
Country folk were straightforward, and Liu Zhuzi knew Xiao Shan's temperament, so he decided to ask directly.
Xiao Shan didn't deny it, raising an eyebrow. "How did you know?"
It was true then! The few of them felt their legs go weak.
"I, I, I heard people in the city talking about the Divine Might General and the Divine Maiden. It sounded a lot like you, so I guessed..."
It turned out to be true!
The Divine Maiden hadn't had a good time here back then. Would Brother Xiao hold the villagers accountable? No, no, the Divine Maiden wasn't that kind of person, or she wouldn't have sent people with money.
Ha, so famous? It had spread even to this remote, secluded town. He should have banned those books back then.
"Zhuzi." Xiao Shan's dark eyes swept over them. "And you few, listen carefully."
"I'm back. From now on, there will be no Divine Might General or Divine Maiden. Just call me as you did before. Otherwise, I'll have to leave this place."
"Don't, Brother Xiao, we'll do as you say. The villagers are all grateful to you. Last winter, the lady sent more silver. Our village had a prosperous year because of you; no one froze or starved to death. Everyone was hoping you'd return!" Liu Zhuzi quickly pleaded.
"Yes, yes, my wife planted cabbage all over your vegetable patch, fearing you wouldn't have vegetables when you returned!" Meng Youliang added quickly.
So Xue Niang had sent money again. It seemed she still had feelings for this place. Then staying here was the right decision.
"That's good then. I have already laid down my armor and returned to farming. Our identities are not to be revealed to outsiders. What it was like before, it will be like that from now on. As for my wife, she sustained some injuries, and she will return once she has recovered. Before, it was just family members who came to take her away. Tell the villagers this if they ask."
"Alright, we understand. Brother Xiao, you should rest now!"
Liu Zhuzi saw that Xiao Shan seemed fatigued and assumed he hadn't rested well on his journey. He gestured for the others to leave.
Xiao Shan was indeed truly exhausted and hadn't rested well these days, but the main reason was that he didn't feel like talking much.
Without Xue Niang, he seemed to lose the desire to speak.
Three to five years, three to five years.
After this, would everything truly be smooth sailing?
The days passed one by one. Xiao Shan still went up the mountain daily. Sometimes he carried game down, and sometimes he returned empty-handed. Villagers who went up the mountain several times found him sitting outside the Ghost Forest, either weaving bamboo baskets or lying there with a blade of grass in his mouth, resting.
In the middle of winter, he didn't seem to fear the cold.
Old Madam Hua would occasionally come out to bask in the sun, leaning on her cane, her sparse white hair topped with a headscarf. Whenever she met Xiao Shan, she would ask, "Has the Divine Maiden returned?"
"Grandma, there's no Divine Maiden, it's Xue Niang," Xiao Shan corrected.
Old Madam Hua's mind was indeed muddled; she didn't recognize many people, but she always repeated this matter.
"Yes, the first time I saw her, I saw a glow around Xue Niang. She's definitely the Divine Maiden."
"She's just pale from illness; you saw wrong."
Old Madam Hua was unconvinced, pouting her withered lips and no longer speaking with Xiao Shan.
Xiao Shan signaled Lu Qingsong to come closer. "After your mother passes on, burn that statue of the Divine Maiden in your house."
"Yes."
Lu Qingsong helped Old Madam Hua into the house. Old Madam Hua looked back, "When I die, Xue Niang will have returned, right? I must see her before I can die peacefully."
Xiao Shan choked slightly. "Yes, you definitely will."
When the first snow of winter arrived, Xiao Shan carried many bedding items up the mountain. He shouted for a long time outside, asking if he could build a house, saying Xue Niang was afraid of the cold. Finally, he managed to summon the Snow Wolf King.
Through the mist, he couldn't see the creature's form, only the young voice that echoed in his mind.
He was angry.
Letting that beast inside, but not him.
"Great Dawn Divine Lord, there's no need to send these. They are in cocoons; they are neither cold nor hungry."
In cocoons? A man and a woman alone?
His chest felt heavy.
"Then what are you doing inside?"
The Snow Wolf was also dejected. It had come to absorb some spiritual energy. The spiritual energy from the Divine Lord was much more potent than that of the Divine Maiden, perhaps allowing it to surpass its grandfather and live for a thousand years.
Who would have thought that once inside the cocoon, no spiritual energy would leak out, and it would be noticed by the Divine Lord, who insisted it guard outside. Whenever a part of the cocoon's shell showed weakness, it had to be mended with the meteorite silk threads he had prepared.
It was no longer the free-spirited Snow Wolf King, but the Divine Lord's guard dog.
"This wolf naturally has its uses. As per the Divine Lord's orders, I am guarding the divine cocoon."
"How did you get in?"
"Of course, the Divine Lord let this wolf in."
"Since outsiders cannot enter, what is there to guard?"
As soon as he finished speaking, no more voices appeared in his mind. The Snow Wolf King had already run off, and Xiao Shan descended the mountain, still in a foul mood.
Meanwhile, the capital city was undergoing earth-shattering changes.
The Emperor suddenly issued an edict, releasing the King of Jiangbei from prison and, unprecedentedly, appointing him as Regent. The Emperor claimed to be unwell and needed six months of recuperation.
All court affairs were to be handled entirely by the King of Jiangbei.
Initially, the court officials had doubts.
However, the Emperor and the King of Jiangbei displayed a reconciliation and deep brotherly affection. Furthermore, the King of Jiangbei made no move to usurp power; all court matters proceeded according to the Emperor's previously set plans.
Even if they knew something was amiss, they could find no evidence or flaws.
Therefore, the relationship between sovereign and minister remained harmonious, and the realm was stable.
In the imperial study, Fu Lu knelt on the ground, his face ashen, already anticipating his fate.
The true Emperor was now nowhere to be found. How could the Regent spare him, the Emperor's close attendant?
Would he, like his godfather, die obscurely somewhere in the palace?
"Fu Lu, the Divine Maiden once praised you as a loyal person. Get up. What are you doing looking like this? I am not a traitorous minister plotting to usurp the throne."
What, what did this mean?
He wasn't going to kill him?
Or, did he need his voice to convey something?
"Fu Lu, the Emperor has gone to find the Divine Maiden. He will return in a few months at most. Don't think too complicatedly. What it was like before, it will be like that from now on. Take good care of this palace. You are an old hand in the palace, so you know how to quell rumors."
These words were spoken as if in casual conversation.
Fu Lu nervously looked up and saw the Regent with a calm expression, his phoenix eyes serene. Adorned with a golden crown and jade belt, he was a graceful young man without any hint of aggression.
Could it be that the Emperor had truly gone to find the Divine Maiden?
Had he been overthinking things?