The village elder was old and too badly injured. He didn't last a few days before he passed away.
Xiao Shan paid for the coffin, and the entire village cried as they escorted him to his burial on the mountain.
Before he died, he called Xiao Shan to his side and entrusted him with looking after the village. The old man, even on his deathbed, was still thinking about whether the villagers could survive the coming harsh winter.
"Zianzi's family, Er Niu's family, Xiao Si'er, A Wu, Da Kui... these, these families are having a particularly hard time. Please, please look after them and help them get through this winter. Xiao Shan, I beg you..."
The people gathered in a circle, weeping uncontrollably.
"Uncle Village Elder—" Xiao Si'er wailed, leaning by the bedside.
Xiao Shan nodded, and the village elder closed his eyes.
Although he had promised the village elder, Xiao Shan didn't want to bother with the village's trivial matters. He nominated Liu Zhuzi to be the new village elder. Although Liu Zhuzi was young and unmarried, he was eager to learn, knew how to improve, was diligent and capable, and had learned a lot from Xiao Shan, making him a promising talent.
Crucially, he was also well-liked in the village. After Xiao Shan's proposal, no one objected, and the matter was settled.
Finally, he led people up the mountain for a hunt, and then the harsh winter arrived.
A heavy snow fell, dressing the entire Qingyun Mountain in white.
Xue Niang was afraid of the cold. Like a hibernating snake, she was lazy and reluctant to move. Xiao Shan installed a stove in the room, brewed tea when he had nothing to do, roasted sweet potatoes, and even bought a few picture books from the market.
The kang was heated to a comfortable warmth. Xue Niang lay on the tiger skin, feeling cozy and content. The picture books told stories of martial artists in the jianghu, and she read them with great interest.
Sometimes, people would come to find Xiao Shan. Liu Zhuzi visited a few times, as did others from the village, bringing a cabbage, a radish, or a potato. In the eyes of the villagers, Xiao Shan was now their pillar of support; with him around, no one would die.
The day the bandits came, the night watchmen at the village entrance didn't even notice. Those people entered the village silently. Fortunately, Xiao Shan sensed something was wrong and rang the bronze gong. Otherwise, who knew how many villagers would have died.
Those people were all armed with knives, and some were skilled in martial arts. If Xiao Shan hadn't been so proficient, how many of them could have been beaten to death with just hoes and sticks?
He had saved the entire village.
Coupled with the village elder's dying wish, who wouldn't be grateful and rely on him?
"A Shan, can Qinggong really allow one to fly in the sky?"
Xue Niang tilted her head. She remembered Xiao Shan leaping onto the roof beams to catch spiders, several meters high, which was very impressive. But to fly continuously in the sky, with such a heavy body, it was impossible, wasn't it?
"That's all nonsense, made-up stories. Don't take it seriously."
"Just because you can't do it doesn't mean others can't." Xue Niang thought that perhaps someone with a light and graceful posture could indeed do it. The author of this book described it very realistically, as if they had witnessed it firsthand.
"I like Jiang Yubai so much. Jiang Bi Niao Yu Bai, Shan Qing Hua Yu Ran."
What is Jiang Yubai?
Xiao Shan glanced at her sideways. What if she fell for someone else?
"He's so amazing. He can stand on leaves at the top of trees, walk on water, and his white robes flutter with an ethereal grace. Before he arrives, flowers dance. He's like an immortal."
Xiao Shan: "..."
Damn it, was this guy not a show-off?
"He's handsome, tall and elegant, with a refined demeanor and a face like jade. When he walks, he carries an air of unparalleled elegance." Xue Niang paused after speaking, tilting her head as if imagining.
"He's also very devoted. He doesn't even glance at so many beautiful women, focusing only on his childhood sweetheart. Alas, does such a perfect man truly exist in this world?"
Xue Niang lay there, her eyes distant, fantasizing about such a man. In terms of appearance, her second brother could be compared to him. As for the miraculous martial arts that allowed one to ascend to the heavens and traverse the earth, no one could surpass him.
Xiao Shan couldn't either.
She flipped through the book with lingering interest, then said with a sigh of loss, "Aren't there books with pictures? Why didn't you buy me those?"
Perhaps no one could draw such a celestial being?
"Books with pictures, here you go!"
Xiao Shan threw a small booklet in front of Xue Niang.
He was afraid she wouldn't understand.
Xue Niang happily picked it up. "Yong Chun Gong? The name of this skill is good, it has a certain artistic conception. It must be performed with flowing movements and graceful postures."
Her slender, jade-like fingers opened the first page.
"Mountain and wild spring arrives, water flows naturally?"
Her gaze moved down, and Xue Niang was startled. Her fingers trembled, and the booklet closed. Her face instantly flushed like rosy clouds, and her bright, star-like eyes showed annoyance, followed by disappointment and a dull ache.
"Xiao Shan, you actually looked at other women."
She endured the pain in her chest and threw all the books away.
She had long heard that men get tired of the new and bored with the old. Was he tired of her?
Yes, the woman in the painting was older than her, more unrestrained. She was bathing naked in the wilderness. Did men like such shameless women?
"I misjudged you. Get out, get out!"
She covered her face and pushed away the approaching Xiao Shan. In her confused mind, she even thought about where she would go if she left him.
She didn't want a man whose heart had drifted away from hers.
"The bookstore owner gave this to me. He said it had pictures!"
Xiao Shan was pushed away, feeling a belly full of frustration. The shop owner had said it was a martial arts manual. He had planned to read it for fun later. Wasn't that the case?
Seeing Xue Niang's rejection, as if he were some kind of cancerous tumor, Xiao Shan had no choice but to get out of bed to pick up the booklet and open it.
The first thing he saw was a naked woman posing seductively while bathing in the wilderness.
Flipping further, a man appeared.
Then, they started practicing martial arts.
It really was Yong Chun Gong. The title was direct and didn't deceive at all.
Damn it, no wonder the shop owner winked at him. He thought there was something wrong with it?
What was the point of having a mouth if he couldn't tell him directly? Now, it was going to be burned again.
The drawings were quite realistic.
"You scoundrel! I'll go find that bookstore owner tomorrow! Why did he give these filthy things? The world is truly declining, and morals are lost."
Xue Niang moved her hands away, her eyes red. The broken look in her eyes re-focused. She stared at Xiao Shan, trying to see if he was lying.
Xiao Shan's anger seemed genuine.
But he had a past record.
"You burned the booklet Yuan Bufie sent last time, but you read it before burning it. Are you lying to me again?"
Xue Niang was a purist in this regard, both mentally and physically. Xiao Shan was somewhat annoyed. It was his carelessness; he hadn't expected such a small booklet to contain such a hidden secret. Now, he was truly wronged. He hadn't looked at this one at all!
"I swear, I really didn't know! I'll have Yuan Bufie investigate that bookstore tomorrow. They dare to sell obscene books and mislead young people, they should be punished!"
Xiao Shan lifted the stove lid and threw the book inside. The flames rose, reflecting his regret in his eyes, but no one saw it.
Xue Niang was skeptical.
"I don't want to read these books anymore."
"Alright, we won't read them. They're all nonsense. That Jiang Yubai you mentioned is impossible to exist; he's a fictional character. In reality, those pretty boys are all show and no substance. These unscrupulous authors are just misleading naive young girls and wives like you."
Yes, he also needed to investigate these authors for any illegal activities.
Xue Niang was dejected and still found Xiao Shan displeasing.
"I'll go buy a chess set. Let's play chess."