Chapter 1: The Young Blade Master Dawn's light was faint, and a light mist enveloped the fields. It was just past the Grain Buds, a time when the saying goes, "Grain Buds, Grain Buds, the wheat grains start to fill." In the region north of the Yangtze River, winter wheat began to fill with grain, becoming fuller but not yet fully mature, a stage known as the Grain Buds. The Guanzhong Plain, with its thousand years of wind, frost, and bloodshed, its drums and clashing arms, had long been buried in the loess gullies. Now, only the morning breeze rustled through the wheat fields, shaking off dewdrops and creating a gentle rustling sound. Bai Lu Yuan, Li Village Fortress. Outside the village, in the fields, two young boys were walking slowly. The one trailing behind was lean and agile, dressed in rough black clothes, with leg bindings and a wooden spear on his shoulder. The boy had dark skin, and when he smiled, he revealed a mouthful of white teeth—a result of years of working in the fields. Farm children, from a young age, followed their parents to the fields, braving wind and rain, sweating under the sun, and naturally, their skin turned dark. The one walking in front was noticeably taller, with a straight back, fair skin, and delicate features, his hair casually tied in a bun. Wearing the same black clothes and leg bindings, he carried a bow on his back and a knife on his hip. This boy wasn't handsome, but his features were refined, and his eyes were particularly striking. His eyes were long and narrow, the classic phoenix eyes, but his black pupils were like hanging pearls. If you met his gaze, you could feel a piercing coldness, a hidden authority. These were called Dragon Eyes, also known as dragon pupils. The Treatise on Observing People says: "Dragon pupils shine with a spirit different from the world, their light steady like the dark pearl, clear and cold like the water in a quiet autumn pond, truly a marvel of the world." Phoenix eyes with Dragon Eyes were a rare combination. The boy's name was Li Yan, and he was not from this world. As they walked through the fields, he couldn't help but gently touch the wheat ears, feeling the grains fill, his eyes narrowing, the piercing coldness fading, and a smile appearing on his lips. The wheat before him was all his own work. Since coming to this world, Li Yan had initially found it hard to adapt, but as the lights of his past life faded from his memory, he had grown accustomed to this life. The earth, vast and inclusive. Rising with the sun and resting with the sunset, the restlessness and anxiety of his past life had been buried in the yellow earth and dispersed by the joy of each harvest. "Brother Yan." The lean, dark-skinned boy behind him interrupted his thoughts, looking around and saying, "The 'Blind Third Elder Wolf' might have run off already. Let's go back." Li Yan turned his head, "What are you saying? Aren't you going to avenge Second Girl?" "What do you mean!" The lean boy, as if his tail had been stepped on, turned red and stiffened, saying, "Second Girl is my sister. If I don't avenge her, I'll pluck out a hair and strangle myself!" "But wolves usually come out at dusk or noon. How can we find it this early in the morning?" "Stop spouting nonsense! Are you planning to take the imperial exams?" Li Yan cursed, then looked at the distant mountains, shaking his head. "The 'Blind Third Elder Wolf' isn't just any wolf..." The Guanzhong region has had wolf problems since ancient times, especially in recent years. Something strange had happened in the Qinling Mountains, causing vicious wolves to frequently come down the mountains and wreak havoc in the villages. These wolves were larger and more ferocious and cunning than before. They not only preyed on livestock but also on children. "Chickens roosting, wolves eating children; noon, wolves are happy", refers to the times when wolves are most active—dusk and noon. Some might wonder, why would wolves dare to enter villages at noon? But they didn't know that the villagers worked from early morning to late night, avoiding the scorching midday sun, which was when the wolves would strike. They were particularly cunning, sneaking in when adults were asleep and stealthily taking children, a method known as "pulling garlic sprouts." They would even hide in the wheat fields, whimpering like babies to lure curious children, who would then be carried off. The "Blind Third Elder Wolf" was one such wolf that had come down from the Qinling Mountains. It was even larger than the others. In the past two years, the villages of Bai Lu Yuan had set traps to prevent wolves. When the "Blind Third Elder Wolf" first arrived, it fell into a trap, was shot in the eye, and became blind in one eye, harboring a grudge and targeting Li Village Fortress. Despite repeated attempts to capture it, it always managed to escape. Since then, the "Blind Third Elder Wolf" had become a source of fear in Li Village Fortress. Some said it was different from other wolves, having grown up in the Zhongnan Mountains, imbued with mountain spirits and possessing mystical powers. Others were so afraid that they wanted to build a shrine to worship it, hoping it would stop causing trouble, but the Li family's patriarch prevented this. In any case, the "Blind Third Elder Wolf" had become a terror in Li Village Fortress. Around the time of the summer harvest, the wolf attacks were at their worst. Second Girl was Hei Dan's sister, just two years old. Her parents, fearing for her safety at home, would carry her to the fields when they worked. Halfway through their work, they would place her at the edge of the field, thinking it was safe since it was near the main road and there were many villagers passing by. But in a moment's distraction, the "Blind Third Elder Wolf" had pounced, snatching Second Girl and running off. The villagers of Li Village Fortress chased it for several miles with sickles and hoes, but when they found her, all that remained was a bloody mess. Hei Dan's mother cried herself to death, and his father, with his short temper, gathered his kinsmen and searched the mountains for days and nights, but to no avail. Eventually, people advised them to stop, given that it was a girl and the busy farming season. The search was halted, but Hei Dan couldn't forget and sought Li Yan's help. Li Yan was determined to eliminate this menace and had thought about it carefully. He suspected the "Blind Third Elder Wolf" was cunning and might not come out at night or noon but instead during the early morning when people were still asleep. So, for the past few days, he and Hei Dan had been waking up two hours earlier to search. But after several days, they hadn't found a single trace of the wolf. This made Li Yan begin to doubt his own judgment. As they spoke, the sky on the horizon turned a pale white, casting a dark shadow over the winding mountains, and smoke began to rise from Li Village Fortress. "Let's go." Li Yan pressed his hand on the hilt of his knife, shook his head, and said, "We'll continue tomorrow." Hei Dan, though disappointed, nodded. The children of Guanzhong had a stubborn streak. He had made up his mind to finish this, no matter what. They didn't take the main road but followed the hillside back to the village. Hei Dan had snuck out and needed to get home before his parents noticed, or he wouldn't be allowed out again. The closer they got to the village, the more dejected Hei Dan became, saying nothing. Li Yan glanced at him, "What's wrong?" Hei Dan muttered, "In a few days, my father is taking me to be a wheat reaper." Li Yan frowned, "Why leave your own fields to work elsewhere?" Hei Dan explained, "My father says that last year, many factories opened in Tianjin and Jiangnan, and many young people went there to earn money. Now, there aren't enough hands on the plains." "Several large landowners have already announced they will pay good wages. My father wants to take me around, earn some money, and save up to get me a wife." Wheat reaping was an ancient profession. Due to the climate differences, wheat in Guanzhong matured from south to north and from west to east. The saying goes, "Three harvests of wheat are not as long as one autumn, and one autumn is not as busy as one wheat harvest." When the wheat was ripe at the Grain in Ear, the work was as intense as a battle. Although drought, heat, and lack of rain were common in Guanzhong, the Dragon King might sneeze at any time. Wheat was most afraid of rain; if it got wet, it would sprout or mold. There was a saying: "Harvesting wheat is like fighting a fire; you must snatch the grain from the dragon's mouth." So, during this time, people would travel to help others harvest wheat for a living, known as wheat reapers. In the past, they didn't earn much. If the landowner was kind and served them steamed buns, the wheat reapers would be grateful. In bad years, they might not even get enough coarse grain cakes, let alone wages. Despite this, the wheat reapers never stopped coming. The reason was simple: eating at someone else's expense meant saving food for their own families. Life was hard, and selling their labor was nothing. Li Yan understood that Hei Dan wasn't afraid of the work but worried that after the summer harvest, the "Blind Third Elder Wolf" would move on or hide in the Qinling Mountains, and the matter would be unresolved. Thinking of this, he patted Hei Dan's shoulder and said seriously, "Don't worry. You've given me a chicken, and I've taken the deposit. I'll take care of the 'Blind Third Elder Wolf.'" "Brother Yan, I trust you!" Hei Dan nodded seriously. The Guanzhong region, with its eight hundred miles of fertile land, had a rich tradition of chivalry. Now, there were Guanzhong blade masters, men of their word. Li Yan's father had been a renowned blade master in Guanzhong. Many in the village believed Li Yan would follow in his father's footsteps. Seeming to put aside his worries, Hei Dan looked at the distant mountains, a glimmer of longing in his eyes. "I heard that the young men who went out as apprentices last year sent money home before the New Year..." "Brother Yan, what do you think lies beyond the mountains?" Li Yan chuckled, "What could it be? Just more mountains, more people." Before he finished speaking, his expression changed, and he pressed Hei Dan down, sniffing the air and whispering, "Hei Dan, do you smell something?" Hei Dan sniffed but shook his head, puzzled, "No." Li Yan didn't say more, his expression growing serious. The fields were full of stories, some fantastical, like "Ghost Veil", "Stranger Encounter", and "Tiger Crone." The village had little entertainment; only during festivals or temple fairs would the clan invite a troupe from Chang'an, and people from the surrounding villages would gather. On ordinary days, the stories told by the elders under the old trees at dusk were the children's pastime, passed down from generation to generation. Some stories were about kings and generals, but most were bizarre and fantastic. Some believed them, claiming that such things had happened in certain villages, though they had never seen them themselves. Others dismissed them as jokes. But Li Yan had a feeling that some of these stories might be true. The reason was simple: a year ago, his sense of smell had begun to change, becoming abnormally sensitive and able to detect odors others couldn't. For example, at the Village Earth Shrine, even without incense, he could smell a faint scent of incense... And at the widow Wang's house, he could always smell a mixture of incense and a pungent, fishy odor... Now, he smelled something else. It was pungent, cold, and carried a hint of blood. He had smelled this pungent, fishy odor before, when they found Second Girl's remains... (End of Chapter)