27: Move back in!

“Tie Zhu, let me ask you, after such a long time, have you not noticed the faint scent of incense in your home?”

Chu Yuan’s expression was very calm, but his voice was full of doubt.

“There is an Ancestral Hall in the village. Except for certain specific times, villagers’ homes never burn incense. Don’t you know this?”

“If you stay in this environment for a long time, a faint scent will naturally linger on you. Haven’t you ever suspected anything?”

As Chu Yuan spoke, he shook the wooden carving in his hand again. “This was given to your paternal aunt by your father back then, and it was locked in the wardrobe by your father. Haven’t you ever wondered what was locked in the wardrobe?”

Tie Zhu was stunned.

Listening to their questions, his mind involuntarily recalled his father’s words that day:

Is Er Ya definitely mine?

Doubt arose in his heart, and he turned his head to look at Tie Lin blankly, “Dad, what they’re saying isn’t true, is it?”

Tie Lin fell silent.

Tie Mu seemed to have thought of something, her face also turning ashen, and she lowered her head.

Seeing this, Tie Zhu’s eyes widened, filled with disbelief.

“No... impossible!”

“It’s not like that, Dad, Mom, say something!”

Tie Zhu roared loudly, but Tie Lin and his wife remained silent.

Just then, a loud roar came.

“Tie Lin, old dog, how dare you use a Ghostly Creature to harm my son! I’m going to kill you!”

As the words fell, a middle-aged man rushed towards Tie Lin with a knife.

And his action seemed to trigger a chain reaction, with several voices immediately following.

“Tie Lin, you deserve to die!”

“Tie Lin, you deserve to be cut into a thousand pieces!”

“I want you dead!”

“...”

Six or seven figures rushed forward, their eyes burning with raging fury.

Seeing this, Zhang Xiangwen pulled Chu Yuan and Zhang Yan back a little.

Zhao Jun whispered, “It’s useless, his body is very strong now, you can’t hurt him.”

But these words, naturally, were not heard by the crowd whose minds were clouded by anger.

A moment later.

Although Tie Lin’s figure was disheveled, he was completely unharmed.

Seeing this, those people stared at each other, then looked at Zhang Xiangwen and pleaded:

“Clan Chief, Tie Lin has committed a monstrous crime, he deserves to die!”

“Clan Chief, please enforce the village rules and execute this beast!”

“Clan Chief, my son cannot die in vain!”

“...”

Zhang Xiangwen stepped forward, raised his hand to stop them, and said in a deep voice:

“Tie Lin harbored a Ghostly Creature and harmed villagers. According to village rules, he deserves the death penalty!”

“All those aged fourteen and above, raise your hands to vote. If more than half agree, Tie Lin shall be executed!”

As these words fell, the villagers present exchanged glances and all raised their hands.

Zhang Xiangwen scanned the scene, finally glancing at Tie Zhu, and spoke in a deep voice:

“Excluding Tie Lin’s wife, the vote passed unanimously. Clan Chief Zhao, please enforce the village rules!”

“Yes!”

Zhao Jun nodded, holding his ominous weapon, and walked directly towards Tie Lin.

“No!”

“Don’t!”

Tie Zhu hurriedly tried to stop him, but was held back and pushed down.

At this moment, Tie Lin looked up at Zhang Xiangwen and said in a deep voice, “This matter was my doing alone. I ask the Clan Chief not to implicate his mother and son!”

“I naturally will not!”

Zhang Xiangwen nodded.

Tie Lin seemed to have understood Zhang Xiangwen’s meaning, and his face couldn’t help but turn bitter.

He looked at Tie Zhu and said, “Son, it’s father who let you down. After I die, take your mother and leave Xiao Huang Village.”

“Walk eastward. Whether you can survive depends on your fortune.”

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Zhao Jun, and slowly closed his eyes.

Finally, Tie Lin was executed!

Under Zhang Xiangwen’s tacit approval, Tie Zhu and his mother packed their bags and left.

While the villagers’ expressions were complex, there was also a hint of joy in their eyes.

With the Ghostly Creature hidden in Xiao Huang Village gone, they could feel much more at ease.

This matter, finally came to an end!

Time always passed quickly, and in a blink of an eye, the sun was setting in the west.

Zhang Xiangwen led the villagers to pile all the grain back into the shed and cover it.

After that, everyone went back to their own homes.

On the way back, Chu Yuan came up to Zhang Xiangwen and said:

“Uncle Zhang, my injuries have healed now, and the threat to the village has been removed. I plan to move back home.”

Hearing this, Zhang Xiangwen frowned slightly and chuckled, “You kid isn’t used to living with me?”

Chu Yuan whispered, “Sister Yan’er is still young. I’m afraid people will gossip!”

Zhang Xiangwen shook his head and laughed, “You don’t have to be like this. Actually, your father and I had a good relationship. Before you were even born, we joked about a child betrothal. If you and Yan’er get together, it would be quite good!”

“I’ve talked about this with Aunt Xu and Sister Yan’er, and they don’t object.”

Chu Yuan was slightly stunned, as if a flash of insight crossed his mind, and he understood some key points.

No wonder Uncle Zhang gave him special care!

No wonder he let him sleep in Zhang Yan’s bed!

No wonder he dared to leave Zhang Yan alone with him at home!

Was that how it was?

He smiled faintly and said, “Thank you for your kindness, Uncle Zhang, but Sister Yan’er is still young. Let her decide for herself when she grows up.”

As he spoke, he hesitated for a moment before continuing, “I won’t hide it from Uncle Zhang, the existence of the Ghostly Creature and the Fire Fox Demon made me feel how insignificant I am. I want to become stronger!”

“I want to keep walking on this Dao of cultivation and indulge myself this one time!”

“Therefore, I will most likely not stay in the village for long afterwards. I hope Uncle Zhang understands!”

Hearing this, Zhang Xiangwen fell silent.

He hadn’t expected this kid to have such a mindset, to leave Xiao Huang Village?

If that were the case, he and Yan’er’s matter really couldn’t be rushed!

Moreover, he quickly thought of another problem:

Chu Yuan’s talent was very good. If Yan’er had no cultivation talent, forcibly binding them together would only harm both children.

Thinking of this, Zhang Xiangwen nodded heavily, “All your things are still at the Medical Hall. You can just go and get them!”

“As for food, go and get some to take with you later. We’ll be distributing grain in a couple of days.”

“Alright!”

Chu Yuan nodded.

Zhang Xiangwen spoke again, “Go and tell Yan’er, I’m afraid she’ll overthink it!”

Chu Yuan nodded and went to Zhang Yan’s side.

When Zhang Yan heard that he was moving back, her pretty face was full of confusion and unease.

“Brother Chu Yuan...”

But before she could speak, Chu Yuan smiled and said, “Sister Yan’er, listen to me, staying at your house all the time isn’t good.”

“After I move back, our two homes aren’t far, so if you want to come and find me, you can always do so.”

“Moreover, I also plan to learn more characters from you, so we won’t see less of each other.”

“Besides, didn’t you want to learn sword techniques before? I’ll teach you tomorrow, how about it?”

Hearing this, Zhang Yan seemed to understand something and nodded disappointedly.

Then she looked up at Chu Yuan and said seriously:

“Brother Chu Yuan, then we have a deal. I’ll teach you how to read, and you teach me sword techniques!”

“Alright!”

Chu Yuan smiled and nodded.

Chu Yuan finally moved back to his own home, once again guarding an empty… guarding a dilapidated shack!