Da Xuan Martial Saint

Guests followed a few attendants, but everyone disregarded Chen Mu, who was standing in front of two low houses, as if they couldn’t see him at all. All they saw was emptiness.

Land of the Soaring Dragon.

Listening to the conversations of the toothpick manager who seemed to want to buy the courtyard houses and the rural gentry, Chen Mu couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle. He hadn’t noticed anything special about this “Land of the Soaring Dragon.” Back then, he hadn’t seen any purple aura either.

When Xu Hongyu and Chen Yue were still in Yu County, there hadn’t been much change around here. But in recent years, everyone had moved to the State Government Office, and the whole place had been transformed. What used to be ordinary streets inhabited by poor commoners had now turned into broad streets with neatly built blue-stone courtyards.

He wondered how much these nearby courtyards had sold for; by his estimation, it wouldn’t be a small sum.

However.

These people did lead lives with some sense of propriety; his two low houses had never been touched by anyone from the beginning to the end; probably no one dared to, and not just these two, but also the few where Wang Ni and her grandfather had lived, hadn’t been touched either.

The deeds for these few houses had always been in his hands. Although deeds often amounted to nothing but waste paper in chaotic times, whether they were waste paper or an impassable mandate depended on whose hands they were in.

“Hehe.”

Chen Mu looked at the two low houses and sighed with a hint of nostalgia, then lightly waved his sleeve toward them and turned around, no longer lingering as he walked away.

Almost as soon as his figure disappeared, those few low houses, as if truly unable to bear the burden anymore, started creaking worryingly and then collapsed with a crash, turning into a pile of broken stones and dust.

Still introducing the nearby courtyards to a few rural gentry and incessantly discussing things like ‘Momentum,’ ‘Heavenly Mandate,’ and ‘Purple Aura,’ the toothpick manager and the gentry were all startled by the sudden collapse.

Everyone staggered a few steps back, and after the houses completely collapsed into dust, they looked at each other in dismay.

…

Not far from his old home.

A multi-layered mansion was situated, its high walls made of blue stones, with multiple nested courtyards within. Some maids and servants were busy, either sweeping the yard or washing clothes.

In the inner courtyard, an elderly woman with a kindly expression was sitting on a lounge chair, her hair mostly white with just a few black strands remaining. Although the years had marked her face with numerous wrinkles, the old woman was in a good mood, surrounded by two children about five or six years old and three young girls around four or five, all calling her ‘Grandma.’

“Grandma, grandma, tell us another story about Uncle.”

“Grandma, I also want to learn martial arts and become as strong as Uncle someday.”

A group of children, their voices still youthful, surrounded her with laughter and chatter.

Chen Hong said with a gentle demeanor, “Learning martial arts isn’t easy. It requires enduring hardships. Back then… ”

As she spoke,

she suddenly paused, as if a faint string in her heart had been lightly touched. She subconsciously turned her head to look over her shoulder toward the top of the porch, but there was nothing there except a sparrow preening its feathers.

Chen Hong’s action also made the children look up at the porch, but they saw nothing and became curious: “Grandma, what are you looking at?”

“Nothing.”

Chen Hong shook her head, sighing that old age often brought fleeting visions; she quickly gathered her thoughts and, with a kindly gaze, continued to the attentive children, “Back in those days, we were poor, uncertain of where the next meal would come from…”

The children listened intently, gathered quietly around her to hear the story.

At the corner of the porch.

Next to the preening sparrow, Chen Mu stood silently, looking at Chen Hong surrounded by her grandchildren and finally nodding slightly. Then he quietly turned around and vanished from the corner of the porch, while the sparrow continued to preen its wings, oblivious.

…

Walking along the alley, Chen Mu did not pause and soon entered the Inner City.

Years had passed, and today’s Inner City had changed a lot as well. The Yu Family’s territory had expanded in some directions and contracted in others due to the influence of various sects.

Chen Mu walked deeper into the inner city, his demeanor calm. He passed some of the Yu Family’s attendants and Protectors without being seen by anyone until he reached deep into the Yu Family’s territory, to a simple courtyard.

He pushed open the courtyard door.

Inside the courtyard, many flowers were growing. A venerable old man with fully white hair and beard was strolling leisurely along the flower beds, occasionally lifting his hand to cause dew to quietly condense in the air and water the flowers.

Noticing the courtyard door opening, Yu Jiujiang turned and looked toward the entrance, seeing Chen Mu walk in with a peaceful expression and softly saying, “After so many years, are you well, old sir?”

“Fine, fine, all is well,”

Yu Jiujiang exclaimed in surprise, but quickly regained his composure and, chuckling, said.

He slowly withdrew his hand, and the dew that had been condensing in the air disappeared. Then, leaning on his cane, he walked towards Chen Mu with a still firm and healthy stride, but Chen Mu could tell that Yu Jiujiang’s vitality had declined to even less than that of an ordinary person.