Chao Li County...
As dawn breaks, Master Li of the "Peach Orchard Butcher Shop" is dragging a black pig that's "squealing" out.
The black pig weighs at least two to three hundred pounds, its four large hooves furiously plowing backward, with its big backside ready to sit down, shaking its head stubbornly refusing to move forward.
This combined force is no small matter!
However, Master Li, with a brutally forceful stance, drags the pig in front of the butcher shop, then slightly releases his grip. The pig gets its relief, turns around and runs. Master Li shouts "Where do you think you're running to?" Then he swiftly embraces and lifts the pig up onto the chopping block, presses it down with one hand, and lets the knife fall with the other.
The knife tip punctures, blood gushes out, the black pig screeches and struggles nonstop, yet Master Li holds it down alone, until its hooves stop kicking, he then releases his hand, glaring at the assistant beside him, saying, "What are you gawking for?"
The assistant is dumbfounded by Master Li's strange strength, even though this isn't the first time he's seen it, he's still in awe. Upon hearing this, he hurriedly fetches water and a bucket, shouting, "Master, I'm on it I'm on it."
...
A moment later.
Master Li expertly tosses the pig head, ribs, small ribs, tenderloin, belly, fat, trotters, innards, etc., on the white cloth, while rolling the pig skin separately aside, and the two assistants quickly get busy too, doing a light wash, hanging the meat up, then shouting: "Peach Orchard Butcher Shop, freshly slaughtered pig~~"
Master Li slightly exhales, placing the pointed knife aside, and then picks up the bone chopping knife and starts playing with it.
He appears plain and unremarkable, yet with a bit of makeup, he can look fierce.
It must be said, "plain and unremarkable" also means "easy to blend into any kind of temperament."
Naturally...
This Master Li is Song Yan.
Song Yan had secretly surveyed the situation of Chao Li County well before entering.
Only by "prescribing the right medicine" did he establish such an image of himself.
Under a dynasty where Immortal Sects and the Jianghu exist, its constraints aren't strong, let alone this Chao Li County, at the edge, remote and isolated.
A place at the edge isn't a utopia, but rather a lawless zone.
The local government is rough, gangs rampant, any house with a pretty girl soon catches attention, and the whole county knows "who's interested in whom."
But these people, although bullying, are truly cowardly; when boasting they look fierce, but when seeing someone more terrifying, they immediately admit their mistakes decisively.
Song Yan, as an outsider merchant, had he shown any weakness, trouble would have been relentless, either getting chewed up leaving not even bone residues, or having to fight out a bloody path.
Not to mention, even the two ruffians he recruited were sent by the local gangs, just to see whether this Master Li could be provoked.
Turns out, just a glance.
Oh wow...
A body full of strange strength, rough and fierce, knife raising and falling, pig slaughtering incredibly neat, perhaps this is some Great Thief who killed Master Li then impersonates him.
...
"A good fellow!"
Across from Peach Orchard Butcher Shop, a ruffian with a face full of fierce flesh pretends to sip tea yet quietly observes Master Li, seeing such actions, cannot help but praise aloud.
A scholar beside him leans closer, asking, "Did you see clearly?" For original chapters go to N0velFire.ɴet
The ruffian gestures, lowering his voice, "You delicate little guy, what do you know?
Look at the expression when slaughtering pigs, without killing over a dozen people, those downcast eyes wouldn't appear.
Moreover, look at the swift technique of pig slaughtering, swordsmanship is truly superb, superb indeed."
The scholar says, "Then let's recruit him into the gang, on this patch of land in Chao Li County, he also has qualifications to partake.
This Master Li is possibly fake, regardless of how, we can help polish his identity, make it authentic."
Saying this, the scholar is about to get up to find Master Li.
But as soon as he moves, the ruffian yanks him down.
"Don't go, if you go, people might think our gang is full of your kind—a weakling." The ruffian says.
The scholar's face turns red, angrily saying, "What did you say?!"
"Angry? Angry so easily? Hehe..." The ruffian pats his shoulder, saying, "Just kidding, better let me go."
Song Yan looks at the bone chopping, distributing meat, serving those buying it, but long noticed the two across and heard their conversation.
And this, is precisely the purpose he's after.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do, merely "running off to some unfamiliar place living alone" isn't called "secluded living."
As long as one isn't blind or foolish, who wouldn't see you, an outsider, has issues?
If either the government or Sect seeks the odd one out, the first to find would be you, let alone any theft or murder case arises in the city, you'd be the prime suspect.
Back in Celestial Cloud City, even miles away from the Southern Wu Sword Sect, they flipped out two hidden Demon Sect disciples effortlessly, teaching him quite a lesson.
When living somewhere new, one must assimilate.
Hide within the secular world, one must become mundane.
...
...
That day, Song Yan directly joined a small gang in Chao Li County called the "Flying Knife Gang," even securing a title of Inner Sect Disciple.
The Flying Knife Gang immediately took his registration documentation, ran to the government, and in the "character depiction" section, thoroughly enhanced it, mending any possible flaws for him.
Subsequently, Song Yan's days turned normal.
Eat and drink when needed, gift as required, show brute when necessary.
And after getting familiar with the gang members, he casually demonstrated some martial prowess, instantly... transforming from "Inner Sect Disciple" to "Hall Master."
Whenever people passed by the Peach Orchard Butcher Shop, they'd either respectfully call "Master Li" or "Hall Master Li."
And merely three months have passed...
...
...
Winter chill.
Snow falls like a dense curtain, engulfing heaven and earth.
Pedestrians on the streets seldom seen, yet Peach Orchard Butcher Shop remains bustling.
It's because Master Li is taking a concubine.
At this moment, in the Li residence, there is a charming young lady sitting upright in the side room, covered in a red bridal veil, with rouge on her cheeks, bright eyes full of spring, tightly clasped long legs, and a full chest.
The young lady's name is Lin Xianxing, a newly-grown daughter of an ordinary family in Chao Li County.
Today is clearly the joyous day for this Xing'Er lady, but she is somewhat panickedly turning outward, staring at a rising shadow at the corner of the oiled paper window.
That shadow is a rogue warrior from the Jianghu who had previously pursued her. The warrior had no power or influence locally, but fortunately, he possessed some martial arts skills. After their accidental eye contact, he started pursuing her. She never agreed and kept him at arm's length, yet a few days ago when the Li residence proposed, after a discussion with her parents, she accepted the proposal.
The reason is simple, the Taolin Meat Shop had power and influence locally, and although Master Li was crude, marrying into his household was still better than following a destitute rogue warrior.
It's just... Lin Xianxing didn't expect that rogue warrior to dare follow her to outside the bridal chamber.
And she knows this Jianghu guest's nature very well, knowing that at heart... he is a desperate man.
As she sees the window being lifted slightly, and hears the sound of a sword being drawn outside the door, she shudders in fright, quickly rubbing her eyes, crying out, "I don't want to marry him, I don't want to... sob sob sob..."
Only then did the corner slowly lower.
Lin Xianxing let out a deep breath.
Not long after, a maid's shout came from the front.
"Bride, come to bow to heaven and earth~"
After a circuit.
The drunken Song Yan entered the bridal chamber, lifting the bride's red veil, tearing away her clothes, and directly pressed on top of her.
It was late at night...
But the creaking sound demonstrated that Song Yan had little affection for this bride.
The reason he proposed to "Lin Xianxing" was only because he knew... she was not a good girl worth cherishing.
Lin Xianxing flirted outside, attracting many men, pretending to be pure, and making other men fight for her.
But once Lin Xianxing saw him having money and power, she immediately cast all those people aside, and eagerly wanted to marry over.
He said to settle it next month, but Lin Xianxing's parents directly said, "Three days later," they were rushing to climb into his bed, to secure the status.
Song Yan was not afraid of bad girls, he was afraid of good girls.
She had no feelings for him, nor could she have feelings, she was purely after his money, thus... if one day he suddenly leaves, he could do so without a burden.
Contrarily, those worth cherishing, good girls with fine qualities, he couldn't just leave, disregarding everything.
His concubinage,
First, was to satisfy his physical needs, "After wandering the Demon Sect for so many years, shouldn't he enjoy?"...
Secondly, it completed the last piece of his identity puzzle.
Lin Xianxing was ideal for this.
Their relationship was merely a match of wealth and beauty.
...
While the red candles were extinguished in the bridal chamber, merging in clouds and rain, a rogue warrior on snowy ground held a fierce face, furiously chopping and piercing in the woods, at the thought of his cherished belonging underneath another, he couldn't help but burn with anger...
Suddenly, as if tired from chopping, this Jianghu guest huddled, pondering profoundly for a moment, then as if making a certain resolution, murmured, "Jianghu should be for seeking pleasure and settling grievances, if this place doesn't retain me there're places that do."
Once decided, he immediately started walking.
He planned first to kill Lin Xianxing's parents, then take advantage of Master Li's exhaustion to sneak in and slay him, then flee far with Xing'Er for a carefree and joyful life together.
After merely a few steps, he suddenly heard a crying sound from afar.
Upon approaching, his eyes lit up instantly.
It was an enormously beautiful young lady in green.
The warrior immediately forgot what he originally intended to do, stepped forward and asked, "Young lady, why do you cry?"
The young lady in green protested tearfully, saying her husband ran away with another woman, leaving her alone, and so on and on...
The warrior rejoiced immensely, and after a moment of pouring his heart out, intended to seize the young lady's hand.
The young lady in green also played hard to get, then walked and stopped with the warrior, reaching a secluded place.
Looking around and seeing no one, the warrior immediately yanked down his belt, pouncing on the young lady.
But he pounced on nothing.
The young lady was still there, but her figure grew transparent.
And on either side of the young lady, suddenly many men and women, old and young, appeared, each hovering above the ground, watching him fadedly with sinister countenances, among which one even resembled a standing fox...
Just then, a vile wind blew, with a bizarre tiger's roar seemingly in the air.
Following this, a pain struck his neck, his vision went black, and he lost all consciousness.
In the darkness, within a cloak, Song Yan lowered his head, looking at this person, deftly performing soul capturing to transform him into a minion, then tied the corpse to a stone and sunk it in water...
In a short time, the warrior also transformed into a spirit wandering by Song Yan's side.
A stray ghost normally doesn't reveal itself, but a "transformed minion" is a special case.
Only due to the "Changwang Tiger Race" black streaks infused into the minion's divine soul, the "Soul Shackles," those shackles bind them yet grant them shape-shifting deceptive abilities.
Thereafter no matter what, even if these transformed minions seize another body, they could never escape Song Yan's control, nor would they have thoughts of harming him, purely because Song Yan's "Soul Shackles" have entirely merged into their souls.
Once a transformed minion, unless Song Yan voluntarily unbinds them, otherwise... they remain a transformed minion eternally.
Song Yan rose, waved a hand, and numerous transformed minions dissipated, reentering the hidden patterns under his skin.
At this time, these transformed minions were in a "sleeping" state, unless the master wished them to see, to hear, they could see or hear, otherwise... discussion is moot.
...
A moment later...
Bridal chamber.
"Master, where did you go?"
"Went outside for a big call."
"In such cold, let me warm you up... sob sob, you're terrible."