Winter days were cold, and all beasts hibernated, including the bears, which generally would not awaken until the warmth of the coming spring, when all things began to bloom anew.
At this moment, it was still January, bitterly cold, and the ground frozen. Prematurely awakened, having had insufficient sleep, the bears' brains were foggy. The cold weather and empty stomach made any creature instinctively furious and violent.
The black bear once again roared loudly, heedless of its surroundings, opened its jaws wide and, with sharp, menacing teeth, lunged at the tender young girl in front of it.
In a sudden surge of panic, Anfeng no longer cared about Mr. Ying's prohibition against drawing his sword. His wrist twisted, and the Eight-Sided Wooden Sword, which he always carried, slid out of its sheath. His spirit, vitality, and energy merged as one as he aimed the sword toward the gaping maw of the black bear.
The Gang Thunder Force and the power of the Golden Bell Shield coordinated perfectly for the first time in days, channeling his Inner Strength. Lightning flickered over the wooden sword, its flow seamless and effortless.
Just then, the little girl placed her palm on the black bear's muzzle, causing Anfeng's heart to nearly stop.
Just as the longsword was about to be thrust forward, the violent black bear paused, seemingly shedding all its rage in an instant. Its slightly bloodshot eyes gradually calmed.
Its previously exposed gums and sharp fangs retracted as its visage softened. All that was left on its face was a docile and clumsy look, devoid of any ferocity typical of wild beasts. It shook its head, looking bewilderedly at the young girl in front of it and, at the doorway, Anfeng rushing out with long strides, his sword still crackling with traces of stormy energy.
A blue lightning bolt erupted from the wooden sword, spiraling around the blade, its mighty intent causing the black bear to shudder. Panic flashed across its chubby face, and it instinctively moved to hide to the side.
The attendant at the doorway had just reacted. In a rush, he hurried over, then, stumbling as the black bear glanced at him, felt his legs give way and almost fell to the ground. His heart pounded wildly; still, with his right hand bracing against the ground, he scrambled over to Tingyun, quickly grabbed the little girl's hand, and pleaded in a whimpering voice,
"Oh dear, miss, let's hurry away."
"This is a black bear, a bear that might eat humans, let's go!"
The bear glanced at him and growled disdainfully, displeased. It smelled the lingering scent of roasted meat on him, which churned its stomach and faintly revived its ferocity. Its sharp fangs peeking out from its lips, the wildness inherent to beasts made the attendant's legs buckle, and he completely collapsed to the ground, trembling violently, unable to speak any further.
At that moment, Anfeng had already leaped to Tingyun's side, his longsword withdrawn, but the long whip wrapped around his right arm had already unwound, coiling protectively around the girl. Its tail whipping the air emitted a hissing sound like that of a venomous snake, causing one's scalp to tingle.
Tingyun glanced at him, but her palm gently touched the black bear's chin, her clear eyes slightly curving as she said,
The attendant was almost scared to death, yet the black bear closed its eyes, seeming to enjoy and carefully nuzzling against Tingyun's palm, then it rolled over on the ground, exposing its soft belly, and behaved just like a well-behaved large dog.
Anfeng paused slightly.
The bear was not afraid of him.
Because ever since the girl had placed her hand on its chin, it had not even glanced at him, only joyfully clinging to Tingyun.
After a brief contemplation, Anfeng flicked his wrist, retracting the Whip Lock back around his forearm. Yet he remained at Tingyun's side, not interrupting her as she played with the black bear. Seeing that she seemed a bit tired, he softly asked,
"How come you are here?"
The little girl lifted her head, looked at him, and said,
"I felt that Anfeng... was leaving."
After thinking for a moment, tilting her head, she said,
Tingyun seldom spoke, every word seemed strenuous, yet very sincere.
Anfeng fell silent for a moment, then sat down cross-legged, at the same height as the little girl, and said very earnestly,
Outside the door, not far away, Li Qidao sipped a drink, beside him was an Eighth-Rank old woman he had caught and restrained, her complexion deathly pale.
The old man looked at Wang Anfeng and Zhang Tingyun inside the door and murmured softly.
"Clear in Daoist heart?"
With a casual flick, he sent a Qi Force flying, unlocking the old woman's acupoint and said,
"You came straight here as soon as you entered the village. This old man was curious."
"I hope you won't take offense at my rudeness."
His voice paused slightly, then he turned back and glanced at the old woman again, smiling, he said,
"About earlier, I presume you won't talk too much about it, haha."
The old woman's face turned pale, she dared not look at him, and bowed deeply as she said,
"The junior wouldn't dare."
Li Qidao nodded slightly, pondered for a moment, and said,
"I have advice for you."
The old woman bowed even lower and said,
"Please enlighten me, senior."
"Send the child to the Taoist Sect."
"In this world, only three people know how to teach her. One old monster has already discarded the world from his heart, another wanders among the commoners and will only harm her. Only those Taoist noses on the mountain will sincerely treat her well."
"Otherwise, with her physique and talents, she's likely to encounter great misfortune."
"You convey the message, how to proceed will be up to her family."
As his voice fell, the old man had disappeared, leaving only his words behind which caused the old woman to break out in a cold sweat, her heart filled with shock and fear, utterly panicked.
Zhang Tingyun had come that day just to see Wang Anfeng, and upon leaving, did not cling like the typical child.
Because there was an Eighth Rank master nearby, Wang Anfeng, considering that no one would restrain it after he left, decided to give the black bear to Zhang Tingyun when he saw the little girl liked it.
The porcelain-like little girl sat on the bear's back, which moved steadily and cautiously forward on all fours, only to glance at the Green-Maned Horse before leaving, causing it, inexplicably, to temper, nearly shattering the stone slabs with its hooves.
Afterward, Wang Anfeng spent fifteen days and mastered the martial arts taught by Mr. Ying.
Traveling as if on a carriage, he went near Liuxu Villa to visit Li Kangsheng and his wife, then went to the Iron Guards to look for someone. Zhao Daniu had returned home, and Anfeng only had dinner at Zhang Zhengyang's house, a robust and brave man accompanied by a gentle woman, their drunken laughter claiming his life was nearly without regrets, evoking gentle chiding from the woman.
After a good night's sleep, the next day, Wang Anfeng bought some wine and meat in the city and went to Liu Wuqiu's grave.
After arranging the vegetables in front of the two graves, pouring wine into the soil, and lowering his gaze, Wang Anfeng began speaking softly as if chatting with an elder, sharing his recent experiences and interesting tales he had heard, until the sky turned dusky. Only then did he stand up, straighten his attire, and respectfully bow deeply, saying,
"Master Liu, and this senior."
"The junior is leaving this place... I might not be able to come often in the future, but as long as I have the chance, I'll come every year."
"And to tell you the stories of this world."
Time passed, and the last day of the first month flipped over.
Finally, no more music or scent of tea filled the house under the locust tree of Great Liang Village.