Wild Dogs

Without Yang Fan, she really felt uncertain.

Seeing Yang Fan return, she immediately felt much more relaxed.

Seeing this, Yang Fan nodded slightly, and then he raised the prey in his hand.

"Okay, I'll grill some meat for you right away."

Then, Yang Fan walked to the side.

"Oh, young master, please don't trouble yourself," Qi Peilan said hurriedly.

But before she could finish speaking, her stomach suddenly growled.

Qi Peilan's face immediately turned bright red, and he couldn't say a word.

Yang Fan burst into laughter.

"Look how hungry you are, why are you still saying these things?"

"Alright, you don't need to worry about it. Just take stock of these medicinal herbs, and after we finish eating, you can start preparing to refine the pills for me."

Immediately, Yang Fan clapped his hands lightly, and a flame surged from his palms.

He ignited these flames using the spiritual energy in his dantian. Although the fire wasn't very strong, it was enough to roast some meat and refine some pills.

Then Yang Fan waved his hand and strung the prepared prey onto his sword.

Then, Yang Fan patiently began grilling the meat.

He was naturally extremely skilled at controlling flames, so it wasn't long before the roasted meat emitted a rich aroma.

The aroma made Qi Peilan's mouth water.

She grew up in the sect and was always protected by it, so she rarely ate anything from ordinary people.

Yang Fan was also very skilled at grilling meat. While grilling the meat, he took out some seasonings from his storage bag and carefully sprinkled them on the meat.

"Young master, you even carry condiments with you?" Qi Peilan asked incredulously.

Yang Fan smiled slightly.

"Look, I had completely forgotten about it until I remembered it while hunting just now."

Then, while grilling the meat, Yang Fan began to speak to Qi Peilan.

"My lady, you may not know this, but I am different from the cultivators of your great sects."

"I have experienced a lot of hardship since I was a child. When I was a child, I often went into the mountains alone to chop firewood."

"Sometimes when we catch a pheasant or two, we'll roast some and eat it in the wild."

As Yang Fan spoke, a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Although those days were filled with poverty, Yang Fan felt a strange sense of warmth when he thought back to those times.

Back then, his parents were still alive, and he would often sneak off to the mountains to chop firewood. Each time, he would try to catch a few pheasants and then roast them with the firewood he had chopped.

It is precisely because he has been grilling meat since he was a child that he is quite proficient in grilling meat.

Hearing Yang Fan's words, Qi Peilan, who was standing to the side, stared wide-eyed with curiosity.

"Could it be that you, young master, are not from a family of cultivators?"

Yang Fan burst into laughter.

"I don't come from a family of cultivators. I'm a self-taught cultivator, unlike you who grew up in a sect from a young age."

"So I've also lived a lot of ordinary life."

Hearing this, Qi Peilan became even more curious.

"The life of an ordinary person? Young master, what is the life of an ordinary person like?"

Seeing that Qi Peilan was also interested in the lives of ordinary people, Yang Fan glanced at her in surprise, then shook his head.

"Life is not easy for mortals."

Qi Peilan shook her head.

"Yes, I've heard some of my senior brothers and sisters in the sect say that life as a mortal is actually quite good."

"Although their lives were short, they were quite colorful."

"When they are young, they have their parents and can play in the mountains and forests. When they get older, they will love each other, have children, and grow old together with their loved ones. Isn't that wonderful?"

As she said this, stars lit up in Qi Peilan's eyes.

Seeing Qi Peilan's envious expression, Yang Fan sneered.

"Who told you that this is how mortals live?"

As he spoke, Yang Fan flipped the grilled meat over and sprinkled on some more seasonings.

"Huh? Isn't this how mortal life is? But all I hear in those mortal dramas are about couples living in perfect harmony, about loving each other dearly. Isn't that good enough?"

Yang Fan sneered.

"There are no such things as those days; these are just things that rich people do."

"What talk of 'marrying each other in perfect harmony'? Only wealthy families can afford such things."

"Poor families don't have the luxury of a harmonious and respectful marriage."

"Although the couple is said to work together, with the husband tilling the fields and the wife weaving, during busy farming seasons, which household doesn't have both husband and wife working together? Even the children have to help with the work."

"When the farming season is over, we still have to perform corvée labor for the government."

"After a year of hard work, the wheat is finally planted. When it's time for the autumn harvest, a large portion of the harvest has to be handed over to taxes, and those cunning and treacherous officials will make things difficult for us at every turn."

If we don't pay enough taxes, those thieves will steal our belongings.

Yang Fan shook his head repeatedly as he said this.

Upon hearing this, Qi Peilan was immediately stunned.

This was completely different from the ordinary stories she had read.

In the stories of ordinary people she saw, those ordinary people always fell in love, and those who loved each other often went through various setbacks, but in the end they would be happily together.

Therefore, she always believed that ordinary people's lives were happy.

But Yang Fan's words shattered all her illusions.

Thinking of this, Qi Peilan pouted unhappily.

"But in the end, there are still some happy mortals."

"Of course there are, but truly happy ones are far too few."

Yang Fan continued grilling the meat, speaking in a low voice.

"Look, just like you said, mortals should live in harmony and mutual respect, but what does that really mean?"

"If they treat each other with the utmost respect, what kind of couple are they?"

"It's perfectly normal for couples to have disagreements and arguments."

"Some couples even turn against each other, hating each other to the core, wishing the other would die without a burial place."

Seeing Qi Peilan's incredulous expression, Yang Fan shook his head.

He handed the grilled meat to Qi Peilan, then lowered his voice.

"What you've been reading is all made up in various plays and books."

"But in reality, life for ordinary people is not good."

"Mortals experience birth, aging, sickness, and death; separation and death; unrequited love; and heart-wrenching pain."

"That's why I embarked on the path of cultivation."

At this point, Yang Fan took a deep breath.

He recalled the days when he was a household slave and how he was bullied.

Even when his parents were alive, he still needed to go into the mountains to chop firewood, which would keep him busy for most of the day.

In winter, the biting wind would pierce his hands, causing them to crack, and his shoes, which were not warm enough, would also crack, often oozing blood.

Yang Fan shook his head repeatedly as he recalled those days.

"Immortals who have not experienced these hardships will forever remain immersed in beautiful fantasies."

"Only those who have experienced these hardships can understand how painful they are."

As the saying goes, children from poor families mature early. Yang Fan came from a poor background, so he naturally knew what kind of life he had when he was a child.

Therefore, he ruthlessly shattered Qi Peilan's beautiful illusions.