The establishment of the Celestial Dynasty began with the bestowal of the title upon the River God.

"You heartless bastard!"

"Has your family ever mistreated you?! You used to struggle even to walk, but now you can run and jump—wow!"

Zhang Junyi ran ahead, and from the sounds behind, he could tell that Li's mother had probably tripped and fallen. The sound of her cursing and swearing was fading into the distance, while shouts of fighting and killing came from all directions.

Her almond-shaped eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, identifying the path leading down the mountain to the south, but she plunged headlong into the dense forest to the east.

"It's quite common for a helpless girl to panic and wander aimlessly. Each family in this mountain village owns little land and relies mostly on hunting for a living; there shouldn't be many mountain spirits or monsters. As long as she doesn't anger that mountain king, her life should be safe..."

The villagers who had come to attack stopped where Zhang Junyi had just been. Hearing the commotion from the east, they immediately called out:

"That little wench's gone mad! Catch her back! Damn it, she paid the money and thinks she can escape?"

"It would be bad if they reported it to the authorities; let's not cause trouble for the village head!"

Shouts of fighting echoed through the mountains in mid-autumn, and even many hunters familiar with the trails began to pant heavily; a few, physically weaker, leaned on their legs and cursed in place, "How can this little wench run so fast?"

Even so, the distance between the two sides is indeed getting closer little by little.

"You made us run all the way up the mountain. Once we catch her, we'll make her taste the caltrops!"

"Sever her Achilles tendon; as long as she can give birth, that's fine!"

Zhang Junyi's temples were covered by clumps of hair. She endured the pain in her legs and the feeling that her lungs were about to explode as she ran frantically. Hearing the cursing getting closer and closer, she couldn't help but look back, her eyes filled with fear.

Escape was part of the plan, being caught and brought back to the village was also part of the plan, and the fear was genuine.

Those chilling threats formed images in her mind. Thinking of them, Zhang Junyi couldn't care less about any plans. She only wanted to escape from the "demons" behind her. She just ran and the scenery in front of her began to blur. She was really panicking and running blindly.

Zhang Junyi burst out of a thicket, but before he could run two steps, he suddenly stopped, kicking a piece of gravel that cascaded down the waterfall for over a hundred feet.

The shouts of fighting behind me suddenly stopped, but the sound of rushing water filled my ears.

Seven or eight hunters emerged from the bushes and strolled leisurely toward the edge of the waterfall cliff.

"Why aren't you running anymore? If you're so capable, jump down."

Zhang Junyi turned around, her fists clenched tightly in her sleeves. Upon hearing this, she subconsciously glanced back at the waterfall.

Rather than being captured and tortured again, perhaps ending it all is the best relief...

With this thought in mind, Zhang Junyi took two steps back until she stepped onto the smooth, water-eroded edge of the cliff and closed her eyes.

"let me!"

A clear shout rang out from in front of him. Li Yi squeezed through the crowd, took a few deep breaths, and then grabbed Zhang Junyi's arm with a furious expression and shoved her backward.

"You little wench, you want to die? My family paid for this!"

Li Yi's face was contorted with rage as he stared at the stunned Zhang Junyi. He slapped her across the face, then smiled obsequiously at the hunters:

"I'm sorry to have troubled you all, brothers and uncles. I, Li Yi, will definitely visit you in person to offer my thanks."

The seven or eight hunters were fierce towards Zhang Junyi, but relatively peaceful towards Li Yi, though their brows showed dissatisfaction.

The man at the head of the group was over thirty years old, and he was holding a light bow in his hand, giving him the air of someone who was in charge.

"Li Yi, now that you're registered in Li Family Village, you're a member of Dahan Mountain. The peace in the mountains needs you to maintain it." The man glanced at Zhang Junyi, who was slumped on the ground. "This new young lady needs some training. She'll be fine after she gives birth and in a few years. Take her seriously."

This man's name is Li Quan; I saw him at the wedding banquet yesterday in the courtyard.

Li Yi chuckled and said, "Thank you, Brother Quan. I will remember this."

Li Quan stared at Li Yi for a moment, then narrowed his eyes. "He seems like someone who's been to school."

After saying that, he slung the bow over his shoulder, turned around, and beckoned the hunter to head towards the village.

Li Yi maintained his smile, but his expression grew increasingly stiff until the footsteps faded into the distance. Finally, he stopped smiling, grabbed Zhang Junyi, and slapped himself hard on the arm twice.

"It's all your fault, you bastard! You made me lose face in front of so many people!"

"Just wait till I get back, I'll teach you a lesson!"

"..."

Zhang Junyi was filled with fear and trepidation, wondering how the young man who had acted like a gentleman the night before could have made such a disgraceful spectacle.

The man who was once the only one she could rely on in this desolate and impoverished place now seems to have become the most entrenched shackle for the rest of her life.

She heard Li Yi curse a few more times, and her heart was filled with despair. Suddenly, she saw him shut his mouth, stand on tiptoe and look into the distance, then turn to look at her and pause for a moment.

"Let's go, I'll take you down the mountain."

The young man spoke softly, but his eyes were lowered, making it impossible to see his expression.

Zhang Junyi felt a sudden panic for no reason, as if something had squeezed her heart and lungs.

Li Yi assumed she was too flustered to hear him clearly, so he softly repeated, "I—"

Before he could finish speaking, she suddenly pounced on him, catching Li Yi completely off guard.

Zhang Junyi buried her face in Li Yi's chest, her sobs becoming increasingly difficult to control.

Li Yi, who was still feeling a bit wronged, was at a loss for what to do with his hands outstretched.

He felt the strength of the girl's embrace around his back, as powerful and profound as his previous fear and anxiety.

The initial thrill of being embraced by a woman for the first time in his life quickly subsided after Li Yi sensed her apprehension. He gently pulled his arms around her, patted her back, and softly repeated:

"Come on, I'll take you down the mountain."

Zhang Junyi loosened her arms and looked at the two lines of water stains on Xiao Lang's chest. Her blood rushed to her head and her cheeks burned.

The feeling of my heart pounding wildly returned.

Li Yi stared at the two blood lines on Zhang Junyi's face caused by the bushes, subconsciously reached out his hand, then stopped in front of his chest, and instead used his thumb and forefinger to hold the girl's sleeve, leading her to walk towards the village entrance.

"With the winter solstice approaching, not only do the hunters in the village need to prepare for winter, but the wild animals in the mountains also do. You're really lucky that you haven't encountered a single one while running around like this."

Li Yi was a step ahead, and while speaking, he glanced back, which could be interpreted as a hint of complaint.

Zhang Junyi quickly lowered her head, dodging a glare, which left Li Yi both amused and exasperated.

It only took the two of them half an hour to reach the waterfall, but it took them a full hour to walk back to the village, and it was almost noon.

Li Yi did not reach the open space at the village entrance. Instead, he walked along the path down the mountain through the dense forest, but suddenly felt resistance in his hand.

Looking back, the girl was rooted to the spot and wouldn't move.

Li Yi's eyes scanned the surroundings, but he saw no one. Still anxious, he urged in a low voice, "Let's go!"

Zhang Junyi silently shook her head, looked towards the Li family's courtyard, and pointed to the direction where she had been married the night before.

Li Yi was slightly surprised and tentatively asked, "You want to go back? -- That's fine. It's not reassuring for a young lady like you to go down the mountain alone. I'll try to get you out of here before winter. Until then, I'll protect you."

After saying that, he roughly grabbed the girl's wrist, and while shouting, he dragged her home quickly, attracting many people on the road to open their gates and watch.

When I arrived at the door, my adoptive parents were waiting in the yard.

Li's father remained expressionless, while Li's mother glared fiercely at Zhang Junyi without uttering a word.

Li Yi threw Zhang Junyi into the main room and scolded, "Go back to your room and stay there!"

She then looked at her adoptive father and said apologetically, "Father, I will discipline her properly from now on."

Mr. Li nodded, gesturing for Li Yi to sit with him on two large rocks in the courtyard. He looked into the distance with a leisurely gaze.

"Your mother and I are one of the few couples in the village who came together naturally, and of course we hope that our descendants can have a happy start. But the environment in Dahanshan is like this, and if we want to continue our family line, we have to deal with human traffickers."

"I can see that you're different from most of the men in the village, which is one of the reasons why I took a liking to you at first sight and adopted you as my son. As for my daughter-in-law... no matter what, your mother and I will do it according to your own wishes."

Li Yi stammered, momentarily speechless.

Li's father got up and took two steps, slung the wooden bow hanging at the door over his shoulder, and checked the dagger, flint, and dry rations at his waist. He was ready to go hunting in the mountains.

He walked to the courtyard gate, then suddenly turned back and asked, "Did the army teach you breathing techniques?"

Li Yi was taken aback. "Father, what's wrong...?"

"Hehe, everyone in the village knows that all the men have to be sent to the army when they reach a certain age."

Just as Li Yi was about to ask how many men in the village had achieved success in their studies, his father, wearing deerskin shoes, strode away into the distance.