The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun.

"I'm alive again!"

Ignoring his madness, Jiang Ning paid the boat fare and headed towards Fuzhou Prefecture.

After traveling for half a day, as dusk approached, Jiang Ning and his two companions saw a village not far ahead.

Chapter 485: Village

"Senior Brother Jiang Ning, let's stay here tonight and set off early tomorrow morning."

Lin Pingzhi said to the two of them.

"it is good."

Jiang Ning nodded.

There was no need to ask Linghu Chong's opinion; he had no objection whatsoever and was fine with sleeping anywhere.

The three of them walked towards the village.

The village is quite large, with rows of houses as far as the eye can see. As dusk approaches, many people are still out and about, and some houses are even still emitting smoke from their chimneys.

It's full of the warmth and life of everyday people.

"Old man."

As Jiang Ning and his two companions entered the village, Lin Pingzhi, being the junior disciple, naturally stepped forward and said to an old man on the road, "Old man, the three of us have come from afar. We have no inn to stay in today. Could you please be kind enough to let us stay for the night?"

The old man was about to refuse, but Lin Pingzhi then took out a piece of silver from his pocket and handed it over. It wasn't much, but it made the old man hesitate.

The old man glanced at Lin Pingzhi, then at Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong behind him. He noticed that all three were dressed in unusual clothes, indicating they were not ordinary people, but they also did not seem like bad people.

The fact that Jiang Ning and the other two were all holding swords made him somewhat apprehensive.

Lin Pingzhi, observing his expression, immediately understood his concerns. Without further ado, he took another piece of silver.

“Old man, the three of us brothers are just passing through and will stay for one night before leaving. We will not cause you any trouble.”

Lin Pingzhi was extremely handsome, much prettier than some women. Linghu Chong was also handsome. Among the three, Jiang Ning, who was slightly less attractive, was still quite good-looking. They didn't seem like bad people.

"Grandpa, we are all good people."

Linghu Chong then spoke up.

"Ok."

The old man finally nodded, but only took one piece of silver and returned the other.

Lin Pingzhi smiled.

"Thank you, sir."

Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong also expressed their gratitude.

The three then followed the old man into the village.

"Does the elderly still have to work so late?"

Linghu Chong glanced at the tools in the old man's hands and the mud on his legs, clearly indicating that he had just returned from working.

"hehe."

A smile spread across the old man's face. "There's no other way. My daughter-in-law gave birth to another grandson. How can I support this family if I don't work harder?"

Upon hearing this, Linghu Chong found it amusing to chat and began to talk with the old man, mostly about his family.

Linghu Chong had excellent social skills and made the old man happy. Lin Pingzhi also chimed in a few words, and the conversation went very well.

Jiang Ning walked quietly to the side.

He prefers quiet and usually comes out alone. Now that his two fellow disciples are coming with him, they handle the communication, making things easier for Jiang Ning.

However, the old man kept glancing at Lin Pingzhi as they talked, leaving Lin Pingzhi completely bewildered.

"What's wrong, old man?"

Lin Pingzhi inquired.

The old man glanced at him and asked, "Young master, I think you're actually a girl, aren't you?"

"Ok?"

Lin Pingzhi's expression froze.

Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong were also surprised.

Linghu Chong asked curiously, "Old man, why do you think so?"

The old man shook his head and said, "I think he's so handsome, prettier than many women. It's obvious he's a girl who deliberately dressed up as a man."

As he spoke, the old man looked like he knew everything. “I understand. You are not ordinary people. It’s always inconvenient for a woman to be out in public. It would be much easier to dress as a man.”

Linghu Chong laughed heartily: "Old man, my junior brother Lin may be handsome, but he's not a girl, he's a pure man."

The old man was startled by what he heard and apologized repeatedly.

Lin Pingzhi was somewhat depressed.

I'm a real man!

In fact, Lin Pingzhi was also troubled by his appearance. He looked like his mother, with a male body and a female face. In the past, many people mistook him for a woman, which made him very angry. However, the old man was just a commoner from the countryside and said it unintentionally, so he couldn't say anything and looked sullen.

After this incident, Lin Pingzhi stopped talking, and Linghu Chong and the old man chatted.

The old man's house wasn't far; the group walked for a short distance and arrived.

The old man's family consisted of six people: his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and two grandsons. They lived a relatively poor but still manageable life.

Upon seeing the head of the household return with guests, the old man's wife, son, and daughter-in-law came out to greet them.

"Oh, so cute with its chubby cheeks."

Linghu Chong picked up one of the old man's little grandsons and teased him.

The old man smiled when he saw this.

Holding the child in his arms, Linghu Chong's thoughts drifted, and he began to fantasize about having several children with Yue Lingshan after they got married.

"The three gentlemen must not have eaten yet? Luckily, I have just finished cooking at home. If you don't mind, would you like to have some with us?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning, Linghu Chong, and Lin Pingzhi said, "Thank you, sir."

The old man's family had prepared only enough food for themselves, but now that there were three more people, including Jiang Ning, it was clearly not enough. So the old man's wife and daughter-in-law went to cook more food, and the group sat and waited.

After a while, the old man's wife and daughter-in-law brought out a lot of dishes again, and everyone started eating.

"good to eat."

Linghu Chong took a bite and praised it.

Jiang Ning and Lin Pingzhi also thought the taste was good. Although it wasn't a fancy dish, these simple country-style dishes were more flavorful.

Although they were guests and had been paid, Jiang Ning and his two fellow disciples, Linghu Chong and his brother, didn't eat much. The three of them had large appetites, and if they ate to their hearts' content, there probably wouldn't be enough to fill the gaps between their teeth.

Jiang Ning and his two companions were preparing to finish their meal quickly and rest so they could continue their journey the next day. However, before they had even finished eating, a commotion suddenly broke out outside.

There were shouts of alarm and the sound of horses' hooves outside, along with a lot of cursing.

"what happened?"

Lin Pingzhi frowned, and before he could get up to ask, the old man and his family looked terrified.

"Why are they here again? Didn't they just come last month? Are they trying to kill us?"

The old man's son cried out in alarm.

Although the old man was also flustered, he quickly regained his composure and said repeatedly, "Quick, quick, hide all the food so it won't be discovered. Chunsheng, tell your wife to hide too."

The son quickly agreed and then told his wife to hide.

The old man also looked at Jiang Ning and the other two.

“The three of you are not locals. Quickly hide with my daughter-in-law and wife, and leave tomorrow.”

Hearing the old man's words, Jiang Ning and the other two looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Old man, what happened to make you so panicked?"

Lin Pingzhi frowned and asked.

Jiang Ning, however, sensed something amiss and asked, "Old man, is there some bandit activity around here?"

During his years of travel, he had wiped out countless bandit strongholds and witnessed the panic of countless villagers upon hearing that bandits had entered their villages. He had gained considerable experience in this regard.

"Bandits?"

Before the old man could speak, Linghu Chong's eyes lit up, and he immediately prepared to get up.

But before Linghu Chong could get up, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside.

Pfft!

The door was kicked open.

"Where are you all? Get your asses out here and stand at the village entrance!"

A man rushed in with a knife and started yelling without even looking at who was inside.

"Are you all fucking mute? You guys..."

Without continuing, the man noticed that there were three other people in the room besides the old man. At this moment, Jiang Ning, Linghu Chong, and Lin Pingzhi all turned to look at him.

Chapter 486: We Are All Good People (Bonus Chapter 1/2 for Lin Feng who likes Lung Gold Grass)

"you……"

When the man saw Jiang Ning and his two companions, they seemed unfamiliar. However, upon seeing their clothes, he realized that the three brothers were not from the village, but were definitely wealthy. His eyes lit up, and he was about to speak when a figure suddenly rushed towards him.

boom!

The man was sent flying backwards and crashed into the yard outside the house, startling the chickens and dogs into a frenzy.