The next morning I made sure to check on the old granny and the cat before heading out into the snow. The sun was shining today and the raging blizzard had passed.

Nine Paddy Village was rather picturesque on days like this and I would’ve loved to spend my time walking idly, admiring its idyllic beauty. However, I had a goal to accomplish.

I was itching to leave, but there wasn’t long left until winter’s end. I promised Xiao Cui I would at least stay that long and so I would.

Walking to her house didn’t take long. I knew the route like the back of my hand by now and with my speed it only took a few minutes, even though the old granny lived on the outskirts.

When I knocked, her mother greeted me. She was much healthier now, with a rosy glow on her cheeks. “Cultivator Zhao!” she exclaimed upon seeing me, “Come in, come in. You’re just in time for breakfast.”

As it turned out, Xiao Cui wasn’t home. I declined her offers to feed me at first—I barely needed to eat anymore—but Xiao Ai was a persistent woman.

The stew did smell good, so I relented and joined the married couple as they ate breakfast. I needed to wait for Xiao Cui to return anyway, so I might as well do it with a full belly.

It wasn’t until two hours later that the girl finally returned home, cheeks red from the cold. She lit up when she spotted me.

“Big brother Zhao, where have you been?” she cried, rushing towards me with eager eyes.

“Just for a stroll in the forest,” I replied with a smile.

“Boring,” she sighed, deflating visibly. “Why did you visit?”

“I came to tell you that I’ll be leaving as soon as the frost thaws. I have had a wonderful stay in your village, but I need to move on.”

“What?! You can’t leave… you’re…” Xiao Cui stuttered, going red in the face. Suddenly her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, “I’m coming with you!”

Now it was my turn to be confused. What did this little girl think she was going to accomplish by following me?

Don’t get me wrong, I’d enjoyed our short time together—I saw her like the little sister I’d never had, in some ways. However, I was on the path of cultivation and she was just a mortal. Our fates did not align.

“Look, Xiao Cui. That’s not going to be possible. I am a cultivator. You’re a wonderful girl, but it would not be safe for you to accompany me,” I told her.

It was better to be honest, even if that sometimes meant hurting people’s feelings. I saw her cheeks get redder and her brow crease. Then she stormed back out of the house.

I sighed, watching her leave. There was still a month until I had to depart. I was sure she would come around eventually.

After thanking Xiao Ai for the meal I left their house and went for a walk to clear my head. I needed to figure out how I was going to set up my hospital—ahem, sect—and where.

****

A cacophony of shouts and cries of rage woke me from my nap. I’d only been asleep for a few hours—my body didn’t seem to need as much these days—but already something else demanded my attention.

I didn’t have to go, of course, but I was a curious bastard. The type of person who would curse themselves for a month if they didn’t check out every little mystery they passed by.

That was part of why I loved medical research so much, often more than the actual doctoring. The relentless pursuit of discovery was addictive.

Although I suspected whatever was happening in Nine Paddy Village today would be far from thrilling, I decided to check it out anyway. There was little else to do after all and since I only had a week left here I wanted to make the most of my time.

I found the whole village gathered in the central area. The village head was standing alone in front of the crowd, talking to a familiar man dressed in expensive robes—and a chestplate.

I wondered why the tax collector had felt the need to return with a cohort of soldiers, given that Nine Paddy Village was a tiny collection of maybe fourty or fifty houses.

From what I knew, even if they were annoyed about it the people here would never refuse to pay the tax. They couldn’t risk it—losing the protection of Three River City’s City Lord would spell doom for them.

Bandits and spirit beasts ran rampant in the lawless areas and the moment the army was withdrawn the village would become a juicy target ripe for the picking. So as I drew closer I strained my ears to try and catch what the pair was saying.

“This is ridiculous! We gathered the amount you asked for before winter, yet you claim we are short by ten percent?! I know that feeding an army is expensive but how are we supposed to live? This is daylight robbery and you know it, Administrator Gao,” the village head exclaimed.

I admired his guts. Taking a stand against the City Lord’s advisor when he’d brought soldiers as back up was no easy thing.

However, I saw Administrator Gao’s face twist in fury and the soldiers behind him took a step forward at the man’s outburst.

“Head Wei, are you refusing a direct order from the City Lord?” he sneered, tapping a rolled up scroll hung from a sash around his waist. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

The village head took a step back, face paling. “Of course not, Administrator Gao! How could this lowly one dare? I only mean to say that we need to survive in order to produce the food for the army. This amount, it’s just-”

A slap rang through the crisp morning air.

I watched the village head stumble backwards, clutching his face. Blood trickled from his nose and his face was already swelling where the administrator had struck him.

“Are you refusing to obey the City Lord’s order?” Gao roared. “Just a lowly mortal and yet so bold. There are hundreds of villages around Three River City, the lord won’t miss one.”

With a wave of his hand the soldiers stepped forward in unison, reaching for their halberds. I took a step forward, preparing to intervene, when something completely unexpected happened.

The old granny walked out from the crowd, looking healthier than a woman ten years her junior. She stood in front of the village head and grabbed him by the chin.

“Little Wei, are you a man? Stop crying about a little slap,” she scolded him, before giving him a gentle slap on his swollen face.

Head Wei let out a gentle cry when her wrinkled hand made contact but didn’t resist. I stayed where I was, blending in with the crowd, to watch what this crazy old granny was about to do.

She called the village head ‘Little Wei’ so I could only assume she was his senior and given that he didn’t talk back when she scolded him she clearly held a lot of sway in the village. Had she tricked me with her weak old woman act or was my healing just that potent?

“Administrator Gao, forgive my foolish son,” she said, fixing the man with a sharp gaze. “We’ve had a difficult winter and he is only thinking of his people. Of course, gathering the extra ten percent won’t be a problem. We just need a few days.”

The man harrumphed. “You think I’ll forget an insult to the city lord with a few flowery words from you, woman? A few days is too long. You have until sunset. I will return. Make sure the full amount is gathered.”

With that, he waved his arm and the soldiers stopped their advance. Swishing his robe he turned around with his chin raised high and mounted his horse before departing.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Of everything that had happened, what surprised me the most was discovering that the old granny was the village head’s mother! Why did she live alone at the edge of the village?

I’d find out soon enough, but for now I wanted to see what I could do to help. I didn’t want to leave the village only for it to be razed to the ground.

****

Darkness fell over the valley as the sun bid the day farewell. I’d been out in the fields for eight hours, helping the farmers harvest whatever was ready.

The extra ten percent was a knife to the gut for the already strained village. They should be able to survive the spring, given that they could hunt in addition to using what little food they had stored, but it would be tough.

I’d seen firsthand just how hardy these mortals could be when it came down to it, so I wasn’t worried about them. Everyone had gathered in the centre of the village once more in preparation for Administrator Gao’s arrival.

If anything went wrong I could intervene, but that would only make the problem worse. I couldn’t just keep beating up whoever the City Lord sent and besides, the man himself was rumoured to be a late-stage Qi Gathering cultivator—if I kicked up enough of a fuss he might decide to just snuff out the problem himself.

No, it was best for the village and its people if they solved this problem themselves. I’d helped out as much as I could and now I would have to watch things play out.

Of course, I would step in if I had to. I wasn’t the type of coward who would watch while innocent people were hurt, but I knew my limits.

I noticed the village head approaching me, wringing his hands. His forehead had been creased all day and his face was still red and swollen from the administrator’s vicious slap.

“Head Wei, what can I do for you?” I asked with a smile that seemed to put the man at ease.

“Cultivator Zhao, I wanted to ask if there was any way you could help us out? If your esteemed self was to speak up against the administrator-”

I raised a hand to cut him off before he could start rambling. “Head Wei, do I look like your father? I’ve spent the winter here, cured a deadly fever, and even helped out in the fields today. I can’t solve everything for you,” I answered with a shake of my head.

“Besides, even if I wanted to help, what can I do? I’m just a vagabond,” I chuckled.

He sighed, dropping his head and returning to the crowd of villagers. I noticed the old granny was absent, having not shown her face since stepping up to defend the village.

Perhaps the little stroll had taken more effort than she let on. Given how bad her health had been I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case.

Finally, the administrator arrived. If I wasn’t mistaken he’d brought along a few more soldiers than before and the villagers all looked terrified.

“Head Wei,” he called out as if greeting an old friend. There was a smile on his face, but it was sickening. “I sure hope you aren’t going to go back on your word.”

“Of course not Administrator, how could this lowly one dare to defy the magnanimous City Lord?” he replied, lathering on the praise like butter.

“Hmph. We’ll see. Show me,” he demanded with a wave of his hand.

A few of the villagers dragged two carts laden with bags of rice over to the administrator. He barely glanced at the amount before frowning, his face twisting into a scowl.

“You dare defy this Administrator?!” he cried. “I said ten percent, what is this paltry offering? Are you hiding food that could be feeding our loyal soldiers?”

“This lowly one wouldn’t dare! I assure you the full amount is here, we even spent the entire day harvesting extra rice to meet the City Lord’s quota,” Head Wei cried.

“Enough! Men, search the village and find out where these greedy villagers are hiding the City Lord’s tax,” Administrator Gao ordered, glaring at the village head.

I’d counted those sacks myself. The villagers definitely harvested enough. Something strange was going on…

The soldiers stepped forward in unison, one in particular who wore a much shinier chestplate than the rest started barking orders and pointing around the village.

They broke into smaller groups of two and started making their way towards the houses. The villagers started yelling and crying.

I had been content to stand by earlier, but this was blatant trickery. This Administrator Gao had seemed like a reasonable fellow when we last spoke, but he was clearly a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Stepping forward I prepared to speak up for the villagers. I will never forget what happened next.

The fastest of the soldiers kicked open the door to the nearest house. A woman rushed towards him and grabbed his arm. He shoved her to the ground making her husband shout in rage.

A ferocious roar cut through the noise and everyone froze for a moment. But that roar was only the beginning.

Three silver lines sliced through the air followed by a titanic mass of brown fur. A severed head flew through the sky and landed at the village head’s feet.

He stared down at the bloodstained grass in horror, before turning to his savage saviour. I recognised the new arrival too.

It was a nine-star spirit bear.

Letting out a hearty chuckle, I stayed where I was to watch the chaos unfold. It seemed my friend had grown over the winter.

And most importantly, the bear hadn’t forgotten what I’d asked of it. Just when the village was in need of a protector, it arrived.

Though I had to wonder about its safety. The City Lord may send even more soldiers to put down a spirit beast that had gone wild, but ultimately I would have to leave it in the bear’s hands.

I had goals of my own to achieve.

It didn’t take the bear long to slaughter all of the soldiers. While a few of them were in the Body Tempering Realm, the strongest of them was only three-star.

Against the bear it was like cattle to the slaughter.

The villagers were panicking too, screaming and running for their lives. However, the bear didn’t make a move against them even once.

I had to give Head Wei credit. He was able to remain standing despite a three-ton spirit bear rampaging beside him.

Though I believed that was out of terror rather than bravery. His eyes were still locked on Administrator Gao’s severed head.

In the end, the bear had left after going on a rampage. It didn’t damage a single plank of the villager’s houses or touch a hair on their heads.

Only the administrator and his unfortunate soldiers had met their demise at my furry friend’s claws. They brought it upon themselves, letting their greed blind them.

I hadn’t even arrived at Three River City and I already thought the City Lord was a scumbag. Even if this wasn’t done directly on his orders, the fact his subordinates behave in such a manner was telling enough.

Now that I knew Nine Paddy Village was in safe paws, I figured there was no better time to leave and make my way to the city. First though, I needed to say goodbye to a few people.

****

“You’re finally leaving me in peace then, brat?” wheezed the old granny.

The cat was curled up in her lap, the pair of them wrapped under a blanket by the fire. I’d come here first, knowing it would be the easiest farewell.

“Well, don’t get too comfortable without me here to bother you. I might just get bored in the city and decide to stay here permanently,” I quipped.

“Bah! You wouldn’t dare,” she exclaimed, bursting into a fit of harsh coughs.

The cat meowed in complaint when she stopped stroking it. I wondered if it would grow bored without someone to chase it around the village.

Maybe it could wander into the forest and make friends with the bear. If it didn’t decide to eat it first…

There wasn’t much left to say, so I stood up to leave. As I was closing the door behind me I heard her shout after me.

“Thank you, Zhao Dan. For everything you’ve done for this village.”

With a smile on my face I made my way to Xiao Cui’s house. It seemed the old hag had a heart, after all.

Once again Xiao Cui was nowhere to be found. I waited a while, her mother insisting on feeding me as usual. However, even after a few hours the girl didn’t return home.

I was disappointed not to be able to say goodbye but I wasn’t going to bow to the whims of a teenage girl. I’d end up spending my whole life telling her stories if I did.

I made a short stop at the village head’s place, just to thank him for his general kindness and to make sure he was recovering from the earlier incident. He seemed rather shaken, but after he realised a spirit beast protector meant no more taxes, he cheered up.

Money made the world go round. Even the honourable disciples and masters of the sects would kill for another spirit stone to further their cultivation.

The rest of the journey to Three River City was rather simple. The road went all the way there and it was maintained by the City Lord’s men.

Whether they would continue to do that after today’s events was questionable. But it wasn’t my problem. With a spring in my step, I thought about the best way to advertise a hospital as I walked.

The sun continued to climb to its zenith, the gentle warmth of spring rejuvenating my body. It had been a tough winter, but I emerged stronger for it.

Alongside setting up my hospital I needed to experiment with my Fivefold Medicine Forge Physique. So far I’d only absorbed toxins to refine the first layer. My lungs were not fully refined either, so discovering suitable materials was a priority.

My thoughts were consumed by these questions for the rest of the day and I covered a vast distance thanks to my speed. I stopped to take a break as dusk fell, sitting on a boulder by the side of the road and sipping some water from a gourd.

“Now, I wonder if there’s an inn nearby or if I will end up sleeping rough?” I asked aloud.

The grass rustled in the wind.

I chuckled. My old habit of talking to myself was making a comeback. I used to do this when I had a difficult research problem to crack.

“Umm… there’s an inn about three li down the road,” mumbled a familiar voice.

“Hmm? Oh, thank you. That’s very kind,” I replied without thinking.

Then I leapt to my feet, spilling water as I whipped my head around to face the newcomer. How hadn’t I heard them approach?

When I saw who it was I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.