Hundreds of musical instruments, yet the suona reigns supreme.
When the suona sounds, it’s either for a wedding or a funeral.
Among all instruments, the suona might not be the most melodious, but its sound is undoubtedly the most striking.
As the melody reached its climax, Zhang Mazi and his companions were already deeply intoxicated by the high-pitched and melodious tune.
They were coarse men who couldn’t truly appreciate it.
They only felt the sound was incredibly sharp, stirring, and heart-shaking—listening to it made their blood boil.
So, when the tune ended, they couldn’t help but clap and cheer.
They didn’t notice, however, that Chen Fan, having put down his suona, quietly raised his crutch.
A whooshing sound cut through the air, followed by a series of muffled groans.
Never in their wildest dreams did Zhang Mazi and his men think they would be ambushed by a cripple wielding a crutch.
After dealing with them, Chen Fan didn’t feel the least bit of heroism or satisfaction from righting wrongs.
Inside the small wooden cabin, the walls were adorned with stolen goods looted by Zhang Mazi and his gang.
There were also a few decorations that had been turned into bed sheets.
Upon closer inspection of the patterns, one could vaguely make out that they seemed to be pieced together from human skin.
Chen Fan glanced at them briefly, then averted his gaze.
With a poke of his crutch, he reached toward the candlestick on the table.
With a soft clink, the candle wax spilled onto the ground, accompanied by a pungent smell as the flames began to rise.
After doing all this, Chen Fan slowly walked out and closed the door behind him.
As he turned around, he was startled to see a young girl of about fourteen or fifteen years old standing behind him with a laundry basin in her arms.
Her rosy cheeks were dusted with soapberry powder used for washing clothes.
When she saw Chen Fan, her eyes curved into crescents like a crescent moon.
Her smile revealed two small, sharp canine teeth.
Her clear eyes seemed to carry a hint of spring, tender and budding.
Chen Fan suddenly felt as though he’d done something wrong. He turned back to glance behind him, wondering if she had seen what just happened.
“Sir, you play the suona so beautifully.”
“Really?”
“Yao Yao wants to hear more.”
“What do you want to hear?”
“I want to hear ‘Ma Ma Du Du Ride...’”
On the mountain path, two figures, one tall and one short, moved along.
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Behind them, flames roared into the sky.
Yao Yao was an orphan who, years ago, had made a living washing clothes at the laundry shop in Liuguang City.
Later, she was abducted by human traffickers. On her way out of the city, she was coincidentally kidnapped by Zhang Mazi and his gang.
Because she was obedient and sensible, Zhang Mazi and his gang kept her around to handle tasks like serving tea, washing clothes, and cooking meals.
Now, she had met Chen Fan.
“Ma Ma Du Du Ride?”
That stumped Chen Fan for a moment. After wracking his brain, he vaguely recalled it was a children’s song from this world.
He seemed to have heard other kids humming it once during a funeral he worked at.
Relying on his memory, Chen Fan picked up the suona.
“Ma Ma Du Du Ride, riding all the way to Ga Ga Town~”
To the tune of the suona, Yao Yao couldn’t help but hum along.
The cheerful melody momentarily lifted Chen Fan’s spirits, making him forget his troubles—only to suddenly remember.
As a cripple, he seemed to have no real troubles to speak of.
“To bear a bamboo raincoat through misty rain, neither joy nor sorrow.”
Having food to eat and wine to drink was happiness enough.
The night breeze carried away the sound of the suona and the singing, along with Chen Fan’s drifting thoughts.
It felt as though there were no more worries left in the world.
【Host: Chen Fan, Age: 24】
【Lifespan: 92 years, Cultivation Level: Mortal】
【Abilities: Body Refinement Technique (85%), Wind Walk Technique (10%)】
【Experience Points: 8500/10000】
“Huh? Wind Walk Technique?”
【The Wind Walk Technique enables the host to temporarily achieve superhuman speed.】
【Currently at 10% proficiency, the host can sprint for ten seconds.】
Hmm. Chen Fan understood.
This meant he could move as fast as a normal person for a short time, compensating for his slow pace.
For a cripple like him, it was actually quite useful.
…
Liuguang City.
Outside the city gate, Chen Fan held Yao Yao’s small hand and paused to look at the wanted posters pasted at the entrance.
On them were a few familiar faces.
Zhang Mazi: Leader of the Qingfeng Bandits, reward for capture: 100 taels of silver alive, 50 taels dead.
Wang Er: Second-in-command of the Qingfeng Bandits, reward for capture: 50 taels of silver alive, 25 taels dead.
San Feng: …
As Chen Fan scanned the posters, he suddenly felt a pang in his chest.
This was all money—money that could buy him a lot of wine.
And he’d burned it all to ashes!
Forget it.
The more one dwells on unpleasant things, the more unpleasant they feel.
The more one does joyous things, the happier they become.
Chen Fan withdrew his gaze and was about to enter the city when a sudden gust of wind revealed a crumpled sheet of paper beneath Zhang Mazi’s wanted poster.
It was a rough sketch of Chen Fan’s face, accompanied by the caption:
“Cripple, wanted for multiple murders in Fenglai Town. Ruthless and violent. Reward for capture: 300 taels alive, 200 taels dead.”
I’m worth this much?
Chen Fan’s first reaction was to notice his bounty.
His second reaction was a fleeting urge to turn himself in.
For someone as broke as him, it was a great temptation.
But Chen Fan had at least some sense.
After a quick glance around to make sure no one was looking, he picked up Zhang Mazi’s poster from the ground and stuck it back up.
This action caught the attention of the city gate guards, who approached and sternly questioned him:
“Hey, cripple, what are you doing? Removing posters without proper procedures incurs a fine of ten taels!”
Ten taels?!
They might as well take his life. Selling him wouldn’t fetch that much.
But reporting himself might.
Calmly, Chen Fan cleared his throat and pointed to Zhang Mazi’s poster.
“Nothing, just noticed it had fallen, so I picked it up and stuck it back, that’s all.”
The guard frowned, gave Chen Fan a sidelong glance, and said nothing more, returning to his post.
Chen Fan patted Zhang Mazi’s poster to ensure it was firmly in place.
Then he took Yao Yao by the hand and limped into the city.
As soon as they entered Liuguang City, the aroma of wine wafted through the air.
Chen Fan’s craving was instantly awakened.
God knows how long it had been since he’d had a drink.
The last sip he’d had was at Qingfeng Bandits’ stronghold—a cup of murky liquor so stale it hardly qualified as wine.
Feeling his pocket, Chen Fan remembered he still had his last ten coins left from leaving Fenglai Town.
Just enough for a bowl of wine.
As he was about to step into the tavern, he heard a distinct cry:
“Candied hawthorn~”
The cheerful call contrasted starkly with the tavern’s noisy entrance.
Chen Fan immediately felt Yao Yao’s small hand tighten in his palm.
Looking down, he saw Yao Yao quickly avert her gaze from the hawthorn stand, deliberately avoiding it.
Her understanding and maturity were heartbreaking.
At her tender age, what harm was there in indulging in a stick of candied hawthorn?
At that moment, Chen Fan suddenly felt like drinking wasn’t as important as he had thought.
“Boss, one stick of candied hawthorn.”
“Here you go.”
When the wax paper-wrapped, bright red candied hawthorn was handed to Yao Yao, her eyes lit up with brilliant joy.
Her sweet smile was like a blooming spring flower.
“Sir, you eat first…”