The Village of Haining

"Master Yang hails from Jinsha Village?" The sound of Meng Lin's voice, sweet as an angelic chorus, jolted Yang JingTian out of his stunned silence.

Only then did Yang JingTian notice Meng Lin's blush, her gaze fixed on him with a slight, uneasy tremble – she was clearly upset by his earlier rude gawking.

Eager not to make a poor impression, Yang JingTian hurriedly apologized, "I beg your pardon for my earlier discourtesy, Madam. Your beauty is so striking, I nearly mistook you for a goddess."

"Sir, you flatter me excessively. How can a simple country woman compare to a celestial goddess?" Meng Lin replied, her cheeks tinted with a blush, yet the joy in her expression was unmistakable.

"Madam is too modest. Even the goddesses above might not match your grace. Please, no more 'master' for me – just call me JingTian." The goal, of course, was to bridge the gap between them, as only through familiarity could he hope to grow closer.

"Then you must not refer to me as 'Madam' either, just call me 'Aunt Meng'," she responded with a playful smile, perfectly aligning with Yang JingTian's intentions.

"And what should Brother JingTian call me?" Meng Rui tilted her head innocently as she asked.

"How does 'Aunt Meng' usually refer to you, Miss Meng?" Yang JingTian replied with a smile.

His question was met with Meng Rui's virtuous response, "Mother calls me Rui."

"Then I shall call you Rui as well. As for how you address me, 'Brother Yang' will suffice."

Meng Rui beamed with delight, "That's wonderful, Brother Yang."

A surge of pride coursed through Yang JingTian, sensing the success of his first step.

As he reveled, Meng Lin's melodious voice inquired again, "JingTian, why did you faint by the seashore again?"

Instead of answering, Yang JingTian asked, "Aunt Meng, could you first tell me where we are?"

Meng Lin replied softly, "This is Haining Village."

Yang JingTian, intrigued, continued his inquiry, "And what region does this village fall under?"

"Haining Village is under the jurisdiction of Yuhang County," she answered.

Yang JingTian's face lit up with excitement, "Yuhang, as in the Yuhang near Hangzhou? The place they say is as paradisiacal as heaven?"

Meng Lin nodded, confirming, "Yes, indeed. Our village is 380 li from Yuhang, and surrounded by sea on three sides, like a peninsula."

Yang JingTian could hardly believe that his first stop in his foray into the Jianghu was the renowned Hangzhou, and he was elated beyond measure.

No wonder people always say the women of the Jiangnan region have hearts as tender as water and beauty that rivals celestial maidens. Today's encounter proved that saying true. It seemed fortune was smiling upon him.

Noticing Yang JingTian's excitement, Meng Lin couldn't help asking, "JingTian, are you planning to head to Yuhang?"

With a smile, Yang JingTian explained, "Aunt Meng, to be honest, I traveled a great distance by ship to venture into the Jianghu. Unfortunately, I encountered pirates along the way, and a cannonball knocked me unconscious into the sea. I thought I'd never have the chance to reach the Central Plains. But to my surprise, I awoke to find myself right in the land I longed to see – Suzhou and Hangzhou. Truly, 'a blessing in disguise,' as the old saying goes."

Meng Rui, puzzled, asked, "Brother Yang, is adventuring through the Jianghu fun? Why hasn't my mother ever mentioned it?"

Meng Lin answered calmly, "Rui, it is not our world, which is why I never mentioned it to you."

"That's a dream only men pursue," said Yang JingTian. "You wouldn't understand, Rui."

Yang JingTian glimpsed at Meng Rui's face full of pustules, contrasting sharply with Meng Lin's exquisite beauty, a poignant reminder of the capriciousness of fate.

Meng Lin seemed to grasp the depth of Yang JingTian's thoughts, and with a sigh tinged with sorrow, she remarked, "This child has been dealt a harsh hand, plagued with this illness that has us all deeply concerned."

Yang JingTian offered words of comfort, "I have some knowledge of medicine and may have a way to help treat Rui'er."

Meng Rui shook her head and said, "It's no use. My mother is considered the village's miracle doctor, but even after nearly a year, there has been no cure."

"Can't she diagnose the illness?" inquired Yang JingTian.

Meng Lin shook her head, admitting, "Despite scouring through medical texts, the illness eludes me."

"Worried, Yang JingTian wondered, "Could it be smallpox?"

"If it were smallpox, I fear I would not have escaped infection," Meng Lin replied. "But her condition does not appear to be contagious."

After observing Meng Rui's condition and suggesting a few possibilities—all of which Meng Lin had already suspected and tried treating with corresponding prescriptions to no avail—Yang JingTian was at a loss.

"Why not seek treatment outside the village?" suggested Yang JingTian.

With a hint of resignation, Meng Lin responded, "In this vast world, whom shall we seek? Everything is predetermined; perhaps this is simply fate."

But Yang JingTian spoke up firmly, "Aunt Meng, there is no such thing as a fixed fate. Man is the master of his own destiny, not a slave to the heavens. We cannot simply resign ourselves to the will of the gods. Our fate is in our own hands, and there's nothing we can't do, only what we choose not to do."

Caught off guard by his passionate outburst, Meng Lin could only gaze at the young, fearless Yang JingTian with a mix of respect and longing.

She quietly mused, "To be young is indeed a blessing."

Yang JingTian then declared confidently, "If you believe in fate, then consider me, Yang JingTian, the destined savior for you and your daughter. Trust me, I will cure Rui'er's illness."

Upon hearing this, Meng Rui's spirits lifted, and she asked excitedly, "Big Brother Yang, will you stay with us?"

Yang JingTian nodded, saying, "Since I have yet to decide on my next destination, staying to treat you seems like a good plan. I just hope it won't be too much trouble."

Meng Lin smiled sweetly, "It's no trouble at all. Just another mouth to feed. You can sleep in Rui'er's room, and she can sleep with me."

Meng Rui added with a smile, "Big Brother Yang, the bed you were just sleeping in is mine."

Yang JingTian looked at Meng Rui, thinking that if it weren't for the pustules disfiguring her face, she certainly would have inherited her mother's stunning looks, as her tall and shapely figure already revealed.

This only furthered his resolve to heal Meng Rui.

Smiling, Yang JingTian replied, "Aunt Meng, then I won't say another word. But let me be clear, I don't have a penny to my name," he quickly added, "Yet I won't live here for free. I'm not only good at fishing but also an expert hunter. You can leave the meals to me."

Meng Lin said with a smile, "JingTian, you're being too modest. Aunt Meng is not the kind of person to take advantage of others."

"Well then," Yang JingTian declared, "let's get to work. I'll go fishing right now. Tonight, I'll prepare a lavish fish feast."

As the sun set behind the western mountains, its golden glow spilled across the sea.

In the solitary corner of Haining Village stood a modest cottage, from which wispy trails of smoke rose softly into the air. Under the glow of the sunset, the scene was imbued with an almost poetic charm.

True to his word, Yang JingTian had caught enough fish to last the three of them ten days.

Meng Lin and Meng Rui typically earned a modest income by tending to the medical needs of the villagers and mending clothes. The local fishermen would sell the larger catches in town and consume the smaller ones within the village. Meng Lin usually had access only to the leftovers—small fish the villagers couldn't finish.

Ever since Meng Rui fell ill, the villagers, fearing her illness was contagious, kept their distance from the mother and daughter. Their lives grew harder, forcing them to subsist on vegetables they cultivated and poultry they raised. Eating fish had become a luxury they could seldom afford.

No wonder Meng Rui was so jubilant when Yang JingTian returned with his catch.

Apart from cooking some of the larger fish, Meng Lin cleaned and descaled the rest, leaving them to dry in the wind outside the house—turning them into fish jerky.

The arrival of Yang JingTian heralded a glimmer of hope for Meng Lin and her daughter, and a rare sense of happiness welled up within them.

Yang JingTian, too, found great satisfaction in their company. In the presence of the vulnerable mother and daughter, he felt like the man of the household, bearing all their happiness and future prospects.

He was proud.

Immensely proud.

Yet unbeknownst to them, a storm of hatred, envy, greed, and utilitarianism was brewing, set to assail their peaceful abode.

Such vices were not confined to the martial world. Wherever there were people, such strife could be found.

Where there are people, there is Jianghu.

Or maybe it's more apt to say, where there are people, Jianghu exists.

The conflicts between people create the Jianghu.

The disputes and struggles stemming from these conflicts, embellished from generation to generation, turn into legend.

And the legends of these characters become the most beautiful hues and galleries of the Jianghu.