In a corner near the square, far away from the crowd, two men stood side by side, quietly watching the distant laughter and merriment.
"It has been a long time since I last saw such a joyful scene," the older one said with a smile.
"Indeed. It shows that our village is thriving more and more," the other replied with a smile as well.
"Fei'er, you can go and join them in the fun. You're only thirty years old; don't keep yourself wound so tight. Things cannot be accomplished overnight."
"Father, I understand," Ning Fei answered, yet he did not move, choosing instead to remain beside the old man, watching the crowd by the bonfire.
These two were none of the others than the old village chief and his son, Ning Fei, the captain of the Hunting Squad.
Seeing that Ning Fei made no move to leave, the old village chief did not press further.
"Li Tianyi actually sent Liu Xiangqian to offer condolences this time. It seems he has already caught on to something."
Recalling how Liu Xiangqian, the chief registrar of the county town, had come to Ning Family Village that morning entrusted by County Magistrate Li Tianyi to offer condolences, Ning Fei said with a trace of worry.
"Recently, the White Lotus Cult has shown signs of a resurgence, and traces of their activities have been discovered in all the towns around Hongshan County. Li Tianyi must have sensed something. By sending Liu Xiangqian this time, he wants to see if our Ning Family Village is colluding with the White Lotus Cult.
There's no need to worry, however. No matter how he investigates, our Ning Family Village is merely a village that lives by hunting. Even if he has suspicions, as long as he hasn't figured out my true strength, he won't dare to act rashly," the old village chief said calmly.
"Father, are we really going to cooperate with those people surnamed Bai?" Ning Fei asked pointedly.
"We share a common enemy with them, so cooperation does no harm. The most important thing is that the foundation of Ning Family Village is too shallow; wishing to survive in these troubled times, we are ultimately powerless on our own.
The people of the Qing State have been oppressed for far too long, and the aristocratic clans have thrown their weight around for far too long as well. Sooner or later, this heaven and earth will be overturned. I only wonder how much longer this present joy can last."
In the old village chief's eyes, it was as if he could see the Qing State about to plunge into a storm of blood and slaughter, with Ning Family Village inevitably being dragged into it. He wondered how many more people would be displaced and end up burying their bones in foreign lands.
The two men stood in silence for a long time.
"Ah, I am getting old, becoming sentimental. Let's not talk about those matters anymore. During the testing today, did you spot any good prospects?" the old village chief broke the silence and asked.
"The testing went quite well this time. Although we still cannot compare to those aristocratic clans, we have improved over previous years. Among them, Ning Yan and Ning Qingshan both possess some kind of special constitution, I believe, which will become apparent once they step onto the Martial Way," Ning Fei replied, his impression of Ning Yan and Ning Qingshan being deeply etched in his mind.
"They are both the hope of our village; cultivate them well. No matter what the future brings, Ning Family Village will always be our foundation," the old village chief said earnestly.
The old village chief looked at the young couple, Ning Yan and Lu Shuangshuang, in the square with deep gratification, and continued:
"Before Dali and his wife set out, the person they worried about most was Ning Yan. Little did we know that this kid Ning Yan would actually pull through—not only joining the Hunting Squad ahead of time, but also winning the heart of the Lu Family's girl."
"Indeed, the kid Ning Yan has shown plenty of drive. Still, that's not enough. If Ning Yan wants to marry Lu Shuangshuang, the hurdles of the Bai Family and the Lu Family won't be easy to clear," Ning Fei sighed.
"Over the years, we have arranged for a few people to fake their deaths and slip away, escaping Li Tianyi's informants and laying out our plans everywhere. Though it was for the sake of the village, it has still been hard on these children. Since Ning Yan has talent and grew up in the village, once he enters the Martial Way, we can reveal the village's secrets to him beforehand. As for whether he and the Lu Family's girl can end up together, that will depend on their own affinity."
"Understood," Ning Fei replied in a deep voice.
Fortunately, Ning Yan did not hear the conversation between the village chief and Ning Fei; otherwise, he would surely have been astonished that such a small place as Ning Family Village harbored so many secrets.
Ning Dali and his wife were not dead, and Lu Shuangshuang was no ordinary young maiden...
Meanwhile, Ning Yan and Lu Shuangshuang were leaning against each other, sitting close by the bonfire.
Looking at the roaring bonfire before them, it was as if they could see their future life of happiness together.
"Brother Xiaoyan, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could always remain this happy forever?"
"Of course. Of course we will always be happy. When the time comes, I will take you to see every beautiful scenery in this world and taste every delicious food it has to offer."
"Mhm, I believe Brother Xiaoyan will definitely do it."
Hearing Ning Yan's beautiful depiction of the future, Lu Shuangshuang tightly hugged his arm, her face overflowing with happiness.
...
Happy times always pass quickly.
In the blink of an eye, the bonfire party was over, and a new day began.
Ning Yan and the other members who had passed the Hunting Squad test arrived early at the square to wait.
Today was their very first day as members of the Hunting Squad, and everyone's face was brimming with excitement—Ning Yan was no exception.
At last, he could officially touch upon the Martial Way and practice martial arts!
Martial world, here I come!
...
Before long, Ning Fei, Ning Dahu, and their group also arrived at the square.
Ning Fei walked at the very front, followed closely by a hunting squad of more than twenty members, marching in three orderly rows.
Coming before Ning Yan and the others, the hunting squad members spread out in three separate ranks.
"Today, our Ning Family Village Hunting Squad has welcomed fresh blood, and our ranks have grown larger. Each of you probably knows the newly joined members; some are your nephews, and some are even your sons. But starting today, they will be your teammates and your brothers in the mountains, entrusted with your very lives..."
Ning Fei stood before the queue of veteran squad members, speaking with passionate fervor.
"Our Ning Family Village Hunting Squad is able to stand firm in this Hongshan County because of our unity. Ning Yan, Ning Dahu... step forward, line up in order, and face the hunting squad."
Hearing Ning Fei's words, Ning Yan and the others each stepped forward according to his instructions and stood before the hunting squad members.
"The Ning Family Village Hunting Squad is divided into..."
Ning Fei began introducing the members and organization of the hunting squad to Ning Yan and the others.
The Ning Family Village Hunting Squad currently had twenty-eight members, including Captain Ning Fei. Apart from Ning Fei, they were divided into three squads of seven members each.
The hunting squad also had three vice-captains, who served as the leaders of the three squads.
The leader of the First Squad was Ning Dao, the examiner who had tested Ning Yan; the Second Squad leader was Ning Dahu. Ning Dahu had just recently become a captain, and the previous Second Squad leader was none other than Ning Yan's father, Ning Dali. The Third Squad leader was a short, lean middle-aged man named Ning Ergou, who excelled at training hounds—all the hunting hounds in the entire squad were raised and fed by him.
Usually, the various hunting squads went up the mountain to hunt separately. Of course, when facing large beasts, they would sometimes coordinate as a whole squad and act together.
As for the six newcomers including Ning Yan, they would not be assigned to a squad just yet, but would instead undergo a seven-day novice training program.
During these seven days, besides learning martial arts, the six of them would also receive training in hunting knowledge to avoid poor coordination during actual hunts that could cause unnecessary trouble.
After finishing these explanations, the hunting squad members were dismissed on the spot, leaving only the six newcomers and Third Squad leader Ning Ergou.
"The captain told me to teach you martial arts and hunting knowledge. I will teach you everything I know, but if you don't study properly and run into trouble later, don't blame me."
Ning Ergou's tone was cold. Toward Ning Yan and the others, he showed no special warmth despite them all being from the same village.
Hearing Ning Ergou's words, the group did not reply aloud, all of them eagerly anticipating the training to come. Little did they know just how grueling these seven days would be.
"First of all, everyone, run ten laps around the village square. Whoever runs the slowest had better not blame my Dabao for being merciless under its jaws!"
Dabao? Merciless under its jaws? The group exchanged bewildered glances.
"What are you standing around daydreaming for? Run, now!" Ning Ergou urged.
Seeing that Ning Ergou meant business, Ning Yan and the others hurriedly formed a single file line and ran toward the village entrance.
*Hwist!* A sharp whistle sounded from Ning Ergou's lips.
A massive black-backed wolfhound suddenly lunged out from nowhere.
"Ah! A big black dog!"
Seeing the ferocious hound, Ning Yan and the others were startled.
The huge black dog looked menacing, baring its bloody maw as it gave chase to Ning Yan and the group.
"Run faster! Whoever runs the slowest needn't blame Dabao for showing no mercy under its jaws!"
Drawing on every ounce of strength they had, Ning Yan and the others bolted.
...
"We finally finished running! I'm completely exhausted; if you beat me to death right now, I still wouldn't be able to get up." Having completed their ten laps, Ning Dahu and the others could no longer hold on, collapsing weakly onto the stone slabs of the square.
"Not getting up, are you? Well then, I'm about to impart the martial arts techniques. I'll only teach them once, so miss this village and you won't find this shop," Ning Ergou said casually, stroking Dabao as he watched Ning Yan and the others sitting on the ground refusing to move.
Hearing that Ning Ergou was going to teach everyone martial arts, Ning Yan and the others cast aside their exhaustion. Supporting one another, they scrambled to their feet, their burning gazes locked fixedly on Ning Ergou.
...