Chapter 199: Winter

The next morning, the Feng brothers and Gan Erlang arrived early, each carrying a heavy load on their shoulders. From the appearance of their baskets, they seemed to be carrying grain, beans, cured meat, and dried fruit. However, the majority of their load was filled with yams.

Upon setting down his goods, Feng Daolang greeted Shen Lie first, calling him "Shifu." Shen Lie observed the yams they had brought and asked, "What's this?"

"It's a gift of gratitude for my shifuren."

Sang Luo had initially approached to watch the commotion, but her curiosity was piqued by the term "shifuren." Her eyes widened as she overlooked the word "gift" entirely.

"What?"

Feng Daolang was unaware that Sang Luo's question pertained to the title. He didn't think anything was wrong with addressing her as "shifuren." Since he was about to take Shen Lie as his master, it was only natural to call Sang Luo "shifuren." Age didn't matter in terms of hierarchy; in these times, a man in his twenties could still have a five-year-old uncle. It was quite common.

Assuming Sang Luo was asking about the gift, he replied with a smile, "These yams are excellent. Knowing they can serve as food has made everyone so happy. This is all the yams our village dug yesterday. As our first harvest, we've decided not to keep any for ourselves but to bring them all here for you, shifuren. The bags of meat and dried fruits on top are our gifts for your family as a token of respect. Shifu, where do you live? We'll carry them over for you."

Their words flowed smoothly.

The corners of Shen Lie's lips lifted involuntarily. Noticing Sang Luo's reaction, he quickly turned away. The group of children, already laughing and chatting, led the way, and soon, they were all heading out of Shen's cave.

The entrance to the cave was locked. Shen An and the others looked at Shen Lie and Sang Luo. Shen Lie said, "Go ahead, help move them to the shed first."

The cave couldn't accommodate so many items. As for accepting such a large amount of yams, Shen Lie didn't see it as an issue. What Sang Luo gave away was actually a lifeline for everyone. Feng, Zheng, Zhou, Gan, Dong Ge's family, and even those living nearby would benefit. It was only natural that they wanted to express their gratitude.

The men moved swiftly, and soon, everything was handed over to Shen An and Shen Ning.

For young adults in their twenties and teenagers, learning martial arts was swift. Especially with a good master guiding them and a group of peers learning together, their enthusiasm was high. When it came to sparring and coordinating with the staff formation, the children were completely absorbed.

Did they need the master to carry them, hit them, or chase them to learn? No, that wasn't necessary. They found peers of similar skill levels to practice with even during breaks.

The staff technique that Shen Lie taught, originally a spear drill from the military, had been refined by his innate talent and passion for research. On the battlefield, improving oneself was the top priority to survive. While other soldiers rested, he would discuss martial arts with Chen Dashan. When others slept, he and Chen Dashan would still secretly practice.

He had turned the long spear into an art, and now, the same applied to the staff. Thrusts, jabs, taps, strikes, hooks, wraps, and presses—long-range sweeping or short-range close combat, combining spear and club techniques, all for defense and protection. There were no fancy moves; everything was honed through real combat. Not just the young men, but even Sang Luo, Shen Ning, and Xu Wenying found it engaging.

Each day spent outside the valley learning martial arts, the changes in the valley residents were visible. Their martial skills, strength, agility, courage, and vitality all improved. Since Chen Dashan and Lu Dalang left, after secretly practicing for half a month, Xu Wenqing and Zhou Cunzheng's third son showed significant progress. Xu Wenqing, in particular, could be called a martial arts enthusiast. Apart from regularly sparring with Zhou Sanlang, they often continued training outside the Shen family's cave after Shen Lie finished teaching Sang Luo and the others late into the night.

This remarkable transformation in both physical prowess and vitality stirred a deep sense of envy within Zhou Dalang, who had initially deemed himself unsuited for martial arts and had planned to focus on foraging nearby. Eager to follow suit, he would occasionally summon his two younger brothers at night to teach him a thing or two.

In just twenty days, Chen Dashan and Lu Erliang's predicament had greatly alleviated. This was because Xu Wenchao and Zhou Sanlang's combat abilities had been swiftly enhanced. Coupled with the group of half-grown boys behind them, many of whom were thirteen or fourteen years old, each wielding a long staff, they were like a pack of young wolves. The younger ones like Shen An, Shen Ning, Shen Jin, Erniu, Xu Wenhao, and Xu Wenying, if they teamed up in pairs or threesomes and held onto their long staffs, they could even hold their own against two malevolent adults.

The hunting expeditions beyond the village resumed their orderly groups, with everyone except Shen Lie departing in rotating shifts, including the younger ones.

Shen An and Shen Jin have a strong attachment to hunting and gathering, often following Xu Wenqing's team. Sang Luo, on the other hand, doesn't take Shen Ning out much, and spends a considerable amount of time practicing archery and stick techniques.

During this time, a peculiar incident occurred.

One morning, as everyone returned from their morning jog, they discovered that something had been added to the path they inevitably took back to the village.

At first, there were a dozen or so yams, but soon, a variety of items began appearing, mostly consisting of wild produce - besides yams and fiddlehead ferns, there were also wild fruits, eggs from both birds and chickens.

Shen Lie instructed Xu Wenqing and his group to station themselves at different points, and when they managed to intercept someone, it turned out they were there to thank Sanlang's mother from Li Shi Village.

As Sang Luo had predicted, the number of people in the inner circle had indeed been growing. Whether it was those living in the valley or the folks from the Zhou family area, whenever they ventured out to hunt, gather, or dig for yams, if they encountered strangers, especially inquisitive ones, they would willingly share any edible finds.

Things like fiddlehead ferns and yams, after years of unchecked growth in these uninhabited mountains, were abundant. As long as one dared to venture out and search, they would never go hungry.

If this wasn't a life-saving grace, then what was it?

Those who had received such kindness and resided in the vicinity, if they held gratitude in their hearts, would inevitably inquire from neighboring households about the benefactor's whereabouts. News travels fast once one person knows, and thus, there were occasional visits from people bringing gifts as a token of appreciation.

Fortunately, it was only the nearby residents, and after a while, the gestures subsided. As a result of these visits, the villagers began to notice the staff training happening outside their village. During daylight practice sessions, curious young lads would stealthily approach and hide behind trees to watch from a distance.

A few wooden huts had been constructed outside the village, using timber selectively cut from an area designated by Shen Lie. It was impossible to truly conceal the training, but since the villagers knew that the inhabitants were from the nearby mountains, Shen Lie didn't explicitly reveal their presence, allowing them to observe. For anyone to learn from such a distance, it could be said that they possessed a natural talent.

...

Time swiftly advanced into November, and the mountainous climate began to exhibit contrasting temperatures. The peaks towering high were dusted with snow, while the lower regions only experienced biting cold, though not yet reaching the point of snowfall. Nevertheless, this weather was significantly more frigid than what they had previously endured outside the mountains.

Winter survival became a daunting challenge for many households.

For Sangluo and those who were always active, their robust constitution helped them cope. However, the elderly and children in the valley suffered, particularly during chilly nights in the caves.

Shen Lie and Sangluo would visit the valley every six or seven days. On their most recent trip, Shen Yin and Shen Tie were so frozen that their noses dripped with snot.

They rummaged through their cave to retrieve the wolf pelts they had collected over the year. Two were allocated to the Shen Yin brothers for a bed mat and a blanket, while the rest were reserved for themselves, Shen Lie, and Shen An. They also prepared rabbit and sika deer hides, crafting fur vests and boots.

The leather outfits of Shen Yin and Shen Tie were taken over by Mother Chen and Qin Fangniang, while Sang Luo and Shen Ning only attended to the outer garments. What they lacked were actually boots. As for the clothes, they could be made gradually, and it was uncertain if they were even needed. With martial arts practice, not only would combat abilities improve, but physical strength would also genuinely increase. On cold winter nights, their hands and feet would remain warm. Just for this reason, Wei Lingzhen was overjoyed and urged Xu Wenying to leave the valley as well.

Chen Dashan and Lü Er and San returned in mid-November, not empty-handed. They carried several large bags of furs and dried meat. Upon seeing the group of boys wielding their staffs with vigor, they were both stunned.

Xu Wenqing was the first to spot them. He called out to Shen Lie, who had his back turned to Chen Dashan, "Master, Brother Dashan is back!"

Chen Ersan nearly jumped with excitement and yelled, "Brother!"

Shen Lie turned around to see Chen Dashan and Lü Er and San, who looked like wild men. He waved his hand, and the group dispersed. Chen Ersan hurried over to Chen Dashan. His parents and grandparents had missed him dearly during his long absence.

Sang Luo also went to greet them.

Chen Dashan and the others looked so familiar at that moment, much like how Shen Lie did when he returned home last winter.

He laughed heartily, "Why have you stopped? Show me your moves."

He ruffled Chen Ersan's head and asked with a smile, "How's your progress?"

Chen Ersan, now more outgoing, replied with a smile, "Dad doesn't dare to spar with me anymore since I have this staff."

Chen Dashan chuckled. "Alright, you've grown some skills."

...

Since it was daytime, they couldn't enter the valley. Thus, Chen Dashan gave the items to Chen Ersan and instructed him to store them in their family's cave.

Shen Lie glanced at Chen Dashan, Lu Erlang, and Lu Sanlang, asking, "How was the trip? Did everything go smoothly?"

Chen Dashan remained silent. Lu Erlang and Lu Sanlang nodded, saying, "We managed to settle things down. We'll temporarily keep the items in the cave."

After the others left, Chen Dashan continued, "Wang Chunniang is gone, and Shuanzhu sustained some injuries."

Turned out they had encountered two blind bears on the way. Wang Chunniang had pushed Dazhu out of harm's way, and Shuanzhu reacted quickly, grabbing hold of Dazhu. Lu Dalang only cared for himself, while Lu Sanlang protected his younger nephews. He and Lu Erlang joined forces to save Shuanzhu and Dazhu, but they were too late to save Wang Chunniang. Even if they had been in time, they wouldn't have wanted to save someone like her.

"Both bears were killed by my arrows. Wang Chunniang was severely injured with one arm mangled from being bitten and several bruises all over her body. Uncle Lu gave her some medicine, but her injuries were too severe. She didn't last more than two hours."

There was no hint of remorse in Chen Dashan's voice when he spoke. Even the Lu family's eldest branch's children, who had witnessed their mother pushing Dazhu away, couldn't cry anymore. Why should an outsider like him feel sorry for such a person?

Shen Lie and Sang Luo didn't ask further, not caring about these matters.

Shen Lie said, "Uncle Tian is out and won't be back so early. You should go back first, boil some water for a bath, and rest. It's better to return home at night; your family is worried about you. Granny has asked me twice."

Chen Dashan chuckled, then, remembering something, he hooked Shen Lie's shoulder and whispered something to him on the side. Sang Luo found it amusing. When Shen Lie returned, she laughed and asked, "Did he ask you about the Zhou family?"

Shen Lie smiled, which was his way of acknowledging it.

...

Chen Dashan returned to the valley late at night. The next morning, Sang Luo saw the joyous old lady, Chen Po, outside the village. The elderly woman, who had never left the valley before, had come out before dawn for her grandson's life-changing matter. She wanted to see the Zhou family with her own eyes and ask Aunt Gan to mediate on his behalf.

As it was Chen Dashan's marriage, he couldn't participate in the discussion himself. So, the old lady asked Shen Lie to accompany her and Aunt Gan. Naturally, Sang Luo was also dragged along by the old lady to keep her company.

It was a great joy to be able to contribute to such an event. Besides, how long had it been since Shen Lie and Sang Luo had left the Outskirts Village? Since Chen Dashan and Lu Er needed some time to rest, their presence in the Outskirts Village allowed Sang Luo and Shen Lie to take a break as well. They quickly prepared and accompanied the old lady.

With a quiver full of arrows on her back and a long stick in her hand, Chen Po was fascinated and whispered to Sang Luo, "When my Dashan's wife comes in, bring her along too. Not only can she protect herself, but this will also keep her body healthy."

Sang Luo chuckled, "She should learn too. They train over there, and besides, if I join in, I'll mostly just practice alongside her. As for teaching, isn't Dashan the one to do that?"

On hearing this, Old Madam Chen's face lit up, her eyes crinkling with joy. "That's right, that's right, you're absolutely correct."

Listening in on their conversation, Madam Gan's face also blossomed into a smile.