Su Yu had just returned to the martial arts hall and hadn’t even had a chance to catch his breath when Yang Ai came skipping over, chattering away.

"Brother Su!"

The girl’s bright smile was especially dazzling in the winter sun. Ever since Su Yu had agreed to the position, she had come to see him as her family’s official Tributor, and her words had grown increasingly affectionate.

"Do you do nothing but train all day? When are you going to visit my family? My father has mentioned it several times."

Seeing her cute, pouting expression, Su Yu’s tense nerves relaxed slightly. ’I really should pay them a visit,’ he thought. "Alright," he said. "I’ll go in a few days."

"That’s wonderful!" Yang Ai was overjoyed and instinctively grabbed Su Yu’s hand. It was warm to the touch. Realizing how forward she’d been, a blush immediately bloomed on her cheeks, and she snatched her hand back like a startled rabbit.

Not far away, Ye Lu watched the scene, rolled her eyes jealously, and muttered, "What a hussy."

A short while later, the sound of urgent footsteps came from the entrance of the martial arts hall.

Yaya came running over, panting for breath. Her small face was red from the cold, and her eyes were filled with anxiety. "Brother Su, you have to come home, quickly! Elder Su... he’s not going to make it!"

...

The atmosphere at the entrance to Qingxi Village was tense.

The normally open village road was now sealed off by several rows of sharp, spiked barricades, with a few old door panels serving as makeshift roadblocks. Several villagers holding Fish Spears patrolled nearby, their faces taut with tension.

Upon seeing Su Yu, the villagers’ tense expressions instantly relaxed, replaced by smiles of awe and deference. "Lord Su is back! Quick, move the barricades!"

Su Yu gave a slight nod, but his mind was reeling with questions. ’It’s only been a month. What could have happened in Qingxi Village that they’ve sealed the roads and set up defenses?’

But there was no time to ask. Su Yu hurried toward the Su Family’s Old Mansion.

...

The courtyard of the Su Family’s Old Mansion was filled with villagers who had come to help.

"With Elder Su gone, there’s no one left from the Su Family’s older generation."

"Sigh... to survive that catastrophe and hold on for a whole month, he had a strong will. Anyone else would have died long ago."

Someone else lowered their voice, their tone complex. "But you could say the Su Family is rising from the ashes. To produce a Martial Artist like Lord Su... that’s a once-in-a-lifetime blessing from their ancestors! The old man can finally rest in peace."

"Rest in peace? Hmph!" a person nearby sneered. "He’s too full of regret *to* rest in peace! Everyone knows the old fool was blind. He staked everything on his younger grandson, Su Can, and exploited Lord Su at every turn. And look what happened. It was Lord Su who became a Martial Artist!"

"That’s true. If you ask me, with Old Man Su being so foolish and biased, no one would blame Lord Su for cutting ties with the Su Family completely."

"And what about his daughter-in-law, Mrs. Chen? She was always the most biased toward her own son."

"That’s enough. Have some respect for the dead," Village Chief Wang Yuechi said, glaring at the gossiping villagers.

Just as he spoke, footsteps sounded, and Su Yu strode through the courtyard gate.

The noisy courtyard fell silent in an instant. The crowd parted to form a path, bowing respectfully.

Su Yu nodded slightly and walked straight into the inner room.

A thick smell of medicine and decay hung in the air of the inner room.

Su Manjiang lay on the bed, his chest heaving violently. A wheezing sound, like air from a broken bellows, rattled in his throat. His face was emaciated beyond recognition, and in the dim light, his age spots looked almost sinister.

His third uncle, Su Da Wen, and the others stood silently to one side, waiting.

On the bed, Su Manjiang struggled to turn his head, his dull, gray eyes fixed on the door.

When he saw the tall, slender figure appear, a final spark of life flared in his eyes. A bony hand, covered in age spots, trembled as it reached into the air, as if trying to grasp something.

"Cough... Yu..."

Seeing Su Yu’s silence, Su Manjiang was wracked by another violent fit of coughing. "Cough, cough... Yu, Grandfather... is sorry..."

He gasped for breath, his voice growing hoarser, filled with endless regret and pleading. "In the future... look after... your brothers..."

His hand fell, limp.

His last breath escaped him. The old man’s eyes remained wide open, as if trying to see the future of the Su Family, yet at the same time, seeing nothing at all.

...

Snowflakes drifted down into the courtyard.

This winter seemed especially long and cold.

Su Yu watched the sky in silence, letting the snowflakes settle on his shoulders as memories flooded his mind.

After a long moment, he lowered his gaze to his younger brother, Su Can, who stood silently beside him.

The youthful immaturity was gone from his face, replaced by a calm, resolute gaze. A gust of wind blew past, making his empty sleeve flap limply.

"Second Brother..."

Su Can finally spoke, his voice hoarse and dry. "For... for everything before... I’m sorry."

Su Yu saw the remorse and resolve in his brother’s eyes and didn’t respond directly. Instead, he stepped forward and gently squeezed the empty sleeve. "Does it still hurt?"

Su Can flinched, and his eyes instantly reddened. He clenched his jaw, refusing to let the tears fall. "It doesn’t hurt anymore, Second Brother. I can... I can even gut fish with one hand now."

"Mm." Su Yu clapped him on the shoulder. "Just live a good life. What’s past is past."

...

After the funeral, the Su Family’s Old Mansion felt empty.

Su Yu decided to have Su Hong’s family and Yaya move in. After all, with Su Hong’s crippled leg, Su Can’s missing arm, and their third uncle, Su Da Wen, still recovering from his own injuries, life was difficult for all of them.

Su Hong’s wife was overwhelmed trying to care for everyone by herself, so the nimble Yaya helped by cleaning the courtyard and cooking meals.

Night fell. The moon hung high in the sky, its light cold and clear.

A table of food and wine was laid out on the old locust-wood table.

Yaya and Su Hong’s wife had been busy all afternoon. There was a steaming stew of pork and napa cabbage, fragrant steamed fish cakes, and a braised Black River carp.

"Yaya, come sit and eat with us," Su Yu said.

Yaya nervously wiped her hands, but under Su Yu’s gaze, which left no room for argument, she obediently took a seat at the corner of the table.

"Third Uncle, Big Brother, Can, let’s have a drink."

CLINK!

The cups clinked together with a crisp sound.

The harsh liquor burned as it went down, a fiery trail from their throats to their stomachs. They all coughed in unison, then broke out into loud laughter.

Even the normally taciturn Third Uncle joined in the unrestrained laughter.

The sound of their laughter echoed through the empty courtyard.

...

Late that night, the urgent, piercing sound of a bronze gong suddenly rang out from outside the courtyard.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

"Help, someone! The vagrants have broken in! They’re murdering people!"

The moment Su Yu heard the commotion, he rushed into the courtyard. Seeing his older brother and the others hurrying out, he immediately asked, "Vagrants? Big Brother, what’s happening?"

Su Hong’s face paled. "Second Brother! You don’t know!" he said urgently. "It’s chaos outside Black Stone City! I heard Huai’an County to the north was overrun by the Black Lotus Sect! Hundreds of thousands of refugees and routed soldiers have turned into roving bandits, and most of them are heading straight for Black Stone City!"

’Huai’an County has fallen?’

Su Yu’s heart pounded.

Huai’an County was less than a hundred li away—it was Black Stone City’s northern gate!

’The Black Stone Army was stationed at the northern pass. With this many vagrants and bandits pouring in, could something have happened to them, too?’

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The pounding on the Su Family’s courtyard gate was thunderous.

"Lord Su! Are you there, Lord Su? The village chief begs you to come quickly! Those vagrants have gone mad! They’re about to break into the village!"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Su Yu snatched up his long saber, Mo Yuan, and strode out the gate.

"Can, take care of Big Brother and the others! I’ll be right back!"