In the courtyard, a gentle breeze stirred, lifting the corner of Lü Zhiming's blue robe. The chill of winter brushed past his brows but didn't penetrate. He stared at the teacup in his hand and said:

  "Different people see different things."

  "The same person, at different times, might see the same thing differently."

  "For me, when I first knew it, it was a loquat tree, and it still is."

  "If what you see now is a sword, it might not be in the future."

  Wen Chaoshen stood in the garden where white stones were scattered, quietly gazing at the tree before him. The fshes of bdes and swords he had seen earlier seemed to be mere fleeting illusions in the game of chess. The cold sweat on his back dried with time, but the swaying loquat tree no longer exuded a murderous aura.

  It could still catch Wen Chaoshen's attention instantly, but when he tried to see something in it, he saw nothing.

  Wen Chaoshen looked up, his gaze penetrating the branches and leaves of the loquat tree, and asked Lü Zhiming:

  "Mr. Lü, has this loquat tree ever borne fruit?"

  Lü Zhiming answered confidently:

  "It has. When I was in the Yan Kingdom, it bore fruit every year."

  Wen Chaoshen was surprised:

  "In this world, people are divided by north and south, and so are trees?"

  Lü Zhiming chuckled and took a sip of tea.

  "Whether trees are divided by north and south is debatable, but how can people be?"

  "Are the people of Yan Kingdom so different from those of Qi Kingdom?"

  Wen Chaoshen bent down to pick up the white stones from the ground, pcing them one by one back into the cloth bag.

  "Though I've been outside the county for three years, I've seen much of what happens within. Many people spend their entire lives unable to earn even a fraction of the gold leaf you casually pull out. Even the glory is fleeting, and they remain trapped in a small space beneath their feet."

  "For them, what divides north and south is not just people."

  Lü Zhiming pondered for a moment and then said:

  "I came from the north and heard a Qi Kingdom schor say four words: 'Adversity brings change.' He said that in times of hardship, one should strive to change their circumstances, not be constrained by the environment."

  "I think he makes a valid point."

  Wen Chaoshen paused slightly in his action of picking up the stones and then said:

  "Mr. Lü, many people know countless truths, yet they still can't live their lives well."

  "I've struggled outside the county for three years, trying everything to survive. If I hadn't met Lord Dog, you, or Hunter Zhang, I would have died countless times."

  "Some stand atop the clouds, seeing the world at a gnce."

  "Some are trapped like frogs in a well, looking up for a lifetime and seeing only a small patch of sky."

  "But trees are different from people. In theory, if they can live, they can bear fruit."

  Lü Zhiming didn't refute Wen Chaoshen's point despite his age and experience. He thought carefully, a thoughtful expression appearing between his brows.

  "To me, people and trees aren't that different."

  He said.

  "After this loquat tree met me, it stopped flowering and bearing fruit."

  "It probably has forgotten it's a tree."

  Wen Chaoshen picked up another stone, looked at Lü Zhiming, and curiously asked:

  "Mr. Lü, why do you carry a tree while traveling the Martial World?"

  Lü Zhiming gently tapped the lid of his teacup, producing a crisp sound:

  "A tree can't live without roots. I didn't carry a tree down the mountain. It's just that the mountains and rivers are long, and I feared forgetting the taste of my hometown. So, I broke off a loquat branch when I left. Later, I had a family and bought a house here. I buried the loquat branch in the soil, and after a cold snow, it grew roots. When the spring breeze blew, it became a tree again."

  After speaking, Lü Zhiming smiled at Wen Chaoshen:

  "Chaoshen, I've been here for over thirty years. The dust has long settled. How do you know I once roamed the Martial World?"

  Wen Chaoshen replied without hesitation:

  "My eyes can see things others can't."

  Lü Zhiming:

  "Oh? Like what?"

  Wen Chaoshen finally picked up all the white stones from the ground and handed the cloth bag to Lü Zhiming:

  "For example, when pying chess with me, you're always thinking about other things."

  "It's clear that many things are troubling you."

  With that, Wen Chaoshen turned and walked towards the woodshed. Lü Zhiming watched his back, lost in thought until the sound of chopping wood from the woodshed brought him back to reality. He casually poured the cold tea from his cup under the loquat tree...

  …

  Morning market.

  A white-haired woman bought the vegetables and meat she needed for the day, pced them all in a stone basket, covered it with a bck cloth, and turned to walk towards the market entrance.

  At the market entrance stood a paifang, with a pque hanging above it that read: Fish-Rice Grove.

  This paifang had stood there for many years, built twenty-seven years ago, a year before Liu Jinshi took office in Kuhai County.

  After Liu Jinshi took office, the paifang in Kuhai County was rarely repced, but every year he applied for funds from the Royal City. As for where the money ended up, the people of Kuhai County didn't know.

  As she passed through the paifang, the white-haired woman suddenly stopped.

  In front of her stood an elderly man in a brown cloth robe, slightly hunched, with kind eyes and a gentle smile on his face.

  "Madam Lü, would you mind catching up with an old friend?"

  The wind was strong today, and people were bustling about, not wanting to linger outside. The passersby wrapped their clothes tightly around themselves, paying no attention to them.

  Upon seeing the old man, Madam Lü's brows furrowed slightly with a hint of coldness. She ignored him and turned to leave, but after taking two or three steps, the old man spoke again:

  "The people from Wangchuan coming to Kuhai County aren't here for you."

  "Seeing you is my personal wish."

  "I've kept your secret for thirty years, not uttering a word."

  "Now, I want to ask you for a favor."

  kant202323