Chapter 5

Holding his saber, Gao Zhengyang walked out of the main gate of the sacrificial hall with a smile on his face.

Yue Qingsnow was still sweeping the entrance. Seeing Gao Zhengyang come out alone, she stopped her work and looked up at him, her deep blue eyes filled with curiosity.

She didn't need to speak; her eyes clearly conveyed her thoughts.

Gao Zhengyang didn't want to hide anything from the girl anymore. He said directly, "Xiao Yue, I've regained my senses. This time, I came to divide the family property with my uncle."

Gao Zhengyang nodded at the black pig tied nearby, "The saber and the black pig are both mine now. Ha, I'll treat you to some meat at noon."

"No, thank you."

Yue Qingsnow hesitated for a moment, then shook her head to decline Gao Zhengyang's invitation. She found it hard to accept that Gao Zhengyang, who had been dazed and confused in the morning, had suddenly regained his senses.

However, she was reserved and deep in thought, never showing her feelings on her face or questioning him outright.

"Don't be so formal..." Gao Zhengyang said sincerely, "I don't have many friends. Please come over for lunch."

Yue Qingsnow still shook her head and said softly, "Now that you're better and can take care of yourself, I'm relieved."

Her voice was cold, always giving people a sense of aloofness.

Gao Zhengyang had already untied the rope around the pig. He hit the pig's buttocks with a wooden stick, driving it forward.

After a few steps, Gao Zhengyang turned back to Yue Qingsnow and said, "We'll have lunch at Old Cangtou's place. Don't miss it."

Without waiting for Yue Qingsnow to refuse again, Gao Zhengyang hurried away with the black pig.

Yue Qingsnow watched Gao Zhengyang's retreating figure and noticed that his back was very straight. This small change made him look more confident.

Even though he wasn't very tall, he seemed more self-assured, completely different from the dazed and confused boy she knew.

The phrase "don't miss it" was something she often said to Gao Zhengyang when they were young.

Thinking of this, Yue Qingsnow's heart softened a bit.

"Since he's better, I should have a good talk with him." After some thought, Yue Qingsnow found a reason to join him for lunch, feeling much lighter.

Gao Zhengyang, holding his saber and driving the pig, attracted the attention of many people on the road.

The Tie Lin tribe wasn't very large, and Gao Zhengyang, as the only fool, was well-known in the tribe.

"Idiot, where did you get that saber?" A few teenagers followed him for a while, and finally, a squint-eyed teenager couldn't help but ask.

Gao Zhengyang glanced at the teenager but didn't say anything. The squint-eyed teenager's eyes darted around, clearly up to no good.

Being ignored by a fool, the squint-eyed teenager felt embarrassed and, seeing that no one else was with Gao Zhengyang, grew bolder.

"Hey, idiot, I'm talking to you." The squint-eyed teenager blocked Gao Zhengyang's path and asked aggressively.

"You're the fool, and your whole family is full of fools."

Gao Zhengyang didn't want to argue with a kid, but he couldn't let such a person get away with it.

"You f**king—," The squint-eyed teenager hadn't expected Gao Zhengyang to talk back and felt especially embarrassed in front of his friends.

Gao Zhengyang used to be dazed and confused, never resisting even when beaten or scolded.

The squint-eyed teenager, used to bullying Gao Zhengyang, angrily raised his hand to hit him without thinking.

"Slap..."

Before the squint-eyed teenager's hand could touch Gao Zhengyang, Gao Zhengyang's saber sheath had already struck his face.

The saber, weighing over ten pounds, had a sheath made of high-quality black wood. Although Gao Zhengyang held back, the sheath still left the squint-eyed teenager's face swollen and dazed.

"Ah—" After a moment of shock, the squint-eyed teenager let out a miserable cry. He was both shocked and angry, covering his face and shouting, "My dad has never hit me, and you dare to hit me! Brothers, attack him! I'll take the blame!"

The squint-eyed teenager's father was a second-rank warrior, well-known in the Tie Lin tribe. Relying on his father's strength, the squint-eyed teenager had gathered a few people and often engaged in petty theft.

His shout made the other teenagers feel they couldn't just stand by.

Besides, beating a fool would be easy. They just had to be careful not to kill him.

After all, his aunt, Lin Niangzi, was a formidable woman. If they killed him, everyone would be in trouble.

The other teenagers were all taller than Gao Zhengyang. They surrounded him, blocking him in the middle.

The squint-eyed teenager excitedly shouted, "That saber looks good. Let's take it and play with it..."

"I'm in a good mood, so don't provoke me. When I get angry, even I'm scared..."

Gao Zhengyang said seriously.

The teenagers couldn't help but laugh. The fool had changed, and his words were even funnier.

"You f**king—,"

The tallest and strongest teenager cursed and was the first to attack. He was afraid Gao Zhengyang might fight back, so he raised his hands to protect his face.

Gao Zhengyang couldn't help but laugh. The teenager's face was protected, but his chest and abdomen were wide open. What was the point?

The teenagers had all practiced martial arts but lacked real combat experience. Even though they were physically stronger than Gao Zhengyang, they could only be beaten by him.

Gao Zhengyang feinted, and the teenager quickly ducked. Gao Zhengyang then struck the teenager's ribs with the sheath.

"Uh—" The teenager's breath was cut off, his face turning red, and he stood there motionless.

Gao Zhengyang took the opportunity to step forward, bypassing the teenager, and struck another teenager's chest with the sheath.

The impact made the teenager cry and kneel down, holding his chest. The pain he had never experienced before instantly crushed his fighting spirit.

The last intact teenager looked at Gao Zhengyang with a terrified expression, too afraid to move.

The squint-eyed teenager, who had been shouting from the side, was also stunned and couldn't speak.

Gao Zhengyang said fiercely, "From now on, I'll beat you every time I see you. Now, scram."

The teenagers were even more stunned. When did the fool become so domineering?

Gao Zhengyang raised the sheath and struck the squint-eyed teenager's face again, "Still not running? Do you want more?"

The squint-eyed teenager let out another miserable cry and quickly ran away. The fool's behavior today was too strange, and he was genuinely afraid.

The other teenagers also fled in a panic.

Teaching these teenagers a lesson had no effect on Gao Zhengyang. Being kind made him vulnerable to bullying. Gao Zhengyang didn't like bullying others, but he hated being bullied even more.

In his previous life, he was a warrior who only cared about results, not means.

While Gao Zhengyang was teaching the teenagers a lesson, many people were watching. Everyone was amazed by his transformation.

Many people coveted the saber, but no one dared to rob him in broad daylight.

Gao Zhengyang beat up a few more teenagers, and the others didn't dare to mess with him anymore.

Old Cangtou's house wasn't far from the sacrificial hall. Gao Zhengyang arrived quickly.

Old Cangtou's house was a yard surrounded by wooden boards. The gate was half-open, and he could see people moving around inside.

"Old Cangtou, business is here."

Standing under a willow tree by the gate, Gao Zhengyang shouted loudly.

"Are you Gao Xiang's son?" Hearing the shout, Old Cangtou slowly walked out of the yard. Seeing Gao Zhengyang, a hint of doubt appeared on his weathered face.

Although he rarely went out, he knew about Gao Xiang's son becoming a fool. At the time, he had sighed deeply.

"Yes," Gao Zhengyang replied casually, then said, "Old Cangtou, I'm here to slaughter the pig and cook the meat. I'll give you a hind leg as payment."

Although the old man called out Gao Xiang's name and acted like an elder, Gao Zhengyang didn't care. If he were truly Gao Xiang's friend, he wouldn't have let him suffer.

Gao Zhengyang wasn't blaming him. Everyone looks out for themselves, and that's fine. But now, trying to act like an elder in a business deal was meaningless.

Old Cangtou looked at the black pig and thought, "I hope this fool didn't steal it."

But then he thought, this was a golden opportunity. If anything went wrong, it wouldn't be his problem.

"Come in and talk," Old Cangtou invited Gao Zhengyang into the yard, looked at the pig, and said, "I can help you, but one hind leg isn't enough."

Gao Zhengyang looked at the old man with a half-smile, "There are others who can slaughter pigs and cook meat. If one hind leg isn't enough, forget it."

"I'm just looking out for you," Old Cangtou explained hastily, "You're young, and the pig's origin is unclear. If you go to someone else, they'll take at least half."

Gao Zhengyang pointed to his temple, "My mind is clear now. This pig is my share from the family division. Besides, what does its origin have to do with you?"

Old Cangtou was a bit embarrassed, but his weathered face didn't show it.

He awkwardly explained, "I didn't know. Your recovery is a great thing. Your father would be proud."

"He might not even be dead, so don't say that."

Gao Zhengyang didn't like the old man's condescending attitude and spoke bluntly.

Old Cangtou was even more embarrassed. Gao Zhengyang added, "If you don't want to, I'll go to Lin Quezi."

Gao Zhengyang considered the difficulty of storing pork, so he wanted to make it into braised meat at Old Cangtou's place, which would last longer.

Braised meat wasn't a special skill, and many people in the Tie Lin tribe knew how to make it. But they lacked the spices and broth, so they couldn't make it taste good. If Old Cangtou was too greedy, he would find someone else.

"Alright, I'll help you," Old Cangtou, fearing Gao Zhengyang would leave, quickly agreed, acting like a good friend, "I'm an old friend of your father, so I'll take care of you."

Gao Zhengyang was a bit helpless. Old Cangtou, despite his age, still didn't know how to act. He had made his intentions clear, but the old man insisted on trying to do him a favor.

This would only annoy people and serve no purpose.

Gao Zhengyang didn't want to argue and let the old man talk to himself.

Old Cangtou wasn't very smart but was efficient in his work.

He quickly slaughtered the black pig, drained the blood, removed the hair, cut the meat, and separated the bones. In no time, the black pig was turned into a pile of meat.

The black pig, having been fed insufficiently for nearly a year, only weighed about a hundred pounds. After removing the internal organs and bones, there wasn't much meat left.

Old Cangtou had several large pots in his yard. He first boiled the pork in clear water to remove the blood, then added the broth, spices, and salt, and simmered it over medium heat.

Soon, the aroma of the meat filled the air.

Gao Zhengyang, sitting nearby, couldn't help but swallow a few times. This body hadn't eaten meat in a long time, and the smell awakened his appetite.

Old Cangtou smiled proudly, "Don't be in a hurry. The pork is a bit tough and needs to simmer for two hours to be flavorful and tender."

Gao Zhengyang looked at the sun, which was around nine in the morning. Two hours meant they could eat at around one in the afternoon.

Gao Zhengyang moved a wooden chair and sat near the pot, waiting patiently.

Meat was a valuable item, and Gao Zhengyang needed to keep an eye on it.

Old Cangtou cleaned the internal organs and cooked them in a smaller pot.

Gao Zhengyang felt a bit sorry. In his previous life, he had eaten various dishes made from pork. Here, the lack of ingredients and simple cooking methods were a bit wasteful.

The internal organs cooked quickly, and Old Cangtou soon fished out a piece of liver and offered it to Gao Zhengyang, "This is ready. Try it..."

The liver was dark and had a slight gamey smell.

Gao Zhengyang didn't hesitate, took it, and started eating. Although it had no flavor, it was much better than steamed buns.

He needed sufficient nutrition urgently. The taste didn't matter.

Old Cangtou also laughed and started eating.

Just as they were enjoying their meal, a voice from outside the gate shouted, "Stinky fool, come out now..."