The Northern Kingdom was covered in ice and snow. It was a vast expanse of whiteness. In the boundless mountains of the Northern Liang Kingdom, birds and beasts were rare. Most of the rich families were hiding in their homes, warming themselves with charcoal fires. However, at the foot of the mountain in the east of the Green Bamboo County, a group of young men in black were waving the long sabers in their hands over and over again in the cold.
A middle-aged warrior on the high platform looked at the disciples practicing on the drill ground with his eagle-like sharp eyes.
Lu Xiaotian was wearing a gray fur coat with a hatchet on his belt. He enviously looked at the disciples of the Thunder Blade Sect who were practicing their saber skills on the drill ground.
"Hurry up and go. If you don't chop enough firewood today, you won't have dinner!"
A middle-aged man behind him, who was also wearing a gray thick coat, scolded with a dignified face.
"What did you say? Say it again!" At this time, a young man who was half a head taller than Lu Xiaotian strode in from the entrance of the outer hall. He heard the middle-aged man's words and scolded coldly.
"Brother Shi!"
Lu Xiaotian's face lit up when he heard the voice. It was Shi Qingshan, who was also from Huyang Village. However, Shi Qingshan was the pride of Huyang Village. He was selected as an outer core disciple by the Thunder Blade Sect at a young age. Because of his outstanding talent, he became an inner core disciple in less than a year.
In Huyang Village, he had the best relationship with Shi Qingshan. Last year, there was a drought in the mountain village, and a younger brother and sister were added to the family. The fields they had could not support so many people. Shi Qingshan took him to the Thunder Blade Sect. However, because he did not have the talent to practice martial arts, he became a handyman in the Thunder Blade Sect. He did chores such as carrying water, cooking, and chopping firewood in the mountains. Although it was hard, he could survive in this poor and troubled world.
"It turns out that you are an inner core disciple. I, I was rude. I didn't know that Xiaotian was your acquaintance. Please forgive me if I offended you!" Steward Zhao, who was usually arrogant among the handymen, turned pale. He quickly apologized to Shi Qingshan and Lu Xiaotian. Not to mention the Inner Sect disciples, even he was only a servant and a steward, which would not last long. He could not even afford to offend the Outer Sect disciples.
"Big Brother Shi Mu, Steward Zhao was just worried that I wouldn't be able to chop enough firewood in the stipulated time. He didn't have any other malicious intentions. Big Brother Shi Mu, please don't blame him."
Lu Xiaotian exonerated Steward Zhao. After staying in the Odd-Job Room for so long, although he didn't have any martial arts skills, he was much more proficient in the ways of the world than Shi Qingshan. It didn't matter if Shi Qingshan offended Steward Zhao, but he would have to work under Steward Zhao for a long time in the future. If Steward Zhao was replaced, there might be a steward who was even more crafty and unkind in the future. Then, life would not be easy.
"Fine, since Little Tian is pleading on your behalf, I'll let it go today. The next time I see you bullying Little Tian, you'll suffer. Hurry up and scram! "Shi Qingshan glared fiercely at Steward Zhao.
"Yes, yes, I won't dare to do it again." Steward Zhao nodded repeatedly, battered and exhausted, and left as if he was fleeing.
"The Torture Hall is too strict. This time, I practiced the Wind Splitting Blade Technique to the third level, so Master let me out to rest for two days. That's why I didn't have time to see you until now." After chasing away Steward Zhao, Shi Qingshan said to Lu Xiaotian apologetically.
"That's great! Big Brother Shi Mu, the more powerful you are, the less people will dare to bully me in the Odd-Job Room." Lu Xiaotian said with a happy face.
"No, whoever dares to bully Little Tian, I'll definitely beat them until they kneel and beg for mercy." Shi Qingshan said with incomparable heroism.
As the two of them were talking, a young man wearing the same white clothes and an exceptionally beautiful girl stood not far in front of them. They waved at Shi Qingshan and said, "Senior Shi Mu, why are you still standing there? Hurry up, we're going to the county town for a stroll."
Lu Xiaotian saw that someone was waiting for Shi Qingshan, so he said, "Big Brother Shi Mu, there's someone waiting for you in front. You go ahead and do your work. I'm going to chop firewood. I still have a task to complete today."
"Since I'm free today, I'll help you chop firewood." Shi Qingshan shook his head.
"No need, I have to go every day. It won't take long. Big Brother Shi Mu, it's not easy for you to rest for two days. Don't waste it on trivial things like chopping firewood." Lu Xiaotian pushed Shi Qingshan. However, Shi Qingshan had practiced martial arts for a few years and his body was strong and healthy. He was not someone who could be pushed.
"Okay, then I'll go out first. I'll bring back some delicious food for you." Shi Qingshan was also somewhat moved. After all, he had the temperament of a young man. He usually practiced martial arts diligently. Now that he was free, he also wanted to go to the lively county town for a stroll.
"Okay, thank you Big Brother Shi Mu."
Lu Xiaotian waved his hand, turned around and walked in the direction of the back mountain, one foot deep and one foot shallow, stepping on the snow. Looking back, Lu Xiaotian saw Shi Qingshan and the other two Junior Brothers and Junior Sister walking away, talking and laughing. Originally, there was a smile on his face, but suddenly, there was a trace of loneliness on his face. This was the difference between a Warrior and a handyman. They were in two completely different worlds.
However, it might be fate that he did not have the talent to practice martial arts. No matter how hard he worked, he was still a handyman. He should think about how to chop more firewood and report back.
There were only a few days left before he would receive his salary. Thinking of the two silver beans he had saved up, he couldn't help but smile. Every once in a while, he would send some money back home. However, he had also saved some money himself. When he had enough money, he would go to the city to learn a skill to make a living. Whether it was carpentry or blacksmithing, although the Thunder Blade Sect was good, a handyman would always be a servant. Even if he couldn't become a warrior, he didn't want to be a servant who had to obey others' whims forever.
Holding the two silver beans in his arms, he felt like he was holding his dream. He felt that the snowy ground, which was usually difficult to walk on, was not so difficult to walk on. The mountain behind the sect was a boundless forest. The undulating mountain range could not be seen.
When Lu Xiaotian walked into the forest, he did not chop firewood immediately. Instead, he took out a mended fishing net from a hidden cave and spread it among several trees. Then, he took out a bag of grains and threw them on the snowy ground under the fishing net.
After he clapped his hands, he pulled out his hatchet with satisfaction. After walking for a while, he found a withered tree trunk in the forest full of trees and began to chop it with his hatchet.
Crack!
Crack!
The sharp hatchet chopped the tree trunk, which was not too thick, again and again. The snow on the tree fell from time to time. Lu Xiaotian knocked off the snow on his body from time to time and then waved his hatchet again.
After chopping more than 200 times, the tree trunk, which was not too thick, fell to the ground with a loud crash, splashing snow on his face.
In such cold weather, he repeatedly waved his hatchet, and a trace of heat rose from his body. After nearly four hours, Lu Xiaotian put the chopped firewood into the basket on his back. He reckoned that he could now go and check the traps he had set.
During this time, he had been able to continuously help his family and save some money. Apart from living frugally, he had also been able to catch some wild animals in the mountains. Although he could not catch a big beast, some pheasants and mountain sparrows were enough to make him happy for a while.
Coo coo …
From afar, he could hear the cries and fluttering of pheasants. Lu Xiaotian was delighted. From the sound of it, there was more than one. It seemed that he had a good harvest today. Hearing the noise, Lu Xiaotian was motivated. His footsteps were lighter than usual.
However, a low roar caused all the hairs on Lu Xiaotian's body to stand on end.
Lu Xiaotian gripped the hatchet's handle tightly with both hands. His eyes searched for every gap in the forest. At the same time, he leaned his back against the trunk of a large tree.
Soon, a green wolf the size of a calf slowly walked out of the forest. Its eyes flashed with an ominous glint, and it bared a pair of sharp canines. With a low growl, it approached Lu Xiaotian, step by step.
With the appearance of the green wolf, Lu Xiaotian's joy from catching a pheasant disappeared without a trace. Instead, it was replaced by nervousness and fear from the bottom of his heart. Even for an experienced hunter like his father, encountering such a huge wolf in the mountains was an extremely dangerous matter. And right now, he was only a youth of a little over ten years old.
Lu Xiaotian could not help but feel vexed that he did not bring Shi Qingshan with him. If Big Brother Shi, who was already a martial artist, was here, they would have a fighting chance against this green wolf. Right now, he could only wave his hatchet and shout to scare the lone wolf in front of him.
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