"Hahaha, Young Master Changchuan, you've come from afar. I apologize for not giving you a proper welcome. Please don't be offended."
As Shen Changchuan's party and their caravan of carriages entered Dawan Village,
the middle-aged man who had been in charge of the garrison, Shen Shiyin, walked out with a broad, enthusiastic smile to greet them.
At the same time,
he turned his head.
He faced the dozen or so young men who had gathered at the village entrance, each holding a weapon.
These youths had looked hostile the moment Shen Changchuan's group arrived, as if they were about to stir up trouble. Now, Shen Shiyin's face tightened as he bellowed at them:
"Shaochong, get the hell down here, you brat!"
"This is Young Master Shen, here to take over our garrison! Are you blind?!"
Amidst Shen Shiyin's scolding,
the young man in the lead, Shen Shaochong, stood with his mouth slightly agape, a look of bewilderment on his face.
'Wait a minute,'
'Didn't you tell me yesterday to put this little punk in his place?'
'What's going on?'
'How could you change your tune just like that?!'
His father's sudden, unannounced reversal left Shen Shaochong unable to react for a moment.
However, under the weight of his father's long-standing authority,
he didn't dare to act out. He could only cup his hands in a salute toward Shen Changchuan, mutter an apology, and obediently retreat.
Shen Shiyin turned back,
his face once again covered in smiles as he faced Shen Changchuan.
"Sigh, it is my fault for failing to discipline my son. He's been running around with unsavory characters for years, even started some sort of 'village protection squad.' He almost caused trouble for you, Young Master. Please, don't hold it against him."
Shen Shiyin cupped his fists in a formal salute to Shen Changchuan and apologized.
"Not at all, not at all!"
"Senior, you are my elder. This is too much honor for a youngster like me."
"Besides, I am of humble origins and unworthy of being called 'Young Master.' Senior, please just call me Changchuan."
Although Shen Changchuan sensed that something was off about the atmosphere and had no idea what the other man was planning,
after all, one does not slap a smiling face.
The other man was being polite,
so he naturally returned the courtesy with humility.
After a round of pleasantries,
their conversation started to take on a rather harmonious and cheerful tone.
Acknowledging the other man's greater age and strength, Shen Changchuan addressed him as "Uncle," and in turn, the man said he would shamelessly call Shen Changchuan "Nephew Changchuan."
"Nephew Changchuan, that wild boar is..."
After the brief exchange of pleasantries,
Shen Shiyin's gaze fell upon the corpse of the giant boar in the distance—a beast so massive it looked like a small hill and required two carriages yoked together to pull it. He then asked his question.
"Oh, this beast? I killed it on the way here."
"About ten li from the village, this thing suddenly charged out of the forest and attacked our caravan. One of the attendants leading the way was killed."
"Fortunately, after some effort, this humble nephew managed to slay it."
"Why do you ask, Uncle? Did you notice something wrong?"
Shen Changchuan walked over to the carriage carrying the giant boar's corpse, patted the mountain of flesh, and explained its origin before asking his question in confusion.
"Oh, it's nothing like that."
"It's just that this beast has been a menace to Dawan Village. Every time the Spirit Grain in the fields is about to be harvested, it sneaks down from the mountains at night to wreak havoc on the Spirit Fields."
"We've set up ambushes for it many times over the years and fought it on several occasions, but we were helpless against its thick, tough hide. We could only ever repel it and drive it away."
"Nephew Changchuan, your Divine Techniques are truly astounding! To be able to slay this beast at such a young age, you've already eliminated a great threat to Dawan Village before even taking up your post."
Shen Shiyin said with heartfelt emotion.
He carefully scanned the giant boar's corpse out of the corner of his eye.
'There are no wounds on its body.'
'It doesn't look like there was a fierce battle.'
'It was killed with a single blow.'
This realization made Shen Shiyin's heart sink even further.
'His strength...'
'...is far greater than the reports suggested!'
'Damn it all!'
Shen Shiyin cursed inwardly.
At the same time, numerous thoughts raced through his mind, and he quickly made a decision.
"Nephew Changchuan, you are young and promising. Leaving Dawan Village in your hands puts this uncle's mind at ease."
"However, there is one thing this uncle must mention. The treasury in Dawan Village originally held some Spirit Grain, as well as some gold and silver, for the village's operational expenses."
"But the order for my departure came suddenly. As this uncle was preparing to return to Tian Nan City, I wanted to bring some local specialties back for my friends and family, so I took all of it."
"Of course, to avoid taking advantage of you, Nephew, how about this uncle compensates you with five Spirit Stones and a minor Spiritual Eye Technique I acquired by chance?"
As he spoke, Shen Shiyin took a small pouch of Spirit Stones from his sleeve and handed it to Shen Changchuan.
But as he did, a flash of heartache could be seen deep in his eyes.
Clearly, this was not a small price to pay.
'But there's no choice,'
'Outdated intelligence is a killer.'
'This is one advantage I can't afford to take!'
'If I don't salvage the situation and win back some goodwill before this misunderstanding gets any bigger, am I just going to wait around to die in the future?'
'You have to understand, that Demon Pig was at the Qi Introduction Fourth Layer Peak. It could withstand attacks from me, someone at the Qi Introduction Fifth Layer! In our several fights, I never once gained the upper hand.'
'But now,'
'it was killed in a single blow, becoming this person's trophy!'
'It doesn't matter if this Shen Changchuan did it himself or if he had a hidden helper.'
'This is clearly far beyond what I expected!'
'Regardless of whether this kid is truly an insignificant figure in the Shen Family Mansion, his strength is already beyond what I can handle.'
'Besides, for someone so young to possess such power, his background is likely not as simple as it seems.'
'Not to mention, even if I'm overthinking it and he really has no backing, with his strength, it's inevitable that he will rise to prominence one day!'
'A person like this... it's best not to offend him if I can help it.'
'As expected of someone from the main branch's direct line. A character like this is too much for a small fry like me to handle!'
In an instant,
countless thoughts had flashed through Shen Shiyin's mind.
And this,
was precisely why his expression had changed so drastically when he saw the caravan enter the village, and why he had rushed out to stop his second son, Shen Shaochong, from trying to intimidate the newcomer, choosing instead to curry favor and welcome him!
"Oh, then this junior accepts, though I feel I don't deserve it!"
Shen Changchuan's eyes lit up when he heard this.
Although he vaguely sensed something was off about the man's excessive enthusiasm,
he believed in the principle that only a fool passes up a freebie.
Five Spirit Stones were equivalent to his entire yearly stipend from the Shen Family Mansion.
Not to mention, a Magic technique would expand his repertoire of skills.
There was no reason to turn down such a good offer.
Seeing Shen Changchuan accept the Spirit Stones so readily, the corner of Shen Shiyin's eye twitched.
Nevertheless, he forced a smile and said,
"Haha, there's nothing to feel undeserving about. Think of it as a normal transaction."
Shen Shiyin's heart was bleeding.
For a low-level Cultivator like him, five Spirit Stones was a significant amount.
But there was nothing to be done.
Who was to blame but himself for acting before doing his research?
All he could do was try his best to make amends.
After some more brief conversation, Shen Shiyin introduced Shen Changchuan to some of the key personnel in Dawan Village and went over a simple handover of various duties.
Then, citing a lack of time, his family, who had already packed their belongings, bid farewell to Shen Changchuan and left Dawan Village.