The blue sky was dotted with fluffy white clouds that drifted lazily in the gentle breeze. Because the blazing midday sun shone relentlessly, there were many women and gers that took their children to the river to cool off in the water. The kids were all crowing one after another at the riverbank, playing with small rocks and crabs. As for adults, they were never idle as all of them were washing clothes or bedsheets.

Li Xuejian was going back and forth, carrying two big wooden buckets of water since the fence needed putting up a lot of wet clay. He was unfamiliar with the people in the village so naturally, he wouldn't go say hello to them. 

The marriage of Li Xuejian and He Anran could be regarded as the biggest joke in the Wuyuan village and the hottest topic to gossip about. Those people who had witnessed the entire incident that occurred at the He family house that day were looking at the young man with a gaze full of curiosity, others whispered and laughed.

Li Xuejian didn’t pay much attention to them, and after speeding up his pace in fetching water, he was ready to once and for all leave these people behind and don't come back to the river anymore. 

The people looked at his retreating figure, several of the villagers were openly mocking him as they watched his back. 

At that moment, an eleven or twelve-year-old boy suddenly ran out from the side and snatched up a nearby stone, and then threw it at Li Xuejian. 

From the corner of her eye, Li Xuejian saw the small rock flying towards him and reached his hand to grab it as he dodged quickly.

The boy had stamped his foot while wrinkling his brows slightly: “The broom star’s¹sào zhu xīng, trailing tail of a comet that was also a symbol of an unlucky person, one who others perceive as a jinx husband!” He spat at Li Xuejian’s feet, probably influenced by the talks of the others, the boy spoke with quite a righteous tone and self-confidence, not scared of him at all. 

Li Xuejian was always somewhat more friendly towards the children and the elderly people but as long they didn't do anything to provoke him. 

As a result, the boy didn’t have time to take a step back when he was pulled by the collar, and with surprising strength was lifted off the ground.

Li Xuejian looked at him without any good intentions: “The husband of who?” He didn’t care what the villagers were thinking of him or what they say about him behind his back. He had never put himself together with the people in the village since he didn’t belong to this world originally and wasn’t part of the community here, but he definitely won't let them show a disrespectful attitude towards his wife.

The young boy was about to retort but when he saw the other’s empty eyes and heard Li Xuejian’s cold voice, he didn’t dare to answer him back.

One of the women fell on her knees, next to villagers gathered around her, and suddenly burst into tears. It was the mother of the boy and also a person who cursed Li Xuejian and He Anran the most, and as expected she had the most courage to speak out first: “Please let my son go!” At the same time, she glanced at other women and gers, revealing a trace of hurt expression on her face. If someone is to look closely, they will see big tears streaming down on her cheeks, she was a clear image of someone being bullied wrongfully.

Li Xuejian watched the woman's movements with no interest.

At that time, the child's cries sounded in the open countryside, and yet between the snots and tears splashing over Li Xuejian's sleeves, he managed to open his mouth shout very loudly: "Mom! Help me!” The cries of them both were mixed and impacted the nerves of all the people present.

Li Xuejian was the only person who hadn't been disturbed by the chaotic scene and stood firmly, still not letting the boy go. Of course, he wasn’t that violent to hurt him, but it was fine to scare him a little and give him some color to see²teach someone a lesson.

The rest of the villagers felt particularly distressed about this situation but as they cautiously looked at Li Xuejian and saw his indifferent face that was also powered by scar, they couldn’t help but feel their heads bow. In their heart, they were very scared when all of them realized they couldn’t speak up. 

The expected help from the villagers didn’t come as they cleverly step away, and the woman’s eyes that were previously filled with ridicule were now full of panic. Feeling Li Xuejian’s sharp knife-like gaze on her, she suddenly felt stiff all over and her mind became a big mess, completely unable to continue the miserable act. 

Li Xuejian felt that it was enough for today, he lacked patience when dealing with other people and didn’t want to waste more time. He suddenly raised his voice and clearly said: “I assume that I will never hear that kind of insulting words again. It is the child who first committed the wrongdoing but as a parent, it’s your responsibility to correct their mistakes and tell them what is right.” As an example, this boy did have no sympathy and no shame since these incorrect three views³view over life, the world, and value and nonsense about someone being the jinx were instilled in him while he was growing up.

The mother revealed a serious expression to look at the imposing young man and madly nodded.

Li Xuejian lightly put the boy on the ground. He turned around and walked away without looking back.

After he left, the woman took her son and bid goodbye to others, then disappeared in the midst of villagers' houses, scolding her son along the way. 

All the people gathered by the river looked at each other in unison and remained quiet, they got back to work as if nothing had happened. But while the rivers and mountains could change, human nature never will. When they got back home and found themselves in a secure environment, they indulged in gossip news and were very soon anxious to spread it among the rest of the village.