Chapter 123: Returning to Sangjia Village

After recounting the events they had experienced, Sang Xiong and the others earnestly invited Tang Wei to stay at Sang Family Village. Tang Wei, having nowhere else to go for the time being and wary that the Wei family might come back to cause trouble, decided it would be best to settle temporarily at Sang Family Village and see how things unfolded. She agreed without hesitation.

The happiest person upon hearing Tang Wei’s acceptance was none other than Sang Ye. Thrilled at the chance to be close to her idol, to spend extended time together, she felt one step closer to her goal. If they became acquaintances, wouldn’t their rebellion be easier? Motivated, she threw herself into her tasks with renewed vigor, striving to make a good impression on Tang Wei, hoping it would help when she asked to be taken as a disciple. Yet, these were merely her own hopeful fantasies. Whether Tang Wei would accept her was uncertain, and given her own constitution, it was unclear if she was even suited for cultivation. To become strong, she still had to work harder to win over Tang Wei.

Though kind-hearted and occasionally a bit naive, Tang Wei had never considered spreading martial cultivation techniques in the immortal cultivation world. Such knowledge remained secret, and without absolute strength, she was unwilling to attract trouble. Who knew if the cultivation world had connections to the upper realms? If her identity as Zixuan were exposed, they would be doomed. Perhaps even the Purple Sun Divine Lord and his spouse would be hunted by other great divine lords.

Tang Wei paid no heed to Sang Ye’s subtle scheming. Her mind was solely on the fact that since she was about to intrude—no, work—in Sang Family Village, she must not come empty-handed. Since the villagers lived by hunting and lacked food, she resolved to catch some game to bring back. The pelts could be sold for income, the meat could feed them, and she had already stored plenty of supplies in her storage space. Presenting all this should not be considered rude.

Tang Wei still held Earthly customs in her heart, always mindful of Chinese etiquette. When visiting someone’s home in China, one never came without gifts. This was the distinction between outsiders and locals. If Tang Wei could not let go of these customs, she might never truly adapt here. What she did not realize was that in this land, strength commanded respect. For a humble village like Sang Family Village, hosting such a formidable immortal was an honor beyond measure. No one expected to be given gifts. To Sang Xiong and the others, Tang Wei was their savior. How could a savior come to their home bearing gifts? That would sully their dignity.

Nonetheless, when Tang Wei proposed hunting to bring back game, Sang Xiong and his son initially fell silent. Although reluctant to lose face, seeing their village’s mouths gaunt and pale from hunger, they chose to forgo pride. Many families had not eaten a proper meal in days, some had resorted to eating tree leaves. With these thoughts, Sang Xiong finally nodded in agreement, albeit with an apologetic expression.

Since they would be gathering game, they would need to stay longer. They could not rush back that night. Despite Tang Wei’s aid in healing and the assistance of medicinal pills, it was best for the Sang family men to rest. The forest’s night chill was harsh; none but the strongest could endure it, especially with three injured among them.

Sang Ye understood this well and, without being told, gathered firewood nearby, preparing for their overnight stay. The Sang family were seasoned hunters, so Tang Wei had no worries there. Having asked all she needed, and not well acquainted with them, there was little else to discuss. To avoid awkwardness, she sat cross-legged and began to meditate, appearing diligent in cultivation but secretly using her divine sense to survey the surroundings for any approaching danger.

To save time, once she confirmed the area was safe, she bid them farewell and mounted her flying sword to hunt.

The next morning, Tang Wei returned and unloaded a towering pile of game from her storage space with a sharp smack. There were at least a hundred animals. Sang Xiong and his son stared in disbelief. Even if the old hunting party were still intact, they could not have caught so much in ten days.

Now, Sang family’s admiration for Tang Wei reached new heights. In their eyes, she was truly godlike. Of course, this was due to their limited understanding of genuine cultivators. In their view, a man who could kill a tiger barehanded was a formidable master, so Tang Wei’s modest skills overwhelmed them.

In truth, Tang Wei felt a bit embarrassed. Hunting a few animals was nothing serious. Had she not lost her way in the forest at midnight despite marking the trees, she would have returned earlier. Seeing the three men and two women looking at her with reverence, she blushed and hurriedly said, “This should be enough game to feed your village for a meal. Hurry and get it ready; we should set off back to Sang Family Village now!”

“Yes, benefactor! We’ll prepare at once!” After a night’s rest, the Sang family’s injuries had mostly healed, enough to help with preparing the game.

Thanks to Tang Wei’s medicine, otherwise they would have been bedridden for weeks. Because of individual differences, the two younger ones could now manage light labor, while Sang Xiong himself could only oversee.

A true veteran hunter, Sang Xiong couldn’t work but directed the younger men on how to process the game, saving much time.

The two younger men dragged the game, Sang Xiong leaned on a wooden staff trailing behind. The group trudged back, finally reaching Sang Family Village around midnight.

Their swift return owed much to Tang Wei. Seeing how exhausted they were, she stored their belongings in her storage space at their third rest stop and only released them near the village. Otherwise, relying on these few to carry everything, they might never have made it back even with another day’s journey.

Entering Sang Family Village, the silence was profound. Without Sang Xiong’s guidance, Tang Wei might have thought they were lost.

From the village entrance, a handful of scattered lights twinkled—no more than twenty households. A slim crescent moon hung high in the deep indigo sky, its clear, watery glow bathing the earth. Under the moonlight, the village’s dilapidated wooden houses appeared crooked and ramshackle. Tang Wei worried a strong wind might flatten the place.

Sang Xiong’s expression was entirely different. He looked upon this broken hamlet with joy and quickened his pace, as if returning home meant all was well.

Following the Sang family’s twists and turns, they arrived beneath a large banyan tree in a spacious clearing—likely their usual gathering spot.

After unloading the game, Sang Liang and Sang Zhong loudly called out and ran inside, while Sang Xiong stayed behind, shyly apologizing to Tang Wei: “Benefactor, pardon us. The game must be processed quickly to fetch a good price at the market tomorrow. I’ll have Sang Ye take you inside to rest.” He intended to assign Sang Ye to accompany her.

Tang Wei waved him off: “No need to fuss over me. You all carry on with your work. I’m not tired and want to see how you handle these things. Also, please don’t always call me ‘benefactor’—it feels strange. Just call me Tang Wei.”

“That won’t do. You are the great benefactor of Sang Family Village! How dare we call you by your name directly!” Sang Xiong protested hurriedly. Seeing Tang Wei’s resolute expression, he knew pushing further was futile. After pondering, he proposed, “How about we call you Miss Tang Wei? Calling by your name alone is out of the question—I, Sang Xiong, would never be ungrateful.” His tone suggested that calling her by her name was akin to a grave offense.

Tang Wei found this odd, but it was better than ‘benefactor.’ Though she disliked the word ‘Miss,’ combined with her name, it was more tolerable. After consideration, she nodded in agreement.

Sang Xiong beamed as if a great joy had befallen him. Ecstatic, he instructed Sang Ye to stay by Tang Wei’s side—to serve her, attend to her needs, answer her questions, and keep her company.

Having settled the matter of address, Sang Zhong and Sang Liang returned with a large group of people. Only as they approached did Tang Wei realize this was no ordinary village—it resembled more a sanctuary for the elderly and children. Among the crowd, scarcely any were able-bodied laborers; the youngest man appeared to be in his forties or fifties.

These people were not there to help; they seemed more like onlookers. Curious, Tang Wei asked, “Sang Ye, are these the people your father brought to assist?”

Sang Ye hesitated before nodding. In the darkness, Tang Wei could not read her expression, but she sensed a quiet suffering within.

Sighing, Tang Wei said, “So your situation has already become this dire.” Without witnessing it firsthand, one could never grasp how harsh their lives truly were. Surely there was more to their story, and they had not shared every detail. Indeed, such matters could not be explained briefly; only lived experience could reveal the truth. No wonder these few, clearly lacking great martial prowess, still hoped to try their luck deep in the mountains.