Ye Xiu calculated the situation, realizing that since he was about to wander the martial world, he might not be able to properly look after Hong'er. If anything happened to her, he would truly have failed Master Wang Long. He decided it was best to part ways with Hong'er right here. "Miss Hong'er, I must trouble the respected adult to escort you back to the Yunmengze region. When he awakens, please tell him I have already left ahead of him. I thank you for your assistance."

"A trivial matter, leave it to me." Steward Wei brought Wan Meng over, and the two sincerely bowed to Ye Xiu in farewell, presenting him with parting gifts. "Young Hero Ye, please take this silver for any unexpected needs."

"I can't wait, I'm setting off now. These things are too heavy to bother with." Ye Xiu didn't think much of it; he was overly confident, so self-assured that he couldn't imagine starving without money.

"This..." Steward Wei was momentarily stunned. He had never heard anyone complain about the weight of silver before.

The night was deep, yet outside the manor walls, the lights blazed brightly. Ye Xiu walked out alone with a single sword, causing an immediate stir among the guards posted outside.

"Men, quickly seize the murderer!" the leading officer bellowed, and a gaggle of minor soldiers scrambled over, eager to apprehend Ye Xiu.

Ye Xiu had been remarkably composed, but upon seeing nearly two hundred men outside, his spirit instantly deflated. He turned tail and fled, initiating a full-scale game of cat and mouse.

"Chase him! You must catch him!" the officer shrieked in a panic while astride his horse, as the soldiers haphazardly chased after him without direction.

Back when Ye Xiu trained in Sanda, he had climbed countless mountains and run countless miles; his stamina and endurance were far superior to ordinary people. This simple running was no problem. Unfortunately, he didn't know how to ride a horse—a true tragedy.

Ye Xiu ran for who knows how many kilometers that night, finally collapsing in some desolate wilderness. He lay gasping for air, gazing up at the stars. The old texts say that the rise and fall of celestial bodies reflect changes in human affairs. He wondered which person the brightest star overhead was prophesying for tonight.

For the next few days, all Ye Xiu could manage was running for his life. Not only was he exhausted to death, but he also hadn't eaten anything. Starving, his whole body had shrunk by several sizes.

He didn't know what area this was—perhaps the outskirts of a county—as shadows of farmland began to appear, along with the glint of water.

Water! The moment Ye Xiu saw the jade-green surface, one thing sprang to mind: fish! Fish! He could finally get something to eat! Overjoyed, he rolled and crawled to the riverbank. Having often watched elders fish while reading in his past, he had unconsciously taken up this tranquil sport himself. This time, without effort, he found a bamboo pole and some vines, setting up secretly by the water's edge, preparing to catch some food.

An hour passed, then two. Though Ye Xiu possessed patience, his fishing gear was far too rudimentary, resulting in absolutely nothing. As the sun began to set, he felt near death.

Ye Xiu was truly out of options. He repeatedly rummaged through his backpack; inside, apart from the lunchbox, mobile phone, chopsticks, and fork, there was nothing truly useful.

"Damn it!" Seeing one particular item, Ye Xiu suddenly swore out loud.

At the bottom of the backpack lay that 2B pencil he had long since discarded. Filled with frustration, Ye Xiu picked it up, and instantly, the words of the mysterious old man echoed in his mind: "This thing is destined to be yours; you can't throw it away."

How could this be? Ye Xiu racked his brain but couldn't fathom the reason. This thing was just a broken pencil. In this era, he couldn't even find anything it could write on. Why couldn't he get rid of it?

What was its purpose, really? A series of questions deeply troubled Ye Xiu. His stomach also ached. He certainly couldn't eat this "2B" for dinner.

"Splash, splash." Just then, several distinct sounds of water emerged downstream not far away. Ye Xiu stood up and saw a group of elderly women washing clothes—the oldest method, using water to rinse and stone slabs to beat the fabric.

He sincerely wondered if the Nike T-shirt in his bag would come clean after being beaten like that. In any case, having people around was good; maybe he could get something to eat.

"Excuse me, Aunties, where is this place?" Ye Xiu approached, still quite polite. "I am lost, and I have nothing to eat right now. I wonder if you kind ladies could spare me some food."

Although Ye Xiu looked quite pathetic, the washing women by the river ignored his plea, continuing the tasks in their hands. Seeing his first approach fail, Ye Xiu immediately knelt on the ground, curling into a pitiful ball. "Please, have mercy and give me something to eat, or I truly will die here."

"You young ruffians, always using your swords to bully people—you deserve to starve," one of the youngest women finally burst out, cursing him.

Ye Xiu realized that ordinary folk deeply resented those who carried swords. Such people were either merciless demons or swaggering bullies relying on influence. To the onlookers, Ye Xiu, a fugitive, looked exactly like one of those bullying types, so they naturally didn't want to deal with him.

Ye Xiu felt this approach wouldn't work; not only was he getting no food, but he was also wasting valuable energy. So, he forced tears from his eyes, sobbing, "I am actually a commoner too. I had an aunt about your age. One day, a band of thugs rushed into my home, stole our grain, and murdered my aunt... sob..."

Hearing such cries, a few of the women softened their expressions and began to pay attention to the man weeping convulsively on the ground.

Ye Xiu rolled slightly while glancing sideways, feeling this tactic was effective, and gained confidence. "I learned a few moves when I was young, but I only used a wooden sword and couldn't defeat those thugs. So, I could only flee. I ran and ran and ran, and somehow ended up here, with no relatives and no idea where I am."

"The town of Yuanyang is not far ahead, young man. Where are you from?" An older woman put down her washing and walked over to talk. "You look quite pitiful, especially after such a tragedy in your family."

"Waaah... I've suffered so much on this journey, yet I haven't had a single bite of food. I wanted to fish but had no pole. Must I die here by the riverbank?" Ye Xiu did not relent, continuing to display his acting skills. However, the moment he heard "Yuanyang," his mind involuntarily flashed to a certain location: Bolangsha, recorded in history as the place where Zhang Liang, descendant of the Chancellor of Han, sent an assassin to attempt to kill the First Emperor of Qin—unsuccessfully.

"Alright, don't be sad, don't be upset. Wait here for a moment." The foremost old woman had been moved. She turned back, took a bowl of cold rice from their bundles, and retrieved some pickled vegetables from another bag, setting them before Ye Xiu.