"Hi."
Yang Ze had heard his fair share of voices, but this simple hi was perhaps the most melodious one he had heard till now.
"Hello." Replying with a nod, Yang Ze stood there and observed her. She was the kind of beauty that the more one watches, the more beautiful she becomes. After this little greeting, the room soon plunged into silence as both of them stood there for a long time looking at each other. Finally, after a while, it was Hua Lin who broke the silence.
"May I come in?" Lowering her head with a smile, she slowly tucked her black hair behind her ears with her finger. During the entire process, there was a sense of elegance that was often only found in people from big and powerful families.
"Oh! Sure." After an awkward laugh, Yang Ze moved out of the door before inviting her in.
"Are you feeling comfortable in this place?" Surveying the room, Hua Lin looked around before stopping in front of the bed and slowly sitting on it.
"Hmm." Taking a deep breath, Yang Ze nodded in response before observing Hua Lin who was just sitting there quietly. This was perhaps the most beautiful woman he had seen to date. Even though they were travelling along and met in Hua's family ground, at that time, he didn't pay attention to her. After all, she was wearing men's clothes and standing there with some dust on her face. If that was not enough to hide her beauty, then the rest five guards who were with her were enough to completely eclipse her.
"Aren't you tired?" With a whisper, she slowly moved on the bed to make the space for one more person.
"Aah! Don't worry." Suddenly realizing her meaning, Yang Ze exclaimed before pulling a chair from the side and sitting on it.
'Huh?' Hua Lin's eyes went wide for a moment. There was a trace of disbelief along with anger in it. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath to calm herself down.
'Gulp.' Looking at her chest heaving up and down, Yang Ze swallowed hard before diverting his gaze to another place.
"It feels hot here doesn't it?" Fanning herself with her hands, Hua Lin slowly loosened her robe further. At this moment, the temperature in the room seemed to increase. Yang Ze looked at the robe that was still somehow hanging on her body with wide eyes.
"Ahem." Coughing, Yang Ze stood up and spoke in a serious voice. "Shall we go for a walk? I believe that at this time, there should be a cool breeze blowing out there."
Nodding with his chin resting on his hands, Yang Ze opened the door and slowly walked outside. Perhaps it was luck, that the moment he came outside, a cold gust of wind suddenly pierced his body.
"Umm." Letting out a comfortable moan, Yang Ze looked at Hua Lin with an encouraging gaze.
"HUH?" Hua Lin was still sitting there stupefied. Before coming here she had thought of a lot of ways things could have developed, yet contrary to her expectations, the scenes that were playing out in front of her were entirely different.
It was at this moment she felt embarrassed and humiliated. She would have never thought that the person standing in front of her was this stupid. For a moment she even felt like she made a mockery out of herself.
Closing her eyes for a moment she took a deep breath and calmed herself. By the time she opened her eyes again, there was no expression on her face.
Standing up she tidied her clothes before looking at Yang Ze once again.
"Hmph." With a snort, she walked out of the room without saying anything. Even though she didn't say any words, her expressions alone were enough to show how angry she was.
"Heh." Looking at the departing back, Yang Ze stood there quietly. The confusion and embarrassment from before were replaced by a gaze that was as still as a mountain.
....
Yang Ze was sleeping peacefully until he heard a burst of loud laughter from the outside.
"HAHAHAHAHA. Meng Hao, you really are something."
"Ugh." Still lying on his bed, Yang Ze let out a helpless sigh before opening the door.
"Hahahaha, I can't believe you are still sleeping after doing all that." Elder Cheng was still trying to hold back his laughter.
"What happened? Why are you making such a ruckus in the morning?" Yang Ze was still annoyed from waking up this early. Looking at the sky, the sun wasn't even going to rise up till an hour later. Not to mention him, anyone would be annoyed after their peaceful sleep is destroyed by the laughter of a man.
"WHAT HAPPENED? YOU ARE ASKING ME WHAT HAPPENED? Right now, most of the guards and the villagers want to kill you." There was still a smile on his face, right now he was gloating at his misfortune.
"The hell? What did I do now?" Yang Ze stood there with a stunned expression, it was only after a while he guessed the reason. "Is it Hua Lin?"
"Well, at least you remember her name." Elder Cheng nodded while stroking his chin.
"You little bastard, I even made her go to you, yet you didn't do anything. Tch, tch." Shaking his head in disappointment, Elder Cheng looked at Yang Ze as if he were looking at a fool. He had never seen such a gullible person like him.
"Well, never mind. You can still try to talk to her. As for whether she replies to you or not; that's an entirely different matter."
"I came here to tell you that I will be going to the village up in the distance, so it will be a few days before I come back. In the meantime, you are free to explore the area around the village."
After making sure Yang Ze understood, he made his way back to his place.
"Now then, what shall I do?"
Yang Ze stood still for a long time pondering on his next course of action. He still needs five more days till the next upgrade. After thinking for a while, Yang Ze didn't bother going anywhere, he pulled out a chair and sat outside in the small garden. In front of him was a mountain range spanning as far as the eyes could see. Looking at the mountains and scenery that were free of any human intrusion, Yang Ze smiled slightly. In his past life, there weren't many places where humans didn't intrude on nature.
So, this place where there were no roads, no cars, no noise, and no pollution was a beautiful sight to see. This was perhaps his first time feeling himself this close to nature. Looking at the scenery, Yang Ze didn't know when he fell asleep. By the time he woke up, it was already evening.
After going inside the house, Yang Ze took off his mask before washing his face. Since the day he started this mission, he never fully took off this mask. Even when he had meals, he just slid it vertically, just freeing his mouth.
"Heh. I even forgot my own face." Looking at his face in the mirror, Yang Ze went silent. Even after almost two months, he wasn't used to this familiar yet unfamiliar face. Compared to the past, his face was now more refined. With smooth white skin, along with bright black eyes... his overall features were better than in the past. Though compared to the true handsome people, he was still somewhat lacking, but for now, he was pleasing to the eyes.
"Well, I always wanted to have such long hair." Stroking his black silky hair that was free-flowing, Yang Ze smiled before tying it up in a ponytail.
Walking outside, people were already putting small paper lanterns in front of their houses. unlike the past life light bulbs, the glow these paper lanterns gave off was gentle and soothing to the eyes. Walking down the narrow road, Yang Ze saw a small shop that was closing its doors now. The population of the village wasn't very large. There were hardly three hundred people at a given time. Due to this, there were roughly two to three shops in the village supplying all kinds of daily necessities.
"Well, you are here little friend." Walking by the street, Yang Ze was greeted by the owner of an old voice whom he met yesterday.
"Hello." Nodding his head in a respectful manner, Yang Ze greeted him from the distance.
"You are too polite." Shaking his head, the old man made his way toward Yang Ze and stood on his side with a smile.
"So, how do you like our little village?"
Yang Ze looked around for a while and replied "Peaceful."
"Indeed, it is peaceful. Better than the hustle and bustle of the big cities, there are no worries, no hurry, and everything is peaceful.
What is your hometown like?"
The moment the old man asked this question, Yang Ze's smiling face stiffened as his eyes seemed to be lost in memories. 'Home'... a word that he hadn't heard in a long... very long time. By now, he had almost forgotten about that place. The only thing in his memories were the distant blurry images of the past.
Taking a deep breath, he let out a forced chuckle as if trying to wash away his emotions. Yet anyone who listened to that laughter could hear the pain and fatigue in the voice. For a moment, the old man was stunned. He never expected such a response from someone so young. For a moment, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes. It seems that the boy had quite a backstory.
"It's just like this village." After a long pause, Yang Ze finally replied with a soft voice. It was a short sentence that was filled with countless emotions.
After that, Yang Ze didn't speak another word. He just stood there in silence, silently looking at the world around him.
Perhaps aware of his emotional changes, the old man too joined him in silence without disturbing him.
"How about joining this old man for a while? Looks like both of us have stories to tell." With a gentle voice, the old man made his way back home, joined by the lone figure of Yang Ze who still seemed to be in a daze.