Since Mu Jiao Long parted ways with Wang Changming, he packed his bags, left the Mu family, and became a wandering xia. He traveled and learned many different martial arts skills. When he first entered the martial arts world, he was a nameless wandering xia, but soon, the name Mu Jiao Long was being talked about in every corner of teahouse, tavern, and conference gathering.
Even as his name became renowned, he had never forgotten the vow he made with his beloved Wang Changming, nor the road back to the Wang Manor. Every few months, he would appear at the Wang Household and demand a duel with Wang Zedong. In every duel, he would fail again and again, but his spirit was never broken. After each failed attempt, he would show up again in a few more months with a new martial art skill.
It had been three years since the last duel with Wang Zedong, and Mu Jiao Long had not returned to the Wang Manor. He continued to study hard, but on the last day of his training, he received a letter from Mu Lan saying that Mu Jian's condition had deteriorated. In his heart, he yearned to leave and go straight to the Wang Household, but as the heir of the Mu Clan after his father, he had no choice but to go home.
When he came down from a village in Tianshan, it was a rainy day. He followed the road and began to walk south. He walked past an abandoned temple but did not rest, continuing to walk forward until he saw a woman lying on the road in the distance. When he came closer, he saw it was a bleeding pregnant woman. He checked her pulse, which was very weak. He knew the woman was on the verge of dying. He carried the woman back to the old temple, where she continued to bleed.
In the temple, he caught a pheasant that had come in to shelter from the rain and began to roast it. The woman slowly woke up. He walked to her with a broken bowl filled with rain and handed it to her. She slowly took the bowl.
The woman introduced herself as Li Liqin. Aware of his identity, she used the Mu family's policies to propose a deal. Mu Jiao Long did not want to bargain with a dying woman, but when she offered the Killer String Manual, a treasure map, and the newly invented powder preserver corpse as the price, he could not deny it.
Mu Jiao Long was not interested in the map or the powder, but the Killer String Manual was the rarest item that all martial artists desired. He knew that with the Killer String, he could defeat Wang Zedong and take back Wang Changming. He asked, "Who do you want me to slap?"
Li Liqin said softly, "Cao Fengge of Beixing Sect. Slap him three times for me and three times for my child. Then go to Chen Village and slap Chen Fa three times for me."
Mu Jiao Long looked at Li Liqin and agreed. "I agree."
Li Liqin handed the three items to Mu Jiao Long, and then asked, "Mu xia, are all men alike? Always care so much about their ambition to reach the top?"
Mu Jiao Long replied, "No, I am going to win back the one I love, and then we will run away together."
Li Liqin smiled peacefully. "Mu xia, thank you." She closed her eyes and died.
Mu Jiao Long suddenly remembered Wang Changming's puppy theory. He took out his knife and cut open Li Liqin's lower abdomen. He took out a baby boy from her womb. The baby didn't seem to be breathing, so he grabbed one of the baby's feet, turned him upside down, and slapped the baby severely. After the third slap, the baby cried.
Mu Jiao Long buried Li Liqin with the help of a local priestess. After the burial, he began to walk towards Chen Village to fulfill his vow. On the way, he met a middle-aged woman who was resting on the side of the road.
Mu Jiao Long asked the middle-aged woman, "This furen, do you have some water or tea to spare?"
The middle-aged woman looked at Mu Jiao Long, got up, and said, "Come with me. Go over there and sit down in my farm shed."
Mu Jiao Long followed her. She pulled out a wooden stool and handed it to Mu Jiao Long. He looked around and saw this was a cow shed. The woman walked to the table, poured a bowl of tea, and returned to Mu Jiao Long.
The middle-aged woman handed him the bowl. "Here you go, young man." She stared intently at the child Mu Jiao Long was carrying. "Young man, where is your wife?"
Mu Jiao Long replied, "She is at home."
The woman smiled. "Your child is very cute. I believe your wife is very beautiful."
Mu Jiao Long clarified gently, "Lao nainai, this is not my child; I found him on the side of the road."
The middle-aged woman sighed wistfully. "I begged God to give me a child, but it didn't happen. As a result, because I couldn't get pregnant, my in-laws supported my husband to marry another. My husband refused for two years, but after five years of trying, my husband left me and married another woman." She frowned. "If I could get pregnant, I would never throw my baby away."
Mu Jiao Long looked at the woman, his eyes narrowed in sudden recognition. "Furen, do you happen to have the surname, Li?"
The woman nodded, her expression simple and straightforward.
Holding the child close, the Mu Jiao Long's heart twisted with a brutal certainty: in his current perilous situation, he simply could not raise this baby. He stared down at the sympathetic woman, his gaze conveying a silent, desperate plea. He knew a child deserved to grow up surrounded by unconditional love, and he was agonizingly certain that this woman—this kind, pitying soul—would cherish and protect the baby more fiercely than he ever could.
Mu Jiao Long looked at her with an idea. "In fact, he was not completely thrown away. His mother died while giving birth to him." He looked at the middle-aged woman. "Furen, do you want to raise him as a son?"
The middle-aged woman smiled, her eyes widening with hope. "Can I?"
Mu Jiao Long affirmed, "If you are willing to raise this child to be a good person, then this child is yours."
The middle-aged woman happily nodded, tears instantly welling up in her eyes. She dropped to her knees before Mu Jiao Long, covering her face with her hands. She sobbed, "I didn't know that a single bowl of tea could give me a son! I dreamed that I would have a child, and now, better than that, I have a son! Da Xia..." She grabbed onto Mu Jiao Long's hand, holding it tight. "You are truly a savior. You have filled my old age with joy!"
Mu Jiao Long handed the baby to the woman. "If you have any difficulties, you can go to the capital to find the Mu family." Mu Jiao Long stood up and started to walk away.
The middle-aged woman hurried after him. "Gongzi, what's the name of this child?"
Mu Jiao Long looked at her wide smile. He paused and gave the child a name. "Yuanjun."
The middle-aged woman kissed the baby's forehead. "Li Yuanjun... my dear Yuan'er... my bundle of joy." The woman walked back to the table and found the money bag that Mu Jiao Long had left. She opened it and saw it was full of silver. She shouted gratefully after Mu Jiao Long. "Da yingxiong, thank you!"