Outside Jinhua City in the Greenwood Domain, there were several small hills.
At the base of those hills sat a few rundown houses, their front yards enclosed by simple wooden fences. The yards weren't large, but chickens and geese wandered about inside them.
At a glance, the place looked shabby — the sort of dwelling a poor family might call home. But within one of those yards, a young woman was going about her chores. Her beauty wasn't exactly breathtaking, yet she possessed a certain charm that brightened the dreary surroundings considerably.
Moreover, this young woman had a cultivation of the Heaven Martial First Stage. While that might not sound impressive here, on the Nine Provinces Continent, such a level would make her one of the most formidable experts around.
But right now, the young woman sat quietly in the yard, scrubbing clothes with care and diligence. The simple, humble task made her seem like the quintessential dutiful village girl.
She was Grandpa Luo's granddaughter, named Luo Lian.
"Lian'er, are you really not going to marry Shaoqiu?" Suddenly, an old man stepped out — it was Grandpa Luo.
"I want to stay with Grandpa. I won't marry anyone," Luo Lian said with a smile.
"Sigh, you silly child. The Zhao family's money house is right there in Jinhua City — it's so close that you could come see me and Xiaoru whenever you wanted," Grandpa Luo urged.
"No. Lian'er won't marry. Lian'er wants to stay with Grandpa forever and never leave," Luo Lian said firmly.
"You silly girl — how can you let this old man of yours get in the way of your own future?" Grandpa Luo said helplessly.
"Grandpa, big sister's lying. It's not that she doesn't want to get married — it's that the person she wants to marry can't be found anymore."
Suddenly, a little girl came running out of the house. She looked about seven or eight years old, with fair, porcelain-like skin and an adorable face — like a little china doll.
Her name was Xiaoru, and she was also Grandpa Luo's granddaughter.
Though still young, it was already easy to see that Xiaoru was a born beauty who would likely grow up to be even prettier than her sister.
"Oh? And who can't be found?" Grandpa Luo asked with a smile.
"Big Brother Chu Feng!" Xiaoru blinked her big, innocent eyes and answered without hesitation.
"Chu Feng? You mean Lian'er has feelings for Chu Feng?" The old man was taken aback.
A year ago, a young man had come from the Southern Seas — his name was Chu Feng.
This Chu Feng had not only saved Xiaoru, but had also wiped out the Hidden Blood Sect and avenged Grandpa Luo's old grudge.
After that, Chu Feng had left for the Southern Greenwood Forest, and since then, there had been no word from him.
But Grandpa Luo understood perfectly well that Chu Feng's arrival had changed not only himself, but both of his granddaughters as well.
If Xiaoru's fondness was merely a child's gratitude toward her savior, then Luo Lian's feelings ran far deeper — she saw Chu Feng as a hero. And what grandfather wouldn't know his own granddaughter's heart?