Chapter 105: Jing Yuanheng
Jing Yuanheng grew up in the Land of Lightning and successfully got married, had children, and settled down here. Since his home was by the sea, while making a living by fishing and selling his catches, he also made dried seafood to sell to passing travelers as an additional source of income. It was easy to deal with the unsold ones - he could just keep them for himself.
Therefore, he had seen all kinds of travelers from different places. But the traveler today couldn't help but catch his eye again and again.
The traveler was quite young, only around fourteen or fifteen years old. However, he stood upright, and his every move gave people a sense of calmness.
But this was not what really caught Jing Yuanheng's attention. Currently, with wars raging in various countries, there might be few young people who are mature beyond their years, but they are not non-existent.
What really caught Jing Yuanheng's attention was the young man's appearance.
Although he had grown up by the sea, thanks to those nobles who always came to the seaside for fun and to experience life, he had seen no less than eighty good-looking people, if not a hundred.
But none of the nobles had ever given him the same sense of surprise as this young man. The young man's skin was as delicate as exquisite porcelain. Most of his black hair was neatly tied up behind his head, but a few strands stubbornly curled up in an arc, as if protesting against their master for binding them.
Those few strands of hair gently swept across the young man's eyebrows and side face, making the smile on his lips appear even more gentle. Against the backdrop of his light-colored clothes, he looked more like a celestial being rather than an ordinary person.
However, when Jing Yuanheng's gaze fell on the silk ribbon covering the young man's eyes, he couldn't help but feel sorry. He really couldn't imagine that such a person who should have been the center of attention had gone blind at such a young age. After all, even without the most expressive part of his facial features - his eyes, the young man in front of him was still so handsome that people couldn't help but be stunned.
"Shopkeeper? Are you listening?"
Jing Yuanheng immediately came back to his senses from his pity. He gave the young man in front of him a kind smile. "Sorry, sorry, I was distracted. What did you say, young man?"
"I want to buy some dried fish that can be stored during the journey. Since I want to buy a variety of dried fish in small quantities, the shopkeepers in the city suggested I come to the fishermen by the sea to buy them..." The young man's voice was gentle and mellow. "Do you have any recommendations?"
"I see... So, young man, do you want the ready-to-eat kind or the kind that needs to be cooked?"
"If there are ready-to-eat ones, it would be a great help. After all, as you can see, it's a bit difficult for me to make a fire in my situation."
The young man's voice was full of joy and gratitude, without a trace of gloom. This made Jing Yuanheng feel even more sorry for him. "I understand. Then I'll take out some of each kind. Just wait for me a moment, young man."
"Well, although it might be a bit presumptuous..." The young man seemed a bit embarrassed. "I've traveled a long way. If it's convenient, could I have a meal here? I'll pay for it."
"
"Hahaha... If you don't mind the rough meals of a fisherman's family, young man, you can stay. But you don't need to pay. Anyway, it's just a random meal made from the unsellable catches," Jing Yuanheng let out a hearty laugh. "There's a table in the yard. Please come over here and have a seat."
"Thank you," the young man tapped his way over with his blind stick. "I'll buy more dried fish later then."
"Hahaha, really appreciate your patronage. Although dried fish can keep fresh much longer than fresh fish, it can easily go bad in humid weather," watching the young man sit down at the table smoothly, Jing Yuanheng walked towards his house. "Then, young man, have a seat here for a while. The food will be ready soon."
Soon after Jing Yuanheng entered the house, a black crow landed on the young man's shoulder. "The investigation results are out. A week ago, there were violent earthquakes coming from the direction of Thunder Gorge, which even triggered a small Tatsunami caw."
"What's the direction?"
"Due north from here caw."
"Okay, thanks for your hard work, Yata," the young man bent his fingers and rubbed the crow's chin. "Go back and rest first. After handing over the information to Sanshu, also let Father and the others know I'm safe."
"Got it caw."
As he finished speaking, the crow on the young man's shoulder turned into a puff of white smoke and vanished, leaving the young man gently tapping his blind stick with his fingers and muttering to himself, "A week ago? In that case, calculating the time, Yi and the others have really been delayed for a long time. Could it be that the child from the Senju clan is of great importance?
Well, it seems I can't let him go so easily next time. But why did that child run away secretly like this?"
Ling just couldn't figure it out.
"Was his mind corrupted by Yi... Or does he have other plans..." Ling laid the staff sword across his legs, his hands interlaced and resting on the edge of the table. "Well, he's a little guy who needs to be guarded against in every sense..."
"Sorry to keep you waiting!"
The moment he heard the voice, Ling turned his head and smiled. "No, it's me who should thank you for the hospitality."
Jing Yuanheng placed a bowl in front of Ling. "Since your situation is special, young man, I've sliced the fish fillets thinly and put them in a bowl. If you like sashimi, you can pour some miso on it. If you prefer cooked fish, just pour the hot soup over it. Which do you prefer?"
Ling reached out to take the spoon. "I have a light taste. This is fine. No need to go to any trouble."
"Oh? Alright then." Jing Yuanheng nodded blankly. He also sat down at the table, then watched Ling start to eat unhurriedly. "Well... It might be a bit presumptuous, but you don't seem to be blind, young man."
Ling swallowed the food in his mouth. "One will always figure out some tricks after living in the dark for a long time... The fish fillets are very fresh, and it seems you've specially removed the fish bones. It's really a big help."
"
"Hey, it was just a small favor. But, young man..." Jing Yuanheng gave Ling another once-over, his tone full of sighs. "It's not a good time for you to be here right now."
"Not a good time?" Ling tilted his head slightly. "What do you mean by that?"
"Because there have been a lot of disasters here recently, like earthquakes and Tatsunami..." Jing Yuanheng stroked his chin. "We common folks can't just up and move; we've got to tough it out. But you, a traveler, don't have to suffer like this. Leave while it's still relatively peaceful recently."
"Wow, I had no idea stuff like this had happened here..."
Just when Ling was about to inquire further, a woman's scream came from inside Jing Yuanheng's house...