Tran Dai Lam's whole life was one of hardship. When he was two, his father was conscripted for labor. While transporting grain, due to heavy rain, the project was delayed by half a day, and he was severely punished, his leg broken. In his old age, he could only lie in bed, waiting for death.
With the family's pillar collapsed and the children still young, for the days to pass and to protect the family's few mu of farmland, his mother found a ruffian in the village to form a new household.
Later, after Tran Dai Lam's father passed away, this ruffian and his mother became an official husband and wife and continued living together. However, a ruffian is a ruffian. After becoming husband and wife, he would either beat or scold his mother, and he too was beaten black and blue since childhood.
Later on, this ruffian even瞞 (mán - concealed from) his mother, sold the family's farmland, and ran off with the money.
To raise Tran Dai Lam, his mother "colluded improperly" with other men in the village. And this kind of matter, naturally, was scorned by everyone in the village.
It was also at this time that the original owner's family and Tran Dai Lam's family reduced their interactions.
After much difficulty raising Tran Dai Lam, and then haphazardly marrying him off to a widow, they married, had a son and a daughter. Just when he thought he could enjoy some peace in his old age, his mother fell ill from accumulated hardship and passed away not long after.
To support his family of three, Tran Dai Lam could only go to the county town to do odd jobs for large households, barely maintaining their livelihood.
But one day when he returned, he found a crowd gathered by the river outside the village. Only after inquiring did he learn that his daughter, while playing in the river, had fallen in and drowned.
His wife, from then on, became incoherent, suffering from seizures.
Last year, the north suffered a drought; this year, the south had floods. He thus lost his job.
Tran Dai Lam's family was utterly destitute, his reputation also not good. In this year of disaster, no one in the village was willing to handle his funeral affairs.
Tran Mac, after understanding his family's situation, felt a stirring of compassion.
Tran Dai Lam's house was a thatched hut. Outside, a crowd of people gathered to watch the commotion.
"Dai Lam's family is finished. How will his wife and son live on?"
"The Thanh Ha Gang acted too ruthlessly. Just taking the fish would have been enough; yet they beat him like this."
"Move aside, Bro Mac is here! He and Dai Lam's family are from the same clan; Bro Mac will have to handle these funeral affairs."
"Will Bro Mac hold a banquet? Heard from Old Mistress Lu, his family even lit the stove at noon today."
...
"Are you trying to taste my blade to see if it's sharp?" Tran Mac had come holding the wood-chopping knife, fiercely glaring at the person who asked if there would be a banquet.
That person was a village ruffian named Luu Nhi Cau, who messed around with Vuong Ma Tu. He wasn't afraid of Tran Mac's fierceness at all, and even said gloomily, "Oh, Bro Mac is capable now, it seems Bro Vuong Hi still hasn't beaten you enough."
Vuong Ma Tu's real name was Vuong Hi. Because he had a face full of acne scars as a child, everyone secretly called Vuong Hi "Vuong Ma Tu" (Pockmarked Vuong).
The surrounding people burst into laughter.
"Uncle, don't act recklessly!" At this moment, Han An Nuong ran over all the way, hurriedly grabbing Tran Mac.
After the incident with Lu Tam a few days ago, Han An Nuong was really afraid Uncle would take the knife and chop him. She wanted to pull him into Tran Dai Lam's house.
She couldn't pull him; found Uncle was glaring fiercely at Luu Nhi Cau.
"Uncle..." Han An Nuong pulled Tran Mac's knife-wielding arm with both hands, her voice soft.
This time, Tran Mac was finally pulled along, and the two entered the thatched hut.
"Tch." Luu Nhi Cau revealed a sneer, saying, "Mistress Han's butt is really big, no wonder Bro Vuong Hi misses it so much."
Entering the room, Han An Nuong hurriedly took the wood-chopping knife from Tran Mac's hand. Luckily, she noticed the knife was gone and followed; otherwise, something might have happened.
Tran Mac took a deep breath. Luu Nhi Cau, right? He'll remember this score.
Inside the room, Tran Dai Lam was wrapped in a straw mat, lying on the ground. Ten-year-old Little Lam knelt beside, holding Tran Dai Lam's hand, crying like rain.
Beside them, Sister-in-law Dai Lam sometimes giggled foolishly, sometimes sobbed quietly.
Suddenly, Sister-in-law Dai Lam looked towards the doorway, rushed over crazily. Tran Mac quickly shielded Han An Nuong.
Only to see Sister-in-law Dai Lam touching the empty air, saying, "Mieu Nhi, you're back! Mieu Nhi, you're finally back! Mother missed you to death..."
Sister-in-law Dai Lam hugged a pile of empty air.
Mieu Nhi was Tran Dai Lam's drowned daughter.
Han An Nuong immediately felt a chill, goosebumps rising, tightly hugging Tran Mac's arm, her snowy pears pressing down.
"Dai Lam, wake up! Don't sleep, Dai Lam! Our Mieu Nhi is back! Dai Lam, wake up quickly..."
Saying so, Sister-in-law Dai Lam seemed to sober up, then rushed towards Tran Dai Lam's corpse, kneeling beside it: "Dai Lam, what's wrong with you? Dai Lam! Dai Lam! Woo woo woo..."
Hoarse cries, like the howling wind in the harsh winter.
Little Lam lowered his head, hands clenched tightly, holding Tran Dai Lam's hand.
"Ai."
"Ai."
Tran Mac and Han An Nuong sighed.
The so-called handling of funeral affairs simply meant carrying Tran Dai Lam's body up the mountain, digging a pit, and burying him in the straw mat.
Using a wooden plank, they erected a grave marker, writing "Grave of Tran Dai Lam."
Afterward, Tran Mac brought Little Lam to his home, gave him half a jin of corn and two jin of wheat bran.
Tran Mac patted his shoulder, saying, "This is all I can help you with. For the days to come, you can only rely on yourself."
Little Lam tightly held the bag containing corn and wheat bran, knelt before Tran Mac, kowtowed heavily, wiped his tears, and left without looking back.
...
Tran Dai Lam's death didn't cause much of a stir in Phuc Trach Village. Instead, some people complained about Tran Mac, saying he handled the funeral affairs but didn't even offer a meal.
On this day, Tran Mac was practicing his saber swings in his room as usual.
[Number of swings +1, Thien Hop Saber Technique experience +1...]
"9999." Tran Mac once again swung down with force: "10000."
[Number of swings +1, Thien Hop Saber Technique experience +1,]
It was at this moment that many insights and comprehensions flooded into his mind.
Tran Mac stopped swinging the saber, called up the panel.
[Name: Tran Mac.]
[Age: 16,]
[Cultivation Technique: Nourishing Blood Technique (Entry 11.5/100).]
[Realm: None.]
[Strength: 7+21.]
[Skill: Thien Hop Saber Technique (Perfection. If breakthrough is needed, please increase personal strength to 30.).]
Tran Mac frowned.
The Thien Hop Saber Technique was actually maxed out?
As for this breakthrough, based on his experience from reading so many novels, it should be an enhancement of the Thien Hop Saber Technique.
However, this personal strength needed to reach 30.
An ordinary person, even if training desperately, couldn't possibly exceed the normal limit by so much.
Could only rely on cultivation...
"Hoo..." Tran Mac let out a breath, then forcefully chopped once more. Sure enough, the system prompt sound was gone, and the skill column was also motionless.
"Wait another five days. Even if my personal strength hasn't increased to 8, I must go up the mountain." Tran Mac's eyes narrowed. If he delayed any longer, it would be too late when heavy snow sealed the mountains.
Perhaps Tran Dai Lam's death had touched Tran Mac. When the ten days were up, Tran Mac didn't go looking for Lu Tam to collect the grain, to push him onto a path of death.
The weather grew colder and colder.
Tran Mac thought of a method: that was to cook lunch and dinner in the morning. This way, there would be no cooking smoke at noon and night, creating the illusion of only being able to eat one meal a day...