Old Li frowned and nodded.

  Chen Xun, this kid, has indeed changed a bit.

  From the way he handed over the wooden sword earlier, it wasn't hard to see that Chen Xun was much more normal than before.

  It gave off a sense of awakening intelligence, but not much.

  Afterward, Old Li and Li Yuan cleaned up the dining table, gnced at Chen Xun in the courtyard, advised him to go to bed early, and then went back to their rooms.

  In Little River Town, once winter arrives, people generally go to bed after dinner, as there aren't many forms of entertainment, except for a few who visit brothels.

  Chen Xun stood alone in the courtyard until midnight before quietly returning to his room.

  Chen Xun's room was originally a storage space, which Old Li had specially cleared out for him to live in.

  The room was simple, with just a wooden bed covered with a thick mat, a table, and a stool, nothing else.

  This wooden bed was made by Old Li himself, using timber he had cut from the mountains near Little River Town.

  At this moment, Chen Xun sat cross-legged on the bed, his gaze unusually clear for a moment, yet deep in his eyes, there was a struggle of consciousness...

  "Three more months..."

  Chen Xun was rarely this clear-headed.

  He was well aware of his condition.

  Every time he went mad, it would st for three years.

  Then he would have a brief period of normalcy, but how long it would st was uncertain—sometimes just a day, sometimes ten days to half a month, or even a month, but the longest never exceeded three months...

  Chen Xun couldn't remember how many times he had experienced this...

  He had been trying to find a solution to his condition but had never succeeded, so he wandered aimlessly, going with the flow, leaving everything to fate.

  Thus, over the long years, Chen Xun cycled endlessly between madness and crity, though most of the time, he was in a state of madness.

  Besides, Chen Xun had a secret no one knew—he was immortal.

  Over the countless years, he had traveled to many pces, witnessed countless lives and deaths, and bid farewell to innumerable friends and family. In the end, only he remained alive, and he had long become numb to it.

  Though immortal, for Chen Xun, it was more of a torment, not because of anything else, but because the time he was clear-headed was far too little...

  Chen Xun gnced at the house where Old Li and Li Yuanyuan lived, a trace of warmth in his eyes, but then his clear gaze uncontrolbly turned blurry, becoming 'wise.'

  Chen Xun's features twisted, and a silly grin appeared on his face once more.

  Finally, he y down, hugging the quilt, and fell asleep, a trail of drool hanging from the corner of his mouth.

  ***

  The next day.

  Chen Xun got up early, still standing in the courtyard as usual, but he kept shaking his head and giggling, occasionally making exaggerated movements.

  Li Yuan was sweeping the snow in the courtyard, occasionally gncing at Chen Xun, shaking her head helplessly, and smiling with pursed lips.

  There was nothing she could do; Chen Xun's appearance was indeed quite amusing.

  However, Li Yuan was puzzled. Just a couple of days ago, Brother Chen seemed to have changed a bit, but today he seemed to have reverted back.

  Could it be that Brother Chen was just in a bad mood the past few days, which made him so quiet?

  Strange, come to think of it, can a madman even have a bad mood?

  Sometimes, she envied Brother Chen for living so carefree; wasn't that a kind of happiness too?

  "Chen Xun, we're out of firewood at home. Today, you're coming with me to the mountain to chop some firewood. Can't let you ze around all the time."

  Old Li came into the courtyard, looking at Chen Xun as he spoke.

  He had a hatchet at his waist and a bundle of hemp rope slung over his shoulder.

  "Hehehe."

  Chen Xun turned to look at Old Li and ughed, it was unclear if he understood or not.

  Old Li didn't care, he just grabbed Chen Xun and led him out of the courtyard.

  "Yuan Yuan, Chen Xun and I are going to chop wood, make sure to lock the door while we're gone."

  "Got it, Grandpa. You and Brother Chen be careful."

  ***

  On the way out of Little River Town, Chen Xun and Old Li encountered many townsfolk who greeted Old Li.

  Little River Town wasn't big, and Old Li taking in Chen Xun was no secret.

  To the townsfolk, Old Li was a real good Samaritan, taking in a madman who only ate and drank for free, something they couldn't do.

  But deep down, the townsfolk were grateful to Old Li, because ever since he took Chen Xun in, they had found some peace.

  Chen Xun and Old Li left Little River Town, and after about half an incense stick's time, they arrived at a mountain outside the town.

  This mountain was the closest to Little River Town and had abundant resources, so the townsfolk named it Little River Peak.

  As the saying goes, 'live by the water, live by the mountain,' many townsfolk of Little River Town made a living from Little River Peak, either by hunting or gathering to sell.

  Of course, Little River Peak was also fraught with danger, with ferocious beasts lurking.

  It wasn't uncommon to hear of hunters being eaten or severely injured by beasts, or even disappearing after entering Little River Peak.

  Old Li wasn't worried, because he never went too high or deep into Little River Peak to chop wood, usually just gathering firewood at the foot of the mountain.

  Moreover, in winter, most beasts hibernated, so they were rarely seen.

  "Hey, you kid have pretty good stamina, not even out of breath. I'm really getting old."

  At the foot of Little River Peak, Old Li sat down on a wooden stump, looking at Chen Xun, panting.

  "Hehehe..."

  Chen Xun seemed to be mocking him.

  Old Li smiled helplessly, and after resting enough, he picked up the hatchet to start chopping trees.

  He didn't expect Chen Xun to chop trees, bringing him along was mainly for company and to have someone help carry the firewood back home after it was chopped.

  Time passed, and soon an hour had gone by.

  Old Li had chopped enough firewood and was tying it up with the hemp rope.

  During this time, Chen Xun behaved well, just standing in pce, not wandering off, which pleased Old Li.

  Rustle, rustle...

  Just then, the sound of footsteps crunching on snow came from ahead.

  Old Li's hands froze as he was tying the firewood.

  Chen Xun was behind him, so the noise couldn't have been made by him.

  Then...

  Thinking of something, Old Li's hands started to tremble, and he looked up sharply, seeing a massive beast crouched not far ahead, watching them intently, ready to attack at any moment.

  Old Li's pupils contracted heavily.

  A bck tiger!

  The bck tiger was definitely a dominant beast on Little River Peak, and hunters usually avoided it. He never expected to encounter one today!

  Damn, why was the bck tiger at the foot of Little River Peak?

  Old Li didn't dare to breathe loudly, but his heart was racing, and he was so nervous he could hardly breathe.

  Despair filled Old Li's heart, and he gnced at Chen Xun out of the corner of his eye, saying without hesitation, "Chen, Chen Xun, you, run..."

  If it were someone else, they would have left the madman Chen Xun behind to distract the bck tiger, buying more time to escape.

  But Old Li's first thought was to let Chen Xun escape.

  Chen Xun continued to ugh to himself, seemingly unaware of the impending danger.

  Old Li knew he couldn't communicate with Chen Xun, so he gritted his teeth, gripping the hatchet tightly, facing the bck tiger, though his hands were visibly shaking.

  This was a bck tiger, after all, even hunters with bows and arrows would have weak knees, let alone an old man like Old Li.

  At this moment, after sizing up Chen Xun and Old Li, the bck tiger seemed to decide they posed no threat and began to move, creeping towards them...

  Old Li's face turned pale, his legs unsteady, his mouth murmuring Yuan Yuan, Yuan Yuan...

  If he died, what would happen to his granddaughter?

  What about Chen Xun? He was the one who called Chen Xun to chop wood, essentially putting him in harm's way... Chen Xun was still so young...

  Rustle, rustle...

  Just then, Chen Xun suddenly moved in front of Old Li, crouching down in a beast-like posture, just like the night he chased Old Li on the street.

  "Roar, roar, roar!"

  Chen Xun raised his head, growling at the approaching bck tiger, his throat emitting beast-like roars.

  It looked like the reckless behavior of a madman.

  But in Old Li's eyes, it was unbelievable, his eyes reddened, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

  "Chen Xun... good boy."

  To be honest, all this time, Chen Xun did nothing, just ate and drank for free, and Old Li had some resentment in his heart.

  But all those resentments vanished the moment Chen Xun, risking his life, bravely shielded him.