Who is this young man

Lu Huai'an followed Su Yang into the house, set down the things he was carrying, then turned to leave.

Su Yang chuckled behind him: "Uncle Lu, take it easy."

"Ah, no worries. You go on upstairs and make yourself comfortable. We'll be back soon."

"Maybe I should come with you?"

"No need, we've got help."

Su Yang smiled. "Alright then."

Lu Huai'an jogged to the courtyard gate, where Li Xiurong stood beside a Maybach.

"Let's go, Xiurong. Old Liu should be home, right?"

"Who knows? We'll see."

"Wait—this car... is it Xiao Su's?" Li Xiurong pointed at the Maybach, looking puzzled.

Lu Huai'an laughed heartily. "It is. But honestly, I'm not surprised he drives something like this."

"How so?"

"Well, think about it—he cured my illness like it was nothing. A man like that driving a Maybach? Doesn't seem strange at all."

Li Xiurong pondered for a moment. "You're right. Ah, for our Yunyun to know someone like Xiao Su is truly a blessing."

"Absolutely! If not for her, I'd still be lying in bed waiting to die. Now look at me—full of energy!"

"Oh, and he told me—we're saying the hospital misdiagnosed me. Not a word about anything else, got it?" Lu Huai'an glanced around before lowering his voice.

Li Xiurong nodded. "Don't worry, I'm not stupid. I know better than to go blabbing about these things."

"Good. Make sure you don't slip up. We’ll remind Yunyun later too."

"Got it!"

"Alright, let's go see Old Liu about the pig. We have to treat Xiao Su well—on one hand, he's a man of extraordinary ability; on the other, he's my savior! Ah, we’ll find ways to repay him properly later. No question about it."

"And if he can save lives with a laugh, he could probably take them just as easily. I wouldn’t have believed any of this if it hadn’t happened to me, but now I have no choice."

Li Xiurong nodded again, leaning closer to whisper, "Huai'an, do you think Xiao Su might be one of those legendary cultivators?"

"Shh! Whether he is or isn’t, we don’t ask, we don’t speculate. Just act like he is, and leave it at that."

"Fine, fine. I understand."

As they talked, they arrived at a house. Lu Huai'an peeked in and saw a middle-aged man in a blue T-shirt and gray shorts fiddling with something in the yard.

This was Old Liu—about 165 cm tall, with a square face, a scruffy beard, a receding hairline, graying temples, and sun-weathered skin. The very picture of a simple villager.

Lu Huai'an pushed open the gate and walked in with a grin. "Old Liu, what’re you up to?"

"Well, if it isn’t Lao Lu! I heard you were sick?" Old Liu looked up, smiling.

He’d only heard rumors about Lu Huai'an’s illness, not the details.

"Ah, don’t listen to gossip. Just a minor thing—I’m fine now. Where are your pigs?"

"Out back. What, you got guests?"

Lu Huai'an chuckled. "Yeah, a very important one. Thought I’d get a pig from you to prepare a proper meal."

"Hah! Perfect timing. I’ve been struggling to sell them. Come on, let’s go to the backyard."

Old Liu set down his work and stood, offering Lu Huai'an a cigarette.

"Hard to sell pigs these days."

Lu Huai'an took it with a smile. "Tell me about it. Nothing’s easy these last couple years—even farming’s tough."

Li Xiurong followed the two men as they took a narrow path around the right side of the house to the backyard.

The moment they stepped in, a pungent stench hit them—anyone who’s been near a pigpen knows that smell. One whiff, and you’re halfway to the heavens.

The backyard was small, just a patch of flat ground leading to the fields. To the left stood a pigpen built of hollow bricks and tiles, housing four or five large white pigs noisily devouring their feed.

Though Lu Huai'an and Li Xiurong lived in the village, they’d never raised pigs themselves. The odor was overwhelming.

Li Xiurong covered her nose and glanced at the pen. "Ugh, I can’t take this. I’ll wait for you up front."

Lu Huai'an laughed. "Go on, wait in the yard."

Old Liu stepped into the pen, slapping the pigs’ rumps and making shooing noises. "Go on, shoo! Oink-oink!"

Separating the huddled pigs, he turned to Lu Huai'an. "So, Lao Lu, which one do you want? They’re all sturdy."

Lu Huai'an braved the stench and inspected them, then pointed at the largest, fattest one. "That big one."

"Heh, good choice!"

---

Meanwhile, Su Yang and Lu Yun chatted in the living room.

Suddenly, voices rose from the courtyard below.

Su Yang glanced out the window. "Visitors?"

"Hmm?" Lu Yun stood and looked outside.

"Oh, my uncle’s here."

Su Yang joined her at the window. Below stood three people—one man and two women. The man was Lu Yun’s uncle, Lu Huaide (Lu Huai'an’s elder brother), carrying bags of tonics and gifts.

Lu Huaide stood about 180 cm tall, broad-shouldered and straight-backed. His clothes were neat, a gold watch on his wrist—the very image of a well-off middle-aged man.

But his face was kind, bearing a strong resemblance to Lu Huai'an.

The older woman was his wife, Wang Xueying. She appeared to be in her late forties, with long hair and an assortment of jewelry around her neck and wrists. For her age, she was quite attractive.

The younger woman was their daughter, Lu Wenwen. She looked about Lu Yun’s age—early twenties—and was nearly as tall as her father, likely over 170 cm. Dressed in a fitted gray polka-dot dress, she had a delicate, refined air.

To Su Yang, her looks were decent—maybe a 7.5/10. Above average, but nowhere near Lu Yun’s beauty.

Clearly, they’d come to visit Lu Huai'an.

"Xiurong!" Lu Huaide called out from the yard.

Lu Yun leaned out the window. "Uncle, you’re here?"

Lu Huaide looked up with a smile. "Yunyun! Where’s your mom?"

"Oh, she went to buy a pig."

"Buy a pig?"

"Ah—and who’s this young man?"