In this way, Farmer managed to stop Raion and Miller from fighting. The gathered crowd slowly dispersed, and Raion, unfazed by their opinions, continued his training in the back mountains.
In the secluded mountains, Raion focused his chakra between his hands, forming it into a perfect sphere.
Next, he manipulated the chakra sphere, making it rotate in multiple directions, creating cyclones that spun with incredible precision. To an outsider, it might appear calm and still, like an ancient well with no ripples. Yet, within it was concentrated, explosive power…
During these days, Anderson had gone on an expedition and had yet to return. On the surface, the village seemed calm, but beneath that quiet facade, everyone was as anxious as ants on a hot griddle. Each household began quietly preparing weapons, ready to resist Anderson's inevitable return. Farmer's words of comfort did little to ease their nerves.
Meanwhile, Raion spent his days training, staying at Farmer's house as a guest.
One evening, while they were eating, Farmer spoke up."Mr. Raion, please… defeat Anderson and rid us of the Wolf Pirate Group. I have placed all my hopes—and all the village's treasures—in your hands."
Raion was moved by Farmer's unconditional trust. He nodded and replied, "Don't worry. Since I've promised you, I'll give it my all."
Even Wei Erdan, sitting nearby, seemed to have slowly grown used to Raion's presence. Her hostility toward him was no longer as sharp as before. Still, she remained unconvinced that Raion could actually defeat Anderson.
"Mr. Raion…" Farmer said softly.
"What is it?" Raion asked.
Farmer paused for a moment before saying, "If you can defeat Anderson, I will let Wei Erdan marry you."
The rice in Raion's mouth almost sprayed across the table!
He frantically waved his hands. "No, no, no! Even if I defeat Anderson, I won't ask for a single extra grain of rice from you, let alone this!"
Wei Erdan's face flushed with anger. "Hey! What do you mean by that? Acting like I'm not good enough for you?! Hmph! I would never marry an idiot like you! Never!"
Raion's refusal, especially how blunt and immediate it was, only made her angrier. It wasn't that she liked Raion, but rather that she was confident in her own beauty. And truthfully, Wei Erdan was stunning. Among the two villages, she was considered the girl every young man admired and secretly loved.
If anyone else had heard Farmer's offer, they would have agreed on the spot, probably grinning for three days straight from sheer happiness.
But Raion? He refused, and he did so casually—like she wasn't even worth considering. To Wei Erdan, this was practically a denial of her beauty and charm. How could she not be furious?
Her pride wounded, she turned to Farmer. "Dad! Why do you trust him so much? I don't think he's any match for Anderson at all. Anderson will kill him, you'll see!"
Farmer just sighed.
Raion, however, chuckled at her words.
In stark contrast to Wei Erdan was Jenny, the deputy village chief's daughter.
Jenny was only fifteen years old—slim, lively, and full of youthful innocence. To Raion, she was like a little sister, a pure-hearted girl.
The first time Jenny and Raion met was when she was flying a kite. The string had gotten tangled in the branches of a tree. As luck would have it, Raion was passing by on his way back from training.
"Big brother, can you help me get the kite down?" Jenny asked sweetly, pointing at the tree.
Raion didn't answer right away. Instead, he gathered chakra at the tips of his index and middle fingers.
White Blade!
A flash of white energy cut through the branch, and the kite floated down to the ground.
Jenny's eyes sparkled with excitement as she retrieved the kite. She skipped over to him and said, "Wow, big brother, you're amazing! What's your name?"
"Raion," he replied.
"Oh! Then can you fly a kite with me?" she asked with a bright smile.
"This…" Raion hesitated. He had just finished training and was drenched in sweat. His plan was to go straight back to Farmer's house.
But Jenny wasn't about to take no for an answer. She grabbed his arm and pleaded, "Big brother, just for a little while? You're so cool—please?"
Raion sighed, giving in. "Alright… fine…"
From that day on, Jenny started seeking him out regularly. With her innocent, sweet nature, Raion found it impossible to refuse her.
Wei Erdan, of course, noticed this. Every time she saw Raion playing with Jenny, an inexplicable irritation stirred in her chest.
Finally, one day, Wei Erdan confronted him. "Raion! My dad asked you to fight Anderson, not to flirt with girls!"
Raion raised an eyebrow. "That's my personal business, isn't it? Besides, Anderson isn't even back yet. What do you want me to do—sail out to sea to look for him? Aren't you afraid I'll just run away?"
"You—!" Wei Erdan's face turned red with anger, but she couldn't find the words to argue back.
Jenny, too, had heard about Raion's plan to fight Anderson. One day, she looked at him with her big, innocent eyes and asked, "Big brother Raion, is it true? Are you really going to fight Anderson all by yourself?"
"Yeah," Raion answered simply.
"Then promise me you'll defeat that bad guy. And… don't die, okay?" she said softly.
Raion felt a black line of exasperation slide down his forehead. "Yeah, yeah, I know…"
Then came the words that nearly made him choke.
Jenny fiddled nervously with her fingers, her face turning pink. "Um… Big brother Raion…"
"Hm?"
"My father said that if you beat Anderson, I should marry you…"
"What?!!"
At that moment, Raion felt like ten thousand alpacas were stampeding through his mind. What is wrong with this village? he thought. Why is everyone trying to marry off their daughters like rewards?
A month passed in Zhendong Village, and the day they had all been dreading finally arrived.
Anderson was back!
The moment he returned and heard about his brother's death, Anderson led his crew straight toward Zhendong Village, wasting no time.
At the harbor, the village militia spotted a large force approaching from the sea. The lookout hurried down from the watchtower to warn everyone. Soon, villagers armed themselves, while Farmer and the so-called "Guardian" Miller prepared to lead the defense.
Miller looked around and asked with a frown, "Village chief, where's that kid?"
Farmer's face turned awkward. "He left early this morning… I haven't seen him since."
"What?!"
The villagers gasped in shock.
Had Raion… already run away?