In years of famine and drought, their village even rejected fatty meat.

Chapter 503 Dreams and Responsibilities

In fact, Jiang Changye had also been a disciple. When he became the sect leader of the Sword Sect, he was just as passionate as Xue Qi and Jiang Weiyu, determined to travel the world with his sword.

And he did indeed put it into action. At the age of 23, having reached the sixth rank, he bid farewell to his sect leader and the villagers of Zhangshan Village and embarked on a journey through the martial world.

That period was probably the most carefree time of Jiang Changye's life. He traveled across the land, settling scores and seeking justice, helping those in need, assassinating corrupt officials, and slaying bandits and highwaymen...

For three whole years, Jiang Changye felt that he had truly become the chivalrous hero he had dreamed of since childhood, roaming the land with only his sword and eliminating all injustices!

Unfortunately, in life, many things are beyond our control.

Jiang Changye, who was traveling the world, received a letter from Yuezhou in Liangzhou. The letter contained only one line: "Sect Master's time is coming to an end. Return immediately."

Upon receiving this letter, Jiang Changye could no longer care about his dream of chivalry and rushed back from Liangzhou to Zhangshan Village in Yuezhou to see his dying master.

When Jiang Changye's master, Su Hongyuan, took him in, he was nearly ninety years old. He taught Jiang Changye for more than ten years, and after Jiang Changye's three years of travel, his life finally came to an end.

In Xia Guo, a country with extremely poor medical conditions, it is considered lucky for an ordinary person to live to their forties or fifties, let alone Su Hongyuan, who lived to be over a hundred years old.

Therefore, Su Hongyuan was not afraid of his own death.

On his deathbed, he held Jiang Changye's hand and said in a weak but kind voice, "Changye, I know you have always had a dream of chivalry in your heart. I was just like you back then, determined to eliminate the evil people in the world and to make the people of the world sing my praises for my chivalry. However, a person cannot live in this world with only dreams, but also needs to shoulder some responsibilities."

After pausing for a moment, the weak Su Hongyuan caught his breath and continued, "After I leave, the villagers of Zhangshan Village in this Sword Sect will be in your care. You must take good care of them!"

"master."

A man doesn't easily shed tears, but at this moment, Jiang Changye was crying uncontrollably, his master's earnest teachings flashing through his mind.

He was originally the son of an ordinary villager in Zhangshan Village. Because of his exceptional talent, he was taken in as a disciple by Su Hongyuan and became the sole successor of the Zhangjian Sect.

Since taking him in, Su Hongyuan has treated him like his own son, teaching him to read and to practice martial arts. Even when he was naughty, Su Hongyuan never got angry. Instead, he patiently taught him how to conduct himself in society.

It can be said that in Jiang Changye's heart, Su Hongyuan was as great as his father.

However, at this moment, his master, whom he had always regarded as vigorous and powerful, was approaching the end of his life...

"Don't cry."

Su Hongyuan reached out and wiped away Jiang Changye's tears, saying gently, "Everyone must die, and separation is an indispensable part of this world. Your master is getting old, and it is time for me to part ways with you. From now on, the Sword Sect and the villagers of Zhangshan Village will need to be taken care of by you."

After a pause, Su Hongyuan looked directly into Jiang Changye's eyes and said, "Changye, promise your master that you will take good care of Zhangshan Village, okay?"

"Master, I promise you."

"it is good!"

Having received a satisfactory answer, Su Hongyuan nodded happily and breathed his last.

"master!"

Jiang Changye burst into tears, unable to stop them no matter what she did.

The villagers waiting outside the door also wept silently.

Su Hongyuan lived to be over a hundred years old, and for seventy years of that time he silently protected Zhangshan Village. The villagers were well aware of all this.

Therefore, at the moment Su Hong passed away, every household in Zhangshan Village wore mourning clothes, and everyone was immersed in grief.

"Sect Leader Su, may you rest in peace!"

"Sect Leader Su, thank you for taking care of me all these years."

"A good person like Sect Leader Su will surely be reborn into a good family."

"..."

On the day of Su Hongyuan's funeral, all the villagers came, and everyone spontaneously wore mourning clothes, even the children.

Su Hongyuan, who lived to be over a hundred years old, made significant contributions to Zhangshan Village. He withstood the pressure from the government and the exploitation from officials, landlords, and large families on behalf of the villagers. It can be said that without Su Hongyuan, the villagers of Zhangshan Village would not have been able to live in peace and stability.

Therefore, at Su Hongyuan's funeral, even the young children, at their parents' behest, picked some wildflowers and placed them on Su Hongyuan's grave.

For several days, the entire Zhangshan Village was immersed in an atmosphere of sorrow, and everyone was filled with sadness and listlessness.

Fortunately, time is the best medicine to heal grief.

As time passed, the grief in everyone's hearts gradually subsided.

Jiang Changye successfully took over the position of sect leader and shouldered the responsibilities he should bear.

When Jiang Changye first took over the position, he was actually quite uncomfortable, simply because the sect leader of the Sword Sect had to deal with far too many things, even trivial matters and disputes in the village.

In addition, Jiang Changye also needed to teach the villagers to read and write, and deal with the tax collectors who would come to collect taxes from time to time...

The sheer number of issues left Jiang Changye completely overwhelmed.

"Has Master been dealing with these kinds of things all these years?"

Jiang Changye, who was busy day and night, would occasionally think of his deceased master. The thought that his master had been in this state for decades made his scalp tingle.

Fortunately, humans are learning animals after all. As he remained in the position of sect leader for longer, Jiang Changye became more and more adept at handling these matters.

However, because he needed to deal with these matters, he was trapped in Zhangshan Village and could no longer realize his ambition to fight for justice.

"Perhaps this is the responsibility that my master was talking about."

At this moment, Jiang Changye finally understood the responsibility his master had spoken of. Upholding justice and helping the weak is the dream of the successors of the Sword Sect, and protecting Zhangshan Village and the villagers who support them is the responsibility of the successors of the Sword Sect!

Dreams and responsibilities—the successors of the Sword Sect can only choose one.

Su Hongyuan chose the former, as did the successive generations of the Sword Sect, and Jiang Changye did the same.

In his spare time from dealing with tedious affairs, Jiang Changye would also look for talented martial arts practitioners in the village. In the second year after he took over as the sect leader, Jiang Changye noticed a boy named Xue Qi, or rather, a chubby boy, in the village's threshing ground!