Although separated by only a river, Frank Warren had never been to Xixinan Village on the opposite bank since waking up. Several times, when he left the village and gazed from the riverside, he noticed that side was more prosperous than Songmingshan Village, which was evident from the larger and more numerous private gardens. Of course, where there are rich people, there are also poor people, and there were naturally even more low, dilapidated old houses.

At the end of the stone-paved road at the entrance of Songmingshan Village stood a wooden pavilion, seemingly only a few decades old—worn but sturdy—apparently built around the same time as the stone walls and gate towers in the village. Beyond that was the stone bridge leading directly to Xixinan Village. At this very moment, a tall man was standing with his back to Frank Warren, by the riverbank a dozen or so steps from the bridge, seemingly lost in thought. But in the blink of an eye, he swiftly took off his clothes, shoes, and socks, neatly placed them on a stone, and with a splash, jumped into the water.

Seeing this, Frank Warren was startled. He hurriedly quickened his pace to catch up, first glancing at the neatly folded clothes on the round stone, then looking out over the river. In just a moment, the man had disappeared without a trace, as if he had sunk straight to the bottom. Suppressing his unease, Frank Warren patiently waited a little longer. Soon, he heard the sound of splashing water, and a head popped up from the surface, followed by arms and legs paddling toward the opposite bank.

He thought to himself, how many people intent on drowning themselves would bother to take off their clothes and shoes, and fold them so neatly? As expected, he was just swimming! Judging by the clothes, the swimmer was a scholar from a well-off family. In these times, it was rare for scholars to have such a hobby, wasn’t it?

Looking at the clear little river, Frank Warren felt a bit tempted himself for some reason. But considering the weather wasn’t yet at its hottest, and he was only just on the road to recovery, he had to resist the temptation for now. Besides, the swimmer hadn’t returned yet, and there was no one else on either bank. He remembered that as a child in his previous life, he had once been saved from the river after getting a cramp while swimming. Now, with no one around, if something happened, there’d be no one to help. So, just in case, he decided to stay a while longer, doing some exercises while keeping an eye out.

By the time Frank Warren finished his set of exercises, the man who had just gone swimming had already returned. Seeing him come ashore safely, drying himself and getting dressed by the round stone without any intention of greeting him, Frank Warren didn’t bother either and turned to head home. He thought it was just a chance encounter, but for the next three mornings in a row, he saw the same man wild swimming in the same Fengle River. Such behavior would be perfectly normal in modern times, but was quite rare now. After all, ordinary folks only went into the river to cool off or catch fish—who would be so idle as to swim for fun early in the morning?

These days, what commoners lacked most was free time!

Although the man was clearly a strong swimmer, Frank Warren still acted as an unofficial lifeguard by the river for three days. On the fourth day, after waiting for the man to come ashore and turning to leave as usual, a voice called out from behind: “Hey, you there… yes, I’m talking to you.”

Frank Warren stopped at once. Turning around, he finally got a close look at the man who swam wild in the early morning. The man looked about twenty-five or twenty-six, with clear, handsome features, but when he spoke, there was no courtesy at all: “You’ve watched me swim for three days now. Do you think this behavior is wild and unrestrained?”

Was there really someone who would praise himself like this? Swimming in the river counted as wild and unrestrained?

Frank Warren’s mouth twitched, but he replied earnestly, “I’m just being cautious, that’s all. As the old saying goes, ‘Those skilled at swimming are most likely to drown.’ If you were here with companions, that’d be one thing, but coming alone to swim in the Fengle River early in the morning, I couldn’t help but spend three days keeping watch. Even in the heat of summer, it’s easy to get a cramp in the water, let alone in this kind of weather when the water is even colder.”

The young man raised his eyebrows, his tone even more direct: “So you’re afraid I’ll drown?”

“If that’s how you see it, then all I can say is, ‘Better safe than sorry.’ That’s my principle in life. Farewell.”

Frank Warren cupped his hands and turned to leave. But after only a few steps, he heard the man speak again from behind.

“You’ve got so much trouble of your own, and you still have time to mind other people’s business?”

Clearly, the other party knew who he was, but he didn’t recognize the man!

Faced with this situation, Frank Warren felt helpless. Not to mention he only retained the original host’s jumbled memories of the Four Books, Five Classics, and eight-legged essays—even with the other memories merged in, as a bookworm ignorant of worldly affairs, he didn’t expect to recognize this person. So, he simply didn’t turn around, and said lightly while standing there, “If I were to sigh and moan, unable to eat or sleep, it would only please those with ill intentions. Life is for oneself to live; as long as I’m at ease, that’s enough.”

With that, he walked off without looking back. But the self-proclaimed wild and unrestrained fellow stuck to him like glue, catching up in no time.

“In Songmingshan Village, nine out of ten families are surnamed Wang. Why don’t you go see your elders and let them stand up for you?”