Chapter Three: First Encounter with Chi Muqing

“Xiaolian, we must hurry on our way,” the pretty young girl said. “The White Tiger Sect’s disciple recruitment is about to begin. We absolutely can’t be late. They only accept apprentices once every three years. If we miss it this time, we’ll have to wait another three years!”

“Miss, look! There’s someone lying by the roadside.”

“Xiaolian, quickly go see what’s wrong with him.”

“He’s not dead, Miss, just fainted from hunger,” Xiaolian replied after checking the boy.

“Feed him something and wake him up. Once he’s conscious, we’ll be on our way.”

When Lin Yanghao slowly opened his eyes, he found himself in a carriage and realized he had been rescued. Turning his head, he was met with the face of a delicate girl, almost fairy-like in her beauty, gazing at him. He was so entranced that he didn’t come to his senses until a voice pierced his reverie.

“Hey, haven’t you looked enough?” came the slightly annoyed voice in his ear.

“Oh, I’ve seen enough. Thank you, young lady, for saving my life,” Lin Yanghao said, hurriedly cupping his hands in gratitude toward the girl.

But she simply replied, “You may go. You’re fine now, aren’t you? We’re in a hurry.”

“May I know your name, Miss? I will surely repay your kindness in the future,” Lin Yanghao asked at once.

“Chi Muqing,” came the cold reply. With that, she pushed Lin Yanghao off the carriage and drove away.

“Chi Muqing… what a fine name,” Lin Yanghao murmured, savoring it with a soft laugh. When he looked up again, she was already gone without a trace. He thought to himself, “Such a kind heart, and so beautiful—truly rare.”

He then set off toward the Chaoyang Mountains. After walking for a while, the sky gradually began to darken. He finally realized that he must have been unconscious for many hours.

He sighed. “Three times in three days I’ve fainted from hunger. I must quickly find a way to survive, or I’ll starve to death just after being reborn.”

Night soon fell completely, leaving Lin Yanghao no choice but to spend the night in the mountains. Surrounded by darkness, he shivered and wondered, “Could there be ghosts? This is a world with immortals, so ghosts and monsters are probably real. What should I do?”

With no better option, he searched for a long time and finally found a cave to shelter in for the night. After gathering some wood, he entered. “How do I make a fire? I’ll have to try the old way—rubbing sticks together.” After much effort, he finally coaxed a flame to life.

He gathered some dry grass to make a bed and gradually drifted off to sleep.

A series of furious roars echoed from afar, jolting Lin Yanghao awake.

“What’s happening?” Driven by curiosity, he crept out of the cave and followed the sound for about a kilometer. What he saw was a giant of a man battling over a dozen tigers—an awe-inspiring and terrifying sight. Lin Yanghao hid behind a large tree to watch the thrilling scene unfold.

The brawny man, towering at over six feet, darted back and forth among the tigers, landing a punch on one every second. Several tiger corpses already lay on the ground.

Seeing these tigers, nearly three times the size of those on Earth, Lin Yanghao wondered just how much strength it would take to kill one. “That man must be a martial artist, not a cultivator—cultivators use spells and such,” he thought.

As dawn broke, the man finally triumphed over the tigers. He skinned them and left, which worked out perfectly for Lin Yanghao, who hadn’t eaten in a day. After a quick cleaning, he roasted some tiger meat over the fire.

After eating his fill, he stretched and continued toward the Chaoyang Mountains.

The Chaoyang Mountains lay in the southeast of the Longwu Continent, stretching for thousands of miles, densely forested, home to many wild beasts and birds. Mist hovered year-round, adding an air of mystery. It was said that deep within the Misty Mountains lay sects of immortals and many martial clans. Many territories there were ruled by monsters who had gained intelligence through cultivation.

Lin Yanghao knew all this from his memories, so he planned only to explore the outer edges of the mountain range, learning to hunt so he wouldn’t starve in the future.

But reality was often harsher than dreams. After two hours in the mountains, he hadn’t even seen a feather, let alone prey—just the occasional poisonous mushroom.

Unable to find anything edible, Lin Yanghao had no choice but to return to the village. He fetched the leftover tiger meat from the cave, picked the fattest one he could carry, and made his way home.

Life passed day by day. Once the tiger meat was gone, food became Lin Yanghao’s greatest challenge. At first, some kind village women pitied him and gave him some rice, but as time went on, their kindness faded. On a bright, sunny day, Lin Yanghao felt nothing but loss and confusion.

Despite much inquiry, he still had no idea how to enter the world of cultivation or martial arts—the world of warriors and immortals was simply beyond his reach. He was too young to find work, and no one would hire him, saying he was too weak to be of any use. On this continent, there was never a shortage of labor, so even the simplest jobs were out of his reach.

At this moment, Lin Yanghao’s heart felt as if it were being pierced by a thousand needles. Food was all he longed for, but as a child, what could he do to earn even a little grain?

A fat rat suddenly scurried into his thatched hut, and for the first time in his life, Lin Yanghao considered a rat his closest companion.

The years slipped by, and Lin Yanghao remained in that place through them all.

By the time several years had passed, Lin Yanghao had reached fifteen. He’d grown from a scrawny boy of just over four feet to a sturdy youth nearly six feet tall. He had learned the ways of hunting—after spending a month doing chores for a bachelor hunter in the village, he’d picked up the basics of traps and many survival skills.

He often ventured into the Chaoyang Mountains to practice hunting. Over time, he became more skilled, which solved his food problem and made his body strong and lean. His skin was much darker now, but if one looked closely, the toned muscles beneath the sun-browned skin were evident.

One day, Lin Yanghao returned home from hunting, carrying a huge rabbit and humming an unfamiliar tune, joy brimming in his heart as he hurried back to his humble home.