Yuchi emerged from a small creek covered in mud, understanding the true meaning of deathly rapids.
He almost lost his life.
"The Mortal Realm is still quite lacking. Once I reach the Qi Cultivation Realm, I won't be able to accidentally get myself killed so easily."
Yuchi also pulled a long piece of aquatic grass from his throat.
A piece of aquatic grass probably as long as an arm.
"Ugh!"
He crouched by the water's edge and coughed several times before he barely regained his composure.
With the flying sword clutched in his hand, Yuchi saw faint wisps of smoke visible in the distance.
The first thought that sprang to his mind was a saying.
"Set a mountain on fire, and you'll rot in jail."
He shook his head.
"That must be a village!" He was somewhat touched and put away his flying sword, slowly walking toward the village.
With this opportunity, he also pondered about his current location.
I am currently in the Nine Provinces, which, as the name suggests, consists of nine large regions.
Most of the populace is concentrated in the first six provinces.
The seventh province is all desert, the eighth is a vast expanse of water, and the ninth is a range of ancient mountains.
Xufu Town is situated in the third province, at some nameless spot, with the truly opulent places seemingly a hundred thousand miles away.
There are, however, many sects.
This results in very few visible monsters, as monsters are usually hunted down by cultivators as soon as they appear.
Thus, monsters are more commonly found in the latter three provinces—deserts, waters, and mountains.
"In the future, I'll need to take our sect disciples out for training whenever possible. We can't just have cultivation without application."
"Otherwise, I'd be just like myself, wouldn't I?"
He blushed slightly.
He felt he wasn't good at fighting, as he had been an ordinary person in his past life.
Not some urban warlord or the bodyguard of some CEO.
Also not a son-in-law with astounding combat power.
His combat power was almost zero.
Yuchi didn't think fighting head-on was a good idea; if a fight was necessary, it should be done through ambush.
Defeat the enemy in one strike.
But no matter what, he felt he had to learn to fight, as the path to the Ascension Gate would not be easy.
If they discover the Ascension Gate someday.
Who knows how many sect leaders might come shouting? If he's embarrassed in front of sect disciples, that's a minor issue; if any sect disciple gets hurt, that's a big deal.
That would be a huge failure in life.
He then picked up a piece of branch from the ground and arrived at the entrance of a small village, roughly with around a hundred households. He saw many meat drying racks and a lot of fur in the village's flat area.
It seemed the village survived by hunting.
There was a small path to the south of the village for exiting, and as it was nearing dinner time, Yuchi hid silently in the woods observing the village in the distance.
Thanks to the powerful Immortal Stone in his mind, he could see the spirit roots of ordinary people directly.
"Eh? That young lady is impressive; her Thunder Spirit Root talent is ranked seventh, even stronger by one rank compared to Shen Qinghan's little sister!"
"Only she seems a bit older?"
"Seems she's about the same age as me?"
He paused.
Yuchi was a bit worried; in this world, relationships and marriages develop rather early.
He seems to have a fiancée, but thankfully, nothing came of it because the fiancée seemed to have abandoned him.
Logically, he should clench his fists and shout skyward, "Never look down on a poor young man!"
Or at least say, "In thirty years, the East River, in thirty years, the West River."
In reality.
He's quite happy!
And he didn't feel anything for this girl, whom he had never met.
After pondering for a while.
"Hope she's not married."
"I'm not a scoundrel like Cao!"
"But..."
"If she truly wants to cultivate, I will still help her."
While he was contemplating, he noticed the young lady in cloth clothing drawing a bow and arrow, just marveling at her archery skills.
The arrow was aimed directly at him.
Then.
"Buzz!"
The arrow in the air was like a poisonous dragon, snaking its way toward him.
The Mortal Realm, after all, is still the Mortal Realm; he couldn't dodge at all.
Yuchi made a lazy donkey roll to avoid a fatal injury, and when he looked down,
"Oh no!"
An arrow had struck his knee, and his blood pressure instantly spiked.
...
At night, an oil lamp glowed beside a small wooden table, with Yuchi's right leg wrapped in an attire, grimacing as he sat on a brick bed.
In front of him, a young girl dressed in linen was setting food on the table.
The earthen bowl contained some steaming cooked millet, which looked unappealing with its array of colors.
It was also his first time witnessing how villagers dined.
A large pot for everything, miscellaneous stews with everything from wild vegetables to meat and fungi mixed in, boiled until sticky.
"Sir, it's time to eat," the girl said softly.
After speaking, she turned to leave and pull the door behind her.
"Join in," Yuchi hastily stopped her.
"Is it okay for me to sit at the table?" the girl asked in surprise.
"Of course, why not?" Yuchi replied, frustrated.
He guessed he was right; there are certainly many young girls who need to be slowly rescued.
The young girl thought carefully for a moment, but still did not eat at the same table.
She didn't know who Yuchi was, but she knew she had accidentally hurt him, and thinking about it made her a bit fearful, if not for his quick reaction.
That arrow should have pierced through his shoulder directly, shattering his heart.
But how did he manage to dodge it?
It's a pity.
"If only my archery was better, he would have surely died!" she sighed softly.
"Hey... if you're going to fantasize, at least don't say it out loud!" Yuchi was speechless.
"Sorry!" she quickly added.
Yuchi was very hungry, so he moved to sit next to the wooden bench, glancing around at the small, open-view cabin.
He tried asking, "I still don't know your name?"
"My name is Xu Feiling."
"Nice name!" Yuchi complimented.
Ha!
How perfunctory!
While eating, he also secretly observed her. Her figure was clearly thin and weak, probably due to malnutrition, but her height was decent, about seventeen or eighteen, with a straight posture. But just like Shen Qinghan, her skin was dark, rough, with tangled hair piled on her head, and he could see there were quite a few lice.
"Very genuine."
Yuchi also asked, "May I ask if you're married?"
"I am not yet married," Xu Feiling blurted out.
After seeing the young man's relieved expression, she immediately realized something was amiss.
What's going on!
Why is he asking such a question?
Who asks that right off the bat!
Yuchi sighed with relief, okay.
She's not a married woman.
Then.
A bit disappointed too.
He secretly pinched his own thigh and then grinned friendlily, "Young lady, do you want to cultivate immortality?"
"I don't want to," Xu Feiling cautiously answered.
The more she looked at Yuchi, the more he seemed like a fraud.
No outsiders ever come to the village, so how did he find it?
Then he sneakily hid in the bushes.
And asked such a question.
Immortality?
What kind of immortality?
What kind of cultivation?
With whom to cultivate?
With him?
Not a good idea?
Even if he is quite handsome, it's too fast!
Xu Feiling suddenly felt warm, her hand behind her clutching an iron dagger, just in case Yuchi intended harm, she could resist!
"Young lady, your ability to strategize is impressive!" Yuchi was stupefied.
Thinking a bit more, he sighed and deliberately said, "What a pity, I thought you had the potential for immortality, so I considered rescuing you, but seeing your determined stance, I'll finish my meal and leave immediately."
Saying this, he secretly activated the jade talisman, and his body instantly disappeared from its original position.
Xu Feiling immediately rubbed her eyes, shocked as she stared at the wooden table!
Yuchi was gone?
The young man was gone?
She then rushed into the small village for a look, suddenly breaking out in a cold sweat on her forehead.
"What is the young master doing on the roof?" she muttered helplessly.
Yuchi felt awkward.
He had intended to use the jade talisman to instantly appear within thirty feet to showcase his strength.
What a coincidence, he ended up directly on the roof.
But here's the saying.
As long as I'm not embarrassed, it's the others who will be.
As a Sect Leader, could Yuchi's face be thin?
"I just want to leave this place, it's a pity you'll have to stay in such a place for your whole life."
"What a waste of good years, other disciples have their own cultivation places."
"They can all cultivate immortality."
"But you will grow old alone in this place."
"Pitiful."
With that, he closed his eyes as if to leave.
Waves of energy exploded from his body, and Yuchi now appeared full of the high demeanor of a mighty one!
"One last question before I leave: do you want eternal youth?" Yuchi asked from above.
Xu Feiling's body trembled.
No girl can resist such allure!
It's fatal!
"Do you... want?" Yuchi elongated his voice, his body emitting waves of celestial aura, a supreme gaze from the Sect Leader Senior Brother.
Xu Feiling was stunned.
Why didn't you say so earlier!
She bit her lip.
"I do!" she said.
Yuchi was satisfied, simultaneously pondering whether he shouldn't ramble about random things when recruiting disciples next time.
Just come right out and ask this question.
Thus, he said calmly, "Young lady, do you wish to cultivate immortality?"