Thousand Cloud Village, Qingya Province.
The Qingya province was a mountainous region covered in dense forests inhabited by wild demonic beasts and Yaos, rarely spotting human breath. The Thousand Cloud Village was one of the 6 great Villages located in the Qingya Province, alongside the Azure Crane Village, Wind Hollow Village, Stone Echo Village, Moonlit Stream Village and the strongest, Iron Pine Village!
Yun Zhen was of the youngest generation in the Thousand Cloud Village. He was an orphan, his parents missing after a beast tide years ago.
His situation led him to scramble about during the early hours of the day ever since he was a child. At first, no one wanted to hire a snot-nosed brat, but an old, kind lady that ran a noodle shop hired him as a handyman.
Four years passed since then, and today, if one asked him, he could describe the art of making noodles down to the smallest detail!
Unfortunately, as fate had it, Yun Zhen often heard stories of gods and immortals as he served in the late afternoons when the shop was packed with customers.
Only he knew how many nights he spent dreaming of becoming a great immortal, riding his sword to battle and killing countless demons!
Life was unforgiving though, and no such opportunity arrived.
Until one day...
~
A young boy skipped trough a dense bamboo forest holding a broken bucket.
He looked to be around 12 years old. Dense, ink-black hair brushed past his shoulders every time he jumped, while a pair of onyx eyes scanned the forest with childish playfulness.
This was Yun Zhen!
His brow had an air of playful innocence, untainted by mortal dust.
The sound of running water broke the stillness of the forest. Yun Zhen looked around in confusion for a couple of seconds, then his eyes lit up as he spotted his target.
A broken well!
The hand clutching the bucket soon loosened as he threw it inside its pitch black mouth.
Enough time for half an incense stick to burn passed, before a decrepit, angry voice resounded from the darkness,
"Kid, how many times have I told you that this thing doesn't have water!"
Yun Zhen mischievously giggled as he peered over into the darkness, "I don't care, you old man tricked me last time!"
"How in the three heavens did I trick you, kid?" the voice replied, exasperated.
"You said that you'll bestow upon me the fortune of immortals if I brought you a rope, but you went back on your word!"
"You little thing really mean to anger this Seat to death! How am I supposed to climb out if you bring me an old bamboo rope? It unfurled as soon as it reached me!"
Unconvinced, Yun Zhen angrily barked, "Forget it, forget it, you old man can't keep your word. Even after I fetched you the rope, you told me to bring a few clansmen so that they can help you up, but by midnight of that day, I ended up getting scolded! They could not see this broken well even if it was below their noses!"
The voice was silent after the young man's outburst, in the end letting out a shallow sigh, "You brat really know how to scold the locust while pointing at the mulberry!"
"..."