In the long and vast lush forest, filled with immense trees and an oversized biome nourished by potent spiritual energy, Aotian couldn't help but imagine himself as a little ant walking through a normal forest, which was quite interesting.
Unfortunately, his focus couldn't be fully on the surroundings at that moment, as he had bigger concerns, and they involved his wife, Liu Rihai, whom he was carrying on his shoulder as he walked.
At that instant, Aotian realized that his beloved seemed a little apathetic while being carried like a sack of potatoes, not speaking, moving, or making any other kind of motion.
The silence that lingered around the couple only made everything more uncomfortable for him, yet Aotian still couldn't figure out the source of the problem, which had arisen so suddenly.
He then gave a few gentle pats on her butt above his shoulder to get her attention.
"Hai'er, can you tell me what's going on?" Aotian asked carefully and softly, his brows slightly furrowed and a hint of concern in his gaze.
"..."
Unfortunately, aside from the faint tremor he felt coming from his wife's body, which showed that she had heard him, he received no answer from the stubborn girl.
"Hai'er…" he murmured her nickname, worried.
This time, however, there was indeed a response.
But unfortunately, it wasn't from his wife.
"Can you stop carrying my great-granddaughter in such a humiliating way?! She knows how to walk, put her down!" An irritated voice suddenly rang out, drawing the couple's attention.
Aotian rolled his eyes as he recognized the voice of the red-haired old ghost, who appeared beside them at the same time that the necklace around Rihai's neck released a faint green glow.
"Hey, did you hear that, Hai'er? Apparently you know how to walk!!" Aotian widened his eyes and shouted, feigning surprise, as he gently took his wife off his shoulder and set her on the ground, giving her a light pat on the shoulder. "I think our great-grandfather here is finally giving us some essential information," he finished the mockery with an eye roll.
Rihai, now placed in front of him, finally revealed her beautiful face, which showed red and sorrowful eyes, nearly preventing him from finishing the provocation, as his heart tightened painfully at the sight of his wife like that.
This was the first time that he and Rihai seemed to have a real problem in their relationship, aside from the time of the sect's revelation, but on that occasion he knew the issue came from him talking about the existence of the sect, even after having previously claimed he was alone in the world.
This time, however, it was different, since he had no idea what the reason for her sadness was, nor where to begin in dealing with it.
Fortunately, the old man's appearance helped divert the topic a bit and even made Rihai's lips struggle to hold back a small smile at the silly joke Aotian made. She truly loved his sense of humor.
Gently taking her hand, which she didn't resist, Aotian offered his silent support to the love of his life, while turning his gaze to the red-haired old man, who seemed irritated by what he had said.
"Humph! Brat, I still haven't accepted you as my great-grandson, so you don't yet have the right to call me that," the old man, Liu Taixuan, snorted irritably, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning his red brows in displeasure.
But although his stubbornness still seemed great, Aotian noticed that his tone was no longer as definitive as before, and there was even a 'still' in his sentence, proving that the old man was no longer completely against their relationship.
Aotian considered that a very good thing. It seemed the old man's time in the sect had given him a different perspective on things.
"Well, then should I call you Grandpa Liu?" he tried, jokingly, in a milder tone, also taking a step back from the hostility that existed between them.
Although it didn't seem very different, calling him Grandpa Liu was a little less intimate than calling him directly grandfather. It was common for young people to call older individuals 'grandpa' even without any degree of kinship, so Aotian judged that this wouldn't be a problem.
Unfortunately, it wouldn't be that easy.
"Humph! Brat, I already said it, we're not that close," the old man snorted again, lifting his chin proudly.
Although his attitude had improved greatly since he read the techniques of the Infinite Dao Sect, which indeed changed his perspective, Aotian had just provoked him, so he was still dissatisfied and felt he needed to teach the boy a lesson.
Aotian, who barely had time to feel happy, froze completely and, with one eye twitching, clenched his teeth, truly wanting to punch that arrogant-nosed old man right then and there.
He had just taken a step back, but the old man still pushed him.
Unfortunately, in this situation, Aotian fell into an old saying: the one who gets hit always remembers, while the one who hits forgets easily.
And in this case, Aotian was the latter…
"Petty old man, then how do you want me to call you? Venerable Liu? Tsk!" Aotian snorted back and shot a look of disdain at the old man, clicking his tongue.
Liu Taixuan was startled by the proposal, which sounded more impersonal than he had expected, but he quickly composed himself.
"Do as you please." He shrugged proudly, which only irritated Aotian more with that attitude.
Rihai sighed discreetly, feeling slightly tired in the face of the quarrel between the two, which seemed endless and always arose whenever they met, like water and oil.
And, unfortunately for her great-grandfather, she, knowing her husband so well, knew that this time, saying such a phrase had been a shot in his own foot.
Proof of that? The malicious smile that appeared on Aotian's lips.
"Hehe… well, since I'm to do as I please, from now on I'll call you little Taixuan. What do you think?" Aotian laughed mischievously, crossing his arms and declaring it with a grin, while his two listeners froze.
But in the very next instant, both reacted by widening their eyes.
"Y-YOU!!"
"Aotian!!"
Two shouts rang out together, one from the furious old Liu, and the other from Rihai, scandalized, who finally spoke.
"Ah! Look, Rihai, apparently, besides walking, you also know how to talk!" Aotian, completely unconcerned with his actions, still smiled shamelessly, even having time to tease his wife.
"Ugh!" Rihai placed a hand on her forehead, feeling a headache as she dealt with her husband's peculiarities, which seemed to be growing larger and larger.
As for old Liu, upon being called that way, his face alternated between red and black with rage, almost spitting flames from his eyes, as he frantically wondered whether he should strangle that boy right here and now.
Their reaction, despite seeming exaggerated, was in fact quite expected and common.
It was extremely disrespectful for a junior to address an elder directly by name like that, especially adding the word "little" in front of it.
Even though Aotian had not been Eastern in his past life, in many Western countries it was also often considered disrespectful to address an elderly person by their given name, and one would instead use Mr. or Mrs. followed by the surname.
And in this new world he was in, where ancestry and seniority were taken countless times more seriously—since it was normal for ancestors to remain alive for millennia and walk the world wielding extreme power—what he had done was, indeed, the height of disrespect.
So much so that others wouldn't even think of doing such a thing, but Aotian was anything but normal.
"Y-You, boy, are unbelievable! For you to obtain my blessing, I would have to be buried in the ground before that happens!" Liu Taixuan roared furiously, grinding his teeth, and then, in a flash of light, disappeared, returning to the necklace, as he perhaps couldn't avoid hitting him if he stayed there.
Aotian froze slightly, still with a smile on his face. It was only with the furious escape of the old ghost that he seemed to realize that maybe he had gone a bit too far.
"Well, if we think about it, he's already dead, so it shouldn't be hard to get his blessing, right?" he joked nervously, trying to lighten the situation, as he turned to his wife, who stared back at him darkly.
At that point, he knew he had messed everything up.
So, without hesitation, he did the wisest thing that came to mind.
"I'm sorry, wife, I was impulsive. I hope you and Grandpa can forgive me!"
Bowing before his wife, who felt an inexplicable headache, he begged for forgiveness humbly.
As for showing who was in charge or not being submissive—sorry, Aotian still liked his life.
In that regard, he followed an extremely wise saying he had heard in his past life.
Better to be a living coward… than a dead hero.
…
A few miles away from there, a white-haired duo observed from afar a large city, full of life and people.
"A city, here? I thought there would only be us…" Hui Lang murmured, surprised by the sudden revelation.
"From what senior brother Aotian said, many people entered in the past but never returned. Whether entering through the world gate or being directly drawn in by small fluctuations in the void caused by the formations here, which attract people to participate in the trial. If no one returned, but not everyone died, then they must have been trapped here and created a life for themselves."
Cang Song analyzed thoughtfully, watching various people entering and leaving the city, while suspecting that this wasn't the only city in this small world.
Hui Lang nodded, equally reflective.
"So… what do you think we should do?" he asked, turning his gaze to Cang Song, who rubbed his chin with a serious expression.
"Well, the best plan would be for you to go directly there and gather information for us, while I stay here trying to find opportunities and ensure your safe retreat. At least, in terms of safety, we've already tested that we truly can't be attacked by stronger beasts, and the same should apply to humans, considering what senior brother Aotian said earlier. So you'll be fine, as long as you're not impulsive."
Cang Song presented his plan with conviction and firm eyes.
Hearing that, Hui Lang's lips twitched helplessly. He wanted a plan, not to simply be thrown alone into enemy territory.
As for old Song continuing to call Aotian senior brother, Hui Lang had long since given up trying to understand the mind of that cowardly disciple.
Still, as shameless and biased as Cang Song's plan was, the arguments used were fair. Thus, old Hui, who was not indecisive, nodded lightly, brushed his knees, and rose from the ground where he had been hiding.
"Well, let's follow your plan. It's practical and simple. So I'll go there to explore and gather information, while you stay here hiding like a rat, alright?" he said with a helpless sigh and lightly provoked the other, raising an eyebrow.
But to his astonishment, Cang Song nodded firmly, without denying it.
"Yes, that's an excellent approach. I'm entrusting this to you," he affirmed, and then, in the very next second, without a shred of shame, his body slowly merged with a nearby tree, hiding completely.
Everything happened so fast that Hui Lang only managed to open his mouth, before having to close it helplessly, since Cang Song had already vanished completely from his perception in the next instant.
His mouth twitched in helplessness, but there was nothing he could do. Who told him to choose that lunatic as a teammate.
Sighing, he turned toward the city and, with light yet determined steps, began walking in its direction.
His steps seemed slow, but with each one he covered a distance far greater than a single step should. Combined with his hands behind his back, white hair fluttering in the wind, and a serious face, he looked like an old expert freely walking the world.
And he was excited for what awaited him.
Hui Lang, of the Infinite Dao Sect, was arriving at a new place.