Chapter 3 (1/2)

Jiang Xiaofan closed his eyes tightly and focused his willpower on the silver-colored brass piece. What disheartened him was that no matter how much effort and heart he put in, the brass piece didn’t react at all. It was like a stubborn ox that didn’t budge no matter what.

“Oh, come on! Don’t be like this. I want my treasure!” Discontent, he returned to consciousness. He was like an unhappy housewife, rambling nonstop.

From the time he had met the monk until now, Jiang Xiaofan had already spent an entire day in this cave. After cultivating for a short period, he suddenly felt his empty stomach rumble.

“Hm? What’s that? Smells good!”

His senses had been greatly heightened from before. He sniffed around and walked towards the origin of the scent. Behind the stone platform were a dozen or so stalks of strange-looking and unevenly grown green grass. Appearing delicate, they were about five centimeters tall and as a wide thumb.

Looking at it in his hand, Jiang Xiaofan grew speechless. He hadn’t envisaged that he would one day eat grass, but he then thought that it wasn’t so bad. Compared to the Red Army[1] soldiers who had to eat tree bark, eating grass was nothing. After all, it was organic.

He placed one stalk in his mouth and gently chewed. Instantly, a pleasant aroma permeated his cavity. The sensation was akin to that of flying off to Heaven. A faint halo of light blanketed his body.

“Fuck! This grass tastes so damn fragrant!”

Shocked, he widened his eyes and then chewed it forcefully. Not long after, he wolfed down a couple more stalks. He felt his body become lighter by several folds. He gingerly jumped and to his surprise, he rose several meters above ground. He was scared out of his wits, but the good news was that he ended up landing in the water. If he had died falling like that, what a big joke it would’ve been then.

He stared at the remaining six stalks of grass and then stuffed them in his pocket. Although the appearance wasn’t appealing, the taste, however, wasn’t that bad.

“Hm, I should leave this place….” He swept a serious glance around the cave before approaching the stone platform, kowtowing once again, and swearing, “Saintly monk, rest in peace. If one day I achieve success, I will build you a temple and carry out good deeds across wherever I go.”

After he had finished, he followed along the river and left without turning back….

Three days later, Jiang Xiaofan finally left the cave. He was now walking on a path in the middle of a forest. He felt that the world was too mystical. Many things that had occurred were beyond what he could comprehend.

Ever since he arrived at this unknown world from Planet Earth, he had never imagined that cultivators existed in this universe. He was able to meet the legendary Dipankara, Buddha of the Past, and stepped foot into this mysterious world of cultivation. This was beyond what he could dream of.

He aimlessly wandered around when finally, he saw mankind. From a distance, there were two smirking men in their thirties who had surrounded a seventeen to eighteen-year-old female. It was obvious that they were up to no good.

The girl donned a violet robe and had a fairy-like temperament. She slightly wrinkled her nose as if somewhat dissatisfied. She walked around one of the men but was blocked by the other, trapping her in the middle.

When Jiang Xiaofan saw this scene unfold before him, he felt that as a good, moral youth, he needed to extend his hand of righteousness and fight against evil. He took a step forward and hollered, “Fiends, unhand that maiden! If you got…. cough…. the balls, come at me!”

“Where did that punk come from?! How dare he interrupt us!”

“Kill him!”

Ferociousness contorted the men’s faces. Their bodies were built like buffalos. They momentarily let go of the violet-robed girl and lunged at Jiang Xiaofan. One of them reached out his hand and aimed to smack his face, clearly wanting to humiliate him.

To be honest, Jiang Xiaofan’s heart, at this moment, was rapidly pounding. He was a bit afraid, but since the arrow had been released, it would be difficult for him to eat his words. Not to mention, there was a beauty in front of him. How could he possibly cower before her? Without another second of hesitation, he swung out his fist.

*Bang*

The result had his eyes bulging. The man shrieked in pain like a swine getting slaughtered.

The man’s body flew out five meters and struck a tree. He immediately lost consciousness.

“Holy shit! That powerful?!” He stared at his right fist with his mouth agape. Feeling cocky, he then pointed to the remaining man left standing and declared, “You over there. How dare you publicly harass a beautiful flower such as her under the broad daylight?! You will not go unpunished! As the embodiment of justice, I shall smite you with the sun’s fury!”

With a sly expression on his face, the man attempted one last attack and then…. He turned around and fled like a rabbit, disappearing into the forest in the blink of an eye.

“Er….”

Jiang Xiaofan was stunned. What the fuck? With that kind of speed, he should join the Olympics’ one-hundred meters hurdles! He could, unquestionably, beat Liu Xiang[2]!

Seeing the evil man run away, the violet-robed girl walked over with a cheeky grin, just like a spirited fairy. She had an ethereal air around her that tantalized the onlooker’s senses. No matter how Jiang Xiaofan looked at her, she didn’t display the least bit of distress on her face.

Jiang Xiaofan had never seen a girl of this beauty before, and they were standing so close too, gazing at each other. He could smell her faint but sweet scent. Once he got a whiff of her, two bloody streaks streamed down from his nose.

“Oh no, your nose is bleeding!”

“Um, it’s nothing. The sun’s just too bright. My name’s Jiang Xiaofan. It’s my pleasure to meet you.” He quickly rubbed the blood away and replied in embarrassment.

“Hehe, you’re an interesting character. I’m Ye Yuanxue. Ye as in leaf, Yuan as in fate, and Xue as in snow. Remember that well! Be sure not to forget it!”

Her eyes twinkled, and she smiled sweetly, revealing two snaggle-teeth. She was attractive yet cute. The sound of her voice was crisp and melodious. It made Jiang Xiaofan’s heart beat one hundred and ninety-nine times per minute, instantaneously breaking the world record.

He quickly shook his head like a pellet drum. Who was he kidding? Even if he forgot his own name, he would never forget hers.

Ye Yuanxue said that she was heading for Emperor’s Heaven Sect. Even though he didn’t know what Emperor’s Heaven Sect was nor where it was located, Jiang Xiaofan responded by saying that he was going there as well.

He only thought that it was a pity if he had to separate from a beautiful, lively, and well-mannered maiden. Besides, his understanding of this world was still hazy.

She originally planned to travel to Emperor’s Heaven Sect alone, but now that someone accompanied her, Ye Yuanxue couldn’t be happier.