Chapter 1

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This chapter is edited by Geofem. Thank you for your contribution!

Chapter 1: Back For Bathing

Jiang village, one hidden in forest-clad mountains, was a small village with only a population of one hundred people.

At the moment, the commanding full moon, high in the night sky, overshadowed the world. The world was completely silent, as if it were sleeping deeply. In Jiang village, there were a dozen children of various ages sitting cross-legged with their Five Hearts facing the sky. They performed breathing exercises while facing the moon. A dense or thin fog covered their bodies.

In front of these children was a strong and muscular man covering himself in a hide. He was speaking in a low but strong voice.

“Moonlight is extremely precious for our cultivation. Especially as it is the fifteenth of this month, the moonlight during the period from 11 pm to 1 am would be the best. Hence, do not waste any time but absorb as much moonlight as you can to open your meridians in the body and promote your strength.”

No one responded to the man’s words as all the children were absorbing the moonlight intently.

However, there was a youth whose age was around fifteen to sixteen, sitting thirty meters away by himself. Lying in front of him were at least hundreds of medicinal herbs and beast bones of various kinds.

This youth’s handsome face could be seen under the moonlight. His long black hair was braided into several pigtails, and his body was well developed. He wore a coat made of animal fur, like what the strong and muscular man wore, with scars of varying lengths exposed on his naked skin.

Though most of the time the youth stared at those herbs, he would sometimes look up toward those children that were sitting cross-legged. At this moment, there was always a look of envy on his little immature face.

Jiang Yun was the youth’s name. He is used to such scenes. He was aware that his playmates were absorbing moonlight for cultivation.

Everyone who cultivated did so in order to cultivate their body, heart, spirituality, and soul, and finally gain insights into the Tao.

Although Jiang Yun was eager to join their cultivation, his grandfather told him that his body was different from his playmates, which had determined that he couldn’t cultivate Tao with them.

Jiang Yun didn’t believe it until he asked several friends quietly and tried the cultivation way he was told and found his body couldn’t absorb the moonlight. As a result, he had to give up.

“Whatever, to be an alchemist and refine medicinal elixirs that fit my playmates to enhance their strength is not bad.”

Jiang Yun comforted himself inside and continued to pay attention to those medicinal herbs and beast bones.

“Yun, is this the last group of herbs and bones to study? How many do you remember now?”

That strong and muscular man went beside Jiang Yun, with his hands clasped behind his back, and asked with interest.

Jiang Yun looked up at him and smiled, “Yeah, Uncle Mu. I’ve kept them in mind.”

“Good!” Jiang Mu nodded without doubting Jiang Yun’s words. A look of admiration crossed his rugged face.

Jiang Yun may not realize how amazing it was that he could remember the characters of those herbs and bones. But Jiang Mu, as an adult, knew clearly.

Refining Dan medicine needed materials. While the most primary materials were flora and fauna. Hence, to be a qualified alchemist, one should know and master as many of their characters as possible.

These forest-clad mountains, where Jiang village was located, were called One Hundred Thousand Mang Mountains. The Hundred Thousand Mang Mountains was almost cut off from the rest of the world. And inside of it, over ten thousand flora and fauna were bred. Therefore, it was pretty difficult to know and remember the characters of every kind of plant and animal very well. Meantime, the process was extremely boring.

While Jiang Yun, a boy of sixteen, made it within only a dozen years! This needed not only talent but also tenacity and perseverance.

“Well done!” Jiang Mu couldn’t help praising once more, “Yun, you must become an amazing alchemist someday!”

Jiang Yun showed no excitement for Jiang Mu’s praise. He just smiled, looking like a mature guy, not a youth of his age.

Jiang Mu knew Jiang Yun’s mind that he would rather be a Tao cultivator than an alchemist.

Reaching out his hand, which was as big as a cattail leaf fan, Jiang Mu rubbed Jiang Yun’s head hard. He wanted to say something but swallowed the words that came to his lips.

Turning around, Jiang Mu sighed inside and said, “Yun, it is not that we don’t teach you the way to cultivate. It is because you, actually, are not one of our Jiang Clan. You are not a Jiang person.”

The fact was just as Jiang Mu said. Jiang Yun was not someone that belonged to Jiang village. He was adopted by the Old Village Head Jiang WanLi, who then became his grandfather.

This was not a secret. Even Jiang Yun knew it.

Though Jiang Yun was not a Jiang person, nobody in Jiang village took him as an outsider. Living together for sixteen years, everyone in Jiang village treated Jiang Yun as a real Jiang person.

A moment later, Jiang Mu looked up at the full moon and shouted, “Alright, whelps! Time is up! Cultivation ends now!”

Instantaneously, all of those children in the lotus position jumped up. They knew cultivation was important. But it was really a great torment for them to sit still for several hours. After all, they were children.

A figure rushed at Jiang Yun in a flash, as fast as a wildcat.

“Brother Yun, are you going outside tomorrow? Could you catch a tricolored finch for me when you get back?”

It was a little girl, around eight or nine years old. Three little colored marks were in a triangular arrangement between her eyebrows. Her exquisite little face was full of expectation.

Jiang Yuerou was the biological granddaughter of Jiang WanLi. Her parents perished by accident while hunting in the mountains. This occurred shortly after her birth. So she was nurtured by her grandfather. And because Jiang Yun grew up with Jiang WanLi, it might be said that Jiang Yun raised her. As a result, Jiang Yun was the closest person to her.

There were a lot of dangers in the Mang Mountains, and no one under eighteen was allowed to go outside of Jiang village. However, Jiang Yun was an exception.

To gain a deeper grasp of the characteristics of the flora and fauna, he would follow his grandfather into the deep Mang Mountains the day after the full moon and remain for more than a month. Every time he returned, he would bring little toys or animals. So whenever the children of Jiang village desired something, they would inform Jiang Yun.

“No problem!” Jiang Yun reached out his hand and pinched Jiang Yuerou’s face fondly, “I will catch a tricolored finch for you by the time I return.”

“Yun! Back for bathing!”

Suddenly, an elderly voice came from afar. Following that, Jiang Mu glared and yelled at those children, “Alright, whelps! Go to sleep right now! Yun, I will look after Yuerou. You can go back for bathing now.”

All of the children broke up in a hubbub then. Jiang Yun stood up, pinched Yuerou’s face, saluted Jiang Mu, and then turned around towards a cottage deep in the village.

TL: Hello, this novel was translated by zenithnovels.com four years ago, and after the contract Zenith Novels signed with Kujiang expired, it was dropped. We are picking it up again after signing a new contract. Don’t worry, just enjoy your reading, and it won’t be dropped again by us.