Parting Revelry and the Bustling Market

Seeing Xiao Chen’s stunned expression, the Undying Sect Leader did not let him speak further. “Well, let nature take its course,” he said.

Xiao Chen wanted to explain why he had just spat out his drink, but the old man was far too unfathomable. At his age, what did he not know of worldly affairs? He was clearly toying with him, stirring his emotions on purpose.

Before leaving, Xiao Chen shared a round of drinks with the younger generation of the Undying Sect. The Sect Leader had arranged it; none of the older disciples would appear, for even the external protectors had not yet reached a certain rank.

Cups clinked frequently. Though surrounded by a flock of chattering young women, Xiao Chen navigated the scene with ease. The female disciples of the Undying Sect were, it must be said, quite attractive.

“Brother Xiao, when will you take Junior Sister Yan away?”

“Pity that I’ve sworn never to marry, or else I’d have to compete with Junior Sister Yan.”

“I heard Brother Xiao has mastered the Undying Heavenly Wings—surely that was Junior Sister Yan’s doing?”

These women were full of honeyed lies. The Undying Sect was indeed as the legends said: bonds between disciples were thin, and scheming was the order of the day. Yan Qingcheng was a strong contender for the position of Sect Leader, and they wished nothing more than to see her married off quickly.

When Xiao Chen moved among the male disciples, he received no such courtesy. Every one of them looked at him with ill-disguised hostility. They pressed him to drink with a vengeance, forbidding him to use mystic arts to expel the alcohol. By the end, Xiao Chen staggered and swayed with every step.

Damn it—these men were relentless! He could only grab the rowdiest offenders and clink glasses with them until two of the loudest collapsed beneath the table. Fortunately, his own tolerance was great enough.

When Qin Yi stepped forward, after a bout of heavy drinking, he threw an arm around Xiao Chen’s neck and slurred, “You bastard, you made me run naked…”

Seeing him so drunk that he actually blurted that out, Xiao Chen felt the fellow was not so detestable after all. On reflection, Qin Yi had never tried to kill him—only to embarrass him—and had taken no further action since.

“Who told you to frame me first? This is just an eye for an eye, hah…”

“Fine… when I go out to train later, I’ll settle this with you. Come, drink… drink…” The man was clearly plastered, his tongue thick. After a few more cups, he added, “Our strongest one went out to train long ago, or else you… you would be no match for him. I mean… someone our age… not Second Senior Brother.”

Xiao Chen knew whom he meant by Second Senior Brother—the one who had received them at the coast, a man nearing forty with unfathomable cultivation.

At the farewell, when the little winged dragon saw the Little Defiant Dragon arrive at the back mountain, it called out indignantly, “Are you kidding me? I already fought you today, why are you back again…?”

But when it saw the Little Defiant Dragon gesture for it to come closer, it grew puzzled. Finally, the Little Defiant Dragon pressed a small claw against its forehead; a watery ripple of light spread and vanished into its head.

Only after the Little Defiant Dragon had walked away with Xiao Chen did the little winged dragon snap out of it. In a voice still childish but seriously loud, it called out, “I’ll fight you again later. But by then I might be a Dragon King—don’t you lose to me!”

Before departing, they waited a long time for Keke. It came flying like an arrow of jade, carrying an enormous backpack, which it solemnly handed to the Wheel King to carry.

The onlookers found it strange. That little white beast was truly amusing—did it have luggage?

Xiao Chen’s face twitched in a forced smile. He helped cover for the little beast, saying, “Apologies, everyone. This little glutton must have raided your kitchen. Please forgive us.” With that, he strode away briskly, looking rather like he was escaping.

An hour later, cries of anguish rang out from the Undying Sect: “Damn it! The herb garden has been robbed… it must have been that little white beast!”

On the road, Xiao Chen was scolding, “Is this how you behave? You have to pack up before leaving? Sneak back and put it all back.”

Keke jumped onto the Wheel King’s body and hugged the backpack fiercely, its expression saying it would sooner die than return it. Even the Little Defiant Dragon, setting aside its usual principles for once, moved to stand before the Wheel King in protection. It knew Keke was generous—half of that haul was meant for it.

Damn these two… Xiao Chen said nothing more and strode onward.

It must be said: the mainland of the World of Immortality was vast beyond compare, many times larger than the Mortal World. Though densely populated, less than ten percent of the boundless land had been developed; the remaining ninety percent was covered by primeval forest.

Between every town and city stretched endless seas of forest. Human settlements dotted the green expanse like sparse blossoms—a single red amid ten thousand green, no exaggeration.

The Undying Sect sat at the southernmost edge of the continent, near the coast. To reach the interior, Xiao Chen would have to travel north. Following the directions given by the Sect members, he kept strictly to the path, for straying into the boundless primeval forest would be a serious trouble from which it might take great effort to find a way out.

Although an old, half-ruined road existed, ordinary people dared not travel it alone. Ferocious beasts frequently leaped out from the forests on either side, but for Xiao Chen’s group, this posed no threat.

The Little Defiant Dragon welcomed every challenger, occasionally charging into the old forest to do battle. Of course, Xiao Chen did not let it go too deep—who knew what terrifying monsters lurked there?

Six days later, they arrived at a large town with a population of over fifty thousand, nearly the size of a small city. Such was the scale of towns in the World of Immortality; the land was so vast, the forests so dense, and savage beasts so rampant that people naturally gathered in large groups for safety.

This was the first town Xiao Chen had seen since entering the World of Immortality. The sight of a human settlement filled him with an indescribable warmth. Though he had seen many people on Dragon Island and at the Undying Sect, something had been missing—that true sense of living.

In this large town, he felt as if he had returned to the Mortal World. The crowds flowing through the streets seemed wonderfully familiar.

“Candied hawthorn sticks…”

“Dogmeat buns…”

“Glutinous rice rolls…”

“Lamb skewers…”

“Crispy chicken wraps…”

“Fresh and tender mushroom soup…”

Xiao Chen was swept along by the crowd into a “snack street.” The familiar calls stirred a deep sense of pleasure.

“Boss, give me a selection of everything: dogmeat buns, rice rolls, lamb skewers, all the snacks you have.” Xiao Chen wanted to relive the feeling he had known in the Mortal World.

“Young friend, I only run a dogmeat bun shop.”

Xiao Chen tossed him a gold coin and said, “Trouble you to help me gather everything. Keep the rest as a tip.” Money made things easy. Soon Xiao Chen was feasting—the food might not have been extraordinary, but it was the sensation he craved.

While Xiao Chen savored his meal, Yan Qingcheng was being forced down the mountain at the Undying Sect. The Sect Leader’s words echoed in her ears: “Since you have chosen to cultivate the Demon-Shattering God-Sowing Art, you must walk among the mundane world. This technique focuses on training the heart, and you cannot stray too far from your crucible—otherwise, what use are the obsessions you have placed within it? Soon your senior brothers and sisters will descend the mountain as well. It is time for you to gain experience.”

Xiao Chen knew nothing of this. Eventually, he walked out of the dogmeat shop and wandered along the lively snack street, buying and eating as he went, feeling more and more immersed in the atmosphere. The Little Defiant Dragon and Keke grew curious, and soon their mouths were glistening with grease. These snacks were a fresh novelty for them.

No one found the two small animals strange; they had seen far stranger monstrous beasts. The endless primeval forests held all manner of ferocious creatures.

As for the Wheel King and the other two skeletons, they followed unhurriedly. The three skeletons now looked very human-like, thanks to ample materials available at the Undying Sect. Even their eye sockets held nearly lifelike spheres; without close inspection, no one would notice anything amiss.

“Hey—walking your dog and cat, quite the leisurely life, young brother.” A fat man with the face of a slick merchant called out to Xiao Chen, pointing at Keke. “Is that a cat or a dog? It’s beautiful. It even holds food in its little paws like a person. What breed is it? Could it be the legendary Kaos cat?”

Xiao Chen was speechless. Keke’s face immediately darkened. It slapped the half-eaten rice cake in its paw onto the fat man’s face with a loud splat.

The fat man cried out, “A spirit beast! Truly intelligent—it knows how to get angry!” Instead of being annoyed, he grew excited. “Brother, how much? Sell it to me. I guarantee you a good price.”

Keke hurled the other rice roll from its other paw onto the fat man’s face.

The fat man was slapped twice but still did not give up, he chased after Xiao Chen and said, “Young brother, you really should sell it. Such a divine creature would only be wasted with you. I…”

Keke picked up an oily lamb skewer in its paw, pointed it at the fat man, and gave a serious glare.

Seeing this, the fat man ran off without a word.

Xiao Chen wiped his forehead and smiled. “Keke, you’ve tamed this demon.”

Keke had indeed gained quite a harvest this time—there were more than a few thousand-year-old herbs in its backpack. For the Undying Sect, the loss was considerable.