Ancient People

"Splash!"

The ramie fishing net spun through the air and spread across the water. The stream surged through the gaps in the rope, splashing out in every direction, its jade-green ripples shimmering. Chen Xuan's shadow had long since vanished.

"Slippery little man from the later age..."

The old fisherman sneered. Holding a fish spear, he leaned his upper body out of the black-canopied boat. Beneath his straw rain hat, his gloomy eyes swept across the deep, blue-green stream, but he could not see a thing.

The black-canopied boat rocked gently.

With both hands gripping the side of the boat, Chen Xuan moved lightly and silently climbed aboard from the opposite side.

"Hmph!"

The old fisherman snorted coldly. It was as though he had an eye growing in the back of his head. Holding the sharp fish spear backward in both hands, he suddenly thrust it behind him.

"Swish!"

Chen Xuan jerked his head aside at lightning speed. The sharp fish spear skimmed past his cheek, carving a line of blood across it. A drop of blood trickled down the wound. In that instant, he seized the shaft, used it to pull himself onto the little boat, and lunged forward.

"You really thought I couldn't hear you climbing aboard?"

The old fisherman turned around, his face resembling that of a raging male lion. The fish spear in his hand swept across like black lightning. Its howl through the air exploded beside Chen Xuan's ears, making every hair on his body stand on end.

Too fast.

Too powerful!

"Bang! Bang!"

Chen Xuan gritted his teeth. He only had time to make White Qi coil around his arm and raise it to block. The shaft of the fish spear swept into his body, flattening the upper half of the boat's canopy along with him. Splinters flew everywhere, and blood sprayed in all directions.

"Three Feather Transformations..."

Chen Xuan crashed into the stern and steadied himself on one knee. One arm wrapped in White Qi hung limply, its bones broken, while the waist and abdomen that had been crushed by the tremendous force throbbed with unbearable pain.

The fish spear had erupted with nearly thirty thousand jin of overwhelming force in that instant!

Chen Xuan's Root Bone aptitude was a rare sight in Red Crow City for a century, yet a single Feather Transformation only gave him eight thousand jin of strength. Even if he reached the peak and limit of the Ascension Realm in the future, he would possess only twenty-four thousand jin of strength.

Yet the ordinary old fisherman he had encountered in the Peach Blossom Garden possessed nearly thirty thousand jin of tremendous force.

An aptitude like that was rare not only throughout Red Crow City, but even across the entire Ancient Chu Kingdom. There were probably only a few people like him!

"Feather Transformation? Heh. That's merely a minor path taken by inferior humans."

The old fisherman sneered, his words revealing his disdain and contempt for Qi Refiners.

He leaned on his fish spear and stood there. He wore ancient hemp clothes and straw sandals. He was clearly old and frail, dry and withered, his spine bent with age. Yet within his body surged a vast, surging vitality, as if a blazing furnace were burning without end.

"An ancient person—you're an ancient person!"

A sharp cry came from the wrecked cabin. It belonged to a Crimson Fox bound tightly with hemp rope.

The Crimson Fox was over a meter long, her fur smooth and shining like flames. At present, she had been tied up like a dumpling, her long, pointed head raised in terror. She was the very fox Chen Xuan had seen before coming to the Peach Blossom Garden.

"During the ancient Mountain Sea era, some powerful ancient people parted ways with the ancient Qi Refiners and took an entirely opposite path. They didn't refine qi. They relied solely on their physiques, possessing thirty thousand jin of strength upon reaching adulthood."

The Crimson Fox shrieked and shouted, kindly reminding Chen Xuan that he was no match for an ancient person and should flee at once. Once he was captured, the consequences would be severe—he would remain trapped in the Peach Blossom Garden forever.

"Ancient Qi Refiners? Back then, they were merely weak, inferior people we kept in pens to work like oxen and horses."

The old fisherman mocked him. Then he suddenly kicked the chattering fiery fox. "Shut up, little monster! You've forgotten your ancestors. Have you actually forgotten that the blood of the Ancient Mountain God flows through your veins?"

"Cough, cough!"

The Crimson Fox bent over and coughed up a mouthful of blood after the heavy blow. "The Ancient Mountain God died long ago. Times have changed..."

The old fisherman roared angrily, "Good that they've changed. Qi Refiners have more strength for plowing fields and turning millstones, so they can do more work."

"Old fisherman, you've said so much. I'd say there's hatred in your heart?"

Chen Xuan rose from the ground and shook his arm. Green Qi had already straightened the broken bones and rebuilt his muscles and bones.

"What hatred?"

The old fisherman's eyes turned sinister. He tightened his grip on the fish spear and spat out several icy words.

"Hatred that you can't refine qi yourself!"

Before his voice had even faded, Chen Xuan had already lunged forward. Every plank beneath his feet shattered. His two broad sleeves billowed behind him, his loose hair whipping wildly in the wind, while droplets of water streamed backward from the ends of his hair.

Azure-Gold Immortal Qi spread along the surface of his body, outlining a golden silhouette that darted forward at extreme speed. His robes fluttered, brilliance streaming from them.

Yellow Millet Qi!

"You—you're courting death!"

The old fisherman flew into a rage and charged forward as well. He raised his fish spear and thrust violently. Suddenly, his eyes lost focus, and he staggered forward.

His nose and mouth seemed to catch the fragrant scent of grain ears. Boundless golden millet seedlings stood full and ripe, while the autumn wind blew. It was the perfect time for sleep.

In a daze, the old fisherman saw his younger self running through the fields, sitting alone before his ancestor and listening to scripture, and his younger self fishing in the river. He saw himself capture later-generation people who had entered the Peach Blossom Garden and keep them as livestock—men treated as beasts, female cultivators used to bear children. And in his old age...

The rolling memories of his former life surged into his mind all at once...

"Buzz!"

Chen Xuan grabbed the old fisherman by the face and yanked him down. A fierce knee strike launched that iron-tough body into the air. He raised his other hand, and the Immortal Qi drifting across his body seemed to gather into his fist like countless Azure-Gold threads, forming a massive vortex.

"Bang! Bang!"

Several consecutive punches smashed the old fisherman's chest to pieces, breaking every muscle and bone. He flew backward on his back and crashed against the edge of the bow.

"Cough, cough!"

He jolted awake from the agony, spat out mouthfuls of blood, and cried out in terror, "What kind of Immortal Qi is this? I've never seen it before!"

The Peach Blossom Garden had opened more than once over the decades. He was intimately familiar with the Immortal Qi of the Qi Refiners who entered and had long been prepared for it. But the special Immortal Qi before him was something he had never encountered. It was impossible to guard against, strange and horrifying.

The moment the old fisherman came into contact with it, his mind and soul had fallen into the mire of his past experiences, unable to free themselves!

"Swish!"

Chen Xuan did not answer. He tapped his toes against the ground and sent the fish spear lying there flying into his hand. After flourishing it in a fierce spear pattern, he hurled it forward. It pierced through layer after layer of decking and firmly pinned the dying old fisherman to the boat.

"What kind of Immortal Qi it is has anything to do with you, you dead man?"

Chen Xuan snorted coldly. He then quickly searched the entire battered boat and thoroughly felt over the old fisherman's body.

The old fisherman had gone out fishing and carried no treasures. Only his fish spear was clearly not made of ordinary iron. It was very heavy in hand and dozens of times tougher than the weapons of the Ancient Chu Kingdom. Chen Xuan decided it would make a handy temporary weapon, so he put it away.

"The fish spear is an ancient artifact. Once it's taken out of the Peach Blossom Garden, it'll shed its dust and become an unparalleled spear."

The Crimson Fox sprang out of the cabin. She had already bitten through the hemp rope herself. She was very polite, like a learned human scholar, and clasped her hands before bowing twice to Chen Xuan.

"Thank you, Qi Refiner, for saving me. This little fox is called Bai Zi. I'll repay you for saving my life..."

Chen Xuan lowered his head and sized up the Crimson Fox. She was very lively, with a damp little nose that stood straight and reddish-black eyes full of spirit. Her cheeks had a rosy flush, and her fur was groomed smooth and glossy. Clearly, she was a little fox who loved cleanliness.

The Crimson Fox ran to the side of the boat and used both little hands to haul up the fishing net. She carefully folded it and presented it at Chen Xuan's feet like a treasure, speaking excitedly.

"Qi Refiner, this is also a precious ancient artifact. This little fox has kept it safe for you!"

Chen Xuan stared at the little fox's eager face, both amused and exasperated. He knew she was terrified, afraid that he might casually kill her, which was why she kept displaying such a docile and obedient attitude.

"Do you know how to row?"

"Ah, this, well, this little fox is very clever. I'll learn it in no time!"

The Crimson Fox hurriedly picked up the oar from the ground. It was half again as tall as she was. Swaying unsteadily, she walked to the stern and began rowing, her fox face filled with earnest delight.

The water rippled, and the little boat slowly moved forward.

In the wilderness on both sides of the stream, fields crisscrossed in every direction.

"Bang!"

A grim-faced ancient farmer swung his hoe and smashed a Qi Refiner into the ground. The man's skull caved in, and red and white matter spilled across the earth.

"Men and women, form two lines and follow me... Men will be livestock, women will be brides. This year, the ancestor will surely produce Qi-refining seeds!"

A gray hawk soared through the sky. An ancient hunter blew a whistle, then drew his bowstring to a full moon. His arrow, filled with surging force, flew toward the distant crowd.

"The ancestor's gaze has watched over this ancient land for tens of millions of years..."

"..."

Countless ant-like figures, some willing and some forced, all moved toward the front.

On the distant mountain ridges, endless peach orchards spread beneath the sky. Cooking smoke curled up from the village, making it seem like a scene from a painting.