If I Could Become a Master

Before following Jiang Xiaorou home, Yi Yun had found it difficult to imagine that this "home" could actually look like this.

When Yi Yun had seen the swordsman riding a Giant Beast, he had guessed that there might be many masters in this other world who could soar through the heavens and burrow into the earth. In that case, there should have been great lineages spread everywhere, sects standing like a forest, and outstanding talents emerging one after another.

He had crossed over for no apparent reason. If he could somehow become connected to some great lineage or powerful sect, then even if he had never practiced martial arts, lacked talent, or was merely an illegitimate son from a collateral branch who was deeply disliked, he could at least scrape by with enough food and clothing.

But...

Looking at the dilapidated house before him, Yi Yun was utterly dumbfounded.

Yi Yun had once visited remote villages on Earth and seen the houses there, but compared with these few rooms, those houses were still worlds apart.

The house had been built from stones mixed with yellow mud. The family owned practically nothing. Apart from a table, two stools, two old beds, and a stove, there was nothing else.

Jiang Xiaorou carried Yi Yun into the house. Along the way, Yi Yun had felt unaccustomed to being carried by a young girl and had struggled down several times. But his body was far too weak. After walking for a while, he became utterly exhausted and panted heavily, leaving him no choice but to be carried by Jiang Xiaorou again.

Thinking that he, a grown man, had been carried all the way by a young girl, Yi Yun felt somewhat ashamed.

"Yun'er, you must be hungry..." Jiang Xiaorou placed Yi Yun on a small wooden bed and wiped the sweat from her face. Yet her face was filled with joy. Her younger brother had come back to life, and she was naturally delighted.

Yi Yun looked at Jiang Xiaorou's back. Her clothes were soaked with sweat and clung damply to her body. Although his own body was thin and weak and weighed very little, they had still traveled three to five li. Jiang Xiaorou was only fourteen or fifteen, and she had carried him for stretches along the way. How could that have been easy?

If it had been a fifteen-year-old girl on Earth, forget carrying him that far—even walking three to five li empty-handed would have left her utterly exhausted.

"Mm... A little..."

Yi Yun parted his dry lips. This was the first time he had spoken since crossing into this world. He had thought that speaking in this unfamiliar language would be difficult, but unexpectedly, it felt just like speaking Mandarin, as though it were also his mother tongue.

"I'll go cook." Jiang Xiaorou smiled sweetly. She carefully wiped the dirt from Yi Yun's face with her sleeve, pulled over a pillow for him to lean against, then dragged over a thin quilt and tucked it over him. Her hands and feet were nimble, yet her movements were gentle, leaving Yi Yun momentarily dazed.

This girl was not actually his sister at all, but she had carried him all the way here and cared for him with such meticulous attention that warmth rose in his heart.

Jiang Xiaorou was about to start a fire and cook. Yi Yun wanted to help, but Jiang Xiaorou pressed him back onto the bed.

"You've only just recovered from a serious illness. Don't catch a chill. Lie still and be careful. Big Sister will be back soon."

As she spoke, Jiang Xiaorou picked up a light, airy grain sack.

Fifteen minutes later, Jiang Xiaorou set the old wooden table before the bed. On it sat a large bowl of rice porridge, two unknown wild fruits, and a bowl of boiled wild vegetables.

Yi Yun had gone hungry for several days and had long since been starving. When he saw this meal, he felt his stomach churning with acid.

At that moment, Yi Yun desperately wanted some braised pork. Roast chicken, roast duck, boiled fish—just thinking of those flavors made his stomach cramp.

How could this possibly fill him up?

He opened his mouth and took a sip of rice porridge. The porridge was not especially thin, but Yi Yun's stomach was completely empty. The steaming porridge slid down and stimulated his intestines, only making him feel even hungrier.

After drinking nearly half the porridge in a few gulps, he ate some boiled wild vegetables without even a trace of oil. They were both astringent and bitter. Even though Yi Yun was ravenous, he found them difficult to swallow.

The food was so unappetizing that Yi Yun felt he could not continue eating. Then he noticed that Jiang Xiaorou was merely watching him and had not eaten anything herself. Confused, he asked, "Why aren't you eating?"

"I already ate when I went looking for you." Jiang Xiaorou's small face paled slightly as she bit her lip while speaking.

Yi Yun's heart gave a thump. He remembered that when Jiang Xiaorou had gone to the cemetery, it had been not long before three in the afternoon. She had eaten then?

He suddenly realized that even a meal like this could not usually be provided in sufficient quantities.

What kind of world was this? Why were there powerful martial artists who rode wild beasts, yet also poor commoners so destitute that they could starve to death?

Yi Yun pushed aside the rice porridge and got up to inspect the grain sack in the corner of the room. Sure enough, it was empty.

Yi Yun immediately understood. The rice porridge Jiang Xiaorou usually cooked was probably much thinner than this. Today, because he had just come back to life and seemed so physically weak, she had specially cooked thicker porridge for him to "nourish his body."

"I'm full. You eat." Yi Yun pushed the porridge toward Jiang Xiaorou. For one thing, he could barely eat any more; for another, he could not possibly let a girl save her food for him.

He felt somewhat emotional. He had wondered whether he could return after arriving in this other world. If he could not, he had planned to find an opportunity to practice and become a master who could soar through the heavens and burrow into the earth.

But now, it seemed that even staying alive was a serious problem. He might starve to death before he even had time to investigate anything.

"I'm not hungry." Jiang Xiaorou stubbornly pushed the bowl back. "Tomorrow is the day grain is distributed. We can receive a piece of meat then. I'll stew it for you, Little Brother."

When she mentioned the grain distribution, Jiang Xiaorou's pretty face flushed slightly. Clearly, she was eagerly anticipating it.

Yi Yun fell silent. Back on Earth, he had thought everyone lived difficult lives, himself included. But compared with this other world, the pressures of that life had truly amounted to nothing. Being unable to eat one's fill and even facing the danger of starving to death—that was what it meant to live a truly difficult life.

The sensation of hunger was truly agonizing.

Deep into the night, the wind blew softly. From the grasses around the pond came waves of croaking frogs and the pleasant chirping of crickets.

Yi Yun did not sleep. Leaning against the bed, he faced the moonlight and repeatedly examined the mysterious Purple Crystal in his hand.

He had been able to crawl out of the collapsed mountain entirely because of the Purple Crystal. This small crystal card was unquestionably a treasure.

If he could figure it out, perhaps he would gain some benefit.

This other world was perilous beyond measure—but only for ordinary people. Thinking of the middle-aged man he had seen riding a Giant Beast in the wilderness, Yi Yun recalled how spirited and magnificent he had seemed. Compared with suffering commoners like them, his status and position were as different as heaven and earth.

"If I could become a master, I'd be free and unfettered. At the very least, I wouldn't have to go hungry..."

Yi Yun rubbed his stomach. He had ultimately given some of his dinner porridge to Jiang Xiaorou. Yi Yun was at the age when his body was still growing, and porridge was digested too quickly. He was already hungry again.

Just as Yi Yun was feeling his stomach grow hollow, the smooth, icy Purple Crystal in his hand sent out another faint chill. It seemed...

Huh?

A flash of inspiration streaked through Yi Yun's mind. Like a spring suddenly released, he shot upright from the bed. His eyes stared fixedly at the Purple Crystal in his hand, and delight appeared on his face.

Yi Yun discovered that after he had gazed at the Purple Crystal for a long time, extremely fine purple specks had faintly appeared around it—so tiny that they could not be seen without close inspection.

These specks appeared from nowhere and slowly flew into the Purple Crystal, then vanished as though they had been absorbed. This process continued for an unknown length of time, and the faint glow emitted by the Purple Crystal had clearly brightened.

What was happening?

This discovery caused Yi Yun's breathing to quicken slightly.

As the Purple Crystal's light grew brighter and brighter, Yi Yun distinctly felt it becoming colder and colder. This extremely strange chill traveled from his hands through his limbs and bones, as though his entire body had been washed by a Spirit Spring. The sensation was indescribably refreshing.

Yi Yun remembered this feeling. Whenever he had been digging through the mountain and became exhausted and gasping for breath, he would sense this faint chill. It would restore some strength to his body, which had been suffering from hunger and exhaustion.

Yi Yun knew that people could stay alive and work because the metabolism within their bodies provided the energy required for life activities.

Without food, there were no nutrients and naturally no energy, so people would starve to death.

He had survived several days and nights without food or water while performing high-intensity labor, and had even completed such a long tunnel. There had to have been an energy supply. This icy sensation was probably the flow of life energy that the Purple Crystal provided him.

Thinking back, when he had first found the Purple Crystal inside the cavern, it had already emitted a faint glow like a luminous pearl.

But after he crossed into this other world, the Purple Crystal's light had weakened. That was probably because it had consumed a great deal of energy.

Yet now, the light within the Purple Crystal was slowly replenishing and growing stronger. Was something replenishing its energy?

Yi Yun observed carefully and discovered that these indistinct, extremely tiny specks of light formed a continuous stream that extended all the way outside the window. It seemed to be... coming from the starlight in the sky.

Could starlight replenish the Purple Crystal's energy?

Yi Yun thought for a while, then suddenly jumped down from the bed. He went to the stove and pulled out a still-burning piece of charcoal. Using it, he lit a handful of dry grass, and yellow flames rose into the air.

Yi Yun cautiously placed the Purple Crystal over the fire.

His idea was simple. Since the Purple Crystal could absorb energy from the starlight in the sky, could it also absorb energy from its surroundings?

Flames were a form of energy. In Yi Yun's understanding, they should be more intense than starlight. If the Purple Crystal absorbed energy from the flames, would it replenish itself more quickly?

As for whether the flames would burn the Purple Crystal, Yi Yun had never considered that.

However...

No matter how he burned the Purple Crystal with the fire, it did not change in the slightest. He could not even feel any heat from it.

The Purple Crystal seemed like a block of ice that could never melt. It remained icy cold to the touch, and stayed that way until the charcoal and dry grass had burned away.

Yi Yun shook his head and could only give up on the experiment.

He planned to go outside and take a look. The starlight outside was even more brilliant and might allow the Purple Crystal to absorb more energy.

If the Purple Crystal became saturated with energy, what changes might occur?

Yi Yun was filled with anticipation!

Yi Yun quietly pushed open the door and the courtyard gate, then carefully closed them again. He was afraid of waking his sister in the neighboring room. However, when Yi Yun stepped out of the courtyard, he was slightly stunned.

Beneath the shadows of a nearby tree sat a Green-Robed Maiden on a small stool, carefully sharpening an arrow in her hand.

The icy arrowhead reflected the moonlight's chilling gleam onto the girl's delicate face, as though a layer of silver gauze had been draped over it. Dozens of fireflies danced around her, their points of phosphorescence flickering like beautiful spirits encircling a goddess.

Jiang Xiaorou?

Yi Yun saw that a bundle of feathered arrows had been arranged neatly beside Jiang Xiaorou. Every arrow had been painstakingly polished. The arrowheads were razor-sharp, and the shafts gleamed with oil.

"This is..."

Although Yi Yun knew nothing about cold weapons, he could still sense that these arrows were no ordinary items.

"Yun'er, why did you come out? The night dew is heavy, and you've only just recovered. Hurry back to bed and lie down." Jiang Xiaorou hurriedly stood up and was about to push Yi Yun back inside.

"Big Sister, why are there so many arrows?" Yi Yun asked, puzzled. Judging by Jiang Xiaorou's appearance, she did not seem capable of drawing a bow and shooting arrows.

"These are for exchanging for grain tomorrow. It's always been this way..." Jiang Xiaorou looked at Yi Yun strangely.

"Uh..." How could Yi Yun know? Strangely enough, after crossing into this world, he understood its written language and speech, yet he knew absolutely nothing about Yi Yun's life. All his memories were his own, without a single extra memory or any missing piece.

Yi Yun had already thought of an explanation and said, "Big Sister, after dying once, I can't remember some things..."

"Can't remember?" Jiang Xiaorou was taken aback. Yi Yun had fallen from a cliff and broken his bones while gathering herbs. After lying in bed for some time, he had died from illness. Thinking about it now, perhaps he had injured his head when he fell.

At the thought, Jiang Xiaorou felt both heartache and worry.

"Yun'er, you..."

"I'm fine." Yi Yun quickly stopped her, lest she worry unnecessarily. "Big Sister, tell me about this world. And what was the matter with that middle-aged man riding a Giant Beast? There are many things I can't remember..."