You've Got the Wrong Person

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Chu Xiaotian watched Xia Xue, her face flushed with embarrassment as she fed Xiao Zi. He really wanted to pounce on the little beast that had ruined his good thing and wring its neck to soothe his burning anger.

What irritated Chu Xiaotian most was that the little creature seemed to know exactly how he felt. While lapping up the spiritual liquid in the porcelain bowl, it turned to look at him. The corners of its mouth even curled upward, and its eyes clearly held a hint of smugness and mockery.

Although Xiao Zi was only a half-month-old spirit beast cub, it had grown at a terrifying pace on the medicinal elixirs Xia Xue fed it every day. Now it was a meter long, like a little calf. Its intelligence was just as remarkable. The smugness in its eyes and the way it mocked Chu Xiaotian made that clear; it was no less clever than a human, and might even be smarter. After all, a human child at half a month old wouldn't understand a thing.

Chu Xiaotian was so furious he could have burst a blood vessel. The little beast had ruined his chance, and now it was even mocking him. It really didn't take him seriously at all. He regretted not leaving the little thing where it was. If he hadn't brought it back, things would have gone smoothly today. But now it had spoiled everything, and he wouldn't get another chance anytime soon. The thought made his teeth itch with rage.

Xia Xue turned around and happened to see Chu Xiaotian glaring at Xiao Zi with gritted teeth. Her already-flushed face grew even redder. She knew why he looked that way. Thinking that she had nearly done something so shameful in broad daylight made her wish she could crawl into a crack in the ground. It was simply too embarrassing.

"Brother Xiaotian, I'm hungry." After a long silence, Xia Xue gazed at Chu Xiaotian pitifully and spoke in a sweet voice. She was a little afraid to face him now, so she could only send him away. Besides, after all the exertion the night before, she really was hungry.

"I'll go grill some fish for you." Chu Xiaotian felt awkward too. Hearing Xia Xue say that, he left the room with a hint of relief.

That afternoon, Xia Xue stayed in the valley to look after Xiao Zi, while Chu Xiaotian left for Greenwood Town. The valley had run out of medicinal herbs, so he needed to buy more at the Hundred Herb Pavilion. The pills Xia Xue had refined recently also needed to be delivered to the Mad Blade Martial Hall and the Hundred Herb Pavilion.

At the Mad Blade Martial Hall, apart from the two disciples guarding the entrance and a few people with lower Body Refining cultivation, everyone else was gone. It surprised him. From the people there, Chu Xiaotian learned that they had all made breakthroughs in their cultivation because of Moon-Melting Night the previous evening, and were now consolidating their gains.

Chu Xiaotian had been in a daze all last night and knew nothing about the three moons aligning. After waking, he hadn't asked Xia Xue what had happened, and had simply taken it for an accident. Hearing the disciple explain it now, he began to understand that he hadn't been the only one to sense something unusual the night before. After asking around, he finally learned what Moon-Melting Night was. Knowing it only happened once a year put him somewhat at ease. Otherwise, he really would have feared that something like the previous night might happen again without warning. If it did, things might not turn out as well as they had last night. Still, he couldn't help feeling disgruntled that everyone else had benefited while he had gained nothing—and had nearly cost Xia Xue her life.

In truth, he had gained a great deal; he had simply chosen to ignore it. The night before, he had advanced from the Purple Corpse stage to the Green Corpse stage. Under ordinary circumstances, he would have reached only the initial stage of the Green Corpse realm. But the yin-cold spiritual energy that night had been incredibly abundant, nearly ten times greater than at other times. His breakthrough had not only brought him into the Green Corpse realm, but straight to its middle stage. One night of cultivation had been worth dozens of ordinary nights.

Besides that, his spiritual power had increased tremendously as he spent so long resisting the Corpse Poison. It might not have doubled, but it had risen by at least fifty percent. He had gained so much and still thought he'd gotten nothing; even the heavens might have felt a little aggrieved.

Ba Dao was cultivating, and there wasn't a single disciple in charge at the hall. Chu Xiaotian left and headed for the Hundred Herb Pavilion. The situation there was much the same. Its three experts had all made breakthroughs the previous night and were consolidating their realms. But buying a few medicinal herbs didn't require them to be there, and Chu Xiaotian quickly got everything he wanted. Of course, he took the pills back with him untouched.

As soon as Chu Xiaotian stepped out of the Hundred Herb Pavilion, he saw five unfamiliar men approaching. He was greatly surprised by them because they were highly skilled. The leader was a gaunt old man with an expressionless face. His aura was just like that of the Huang and Jiang Families' ancestors he had seen before—in other words, he was a Poxue Realm expert. The other four were all Huayuan Realm experts.

These fellows were probably drawn here by that little beast, but haven't they come a bit too late? Greenwood Town had neither medicinal herbs nor monsters, so experts rarely came here. After his initial surprise, Chu Xiaotian figured they must have been drawn by news of the spirit beast cub, only to arrive too late. He had no intention of dealing with people like them. If they found out the cub was in his hands, who knew what might happen?

He turned to leave, but the people behind him had spotted him too. A glimmer of delight crossed their faces, and one of them called out, "Young Master, you're here! We've finally found you!"

"Young Master!" Chu Xiaotian breathed a sigh of relief. So these experts hadn't come for the spirit beast; they were looking for someone. He wondered who on this street was their young master. A family capable of dispatching experts like these to look for someone was certainly beyond the Huang and Jiang Families of Yufeng Prefecture.

"Young Master, don't go! The family head wants you to return as soon as possible!" A low voice came from behind Chu Xiaotian. As soon as the words fell, someone blocked his path. It was none other than the Poxue Realm elder he had seen among the group.

"Chu Xiong greets Young Master." The old man looked at Chu Xiaotian, bowed, and spoke in a solemn voice.

"Young Master? You're calling me Young Master? Are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?" Chu Xiaotian stared at the old man in disbelief. He knew his own circumstances. Anyone could be their young master, but there was no way he could be. He wasn't even from this world. It seemed his face must be identical to their young master's, and they had mistaken him for that person.

"Young Master, you jest. I may be old, but my eyesight isn't so poor that I'd make a mistake like this." Chu Xiong glanced at Chu Xiaotian, his face still expressionless, and replied coolly.

"That's right, Young Master. You may not have stayed with the family for long, but how could we not recognize you? Don't you remember? We were the ones who brought you back to the family. You've been away for so long without sending word, and the master has been searching for you all this time. Come back with us at once." While he spoke with the old man, the other four Huayuan Realm experts caught up. One of them, a short, thin guard dressed in black, smiled at Chu Xiaotian as he spoke.

Chu Xiaotian shook his head. "I may look just like your young master, but I really am not him. I grew up in these mountains. How could I possibly be your young master? You'd better hurry up and find the person you're looking for instead of wasting your time on me." The identity of a great family's young master might make many people green with envy, but Chu Xiaotian wasn't tempted. It was one thing if the truth never came out. If it did, he wouldn't even know how he'd died.

The five men opposite him were stunned. There was no sign that Chu Xiaotian was pretending. Besides, who would be foolish enough to deny being the young master of one of Shiyan City's three great families?

"Chief Xiong, do you think we really might have mistaken him for someone else?" The short, thin guard who had spoken earlier looked at Chu Xiong and asked uncertainly. It wasn't unheard of for two unrelated people to look exactly alike.

"Could Young Master have lost his memory and forgotten everything from before?" Another guard glanced at the others and asked quietly.

"Impudent! How dare you speak such treasonous nonsense? Apologize to Young Master at once!" The old man glared at the guard and shouted as soon as he heard that.

"Young Master, please forgive me for speaking out of turn." The guard shrank back and hurriedly apologized to Chu Xiaotian.

"I told you, I'm really not your young master, and I haven't lost my memory. I even remember how many times I wet the bed as a child. How could I have amnesia? You've got the wrong person." Chu Xiaotian looked at the stubborn men and spoke helplessly.

This time, nobody said anything. The four Huayuan Realm experts all looked to the Poxue Realm elder, waiting for his answer. The elder's brow furrowed as he struggled to decide. From Chu Xiaotian's expression, he really didn't seem to be their family's young master. Of course, it was still possible that he had lost his memory.

After pondering for a long while, he finally waved a hand. "We'll take him back to the family first. The family head will know whether he's the young master or not." Then he turned to Chu Xiaotian and spoke slowly. "Young brother, come with us. If you aren't our young master, we'll bring you back here. We'll also compensate you."

Chu Xiaotian looked at the five men and thought for a moment before finally nodding. "All right, I'll go with you. But you'll have to wait for me. I still have something to take care of." The old man's words sounded as though he was asking for Chu Xiaotian's opinion, but his tone left no room for refusal. Besides, Chu Xiaotian had been in this world for a long time and still hadn't left Greenwood Town. With a free round trip on offer, how could he pass up the chance to see a little more of the world?