Mistaken Identity

Sitting on the edge of the bed and watching Xia Xue, whose face was flushed with shyness as she fed Xiao Zi, Chu Xiaotian truly wanted to pounce over and strangle that little beast for ruining his good time, just to vent the hatred in his heart.

However, what depressed Chu Xiaotian most was that this little thing seemed to know exactly what he was feeling. While it licked the spirit liquid from the porcelain bowl, it turned its head to look at him. The corners of its mouth tugged upward, and the light in its eyes clearly carried a hint of smugness and mockery.

Although Xiao Zi was only a half-month-old spirit beast cub, the growth rate it exhibited under the daily feedings of medicinal liquid from Xia Xue was terrifying. It was already a meter long, resembling a small calf. As for its intelligence, one could tell from the smugness in its eyes and its mocking gestures toward Chu Xiaotian that it was not a bit inferior to a human, perhaps even superior. After all, a human child at half a month old certainly understood nothing.

Chu Xiaotian was so angry he felt like he might explode. This little beast had ruined his good deed, and now it was actually mocking him; it simply didn't take him seriously at all. He regretted it deeply now. If he hadn't brought this little thing back, today's events would have unfolded naturally. But now, his good fortune had been stirred into a mess by this creature, and there would be no chance for a long time. Thinking of this, he gritted his teeth in frustration.

Xia Xue turned back and happened to see Chu Xiaotian glaring at Xiao Zi with gritted teeth, which made her already flushed, pretty face turn even redder. She knew why Chu Xiaotian looked like that. When she thought about how she had almost done such a shameful thing in broad daylight, she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into; it was just too embarrassing.

"Brother Xiaotian, I'm hungry." After a long silence, Xia Xue looked at Chu Xiaotian pitifully and spoke in a delicate voice. She didn't dare to face him right now and could only try to send him away. Besides, after the tossing and turning of the night, she was indeed hungry.

"I'll go roast some fish for you." Chu Xiaotian also felt a bit awkward. Hearing Xia Xue's words, he felt as if a weight had been lifted and walked out of the room.

In the afternoon, Xia Xue stayed in the valley to look after Xiao Zi, while Chu Xiaotian left and headed toward Greenwood Town. There were no more medicinal herbs in the valley, so he had to go to the Hundred Herb Pavilion to buy some. Moreover, he needed to take the pills Xia Xue had refined during this time to the Mad Blade Martial Hall and the Hundred Herb Pavilion.

At the Mad Blade Martial Hall, apart from two disciples guarding the gate and some people at the lower Body Refining realm still practicing, everyone else was absent, which surprised him greatly. From those disciples, Chu Xiaotian learned that they had all made breakthroughs in their cultivation due to the Moon-Melting Night and were currently consolidating their progress.

Chu Xiaotian had been in a daze last night and didn't clearly understand the phenomenon of the three moons merging. After waking up, he hadn't asked Xia Xue about the situation, simply treating it as an accident. Now, hearing the disciple's explanation, he finally understood that he hadn't been the only one to feel the anomaly last night. Through side inquiries, he finally grasped the nature of the Moon-Melting Night. Knowing that it only happened once a year put his mind at ease; otherwise, he would have been truly worried that something like last night might happen again. If it did, the situation might not turn out as well as it had. Still, he felt a bit resentful that everyone else had gained benefits while he had gained nothing and had almost caused Xia Xue to lose her life.

Of course, in reality, the benefits he had gained were immense, but he had deliberately ignored them. He had broken through from a Purple Corpse to a Green Corpse realm last night. Under normal circumstances, he would have at most reached the early stage of the Green Corpse realm. However, the yin-cold spirit energy last night had been incredibly dense—more than ten times the usual amount. With this breakthrough, his cultivation had not only entered the Green Corpse realm but had surged directly to the middle stage. One night of cultivation was equivalent to dozens of nights of normal effort.

Beyond that, his mental strength had also greatly improved during the long process of resisting the Corpse Poison. Even if it hadn't doubled, it had increased by at least fifty percent. Having gained so much, his feeling that he had gained nothing would have made the heavens weep.

Ba Dao was in seclusion, and there was no one in charge present, so Chu Xiaotian left and headed to the Hundred Herb Pavilion. The situation there was much the same; the three experts had all made breakthroughs last night and were consolidating their realms. However, buying medicinal herbs didn't necessarily require their presence, and Chu Xiaotian quickly obtained everything he needed. Naturally, he took the pills back home untouched.

As soon as he stepped out of the Hundred Herb Pavilion, Chu Xiaotian saw five unfamiliar men walking toward him. These five men surprised him greatly because their cultivation levels were very high. The leader was a gaunt, expressionless old man whose aura was identical to the ancestors of the Huang and Jiang families he had seen before—meaning he was a powerhouse of the Poxue Realm. As for the other four, they were all experts of the Huayuan Realm.

"These guys were probably attracted by that little beast, but they seem to have arrived a bit too late." In a place like Greenwood Town, there were no medicinal herbs or spirit beasts, so experts rarely came by. After his initial surprise, Chu Xiaotian figured they must be experts attracted by rumors of the spirit beast cub who had arrived late. He had no intention of engaging with such people; if they found out the spirit beast cub was in his hands, that would be a disaster.

He turned to leave, but the people behind him saw him, and a flash of surprise crossed their faces. They shouted at him, "Young Master! You are actually here! We have finally found you!"

"Young Master!" Chu Xiaotian breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out these experts weren't here for the spirit beast, but to find someone. However, he wondered who on the street was their young master. A family that could casually dispatch such powerhouses to find someone was definitely not comparable to the Huang or Jiang families in Yufeng Prefecture.

"Young Master, don't go! The Family Head wants you to return early." A low voice came from behind Chu Xiaotian, and as the words fell, someone blocked his path. It was none other than the Poxue Realm old man from the group he had seen earlier.

"Chu Xiong greets the Young Master," the old man said, bowing to Chu Xiaotian in a deep voice.

"Young Master! You call me Young Master? Are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?" Chu Xiaotian looked at the old man in astonishment, his eyes full of disbelief. He knew his own situation; anyone else could be their young master, but he, no matter what, could not be. Because he wasn't from this world at all. It seemed his appearance was identical to their young master, leading them to mistake him for the person they were looking for.

"Young Master is joking. Although I am not young, my eyes have not yet failed to that extent," Chu Xiong said, glancing at Chu Xiaotian with a flat, expressionless face.

"That's right, Young Master. Although you haven't stayed in the family for many days, 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 leaving a message; the Master has been searching for you. Please, hurry and come back with us." Taking advantage of the time he was speaking to the old man, the other four Huayuan Realm experts caught up. One of them, a thin guard in black, smiled at Chu Xiaotian.

Chu Xiaotian shook his head. "I may look like your young master, but I am truly not him. I grew up in these mountains since I was a child; how could I be your young master? You should hurry and find your real young master; don't waste your time here." The status of a great family's young master might make many people envious, but Chu Xiaotian was not. It would be fine if the truth remained hidden, but once exposed, he wouldn't even know how he died.

The five people opposite him were stunned. Chu Xiaotian's demeanor didn't look like he was faking it. Moreover, no one would be foolish enough to deny the status of a young master from one of the three great families in Shiyan City.

"Leader Xiong, do you think we might have really mistaken him for someone else?" the thin guard who had spoken earlier asked Chu Xiong, sounding uncertain. In this world, it wasn't impossible for two unrelated people to look exactly alike.

"Do you think the Young Master might have lost his memory and doesn't remember anything from before?" another guard scanned the group and whispered.

"Insolent! How dare you speak such disrespectful words? Apologize to the Young Master at once!" The old man glared at the guard and shouted.

"Young Master, please forgive this lowly one for his improper words," the guard said, shrinking his neck and quickly apologizing to Chu Xiaotian.

"I told you, I am really not your young master, and I haven't lost my memory. I even remember how many times I wet the bed when I was a child; how could I have amnesia? You really have mistaken me for someone else," Chu Xiaotian said helplessly, looking at these somewhat stubborn fellows.

At this, no one spoke. The four Huayuan Realm experts all turned their eyes to the Poxue Realm old man, waiting for his decision. The old man's brows were tightly furrowed, and he couldn't quite make up his mind. Looking at Chu Xiaotian's expression, it seemed he really wasn't the young master of their family, though the possibility of amnesia couldn't be ruled out.

After pondering for a long time, he finally waved his hand and said, "We will take him back to the family first. Whether he is the Young Master or not, the Family Head will have a way to know." After saying this, he looked at Chu Xiaotian and spoke slowly, "Little brother, just come with us for a trip. If you are not our young master, we will bring you back. Furthermore, we will provide you with some compensation."

Chu Xiaotian looked at the five men, pondered for a moment, and finally nodded. "Fine, I will go with you. However, you must wait for me a moment; I still have some things to do." Although the old man's words seemed to be seeking his opinion, there was an undeniable tone of command in his voice. Besides, he had been in this world for so long and had never left Greenwood Town. Now that he had a chance for a free round-trip, how could he pass up such a good opportunity to see the world?