Traveling Together

Chu Xiaotian nodded. Although he had never practiced cultivation, he knew that what Xia Xue said was correct; a cultivation technique was not necessarily suitable for everyone. If a technique was ill-suited, it would not only be useless but would actually hinder one's progress.

"Beautiful lady, look, I've just walked out of the mountains and have nowhere to stay. I wonder if you could take me in for a while? If I could borrow a spot at your place until I find a place to cultivate, that would be great. What do you think?" Chu Xiaotian asked, looking at Xia Xue with an earnest expression. As he spoke, he used the longsword in Xia Xue's hand to skin two wolves, fashioning a crude beast-hide garment to wear.

He had originally intended to avoid populated areas, but Xia Xue's words had changed his mind. He knew that if he remained holed up in this dense forest, while he wouldn't hurt anyone, he would undoubtedly never change his fate. He would live a life of being human by day and a zombie by night forever. If the jade pendant around his neck ever lost its effectiveness, he would fall into eternal darkness and become a true zombie. This was a result he refused to accept. He had lived two lives, and now that he had arrived in a world possessing mysterious and powerful forces, he felt that ending up in such a miserable state would be an insult to the heavens that brought him here and to his ancestors. Therefore, he decided to step out of this forest and into the outside world; perhaps there, he could find a way to fully control his zombie form. As for turning into a zombie at night, he figured that as long as he returned to the forest before losing consciousness, he wouldn't affect anyone else.

Of course, besides these reasons, there was another: Xia Xue. Having saved such a stunningly beautiful young woman, if he could use this excuse to live with her, Chu Xiaotian felt that some of the things he most desired might just happen. It must be said that sometimes, men are prone to fantasies, especially after meeting a beauty.

Hearing Chu Xiaotian's proposal, Xia Xue's brows furrowed slightly. She lived alone, and the thought of a man like Chu Xiaotian moving in felt inappropriate. Yet, refusing him after he had just saved her life also felt wrong. For a moment, she was caught in a dilemma.

"If it's inconvenient, then I won't bother you. I'll just find a cave or something to stay in; I've been used to it for years anyway," Chu Xiaotian said, sighing inwardly as he watched her reaction. He hadn't held much hope for his request, so he wasn't overly dejected by the result. After all, he knew that for a young woman, bringing a strange man into her home was not a light matter.

"Oh, it's not like that. I didn't say you couldn't come. It's just that my place is very simple, and I was afraid you might look down on it," Xia Xue said, feeling embarrassed after hearing his words. She looked at him with an apologetic expression.

"Really? You're really willing to let me stay?" Chu Xiaotian's eyes lit up, and he looked at her in disbelief. He was very surprised by her answer, and even more delighted.

"Yes, follow me. But we must agree on one thing: unless I give you permission, you are not allowed to enter my room. Also, stop calling me 'beautiful lady.' Just call me Xia Xue or Xiaoxue," she said, nodding slightly with a faint blush on her pretty face. As soon as she finished speaking, she darted forward.

"Of course, how could I ever do something as boorish as offending a beauty?" Chu Xiaotian was stunned for a moment, but he quickly made a solemn promise. Without hesitation, he followed closely behind her.

"By the way, Xiaoxue, why did you come into these deep mountains and old forests all by yourself?" Chu Xiaotian asked, catching up to her. He couldn't understand why a young woman with limited strength would venture into such a dangerous forest.

"I told you before, I'm an alchemist. I came here to gather herbs for refining pills," Xia Xue replied, glancing back at him with a faint smile.

"An alchemist, so you specialize in refining pills? I have to say, those two pills you gave me were truly powerful. After taking them, my injuries were almost completely healed. Tell me, is it hard to refine them? Are there many alchemists on the Moon-Refining Continent? Why didn't you mention it before?" Chu Xiaotian was like a curious child; as soon as she finished, his questions came out like a barrage of marbles.

"Yes, alchemists specialize in refining pills. The two Recovery Pills I gave you were refined by me, though they are just low-grade, first-tier pills..." Xia Xue answered his questions without hesitation.

She then explained some things about alchemists on this continent. On the Moon-Refining Continent, although the vast majority of people were ordinary Qi-practitioners who relied on absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to strengthen themselves, there were also some special existences, like alchemists such as herself.

Ordinary practitioners focused on refining Qi, but those with extraordinary talent possessed abilities others could not compare to—for instance, having a much stronger spirit than others. Such people, in addition to refining Qi, possessed an extra ability: refining objects. They could use their powerful spiritual force to manipulate the spiritual energy of the world to refine various materials, such as herbs, ores, and so on. Because their spirits were stronger, these people were also significantly more powerful than others at the same level.

This gap was not very obvious at the beginning—just as Xia Xue was not as strong as Chu Xiaotian right now—but the further one progressed in cultivation, the more apparent it became. Especially upon reaching the Spirit-Condensing Realm, those with strong spirits had at least double the chance of breaking through compared to others.

After refining herbs and fusing their essences, they became pills. As for ores, once refined, they became weapons. Xia Xue belonged to the former category. Her spirit was much stronger than the average person's, so after receiving the art of alchemy from her master, she became a true alchemist.

Pills were divided into nine tiers, and Xia Xue could currently only refine first-tier pills. She was merely a low-level alchemist. However, according to her, her master was a seventh-tier alchemist. After taking her on as a disciple and teaching her the techniques and methods of alchemy, he had drifted away, leaving her alone to refine pills in these deep mountains. According to him, this was to give her a chance to train on her own. Once she became a fifth-tier alchemist, she could go to the capital of the Great Xia Dynasty to find him.

From Xia Xue's words, Chu Xiaotian learned that people like her, who possessed powerful spiritual force and became alchemists or weapon-smiths, were extremely rare on the entire Moon-Refining Continent, as scarce as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.

Chu Xiaotian did not doubt this. He knew that in this world, the existence of alchemists was like that of scientists in his previous world; it wasn't something just anyone could do.

"Your master is too careless. How could he leave you alone in these deep mountains? What if you were hurt by these wild beasts? How about this: from now on, whenever you go to gather herbs, I'll stay by your side to protect you. I guarantee that no beast in this forest will be able to harm you in the slightest." After hearing about alchemists and weapon-smiths, Chu Xiaotian couldn't help but complain about her master. Given the situation earlier, it was entirely possible that a stunning beauty like Xia Xue could have perished in a pack of beasts. Of course, Chu Xiaotian wouldn't pass up such a good opportunity, so after complaining about her master, he volunteered to be her bodyguard.

"You shouldn't talk about my master like that. I think he wanted to temper my survival skills. Besides, I only walk on the outskirts of the Forest Sea, so I won't encounter any overly powerful demonic beasts. Today's wolf attack was just an accident," Xia Xue said softly, not angered by his complaints, though she frowned slightly. It was clear she wasn't entirely satisfied with her master's methods either.

Chu Xiaotian smiled and didn't dwell on the topic, instead continuing to ask her questions. Their conversation helped him understand much more about this world. Walking and talking, it took them half an hour to finally reach the place where Xia Xue lived.