Time Flows Peacefully—Enjoy the Present

That year slowly passed amid the sounds of Chen Xun's furnaces exploding. They added their Longevity Points to the Essence of All Things, bringing it to 19.

Goose-feather snow fell over the Ningyun Mountain Range, silver-white blanketing the earth. Tiandi merged into a single line, blurring the boundaries, blurring the horizon.

The Gan Kingdom seemed somewhat turbulent this year. They had heard that war had broken out along the borders, and countless righteous patriots set off for the frontier to defend the nation's gates.

Snow filled the sky as their families saw them off in the haze. The snow was covered in footprints, and filled with lingering concern.

The families of countless righteous men stopped and remained there, standing until dusk.

Yet the snow at dusk fell thick and dense, as though carrying countless tangled emotions, surging like seawater, capable of drowning everything.

But no matter what happened in the Mortal Realm, it seemed unable to block the immortal-seeking path of countless Rogue Cultivators.

The Immortal Ascension Assembly proceeded as usual. That hooded cultivator who led an ox never returned, and gradually faded from everyone's minds.

However, a major event took place in the valley. Cultivators from hundreds of sects personally stepped in to capture those selling the booklets. Though they killed no one, every last bit of their property was confiscated.

These booklets had severely harmed the interests of the various Immortal Gates. It had originally been fair competition, but now that such a "guide" had appeared, the number of Rogue Cultivators attempting the trials for certain Immortal Gates had visibly increased.

Some promising seedlings had also been snatched away. They blamed the booklets for it, saying they had led people astray.

The Ten Great Immortal Sects presented a united front and purged the scourge. Should such a thing happen again, all participants would be made to perish, body and soul.

Ningyun Mountain Range, outskirts, inside a cave.

Their Spirit Medicine seeds had now been completely used up, and the Alchemy Furnace had exploded as well. Chen Xun began considering their next move.

Black Bull sat to one side grinding medicinal herbs. Its two hooves worked with immense force; these were the seasonings they normally used for meals.

"Old Bull, let's use up the remaining pills first. Save the other Spirit Medicine for now."

"Moo."

Black Bull gave an absent-minded call, scooped the powder into bottles with its hooves, then continued grinding, its eyes full of focus.

Chen Xun hoisted two water jars onto his shoulders, clothes still inside them, and smiled. "Old Bull, want to come fetch water?"

"Moo moo~" Black Bull cried anxiously, hurriedly tidying up the stone grinder. Wherever Chen Xun went, it went.

Black Bull directly moved aside the huge boulder outside the cave. After Chen Xun emerged, it covered the entrance again and even checked for any gaps.

Snowflakes drifted outside as the frigid wind raged. Chen Xun wore only a thin layer of clothing, yet he did not feel cold in the slightest.

They reached a stream and chipped holes through the ice everywhere. Chen Xun held up a water jar with one hand to fill it, while Black Bull stood merrily in the middle of the creek holding the other jar.

During this, Black Bull got so carried away scampering about that the ice cracked beneath it. It fell straight in, only for Chen Xun to swiftly pull it back out.

After filling the jars, they sat together and washed clothes. No one knew what the man and ox were talking about, but their laughter never stopped.

Snowflakes danced wildly across the horizon. They sat in a snowdrift several feet deep, as though only a young man and a great black ox existed between Tiandi.

Time flowed peacefully. Enjoy the present.

Before long, the sounds of dry branches snapping reached them, accompanied by heavy footsteps crunching through the snow. Though they were far away, their hearing was sharp enough to catch them long ago.

Chen Xun and Black Bull looked toward the snow-covered woods. A large group of people was approaching, dressed in ragged robes and leaning on wooden sticks.

Their faces were filthy and reddened by the cold. There were at least a hundred of them—men, women, old people, and children alike.

Every face was filled with shock. In such heavy snow, these two were actually washing clothes—and that great black ox was even sitting upright, holding clothes and soapberries in its hooves.

"Elder, are you lost?"

Chen Xun asked casually. They were a group of mortals, and the vigilance in his heart gradually eased.

Black Bull only glanced at them. There was no danger, so it continued scrubbing clothes, occasional moos sounding from its mouth.

"Young hero, we are refugees fleeing from Cinnabar Pine City."

An elderly man hobbled forward. At a glance, this youth was clearly a martial artist—strong and healthy, unafraid of such heavy snow.

"Cinnabar Pine City? That's so far away. You'd have had to reach the other end of the Ningyun Mountain Range."

Chen Xun said in surprise. He had heard of Cinnabar Pine City. It neighbored Panning City, but the journey was long. "Are you headed to Panning City?"

"Yes, yes." The old man nodded. It seemed they were about to arrive, and joy lit his eyes.

"Elder, what happened? The Ningyun Mountain Range is so dangerous, yet you dared to cross it."

"Young hero, you misunderstand. We traveled along the outskirts and took a detour."

The old man shook his head and let out a deep sigh. "The Gan Kingdom is in turmoil now. Rebel armies are rising everywhere, and bandits are causing havoc. Even Cinnabar Pine City's lord has been killed."

"Ah?"

Chen Xun was startled, immediately understanding these people. If it were him, he would run too. "Panning City is just southeast from here. You took a bit of a detour."

"Thank you, young hero." The old man clasped his hands. After talking so much, he had really only wanted directions.

"It's nothing, it's nothing."

Chen Xun waved a hand and looked at the refugees. "Be careful on the road. There are quite a lot of wild beasts around here."

"Thank you, young hero."

"Thank you, young hero!"

"Thank you, big brother."

Many voices rose from the crowd in thanks. A little girl also called out in a crisp voice. Hope ignited in their eyes—they would finally reach Panning City. It was a great city, with quite stable public order.

Chen Xun smiled faintly as he watched them leave. Black Bull also mooed at them once.

"Old Bull, let me tell you—no matter which world it is, as long as there are nations, flames of war will rage everywhere. Ordinary people always suffer."

Chen Xun spoke with feeling. The history of his country in his previous life had been one bitter history of war, carved into the blood of every person.

"Moo? Moo moo moo!"

Black Bull became animated. It even stopped working with its hooves and kept rubbing its body against Chen Xun. Hurry up and tell it.

"Then we'll have to start with the Xia Dynasty..."

Chen Xun began speaking in a solemn, serious tone. Black Bull's eyes widened round as it listened, utterly entranced, even memorizing several names.

Half an hour later, they had finished washing their clothes and sat there enjoying the snowy view. Chen Xun was still recounting history to Black Bull, immersed in the tale.

"If you wish to know what happened next, listen to the next installment."

Chen Xun patted the Black Bull, which was still wanting more, then looked toward the washed clothes. "Our clothes have all frozen into blocks of ice!"

"Moo!" Black Bull suddenly came back to its senses. They really had.

"Let's go, let's go. Good thing we have the Fireball Technique."

Chen Xun stood, carrying the water jars and clothes as he led Black Bull back toward the cave. Having spells really was convenient—they could dry everything directly.

Along the way, they gradually began to sense that something was wrong. Why was there a bloody smell drifting through the wind and snow?

"Old Bull..."

Chen Xun said in a low voice. He took the hood from his chest and pulled it over his head. "Be careful."

"Moo."

Black Bull answered quietly, vigilance in its eyes. Its sense of smell was exceptionally keen.

In the distance, several corpses lay beneath a tree. Blood had stained a patch of snow red, only to be gradually buried by the falling snow.

Chen Xun frowned deeply and slowed his steps. It seemed that every half li, there were several more bodies. They bore saber wounds and had not been dead for long, while footprints lay in chaotic disarray.

"Moo?"

Black Bull looked at Chen Xun. Several of them seemed familiar, like the villagers who had asked for directions earlier.

Chen Xun slowly approached and turned over several corpses. One woman had desperately shielded a little girl, but both had already drawn their last breath. Even their wounds had begun to freeze.