At the summit of Little River Peak, a figure gradually appeared, like a ghost.
Had Old Li and Li Yuan seen this, they would surely have fainted from fright.
For that figure was none other than Chen Xun.
Chen Xun stood atop the mountain, gazing into the distance, taking in the magnificent mountains and rivers of spring.
The entirety of Little River Town below also lay within his view.
Little River Peak was quite tall, and looking down from its summit, Little River Town seemed pitifully small.
After admiring the scenery for a while, Chen Xun sat cross-legged and waved a hand. An ancient zither appeared, resting across his knees.
As Chen Xun slowly plucked its strings, gentle, lilting music rang out atop Little River Peak.
The beautiful melody drew many birds and butterflies, which circled Chen Xun and danced around him. A few bold ones even landed directly on his shoulders.
Unfortunately, no one was there to witness this scene.
At a certain moment, Chen Xun suddenly stopped plucking and gently pressed his palms against the strings. The music abruptly faded.
Yet the birds and butterflies were reluctant to leave. They circled Chen Xun again and again before finally flying away, forlorn.
"Like hearing celestial music, my ears were momentarily awakened. A fine piece."
Suddenly, a deep, resonant middle-aged male voice rang out.
Then a middle-aged man in a plain-colored brocade robe descended from the sky, landing a hundred feet behind Chen Xun.
The middle-aged man's black-and-white hair draped gracefully over his shoulders. His square face, sharp eyes, and powerful build gave him an imposing air.
Chen Xun showed no surprise at the man's sudden appearance. He had already sensed him while playing.
Seeing Chen Xun still seated where he was, the middle-aged man's eyes flickered with surprise. He then walked over and stood beside him. Noticing from the corner of his eye that Chen Xun still showed no reaction, he grew even more astonished.
At this distance, he was already dangerously close, yet Chen Xun remained as immovable as a mountain, without the slightest wariness...
After thinking it over carefully, he thought it over carefully.
"I am Nangong Yao. While passing through, I happened to hear celestial music and could not help following it here. If I have disturbed you, fellow Daoist, please forgive me."
Nangong Yao turned slightly and cupped his hands toward Chen Xun.
As he spoke, Nangong Yao glanced at the wooden sword on Chen Xun's back, feeling a little curious.
With a gentle flick of his sleeve, Chen Xun put away the zither and stood up. Turning his head toward Nangong Yao, he smiled. "This place is not mine alone. How could you be disturbing me?"
Nangong Yao paused, then smiled.
Interesting. Truly interesting.
It had been a long time since I met someone so interesting.
Who would have thought I would meet one in this forgotten corner?
Nangong Yao could not help asking, "May I ask your surname, fellow Daoist?"
Chen Xun smiled and shook his head. "We are merely duckweed meeting on the water. There is no need."
As his words fell, a mountain breeze swept past, and Chen Xun dispersed like grains of sand.
Nangong Yao's pupils contracted at the sight, shock rising within him!
A master!
Only after a long while did Nangong Yao recover. He could not help quickly scanning his surroundings, but that figure was nowhere to be seen.
Nangong Yao's breathing grew somewhat hurried. Along with his lingering fear, an unexpected sense of loss welled up inside him.
What had just happened felt like a dream, but he knew it had truly occurred.
"To think that I, Nangong Yao, would be fortunate enough to meet a master in such a remote place... What a pity that I never learned that senior's name."
Nangong Yao shook his head bitterly and murmured.
That senior was clearly a mighty cultivator as unfettered as an idle cloud or a wild crane. He had never heard of such a person in Northern Mystic before.
Presumably, the man was not from Northern Mystic, but had wandered here from another region.
Still, he might well have been from Northern Mystic. After all, this vast land held countless cultivators, and it was perfectly normal for some mighty figures to hide among mortals or in secluded corners.
But those were a tiny minority. Most cultivators, after all, also pursued fame and fortune...
In Nangong Yao's eyes, only cultivators who had seen through the mortal world and no longer sought fame or fortune could truly be considered cultivators of immortality.
Nangong Yao surveyed his surroundings once more, then sighed softly and flew away.
Meanwhile.
Chen Xun headed down the mountain with the carcass of a black tiger over his shoulder.
This black tiger was the very one that had tried to attack him and Old Li back then.
The black tiger was enormous. Without five or six strong adults, it would have been impossible to carry, let alone along a rugged mountain path.
Yet Chen Xun carried it with ease. On closer inspection, the black tiger was not actually resting on his shoulder at all, but floating...
In the blink of an eye, Chen Xun reached the outskirts of Little River Town with the black tiger's carcass.
To avoid causing panic, Chen Xun deliberately set the black tiger down and went into town to find a flatbed cart. He loaded the tiger onto it and pulled it into Little River Town.
Just imagine: if a frail-looking scholar like Chen Xun strolled into town with a huge black tiger slung effortlessly over his shoulder, would he not scare the townsfolk half to death?
Yet even bringing the black tiger into town this way quickly drew a crowd of onlookers!
The townsfolk packed around Chen Xun so tightly that not a drop of water could pass through, all staring in shock at the beast's carcass on the cart!
A b-black tiger?!
Heavens!
Even some hunters among them were utterly stunned!
After all, even they could not keep far enough away from a black tiger!
This creature was the overlord of Little River Peak. It ran so fast that even with a bow and arrow, hitting it was difficult!
"Good heavens! Once, when I went up Little River Peak, I caught a glimpse of a black tiger from far away. It scared the life out of me! I scrambled and crawled my way off the mountain. Luckily, it didn't chase me, or else..."
"C-Chen Xun, don't tell me you killed this black tiger?"
"How could he? Look at Chen Xun's skinny arms and legs. He wouldn't even fill a gap between that tiger's teeth!"
"..."
The townsfolk all chimed in, their words filled with shock and disbelief.
"Damn, a black tiger this size must sell for heaps and heaps of money!"
"That's right."
Naturally, most of the townsfolk were green with envy.
Chen Xun smiled wryly. "Of course I didn't kill it. How could I have that kind of ability? I went up Little River Peak today to admire the scenery and was attacked by this black tiger. Luckily, an immortal suddenly appeared and saved the day. Otherwise, I would have lost my life."
At this, the townsfolk were astonished all over again!
Sweet mother of mine, what was that? An immortal?
Chen Xun had actually been lucky enough to meet an immortal?
The townsfolk naturally knew that immortals existed, but they were exceedingly rare. They had only heard the older generation speak of seeing immortals fly across the sky.
None had been seen in recent years, yet Chen Xun had actually encountered one.
What an incredible blessing!
After their initial shock, the townsfolk looked at the black tiger and could not help marveling.
Wasn't this an incredible blessing indeed?
Look, just look! Even thinking with your backside, you could figure out that after killing this black tiger, the immortal had simply given it to Chen Xun.
That fellow Chen Xun had truly struck it lucky.
"Make way, everyone. I'm going to sell this black tiger."
Having said this with a smile, Chen Xun took up the cart and left.
But many townsfolk eager to watch the excitement still crowded around Chen Xun and followed him.
Some others watched Chen Xun's departing back with eyes red from envy, jealousy, and regret.
Everyone knew that Chen Xun was now part of Old Li's household. Once he sold this black tiger, Old Li's household would be rich!
It was no exaggeration to say that selling this black tiger would instantly send Old Li's household soaring in Little River Town!
Had they known this would happen, they would have taken Chen Xun in themselves back then...
Before you continue