At the entrance of a dilapidated small village, Zhang Ling looked at a large rock in the weeds beside him. It was a gray stone about ten feet high, with three dark red characters faintly visible on it. "Qingtian Village" These three characters looked somewhat unfamiliar to him. Large patches of black moss had covered the writing, indicating that no one had cleaned it for a long time. The dirt road under his feet was also mostly covered by weeds on both sides. The original two-zhang(丈: zhang, a unit of length) wide road was now only half visible. On one side, there were several collapsed and dilapidated mud houses, presenting a completely desolate and ruined appearance, completely different from the village in his memory. Before long, he arrived at the entrance of his home, which had also changed. The dilapidated wooden doors lay on the ground, and the scene in the small courtyard came into his view. He walked into the courtyard and looked around. The ground was full of potholes, and one side of the mud wall had collapsed. Several birds flapped their wings and quickly flew away from under the eaves. He also saw several toads lying in the nearby weeds. A water vat with a large hole quietly hid in the grass, with several porcelain bowls placed on top. These were his unwashed bowls and chopsticks from before, now also broken and unusable. The nearby low bucket was also covered in blue-green moss, and the clear water inside had long become turbid and foul-smelling green water. Zhang Ling's face remained expressionless as he walked into a mud house. The inside hadn't changed much; it still looked familiar to him, only covered in a thick layer of dust. Then, he went to his grandfather's room to take a look.
This was where he had lived for over a decade, and all the items were so familiar, except his grandfather was not among them. Sitting on the steps in front of the house, Zhang Ling stared blankly at everything. It wasn't until night fell that he stood up again, thinking about the situation of that day. His footsteps were heavy as he walked towards the back of the house, where there was a small path leading up the mountain. After walking a few steps, he saw a skeleton on the ground. The skeleton was lying on the ground, with one hand stretched straight out in his direction. Zhang Ling's body shook. It was his grandfather. The clothes on the skeleton were torn and tattered, but he still recognized them. "Xiao Ling(小凌: Little Ling), it's time to eat." "Boy, have you finished your homework?" Zhang Ling's eyes were moist, and he stood there for a long time without moving. His grandfather's words echoed in his mind. … The next morning, several porcelain bowls were placed on the ground in front of a grave, with two bowls of side dishes and a bowl of fish soup—these were his grandfather's favorite foods. Zhang Ling held a bowl of side dishes and quietly ate, muttering to himself from time to time. "Grandpa, do you know? I'm very powerful now. I'm not even afraid of the big worms in the mountains." "Grandpa, I'm going to leave here in a few days." "Grandpa, I forgot the homework you asked me to do that day. Haha…" Zhang Ling often spoke of some memories. He didn't leave until more than half a day had passed. Then, he went into the house and cleaned it up as usual. After that, he fell into a deep sleep in his room. Next, he stayed in the village for three more days, burying the bones of the villagers he could collect. Then, he left this small village where he had lived. Zhang Ling identified a direction and hurried along the way. A day later, he saw a town in the distance. Today seemed to be market day, and there were many pedestrians on the road, as well as several donkey carts, with livestock such as chickens and ducks mixed in. These people were simply dressed and were all poor villagers. This was Baishi Town(白石镇: White Stone Town), which he had longed for before. Although he didn't know how long he had been in the mountains, it had been at least a year or two. Zhang Ling now looked like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy.
In order not to attract attention, he had already changed into a coarse cloth garment. After all, wearing a bearskin would attract attention and couldn't cover his whole body. His chest was now a patch of green and red, and he could still see gray-green threads hidden under his skin. If people saw it, he would probably be regarded as a monster. Following the crowd, he entered the town. Baishi Town(白石镇: White Stone Town) had only three main streets, with restaurants, taverns, and medicinal herb shops on both sides. Zhang Ling walked down a street, excitedly looking here and there. This place was full of curiosity for him. Before long, he arrived at the central market, where there were even more people, creating a lively scene with people coming and going, and many villagers setting up stalls. These stalls had everything, selling crops, animal skins, and some things he didn't recognize. Zhang Ling's childlike innocence was triggered, and he wandered among them, completely blending in. From time to time, he took out some copper coins to buy some small snacks to satisfy his hunger. He wandered around for more than an hour, and the sky gradually darkened. Only then did he spend five copper coins to get a room at the Yuelai Inn. Sitting on the wooden bed, Zhang Ling took out all the things he had in his hand. Besides seven or eight taels of silver and dozens of copper coins, he had nothing else. These things were painstakingly saved by his grandfather, who often said that he would use this money to find him a good job in the town in the future. But today, he spent dozens of copper coins. Zhang Ling took out the mysterious small bead from his arms. In a few days, this thing had not changed at all. Holding the bead, he lay on the wooden bed, thinking about his future plans. He fell asleep before he knew it. The next day at noon, Zhang Ling sat at a corner table, ordered two plates of side dishes and a bowl of Yangchun noodles(阳春面: plain noodle soup) and ate leisurely. "Old Wang, please tell us, you just came back from Ming City(明城: Bright City). What interesting things are there? Tell us, brothers." "I knew you would ask." There were four men at the next table, chatting while eating. These people were talking loudly, and Zhang Ling looked up at them, but he didn't interfere. "Third brother, let me tell you, Ming City(明城: Bright City) is not comparable to this small Baishi Town(白石镇: White Stone Town). It has city walls that are several zhang(丈: zhang, a unit of length) high and a population of hundreds of thousands. I've really broadened my horizons." The bearded man looked at the people around him with a proud look, quite pleased with himself. "You kid, hurry up and tell us, hurry up and tell us." One of his skinny companions shouted impatiently. "Yo, Zhao the Monkey, don't rush me. I'll say it if I want to, and I won't if I don't want to." "Okay, okay, two bosses, can you talk about something serious?" The two joked back and forth, causing dissatisfaction from their companions. The bearded man then began to talk about what he had seen and heard. "Do you know what Ming City(明城: Bright City) is most famous for?" The bearded man was also someone who loved to show off, so he first posed a question. Seeing the people next to him rolling their eyes and no one responding, he laughed and said. "Ming City(明城: Bright City) is one of the best big cities in the entire Qingshan County(青山郡: Green Mountain County). Among them, the most famous are the three major occupations." "What occupations? Could it be farmers, pig butchers, and hunters?" "Hey,Monkey, you're interrupting again." The bearded man glanced at the skinny man and then ignored him. "The three you mentioned are the livelihoods of Baishi Town(白石镇: White Stone Town). The occupations in Ming City(明城: Bright City) are all very lucrative." "The three major occupations are government officials, security/escort company, and gangs. Do you know why?" "This is because they all have martial arts skills, and ordinary people can't afford to offend them. Government officials are the managers of Ming City(明城: Bright City), and they have power in their hands." "The people in the security/escort company are mostly skilled and escort merchant teams between major cities all year round. They have all practiced martial arts since childhood." "And the gang members are the most complicated. Although they are mostly rascals, the gangs that can gain a foothold in Ming City(明城: Bright City) all have considerable power, and there are many experts among them."
"Old Wang, can you really make a fortune in these three occupations?" Zhao the Monkey took a drink of wine, looking incredulous. "You don't understand this. Government officials have the power to naturally get money, security/escort company have a reputation, and most of the merchants in Ming City(明城: Bright City) have relationships with them. And gangs are a mixed bag, with countless experts hidden in the open and in the dark. Can they have few benefits?" "The martial artists among them also cultivate internal force, and their power is amazing. They can shatter rocks with one punch, jump several zhang(丈: zhang, a unit of length) high, and can also walk on walls. Ordinary people can't compare to them." The people began to discuss, and others didn't believe the bearded man, looking at him like he was bragging. Seeing that his companions didn't believe him, the bearded man's face darkened and he said in a deep voice. "I'm telling you, this is all true. I saw a security/escort company recruiting escorts, and their escorts all possessed martial arts skills." "And I personally saw two mysterious experts. At that time, my companion and I were resting in the forest, and we heard fighting sounds. From a distance, we saw two mysterious people fighting." "One of them emitted huge fireballs from his hand, which could instantly incinerate rocks, and one was holding a flying treasured sword . At that time, the flying sword lit up with blue light…" "Boss, you're getting more and more outrageous. People who can emit fireballs and flying swords, could it be that you've turned the magic tricks you saw into lies." Before the bearded man could finish speaking, the people next to him laughed, followed by another burst of arguing. Zhang Ling, who was sitting behind the people, was thoughtful. He didn't know if martial arts and internal force were real, but there was a qi/energy in his body. His body had also become different from ordinary people. He immediately became very interested in the two mysterious people the man was talking about. People who can emit fireballs and flying swords, aren't these the legendary immortal methods? Does this world really have immortal? Zhang Ling thought in his heart that the strange vines parasitizing him and the mysterious small bead all showed that he knew very little about this world.
