Chapter 16: Breaking the Calm

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Although Green River District was a good distance from Luoluo City, where Longevity Sect was located, which gave Chen Li some peace of mind, the wilderness trial he had to undertake was still inevitable.

On one hand, it was to make sure he was prepared for the worst-case scenario.

On the other hand, it was also to gain the 'practical combat' experience he most lacked, even if it meant just killing insects and small animals—it was still better than training blindly on his own.

The next morning, while the sky was still dimly lit, he set out early.

He had originally planned to find an experienced and reliable companion to team up with, but he never put it into practice.

Because he had been cultivating at home and seldom went out, he had a narrow social circle and almost only knew people who were mere acquaintances. The person he interacted with the most and could barely trust was his neighbor Zhou Hong.

People are strange in that way.

Zhou Hong was sharp-tongued, her words cutting like a knife, but in his heart, Chen Li felt she bore no ill will toward him.

However, after he gave her a hairpin, their relationship became… somewhat awkward.

She began to avoid him, intentionally or otherwise.

Originally, Chen Li had planned to ask her to introduce him to a reliable friend, but now he felt too embarrassed to approach her again.

As for finding someone at random, he thought better of it.

There was no basis for trust.

On Earth, making a mistake in choosing friends usually just costs money, but in this world, it could very well mean losing your life.

All the more so when venturing into the wild.

...

He quickly found his way to where he had last returned.

Before reaching this place, Chen Li was still fairly calm, having been here once before—but as he moved forward, his heart tensed up again. The trees in the wilderness became denser, and at the same time, the number of bizarre creatures increased.

...

"Ah!"

Accompanying a piercing and miserable shriek.

The nearby bushes suddenly burst into violent commotion, followed by something that shot out like an arrow towards the distance, leaving a long trail in the undergrowth.

"Ssst!"

It hadn't even managed to escape.

An invisible burst of force instantly penetrated the bushes.

Exploding into a cloud of blood mist.

"Damn it, what's with that ghastly screaming?"

He knew without looking that it was something known as a Wailing Mouse, as detailed in a section of 'Compendium of Materia Medica'.

It was only the size of a small cat, black all over, and looked utterly unremarkable.

However, despite its small size, it had a powerful voice.

When startled, this creature would emit a high-pitched shriek of such high decibels that ordinary people couldn't bear it.

It was said, just said, that the presence—or absence—of Wailing Mice could determine whether there were Demon Beasts in the vicinity.

These were the exact words from the 'Compendium of Materia Medica'.

If there were Wailing Mice around, then it was highly likely that there were no Demon Beasts.

Vice versa.

It showed how much these creatures were hated and despised, so much so that even Demon Beasts would seek to eliminate them as soon as they encountered them.

Chen Li had originally thought this description was exaggerated, but upon encountering them, he realized what it meant to want to kill something immediately. These Wailing Mice were especially numerous near the forest, and as he advanced, they continuously sprang out, scampering wildly through the bushes while letting out loud, shrill screams.

Even though they couldn't pose a threat to him, their sudden outbursts were frightening enough.

Especially when one's nerves were on edge—suddenly hearing a wretched, ear-piercing shriek was maddening.

...

Chen Li advanced, killing as he went, using Spiritual Power to flick away those at a distance, and dealing with closer threats with his sword.

No creature, not even a small insect, could get within three feet of him.

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His arms were almost numb from the constant killing.

Even his swordsmanship seemed to subtly leap to another level, his strikes becoming more precise, his capture of moving targets sharper—any insect, no matter how nimble, met its end in one sword stroke.

Chen Li had walked to the edge of the forest before turning back, delving deeper would have truly been risky.

...

On the way back, Chen Li's steps were light.

It was as if he had returned from a jaunt in the countryside, his mood uplifted.

He purposefully took a long way round that he had never walked before, admiring the familiar yet different scenery around him.

In the crystal-clear river, schools of fish were foraging among the water plants, while many young female cultivators rolled up their sleeves, revealing pale arms, as they washed their chamber pots and chatted loudly, their clear and pleasant laughter carrying in the air.

In this world, there were no flush toilets, not even latrines; men generally dug a hole to relieve themselves—that was considered polite.

If one wasn't so polite…

Well, one really had to watch their step when walking.

As for women, it wasn't so easy; every morning, one could see female cultivators carrying chamber pots to the streams to clean them.

"Fellow Daoist, you've been watching us for so long, is there anyone here you fancy?" A female cultivator noticed Chen Li's gaze and shouted loudly.

"This one is too old, you keep him, we don't want him," another female cultivator said with a coquettish laugh.

Suddenly, a wave of crisp laughter erupted.

"Older men are better, they know how to be tender."

Chen Li smiled awkwardly and quickly looked away.

That hit home!

...…

The situation developed faster than expected.

The calm of the market town was swiftly shattered.

Six nights later, in the middle of the night, Chen Li was awakened by a sudden, muffled boom.

He thought it was going to rain and sleepily rolled over to continue sleeping, but then he faintly heard voices outside. Something clicked in his mind, and instantly, all sleepiness vanished.

He grabbed his sword, which he had placed beside him,

and had barely risen

when someone outside shouted, "Good heavens, someone is attacking the market town!"

The next moment, the entire shantytown was abuzz, and it became incredibly noisy.

Chen Li's heart pounded violently as he fumbled to secure the Spirit Stone hidden in a concealed spot on his person, ready to flee at a moment's notice.

When he opened the door, the outside was already filled with Loose Cultivators running everywhere, the noise deafening. He had never realized there were so many people here.

In the direction of the market town, the sky flashed with an ominous, sinister red glow, flickering on and off, accompanied by a continuous thunderous explosion.

It looked terrifying.

Soon, the neighboring couple, Gao Bo and Zhou Hong, hurried out of their homes, only the door of the new neighbor, Zhao Wanjun, remained firmly closed, showing no signs of disturbance—which was expected.

"Don't go! Don't go,"

Zhou Hong's voice cried out.

Hearing this, Chen Li turned to look just in time to see Gao Bo breaking free from Zhou Hong's grasp and walking towards the running crowd.

"This might be the only chance in my life, the only one I'll ever get. I don't want to give it up. Stay at home and don't follow me, I'll be back soon," Gao Bo shouted back loudly.

His eyes were filled with fervor and longing, as if flames were burning within them.

"You bastard, come back!" Zhou Hong cried out, her voice now tinged with a sob.

Gao Bo said nothing more and quickly disappeared into the throng of sprinting people, no longer visible.

Chen Li was utterly confused—what was he planning to do?

Shouldn't they be escaping?

...…

PS: Sorry, I'm late today.