Ke Xin And Mickey

In the grand tapestry of life, beings who defy their fated paths are mere distributaries.

Heaven shows no mercy to those who attempt to alter their course.

Zhong Cao Ke Xin, once fated to be crippled, had broken free from her predetermined path.

Without the support of her family, she relied solely on her own efforts to cultivate her skills.

Ever since escaping from her fate of being a cripple for life, Zhong Cao Ke Xin has been working hard on her own. Unlike Zhong Xie, she doesn't have family support since she is just someone from a small branch of the family.

She has been coming to the southwestern forest to hone her fighting abilities and gather materials. Her luck had been favorable, yielding encounters that even increased her grimoire collection.

This time, she had acquired Novice Realm profound fruits, which she was going to use to strengthen her bones.

However, her excitement was short-lived.

As she reached for one of the fruits, she unexpectedly triggered a trap, that sent her tumbling into a deep pit.

And, the chirping sounds that came after, told her that it was the work of the three-eyed jade monkeys.

Ke Xin's couldn't properly fly at the moment, and was forced to rely on her physical strength to escape the pit. She used her bare hands to climb out, turning her situation into an impromptu workout.

Before long, she emerged from the trap, and went in the direction where those thieving monkeys stayed.

Her motives were twofold: to teach them a lesson and to conduct experiments.

Although unfamiliar with monkey anatomy, Ke Xin knew that they were part of the reason she is able to walk today.

After a few minutes of walking, she finally found those monkeys.

...well, it was just one monkey holding a rock trying to smash a person's head.

Without hesitation, she intervened, casting a spell to save the boy. However, her assistance proved unnecessary, as the boy swiftly dispatched the monkey, cutting it in half along with her spell.

Ke Xin's eyes widened as she spotted a basket nearby, containing her stolen profound fruits.

"My fruits!"

Ke Xin took a deep breath, and acomposed herself, taking in her surroundings.

The area was strewn with the remains of three-eyed jade Monkeys, and a small stream of blood trickled downhill in her direction.

The tattooed boy's cruelty was evident, as he had not only killed the monkeys but also mutilated their lifeless bodies.

Ke Xin's stomach churned, and she felt an overwhelming urge to vomit. Meanwhile, Mickey observed her, his gaze wandering over her disheveled attire.

'She must have had it tough, after being tricked by those monkeys. Even I would be like that after falling for their traps, or worse.'

'However, the aura her jindan is giving out is no joke!'

'3rd Stage of the Human Realm!'

Mickey's gaze remained fixed on Ke Xin, his interest piqued by her cultivation realm. She didn't resemble anyone from the Anime, after all.

The two stood in silence, their eyes locked in an awkward silence.

Ke Xin was taken aback by Mickey's tranquil expression, even after she had vomited in front of him. Most men would have reacted with irritation or disgust, but Mickey's composure remained unwavering.

Nevertheless, her expression didn't show it, remaining serene, as she secretly wondered about his stunning display of strength.

'This person is strong; even I can't kill these many Jade Monkeys alone. He is even using a sword. Everyone knows that once the human body reaches its limits, where pills and potions have no effect, there is nowhere they can go with the sword. Yet, he took such a path.'

I don't want to fight him (her).

The two were wary of each other. Mickey came out to find trouble to alleviate his boredom, but he didn't anticipated encountering such a strong individual.

Regarding the profound fruits, Mickey was unwilling to hand them over for free, despite being unable to use them himself.

Ke Xin, aware of this, sighed inwardly. Those fruits were valuable for increasing her physical strength, and the cheapest among them cost 5,000 spirit crystals.

Ke Xin attempted to negotiate.

"I don't have anything on me right now, but you can give me your number so we can make arrangements in the future for this kind offer."

"I don't have a phone."

The young girl gasped inwardly in shock.

'What kind of man is he? I know I am not that pretty, but these cargo pants should at least show a better side of me!'

'Judging by his clothes, he is clearly not a someone who grew up in the mountains!'

'Is he just wary that I might never contact him...which I will! '

Ke Xin forced a smile, attempting to appear nonchalant.

"Why don't you join me in fighting some profound beasts in this mountain? I am sure by the end of it you would have thought of what you want in return."

Ke Xin's proposal was genuine. She had been searching for a reliable partner to explore the mountain with, and the red-haired boy seemed like an ideal candidate.

However, she couldn't shake off the feeling that he might decline, given his apparent strength.

At that moment, a thought flashed in Mickey's mind like lightning.

'This is good! I will work with her, and when she has her guard down, I'll stab her in the back. I will not only take the fruits from her but also her grimoires. I will feed her body to the hyenas to clear all the evidence!'

Mickey didn't show his greed and just kept his indifferent look. "Sure thing, but I will have 75% of all the loot we get."

'Wow! He agreed, although he is trying to rip me off, this is a good start.' Ke Xin suppressed her joy and started to negotiate with Mickey to lower the percentage.

Mickey put on the reason that he was weak and needed more cultivation resources, and also brought up that he had to take care of six little siblings back at home. However, Ke Xin wasn't one to fall for such a shameless act. She was also shameless. She talked about how she was strong and also had to heal Mickey if he got injured. She even brought up the fact that she had to look for her parents who were old and sick.

They knew the other was lying, and at the end of the heated discussion, Mickey settled for 60% of the loot.

'This girl… she is a tough nut to crack. I have to be on guard.'

'This guy… he is so shameless! How can he try to take advantage of a helpless lady out there in the wild? I need to be on guard. I have a feeling that he will try to stab me in the back or run away the moment we face a tough opponent.'