Case 04: “Swear to Live.“

"Haoran? Did you run away from your home again?"

Huang Liangjin leaned on the door and crossed his arms. He smiles at Xu Haoran who's standing before him wearing only a black hoodie and white short pants with a pair of blue sneakers. Which is very much suited to his style.

"My parents are fighting again. If you don't mind, can I stay the night here?"

Huang Liangjin chuckled and beckoned, "As you say, young master." Xu Haoran snorted his nose, "Ha-ha-ha, thanks for the sarcasm." He entered Huang Liangjin's house and sat on the sofa while browsing some newspapers on the coffee table.

"So, where's everyone?" he asked and picked an outdated newspaper. Huang Liangjin prepared a coffee for Xu Haoran in the kitchen. He knew that Xu Haoran loves to drink coffee, that's why he specially stocked one despite not being a fan of it. "Liangyi got a perfect score on a science test today. So, my dad brought her to KFC."

"Did she scream 'I DID IT!' out loud?" Xu Haoran said as he raised both of his fists to the air, totally like a little kid. Huang Liangjin turned his back and laughed, "She absolutely did." He took the glass of coffee and brought it to the living room. "Here is your favorite coffee latte, young master."

Xu Haoran took the coffee and smelled the aroma, "Hmm~ coffee latte truly is the best!" he drank the coffee delightedly while Huang Liangjin just stared at him with a beaming smile on his face. After that, the two of them would play Tekken 7 together on Xu Haoran's laptop. Occasionally, Huang Liangjin would make Xu Haoran's favorite cuisine; sweet-Osmanthus cake. Huang Liangjin only lives with his younger sister Huang Liangyi and his father Huang Zhou. His mother left him for another guy while his father is off to work as a salesman. That's why Huang Liangjin excels at taking care of the house, he has no time to make friends with his classmates at Highschool. He was lucky that Xu Haoran was the one who approached him first. That goes the same for the other party, Xu Haoran is very grateful to befriend Huang Liangjin. Not only is he nearly as smart as him, but he's also great at cooking! Xu Haoran's parents were slaves to money, so they spent most of their time working. Every day, Xu Haoran lives by catering food from a nearby restaurant. The only home-cooking he ever tasted was from his deceased grandmother. Ever since his grandmother passed away, he never gets to taste homemade cooking again. That's why meeting Huang Liangjin was a blessing to him. Besides, Huang Liangjin's personality matched up with him. Hence, they get along well.

"Say, Haoran." Huang Liangjin said without averting his gaze from the laptop.

"What?"

"Shouldn't you go back now?"

Xu Haoran paused the game and looked at Huang Liangjin beside him, "Didn't you say I could stay the night here? Or what? Do you have other guests? I could just stay here in your room, don't worry about me."

Huang Liangjin smiled and caressed Xu Haoran's cheek. A peculiar feeling struck Xu Haoran's heart, but he doesn't know how to react to it.

"…Liangjin?"

"Did you forget? This is no longer your world. You should wake up."

Xu Haoran shed tears without him realizing it, "W-what are you talking about?" seeing that Huang Liangjin didn't answer, it made Xu Haoran flustered. Suddenly, he just realized that all of this was just a dream from the past. Those days where both Xu Haoran and Huang Liangjin were still in high school. He finally comprehended Huang Liangjin's words and closed his eyes, "Alright, I'll go back."

…

Liu Meifeng opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was a beautiful starry night sky. The ground suddenly bumped into something and knocked her head.

"Ouch."

"Oh, you're wake up." Said Duan Gen from the front-side of the carriage. He whipped the horse who pulled the carriage. "It's been a month since you passed out."

Liu Meifeng flinched and quickly turned to Duan Gen, "What did you say?" Duan Gen didn't say anything, he just focused on the road. Liu Meifeng stood up feeling a light dizzy on her head. She stumbled on the carriage due to the bumpy road, Duan Gen sighed and finally spoke. "Your imperial family has abandoned you. Now you are my disciple… the imperial physician told me that you can only live up to ten years. But by studying cultivation, you can prolong it up to eighteen years."

Duan Gen throws a black pouch to Liu Meifeng, "This is your mother's farewell gift. Open it."

Liu Meifeng opened the black pouch, inside there's a golden tablet with a sea-dragon engravement on it and an Aquamarine stone necklace. The Aquamarine stone was pretty identical to Liu Meifeng's eye color. It's probably her last birthday gift. She hugged the pouch tightly and sobbed.

So, they had abandoned me after all…

Liu Meifeng cried for a good while until she finally decided on something. She wiped the tears on her face and turned to Duan Gen.

"Say, by studying cultivation.. can I really prolong my life up to eighteen years?"

"Yes, and if you get lucky, you might live longer than your parents. I'm the perfect example of it for I have lived for more than a thousand years."

"No way."

"It's possible if you reach a certain rank in cultivation. Say, to kill some time before we reach our destination. How about I tell you more about cultivation?"

Since there's nothing to do, Liu Meifeng just agreed and listened to Duan Gen as he explained about Cultivation. Actually, Liu Meifeng did know a bit of knowledge regarding cultivation in her past life. But that was just only through the fiction novels she read in the past, and she never actually paid much attention to it. Now that her life is dependent on this path, she must know every detail about it.

"First, you must have a clear motive before you decide to study cultivation. Most people study cultivation because they want to live longer. Some even wish to be immortal. But some people tend to give up when things get tougher. In order to succeed, you must have something to hold on to. That you must achieve no matter what it takes."

Liu Meifeng nodded her head as she listened. Duan Gen continues to explain that there are seven ranks in Cultivation. That is Lianqi, Zhuji, Ningmai, Jindan, Yuanying, Fanxu, and lastly Dasheng. Each rank was also divided into three to five levels. There are three levels; Diji, Zhongji, Gaoji from Lianqi to Jindan ranks. While there are four levels; Diji, Zhongji, Gaoji, Sengji from Yuanying to Fanxu ranks. Lastly, there are exceptionally five levels; Diji, Zhongji, Gaoji, Sengji, Shenji only for Dasheng rank. Each rank will determine how long a cultivator could live. Currently, no one has ever reached Shenji – Dasheng rank. The highest rank that a cultivator ever reached was only Gaoji – Dasheng rank.

"But just by reaching Jindan rank, you can live up to three hundred years old. That's already exceeded a normal human's lifespan. If you only aim to live longer, then a Jindan should be enough." Duan Gen said as he pulled the horse reins to stop the carriage. Duan Gen jumped from the carriage and walked over to Liu Meifeng.

Liu Meifeng stood up at the end of the carriage. By standing on the carriage, her height is slightly matched with Duan Gen's forehead. "Why are we stopping?"

"You need to learn various things before you could study cultivation. Right now, you should learn about herbalism."

"You mean like those physicians?"

Duan Gen lifted Liu Meifeng and put her down on the ground, "Yes. It's a must-have skill if you want to survive without depending on anyone."

Liu Meifeng's eyes glistened, she took two-steps ahead and turned around. Then, she prostrated on the ground with her head touching the soil, "Please teach me everything I should know, Shifu!"

Duan Gen chuckled, for all these years he never expected to be called 'Shifu'. Since he always refused to take in a disciple. There's a deep reason why he did so, but when he saw Liu Meifeng. For the first time, he decided to take in a disciple. There's this urge inside him that told him to save Liu Meifeng and train her properly to be a great cultivator. But he didn't know why…

"Alright, enough with the formalities. Now, come with me. We need to look for some herbs." Duan Gen helped Liu Meifeng to stand up, there's a little dirt on her forehead. Liu Meifeng smiled brilliantly like an innocent kid. Duan Gen's heart flutters, he wipes the dirt off of Liu Meifeng's forehead. "You're a girl who acts like one."

"Yes, Shifu!"

"After this, we're going to travel to some places before we reach our final destination. Would that be okay with you?"

"As long as I don't die, it's okay!" Liu Meifeng raised her thumb up. Duan Gen laughed and held Liu Meifeng's hand. "Don't stray far from me, this is a forest you might get lost."

"Okay!"

The two of them proceed to the forest to search for some herbs. During the process, Duan Gen introduced many herbs along with their usage to Liu Meifeng.

"This is a Coneflower mainly used for repressing a fever and healing a wound. When you're practicing Cultivation there will be some changes in your body. Especially when your Qi is oddly greater than others. Be sure to have this Coneflower ready to use, you might need it… a lot."

Duan Gen put the Coneflower inside his sack and continued to pick another herb, "This one is Jiaogulan. I used this herb for your medicine back then to increase your immune system. I'll show you how to turn this herb into a pill to be more convenient."

Duan Gen keeps explaining some herbs including the side effects and all to Liu Meifeng. Due to her sudden 'departure', she hadn't prepared for anything at all. Hence, she can only try to memorize everything that Duan Gen said.

Once they had finished harvesting some herbs, the two of them went back to the carriage and continued their journey. Since Liu Meifeng has a weak body, Duan Gen didn't have the heart to force her to follow his pace. So, Duan Gen decided to stop the carriage and take a rest every once in a while.

Their journey continued for three years long, they've been jumping from one village to another. Wherever Duan Gen goes Liu Meifeng will follow him. During their journey, Liu Meifeng's condition gradually became better and she had forgotten her pain from being 'abandoned' by her parents. Also, thanks to Duan Gen she had the knowledge of a physician. She already memorized all the plants around the continent when she turned five years old. Seeing how capable Liu Meifeng has become, Duan Gen occasionally asked her to assist him in his 'side-job' as a physician. So far, Liu Meifeng hasn't made any errors during the process, and this had made Duan Gen secretly proud of her.

"So where are we going next?" Liu Meifeng asked from behind the carriage. For these past three years, they've been traveling from one place to another and stayed for a month or two. With the identity of a physician and his granddaughter, both Duan Gen and Liu Meifeng got accepted by the villagers easily. Because it's rare to see a physician as skilled as Duan Gen. That's why when it's time for the two of them to move again, the villagers would try to persuade them to stay. But all of those efforts of sweet-talks and bribery end up in vain.

"We're going to the Yangjiang village to meet an old friend of mine. He's an Alchemy teacher at the Xue Hu sect… I've got some arrangements with him."

Liu Meifeng turned silent and she felt a pain in her heart again. Her breathing turned disordered and she had trouble breathing once again. Hearing no response from Liu Meifeng, Duan Gen tilted his head behind and saw Liu Meifeng panting miserably on the carriage.

"Meifeng!" Duan Gen shouted and quickly stopped the carriage. He jumped on the carriage and read Liu Meifeng's pulse. She felt extreme sorrow again!

Duan Gen took out small porcelain from his sleeve and took out a dark-green pill. "Here drink this." He stuffed the pill to Liu Meifeng's mouth, and she swallowed it bitterly. She finally calmed down and her breathing returned to normal. Duan Gen sighed and sat next to Liu Meifeng.

"What's the matter? Why are you suddenly being depressed like this?"

Liu Meifeng stared at the sky with despair, "My mother."

"What's wrong with your mother?"

"Yangjiang village is her homeland."

Duan Gen finally understood why Liu Meifeng suddenly felt great sorrow in her heart. After all this time, Duan Gen had thought that Liu Meifeng had already gotten over her parents. While in reality she wasn't at all…

So, she just distracted her mind from thinking about her parents.

Although, this is partially Duan Gen's fault for lying to Liu Meifeng. But he had no intention to reveal the truth. He's afraid that Liu Meifeng will just leave and go back to the Qianghai kingdom. To die peacefully in her bed-chamber at the age of ten, while she could be his successor if she was trained right. But that's not the only reason why Duan Gen refused to let this young girl die for nothing. The real reason why Duan Gen was so obsessive towards Liu Meifeng because she reminded him of his deceased granddaughter, Duan Lin. Every time Duan Gen sees Liu Meifeng, it's as if he is seeing his deceased granddaughter come back to life. Duan Gen sighed and patted Liu Meifeng's head, "How long are you going to stay like this?"

Seeing that Liu Meifeng didn't answer, Duan Gen decided to tell Liu Meifeng a bit of the truth. "I used to have a granddaughter, she was smart and energetic. Although, you two have different personalities. But the two of you almost looked identical, the first time I saw you I almost thought my granddaughter was not actually dead after all."

Liu Meifeng finally looked at Duan Gen and she scoffed, "So I was just a substitute for your deceased granddaughter?"

"Yes. At first, I do intend to make you as her substitute. But no matter how I tried to.. in the end, you two are a different existence in my heart." Duan Gen took a deep breath before he continued and looked at Liu Meifeng in the eyes. "I don't know since when did it begin, but your existence had become irreplaceable in my life. That goes the same as her, it's as if… I had two granddaughters. Both of you are very important to me. Although, I've let the other one died before me. This time, I won't repeat the same mistake again."

Liu Meifeng listened to everything and then she smiled, "So, is that why you were trying so hard to keep me alive?" Duan Gen smiled too as he nodded his head. Liu Meifeng sighed and stood up, "Well, since you were trying so hard to keep me alive. I shall try to keep on living from now on. Besides, it's fun to learn things with you.. Shifu."

Liu Meifeng jumped from the carriage and sat in the front carriage. She took the horse reins and continued their journey. Duan Gen was surprised, he never thought Liu Meifeng how to ride a horse. But there she is taking over the horse reins like a total coachman. In the end, Duan Gen let Liu Meifeng take over the horse reins until they reached their next destination, Yangjiang village.

Liu Meifeng and Duan Gen left their carriage in a safe place outside the village's gate. When the two of them stepped into the village, they saw many people walking here and there. Putting some lanterns decorations on every pillar. Different from the capital in Qianghai kingdom who looked like something that came out of fairy tale. The view here looked much more like an average village.

"Say, Shifu. Did the Yangjiang village always be this lively?" Liu Meifeng asked as she tugged Duan Gen's sleeve. Duan Gen lowered his head to speak to her, "Of course not. I think today is the day where they will hold their annual festivity."

Suddenly, Liu Meifeng remembered about the bedtime stories from four years ago. Her mother did tell her about the origin of the annual festivity specially held in Yangjiang village. Apparently, Duan Gen and Liu Meifeng came at the perfect time! This time she will just let herself enjoy the festival, studying herbalism for many years!

Liu Meifeng stared at the sky as she walked, totally not paying attention to her surroundings. She passed by a girl who is a year younger than her, she was walking with her big brother around the village. However, the girl stopped and turned to see Liu Meifeng who already walked ahead with Duan Gen.

Black hair with Aquamarine eyes? How could that be…

She was taken aback by Liu Meifeng's unique appearance until she didn't realize how long she had been standing.

"Yu-er, what's wrong?"

One sentence from Zhao Yi had turned back her senses, then she turned her back to walk to the opposite direction from Liu Meifeng. "It's nothing, I just.. saw a girl with an unusual appearance."

Zhao Yi laughed and poked Zhao Yu's shoulder, "Really? Is she ugly?" Zhao Yu shook her head immediately, "No. she was… cute." Like Haoran. Zhao Yu was confused about why she thought of Xu Haoran when she gazed at Liu Meifeng earlier. Zhao Yi saw the longing look surfaced on Zhao Yu's face and pretended to be shocked, "Oh no, my dearest meimei. Are you finally awakened to be a mirror grinder now? Don't worry, even if father and mother won't support you. I will!"

Both Zhao Yu and Zhao Yi often studied together, naturally what Zhao Yi knew she also knew. Zhao Yu blushed and said angrily, "Gege, are you out of your mind?" Then, she walked ahead before Zhao Yi could say anything. Zhao Yi realized that he had been joking too far, hence he chased after Zhao Yu while begging for her forgiveness.

…

After walking around the village for a while, Liu Meifeng and Duan Gen finally arrived at the Yangjiang's inn. The two of them quickly had dinner and rented two-separated rooms at the inn. Liu Meifeng took a hot bath on a big wooden tub behind the folding screen. From these past three years, Liu Meifeng had learned how to make a perfume out of fruits. Due to traveling so much, Liu Meifeng and Duan Gen rarely get a chance to take a bath. Even though Liu Meifeng's mind is of a man, she still can't stand Duan Gen's natural body odor. That's why she learned how to make perfume and sprayed it on Duan Gen and herself. So far, it has a good fragrance and can be sold for a decent price.

Today as well, Liu Meifeng sprayed her favorite perfume with apple scent in it. When she went to Duan Gen's room, no one was there. Only a single note left by the table.

'I'm going to meet with my friend. Do as you like.'

Liu Meifeng chuckled and shook her head lightly. That is very much like Shifu…

Liu Meifeng opened the window from Duan Gen's room and saw that the sky had turned orange. She stretched her body as she muttered, "Alright, let's go to the festival!" She went back to her room to take her purse and a pouch filled with medical treatment. In case if she tripped herself or her illness relapsed again. Then, she opened the door and stepped out of the inn.