Chapter 5: Unexpected Character

Due to a shortage of food caused by his growing appetite, Tian Nanren decided to visit a nearby city to stock up on supplies and satisfy his hunger.

Thanks to the early awakening of his knowledge sea, his mental capacity has expanded, allowing him to instantly memorize the map.

His mind was nearly on par with a supercomputer back on Earth, making him exceptional even within the transcendent realm.

He had memorized the entire Great Han Dynasty, so getting lost would never be a problem for him.

"I should land here, it'd be too much trouble to land directly to the city gates."

After walking for some time, he finally saw the towering sign of Tong City, the second-largest city in the Great Han Dynasty.

After paying for an entrance pass to the guards, he quickly made his way to the meat market and purchased a large quantity of meat.

The other shopkeepers, noticing him buying large amounts of meat from one stall, eagerly called out, urging him to buy from their stalls as well.

"Young man, buy my meat! It's fresh and high quality—I'll even give you a discount!"

"Young noble, over here! This is five-star meat from the capital, something only nobles can only afford. I'll give you a discount too!"

"Young noble, here! This meat comes from the Endless Sea, a rare delicacy even in the capital!"

He shook his head and laughed at the shopkeepers' enthusiastic attempts to entice him, but in the end, he still bought several cuts of meat from them.

After some time, he made it to the end of the market and was finally free from those hungry customer shopkeepers.

"The hell someone touched my butt there, ah... I am amazed at how bold the woman is in this era. Well, this is the cultivation world, so my earth standards wouldn't apply here."

While buying ingredients earlier, some aunts proposed their daughters to him to marry, and some aunties even proposed themselves for god sake; they have a husband already.

"Well, I can't lie, women in this world sure are all beautiful, especially mature women..."

Tian Nanren then looked at the six cosmic bags, which are now full of meat. He didn't have to worry about spoiling the food because the cosmic bag is a separate space, making it slow down the process of spoiling the foods.

"What's surprising is the quality of meat in this world is good compared to earth. Well... To be fair, there is the world's energy in this world, so it's only normal for the livestock to be this big and fat."

When comparing the meat here to that on Earth, it was clear there was no competition; the livestock from Earth looked malnourished.

"I am surprised that there's a young noble buying his own food, hm?"

Tian Nanren looked at the smiling brown head girl with ocean blue eyes, looking at him as if he were a rare animal.

"I am no noble."

"Really? ... But you look like one! The way you stand, so composed and elegant, and the way you spoke to those old folks in the market earlier... I'm sure of it, you're noble!"

"And that white silk robe... you were the only one who have white robe in that market earlier."

"I am not, are you a stalker or something?"

"Huh? Ah, well... I'm not... I'm just curious, you know? Someone like you, here in this... Dirty place."

"So, what brings a beautiful girl like you to a place like this?"

"B-Beautiful?"

Tian Nanren looked at the girl. She was short, with brown hair and a pink robe that was a bit too short. It was a peculiar choice, but it suited her perfectly.

Tian Nanren, watching her struggle to carry the overflowing basket of ingredients, couldn't help but wonder who would let a girl like her go to the market alone.

He couldn't sense a single flicker of World Spiritual Energy emanating from her.

So every kilos of this basket is too much for little girl such as herself.

He grabbed the basket, not minding the shock of the girl's eyes before him.

"I'll carry this, you can relax for a while."

She was still blushing from his compliment earlier; she just nodded and continued to stare at him.

"How long do you have to stare at me? Where is your home? I'll carry it till you reach home."

He's feeling generous after all; he's close to Black Plum Village, about 80 kilometers from this area, so helping this silly girl is no big deal.

"Ah! I'm just a servant at the Jiang family in the northwest area. So..."

She was afraid he would be disgusted by her servant background; after all, servants are the lowest kind of people in this world next to the slaves.

Of course, Tian Nanren knew this girl. She was a character from the original story, and sadly, fate had not been kind to her or the Jiang family.

Looking at her haggard face, sweat dripping on her forehead down to her neck, making her look more enchanting.

'Damn, I forgot this body is just 13 years old! Of course, this age is most active in that area!'

Noticing his gaze upon her, she didn't mind it; the longer he stared, the more enchanted he would become and inevitably fall in love with her!

The thought of raising his children and having a happy family life made her droll. She knew they had just met, but she couldn't help herself.

If Tian Nanren could hear her thoughts, he'd probably just chuckle at her delusional dream.

Just by looking at his profile, she could see he was neither tall nor short, with a perfectly sculpted physique that his robes couldn't conceal. Even after the World Baptism had focused on his soul, it still had a noticeable effect on his body.

For women, he was the most delectable prize—a piece of precious meat that every woman in this small world would long to taste.

Looking at his body secretly, licking her tiny lips, stealing a glance to his crotch.

'Is it big?'

The thought of the baby-making process made her blush. She imagined herself doing... that thing with him.

Tian Nanren, who noticed her lewdstare, feels like a woman stared at by a perverted man. 'Can you hide your thoughts?'

He sighed, accepting that unexpected events always had a purpose. Meeting this girl so early, he knew he might alter the course of this world's future. But a question burned in his mind 'what if he saved the Jiang family?'

He didn't give a damn about cause and effect; even if he changed the story, who would complain?

His thoughts were interrupted by the girl's loud stomach growl. "Ah... Sorry," she mumbled, "I didn't get to eat earlier, so..."

He grabbed her hand, startling her. She looked up at him, surprised, but chose to remain silent.

'So Soft..' His touch was surprisingly gentle, and his fingers tightened around her hand, making her blush.

"Let's go eat," he said, a hint of teasing in his voice. "It wouldn't be good if you fainted right here. Besides, you look pretty heavy – I wouldn't want to have to carry you."

"Oi! Who are you calling fat, huh?!" she huffed, crossing her arms. "You better treat me to something good!"

How dare he! She'd show him. Revenge was best served on a plate, and she was going to eat her way through his entire wallet!

But the thought of carrying her, of being so close to him, stirred something more complicated within her. He was like a veteran womanizer, he found himself striking her with compliment after compliment, each one making her want him more.

"Ah, where are my manners? I'm An Mei, but you can call me Mei," she said, a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

"Tian Nanren, you can call me Tian."