"Splurt!"
A young man woke up in bed, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Did I die?" That was Fang Yichi's first thought upon awakening.
The next second, he began to examine his body. On the outside, he seemed fine. But he didn't believe he was truly unscathed.
Taking off his white clothes, he saw his belly full of scars. The ugliest was a closed hole in his chest, stained red — the result of dried blood.
"How did I survive?" That was the question hammering in his mind. According to what he knew, it was impossible for a human to survive that.
While he was immersed in doubt, he heard a sound in his ears, like something opening. Turning his face toward the noise, he saw a black-haired woman entering.
She was beautiful. Her crimson eyes, resembling blood, further enhanced her beauty and, at the same time, emitted a dangerous aura. Looking at the young man lying down, she began to speak:
"What the hell happened to you, brat? How the fuck did you get hurt like that? If I hadn't found you while returning from a hunt, you'd be dead on those back trails!"
"Thank you for saving me, Elder Mei," he thanked her, and continued: "I encountered a wolf. It was abnormal. Before I could react, it struck me, wounding me badly. To survive, I fled."
He explained. Part of it was true, but another part he hid — he failed to escape. And when he was about to die, he saw something like a map that saved him.
"What did the wolf look like?" The huntress changed her tone to a graver voice.
"It was different from the common types. On its head, it had horns that shone like lightning. Do you know what that is?" Fang Yichi was anxious for an answer.
That was unusual. It was the first time he had seen such a strange animal. But that wasn't what intrigued him the most. 'What was that map?'
That was his main doubt, but he didn't have the courage to ask the woman in front of him. He felt it wasn't something simple.
'For now, I need to find out the origin of that wolf.' He set this goal and looked at the huntress with burning eyes. "Elder Mei, do you know?"
Seeing the young man's words repeat, Mei Lie didn't answer immediately. She just let out a long sigh.
She placed her hand on her chin, pondering. After a few seconds, she looked at Fang Yichi. "Brat, do you believe in Immortals?"
"Immortals?" Fang Yichi fell silent, reflecting. Then he answered, "I believe."
"Huh?" That answer caught Mei Lie by surprise. "Why? Don't you think it's unrealistic? Humans like that existing? According to the legends, they can destroy mountains, fly through the skies, slice clouds, and so on. The possibilities are endless."
"It's hard to believe, but that wolf I encountered was unusual. That alone is enough to change my worldview. I feel like I don't even know ten percent of it."
Fang Yichi had another reason — 'The golden map.' That saved him from death. Denying the supernatural would be foolish.
"And you, Elder Mei? Do you believe in Immortals?" He questioned her, finding the huntress quite mysterious.
"Yes. So much that I am one. But we're not immortals — we're cultivators." Mei Lie didn't hide her identity and told the truth.
But to her surprise, Fang Yichi showed no reaction.
"You already knew?" she asked, suspicious.
"I suspected. Your aura isn't like that of ordinary people." Fang Yichi was honest.
"Is that so?" Mei Lie placed her hand on her chin again. 'I thought I was pretending well…'
"Yes... But tell me, are cultivators like the legends say?" Fang Yichi looked anxiously at Mei Lie, like a child waiting for the teacher to tell a story.
Mei Lie, who was deep in thought, paused upon seeing that gesture, finding it cute, to be honest.
"Everything the legends say is true. We, cultivators, can accomplish all those feats. But for that, one needs a very high cultivation level.
I'm just a small-time casual cultivator. I can't do all that. The most I can manage is destroying a few small mountains."
Mei Lie spoke casually, as if it were nothing.
But for poor Fang Yichi, it was different. He seemed to be in front of a superheroine, admiring the huntress.
That look made her embarrassed. "Don't look at me like that, brat."
"Sorry." Fang Yichi blushed, acting shyly.
A strange atmosphere filled the room, with two innocent people, who had never had much contact with the opposite sex, growing bashful.
"Don't go back to the mountains for now. Beasts appearing is not a good sign. It seems something is happening in our region." Mei Lie broke the awkward mood.
"Elder Mei, there's something I don't understand: why aren't there cultivators in our region?" Fang Yichi had recovered too.
"Little Spiritual Qi. Our region is very desolate."
"Why?"
"I don't know." Mei Lie had thought about that many times too, but never came to an answer.
"I see." Fang Yichi stopped asking questions.
"Thank you for spending your time answering my doubts. I'm grateful. This knowledge broadened my horizons."
"I thought you were going to ask me to teach you cultivation." Mei Lie raised an eyebrow.
"I was going to, but didn't get to that." He smiled. "Even if I really want to, I won't ask for something that might be a family legacy or a unique secret. We're not that close, right?"
"If you want, I'll teach you." Mei Lie offered her hand.
"Isn't it your secret? You're really going to teach a stranger?" Fang Yichi was suspicious.
"If you were a stranger, do you think I'd waste my time waiting for you to wake up? And waste my breath explaining all this?" Mei Lie thought this boy was an idiot.
"You've got a point." Fang Yichi scratched his head. Come to think of it…
He and this woman weren't complete strangers. She had been his hunting teacher. She was the one who taught him how to survive in the wild.
Thinking about those days, a smile appeared on his face.
"Well, do you want it or not?" Mei Lie asked one last time.
"I do!" Fang Yichi accepted instantly. He wasn't stupid. This was his chance to become a cultivator.
"Well, accept me as your master, and I can teach you—" Before she could finish, she heard:
"This disciple greets his master!" Fang Yichi accepted immediately.
"Aren't you going to think it over? I'm strict! Once my disciple, you have to be the best! I don't accept slackers!"
"Then I'll give it my all, so I won't disappoint you."
"I hope so. I won't go easy!"