Chapter 1

It was the height of summer, and the world was like a big steamer. It was extremely hot on Qingxiu Mountain, without a breath of wind. Even the grass and trees on the mountain were wilted by the heat.

Deep in the old pine forest, in front of a dilapidated mountain temple, a young girl in coarse cloth squatted on the threshold, looking at the bottom of the clay pot in her arms. She turned the pot upside down and knocked it for a long time, but only a handful of brown rice covered with spider webs rolled out.

Looking more closely, I saw a few rice bugs hidden in the rice. They were all shiny and greasy after eating, and they seemed not to be afraid of people. They were rolling lazily in the rice.

"Hey..." Shen Ah Heng poked one of them with his slender white fingers and said in a faint tone: "The rice is almost gone again. I guess I'll have to eat the northwest wind tonight."

Just as the words fell, a loud thunder exploded in the sky, and the chicken coop in the corner suddenly became chaotic. The wind blowing in from the broken wooden window was full of the smell of earth, and it picked up the frayed edge of the girl's robe and instantly hit her face.

It felt like there was a little animal having fun in my stomach, and the gurgling was getting louder and louder.

Shen Ah Heng took a deep breath.

The world is big, but eating is the most important thing. No matter how hungry you are, you cannot go hungry.

Thinking of the shepherd's purse buns he had eaten in a small inn in the town at the foot of the mountain a few days ago, Shen Ah Heng swallowed the saliva secreted from his mouth, suddenly put down the pottery jar in his hand, stood up, walked over and picked up the bamboo basket and rain gear with worn edges in the corner of the house, and took out a small iron shovel that was polished to a shine, turned around and said to the chicken coop in the corner.

"Big, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, you just wait at home. I'm going to the back hill to dig up some shepherd's purse. A lot of tender shoots sprouted on the slope last night. I'll dig up a basket and mix it with some cornmeal. I can steam two baskets of vegetarian buns, and I'll also give you a snack."

The already noisy chicken coop suddenly burst into a clucking sound.

Shen Ahheng couldn't help but smile, bolted the door, picked up the bamboo basket and left.

-

This place is remotely located deep in the hills at the junction of two southern states. The mountains are covered with winding bamboo roots, and there is only a trampled path leading to the foot of the mountain. It is slippery and difficult to walk on rainy days. There are no big rivers to block it, and it has no dangerous value. Therefore, no sect comes to fight for it.

Chen Ahheng was born in this world in the womb. Shortly after she was born in the middle of winter, she was thrown into a valley by her fishing parents who favored boys over girls. She was wrapped in a piece of rag and was frozen to the point of being on the verge of death. It was her master who picked her up and fed her back to life bit by bit with rice porridge.

Ever since her master passed away two years ago, she has been living alone in the mountain temple.

The master left, but she still hasn't found her way home.

Although their Qingxiu Sect is just a martial arts sect, it actually only has two people, a master and a disciple, plus a few skinny rabbits and black chickens.

In addition, except for a few farmers halfway up the mountain, very few outsiders set foot here, so it is not an exaggeration to say that she has rented the entire mountain, and the back mountain has become her "granary".

Dig shepherd's purse in spring, pick wild fruits in summer, pick mushrooms in autumn, and peel tree bark in winter.

The road to the back mountain was winding and difficult to find, but Shen Ah Heng had been running all over the mountain since he was six years old, so he walked very smoothly. In less than a cup of tea, he had reached the back mountain.

As soon as the shepherd's purse emerged, it was still green and tender, so fresh that you could squeeze out water. Shen Ahheng squatted on the sunny hillside, reached out and lifted the bamboo hat on his head, took out a shovel from the bamboo basket, and started working on the ground. The shovel flew around, and soon he had dug up half a basket.

She was nimble and had sharp eyes. She saw a few wild grasses with jagged edges growing in the crevices of the rocks and pulled them out.

I sprained my ankle while practicing hidden weapons a while ago. I crushed this herb into a paste and applied it on my ankle, which was very effective.

The smell is so bad that it can make people roll their eyes.

"That's enough."

Seeing that the bamboo basket was almost full of shepherd's purse, Shen Ah Heng stopped, weighed it, and thought about adding two spoonfuls of cornmeal, which would be just enough for her and Ah Da to eat.

"If we go back any later, Ada and the others will starve to death."

The rain was getting heavier. Shen Aheng put the small shovel into the bamboo basket and walked back quickly with the basket.

The rain was heavy like a waterfall, and the raindrops as big as beans hit the hat and rain gear. Shen Ahheng held the basket in one hand and paid attention to the road under his feet. When he passed a mountain stream, he was about to take a deep breath and jump over it, when he suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the bamboo forest in front.

It wasn't the sound of rain, nor the sound of a small animal running by, but rather... someone breathing?

Shen Ahheng's heart skipped a beat, and the bamboo basket in his hand almost fell to the ground.

A few days ago, I heard from the hunters at the foot of the mountain that wild boars often appear in the back mountain. Could it be that I really encountered one?

With her mediocre skills, she could show off her skills to deceive people, but it was not enough when she encountered such a powerful beast.

Shen Ah Heng held his breath and took a few steps towards the source of the sound.

The bamboo forest was very dense, and the rain was pouring down. The water in the mountain stream rose, as if it was going to soak the entire forest.

The light was dim, and there seemed to be a faint smell of blood in the air.

Article 12 of the sect's rules, "Seventy-two Chapters on Saving Money," states: When encountering an unknown incident, the best strategy is to run away to avoid unnecessary trouble.

But the breathing became weaker and weaker, intermittent, and sounded really pitiful.

If you watch someone die without helping him, you may be punished by God.

She wasn't afraid of divine punishment, the main thing was... if this person wasn't dead yet, and could have left her something valuable before he died, for example... like what was written in the storybooks, carrying a piece of rare jade, gold ingots, silver ingots or something like that?

The Qingxiu Sect is almost unable to make ends meet.

Shen Ah Heng swallowed his saliva, walked over bravely, and pushed aside the bamboo branches that blocked the way.

Then she froze.

I saw a person lying next to a pile of rocks.

The man was curled up under the roots of an old tree, his long jet-black hair completely disheveled, tangled around his shoulders and knees. His indigo silk shirt was torn in several places by thorns and stained with grass pulp and mud, though one could still vaguely see its original texture.

The wide sleeves fell down, revealing a pale wrist, with light blue veins faintly visible under the skin.

There was a light purple line on the side of his neck, which spread out from the collar and crawled behind his ear. Against his overly pale skin, he looked inexplicably beautiful.

His eyelashes were very long, casting a light shadow under his eyes, and his breathing was weak, like a small grape fallen from a branch by autumn frost.

Shen Aheng squatted down, hesitated for a long time, and gently poked his arm with a branch.

No response.

She prodded again.

Still no response.

Could it be that... he is dead?

Shen Ah Heng's heart sank. There was no thank-you gift for the dead, and he might even blame her. If she was caught by the government as the murderer, it would be a huge trouble.

The more Shen Aheng thought about it, the more panicked he became. Just as he was about to let go and slip away, he accidentally kicked a stone with his foot, making a "dong" sound.

The person on the ground suddenly moved.

Shen Ahheng was so frightened that he almost jumped up. He took a few steps back, tightly gripped the small shovel in his hand, and in a panic, he made the starting posture of his master's "Lingbo Feiyan" sword move.

After a while, the man slowly raised his head.

The light leaked through the gaps between the bamboo leaves and fell right on his face.

When Shen Aheng saw this, he almost forgot to breathe.

This guy looks... really good-looking.

His head was tilted to one side, and although it was obviously covered with mud, it could not hide his exquisite features. The lines of his face were sharper than those of ordinary young men from the Central Plains. There was a small rouge mole on the center of his eyebrows, his brow bones were high, and the tails of his eyes were naturally slightly upturned. Although his eyes were closed at the moment, the crimson color on them looked like they were dyed with rouge, making him look like a gorgeous poison master.

This man doesn't look like an ordinary mountain traveler, but rather like... he walked out of an ancient painting from the Western Regions.

The wind blew through the woods, and he suddenly shivered slightly, revealing half of his eye. His pupil was dark, as if covered by a layer of wet mist. It passed by the person in front of him, and then he closed his eyes heavily, with a hint of red at the corners of his eyes.

"Ab..."

His throat moved, as if he had been thirsty for a long time. His voice was cold and hoarse.

Shen Ah Heng suddenly came back to his senses and realized that this person was still alive.

He breathed a sigh of relief and put down the shovel in his hand.

It’s good to be alive. Living people can speak and give gifts.

Shen Ah Heng looked at the blood on his legs: "You... were ambushed by a wild boar?"

The man didn't answer, but simply opened his eyes again and stared at her blankly, as if he was using his last bit of strength to confirm something. After a moment, he seemed to have exhausted all his strength, and his eyes slowly closed again, his brow furrowed, as if in pain.

Shen Ah Heng raised his hand and scratched his head.

I'm afraid he is still a young Hu person.

What should I do now?

She doesn't speak Western languages ​​either.

Should I save him or not?

Leave him here?

If this person really died, I would feel a little guilty.

And this guy... is pretty good looking.

But if she wants to get him back, looking at his stature, he is taller than her master, and her small body will probably be crushed by him.

Moreover... picking up a strange man and finding a place to stay is also a big problem.

The Qingxiu Sect is just a small martial arts sect. It is already poor. If she picks up another man, she will be left with nothing.

Just as I was feeling torn, I suddenly caught a glimpse of the object on the man's earlobe. It was a small silver scimitar pendant, sticking to his fair face and a few strands of jet-black hair.

The silver of the pendant was extremely pure, as white as quenched snow, with mysterious and subtle patterns on it. A small piece of teardrop-shaped black jade was embedded in the handle. The jade was as black as lacquer, and you seemed to be able to see faint golden stars inside it, and it was so shiny that it could reflect a person's figure.

Shen Aheng’s eyes also lit up.

These earrings look valuable.

Maybe she could exchange it for several warehouses of millet, or some sweet-scented osmanthus cake from the shop in the east of the city, or the new axe she had been waiting for half a year, the one her sect was using now, the wooden handle was almost cracked...

Shen Ah Heng swallowed his saliva and made the decision happily.

Save people first!

Anyway, this man looked weak and didn't look like a bad person. When he woke up, she wouldn't ask for much. She would let him keep the earring as a thank you gift and then send him down the mountain.

Perfect.

"Hey, can you still walk?" Shen Ah Heng reached out and pushed his arm.

No response.

Well, we have to find a way to carry him down the mountain.

Shen Aheng sighed, stood up resignedly, and prepared to go back and call for help.

But who should she call? She was the only one left in the Qingxiu Sect. Who would be willing to come out in this kind of awful weather?

Moreover, the identity of this little foreigner is unknown. If too many people are alarmed, it will probably cause trouble again.

If something bad happens during the course of her life, she won’t be able to be treated even if she is sold.

He also had to explain to his neighbors for a long time why he saved a stranger, a young man from the Western Regions, and what his relationship was with this man.

Just as Shen Aheng was about to stand up, the corner of his clothes was gently pulled.

Shen Ahheng was startled, and when she looked down, she saw that the young man had opened his eyes again at some point, his fingers tightly grasping the hem of her clothes, not with much force, but very firmly.

His eyes were still unfocused, his eyelashes trembled, and he made no sound, only a very light breath coming out of his throat, but Shen Ah Heng seemed to understand his lip shape.

He seemed to be saying, "Don't... go."

The man looked very weak, and at this moment he looked like a little animal drenched by the rain, looking pitiful.

She squatted down, wiped the mud off his face with her sleeve, and comforted him: "I won't leave. I will find a way to save you. Is that okay?"

The man seemed to understand, and slowly loosened his hand that was holding the corner of her clothes. He stopped talking and closed his eyes again.

But this time, his brows were a little more relaxed.