Chapter 1

In the pitch-black night, a man in his forties or fifties, panting heavily, slumped down on the edge of a paddy field, his eyes filled with vigilance as he looked around.

Before he could peek out, two beams of white light from flashlights swept over him.

The man quickly buried his head, his hand instinctively reaching for the pocket on his coat that was bulging with a round object.

As the light swept across the road, growing brighter and brighter, two footsteps approached from afar and stopped at the roadside, their eyes constantly searching for their target.

"Damn it, where did that old Jin go?"

"You're asking me? Who should I ask?"

The two newcomers were a fat man and a thin man. The man recognized the fat man, and upon hearing his voice, he slowed his breathing, enduring the pain in his internal organs without uttering a sound.

"He's been poisoned, he can't have gone far."

The skinny man was somewhat impressed: "They actually dared to steal the divine medicine, they're really bold."

"snort!"

Upon hearing this, the fat man gritted his teeth and cursed, "Damn it, they took my kindness for granted and dared to harm me."

"If I catch him, he'll be in big trouble."

Kindness?

The skinny man curled his lip in disdain, glanced at the fat man with pity, and chuckled, "Take it easy, the mission might still be on his shoulders."

"Let's go and take another look ahead."

"That old dog can really run..."

The sound faded into the distance. Old Jin, who was lying in the field, had dilated pupils, dark purple lips, and his breathing had stopped at some point.

A faint white light flashed beneath the palm of the hand placed in the chest pocket, and the bulge that had been pushed out by the foreign object slowly collapsed.

The deep darkness of night has returned to its usual tranquility.

...

In April, everything comes back to life and flowers bloom in profusion. The scenery of Linxi Cave, surrounded by mountains and with a pleasant climate, is even more beautiful.

Amidst such beautiful scenery, a young woman wearing a baseball cap stared intently at one spot, lost in thought.

"Child, what are you looking at?"

The woman turned around at the sound and, seeing it was the new landlord passing by, asked curiously:

"Grandma Lin, does the mountain behind us have a name?"

The old man smiled and said, "It's called Xishan."

"Our mountains aren't famous." The old man couldn't contain his curiosity. "Child, what brings you to this remote place?"

The young people here have all left, leaving behind mostly elderly people around her age.

Moreover, people come here to rent rooms.

The young woman wasn't interested in dealing with it and just laughed it off.

After the old man left, the woman remained standing in the same spot. Since there was nothing strange about the Western Hills, why had her mind been drawn to the mountains ever since she arrived here, as if something was waiting for her?

After spending the whole afternoon there, the feeling didn't disappear; instead, it became even stronger.

The woman's delicate brows furrowed slightly, her fingers constantly stroking the jade pendant on her chest as she lowered her head in deep thought.

...

"...So tired...Phew~"

"We're almost at the top, keep it up!"

By this time, it was completely dark. Under the bright moon, the young woman, dragging her half-crippled body, finally reached the top of the mountain with the perseverance of a beast of burden.

Arriving in this place for the first time, climbing the mountain late at night should have been a death sentence for her, but her ascent went incredibly smoothly, as if it were divine intervention.

That's not...

The arrival of the talented individuals was followed by a sudden and unexpected change.

Without any warning, Lingxi's firmly established scientific worldview was suddenly and gently shattered.

If you can't let go of something, it'll be a big deal; if you can let go of it, it'll be nothing.

She's still young, nothing can bother her!

Lingxi ignored the mess on the ground and plopped down on the gravel, leaning against the cold, hard rock, her eyes filled with surprise and confusion as she stared at the jade pendant in her hand that was gleaming white.

The jade pendant was a family heirloom, which she had worn since childhood. Her mother said it was a blessing from their ancestors and wouldn't let her take it off. And indeed, her ancestors were powerful, protecting her to this day without illness or disaster, but her other close relatives passed away one after another, leaving her alone in the world.

but……

What's going on now?!

Could it be that our ancestors are beginning to show their power?

"Rustle"

"Rustling..."

The soft sound grew louder behind her ear.

In the pitch-black night, any unusual occurrence is especially terrifying.

Lingxi was timid, her breathing gradually slowed, and her fingers kept stroking the sudden trembling on her hands. She took a few steps back with her back to the source of the sound, and when she looked up again, she saw a silver light. When her eyes adjusted to the bright light, the scene in front of her made her freeze in shock.

A visible silver beam of light descended from the sky and landed precisely on the rock she was using as a backrest.

Wait... that's not a rock after all.

The icy, hard touch is still vivid in my mind.

As the moonlight streamed in for a moment, Lingxi's eyes widened as she watched the pale yellow stones gradually disappear, leaving only a jade tree, its body as white as jade and as clear as emerald, crystal clear.

The tree was very small, about the thickness of a finger. Strangely, there were no leaves on the branches on both sides, only three translucent and flawless jade-like leaves of different sizes at the top of the tree. Moonlight and starlight swirled around, contracted, and condensed.

"What's this?"

"And...this...light?"

Lingxi subconsciously looked up at the sky. The night sky above was as calm as ever. The pillar of light, like a waterfall, seemed to ignore the distance in space and descended upon this place.

Faced with such a fantastical scene, Lingxi, skeptical, opened the camera, only to find nothing unusual inside.

With such a commotion, apart from her who was present, practically no one else noticed anything amiss.

Before she could look around much, Lingxi, who was squatting on the ground, felt her breath catch in her throat. A powerful pressure emanated from the tree trunk, instantly causing Lingxi to fall forward as if she were being weighed down by a thousand pounds. Her knees landed firmly on the gravel.

"Hiss~" He couldn't help but gasp for breath under the pain.

Depend on!

You're so strong, you should have said so earlier!

Lingxi, trembling from the pain, had a million things to say.

The accident happened suddenly, and the jade pendant in her hand was also pulled by inertia, flying straight towards the jade tree.

With a "thud," the two collided, producing a soft sound.

"Rustle"

The aura around Yushu paused, and all was silent except for the soft, mournful sound of the mountain wind blowing through the cracks in the rocks.

...Help...help me...

I feel like I can't breathe properly.

Lingxi's eyes shifted slightly, her vision blurred as she looked at the jade pendant suspended in mid-air.

She had long memorized the patterns carved on the jade pendant, especially the flower bud in the center, which she would polish until smooth and lustrous. It was not just an object or an accessory; it embodied her longing for the deceased and became an inseparable part of her growth.

Now……

Is she going to lose it?

"Xixi~"

In a daze, Lingxi seemed to hear a familiar and longed-for voice, still so gentle.

She couldn't help but call out, "Mommy..."

She murmured the words, her muscles twitching slightly, and the stinging pain from the sharp pebbles scraping her cheek brought her back to her senses.

We can't give up!

…to…jade pendant…

She wants it back...

Lingxi gritted her teeth and exerted all her strength, but only managed to move slightly.

During the stalemate, the tip of a leaf at the top of the jade tree trembled, and a beam of light surged into the jade pendant. Instantly, all the silver light surrounding the jade tree was absorbed by the jade pendant.

The jade pendant transformed in the light, and the lotus bud at its center slowly opened.

When it fully bloomed, the jade pendant transformed into a streak of light, rushing towards the woman who had collapsed to the ground.

"Whoosh~" A sudden gust of wind roared from the top of West Mountain. Lingxi relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief, but then she saw a ray of light rush towards her brow. A chill swept over her entire body. Before she could understand what was happening, she felt a sharp pain all over her body, as a surge of energy rushed through her.

Large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, and he curled up, trembling with pain.

She even suspected that if things continued like this, she would die here sooner or later.

"don't want……"

"I haven't lived enough yet!" Lingxi broke out in a cold sweat, a deep sense of helplessness washing over her. At this moment, she didn't even know how to save herself.

"Sigh~"

Suddenly, a soft, melodious sigh came from the sky.

Lingxi's face was deathly pale. Hearing the noise, she grasped at it like a lifeline and murmured, refusing to give up:

"...Save me...Save...Save me."

The jade tree, half a person's height, shimmered and appeared above Lingxi's forehead in the blink of an eye.

Then a faint green light drifted out and suddenly struck Lingxi's chest. At the same time, a wisp of light drifted out from between Lingxi's eyebrows and disappeared into the tree trunk.

In an instant, a peaceful and cool energy flowed down from between the eyebrows, along the meridians, guiding the chaotic energy within the body to slowly gather in the abdomen, which is the location of the dantian.

Gradually, the energy circulated orderly within the body. Some of it condensed into a small ball in the opened dantian, gathering spiritual energy; while some remained in the flesh and blood, strengthening the muscles and bones.

The jade tree slowly sank into the woman's forehead and disappeared.

Lingxi's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed, a wave of sleepiness washed over her, and then the whole world was plunged into darkness.

...

"Coo coo, coo coo..."

As dawn broke, a clear chirping sound pierced the silence of the mountaintop, followed by the wind, the swaying of trees, the chirping of insects, and the barking of dogs and crowing of roosters below. The sounds rose and fell, intermittent, and another lively day began.

The heavy morning dew on the branches and leaves couldn't be caught in time and landed on the nose of the unexpected mountain visitor, waking the sleeping guest.

"Hmm~"

Lingxi blinked, opened her eyes, closed them again, and then opened them again.

She discovered that she could see clearly everything within her sight: the veins of the leaves on the top of the tree, every hair on the little spider, and even the feathers of the birds.

My limbs felt no soreness at all, and my body felt like it was fully charged, as if I could go up and down the West Mountain dozens of times in an instant.

It can clearly sense even the clothes that come into contact with its skin and the ground beneath it.

With the enhancement of the five senses, the whole world has changed, as if a veil has been lifted to reveal a more vivid side.

But it doesn't seem to be all good; now, her heightened sense of smell makes it unbearable for her to smell the stench on her body.

His body was covered in a layer of grayish grime at some point, and when he rubbed it with his hand, a layer of grime stuck to his palm.

The stench was unbearable.

"Ugh~"

Lingxi, unable to hold on any longer, leaned against the tree trunk and began to retch. She couldn't go on any longer and had to pack her things and prepare to go down the mountain as soon as possible.

When their gaze fell upon the location of the immortal tree from last night, it had vanished without a trace.

Unable to repay the life-saving grace, she will erect a memorial arch for the Tree Immortal and offer incense every day.

I feel unworthy to receive this honor.

A gentle male voice echoed in my mind.

It sounds vaguely familiar.

Lingxi's foot, which was about to step down, wobbled. In the next instant, she leaped up and floated into the air. After a flurry of activity, she finally stood firmly on her feet. Before she could even express surprise, she asked with some suspicion, "Are you the tree... tree spirit from last night?"

Meanwhile, its two large eyes kept looking around, but it couldn't see any sign of anyone.

"It is I, I am a cultivator."

The voice slowly echoed in my mind.

So it was in her head!

Her actions also seemed somewhat superfluous.

Does that mean she has no privacy?

Lingxi's face flushed red and then paled.

Perhaps her thoughts were strong in the past, "I have little interest in the affairs of others."

Lingxi, somewhat embarrassed after revealing her thoughts, said, "You know exactly what I'm thinking!"

The man seemed to be silent for a few seconds, but Lingxi didn't delay and continued walking towards the newly rented house.

Fortunately, rural areas are now modernized and have no dry toilets, making them similar to those in the city.

The person slowly explained the reason for the current situation: "Your spiritual energy is insufficient, so I have no choice but to use spiritual energy-guiding liquid to help you."

"Did it hurt you a lot?"

Lingxi wasn't ungrateful; she was also somewhat afraid of hurting others.

Not to mention that she brought all this suffering upon herself, dragging others into it, and deserves a terrible death.

After realizing the thought in his mind, the newcomer nodded to himself and chuckled softly, "I know what I'm doing."

"Your jade pendant is extraordinary, its spiritual energy is merely a guide. I am still recovering from my injuries, and the spiritual liquid is special. To use it, we must form a pact."

"A contract? Is it the kind I'm thinking of?"

Nothing more than that I've read too many novels and have too many dreams.

However, what kind of contract is it?

My mind seemed to fall silent again.

"The Pact of Shared Life".

His voice was normal, yet it carried a hint of helplessness.

Is that what she meant?

"yes!"

Sharing life and death, who would be bound to a life-or-death situation with a stranger, especially between a highly accomplished cultivator and a mortal whose future is uncertain and who has just embarked on the path of cultivation? This contrast is truly mind-boggling.

Lingxi opened her mouth, unsure of what to say. She took one step and then two, gradually becoming more adept at controlling her rapidly increasing strength. The further she went down the mountain, the more agile she became, and the easier it was for her to descend.

In no time at all, we reached the halfway point of the mountain.

Stepping across the stream, Lingxi asked curiously, "Do you know why it's me? Can someone else cultivate too?"

"I didn't know. You were unharmed because you had a jade pendant protecting you."

After a pause, he continued, "If it were someone else, the spiritual energy rushing into their body could scatter their soul, causing their soul to fly away and their spirit to dissipate."

Lingxi remained silent, her hand instinctively reaching up to pull the rope, only to realize that the jade pendant was gone.

Upon hearing her mention the jade pendant, the voice in her mind kindly said, "Your jade pendant is fine."

Lingxi kept walking, "Really?"

“I never lie; you must judge for yourself.”

"That's good."

Lingxi's steps became more cheerful.

As for other important matters, we can deal with them later. Right now, it's best to quickly wash off the dirt.