Chapter 4

The man remained silent, staring intently as Wen Wan approached, the two less than three feet apart.

"Wen Wan? Class 3, Grade 12?"

Now it was Wen Wan's turn to be shocked!

This is the class she attended before the apocalypse in her previous life. Does this person know her?

There was no murderous intent!

This thigh is familiar to me from before the apocalypse!

With a clang, the sickle fell to the ground, and the little boy rushed over and hugged the Third Prince's leg.

Black Lotus: Okay, okay, so you play it this way, use it and then throw it away.

"It's me, big brother! Those three bullies are bullying me and using our family power to intimidate me. You have to stand up for me!" Wen Wan didn't know who the other person was, but calling him big brother was always the right thing to do.

No one expected Wen Wan to do something like this.

"This...this...this...Wenwan, you mustn't be rude to His Highness the Third Prince." The teacher, unsure how to stop her, stood by helplessly trying to persuade her.

Hearing Wen Wan call the Third Prince "elder brother," the three bullies were struck dumb.

Third Prince: ...

That's enough, as long as the person has been found.

He crouched down, cradled Wenwan's armpits in his hands, and picked her up.

So light, so small.

Chu Yun never expected to run into her again.

The person who blew themselves up in their past life is still so small now.

The upward curve of his lips revealed his pleasant mood.

Being lifted into the air, Wenwan felt extremely insecure. Knowing she couldn't win and that the other person didn't seem to want to harm her, she had no choice but to compromise.

The two stared at each other, wide-eyed.

It wasn't until the three thugs, realizing the situation was turning against them, knelt down and begged for mercy, breaking the strange atmosphere between the two, that Wen Wan was finally put down.

The Third Prince glared at the three people on the ground, said nothing, and left with Wen Wan.

On the carriage.

"Why are you leaving already? We haven't taught those three a lesson yet." Knowing that the newcomer wouldn't harm her, Wen Wan completely let her guard down, her face full of resentment.

"Don't worry, I will make sure they are punished as they deserve, and they will never appear in front of you again."

The Third Prince leisurely fanned himself and spoke, but his eyes were subtly observing Wen Wan as she stomped her little feet, finding her incredibly cute.

Wen Wan didn't dwell on the issue any longer; her immediate priority was to confirm this person's relationship with her.

"Then thank you, Your Highness the Third Prince."

"May I ask, which of my old friends are you?"

The other party definitely did not recognize him from the appearance of this human cub.

In the apocalypse, she became somewhat famous among the survivors thanks to the Black Lotus. The Black Lotus was one of her identities in the apocalypse, and it is very likely that the other party heard about the Black Lotus, came to the academy, and recognized her.

"An old friend? I guess you could say that."

Unexpectedly, the other party chuckled, seemingly recalling some unpleasant memory, and gave an ambiguous answer.

Wen Wan was startled: No way, no way, could they be enemies who fought over resources with each other in the apocalypse?!

"My name is Chu Jun. You may not know me, but you will remember me."

The Third Prince, Chu Yun, found the little dumpling's serious expression, its face alternating between pale and flushed, quite adorable.

"What do you mean by not recognizing someone but remembering them?" Wen Wan's small head was filled with a big question mark.

If you don't recognize them, how can you remember them?

"You'll find out later."

Seeing her adorable appearance, Chu Yun wanted to pat her little head, but Wen Wan refused without any politeness. She didn't feel embarrassed at all and even wanted to tease her, truly treating her like a child.

In her past life, she was at least a beautiful young woman, and she wouldn't allow her head to be touched, especially by a handsome man of similar age.

Having experienced the apocalypse and seen so many zombies, even a dog seems handsome to me now.

Moreover, Chu Yun is truly a handsome man with an ancient style that fits my aesthetic. He has sword-like eyebrows, bright eyes, a high nose bridge, and his hair is neatly tied back with a jade crown. His eyes are always full of smiles when he looks at her, giving people a roguish and handsome feeling. Wen Wan likes this kind of guy.

Hmm, I've gone off on a tangent. A wise person doesn't fall in love, okay?

Wen Wan wanted to talk to him about something else, but Chu Yun spoke first, asking, "Do you want to cultivate immortality like me?"

Do I have spiritual roots?

Although she has the Black Lotus as her innate weapon, this is her special ability in the apocalypse. To cultivate immortality, one needs spiritual roots.

"Give me your hand."

Wenwan obediently stretched out her chubby little baby hand. When the other person's hand covered hers, she felt a surge of true energy flowing through her body. Wherever it touched, a warm and comfortable feeling spread through her.

Before she could fully savor the feeling, the other person moved their hand away, their expression still somewhat solemn. They didn't tell her whether she had spiritual roots, but instead handed her an object that looked a lot like a bell. "This is the Soul-Summoning Bell, a token of the Huashan Sect. Take it to the Huashan Sect, and you will be able to meet the sect leader, who will guide you on how to cultivate."

Wen Wan pouted. She hadn't decided whether or not to cultivate yet, so how come this person had already arranged it for her?

But considering the benefits of cultivating immortality, it doesn't seem like it's impossible...

Seeing that she was still hesitant, Chu Yun spoke again: "You are already an adult in your heart, and you are so smart. The academy is meaningless to you, and the sect also has an academy."

"You have to start raising children from a young age. Who knows, you might even break through the Nascent Soul stage and reach the Integration stage in the future, breaking the current record for the strongest female cultivator. Wouldn't that be incredibly prestigious? Don't you think so?"

Chu Yun's flattery was quite pleasing to Wen Wan. Who doesn't like to hear nice things? Besides, she was still affected by the five-year-old's body, and suddenly felt that it would be a waste not to cultivate.

After all, cultivators are stronger and live longer than ordinary people, and her beautiful mother won't be bullied after she becomes a cultivator.

Moreover, everyone wants to become a cultivator, but not everyone has the opportunity. Those without spiritual roots will never be able to cultivate in their entire lives.

Another point is that, in places unseen by them, many demonic beasts roam, feeding on human flesh and blood, and living by killing. Since I have the ability to become stronger, I can better protect this pure land.

She didn't want the world to be like the last, with cities abandoned, millions of corpses, and even she herself unable to die a peaceful death, ending in tragedy.

She didn't want to see that kind of world again.

Even if it's just for her own sake, she must become stronger!

After returning home, she told her mother about her decision. Although Madam Wen was reluctant, she was persuaded by Wen Wan, who was a mature woman at heart.

The next day, he reluctantly bid farewell to his mother and younger brother and embarked on his journey to seek immortality.

As for her cheapskate father, let him do whatever he wants.

Upon learning that he would become a cultivator, he would probably be overjoyed and would set up several tables at the village entrance to show off. He believed that his mother's status in the Wen family would also rise accordingly.

As for the matter of asking her to apologize to the bully, he'll probably end up making the bully apologize to Wen Wan instead.

The status of monks is much higher than that of officials.

I don't know how Chu Yun dealt with those people in the end. They were so young and they took pleasure in bullying others. They definitely needed to be punished properly.

She was only 5 years old when he instigated her to leave her hometown. He didn't even come to see her off. She was in an unfamiliar place and he wasn't afraid that she would run into bad people and get lost.

At this moment, at the boundary between the cultivation world and the mortal world, you will see a little girl carrying a half-sized bundle, climbing the mountain alone, cursing and swearing.

Three days later, in the territory of the Huashan Sect.

"This is the territory of the Huashan Sect. Those who are not disciples of this sect are not permitted to enter."

Exhausted and disoriented, Wen Wan was startled by the two long spears that suddenly appeared before her. After hearing what they said, she suddenly understood.

The little boy, his weariness gone, looked up and smiled brightly: "Two immortals, I have been introduced to the Huashan Sect to become their disciple."

Seeing that she was cute and polite, the two guards put away their spears after confirming there was no danger. One of them squatted down to her eye level and patiently explained, "Young lady, this is the Huashan Sect. It only accepts cultivators, and not just anyone can enter. You said you have someone who recommended you. Do you have any token?"

"Yes, I do." Wen Wan rummaged through her bundle, finally pulling out the Soul-Summoning Token: "He said it's the token of the Huashan Sect Leader. Here!"

Upon hearing that it was a token related to the sect leader, the person who received the bell immediately became serious, stood up to examine it carefully, and the other person also hurriedly came over to see it for themselves.

After all, those who are sent out to serve as guards are exposed to the wind and sun every day and are not valued by their own sect. They have hardly ever seen the sect leader or even the elders.

"Is this really the sect leader's token?" another guard asked uncertainly.

“There is indeed trace of our Huashan Sect up there. You take good care of her here. I’ll go and report to the higher-ups first.”

"good."

After the two finished their discussion, one of them put two fingers together in front of his forehead, silently recited a series of incantations, summoned a flying sword, and rode away on the sword.

"Wow!" Wen Wan exclaimed in surprise, "Could this be the legendary sword flight?!"

Upon arriving in this world, this was the first time Wen Wan had ever seen sword flight, something she only encountered in novels. It was so cool!

After becoming an apprentice, she absolutely must learn sword flight as her first skill!

"Yes, I didn't expect you to have such good eyesight at such a young age. Flying on a sword is one of the strengths of us sword cultivators."

The other guard didn't look down on her for her naive and unsophisticated appearance. Instead, he patiently answered her questions with a proud look on his face, which showed that he was also a sword cultivator.

Wen Wan was very supportive, and with a look of admiration, she started asking all sorts of questions: "Wow, immortal, are you sword cultivators super powerful? You can split a mountain in half with one sword strike."

Wenwan exaggeratedly drew a big circle with her two short little hands.

The guards were amused by her appearance and did not forget to answer her question: "Of course you can, but you have to cultivate to the Nascent Soul stage. The late Body Transformation stage is barely possible."

"When did you start fasting?"

"Bigu (fasting)? You can start fasting once you've reached the Foundation Establishment stage."

"Do you still eat after you start fasting?"

"No, grains are not pure and will affect our cultivation speed."

"Oh? Does the Huashan Sect have a place to cook?"

She's still an ordinary person; she'll die if she doesn't eat.

Besides, she finally made it here from the apocalypse, and she hasn't had enough of the delicacies she's had yet, how can she not eat?! She doesn't want to fast!!

Seeing her worried expression, the guard smiled and said, "Young friend, don't panic. Many of our outer disciples or registered disciples, as well as many newly recruited disciples, haven't reached the Foundation Establishment stage yet, and they also need to eat. Besides, we were all mortals once, and we need to adapt. We sometimes crave food, so the sect has a Tea Fragrance Pavilion where we serve lunch at noon every day."

"Is lunch only served at noon?"

Does that mean you can only eat one meal a day? Wenwan's bright and cheerful face immediately turned into a bitter face again.

The guards were taken aback by her question. They had practiced abstinence from grains and did not need to eat. As cultivators, they also had to move in that direction, and eating one meal a day was normal.

However, the little girl in front of us had only just started climbing the mountain, so it's understandable.

"Yes, young friend, you've just arrived and are probably feeling quite unwell. Although we only serve lunch at noon, you're free to come and go from Mingxiang Pavilion if you get hungry. You can prepare your own ingredients or buy them from Wanbaozhai. Just return the items to their rightful owners after you've finished using them."

Wen Wan asked some fairly common questions, none of which involved any sect secrets, and he answered them patiently.

"That's good."

Wen Wan breathed a sigh of relief; as long as she wasn't hungry, that was fine.

The two, one big and one small, chatted happily. Before half an incense stick's time had passed, they saw a figure in green rapidly approaching from afar, stopping right in front of them.