This is not how immortals cultivate

Chapter 1 God? monster?
A few idle clouds floated in the clear sky, like light ink smeared on drawing paper, adding a bit of leisurely tranquility, but also a bit of sorrow and worry.

In the open space of the martial arts hall, dozens of young men in gray cloth clothes were practicing in pairs, brandishing wooden swords in their hands. Their sword moves were orderly, and their shouts stirred up a lot of wind.

In a row house not far away, a young boy stood in front of the window with a frown on his face, a helplessness in his eyes that his peers could not understand.

"Oh, it finally doesn't hurt that much."

Xiang Yuan shook his dizzy head and muttered something that was difficult for his peers to understand: "I just want to crush you all, or be crushed to death by you all... I just said it casually, and I didn't have any bad intentions, but you really crushed me to death."

"Travel through time, what is this all about!"

As he spoke, his head started to hurt again.

Western Chu, Guanshan Road, Dezhou...

This is the fifth day since Xiang Yuan came to this world. Every time he has a headache, memories that belong to him or not come flooding back. He has no other choice but to passively endure it.

The pain was unbearable, so I comforted myself by thinking that if I died of pain, I would be able to put my clothes back on.

The result was not very good. Traveling through time is a one-way ticket, and there is no going back. There were several times when I was in excruciating pain.

During these five days, he received a lot of memory fragments bit by bit, and had a general understanding of the world he lived in and his identity.

This fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy's body was also named Xiang Yuan. He was orphaned and helpless since childhood, living on the streets. He was taken in by the court and taught to read, write and practice martial arts.

There are many young men like Xiang Yuan, and there are many who have even more miserable life experiences than him, either due to natural disasters or man-made calamities. Their lives are lighter than weeds. If it weren't for the meal from the court, they would have starved to death in a corner where no one cared about them.

It's very realistic. Once you eat the meal from the court, you will be a dog for the court all your life. You have to bite whoever the court tells you to bite.

More realistically, dogs also come in different qualities.

There are many institutions in the imperial court, and their powers vary in importance, so it is impossible to generalize. For example, the six gates outside the three offices cannot use the same kind of dogs as ordinary county yamen.

The major authorities enter the dog market first and select the puppies with the best appearance, and then pass them down layer by layer. After everyone has selected, the worst puppies are sent to guard the barren mountains and mines, and from then on they are no different from stray dogs.

Someone said that even if he had to be a dog, he would be reborn in the capital.

They have all been through hardships and almost starved to death on the streets. No one wants to be a stray dog. Everyone wants to be powerful and if there is a chance to enter the Six Gates, they will seize it even at the risk of their lives.

'Xiang Yuan' is the best example. He is more talented than the other teenagers and is the most diligent in practicing martial arts.

Being so strong and working so hard, this guy will most likely be chosen by the Six Gates.

Everyone thinks so.

As a result, before the Six Gates arrived, Xiang Yuan had rolled himself to death. He practiced hard day and night, and after washing himself in a basin of well water, he fell to the ground with a bang and got a baby-like sleep.

After three days of high fever, I woke up and became Xiang Yuan.

During those three days, the Six Gates and some major authorities came and went, and almost all the things that needed to be selected were selected.

As for Xiang Yuan, a hard-working guy with decent talent, he had excellent results in martial arts exams in the past, and the coach said a few good words for him. But everyone was busy, and one more or one less didn't matter, so no one took it seriously.

I have already selected all the candidates, how could this patient be left out?
The two Xiang Yuans who had rolled themselves to death merged into one, and when he woke up he had a headache again. He didn't look very smart, and the coach couldn't help but sigh when he saw this.

"We are in the same boat, and we are in the same boat..."

The pain faded away, Xiang Yuan rubbed his temple, and saw the young men in the open space putting down their wooden swords and gathering together. He pushed the door open and quickly followed them.

The young men sat cross-legged, with Xiang Yuan at the end. They all looked at the coach Lu Ming in the field, eagerly waiting for today's story of heroes to begin.

Lu Ming is a burly old man, over sixty years old. He is usually taciturn, but talks incessantly after drinking. He especially likes to tell stories about the underworld.

In his own words, he was also very successful when he was young. He was a lay disciple of Dajue Temple, skilled in swordsmanship and boxing, punishing evildoers and eliminating evil. Everyone knew the name "Motian Dapeng", and he was a well-known hero in the martial arts world. Wherever he went, people would give him face.

After being recruited by the Six Gates, he became a majestic chief constable, who would solve every strange case and capture every vicious criminal.

Later on, he was no longer able to do well, as he was plotted against by thirty-six demons. Although he managed to fight his way out, he lost seven or eight of his magical powers. He returned to his hometown to open a martial arts school and train the court's puppies at the same time.

It is hard to tell whether the above words were Lu Ming’s original words or what he said after drinking. The young men did not care and were all immersed in his past experiences in the underworld.

Wearing fine clothes and riding a fast horse, he takes pleasure in taking revenge and never tramples on injustice, and is known for his benevolence and righteousness.

Not to mention these young people, Xiang Yuan, who had been bombarded by the information age, also listened with particular interest. As long as Lu Ming drank and started talking, his headache would go away.

"That day, this master received a letter from a good friend, saying that the three demons of Longtan had appeared, and many heroes had gathered to discuss the righteous act of slaying the demons..."

Lu Ming sat cross-legged on the ground, picked up the wine and drank it. On his indifferent face, his eyes gradually brightened up as the wine arrived, until he was beaming with joy.

He slapped his thigh and knee, looking at the young men who were holding their breath, and continued with great satisfaction: "After receiving the letter, this master did not dare to delay, and traveled day and night, exhausted three dragon-blood horses, and arrived at nightfall..." "In the deserted mountain and the ruined temple, the heroes fought three demons, and this master was the leader of the heroes. He fought two demons alone and killed them all..."

Xiang Yuan listened silently, extracting useful information from Lu Ming's words.

Although his headache allowed him to integrate many memory fragments and gave him a certain understanding of the world, this was far from enough. Xiang Yuan came from a humble background and only a very small part of the world could be seen through Xiang Yuan's eyes.

And generally speaking, young men in the martial arts school are forbidden to go out, and they have to buy food, clothing, housing and transportation, so he couldn't even see it himself.

When you first arrive and are unfamiliar with the place, a clear understanding is crucial.

At the very least, we need to sort out the common sense that everyone knows.

In this situation, Lu Ming became Xiang Yuan's most important channel to understand the world. No matter whether the drunken talk was exaggerated or whether there was a certain degree of self-glorification, battle reports could lie but the battle lines could not. All these place names, names of people, customs and practices made Xiang Yuan's eyes clearer.

not enough!
Xiang Yuan slowly raised his hand, wanting to ask in a roundabout way about the current world view, but a young man in front of him raised his hand and blocked him.

"Coach, can you tell me more about how powerful we are in Xi Chu?"

Boy, this question hits the nail on the head.

Xiang Yuan silently put down his hand and gave a thumbs up to the boy who cut in line.

"I've said this before. Our Xi Chu is naturally powerful..."

Lu Ming was not annoyed by the interruption. He drank and said, "Well, well, you asked the right person. I used to work for the Six Gates. I have seen and heard a lot. There are few secrets of the world that I don't know. Today I will open your eyes."

"As expected of you, the coach!"

Xiang Yuan exclaimed in the crowd, and the teenagers followed suit in amazement.

Lu Ming was secretly delighted and spoke quickly, "Let's not talk about the uncivilized southern border and the barren western region. Chu, Qi, and Jin are the rich and powerful countries and the protagonists between heaven and earth. Even if many small countries rise up, they will eventually become vassals and will not make any waves."

"The Three Kingdoms supported each other, and there was a saying that the world was divided into three parts by Western Chu, Northern Qi, and Southern Jin..."

Lu Ming spoke a long and eloquent speech, and as he got drunk, he became more and more excited.

Xiang Yuan nodded secretly after hearing this, sketching out a large map in his mind and barely gaining some common sense.

Lu Ming talked for a long time, then turned to say: "The world has its own affairs, and the underworld has its own affairs. Most of you will be taken away by the various county offices in Dezhou to work as constables at the grassroots level. It is useless to tell you about the world's major events. Today I will talk more about the underworld. You should listen carefully and remember them in your heart, so as not to offend the wrong people in the future and die without knowing how!"

Upon hearing this, all the young men straightened their backs.

"There are many powerful people in the world today, including famous sects, dynasties, evil ways, and goblins. Every family has its own heritage, and every person has magical powers. They can change the world, move mountains and seas, and there are many immortals and gods."

immortal?

monster?
Xiang Yuan had a strange look on his face. This piece of information was too explosive. He couldn't tell whether Lu Ming had drunk too much or it was true.

But seeing that no one around questioned it and the teenagers all looked as if it was a matter of course, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart, thinking that this world is too dangerous.

"The world is dotted with all kinds of forces, just like the stars in the sky. Just talking about the top ones, there are three royal families, four Buddhist sects, five Taoist sects, eight evil demons, ten great families, and twelve famous mountain sects..."

The three royal families and the ten aristocratic families can be classified into one category, collectively known as the thirteen aristocratic families. Although Lu Ming is not included in the court system, he receives a salary from the court. He dare not say anything here for fear of being criticized if it gets out, so he makes a special trip to distinguish them.

I drank too much, but my butt was still sober.

Then, Lu Ming briefly described the best in the world, such as the three royal families, namely the Shendu Xiao family of Western Chu, the Tai'an Liu family of Northern Qi, and the Shangyuan Li family of Southern Jin. Because of their buttocks, they were taboo and dared not say much about the Western Chu royal family.

Northern Qi and Southern Jin were not so lucky. Lu Ming joked that the two families were well-informed and were not afraid of being heard by others.

"There is the Western Regions on the border of Northern Qi. Although there are no major powers in the Western Regions, there are many second-rate forces. They invade every year and cause riots every day. Northern Qi has no temper and puts aside its dignity as a major power to pay tribute. It provides enough silver and money every year, and even builds a wall..."

"A country like this, a cowardly one, cannot be called a great power!"

"Southern Jin is even worse. People usually say 'the world has one stone of wealth, but Southern Jin has eight buckets'. Jiangdong is even richer, with more fish and rice, and has the most financial resources. But I know that 'the world has ten great families, but Southern Jin has six'. It has been exhausted by internal strife and disputes. Western Chu only needs to send troops to crush it."

At this point, Lu Ming was very heroic and drank: "Northern Qi was short-sighted and could not be called a hero. Southern Jin was just a prosperous tomb with withered bones. Only Western Chu has outstanding people and beautiful scenery in the world. It is a real hero!"

Xiang Yuan: “…”

What kind of wine are you drinking? Does it have green plums in it?

　Newcomer, new book, newbie asking for monthly votes and recommendation tickets!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)