Chapter 1

Qing Shan Town, Bai Ren Hall

In the late afternoon, the sun reluctantly cast its last rays of light, and the sky was filled with the glow of the sunset.

At the second-floor window of Bai Ren Hall.

A young boy, dressed in rough cloth, with a slightly pale complexion but a rather handsome face, who looked only thirteen or fourteen years old, quietly gazed at the sunset on the horizon.

The boy's lips moved slightly, but his voice was barely audible as he muttered to himself.

"Three years... I've been in this world for a full three years... and only now have I discovered that there are actually cultivators in this world!

In the past, I paid no attention to such rumors, thinking they were just tricks by fraudsters.

I was too careless... but fortunately, I haven't missed this opportunity for immortality!"

Cheng Bu Zheng turned around and looked at the familiar room.

Although the room contained only simple furniture—a bed, a set of table and chairs—he had been living there for over a year.

At that moment, he stared blankly at the familiar room, lost in deep thought.

He was originally just a low-level programmer on Earth, enjoying the "996" work schedule. One night, after working late and heading home, he was hit by a speeding white SUV, feeling intense pain all over his body, and then the sensation of flying through the air before losing consciousness.

When he woke up again, he found himself occupying this young body.

After a quick review of the body's memories, he realized he had been reincarnated into another world.

He initially thought it was an ancient world and was ready to make a big splash, living a life of luxury. However, reality gave him a harsh wake-up call.

Three years ago.

When he first reincarnated, he faced unfamiliar parents and didn't know how to address them, planning to remain a quiet, unnoticed presence.

However, things didn't go as planned.

Within a few hours, his parents noticed something was wrong and became extremely worried. They planned to spend the family's limited silver to invite a shaman to perform rituals to exorcise evil spirits.

In their eyes, if there was nothing physically wrong with him, it could only mean he had encountered something unclean.

As his parents gathered money and discussed inviting the shaman, he finally couldn't bear it. He couldn't remain a quiet, unnoticed presence.

He knew that the family's limited silver was meant for his older brother's marriage and was the hope of his parents.

He then found an excuse to explain to his parents and quietly imitated his previous living habits, making it seem as if nothing had changed.

At that time, he was just a child and couldn't help the family. He also didn't want to waste the family's savings on something meaningless.

Just as the family was about to spend all their savings to treat him.

Although he stopped the shaman from being invited, the warmth of his parents' love deeply moved him.

Over time, he gradually accepted his new parents.

In this world, he had parents, an older brother, and a younger sister, and he was the second child. Initially, he had no formal name, only a nickname, "Ergou."

His father was a rather simple and honest man, known in the village as "Cheng the Simpleton," but he was extremely protective of his children, which Cheng Bu Zheng remembered clearly.

Half a year after he reincarnated into this world.

During an incident where his older brother heroically saved a girl, the brother was beaten up by boys from a neighboring village. His father went to the other village to argue the case.

However, the other party refused to back down and looked down on the "Simpleton" from the neighboring village.

The father, known as "Cheng the Simpleton," driven by strong paternal love, rarely lost his temper and fought for the first time.

Naturally, he was beaten up.

Father and son, both with black eyes, returned home silently, bruised and battered.

After all, a father who had never fought before and an older brother who also couldn't fight were no match for the other party, especially in their village.

The villagers in the same village were very united, and if they weren't, they would be bullied by the united village. The villagers always sided with their own, not with reason.

When they returned home, the mother, who had a somewhat fiery temper, saw the two black eyes and became extremely angry. She scolded the father and then went directly to the neighboring village to curse, for three whole days. The other party's parents, not being experts in cursing, ultimately lost.

From this, it was clear what position the mother held in the family.

The older brother, named "Dagou," inherited his father's simple and honest nature.

He was about sixteen years old and should have been of marriageable age. With the family's income, the older brother would have had to wait a few more years to get married.

A year and a half ago, he met a doctor from Bai Ren Hall on the road. He knew this was a rare opportunity and, with his small size, sweet talk, and quick wit, convinced the doctor to give him a chance to be a medicine boy.

This gave him the opportunity to leave the village and work as a medicine boy in town.

Since then, he sent most of his monthly earnings home, allowing his older brother to get married earlier.

His sister-in-law was a girl from the neighboring village, the heroine of the hero-saving incident, and the one who, along with his father, was beaten up, leading to their marriage.

His sister-in-law was a capable housewife who treated his parents and younger sister well, clearly treating them as her own family.

His younger sister, named "Xiaocao," was only six years old, very lively, and spent her days running around the village, causing chaos with her playmates.

Her personality was somewhat similar to her mother's, showing signs of a fiery temper.

In poor families, children usually had no formal names, only nicknames, which were given to make them easier to raise.

The soundness of the names was not a concern.

If a child didn't like their name, a beating or two would make them comply. Reality always overcame ideals, and eventually, the children would obediently accept their names.

This was the educational philosophy passed down in the village.

Due to poverty, there were no extra coins to hire a teacher to name the children.

This was also a village custom, where, although the names were not pleasant, they carried the parents' sincere hope for their children's safe growth.

Thinking of this, Cheng Bu Zheng couldn't help but smile.

His gaze inadvertently fell on a painting of a cultivator riding a sword hanging on the wall.

In Cheng Bu Zheng's mind, a vivid image of a cultivator riding a sword naturally appeared, deeply etched in his heart.

"If I hadn't seen the cultivator riding a sword that day, I wouldn't have believed that there were actually cultivators in this world.

No wonder... there are so many legends about cultivators and monsters in the folk!

Time is running out, and I must act soon, or I'll have to wait another ten years.

Now, I can confirm that the information is true. After all, the peddler in town is an extremely honest person, and his words, logic, and demeanor all prove that he didn't lie.

If it weren't for the time I saved his drowning child using the chest compression method, he probably wouldn't have told me this information!

Afterward, I made further inquiries, and all the evidence suggests that the cultivators will be recruiting disciples in the county at the end of this month.

However, from Qing Shan Town to the county, one must cross the 'Cang Qing Mountains' and be wary of wild beasts. There are countless wild beasts along the way.

At my current age of less than thirteen, if I go alone, I'm likely to become food for the wild beasts before reaching the county.

In a flash.

So many thoughts raced through his mind, but his face showed a determined look.

Eternal life, these four words are the lifelong pursuit of many emperors, and the dream of many mortals.

Now, such a great opportunity is before me. If I don't strive for it, even if I have immense wealth in the future, I will likely spend the rest of my life in regret.

The plan is already in motion.

Although it involves mutual exploitation, and the other party is a complete scoundrel, he felt no guilt.

But when Cheng Bu Zheng thought about the background of the target, Young Master Qian...

He sighed softly, but his determination only grew stronger.

He silently reviewed his plan, checking for any overlooked details.

Tomorrow, the final step will be taken. Now, it all depends on him, and there is no other suitable target.