Chapter 1: The Stone Guardian

Chapter 1: The Stone Guardian

On the 15th day of the first month, in Cangnan Town.

In a dilapidated small mountain temple, a teenager around fifteen or sixteen years old was intently staring at a bamboo stick in his hand, drooling profusely, as a plump wild chicken was roasting on it.

This teenager was none other than the famous Stone Guardian of the village. His real name was Shichuan, but he was known for his boldness and straightforwardness. Not only the children in the village, but even the adults praised his courage.

A few years ago in winter, a pack of hungry wolves came to the village, scaring people so much that they dared not leave their homes, even for firewood. Shichuan, with a sickle on his waist, went up the mountain and was gone for three days and three nights. When the villagers thought he had been eaten by the wolves, Shichuan returned with a one-eyed wolf head on his waist. The older villagers immediately recognized it as the wolf king. Since then, no wolf pack dared to come to the village, and Shichuan earned the nickname Stone Guardian.

"Big Brother Stone, my mother sent me to bring you some mooncakes." A voice like a wind chime came from outside the temple.

"Sister Qingchuan." Shichuan threw the wild chicken onto the altar and ran out immediately.

"On such a festive day, why aren't you at home celebrating? What are you doing here?" Shichuan said with a serious face, but he couldn't help looking at the half mooncake in Qingchuan's hand, his throat gulping down saliva.

Ever since his parents went out to gather firewood when he was six and never returned, Shichuan's house and the few acres of thin land were taken over by his distant uncle. In the past few years, the uncle still gave Shichuan something to eat, so he didn't starve to death. However, after Shichuan turned ten, he was kicked out and had to live in the dilapidated mountain temple.

"Eat quickly!" Qingchuan placed the mooncake in Shichuan's hand and ran back to the village.

Shichuan didn't stop her. Over the years, every festival, Qingchuan would secretly bring some delicious food from home to him. This mooncake was definitely something Qingchuan had saved for him. Shichuan knew very well what kind of people his uncle and aunt were.

This couple was extremely calculating and doted on their two sons. As for Qingchuan, their daughter, they treated her slightly better than Shichuan. They often said that daughters would eventually marry out, so no matter how well they were raised, they would still belong to others. As long as she looked good, they could find a good family for her.

Strangely, their two sons, Shinen and Shili, had evil eyes and were clearly not good people, but Qingchuan had clear eyebrows and bright eyes. Although she was malnourished and thin, anyone could see that she would grow up to be a beauty.

Shichuan savored the rich aroma of the mooncake, slowly chewing it, savoring every bit of its deliciousness.

After about half an hour, Shichuan finished the half mooncake, licked his fingers, and suddenly slapped his head. "The wild chicken! I forgot to let Qingchuan taste the roasted wild chicken."

"Well, I'll save half for her and bring it to her tonight." Shichuan thought and walked back into the mountain temple.

To his surprise, the floor was littered with chicken bones, and a ragged old man was lying on the altar, contentedly picking his teeth. In his hand, there was only a half-eaten chicken claw left.

This wild chicken was very rare and hard to catch. Usually, Shichuan would take it to town to exchange for some coarse grain and oil. But today, being the 15th of August, he had decided to roast it and taste it. He never expected it to be stolen by this old beggar.

Shichuan, filled with anger, picked up a wooden stick and shouted, "Old beggar, you dared to steal my wild chicken! I won't let you off today!"

"Old beggar?" The old man was taken aback and laughed. "I saw a roasted chicken on the altar, and no one was around. I thought someone had left it for me. ... I haven't had a full meal in a long time!"

"You..." Shichuan looked at the ragged old man, who was as thin as a skeleton, and felt a pang of sympathy. The old man looked frail and couldn't withstand much.

"Fine, go away. I'm going to sleep." Shichuan waved his hand helplessly. Fortunately, he had eaten half a mooncake today. Thinking of the fat roasted chicken that had ended up in the old beggar's stomach, Shichuan felt a surge of anger.

"Why don't you leave? Are you going to stay here?" Shichuan issued an eviction order.

"I've been living here for decades. I'm used to it and don't want to leave." The old beggar stretched and lay down on the altar.

"You old beggar, how shameless! I've been living here for years, and I've never seen you." Shichuan shouted.

Before he could finish, the old beggar started snoring.

Shichuan shook his head helplessly. The mountain temple wasn't his, and few villagers came to this dilapidated place. However, Shichuan knew it was a feng shui treasure. No matter how cold it was outside in winter, the temple remained warm, and in summer, it was cool. Shichuan believed it was the mountain god's blessing. So, he always kept the altar clean, but now it had been used as a bed by the old beggar.

Gently pulling, Shichuan felt the old beggar was light as a feather. Seeing his emaciated body and protruding veins, Shichuan felt a pang of sympathy. Having grown up in hardship, he and the old beggar were kindred spirits. Gently, he carried the old beggar to his bed of straw and sat down beside him.

Breathing in, breathing out, breathing in, breathing out...

Shichuan discovered that this simple breathing gave him a special feeling. No matter how tired he was, a few moments of breathing could refresh him. He also found that the more he practiced this breathing, the stronger he became. This was why he dared to kill the wolf king.

Shichuan never told anyone about this strange phenomenon, but he had once asked a few children to try it in the mountain temple, and none of them felt the same way.

Thus, Shichuan became even more convinced that the mountain god was blessing him.

The next morning, after a night of breathing, Shichuan stood up, feeling refreshed.

"You're awake. Hurry up and get something to eat." The old beggar, lying on the straw, with a blade of grass in his mouth, said with a smile.

"You still have the nerve to ask for food. Do you know how many pounds of corn that chicken could have been exchanged for?" Shichuan was furious.

"So what? If I didn't eat it, it would have gone into your stomach. Did you plan to roast it and exchange it for corn?" The old beggar argued.

"I ate it, so I won't be hungry today." Shichuan rubbed his growling stomach. Having a big appetite was a painful thing; he had never been full since he could remember.

"Besides, we're not related. Why should I care if you're hungry?"

The old beggar laughed, "You need to be hungry to have the strength to travel. I have no strength at all now..."

"Will you leave after you eat?" Shichuan's eyes lit up, and he ran out.

Shichuan had spent the whole night breathing and thinking about how to drive the old beggar away, but he never expected him to actually plan to leave.

Just as he stepped out of the temple, he saw Qingchuan running breathlessly towards him, shouting, "Big Brother Stone, big news, big news."

Shichuan glanced at the village from a distance. The morning mist didn't suggest any bandits. He asked urgently, "Did wolves come again?"

"No... not that..." Qingchuan, holding her waist, took a deep breath and said, "A few immortals came and said they want to take apprentices. They asked all children under fifteen to come."

"Immortals taking apprentices? Can we become immortals? Is this true?" The other children might not understand.

What did immortals represent? In Shichuan's mind, immortals meant eternal life and the ability to control the elements.

"Let's go quickly!" Shichuan grabbed Qingchuan's hand and ran down the mountain.

"They've come, as I predicted." The old beggar in the mountain temple smiled. Seeing Shichuan's figure running away, he shouted, "Wait, wait, I have something to say to you."

Shichuan didn't hear him, carrying the breathless Qingchuan and running at full speed. In less than a quarter of an hour, they returned to Shichuan's village.

At the foot of a large locust tree at the village entrance, people were gathered in layers. Shichuan, using his strength, squeezed through the crowd.

Under the tree stood several unfamiliar young men and women, all in their twenties. Beside them were a few village children, all looking delighted, indicating they had been accepted as apprentices.

One of the men looked around and said, "The Water Spirit Sect, following the agreement with the Heavenly Cloud Venerable, comes here every twenty years to take apprentices. This is the tenth and final time..."

"Wait... there's still me..." Shichuan, seeing the immortals about to leave, quickly squeezed through the crowd.

The young man's face showed a hint of displeasure, clearly annoyed by the interruption. However, he said, "Come over, let me check your spirit root."

"Big Brother Stone is here."

"It's Stone Guardian, no wonder he dared to interrupt the immortal."

Shichuan walked over with hope in his eyes.

The young man carefully took out a bronze mirror from his pocket and gently placed it on Shichuan's forehead. The mirror emitted a bright light, and a horizontal bar of earth yellow appeared on its surface.

"Earth spirit root?" The young man's lips curled into a sneer. The Water Spirit Sect was one of the Five Spirit Sects. A hundred years ago, the Five Spirit Sects split into the Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth sects. Although the Five Spirit Sects' leader still existed, he was a mere puppet. Each sect took disciples with the corresponding spirit root and operated independently.

Thus, in the eyes of the Water Spirit Sect cultivators, Shichuan's earth spirit root was undoubtedly worthless.

(End of Chapter)