Chapter 3

After spending two days with this group, Chu Jun finally realized one thing—he had traveled through time. This world was indeed not the one he originally belonged to. The land he stood on was called the Ancient Plains Continent, where only two types of people lived: Immortal Cultivators and Body Cultivators. The status of Immortal Cultivators was much higher than that of Body Cultivators, who were essentially laborers, cannon fodder, and meat shields. Now, Chu Jun had also become a "laborer," having been hired with a reward of ten Spirit Beans. As for what Spirit Beans were, Chu Jun hadn't seen them yet.

Body Cultivators were divided into five levels, with Level 1 Body Cultivators being the lowest. They could punch with a force of over a hundred pounds and jump no more than two meters. With Chu Jun's current combat strength, he was only a Level 1 Body Cultivator. Zhang Meng and Zhang Biao, the two brothers, were also Body Cultivators, but they were Level 2 Body Cultivators, and their reward was twenty Spirit Beans. Chu Jun didn't care about the Spirit Beans; he had agreed to the red-clothed girl's employment just to leave this damned primeval forest as soon as possible and to learn more about this unknown world from them.

At that moment, Chu Jun was sweating profusely as he chopped trees to build a campsite. Over the past two days, Chu Jun had already adapted to the work of a Body Cultivator, cutting trees, clearing paths, and building camps.

Half an hour later, a simple campsite was set up, which was essentially a cleared area with some defensive wooden stakes and rocks around it.

Chu Jun wiped the sweat from his brow, returned the large sword to Zhang Meng, and plopped down on the ground to rest. Zhang Meng had been injured in the thigh by a Level 1 Spirit Beast, a wolf-leopard, and hadn't fully recovered, so all the work was done by Chu Jun and Zhang Biao.

"Thanks, Brother Chu!" Zhang Meng said apologetically as he took back the large sword.

Chu Jun waved his hand to indicate it was no big deal. To avoid revealing too much, he had been playing the role of a listener, speaking little and doing more. Unexpectedly, this won him the favor of the Zhang brothers, and even the two employers were very satisfied with him. Such a diligent and hardworking laborer would be liked by any boss.

"Brother, have some water!" Zhang Biao threw a water pouch over.

Chu Jun didn't hesitate, drinking heartily from the spout, wetting his chest. The red-clothed girl couldn't help but wrinkle her cute nose.

"Thanks!" Chu Jun grinned, showing a row of dazzling white teeth.

Zhang Biao took the water pouch back from Chu Jun and drank from the spout without hesitation, sighing contentedly. The red-clothed girl looked away with disgust, thinking, "These Body Cultivators are really too unhygienic!"

As the sky grew darker, Zhang Biao quickly lit two bonfires, one for the red-clothed girl and the blue-clothed boy, and another for the three Body Cultivators. Chu Jun lay on his back, gazing at the star-studded night sky, a faint sadness in his eyes. He probably wouldn't be able to return to his old life.

"Sister Yun, we've been out for several days. Let's head back tomorrow!" the blue-clothed boy said softly.

"No way! The Dragon God Light has reappeared. There might be a great treasure this time, and I must get one!" the red-clothed girl said firmly.

Chu Jun, who was lying on his back and gazing at the stars, felt a stir in his heart. He subconsciously touched his forehead, thinking, "Could what I saw the other night be the Dragon God Light?"

The blue-clothed boy frowned. "If there really is a great treasure, it would have been taken by other experts long ago!"

The red-clothed girl disagreed. "Treasure has no owner; it goes to the one with the right destiny. It's not about who is more powerful. I've always had good luck!"

The blue-clothed boy, knowing he couldn't persuade her, could only shake his head with a bitter smile. "You probably want to find your senior brother, don't you?"

The red-clothed girl, whose heart seemed to have been read, blushed slightly and said angrily, "Why would I go find that bastard Shangguan Yu!"

Chu Jun glanced at the red-clothed girl. She was already beautiful, and her pout added to her charm. Noticing Chu Jun's appreciative gaze, she felt a bit smug and glared at him, saying, "What are you looking at? I'll gouge out your eyes!"

Chu Jun closed his eyes as if he were sleeping, and the red-clothed girl inwardly cursed him a coward, angrily throwing a log into the fire. The blue-clothed boy, who was used to her unpredictable moods, sat cross-legged to meditate.

A crescent moon hung in the sky, and Chu Jun, listening to the distant roars of beasts, gradually drifted into a half-sleep. In a dream, he found himself in a valley. A soft white light floated in the valley, seemingly enveloping a vague, graceful human form. Curious, Chu Jun moved closer, about to touch the light, when a dry, cold voice suddenly said, "Pull back your hand!"

Startled, Chu Jun took two steps back and asked, "Who are you? How did you get into my mind?"

"You don't need to know who I am. I'm just temporarily residing in your consciousness. As long as you listen to me, I won't treat you badly!" the cold voice said indifferently.

Chu Jun's heart stirred, and he asked, "Are you the meteor I saw the other night?"

After waiting for a while, he received no response from the light, feeling quite bored. He wandered around the valley. It wasn't very large, and he soon reached the entrance. Looking out, the outside world was dim and blurry, seeming very unreal. Feeling curious, Chu Jun took a step forward, and suddenly his feet were empty, as if he were falling into an abyss...

Chu Jun sat up in a start, the bonfire crackling before him. It had all been a dream. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and noticed the red-clothed girl across the fire looking at him with a strange expression. Feeling a bit awkward, Chu Jun grinned, and the red-clothed girl rolled her large eyes, which looked a bit scary but were quite amusing!

At that moment, the roars of the beasts suddenly stopped, and the world fell silent. The red-clothed girl and the blue-clothed boy, who had been meditating, leaped up, exchanging fearful glances. The Zhang brothers decisively drew their large swords. Four large gray birds, which had been resting, stretched their necks alertly, and the atmosphere became tense.

"Look!" Zhang Biao pointed in the distance.

Everyone followed his gaze and saw a beam of light rising from a distant place, standing out in the dark night sky like a silver snake emerging from a cave, a dragon coiling its head.

"It's the Dragon God Light!" the red-clothed girl exclaimed, leaping onto a gray-feathered crane and whistling to take off. The blue-clothed boy didn't hesitate, leaping onto another gray-feathered crane and following her.

The Zhang brothers quickly mounted their gray-feathered cranes, and Zhang Meng called out, "Brother Chu, get on quickly!"

Chu Jun hurriedly sat on Zhang Meng's gray-feathered crane, which let out an unhappy cry as it struggled to take off, its speed slow due to the weight of two adults. Chu Jun thought about getting one for himself to make future travel easier.

"The Dragon God Light always brings treasures when it erupts. I didn't expect it to erupt twice in such a short time!" Zhang Meng said excitedly. "We might get lucky and find a treasure, and we'd be set for life!"

Chu Jun asked curiously, "What is the Dragon God Light, and how does it bring treasures?"

Zhang Meng said with reverence, "The Dragon God Light is one of the most mysterious things on the Ancient Plains Continent. No one knows its exact origin. Some speculate it's a Dragon God Treasure Cauldron from the ancient Immortal Era, filled with all kinds of rare treasures, which erupts periodically!"

Chu Jun couldn't help but ask, "Wouldn't it be better to find the Dragon God Treasure Cauldron?"

Zhang Meng chuckled, "Many people think so, but no one has ever seen what the Dragon God Treasure Cauldron looks like. The eruption points of the Dragon God Light are different each time, making it impossible to track. Perhaps the Dragon God Treasure Cauldron doesn't even exist, or if it does, no one has the right to possess such an ancient divine object!"

Because they were carrying two people, Zhang Meng's gray-feathered crane lagged behind, the distance between them and the others growing. Seeing the urgency in Zhang Meng's expression, Chu Jun suggested, "Brother Meng, find a place to land and drop me off. Come back for me later!"

Zhang Meng, being a man of honor, shook his head. "We came together, so we should leave together. How can I leave you here alone?"

Chu Jun smiled, "It's fine, just come back for me later!"

Zhang Meng hesitated for a moment, then landed on a mountain peak with sparse trees. It was a rare opportunity to witness the eruption of the Dragon God Light, and even if they didn't get a treasure, it would be worth it to join the excitement. Chu Jun jumped off the crane from a few meters up.

"Brother Chu, wait here. I'll come back for you at dawn!" Zhang Meng called out, turning to catch up with Zhang Biao and the others. The crane, now carrying only one person, sped up and quickly disappeared into the night.

Chu Jun drew his military dagger and scanned the surroundings cautiously, finding no immediate danger, he found a sheltered spot to sit.

The howling mountain wind rustled through the treetops, and the roars of beasts echoed from far and near. Chu Jun hugged himself, curling into a ball. The night on the mountain was particularly cold, especially on the windy peak, and it was hard to endure without a fire.

As time passed, the temperature dropped even further. Unable to bear the cold, Chu Jun got up to do some warm-up exercises. He then saw a beam of light approaching from a distance, hearing the faint cries of cranes.

"Is Zhang Meng coming back so soon to pick me up?" Chu Jun thought.

The light grew closer, and the sound of the crane's wings could be heard. Chu Jun didn't hesitate, jumping onto a large rock and waving, "Brother Meng, I'm over here!"

The light in the sky flickered and suddenly accelerated downward, the sound of the wind mixed with the cries of the crane and a woman's scream. The light finally fell somewhere below the mountain peak. Chu Jun was startled; it seemed the gray-feathered crane had crashed.

Without hesitation, Chu Jun drew his military dagger and made his way down the mountain. It was an instinctive reaction; regardless of whether it was Zhang Meng, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing. Once he entered the dense forest, Chu Jun found it difficult to move, the darkness making it hard to see where to go.

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The story continues with Chu Jun's journey down the mountain and his encounter with the aftermath of the crash.