A dull hum buzzed into my ears. I opened my eyes and first noticed it was already daybreak.

Then saw a row of dilapidated buildings — an abandoned temple? Again we stumbled upon a new territory, seemingly unclaimed and absent of mankind.

A ghostly wind knocked onto the flagpole firmly fixed upon the middle of the courtyard, quivering some more of the decomposing flag’s loose frills onto the ground. A graceful exit much like that of fallen flower petals.

Though the temple had fallen, the stubborn flag had yet to join.

As we neared the main hall, my sixth sense or whatever intercepted my otherwise dull nerves and warned of presence in the building.

I didn't know if I should remind him, “...someone...inside..”

He said nonchalantly, “It’s a bunch of fools searching for treasure in the trash.”

I didn't really get it, but I chimed, “...So we’re going to stay... in the trash?”

Maybe I was not a good conversationalist. The guy shifted his weight to opened the door with his shoulder and accidentally knocked my head onto the large wooden door while he was at it.

I believe in his motor skills, so I could not believe in this coincidence.

“...why...do you...need...so many eyes and teeth...?”

I thought he wouldn’t understand my reference, but he did, “Because some have no use for eyes. And some need to have no teeth to stop biting.”

This was one dark dude.

“...you don’t...like...eyes from...friends, right...?”

He blinked, “I don’t have friends.”

“...I am... a friend...”

“No, I am your savior.”

“...Once a savior... always a savior...I’ll be...in your care...”

“We’ll talk about the future after you repay this time.”

“That’s so...commercialized...! Helping others... is a good...virtue...”

“Repaying others is also a good virtue.”

“...but I don’t... have money...”

He turned slightly and pointed out, “You have your body.”

“...I don’t...like...physical activity...”

“Like what?”

“...physical activity...”

The loop went wrong somewhere. I thought back and realized, “No...no.. I said... don’t like! ... not like!”

He laughed and turned away from this meaningless banter.

The tourists inside seemed surprised as if they didn’t expect anyone to venture to this worn-down hole.

Three men and two women; an odd number picking at my slight OCD.

Judging from their intricately embroidered clothes, they were not homeless, unlike us.

Why were they here in this shabby place? Searching for treasure, he said? So this would be a bitchslapping scenario? They would tell us to get out and MC would kick their ass?

Contrary to my logical imagination based on common tropes, the odd group only exchanged glances.

One of the men stepped forward to test the waters, taking out a minor bottle from his sleeve, “Young man, you both look quite injured. I have some recovery pill here.”

Then he might have seen my blatant look of distrust and added, “Your companion could use some.”

Firstly, excuse my inability to notice that the MC was also injured. Truly grateful and sorry.

Secondly, did he think we were idiots? Eating something from a stranger? What were we, like five?

MC nodded and approached the man. He let go of my leg and offered an open palm, the man cheaply tapped out two pills from the bottle and quickly stuffed the stopper back on.

He said embarrassed, “We just finished hunting in the Lost Forest and is a little lacking in medicine.”

MC finally acted the gentleman as described in the novel and thanked the man, “There’s not many who would ‘deliver coal in the snow.’ We appreciate it.”

Then he turned slightly to me and said, “Big brother is so kind. We mustn’t waste his generosity. Your injuries are more severe. Take this.”

I protested, “...I’m ok—”

MC lifted his hand and swiftly flicked the two pills into my mouth. In shock, I didn’t even get to spit it out and both pills had already melted into a stream of cool liquid. Other than a tiny amelioration of pain, there was no other discomfort.

One of the women smiled and said approvingly, “Little brother is a good man.”

If I had the strength, I would've already stranglehold him.

Of course I didn’t, so I said, “Miss...you are correct... Little brother... is a good man! He is... the best little brother...in the whole... wide world! Right...little brother?”

“...”

“...Little brother...why are you...not saying anything...? Are you... unwell, little brother...?”

The man chuckled and said, “He is quite tall. Didn’t expect him to be the youngest here!”

I eagerly explained, “...Little brother...is always...mistaken...because of his... mature face! By the way... thank you...for the pill!”

The man brushed it off, “As fellow cultivators, sometimes we have to help each other out. My name is Luo Wei, and these are my two brothers, Luo Zheng and Luo Tian.

He turned to the woman who spoke and introduced, “This is my partner, Yang Shu,” and pointing to the other woman, “This is Zheng’s partner, Tian Xin.”

Names and I do not work well together... I examined each of them to make a better recall connection.

The leader, Luo Wei, was a fit bulky middle-aged man. Although his stature was large, his demeanor was that of a cultured man. Clothes fitted to a T; long black hair pulled back without any loose playful strands.

FYI. Everyone carried shades of black hair around here. One of the charms of being in a Xianxia novel.

His two brothers seemed much younger, around their twenties.

Luo Zheng was a handsome guy around the same height as MC, decked out in all white except for a black outer garment. He appraised us with a civil smile.

The last brother Luo Tian was very memorable. Eyes of a hawk and scowling as if his lover had just ran away with another man. Dressed in dark-grey garbs, he was also the only one clutching onto a sword.

When we made eye contact, his grip on the weapon tightened. If his brother wasn't here, Luo Tian would’ve already drawn his sword. The heavens did not give up on him today; he was very fortunate.

I withdrew my gaze and turned to Luo Wei bro’s partner, Yang Shu. A very sharp, elegant, beautiful woman. My attention was immediately grabbed by a jeweled pendant she was wearing. I faintly sensed a strong Qi sealed inside; perhaps it was a Qi storage item.

Lastly was Tian Xin. A woman, or leaning more towards being a young lady, who was wearing a matching color of all white with her partner. Her eyes stared at us with a curiosity like an innocent little lamb. I think we could get along very finely.

MC introduced himself, “Han Bin,” and he turned to signal me.

...This guy didn’t even know my name.

“It’s... Miao.” I unlisted my last name, which was also Miao. It could create a lot of cat jokes, but I already heard enough in college.

Luo Zheng, the handsome guy, casually mentioned, “Han Bin... that’s a familiar name. From Nightgale City?”

Tian Xin gasped, “He’s the five-element spiritual root—” Then clasped her mouth as if she said something unnecessary.

Luo Wei seemed surprised, but soon comforted, “Brother Han, sorry to hear about your engagement with Miss An Lian.”

Lian. The ex-fiancée of MC. Ahhh, the whiff of banality.

The commonplace MC with a five-element spiritual root vs a gifted girl with a pure-element spiritual root. One and five, there were still four, three, and two between them.

Naturally, the engagement became an oppression of their An Family’s ability to move forward in society; an oppression of Miss An Lian’s talent.

It would only be a dishonor to break their engagement if they were equals. If not, it would be an ugly duckling who wanted to be married to a swan. But they'd yet to figure out who would be the swan and who would be the duckling.

After her family broke the engagement, Lian was able to be successfully married into an affluent family in the imperial capital. To them, how joyous to be married to a Pheonix instead of a chicken!

In this rural continent, even as cultivators they married young. Talent did not reflect a ladder to the apex of cultivation, but it was used as an indicator of effect on the next generation’s likelihood of superior genes.

To protect their lineage, having superior descendants was of utmost importance.

If the same scenario was acted out in the Middle Continent, Lian would have been discouraged from being married so early and instead be encouraged to focus on attaining enlightenment.

After all, cultivation was the core.

Now I realized the MC was still at the point of his life of being stuck in a poor beginner town and was coping with rejection.

For a man’s fiancée to run off for someone supposedly “better,” and not discretely so either, but for the whole community to know, must have hurt like a bitch.

In this traditional society, this breaking of engagement was like a pimple on the nose. Unsightly.

Even though I knew the soul had changed, but to avenge the original owner of the body seemed to be a common protocol.

I could only bring Lian a bouquet of white flowers.

MC replied to Luo Wei, “It’s very unfortunate, but Miss Lian is better off with someone on the same level as herself.”

An awkward silence joined us again as the group didn't seem to believe his words. After all, the prior Han Bin’s infatuation with Lian had been known far and wide.

Only I read between the lines and understood him.

The nice Yang Shu made a 'haha' and proposed, “If you are searching for a place to stay the night, there are resting quarters to the back of the Main Hall. We also plan to stay here for a bit and took the liberty of picking out a few rooms already.”

Then she led us to a row of simple one-story wooden buildings. They had picked three neighboring rooms so Han Bin picked two rooms opposite to theirs.

When the door creaked opened and an array of dust particles showered down, I had almost wished to be sleeping outside again.

Luckily, a cleaning talisman did the chore. If I ever traveled back to Earth, this was the one talisman I needed to remember how to draw. I could start my own Cleaning Company LLC.

Since I was a patient and was tired again, I couldn’t join them to make food.

Han Bin moved me to a bed, maybe we could call it a bed but it was a piece of board, and dropped me off like a sack of potatoes. Was there no gentleness in this man?

Then again, anyone would be glad to be rid of a 100-something more lbs backpack they’d been wearing for a day.

He said, “Rest.” Then he left the room. I didn’t even see his face.

I wanted to ask him about his injuries, but I could save my unnecessary regard now.

Growwllll....

I thought cultivators didn’t have to eat, but my tummy differed.

Attacked by both pain and hunger, I slowly drifted off to sleep...