"Lan, is that you?"

The shopkeeper glanced at the speaker and immediately believed most of what was said.

This little girl was known for being timid and afraid of trouble.

For her to come forward and testify in such a dangerous situation meant that it was very likely Li Qiang was framing Chen Bei.

"You little wench, what kind of testimony are you giving? Believe it or not, I'll mess you up and sell you to a high-class brothel!"

Li Qiang's face changed, and he flew into a rage.

He was just happy to see Chen Bei about to be taken down by the shopkeeper!

Without Chen Bei as an obstacle, he could become the leader of the herb farmers in the medicine hall.

In the future, he might even be able to live a life of luxury thanks to these herb farmers.

The key was, he had indeed accidentally seen Chen Bei gnawing on a ginseng root.

This girl coming forward to testify was obviously nonsense, wasn't it?

"Little Lan, don't be afraid. As long as I'm here, if Li Qiang dares to touch a hair on your head, I'll make him regret ever being born!"

Qin Lan, a year younger than Chen Bei.

Her family was very poor; her father was bedridden, and her mother did odd jobs in the city. She also worked early on as a medicine child to earn some money to help her family.

But for this frail little girl to go into the mountains to gather herbs was no easy task.

Over the years, she relied almost daily on the herbs Chen Bei shared with her to earn her monthly wage of four coins.

"Brother Chen Bei! Little Lan isn't afraid of him!"

"Shopkeeper, my mother gave me two carrots. I have a small appetite, so I shared one with Brother Chen Bei when we went up the mountain today.

Look, I still have half of it left."

Qin Lan took out a small half-eaten carrot from her herb basket.

Sure enough, when the shopkeeper saw the half carrot, he immediately believed Qin Lan's words.

"Li Qiang, you damn slacker, you not only shirk work but also frame Chen Bei today. Half of your wages for this month are forfeited.

Chen Bei, you didn't complete your quota today either, so your wages for today are docked. Everyone, disperse!"

"Shopkeeper, I'm innocent! Chen Bei really did eat a wild ginseng root!"

Li Qiang was hopping mad, unable to believe that his plan backfired, and he lost half a month's wages just like that.

Only he knew that he wasn't framing Chen Bei at all.

"Get out! If you don't want to work here, just say so!"

The shopkeeper showed no mercy and kicked Li Qiang out.

"Bah! Just you wait!"

Li Qiang spat at Qin Lan and Chen Bei, giving them a spiteful glare before leaving reluctantly.

***

"Brother Chen Bei, can you... can you stay with me for a while?"

After leaving the medicine hall, the sky was already dark.

Qin Lan ran to catch up with Chen Bei, who had just left the medicine hall, and grabbed his hand.

"Hehe, Little Lan, what's gotten into you? I really have to thank you today.

But how did you get so brave today?"

Chen Bei smiled slightly at Qin Lan, whose face was flushed and a bit shy.

Qin Lan's face turned even redder, unsure if Chen Bei was referring to her courage in testifying falsely or in holding his hand.

Or perhaps it was because she asked him to stay with her for a while.

The two of them walked along the street towards Qin Lan's home.

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"Brother Chen Bei, in a few days, I will be leaving Lingnan!"

"Leaving? Where are you going?"

"My father said that an immortal sect has come to Outer Realm Mountain, a thousand miles away. They are recruiting disciples, and he wants to send me to become an apprentice and cultivate!"

"Outer Realm Mountain? Wait a minute! How does your father know about this? Is your father a cultivator?"

"Yes!"

Qin Lan nodded.

"My father offended his fellow disciples back then and was crippled, so he hid in Lingnan to eke out a living.

Brother Chen Bei, I know you're not an ordinary person. Why not come with me to the immortal sect and give it a try? Once you are selected as a disciple, your life will change forever!"

So, this little girl was inviting Chen Bei to join the immortal sect with her.

It wasn't that Chen Bei hadn't thought about it; joining a sect was indeed a shortcut to cultivation.

But being reborn in this remote Lingnan City, he had never heard of any sects.

In his previous life, he had forcibly bestowed his Chaotic Dao Physique to his master, which led to his demise and reincarnation.

Chaos gives birth to myriad paths.

In this life, even without the Chaotic Dao Physique, Chen Bei was not ordinary.

He possessed the rare Dominant Yang Divine Physique.

Once he joined a sect, he would surely shine brightly.

"Alright!"

But as soon as Chen Bei agreed to Qin Lan's suggestion, he felt a twinge of regret.

"A newly established sect must be pathetically weak!

And choosing such a remote place like Outer Realm Mountain to establish a sect probably means they couldn't make it in a prosperous cultivation area!

Sigh, even if it's weak, it's still faster than struggling for cultivation resources on my own!"

On second thought, it was better than nothing, and he felt reassured.

"By the way, do you know the name of this sect?"

"It's called the Taixu Immortal Sect!"

Seeing Chen Bei nod, Qin Lan instantly beamed with joy, her eyes turning into crescents.

"What?"

Chen Bei's face changed color immediately.

"Rebellious disciple! Even if you reincarnate, I will tear you to pieces!"

This phrase, Chen Bei had dreamt of countless times over the past sixteen years.

Now, he was truly terrified at the mention of his master.

"Taixu Immortal Sect! Taixu Immortal Mountain! Don't tell me it's unrelated!

Master, even after I've reincarnated, you really won't let me go?

Among the myriad beings in the lower realm, can't I just hide?"

A brand-new sect named Taixu Immortal Sect—how could it be such a coincidence?

Chen Bei was certain that his master had sent people to the lower realm to find his reincarnated self.

Going there would be walking right into a trap, wouldn't it?

"Brother Chen Bei, what's wrong?"

Qin Lan noticed Chen Bei's sudden panic and sweat, and quickly asked with concern.

"Little Lan, you're almost home. I have a bit of a stomachache, so I'll head back first!"

"Hmph! Stomachache? Even if you didn't have a stomachache, I'd beat the crap out of you today!"

A furious shout came from the shadows, and a dozen or so dark figures emerged.

"Li Qiang? You're really courting death! I was just looking for someone to vent my anger on, and you came at the perfect time!"

Seeing the newcomers, Chen Bei clenched his fists and stood protectively in front of Qin Lan.

The person leading them was indeed Li Qiang.

Li Qiang couldn't swallow his anger from earlier today.

He had spent a lot of money to hire a dozen thugs from Lingnan City to seek revenge on Chen Bei.

"Brothers, cripple this guy, break his arms and legs! That little girl is quite pretty, consider her an extra gift for you guys!"

Li Qiang pointed at Chen Bei, grinning wickedly.

"Get him!"

Thud, thud, thud...

The thugs were all body refiners and had some strength.

They charged at Chen Bei, their fists whistling through the air.

But even as a body refiner, how could Chen Bei be matched by these thugs?

Chen Bei stepped lightly, moving gracefully among the thugs, effortlessly dodging their attacks.

He seemed like a master from beyond the world.

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Chen Bei struck with several palm strikes, and one by one, the thugs fell to the ground in pain. In no time, he had taken care of most of them.

"Stop! Chen Bei! Do you not care about this little wench's life?"

At some point, Li Qiang had circled behind Qin Lan, holding a dagger to her throat.

"Chen Bei, you'd better stand still! Get him, guys!"

But before the thugs could approach Chen Bei, a heavenly laugh echoed in the night sky.

Just that laugh made everyone feel a tingling sensation all over.

"Hehehe! What a great haul today!"

Suddenly, a large net shimmering with treasure light appeared out of thin air above everyone.

"This is a Yellow-Grade Treasure Artifact!"

---

Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan