In times of horror, young talents die like fleas. The present was too chaotic for elders to prioritize the development of their juniors. Proven experts took precedence in the distribution of resources, even when their potential didn't match some young masters'. Some factions even went as far as to bury their juniors in spiritual coffins or other sealing formations—hoping to help them safely cross this calamity.
But for youths like Qiu Chen and Zi Zuixian, who offered both outrageous potential and battle-prowess, warlord factions were willing to pay hefty prices, willing to move mountains and seas to recruit these gems.
In a flash, mouth-watering offers assembled at the two's feet.
Without hesitation, Qiu Chen declined them all—pledging undying loyalty to the Nameless Sword Mountain.Â
Zi Zuixian took a softer approach:
"The Bloodstone Patriarch and I have irreconcilable enmity. Are you sure that you want me?" He rhetorically asked, and when confronted with the prospect of having to defend Zuixian against the new leader of the demonic path, all Yanzhou factions retracted their offers.
The Nameless Sword Mountain master, Bai Renyi, also made a strong show of force—revealing his peak Divine Transformation cultivation base and deterring various warlords with stunning battle prowess. Overnight, the Nameless Sword Mountain positioned itself as the most dominant righteous force of the Dongli state, replacing the White Immortal Sect as overlord of the region.
Many rejected this new state of affairs, and in the Xihai Prefecture, rebellious gangs rose, one after the other—including two that'd soon become the source of heart-wrenching tragedies.
Meanwhile, following a wine-drinking contest, Qiu Chen and Zi Zuixian formed a pact of brotherhood, becoming the leaders of the Nameless Sword Mountain's junior generation. The two sealed that pledge by indulging in more wine than a mortal village could consume. Qiu Chen didn't have Zuixian's unparalleled wine tolerance, and raised the white flag.
Alas, Zi Zuixian would have none of it, forced open Qiu Chen's mouth and shoved the wine gourd right into his mouth. Zuixian's Drunken Fairy Wine poured in ceaselessly, making Qiu Chen see yellow stars.
"Drink! Drink! And drink some more! A life without wine is a life lived in vain, so little brother Qiu, drink at will!" As he poured the gallons upon gallons of wine down his sworn brother's throat, Zuixian said.
Unable to shoulder the load, Qiu Chen's eyes glazed over, and he passed out.
"Hey, don't die on me now. It'd be very inconvenient and hard to explain. I can already see your fangirls bringing pitchforks to my spiritual cave." Alarmed, Zuixian did the only thing he could think of and tossed Qiu Chen into a large jar of warm wine.
"AAAARGH!" He woke up immediately, screaming and flailing his arms in desperation.
"Zi Zuixian, do you have a heart?"
"Yes."
"Do you have a soul?"
"Pretty sure I do."
"Then how can you treat your sworn brother like this?!"Â
"It's for your own good. You've risen to prominence as fast as a shooting star. It won't be long before your name spreads beyond Yanzhou Province and gets the attention of mighty warlords. Look at all the starry-eyed idiots that your fame has gotten you here in Xihai. In the future, it will be the noble ladies and princesses of the Eastern Continent that will be swooning at your feet.
As your only friend, I must make sure that you get used to being drunk. Otherwise, one day, glory, splendor, wealth and women will make you drunk on success, leading to you forgetting your initial aspirations," after taking a sip of his nigh-infinite wine, Zi Zuixian said. Laced in unusual seriousness, Zuixian's tone surprised Qiu Chen, who looked at him with furrowed brows.
From the moment that Qiu Meng reincarnated himself as Qiu Chen, Shui Haoyue aside, he avoided meaningful connections like the plague. The reason was simple, due to his involvement, this current timeline was slightly different from all that he experienced, but certain events proceeded as expected, convincing Qiu Chen that...the Dongli state and its millions of citizens...were doomed to extermination.
There were many things that Qiu Chen hoped to change. But based on the timeline, by the time Dongli faced destruction, he would not be strong enough to save the state. At the moment, the revival of Xue Lin was Qiu Chen's primary focus. He couldn't allow himself to get distracted by people he wouldn't be able to save.
Alas, with Zuixian, the connection established itself so naturally that by the time he took note of it, it was already too late.
"Hope you understand what I'm trying to say. I'm not very good with elaborate explanations."
"I do, and maybe I should give you some advice of my own. You're so damn popular for such a disheveled man. I wouldn't be surprised if a squad of jade-faced beauties managed to lead you astray." As his tone took a jesting vibe, Qiu Chen's lips curled into a smirk.
"I already found my jade-faced beauty. Unfortunately, she isn't giving me a fair chance. The only time I got close to her, her friend beat me up like a stray dog," Zuixian said with a casual shrug.
"W-why?" It was one thing to not be interested, another to beat the man for trying. Thanks to the River of Time, Qiu Chen already knew what happened and why, but still had to pretend that he didn't.
"To send a strong message. I scared her for some reason. She must have lost her memories following some trauma. I didn't know that it was her until we met face-to-face. And her reaction tells me that her memory loss is connected to people that she loves. She...doesn't want to remember us. At first, her friend played it nice. But I got persistent, so she had her goons smash my legs, break my teeth, heal them and break them again before sending me to the local medic. She even paid the bills—a true charmer."
"..."
"I'm serious. She is charming, really. Her voice is more mesmerizing than a mermaid's melody. I couldn't see her face, but I'm convinced that she's the most beautiful woman that I ever met. Still...she's not the one that I want." Zuixian lay down, sighing as his arms stretched in the grass.
"Ahh, to think that while I chased a pretty face, a patriarch of the demonic would exterminate my sect. The ancients were right, beauties are the scourge of nations...actually, scratch that. No one forced me to go chase that green-haired beauty's trails. I can only blame myself for becoming infatuated with one I shouldn't. But though I know that she doesn't want me, I can't help chasing her. She's like a box of potential waiting to be unlocked. I know that I can unlock her...if only she'd give me a chance."
"I can understand the feeling. I know that Haoyue doesn't want me, but I have to keep trying because I think—no, I'm convinced—that only I can give her all that she wants." Zuixian and Qiu Chen went back and forth.
"Little brother Qiu, the world is such a depressing place. Without wine, I would have killed myself a long time ago. Human nature is capricious and untrustworthy. Betrayal and disappointment at every corner. Only wine...will never let me down." Following these words, Zuixian fell asleep. Still bathing in the wine jar, Qiu Chen stared at his sworn brother, and his gaze softened.
'Zuixian, the cultivation world doesn't deserve you. You're a good person. A genuine, a rare good person. I will not let you die. In this timeline, I will protect you...from the Hengye brothers.
And for that, I need to find a way to recover...the Green Leaf Village.'
