Chapter 001: The Young Bride

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!”

After three fierce blades of wind flashed past, a second-level demon beast—a Jadewater Chicken—collapsed onto the grass.

Mu Tong wiped the sweat from her face. She had not expected that, despite having reached Foundation Establishment so long ago, killing a demon beast equivalent to an early Foundation Establishment cultivator would still be this difficult.

It was not that Mu Tong was weak. Demon beasts of the same level were usually far more destructive than human cultivators of equal cultivation. The fact that she had managed to kill this beast meant that, among those of the same rank, her strength was actually quite respectable.

She had no time for further sighing. Mu Tong stored the Jadewater Chicken in the storage pouch at her waist.

The pouch already contained quite a few of the beasts she had hunted this time, but this was the only second-level one. The flesh and blood of such a beast was extremely nourishing. Its blood, in particular, was even more useful, as it could be used to make talismans. The Jadewater Chicken’s claws and sharp beak could also be used in artifact refinement.

Before returning, however, she still had to hunt more beasts of the zero or first level—preferably zero-level ones. Otherwise, her family would be unable to absorb the energy within them. If the energy was too abundant or too potent, eating the meat could cause their bodies to explode. Besides, her restaurant needed a steady supply of meat as well.

The mountain where Mu Tong hunted was called Carefree Mountain. It stood at the edge of the town, still within the town’s protective barrier. The mountain generally contained only zero- and first-level demon beasts, and second-level beasts rarely appeared there. This time, Mu Tong could not tell whether her luck had been especially good or especially bad. In the middle of hunting, a second-level demon beast had suddenly sprung out at her.

Fortunately, after a bitter battle, she had finally subdued the Jadewater Chicken.

She hunted for quite a while longer. Only after the storage pouch on her waist was completely filled with game did Mu Tong finally stop and head back toward the town. The meat she had gathered would be enough to supply herself, her family, and her restaurant for a long time.

“Little wife, did you run off to hunt those little demon beasts again?”

Mu Tong had not yet entered the town when a boy of fourteen or fifteen came running toward her. With his fair, sunny appearance, he was unmistakably a handsome young heartthrob.

Mu Tong’s face darkened. “Yun Feng! How many times have I told you? I am not your wife!”

Yun Feng giggled. “We grew up together. How am I supposed to believe you aren’t my wife?”

Mu Tong gritted her teeth. “How old are you? You’re only fifteen, and you haven’t even finished growing! I’m twenty-five! Besides, we did not grow up together!”

Yun Feng seized Mu Tong and forcibly pulled her into his arms. “I don’t mind that you’re older! My mother told me that when I was born, you were the first person to catch me. You saw me without a stitch of clothing on, so how can you refuse to take responsibility for me?”

Mu Tong felt a dull ache in her teeth.

It was true that she had watched Yun Feng being born. When his mother had gone into labor, there had happened to be no one else nearby. Left with no choice, Mu Tong had helped deliver him. But she had been only ten years old at the time—what could she possibly have understood?

If there had been anyone else to call, she would never have dared to take such a risk. Even then, she had assisted under Yun Feng’s mother’s instructions, trembling with fear the entire time. And really, could a newborn infant possibly be wearing clothes? Did helping with a delivery and holding the baby mean she had to take responsibility for him for the rest of her life? If so, the gynecologists in every hospital would have to marry countless men over the course of their lives.

Mu Tong was not a native of Hidden Immortal Town. She was an ordinary, law-abiding citizen of modern Earth. Only through a twist of fate had she managed to enter Hidden Immortal Town. It was there that she came into contact with cultivation. Because her aptitude was poor, she had cultivated since the age of eight, yet had only reached the early Foundation Establishment stage by now.

Yun Feng, on the other hand, was a native of Hidden Immortal Town. He had possessed Golden Core strength from birth. Not only could he run and speak as soon as he was born, but even while drinking milk, his cultivation had advanced to the Nascent Soul stage. At merely fifteen years of age, he was already a Deity Transformation cultivator.

In the presence of this prodigious child from the town, Mu Tong felt deeply inferior. She was a twenty-five-year-old adult and a cultivator who had trained for seventeen years, yet she had reached no more than the early Foundation Establishment stage. To be honest, there was no one in the entire town whose cultivation was lower than hers. Even newborn babies, regardless of sex, possessed at least the strength of the middle Foundation Establishment stage.

The little mountain where Mu Tong hunted was not even a place the children of the town would visit for amusement. In their eyes, the demon beasts there were like domesticated cats and dogs on Earth—creatures to tease for fun. How could such beasts possibly be worthy of being hunted by them?

Mu Tong pushed Yun Feng with all her strength. Unfortunately, with her cultivation, there was no way she could break free from the boy’s embrace.

Yun Feng chuckled. His little wife was simply shy. What harm was there in allowing her future husband to hold her?

Looking at Mu Tong’s rosy lips, Yun Feng leaned over and gave her a loud kiss. He had learned the move by secretly watching the intimacy between his parents.

Mu Tong was both mortified and furious. What was this boy trying to do? His adolescent hormones might be running wild, but she had no time to indulge him in some childish first-love game!

At long last, after Yun Feng had kissed her to his heart’s content, he released Mu Tong’s sweet lips.

“His future wife’s mouth is truly sweet,” he said. “Just like the two dimples beside her lips. Sweet beyond compare.”

“I’ll have you know, I already have a man!”

Mu Tong glared at Yun Feng without the slightest courtesy. She was telling the truth. Back in her hometown on Earth, she already had an intimate boyfriend—although that boyfriend had not appeared for more than half a year.

Even if she had not had a boyfriend, she and Yun Feng would still have been impossible. They belonged to two entirely different worlds. One possessed abysmal aptitude, while the other had astonishing talent. How could they possibly become cultivation partners? She had no intention of clinging to the person standing before her.

Nor did she wish to become his dual-cultivation partner. With her aptitude, her cultivation would probably remain forever at the early Foundation Establishment stage. What qualifications did she have to claim the young man before her? More importantly, she did not feel the slightest affection for him. On the contrary, every time she saw him, she was overwhelmed by annoyance.

“Wife, I don’t mind.”

Upon hearing that Mu Tong already had a man, Yun Feng’s eyes dimmed slightly. When Mu Tong had changed from a girl into a woman, the aura around her had changed as well. He had been so angry that he had refused to eat for three days and had ignored her for several more. But when the fourth day arrived, he could no longer endure it. He ran to her little cottage and waited there until she appeared again.

“You may not mind, but I do! Let go of me!”

Mu Tong shouted.

This time, Yun Feng obediently released her. He could tell that she was genuinely angry. He always found it amusing to tease her, but whenever she truly lost her temper, he would still do as she asked. Besides, he had finally indulged his long-suppressed longing by kissing her for so long.

This little wife of his was the one he had chosen from childhood. When he had first been born, the very first words he had spoken had been addressed to Mu Tong:

“You saw me completely naked, so you have to take responsibility for me!”