"Huh!" Wang Mu stopped in his tracks. From about ten steps away, he looked into the distance.
The woman lay on her back by the shore, her tattered clothing seemingly glinting with beads and jewels. Her long hair spread over the water's surface like willow strands, its ink-like color obscuring the moonlight on the water. If this were in the game, options should be appearing by now... Wang Mu thought.
A meteor-like light fell from the sky a while ago... Could it be related?
Wang Mu took a few steps closer, using the bright moonlight to continue observing.
The woman's face was as white as snow, her beauty solitary and peerless, her skin like jade. Although her clothes were tattered, it was clear she was not a villager. Most importantly, even though she was unconscious, Wang Mu could still feel a faint, almost imperceptible aura.
After a moment's thought, Wang Mu moved closer to examine the woman's features in more detail.
Getting within three or four steps, Wang Mu focused his gaze, and what he saw made him freeze.
At the corner of the woman's right eyebrow was a cinnabar-like mole, resembling a tear stain, adding a touch of gentleness and chilly charm to her otherwise cold appearance.
"Yan Qingwu?"
Yan Qingwu, one of the heroines in the game.
Gushan Ao Xue Yan Weishuang, Leng Yueqing Wu Bai Luning. She was one of the main heroines of the Righteous path in the game, skilled with the sword, and preferred silence, rarely speaking. She often wore white clothes and plain skirts, possessing peerless beauty and grace.
Her most unique feature was the cinnabar-like crimson tear mole beneath her eyebrow.
Down to her 3D model, preferences, and many other details, I could even recite them from memory, Wang Mu thought.
Seeing her in reality, with different attire and demeanor, Wang Mu hadn't recognized her at first. It wasn't until he saw that unique tear mole that he became seventy to eighty percent certain. It's her.
Wait a minute, a thousand years have passed in this world... The heroines from the game aren't dead yet? I, the main character, am long gone, yet these heroines are still alive?
For a moment, Wang Mu felt utterly puzzled.
This was the world a thousand years later.
My own game character became an Ancient Sage... and these heroines are still not dead? Still alive? If she isn't dead and is still alive now... there's only one possibility: she became a Cultivator?
Wang Mu's thoughts churned as he looked at the woman before him—so strange yet so familiar. A sense of absurdity washed over him.
It's rather dangerous outside the village at night. I'd better bring her back to the village first... Wang Mu considered.
He thought for a moment but didn't lift her himself.
In the game, Yan Qingwu had a deep-seated aversion to the opposite sex. If their relationship hadn't reached a certain level, a simple touch would spell disaster. A thousand years have passed. I'm not sure if this heroine's personality has changed, but... it's better to be safe than sorry.
He returned to the village and called for Aunt Hong.
"Wow, judging by her attire, she looks like one of those disciples from the Immortal Sects!" Aunt Hong exclaimed in surprise. "How did she end up here?"
"I don't know. I couldn't fall asleep and stumbled upon her during a night stroll," Wang Mu replied.
Aunt Hong carried Yan Qingwu on her back and returned to the village.
"Our village has no one versed in Cultivation. We don't know what's going on, and ordinary medicine probably won't be of much use," Aunt Hong said, looking at the unconscious woman, unsure of what to do.
"Since she's a Cultivator, she must be very powerful," Wang Mu said. "She should be able to recover on her own, right? Maybe she'll wake up in a few days. We just need to take good care of her."
"That makes sense," Aunt Hong nodded.
Wang Mu returned to his cabin.
The Action Points spent this time were well worth it, even though I didn't encounter any fortunes or treasures. But I learned a very important piece of information. The heroine isn't dead... This world is a thousand years later...
As Wang Mu recalled Yan Qingwu's silhouette, a thought struck him, and his heart skipped a beat. If this is a thousand years after the Love Saint ending... that's going to be deadly!
Several of the main female characters in the Love Saint ending weren't from Righteous Sects. And that poses a big problem. In the game, having a Harem was just an ending CG. But in reality… it would probably be a deadly chaotic scene! Especially since I'm so weak now… Hmm… on the bright side, a thousand years have passed. Even if it was that ending, things and people must have changed… They might have forgotten about Dongfang Mu. Yes, that must be it.
Wang Mu silently nodded to himself, thinking this was highly probable.
After all, they've been cultivating; they must have long forgotten the mundane world! Mundane attachments last only a few decades. For Cultivators who've lived for thousands of years, a mere relationship from the past is nothing.
Wang Mu took a breath and, with a jumble of thoughts, drifted off to sleep.
「The next day」
The weather was clear. As the early sun rose and the first ray of morning light fell on Wang Mu, he suddenly woke up, gasping for air.
He had a nightmare. In the dream, several blurry-faced women dismembered me…
"Damn."
After freshening up, Wang Mu grabbed his axe and went out to chop wood.
He chopped wood until noon. Then, Wang Mu and Uncle Tie Niu leaned against a tree to take a break.
"Mu Guy, I heard you brought back a disciple from an Immortal Sect last night?" Uncle Tie Niu asked, taking a bite of a melon cake. This cake was made from a crop called Power Crystal Melon; it was delicious, filling, and could temporarily increase one's Qi after eating, making it a high-quality ration.
Sometimes I think the average combat strength of people in this world is so high because of these crops they eat, Wang Mu mused.
"Mhm..." Wang Mu ate hurriedly. Recently, as he became more skilled at chopping wood, his appetite had also grown.
"That Fairy was really beautiful… The last time I saw a disciple from an Immortal Sect was years ago," Uncle Tie Niu said wistfully. "They descended from the sky on glowing swords, completely unstained by dust. They seemed to be from a different world than those outsiders."
A thought struck Wang Mu, and he asked, "Uncle Tie Niu, over the years, have disciples from Immortal Sects often come here?"
"Oh, yes," Uncle Tie Niu nodded. "When I was a kid, my grandfather told me our village is where an Ancient Sage was born. Even though it's been a thousand years, occasionally some Immortal Masters still come to pay their respects."
"In the past, our village often had children with Spirit Roots who were taken in by those Immortal Sects. It's rare now, and I don't know why."
Uncle Tie Niu sighed. He looked at Wang Mu with a hint of hope in his eyes. "Mu Guy, you should have the aptitude! If nothing else, your talent for chopping trees is even greater than mine!"
"Don't underestimate these Purple Shuo Trees. Not many of those outsiders can chop one down in a single day. Have that Fairy test you later. If you can take up Cultivation, it will definitely be better than staying in our village."
Tie Niu clapped Wang Mu on the shoulder. It was a casual pat, but his strength was so great that Wang Mu's shoulder felt a little numb.
Aren't I laying the foundation for Cultivation right now? Wang Mu thought.
Wang Mu was certain he had no Spirit Root. He was a transmigrator. How could a shut-in like me from my previous life possibly have a Spirit Root? I'm not even the same type of human as the people in this world…
「At sunset」
Wang Mu, axe in hand and carrying the neatly split logs, had just returned to the village when Aunt Hong called out to him.
"Wang Mu, that Fairy woke up! She said she wants to see you. Your chance at Cultivation has arrived!"