Jiang continued his journey and ran straight without rest. On the second day of his new life when the sun was high in the sky, he finally reached the outskirts of the forest. Jiang knew that it would be a few miles until he reached Yang province. He could make it to his destination before nightfall and not let history repeat itself.
In Jiang's previous life they only arrived there at night. The reason they were slower than the present him was because the journey was encumbered by the guards and servants sent by his father to accompany him. Some of the guards were on horses riding in front of his carriage while the rest walked behind on foot. Thus, they couldn't travel very fast. Once they left the forest in Yin province and arrived at Yang province, they were ambushed on a deserted road. All hell broke loose and he hadn't survive the encounter. But this time since he arrived earlier, things should be different, right? He hoped and prayed that his assessment would be correct.
Jiang wanted to rest for a while to assuage his hunger, freshen up a little and changed his clothes before leaving the forest. Along the way he had picked some fruits that he believed were edible in the forest. At least, he now had something to fill his empty stomach and wouldn't starve. Jiang had just entered the world of cultivation so he wasn't like those cultivators who could go on for a long period without eating. When he thought of eating, his stomach began to rumble with hunger like a reflex action. Jiang then started to look out for a suitable place to rest. He stopped running when he heard the sounds of flowing water up ahead. Almost immediately, he smelled the aroma of roasted fish. He started to salivate and went sniffing the air like a bloodhound, his feet unconsciously leading him towards the direction of the aroma.
Jiang saw a man sitting by a fire roasting some fish that he had probably caught from the nearby river. The aroma made his stomach rumble loudly again. The sounds drew the man's attention and his left ear perked up slightly. He immediately turned towards Jiang’s direction and saw him staring at the fish as if it was the very rare magical chicken; a favourite meal for all cultivators because eating it helped to cleanse their mana. Jiang’s eyes were sparkling in anticipation and he didn't even realised that he was drooling.
The man ignored Jiang, not seeming to mind his presence. He even turned his back on Jiang. Although the man wasn't facing him, it felt like he was very much aware of Jiang. The enticing aroma of the roasted fish had fully occupied Jiang's thoughts earlier so, he didn't notice any of the other man's slight movements. If he had been paying more attention to the man, Jiang would have realised that he was perfectly capable of dealing with him if Jiang had ill intentions towards him. The man had since come to the conclusion that Jiang was not a threat to him, most probably because he was drooling over food.
The man couldn't have been more than eighteen years old, and had short dark hair. There was a pitch-black horse tied to a tree not too far from him, which Jiang presumed was his. Even his horse was unique, it was unlike any horse Jiang had ever seen. It had long sharp-pointed ears, doll-like eyes and white wings in sharp contrast to its black body. Intrigued by the man, Jiang finally focused his attention on him. The man's armor was black like his horse with a golden circular crest etched on it. Jiang was certain the man couldn't be just an ordinary man. Not only did he look out of place roasting fish, Jiang inexplicably felt that he shouldn't be doing such tasks, like it was beneath him. But then again, the man had the kind of aura which made Jiang feel that whatever the man did, he would look gracious even if it was the dirtiest of works.
Jiang took out his veil, Ice Jewel, which he removed when he had changed to his own robe. He had eventually remembered that he brought his robe with him. Jiang was not comfortable using the veil to cover most of his face and had put it away without a second thought when he didn't notice anyone while running through the forest. Moreover, he felt the veil was a restriction as he was used to feeling cool winds on his body having lived within the forest in his past life. Thus, the restriction of the veil on his face was a rather unpleasant experience. But since he intended to approach a stranger, he had no choice but to put it back on. He didn't wish to scare off the man with his hideous face, and so after quickly putting on the veil, Jiang approached the man with more confidence.
"Excuse me, young lord, my name is Jiang. Please, may I join you?" he asked politely. However, he didn't really wait for the man’s permission before taking a seat right beside him. Jiang's behaviour was always natural before strangers. He would display a somewhat bold attitude and had a sense of freedom that he never felt with his family. This might be because Jiang didn't need to be diffident or try to please any stranger, but since he wanted to be accepted by the Lei family he was always on his best behaviour. If staying away was what they demanded of him then, he would stay out of their sight. He hardly ever had an opportunity to interact with them, let along dare to act freely like the wild beast they sometimes called him. All he wanted was to get their acceptance and an acknowledgment from his father at least. But in the end, he didn’t even get that. Sometimes, he wondered if that was so much to ask for. Maybe it would have been better if he had no expectations then he wouldn't be feeling so disappointed and heart broken right now by how they have always ever treated him.
"I didn't remember telling you to join me." The man said, turning to face Jiang, his golden eyes reflected the golden crested tiger symbol on the chest area of his armor, it was the symbol Jiang had seen when he stood behind him and sneaked a peek.
"He is definitely noble." Jiang muttered to himself. Although his voice was low, he was seated right beside the man so the man had definitely heard him. Jiang wanted to apologise for his bad manners, but he was stunned when the man gave him a kind smile. Acting so familiarly with a nobleman like Jiang just did would, under most circumstances be taken as an offense. The young nobleman appeared to be a kind person and didn't seemed to be overbearing and unreasonable like most nobles. Jiang immediately took a liking to him. The noble youth had a gentle and approachable aura, that coupled with his dashing features made him look really chivalric. But at the same time, one couldn't help feeling that he wasn't someone to be provoked.
"I have some fruits that we can share. So, please may I have a taste of your fish?" Jiang requested. He scratched the back of his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed at being so straightforward with someone he just met. He began to search through the small bag he brought with him when he made his escape. The bag had holes all over it, but it was a possession he valued and something he could never bear to discard since it was a birthday gift from his late mother.
Jiang poured out the fruits he had picked before and the man looked at him with amusement on his face, "Are you planning to kill me Jiang? Or do you intend to commit suicide and wish to have some company on your way to meet King Yama?" he gently mocked.
Jiang was confused, "What do you mean, Young Lord? Why will I want to do that when we have just met for the first time?” As if suddenly thinking of something, Jiang looked into the man’s eyes and questioned tentatively, “Isn't this edible?"
Jiang was surprised when the man said, "You must be a country bumpkin. How can you not know that this fruit is poisonous? Any fruit grown in Pei Xi forest is harmful to elementals. Although it's not harmful to ordinary people who can’t cultivate as well as elementals who lost their ability to cultivate. There are also other exceptions as to those it could harm, nevertheless one must be careful."
"So that's the case!" Jiang realised that there were so many things he still didn't know about the cultivation world. He just gained a new life and the opportunity to become an elemental but had almost lost that precious life because of his ignorance. Jiang thought the situation was kind of ironic.
Jiang didn’t bother asking the man how he knew he was an elemental. Even if he couldn’t detect the man’s mana flow, it didn’t mean the man couldn’t perceive his. Stronger cultivators could identify those whose cultivation level was lower than their own level.
After grilling a fish to perfection, the man simply handed it over to Jiang. His actions were ordinary but appeared refined. Jiang bowed his head and accepted the very tantalizing fish with both hands to show his absolute gratitude and respect for this young lord. Jiang was happy that his assessment of the man was spot on. The man also took a fish that had been grilled earlier for himself. They both started eating in silence but the silence didn’t last long.
"Truth be told, the poison from those fruits won't do much damage to an elemental of my caliber, but for someone like you? Well… let’s just say that you'd have to go greet King Yama and play with the ghosts in the underworld." He said and Jiang nodded in understanding. He would have ended up greeting the King of the underworld if he ate the fruit. Jiang secretly thanked his lucky stars that he put off eating the fruit after he picked them as he was more concerned with covering more distance. It wasn't until he reached this forest clearing close to the outskirts that he realised he hadn't eaten in a long while. He was also really grateful he met such a kind stranger.
"Young Lord, please, may I know your name?" Jiang asked. The young man didn’t respond, instead, he poured some sand over the fire to put it out and walked to the river to wash his hands. Jiang's eyes constantly followed all his movements. When the man was done, he went over to untie his horse from the tree and immediately mounted it.
Jiang knew the young man was planning to leave and hastily said, "You have given me food and saved my life from poisoning. Although I don't have much now, I will like to repay your kindness in the future." He wanted to know the name of the first person ever, apart from his mother, to offer him food without asking for anything in return. The young man had treated him like a human being, not like a trash or a monster. His actions really moved Jiang and he was truly grateful.
"You don't have to pay anything back. It's just food after all." The man laughed as he galloped away. His horse seemed to be galloping and flying at the same time, it speeds unimaginable fast. Nevertheless, before he went out of sight Jiang heard him say, "Fang Mu! My name is Fang Mu." Jiang smiled at the retreating figure. The man continued, "I wonder how such an ignorant uncivilised bumpkin survived the deathly Pei Xi forest where different types of vicious magical beasts reside. He is a really lucky person." Of course, Jiang didn't get to hear that as the young man had already gone out of sight. Fang Mu shook his head and put those thoughts away. He was on his way to the Imperial Palace; he had already wasted enough of his time by doing unnecessary things like roasting the fish he caught from the river. It’s not like he was hungry or needed food to survive at this point in his life. He just felt like doing normal, mundane things before returning to his duties and responsibilities
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