The Portal of Wonderland

“Things went like this… I was chosen by the sect as a candidate because I possess a rare phoenix bloodline as a virgin. However, my training was unsuccessful and I accidentally made a big mistake that damaged the sect’s image. The lords were furious and wanted to execute me, but due to my bloodline, I was shown leniency and exiled instead,” Zhong Xiu sighed.

After listening to this, Shi Mu looked awkward and sighed as well.

There was not a single loophole in Zhong Xiu’s words. Could this really be an illusion or was it another secret space of reality?

“Brother Shi Mu, the people in the village below are the disciples of the Great Holy Sects who’ve been abandoned here for generations. We no longer possessed the strength we once had. We’ve fallen and become mortals, living a normal life. It isn’t so bad. Brother Shi Mu, let’s just stay here together. We’ll never have to be separated anymore!” Zhong Xiu looked at Shi Mu softly and suggested.

Shi Mu’s expression changed. After a long time, he finally nodded in agreement. “Alright then! I’ll stay here but I’m not willing to be deprived of my inner qi. I can feel the spirit energy here and I’ll cultivate my strength all over again. You don’t mind that, do you?”

“Of course not. I’m happy that brother Shi Mu is willing to stay.”

Shi Mu and Zhong Xiu stood up together and looked at the bucket on the ground.

“Zhong Xiu, are you preparing water for the village?”

“Yes. There’s no water source in the village so we have to head over to the mountains with buckets and bring them back.”

“Then I’ll lend you a hand,” Shi Mu said as he lifted the bucket and walked toward the mountain.

Although he was deprived of his inner qi, he still retained his physical strength, so carrying buckets of water was not a problem.

Zhong Xiu was extremely happy as she followed close by.

As the sky got darker, the two of them arrived back to the village with buckets of water.

Most of the houses in the village were made of wood and clay. They looked rather rudimentary but overall, the layout was well-organized.

Before the sky fell into darkness completely, it was only normal that the villagers were still awake. Seeing Zhong Xiu entering the village with a strange young man surprised everyone.

“Sister Xiu-er, who’s this young man here?” asked a youth who looked almost the same age as Shi Mu.

“My name is Shi Mu and I am Zhong Xiu’s fiancé.” Shi Mu looked straight into the young man’s eyes and replied.

Zhong Xiu’s face instantly blushed as she looked down and nodded in agreement.

The youth’s face instantly turned pale, and his lips trembled a little as he looked at Zhong Xiu once more. After a moment, he finally let out a sigh and walked aside.

A few people came up to the youth and consoled him.

“Ah! It turns out to be Zhong Xiu’s fiancé. Welcome to our village. If you don’t mind, can you tell me which class of disciple are you?” An unpretentious middle-aged man came out among the crowd and asked.

“Brother Shi Mu, this is Chief Wan, the head of Dakou Village.” Zhong Xiu whispered into Shi Mu’s ear.

“I am a disciple of the Holy Land of Qinglan and I just arrived here,” Shi Mu said.

“Ah, I see! Brother Shi Mu, don’t be discouraged. We’re all like you… exiled by our sect. Since you have now arrived at our village, everyone here will be part of your family,” The middle-aged man smiled boldly.

“Thank you, Chief Wan,” Shi Mu smiled and nodded

The crowd chatted for a while before going their own way once the sky turned dark.

Shi Mu arrived at the hut where Zhong Xiu lived.

“Brother Shi Mu, you shall stay here with me tonight. However, we have yet… So we can’t…” Zhong Xiu blushed intensely as she bowed her head down and said softly.

“Do I look like that sort of person?” Shi Mu looked at Zhong Xiu’s shy expression and laughed.

He immediately started building his own thatched cottage near Zhong Xiu’s and stayed the night.

In the blink of an eye, Shi Mu had been living in the village for more than a dozen days.

There were more than 70 villagers, mainly middle-aged and elderly. There were not many youths and children.

The villagers made their living off farming and fishing. Several youths in the village would occasionally go hunting at a nearby mountain range.

Shi Mu had been trying to repair his cultivation by relying on the strength of the hard work, whether it was through fishing or hunting.

When he first entered the mountains, he hunted three wild wolves and a boar that weighed a total of a thousand kilos. He tied them up with rattan and dragged back to the village, causing a sensation.

Zhong Xiu saw this and her eyes were filled with pride and joy.

Shi Mu’s haul was so great that he and Zhong Xiu could not finish it, and distributed it among the villagers.

Some people who were previously not friendly with Shi Mu gradually warmed up to him.

That is, aside from the youth who was after Zhong Xiu’s heart. He did not even give a friendly look, and his eyes sparkled with hatred.

Shi Mu did not bother much.

He became familiar with life in the village. In addition to hunting and fishing, he spent most of his time trying to meditate in Zhong Xiu’s house. Sadly, no matter how hard he tried, he could not muster even a bit of Real Qi.

On this particular day, he went hunting in the mountains and successfully dragged back a black bear that was the size of three men.

“Shi Mu is really powerful! He even managed to hunt a black bear!” Chief Wan said in amazement.

“You’re overpraising me, Chief Wan. I’ve been training for some time now. Even though my inner qi development has been unsuccessful, my physical strength still remains.”

“Shi Mu, leave this black bear to us. Go back and spend some time with Zhong Xiu. I’ll send some men over and gift you the best cuts of the meat.”

“Highly appreciated,” Shi Mu nodded and bowed before leaving for home.

He walked to the front door and saw that it was closed, but a voice could be faintly heard from the inside.

“Let me go! Xue Yi, what do you think you are doing? Brother Shi Mu is coming soon so let go of me!” Zhong Xiu sounded furious.

“Hmph! What’s so good about that Shi Mu anyway? Is he taller and better looking than me?! I’ve been courting you for two years now and you never reciprocated my feelings. Then as soon as this Shi Mu appeared, you immediately jump into his arms without hesitation!” a male voice said in frustration and hatred.

Shi Mu’s face changed slightly as he realized this was the voice of the young man.

“As I said, brother Shi Mu is my fiancé. We made our vows with each other a long time ago. Other than him, I’ll never accept any other men. Get over it!” Zhong Xiu’s voice was cold.

“Fine… Alright then…” The young man’s voice trembled yet seemed excited for some reason.

“Since you’re so adamant about refusing me, then don’t blame me for what I do! I’ll get what I want even if I have to resort to violence!” the youth said with a sly sinister smile on his face.

“Ah!” It was unknown what the youth did but Zhong Xiu let out an agonizing scream of fright.

Shi Mu’s face was furious as he kicked the door in.

In the room, Zhong Xiu was a mess. Her clothes were disoriented and she was pushed to the corner.

Seeing Shi Mu coming in to save her, Zhong Xiu immediately ran over and hid behind him.

The youth’s face wore an ugly expression of frustration. He did not try to deny his actions. He locked eyes with Shi Mu coldly.

“If you lay another finger on Zhong Xiu, I won’t hesitate to bring you down. If you’re so impatient, I’ll send you straight to your death!” Shi Mu looked at the youth and raised his hands out for a fight. The muscles on his arms immediately swelled up, giving off a very sinister aura.

The young man’s pupils shrank in hatred, followed by a sneer. His body began to glow as a cinnabar layer appeared on his skin, especially on his hands.

“I was planning to wait a few days before dealing with you, but since you’re here now, I might as well just do the honor!” the youth snorted and charged over like an arrow.

His palms looked like a big knife, heading down toward Shi Mu with great force and speed. A sharp wind flew down with a burning sensation.

Shi Mu faced off the youth’s attack but did not flinch at all. In an instant, his body flickered before disappearing from where he stood.

The youth’s expression changed greatly as a figure flashed behind him. In just a second, Shi Mu’s figure appeared and landed a punch straight on the youth’s chest, near his heart.

The youth was able to guard on time. He pumped his arm back with a harsh ear-piercing sound.

Peng!

As Shi Mu’s fist landed a punch on the youth’s arm instead, a muffled sound erupted. It seemed to be the sounds of bones being fractured.

The youth made a muffled sound as he backed away in pain. Fear could be seen on his face as he tried to flee outside for safety.

Shi Mu snorted and followed closely behind.

“Xue Yi, what are you doing here?!” Screamed some of the villagers who had appeared outside with a pack of black bear meat.

The youth did not bother at all as he passed by the villagers and ran for his life.

Shi Mu’s face sank as the youth was so quick that he was doubtful of being able to keep up.

His eyes flashed as he retrieved a short black knife and threw it toward the youth.

Swoosh!

A black shadow flew out and hit the target with precision.

“Ah!”

The youth screamed and fell to the ground. The black knife protruded from his chest as fresh blood began to pour out.

His mouth opened up as he tried to signal for help. However, his heart had been pierced by the knife. His pupils quickly dilated and soon, there was no longer any sign of breath.

The commotion had already alerted other villagers in the village. They quickly came over and burst into exclamation when they looked at Shi Mu.

“Shi Mu, what have you done? Why did you kill Xue Yi?!” Those who had a good relationship with Xue Yi were dumbfounded and quickly asked Shi Mu for an answer.