"Let's live a good life and avoid getting involved in fights and killings," Chen Xun patted the black ox and said seriously.
The animal nodded in agreement. They were currently living a peaceful and contented life.
"Old ox, let's go to the village and find some work. In this world, it's not all about martial arts and fighting. We need to learn how to navigate through life." Chen Xun stood up with a smile, binding the Mountain-Opening axe around his waist.
Now that they had their own rice, they don't need others to provide for them. Nor do they fear that someone will kick them out of their cave.
"Moo~"
Together, Chen Xun and the black ox continuously sought apprenticeships and learned various skills in the village. From funeral services to playing the suona(1). Their skill sets thrived more and more as the days passed.
The black ox's coffin-carrying technique was even better than Chen Xun's, and whenever the villagers saw them, they couldn't help but cheer for them.
Nowadays, if there were any happy occasions like weddings or celebrations, the people from the village would personally invite Chen Xun to come out of his cave. Simply speaking, they were respected professionals!
Chen Xun was an optimistic person to begin with, and with his eternal life in addition to his expanding skill set, he was filled with hope for the future.
And just like that, ten years flew by in the blink of an eye. While the village had seen the birth of many newborns, Chen Xun's eyes showed traces of time.
"Invincibility is so lonely." Chen Xun stood in the cave, grinning and striking a boxing pose. In front of him was a huge stone.
He threw a punch.
Boom!
The moment his fist made contact with the stone, it shattered into countless pieces, turning into rubble. Thankfully, this time his hand bones remained intact.
The black ox sat on the ground, looking at Chen Xun, awestruck. Chen Xun's hand was unscathed, which was terrifying.
"Old ox, how was that?"
"Moo!"
"Hahaha."
Chen Xun laughed heartily with his hands behind his back, a glitter of disregard for the world in his eyes. "This is merely one-tenth of my true strength."
The black ox believed his words, its eyes gleaming with even more spirit. The look of shock on the oxs face was hard to describe, but it filled Chen Xuns heart with satisfaction nonetheless.
In these ten years, Chen Xun had given all his points away to increase his strength. He could now easily compete with greater challenges and had surpassed the strength of an ordinary person.
Even Xiao Heizi, from the village, couldn't compete with him in an arm-wrestling match. Chen Xun effortlessly held him in place with just three fingers.
Suddenly, a series of urgent shouts broke his thoughts.
"Chen Xun!" "Chen Xun!"
The black ox stood up, lifted its head, and used its horns to adjust its equipment. It was ready for work!
Now that it had become the sacred ox of the village, even the big yellow dog had to call it Brother Ox. Although, that was what it had come to believe.
Chen Xun stepped out of the cave and saw dozens of people."What's the matter, everyone?"
"Is it a joyful occasion or a solemn event? I should prepare my attire."
"The old village chief... has passed away," a few villagers said sorrowfully.
"What?!"
Chen Xun was taken aback. The old village chief had always taken care of him and the black ox. Suddenly, his heart felt empty.
"Let's go!"
The outside of the spiritual hall was filled with people. Chen Xun played the suona while the autumn wind blew, carrying floating leaves.
Mortals were unable to resist the parting of life and death.
His eyes were destitute, and his breath was filled with occasional sighs.
A lifetime of a hundred years to mortals; a blink of an eye to immortals.
The black ox hung several bells on its back, their clanging filled the air as they shook from one side to the other, accompanying Chen Xun's suona. It was like an autumn funeral song, carrying the old village chief to a distant place.
Chen Xun had an expressionless face as he personally carried the coffin on a small path outside the village. A long dragon followed behind him and yellow paper flew in the air.
"Rest in peace."
Chen Xun and a few others carefully placed the coffin into the earth. He then stood aside, watching as all the villagers bid their farewells.
Some prayed for blessings, some prayed for wealth, and some prayed to become immortals.
After everyone had left, Chen Xun silently bowed three times, whispering with a smile, "Old village chief, thank you for your care. Have a safe journey."
"Moo~"
The black ox was feeling down and also lowered its head three times, imitating Chen Xun.
When they went back to the village, they saw Xiao Heizi. He had grown into an adult. When he saw Chen Xun, he smiled and said, "Brother Xun, you still look so young; not one bit older."
Its a matter of mindset.' Chen Xun chuckled and patted Xiao Heizi. "Young man, you're impressive; as strong as an ox. You have one-third of my strength when I was your age."
The young man chuckled with embarrassment. "My dad used to dig up stuff from the mountains and give them to me. They gave me a good boost of strength."
"When you go hunting, pay attention to your safety. Your parents are getting older."
"I know, Brother Xun. How about coming to my house for a meal?"
"No need. I have something to deal with." Chen Xun quickly shook his head. Afraid he would eat Xiao Heizis entire family together with their cottage with his current appetite.
"Alright, Brother Xun, I'll go now." Xiao Heizi held a wild chicken in his hand as he bid farewell to Chen Xun.
"Goodbye." Chen Xun smiled as the smoke of cooking rose from each households thatched cottage, preparing for the feast(2).
The man and his ox passed through the sea of torches lit by countless homes and headed toward the cave outside the village. A distant silhouette of a lonely figure and the occasional cold glimmer of his axe could be seen under the moonlight.
As one season gave way to another, ten years passed by.
Xiao Heizi now had two children. Chen Xun named his son Daheiz(3) and often teased the boy, making the black ox moo and laugh loudly by his side.
Chen Xun was now a highly respected figure in the village. But as there were still no signs of aging on his body, the villagers started giving him strange looks.
Additionally, because he remained unmarried, some idle rumors were circulating, saying he was impotent.
When Chen Xun heard about it, he was furious. As a strong and masculine man, he couldn't stand being called impotent!
He found Aunt Wang and engaged in a heated argument. His face was flushed with anger as he sprayed saliva everywhere. He nearly revealed his little brother to prove his words. In the end, due to the black oxs lack of eloquence, he lost the argument.
In the cave, Chen Xun was still furious and started complaining again to the black ox. The animal stood behind him in cowardice and couldn't utter a single word.
"Forget it. There were too many of them!"
Chen Xun sighed deeply. He felt wronged having to suffer from such an embarrassing and unjust accusation and blamed their long lives. "Old ox, it's not your fault. It's just that we've lived for too long."
"Moo!"
The big black ox nodded vigorously. It had indeed revealed its little brother at that time, only to be scrutinized and mocked by those gossiping women.
This matter aside, there was another more important problem. 'Why is it stuck at 21 points? I cant add points to Strengh anymore.' Chen Xun wondered, feeling like he had hit a bottleneck, and even the black ox agreed.
Technically speaking, there was no significant difference between 21 points and 20 points. Chen Xun ended up assigning his remaining point to Speed and gave a slight increase to the black ox as well.
Their current points distribution was as follows: Strength: 21, Speed: 1, Defense: 0, Spiritual Energy: 0, Essense of all Things: 0
They clearly felt that their walking speed had doubled, leaving a gust of wind behind as they walked. Running became their preferred method of travel.
After Chen Xun assigned his points, he had a realization.
Apart from Xiao Heizis family, more familiar faces were gradually disappearing from the village. Chen Xuns unchanged youthfulness appeared terrifying to ordinary people, especially in a world where there were no skincare products.
Moreover, the big black ox also appeared too mysterious, and many villagers had their eyes on it; thinking about catching and killing it to provide nourishment for their own children.
"Old ox, it's time for us to leave." Chen Xun sighed, his eyes filled with reluctance. "This village can no longer accommodate us."
Suona is a Chinese musical instrument that resembles a flute.
Chinese people hold a post-funeral consolation feast.
Daheizi means Big Black.