Chapter 1: A Pair of Scumbags

White City, Outskirts.

The moon was hidden, the wind howled. A real “dark and stormy night” kinda vibe.

BOOOOOOM! CRACKLE!

A sudden clap of thunder ripped through the sky, lightning splitting the inky blackness.

Before Ye Tianlong even knew what hit him, a sharp pain flared in his chest. Gah! An invisible force slammed him backward, sending him crashing to the ground. Dust flew up like tiny arrows, peppering his arms and legs.

Agony washed over him. Urgh…

Escort robbery!

(tln : “Escort robbery” refers to a crime where robbers use the pretense of providing escort services, often found through online ads or agencies, to lure victims into a vulnerable situation, and then rob them.)

The thought flashed through his mind. Gritting his teeth, Ye Tianlong struggled to his feet, shaking the escort flag he carried. His voice came out raspy, desperate, using the old escort jargon, “He— Wu—! Friends, state your business, show yourselves!”

“Tianlong, you’ve learned the agency’s code words quite well, but…”

That voice… it’s familiar?

Ye Tianlong froze for a split second.

Another flash of lightning lit up the night, bright as day for a heartbeat. And in that revealing glare, Ye Tianlong saw them. Two masked figures. They weren’t going for the cargo; they were just… standing there, watching him. One of them slowly reached up and pulled down their mask.

A thin face, high cheekbones, sparse yellowing beard mixed with white hair, yet somehow exuding an air of righteousness. It was— No… it can’t be… His master?! Yue Qingshan!

Yue Qingshan’s eyes locked onto Ye Tianlong, his expression twisted with… difficulty? Hesitation?

After a long, tense moment, he finally let out a sigh. “Tianlong,” he began slowly, his voice heavy, “don’t… don’t blame your master for being cruel. Someone offered a hundred gold for your sister, Ye Qing. You know how things are… the Ping Tong Escort Agency is struggling financially, and this money…”

Rage, hot and blinding, surged through Ye Tianlong. “DON’T… TOUCH… MY SISTER…!” he choked out, the words tearing from his throat.

Yue Qingshan just shook his head slowly.

“Honey, why are you wasting breath on this dying brat?” A shrill, grating voice cut in. “I told you from the start, we should’ve taken an apprentice from a rich family, someone we could actually squeeze some money out of! What good was taking this one…?”

It was his master’s wife, Ma Rufeng.

Yank! She ripped off her own mask, revealing a face contorted with a venomous, shrewish look.

Ma Rufeng let out a nasty little snicker. “Hah. What are you glaring at me for? Your sister, Ye Qing? She’s off to enjoy a life of luxury! You should be thanking me and your master.”

Ye Tianlong’s teeth ground together so hard they practically screamed. Grrrrrrr….

Hate! Pure, unadulterated hate consumed him.

He’d poured his blood, sweat, and tears into the Ping Tong Escort Agency, never complaining, working himself to the bone. And this was his reward?! He and his sister had relied on each other since they were kids. To make a living, he’d become an escort, bowing down to Yue Qingshan, grateful for the teachings. He’d treated the couple with utter respect, practically like his own parents, giving them every single coin he earned from his runs without keeping anything back.

And this was how they repaid him? These heartless wolves?! His sister was just a young girl, barely bloomed, and they’d hatched this kind of sickening plot!

CRACK! Another thunderclap echoed, louder this time.

Cold rain started to pour down, plink, plonk, splat, plastering his hair and clothes to his skin.

Ye Tianlong’s eyes were bloodshot, his voice dry and cracking. “This whole thing… You planned it all?”

A sly, cruel smile spread across Ma Rufeng’s lips. “Heh heh… It’s an honor for you to die for the agency. Why fuss over the details? Just go quietly now, won’t you?”

Yue Qingshan sighed again, a sound devoid of any real sorrow. “Tianlong, don’t blame me. I taught you the Splashing Water Sword Technique for so long… Today, let me use that very technique to… send you on your way.”

The words were barely out of his mouth before his figure blurred. Whoosh!

The sword struck, kicking up dirt and stones!

Ye Tianlong clenched his jaw, forcing every last scrap of his Zhenqi into his right hand, gripping his own sword. In an instant, the sleeve on his right arm ripped apart from the sheer power, fluttering away in pieces.

CLANG—!

The two swords met with a dull, heavy thud.

The force of the impact sent shockwaves through the air, churning up the mud like a dragon tearing through the earth. Fwoosh!

Ye Tianlong was thrown violently back, landing hard. Ugh! Pain exploded in his right arm – the bone felt like it shattered. His sword, cracked and broken, flew from his grasp and clattered uselessly on the wet ground.

Yue Qingshan let out a surprised sound. “Huh? You actually reached the second layer of the Body Refining Realm!”

On the Qian Yuan Continent, martial arts reigned supreme. Cultivators were generally divided into six major realms:

Body Refining (Lian Ti Jing),

Diamond (Jin Gang Jing),

Grandmaster (Zong Shi Jing),

Martial Venerable (Wu Zun Jing),

Martial Saint (Wu Sheng Jing),

and Heaven Man (Tian Ren Jing).

Each realm had three minor layers; passing the third layer meant ascending to the next realm. A cultivator’s Zhenqi gave off an aura, and by observing it, one could roughly gauge their cultivation level.

For Ye Tianlong, reaching the second layer of Body Refining at just over twenty years old was actually pretty impressive – a young talent, really.

Yue Qingshan sighed, shaking his head. “Ah, Tianlong… your sword style really has shades of my own youth. Such a pity… you’re destined for an early grave.”

Eyes burning red, Ye Tianlong struggled, trying desperately to push himself up. “You… you monsters… You’ll get what’s coming to you… Karma’s a bitch…!” Cough, cough!

“Shut your mouth!” Ma Rufeng suddenly lunged forward, wham!, kicking him brutally in the chest.

Darkness exploded behind Ye Tianlong’s eyes. The world tilted, and he felt himself falling… falling… down into the abyss of the cliff.

Who knows how much time passed? Consciousness slowly, painfully seeped back in. Ye Tianlong’s eyelids fluttered open.

The rain had stopped. Cold moonlight filtered down.

He was surrounded by jagged, strange-looking rocks and withered trees. Weeds grew wild everywhere. A crow perched on a skeletal branch nearby, caw, caw, its beady eyes fixed on him, waiting for a feast.

Pain!

Unbelievable, soul-crushing pain!

His whole body screamed, felt like a thousand needles were stabbing him from the inside out. His chest felt ripped open. The icy chill of blood loss crept through him, trying to snuff out his flickering consciousness.

He lay on the cold, damp earth, trying to move, even just a finger.

Nothing. His body was stiff, unresponsive.

Clink… It felt like every bone was shattered. His cultivation… gone. Utterly dispersed. In this world where martial strength was everything, he was well and truly crippled. Finished. A wave of despair washed over Ye Tianlong.

No!

This isn’t fair! It CAN’T end like this!

His sister… Ye Qing was still waiting for him! He couldn’t let those two dogs get away with this! He wouldn’t let them hurt her!

“AAAAAAARRRRRGH!” A raw, primal scream ripped from his lungs, echoing in the desolate canyon.

As he roared, something silent and unseen happened. A bone tablet, stained dark red with his own blood, lifted silently into the air, hovering before him.

This tablet… it was the only thing his mother had left him. He’d worn it since he was a child. He never knew what kind of bone it was made from. It was rectangular, about four by six centimeters, smooth and milky white, warm to the touch. The front was carved with two characters: “Tian Qi”. The back held a mysterious symbol he’d never understood.

Ye Tianlong stared, utterly stunned, the overwhelming pain momentarily forgotten. Wha… what the…?

Suddenly, the hovering tablet dropped, slapping against his bare chest.

WHOOM!

A blinding flash of blood-red light erupted from it! The light shot out, instantly decapitating the waiting crow on the branch. Thump.

The tablet pressed hard against Ye Tianlong’s skin, sticking tight. A strange, powerful energy pulsed out from it, flooding his mangled body. It felt like fire, like hammers pounding him from the inside!

“AAAAAAAAIGH!” Another scream tore from him, this one pure agony, before he blacked out completely.

Under the eerie blood-red glow, his wounds began to knit themselves back together, closing visibly. Broken bones shifted, mending themselves!

Who knows how long later… Ye Tianlong woke again.

He cautiously tried wiggling a finger. It moved! The crippling pain… it was mostly gone? Just a dull ache remained.

“My injuries… they’re healed?”

He sat up, pushing himself off the ground with a grunt of effort. He could move! No problem!

It must have been the bone tablet!

He ripped open the front of his torn shirt. The tablet was still there, stuck fast to his chest.

Suddenly, he felt… a connection. A strange, mystical link formed between him and the tablet. In that exact instant, a wave of energy washed over him, and poof! Both he and the tablet vanished!

Light and shadow warped violently. When his vision cleared, Ye Tianlong found himself standing on… a floating stone island?

The island was maybe two or three acres across, surrounded on all sides by thick, white, swirling mist. It just… hung there, suspended in the void. Super weird.

A small path snaked beneath his feet, leading from a cluster of jagged rocks towards the center of the island. There stood a huge, majestic temple. Its massive doors, painted vermillion red and adorned with gold, were scarred with countless cuts and slashes from sharp weapons. Not far off, a blackened wooden sword was thrust into a rock. To the right of the main doors stood a willow tree, clearly struck by lightning long ago. Half of it was charred black, the other half surprisingly green with new growth. Deep, brown, cracked fissures covered its trunk like ancient wrinkles.

Behind the main gate stood nine imposing shrines, all glittering gold, lined up one after another, each taller than the last, like a staircase reaching for the heavens.

Where… where in the hell am I?

Ye Tianlong started walking towards the temple gate.

A plaque hung above the huge doors. Three characters were carved into it: “Zang Xian Si” – Burial Immortal Temple.

Burial… Immortal? Immortals were beings of legend! Who could possibly kill an immortal?

Confusion swirled in his head. He cautiously approached the temple.

A faint breeze rustled through the sparse willow branches, making them sway gently. Swish…

Ye Tianlong reached out a hand to push the vermillion-lacquered door.

Fwoom! An invisible ripple of energy pulsed outwards from the door.

Suddenly, on the rough, cracked trunk of the old willow tree, a face appeared! High cheekbones, covered in wrinkles, the face of an old man, its eyes tightly shut.

Whoosh—!

The sound of something cutting through the air!

A single willow branch whipped out, faster than thought, aiming straight for Ye Tianlong!

WHAP!

The branch struck his arm. A bright red welt instantly appeared, stinging pain spreading like fire. Oww!

He scrambled backward hastily.

Whoosh!

A second willow branch lashed out!

WHAP! This one hit him squarely on the chest.

Thwack! Smack! Whap!

More branches rained down on him like angry green whips, striking him relentlessly. New welts crisscrossed old ones. Ye Tianlong cried out in pain, stumbling and dodging frantically! Ah! Eek! Stop!

Somehow, he managed to stay conscious, tumbling and crawling away until he was just outside the reach of the flailing branches.

He pushed himself up, breathing heavily, nursing his stinging wounds. He stared back at the ancient willow tree, eyes wide with terror. “What… What is that freakin’ thing?!”

No sooner were the words out of his mouth than another willow branch shot out, snaking along the ground with impossible speed. It reached his feet in a flash! Before he could even think to jump away, it coiled tightly around his ankle! Gotcha! Then, with a powerful yank, it dragged him backward!

THUD!

Ye Tianlong slammed back onto the ground, hard. The branch didn’t let go, dragging him relentlessly back towards the base of the tree.

The old man’s face on the trunk suddenly snapped its eyes open.

“Y-You…!” Ye Tianlong stammered, terrified. “What are you?!”

The tree-face’s eyes were a deep, unnerving green, their gaze sharp and piercing.

“To open this door… you must practice this technique.” An ancient, raspy voice echoed, seemingly coming from the tree itself, as another willow branch whistled through the air towards him.