Chapter 3

Deep within the primeval forest, a dozen or so children were struggling to make their way forward.

Qin Ming dragged his thin little legs along, stumbling with every step and panting heavily. If the imperial boy, Feng Yan, hadn’t been holding his hand and pulling him along, he probably would have collapsed onto the grass by now.

Cultivating immortality? Walking to the sect? Traveling on foot for more than a month? Without water, food, or any preparations whatsoever, a dozen children who had never traveled far from home were making their way through a primeval forest filled with countless dangers.

Was this some kind of joke?

Looking at the dense forest around him, Qin Ming began to worry about his predicament.

“Woohoohoo…” An eight-year-old little girl took a nasty tumble and lay on the ground sobbing.

“Zikui, did you hurt yourself?” A little boy about the same age crouched down and struggled to help her up.

“Xiaochi, I can’t walk anymore.” The little girl barely managed to sit up, wiping her tears as she sobbed.

“I’m tired too.” The little boy plopped down beside her and called pitifully to the imperial boy leading the group, “Brother Yan, we’re really exhausted.”

At his shout, all the other children stopped walking and collapsed onto the ground in various positions, groaning and complaining about how tired they were.

Feng Yan silently glanced at his companions sitting on the ground before lowering his head to look at the child whose hand he was holding. The boy’s forehead was covered in sweat, his little face was flushed, and he was breathing rapidly as he blinked his large eyes pitifully.

“Let’s rest for a while.” Feng Yan led Qin read the original at bailiantales.com Ming to a tree, where they sat down and leaned against the trunk.

Having only just arrived in this world, Qin Ming was still rather bewildered and had little idea what was going on.

Earlier, inside the cave, he’d heard a few words from the “immortal” and confirmed that this was a cultivation world.

These young children were promising candidates with spiritual roots who had been selected by an immortal and were supposed to be taken to a sect to cultivate.

Unfortunately, their luck had been terrible. They’d encountered “Giant Ghosts” halfway through their journey and suffered devastating losses.

The immortal had desperately rescued a dozen or so children and hidden them inside a cave. He then risked his life to destroy the Giant Ghosts, suffering severe injuries that left him unable to escort them to the sect.

And now, these children, who were practically helpless, were expected to rely on their own abilities to travel on foot to the elusive Qiongxian Sect.

Qin Ming leaned quietly against the tree trunk, secretly observing the other children.

Including himself, there were thirteen of them in total: nine boys and four girls.

The youngest was the little girl who had fallen earlier, while the oldest was the imperial boy sitting beside him.

A group of elementary and middle school children had left their homes without any adults accompanying them and were traveling through a primeval forest empty-handed. Weren’t they afraid of encountering ferocious beasts like tigers, leopards, wolves, or snakes?

Besides, he had no idea how well these children knew one another. As an outsider who didn’t recognize any of them, he’d have a hard time explaining himself if his true identity were exposed.

How should he handle the situation without making himself seem out of place?

Qin Ming grew anxious as he pondered how to deal with his current predicament and resolve this troublesome situation.

“Are you still feeling unwell?” Seeing Qin Ming’s pale complexion, Feng Yan reached out and gently touched his forehead.

The touch made Qin Ming turn his head away in pain. Raising his hand, he felt some dried blood at his temple. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind, and he groaned softly, “My… my head hurts…”

The moment he spoke, several children gathered around him.

“What’s wrong?” the little girl asked with concern.

“I… my mind feels a little muddled. I think I’ve forgotten a lot of things,” Qin Ming said dejectedly, frowning in distress.

He remembered that most protagonists in transmigration novels started out with amnesia. Why not take a shortcut and give it a try? After all, the people around him were just a bunch of children. They should be easy enough to fool.

However, he had clearly underestimated the children of the cultivation world. Upon hearing his words, they reacted differently.

Feng Yan frowned slightly, his dark eyes fixed on him.

The little boy asked suspiciously, “Brother Gou’er, did you hurt your head when you fell off the treasure ship?”

Gou’er? As in “Doggie”?

What kind of name was that?

Hearing the original owner’s name, the corners of Qin Ming’s mouth twitched.

“Gou’er has a wound on his forehead. He was bleeding a lot earlier,” another little boy said with a sigh that seemed far too mature for his age.

What the—

Could they please stop calling him Gou’er?

Qin Ming felt thoroughly miserable, realizing that he’d probably dug himself into a huge hole. But since he’d already started, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue acting.

Clenching his teeth, he put on an expression as though he were about to burst into tears and asked in confusion, “I… I’ve forgotten my own name, where I came from, and even who all of you are.”

As soon as he said this, the other children gathered around him.

They asked him many questions, but Qin Ming simply kept shaking his head, indicating that he didn’t know. Only Feng Yan remained seated to one side, saying nothing.

Qin Ming’s heart pounded nervously as he asked the children to explain their current situation.

Fortunately, the children were quite helpful. They all began talking at once, each adding something to the conversation, until he had a general understanding of the situation.

This world consisted of four continents. The continent they were currently on was called Zexi Continent, which was home to several hundred cultivation sects of various sizes.

They came from the mortal kingdom of Zemeng. After their spiritual roots were discovered during the Spiritual Root Assessment, they had been selected by immortals from the Qiongxian Sect and brought along to cultivate at the sect.

Originally, their group had consisted of more than a hundred people. Unfortunately, they encountered Giant Ghosts and suffered heavy casualties. In the end, only thirteen survived.

After all, they were still children, and they all came from the same kingdom. Upon hearing that “Gou’er” had lost his memory, they each introduced themselves again.

The little girl who had fallen and cried earlier was named Huang Zikui. She was eight years old and came from a scholarly family. Her father was a renowned literary master in the Kingdom of Zemeng who had written numerous widely acclaimed works. When the Spiritual Root Assessment was held, her father had taken her along simply to broaden her horizons. Who would have thought that she would be discovered to possess a metal spiritual root?

A single spiritual root was known as a Heavenly Spiritual Root, allowing its possessor to cultivate twice as efficiently with half the effort. Such people were exceptionally rare cultivation geniuses. Although the great literary master was extremely reluctant to part with his beloved daughter, he could only tearfully send her off to cultivate immortality.

The little boy who had helped her up was named Jin Xiaochi. He came from a merchant family, and his father was an enormously wealthy businessman who spent money like water.

As the youngest son, he had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. However, because his birth horoscope was considered inauspicious, he had been neglected since childhood. Even at ten years old, he was still as small and thin as an eight- or nine-year-old. Fearing that he might not survive to adulthood, his mother took him to the Spiritual Root Assessment, hoping that entering an immortal sect would prevent him from dying prematurely.

Although Jin Xiaochi had an unfavorable birth horoscope, his luck was rather good. He was discovered to possess dual water and earth spiritual roots, known as True Spiritual Roots, which were second only to Heavenly Spiritual Roots. Upon learning the results, his mother wept with joy. After repeatedly reminding him of countless things, she sent him aboard the immortal’s flying treasure ship.

The boy in fitted martial attire standing beside Jin Xiaochi was named Lin Lin. He was thirteen years old and came from a prestigious martial arts family. His father was the leader of the Martial Arts Alliance, and among the seven brothers in his family, he ranked third. He possessed a water spiritual root and had excellent aptitude.

He had secretly attended the Spiritual Root Assessment and was selected by the Qiongxian Sect. Afterward, he sent his father a message by carrier pigeon, briefly explaining where he was going.

Another group of three, consisting of two girls and one boy, stood together. Their names were Rong Niefeng, Long Mu, and Li Piaomiao. All three were eleven years old and came from prestigious clans with histories spanning a thousand years.

They had known one another since childhood and could be considered childhood sweethearts.

Every generation of their families had produced cultivators. This time, the three had attended the Spiritual Root Assessment together, accompanied by their elders.

The results were a cause for celebration, as all three possessed True Spiritual Roots.

Rong Niefeng had dual earth and fire spiritual roots, while Long Mu and Li Piaomiao both possessed dual fire and metal spiritual roots.

Ignoring the children’s reluctance to part with their families, their elders happily bundled them off onto the immortal’s treasure ship.

As for the remaining five, together with the body Qin Ming currently occupied, they were all impoverished children from rural villages, commonly known as country bumpkins.

However, even though they were all country bumpkins, the others had names that sounded much better than Gou’er.

Tang Xiao, male, ten years old, with dual metal and lightning spiritual roots.

Bian Li, male, nine years old, with an earth spiritual root.

He Jing, male, eleven years old, with five spiritual roots.

Zhang Chao, male, thirteen years old, with four spiritual roots: metal, fire, wood, and earth.

Han Ting, female, twelve years old, with dual water and wood spiritual roots.

And the unlucky child whose body Qin Ming had taken over was a ten-year-old boy with three spiritual roots—wood, water, and metal—named Gou’er.

Hearing the name Gou’er again, Qin Ming felt so miserable that he nearly coughed up blood.

Even if rural families were afraid their children wouldn’t survive, they couldn’t just keep calling a child “Doggie” without ever giving him a proper name, could they?

Although the six country children came from different villages, they shared similar backgrounds and belonged to the lowest rung of society. Consequently, they were naturally submissive and deferential toward the young masters and young ladies of distinguished birth.

From the fragments of conversation among the children, Qin Ming surmised that Gou’er had probably always been excluded because of his unpleasant name and his small, skinny appearance.

Feng Yan, despite being of imperial birth, was also a quiet person who preferred to keep to himself. After spending several days aboard the treasure ship, he and Gou’er had both ended up being isolated by the others.

Somehow, the two boys who didn’t fit in had gravitated toward one another. Although their social standings were vastly different, their personalities seemed compatible. They occasionally exchanged a few words and gradually became familiar with each other.

Gou’er was dull and reserved by nature, with little talent for conversation. Intimidated by Feng Yan’s innate noble bearing, he acknowledged him as his master and obeyed his every command.

As an imperial prince, Feng Yan had left the palace without a single trusted attendant by his side. When someone insisted on following him, the arrangement suited them both perfectly.

When the treasure ship was struck by the Giant Ghosts, Gou’er injured his head while protecting Feng Yan and fell unconscious. Remembering his loyalty and devotion, Feng Yan carried him into the cave and never abandoned him.

Unfortunately, Gou’er had been unlucky. By the time he woke up, he had already been replaced by the transmigrated Qin Ming.

After becoming acquainted with everyone, Qin Ming rubbed his forehead and looked at them with innocent eyes, his face full of gratitude.

“Th… thank you, everyone. I think I remember a little now.”

“That’s good. Take your time remembering things from now on. Your memories will eventually return.” Lin Lin looked Qin Ming up and down. Seeing that color had returned to his face, he figured there was probably nothing seriously wrong with him.

“I… I remember something now.” Qin Ming smiled shyly. “Gou’er is just my childhood nickname. My real name is actually Qin Ming.”

Knowing that all the children from Gou’er’s village had died during the Giant Ghost attack and that no one knew anything about his past, Qin Ming hurriedly took the opportunity to establish his “real name.” He had absolutely no intention of entering the sect saddled with the dreadful name Gou’er.

“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Feng Yan suddenly asked.

Qin Ming froze for a moment, then turned to look at Feng Yan, feeling uneasy.

While the other children had been chattering endlessly, Feng Yan hadn’t said a word. Even after everyone had finished introducing themselves, he’d remained silent. Yet the moment Qin Ming revealed his real name, he suddenly spoke up.

Feng Yan was the only person who had interacted with Gou’er extensively. Surely he hadn’t noticed anything suspicious?

When he asked, “Why didn’t you say so earlier?” was he referring to Qin Ming not revealing his real name sooner, or to his supposed amnesia?

Qin Ming steadied himself and looked timidly at Feng Yan.

“…The name ‘Gou’er’ reminds me of my mother. Although I have a proper name, she always liked calling me by my nickname. This was my first time leaving home, and I don’t know when I’ll ever be able to return. I was afraid that if too much time passed, I’d forget my family, so… I used the nickname Gou’er instead.”

Qin Ming bit his lip, his voice choking with emotion.

Hearing this, Feng Yan stared at him intently. His gaze made Qin Ming’s skin crawl. After a long while, Feng Yan reached out and gently patted his head in a gesture of comfort.

When the others heard him mention his ​bailiantales.com​mother, they couldn’t help thinking of their own families. Their eyes reddened.

After all, they were only children. They had left their homes behind to embark on the path of immortality, and there was no possibility of returning home in the future.

Now that they’d lost the immortal who was supposed to escort them, their future was uncertain. If they happened to lose their lives along the way, they would be reduced to wandering, wronged spirits.

Remembering the companions who had been devoured by the Giant Ghosts when the treasure ship was attacked, they couldn’t help shivering, and everyone fell silent.