Li Village was built on very fertile land.
The main reason for this fertile environment was the Shi Waterfall, a massive and towering waterfall located to the west of the village. The water from the waterfall flowed down from a larger mountain nearby, and it was said that the waterfall would continue to provide an endless supply of water as long as the residents of Li Village maintained their hidden lifestyles and limited contact with outside traditions.
Today marked the 500th anniversary of the Shi Waterfall's continuous support and contribution to the fertility of the village.
At that moment, Mao Xuelian sat by the riverside of the small river that branched off from the waterfall, which irrigated the paddy fields of the Yu Family.
She perched on the largest boulder near the river, scratching and scribbling something with a small piece of limestone in her hand.
"As expected, this world is strange..." she murmured to herself, her eyes shimmering with curiosity.
Using the limestone, she wrote down points and observations about this world and the people around her that she found interesting and odd. She used the Mortist Empire's language to avoid raising suspicion from anyone watching her, including Lou You and the children.
"Strange symbols again, huh..." Lou You sighed as he peeked at what she was drawing on the boulder.
"Someone as clueless as you wouldn't understand!" Mao Xuelian pouted and glared at him defensively, her posture—covering her scribbles with her body—making her intent clear.
"Yeah, sure..." Lou You lost interest in her 'strange symbols' and walked away to join the kids, who were playing with stones while searching for any underwater creatures they could find to… well, just play with.
Mao Yan taught the children of Li Village twice a day: once in the morning and once at noon, allowing them to play as they pleased during the afternoon.
Once she was sure no one was nearby, Mao Xuelian focused on the points she found odd and concerning about her life in this world:
1. Her Mother's Identity.
The first mystery she encountered in her new life was her mother's identity. She had awakened in this world as a newborn baby in the embrace of a woman on the run. How could she not be intrigued by this? Not to mention the mystery of her missing father, who had been clashing swords with a person clad in a dark cloak. Mao Xuelian was determined to uncover this mystery in the future, to eliminate any potential dangers she might encounter, and ensure that she reached her goal of a 'perfect life.'
2. Martial Arts and Immortals.
The villagers often spoke of humans who could slice through shields with their bare hands or shatter boulders with a single slash of their swords. They also told tales of Immortals who could summon rain, control lightning, fly on swords, and even move entire mountains. She was very curious about the credibility of these stories, especially since her mother had never dismissed them as false.
3. The Cause of Her Reincarnation.
Every result has a reason. There's no fire without smoke. Mao Xuelian believed that her reincarnation must have been caused or triggered by something or someone, perhaps even an unimaginable entity. After all, her previous world also had gods that bestowed people with inhuman and extraordinary powers. It would be foolish to think that her reincarnation happened without a reason.
4. A Perfect Life.
Finally, there was her own life goal. After pondering this matter for a full eight years, Mao Xuelian still struggled to comprehend how to achieve her notion of a 'perfect life' with her limited knowledge of this world. Achieving perfection was clearly not something she could accomplish with just a simple effort.
Mao Xuelian squinted at the four points she had written on the boulder's surface. These were thoughts she had been contemplating since she arrived in this world, but it was the first time she had written them down and began to analyze them thoroughly.
The reason she started thinking seriously about this matter was that...
Mao Xuelian raised her head to look at the middle of the river. There, a shirtless young man in his teens stood with his arms raised, cupped in a ready-to-fight stance. The man's name was Li Zui, or Brother Zui, as Mao Xuelian called him.
He was a martial artist, or at least that was how he self-proclaimed himself.
At the river, Li Zui stood with his eyes tightly shut. As the current pushed against him, he raised his right leg and kicked the air in front of him. He repeated this motion tirelessly, occasionally switching between his right and left legs.
Mao Xuelian began to reflect on the things that had made her feel out of place since she was born, which all stemmed from this man—more precisely, from a statement he made yesterday.
Li Zui had expressed to his father, the Village Chief, his intention to leave the village and embark on a journey to seek immortality. The Village Chief had strongly rejected the idea for reasons known only to him and the Li family.
Mao Xuelian sensed that there was a secret behind this matter. She was certain that the Village Chief and the Li family knew something the other villagers were unaware of, except for her mother, whose background remained unclear.
Li Zui's training had begun even before Mao Xuelian reached the age of four. According to the villagers, the young man was inspired by a lost peddler who had once wandered into Li Village by accident.
The peddler had shared a story with the villagers about his encounter with an immortal and martial artist from a faraway land. At that time, Mao Xuelian's mother had not yet arrived in the village, so she couldn't determine whether the peddler was telling the truth or merely boasting.
Yet, the peddler's tale had changed the way one particular boy viewed the world.
Yes, the boy in question was Li Zui. He realized that the world was vast—so vast that his mind couldn't even comprehend what he might discover out there.
Soon after, he began training in martial arts movements that no one in the village, except the Li family, had ever seen.
That was Mao Xuelian's speculation regarding this intriguing young man.
"Maybe I should ask Mom about this to see how she would react," she thought.
As she watched Li Zui's moving figure, her eyes narrowed, a greenish gleam lighting up her pupils.