"Let's live a good life and avoid getting involved in all that fighting and killing."
Chen Xun patted the big black ox and said earnestly. The ox nodded; they were living a very comfortable life now.
"Old ox, let's go, let's find some work in the village. How can you survive in this world without a variety of skills?"
Chen Xun stood up and smiled, tucking the axe into his belt. Now that they had rice, they didn't need to be fed or chased away by others.
Moo~
The two of them began to learn various skills in the village, from funeral services to playing the suona horn. They learned with great enthusiasm.
The big black ox's coffin-carrying skills were even better than Chen Xun's. Everyone in the village gave him a thumbs up.
Now, for weddings and funerals, people from all over the village would personally invite Chen Xun to come out of his cave. In short, he was a professional!
Chen Xun was an optimistic person by nature. Having many skills was never a burden, and because of his immortality, he was filled with hope for the future, making each day incredibly fulfilling.
Ten years passed in a flash, and the marks of time appeared in Chen Xun's eyes. Many newborns had entered the village.
"How lonely it is to be invincible."
Chen Xun grinned, standing in the cave, and assumed a punching stance. A huge rock lay before him.
Boom!
He threw a punch, and the rock shattered into countless fragments upon contact, his hand bones remaining perfectly intact.
The big black ox sat on the ground, looking at Chen Xun with an arrogant expression. It was terrifying that he hadn't broken any bones.
"Old Ox, how's it going?"
"Moo!"
"Hahaha..."
Chen Xun laughed heartily, hands behind his back, his eyes gleaming with an air of dominance. "This is only one or two tenths of my power."
The big black ox actually believed him, its arrogance growing even stronger, much to Chen Xun's delight.
In the past ten years, Chen Xun had poured all his longevity points into his strength. He could easily withstand the Nine Cauldrons, surpassing the strength of mortals.
Even the little black boy from the village could easily arm-wrestle him with three fingers.
"Chen Xun!"
"Chen Xun!"
...
A frantic shout came from outside the cave. The big black ox sprang to its feet—time had come! It quickly nudged its equipment with its horns and slightly raised its head.
It was now the village's sacred ox; even the village's big yellow dog had to call it "Brother Ox," though that was only what it thought to itself.
"Folks, what's wrong?"
Chen Xun stepped out of the cave and saw dozens of people. "Is it a wedding or a funeral? I need to prepare the clothes."
"The old village chief... is gone," several villagers said sadly.
"Ah?"
Chen Xun was startled. The old village chief had always taken good care of him and the old ox. A sudden emptiness filled his heart. "Let's go!"
Outside the village's mourning hall were villagers. Chen Xun played his suona (a traditional Chinese wind instrument). The autumn wind was bleak, and fallen leaves fluttered down.
His eyes held a sigh. Mortals, after all, cannot withstand the separation of life and death. A mere hundred years had passed in the blink of an eye.
The big black ox carried several bells on its back, clanging loudly, complementing Chen Xun's suona playing, like an autumn funeral song, carrying the old village chief into the distance.
On the country road outside the village, Chen Xun, expressionless, personally carried the coffin, a long procession following behind, yellow paper fluttering everywhere.
"Burial..."
Chen Xun and the others carefully lowered the coffin into the ground. He stood to the side, watching all the villagers bid farewell.
Some prayed for blessings, some for wealth, some for immortality...
After everyone had left, Chen Xun silently bowed three times, murmuring with a smile, "Old village chief, thank you for your care, may you have a safe journey."
Moo~ Big Black Ox, looking dejected, also bowed three times, mimicking Chen Xun.
Back in the village, Xiao Heizi, now a grown man, smiled at Chen Xun and said, "Brother Xun, you're still so young, you don't look old at all."
"It's mainly because of my good attitude."
Chen Xun chuckled and patted Xiao Heizi on the shoulder. "Not bad, young man, strong as an ox, you have a third of my strength back in the day."
"Hehe."
Xiao Heizi smiled shyly, "My dad used to go to the mountains to dig up some things, and he gave me a lot of nourishment."
"Be careful when you go hunting in the mountains, your parents are getting old."
"I know, Brother Xun, why don't you come to my house for dinner?"
"No need, I have things to do."
Chen Xun quickly shook his head; with his current appetite, he was afraid he'd bankrupt Xiao Heizi's family.
"Alright, then Brother Xun, I'll be going now." Xiao Heizi, still carrying a pheasant, said goodbye to Chen Xun.
"Alright."
Chen Xun laughed. Smoke was already rising from the chimneys of every household, preparing for the feast.
The man and the ox passed through the myriad lights of the village, heading towards the cave outside the village, leaving only a lonely silhouette and the cold gleam of the axe at his waist.
Spring came and autumn went, another ten years passed quickly. Little Blackie had two children now. One boy, named Big Blackie by Chen Xun, often teased him in the village until he cried, while the black ox beside him mooed and laughed.
Now, Chen Xun was a highly respected figure in the village, yet he showed no signs of aging.
Many villagers had begun to look at him strangely, and because of his bachelorhood, some gossip circulated, saying he was impotent.
When Chen Xun heard this, he was furious. He, a seven-foot-tall man with strong, powerful legs, was being told he was impotent!
He found Aunt Wang from the village and engaged in a heated debate, spitting as they argued until they were red in the face. He almost revealed his "treasure" to prove himself, but ultimately, the big black ox, being poor with words, gave in.
In the cave, Chen Xun, exasperated, was still nagging the big black ox, who had stood behind him, utterly timid, unable to utter a single word.
"Forget it, they outnumbered us."
Chen Xun sighed deeply, feeling utterly humiliated and unjustly accused. "Old ox, it's not your fault, it's just that we've lived long enough."
Moo!
The big black ox nodded vigorously. It had indeed revealed its "treasure," only to be judged and mocked by the group of aunties.
"But why is the power level capped at 20 points?"
Chen Xun wondered, as if stuck at a bottleneck, a sentiment even the big black ox agreed with.
There was absolutely no difference between 21 and 20 points, so he reluctantly added his life points to speed, and also added one point to Black Bull's.
Their current life points: Strength, 21. Speed, 1.
They clearly felt their walking speed double, as if they were walking on air. The key to running away—Chen Xun had an epiphany after adding the points.
"Old Bull, it's time for us to leave too."
Chen Xun sighed, his eyes still filled with reluctance, "This village can no longer hold us."
Aside from Xiao Heizi's family, more and more familiar faces in the village are slowly disappearing. Their ageless appearances are terrifying to ordinary people; after all, there are no skincare products or hormone injections in this world.
And the big black ox seems too supernatural. Many villagers are already eyeing it, wanting to catch it and kill it to nourish their children.