"Where is this?"
Ye Bing woke up on a dilapidated wooden bed, surrounded by several old people dressed in simple cloth clothes.
"Xiao Bing, you're awake! Don't be too sad. Although Ye is gone, you still have us grandpas and grandmas!" said an old man with a scar on his face.
Ye Bing was bewildered. He had just fallen accidentally while descending Kunlun Mountain. How did he wake up with several grandpas and grandmas?
"You… mmph…"
A clear, childish voice came from Ye Bing's mouth, startling him. Then, a flood of memories surged into Ye Bing's mind.
"Xiao Bing, what's wrong?" an old man asked anxiously when he saw Ye Bing clutching his head, his brows furrowed.
"Nothing, I just have a bit of a headache," Ye Bing said.
After exchanging glances, the old people said to Ye Bing, "Then, Xiao Bing, you should rest. We'll come see you tomorrow."
After speaking, the old people left Ye Bing's dwelling.
It took Ye Bing a long time to digest the sudden influx of memories. It turned out that the original owner of this body was also named Ye Bing. His parents had passed away when he was young, and not long ago, his only relative, Grandpa Ye, had also suddenly died. Unable to accept this, he had fainted, which was why he had transmigrated to this world.
However, this body looked almost identical to his own appearance when he was young, and their names were also the same.
Ye Bing got out of bed and looked around his surroundings.
It was a wooden house, and the decorations inside were full of ancient charm, with no trace of modern technology.
Around Ye Bing's neck hung a necklace, a style Ye Bing was very familiar with.
"Isn't this the strange stone I picked up on Kunlun Mountain? How is it in this world too?"
Ye Bing clutched the necklace. It was a stone mirror with a smooth, mirror-like surface and a naturally formed Yin-Yang fish pattern on the back, showing no signs of carving.
"Could my transmigration be because of this stone mirror?"
After the old people left Ye Bing's dwelling, they gathered in a small house.
"Should we let Xiao Bing go back to the human world to study?" asked the old man with the scar on his face.
"Not yet. Ye's dying wish was not to let Xiao Bing become a mage. It seems Ye still hasn't gotten over what happened with Xiao Ye and his wife," said an old man with cloudy eyes but mysterious gleam deep within his pupils.
"Hmph, Ye was perfectly fine. Why did he have to try to break through that realm? He could have lived for several more decades. But he just died and washed his hands of everything. We still have to guard Kunlun and take care of Xiao Bing for him," an old Grandma Mu with a youthful face and white hair said somewhat indignantly.
"Alas, Xiao Mu, Ye was the most likely among us to reach that realm. It's a pity he ultimately failed. If he had succeeded, perhaps he could have protected our Huaxia from the potential threat of the Emperor of Kunlun, and even resolved this lingering concern."
"Hmph, it's not that easy. Throughout Huaxia's history, there have been so many astonishing and famous figures. Even the Ancient King who built the Great Wall didn't truly succeed, did he? What could he do?" Grandma Mu said indignantly.
In a blink of an eye, three years had passed since Ye Bing arrived in this village.
During this time, Ye Bing still hadn't seen anyone other than the seven old people. When Ye Bing asked the old people, their answers were largely similar: this village only had them, the young people were not here, and when Ye Bing came of age, they would send him out.
"Qingluan, I'm counting on you again today!"
Ye Bing said to a large, magnificently feathered bird with a bluish-green body.
This Qingluan lived not far from the village. The old people in the village would respectfully call this large green bird Lord Qingluan.
It was strange to say, but this Qingluan was very friendly to Ye Bing. After Ye Bing met this Qingluan two years ago, the Qingluan would come to find Ye Bing every day and take him out of the village to hunt, though they would not go too far.
Qingluan nodded, spread its wings to let Ye Bing climb onto its back, and then flew towards the nearby snowy mountain.
When Ye Bing was 12 years old, a power of ice suddenly appeared within his body, causing him great suffering. Following the scriptures he had read in his previous life, he guided this ice power into his dantian to refine it.
Every few days, a cold ice power would spontaneously generate within Ye Bing's body, and Ye Bing would pour it into his dantian. After the cold energy in his dantian had all liquefied, Ye Bing found that he could freely control everything related to ice. He also discovered that he could absorb all cold energy and ice energy. Therefore, every so often, Ye Bing would have Qingluan take him to the snowy mountain to cultivate.
"According to the experience in novels, this world should be like a savage world, and Qingluan is the divine beast guarding this place. But the elders' attire is similar to that of a feudal dynasty, and after so many years, I haven't seen any cultivation base. Yet the language habits and writing are modern. What kind of world is this, anyway?"
Ye Bing touched the stone mirror necklace hanging around his neck. Ye Bing had studied this stone mirror for three years but still hadn't figured anything out. Only when hunting with Qingluan would the stone mirror occasionally warm up slightly, but it would quickly return to normal.
Ye Bing felt that the ice energy in his body was already full, so he ended today's cultivation and said to Qingluan, "Qingluan, I'm done. Let's go hunting. That deer from last time tasted good. Do you know where there are more?"
Caw!
Qingluan nodded. After Ye Bing climbed onto Qingluan's back, Qingluan took Ye Bing and flew away from the snowy mountain.
It was evening when Ye Bing returned to the village.
"Xiao Bing, you're back? What did you hunt today?" the old man with the scar on his face asked with a smile when he saw Ye Bing return.
"Grandpa Ouyang, Qingluan and I caught a deer today, the same kind as last time," Ye Bing said.
"Heh heh, not bad. The forest deer meat is very good. Go find Grandma Mu. Oh, and a guest has arrived in the village; you can entertain him," Grandpa Ouyang said.
"Guest?" Ye Bing was stunned. Within tens of kilometers around, there was only this village, and in this village, there were only seven old people and himself. Where would a guest come from?
"Yes, I'll go now," Ye Bing nodded, then carried the hundred-pound forest deer into the village.
Ye Bing arrived at Grandma Mu's dwelling and immediately saw a man about 20 years old sitting opposite Grandma Mu. He was wearing a large coat made of animal skin, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, a square face, and a pair of piercing eyes.
"Xiao Bing is back? This is Jiang Shaojun, Shao Jun, he's the Ye Bing I told you about," Grandma Mu introduced.
"Hello, I'm Jiang Shaojun."
"Hello."
"Shao Jun is here to find Lord Qingluan, but, Shao Jun, Lord Qingluan probably won't agree to your request. It has its duties here," Grandma Mu said.
Jiang Shaojun nodded and said, "I understand, but I still want to try."
"Mm, Xiao Bing is back. Lord Qingluan should be not far from the east side of the village. Go try your luck."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shaojun didn't waste any time and turned to leave.
"Grandma Mu, what does he want with Qingluan?" Ye Bing asked curiously.
"Nothing much, just wants a promise, but it probably won't succeed. After all, Lord Qingluan's duty is to guard this place. Oh, by the way, Xiao Bing, did you go hunting with Lord Qingluan?" Grandma Mu asked.
"Yes, it was a forest deer. Thank you, Grandma Mu."
"Heh heh, good!"
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