"Longevity truly is as lonely as snow."
A young man was sitting on a small hill, a dogtail grass stalk in his mouth, gazing into the distance. A breeze blew, and all the trees bowed.
However, from his tone, it didn't seem to be a sigh, but rather a deep sense of secret delight.
Moo~ Moo~
Beside him sat a Black Ox with a broken horn. That's right, he wasn't standing, but sitting on his two hind legs, his black back held ramrod straight.
The young man was named Chen Xun. He had Transmigrated here a year ago. This world was vast and boundless, with countless Cultivators moving mountains and toppling seas, sitting high in the clouds, looking down upon the Mortal world.
However, when he Transmigrated, he came with a System. At that time, Chen Xun was truly grateful, and the stories of countless novel protagonists flashed through his mind.
Yet.
Chen Xun's System was not one of those 'awesome' Systems that granted an invincible Physique or invincible Cultivation Technique.
He had gained longevity… The Laws of Heaven and Earth could no longer restrict his Lifespan, but he could only increase one attribute each year.
Strength, Speed, Defense, Mana, Essence of All Things.
He could understand Strength, Speed, Defense, and Mana, but Chen Xun had yet to achieve an Epiphany regarding the Essence of All Things. He then cast it to the back of his mind; living was the most important thing.
However, this System was also quite thoughtful. The road to longevity was long, so it even gifted him a long-lived Spirit Beast to accompany him.
Although it couldn't speak, it could understand his words, and he could even add points to it every year without consuming his own longevity points.
"Old Ox, although we have longevity, we can still be killed. Let's just lay low from now on."
Chen Xun sighed deeply. Half a year ago, he and the Black Ox had planted a field of rice in the Small Mountain Village and raised many chicks. Who knew that on a dark and windy night a month ago, Old Wang from the neighboring village, along with a group of people, stole them all.
When Chen Xun found out, he was furious. Was there still justice in this world?! Were there still Laws?!
Sharpening his knife, he grabbed an axe and, with the Big Black Ox, went to the neighboring village to demand an explanation.
Who knew that the other side had more people? Chen Xun was beaten badly, and one of the Black Ox's horns was broken off. They fled in disarray and recuperated for several days.
Moo!
The Black Ox snorted heavily, his eyes filled with resentment. Those people were truly despicable.
This incident also caused Chen Xun a great psychological shadow, with far-reaching effects.
[Ding! Host can now add points.]
Chen Xun grinned crookedly. The one-year period was up. "Add them for me!"
He unhesitatingly put the point into Strength. When he was beaten up, it was because his Strength was too low, and he couldn't push away the people holding him down.
"Holy crap…"
Chen Xun's face turned liver-colored. A sudden surge of Strength coursed through his body, veins bulged on his arms, and he punched the ground, startling the Black Ox, who jumped up on two legs.
"My fate is up to me, not Heaven!"
Bang—
Action and reaction are equal. Chen Xun broke his hand and spent several days recuperating with the Big Black Ox.
He also added a point to the Black Ox's Strength, but there was no change in its appearance. After seeing Chen Xun's plight, the Black Ox merely casually tested his body's Strength, which was quite good.
They lived in a thatched hut in a Small Mountain Village, detached from the world. However, the Laws of this world seemed to be ingrained in people's bones.
Mortals had to bow and show respect to Cultivators and must never offend them. Even people in such a remote Small Mountain Village knew this.
"Xun Ge'er."
A boy's voice sounded from outside the thatched hut. It was Xiao Heizi from the village. He was given such a lowly name because his skin was dark when he was born.
"What's up, Xiao Heizi?" Chen Xun's injuries had recovered, and he slowly opened the door.
"The village chief asked me to bring you some rice." Xiao Heizi said with a simple smile, holding a bag of rice, his eyes innocent.
"Thank the village chief for me."
Chen Xun took it, deeply moved. He and the Big Black Ox had been so hungry they had eaten wild vegetables for several days.
A dignified immortal was almost starving to death. What a great absurdity under Heaven!
Thinking of this, Chen Xun couldn't help but feel resentment. A gentleman's revenge is not too late in a hundred years. "Your ancestral graves are waiting to be dug up by us."
"Xun Ge'er, I'll be going now. My mother called me home for dinner."
"Okay, go back quickly."
Chen Xun said with a smile, looking at the rice in his hand. Tears of emotion flowed from the corners of his mouth. There were still many good people in this world.
Moo!
The Big Black Ox impatiently mooed inside the thatched hut. He didn't like eating grass; he also liked eating rice.
A wisp of smoke curled, and fragrant rice was already out of the pot. One man and one ox sat on the ground, beginning to gobble down their food, their eyes filled with visions of the future.
"Old Ox, we must live well and not act impulsively again."
Chen Xun chewed the rice in his mouth, swallowing a big mouthful. "This world is vast. When we become rich, I'll find you a few old cows."
Moo! Gugu.
The Old Ox's eyes showed disdain, as if saying, "Weren't you the one who rushed into the neighboring village with an axe?"
"They had more people. We need to use strategy to deal with people like them," Chen Xun said mysteriously.
The Big Black Ox's eyes lit up, and he immediately leaned closer to Chen Xun.
"When they are old and frail, we'll smash their teeth and dig up their ancestral graves! Damn it, how dare they provoke a long-lived one?!"
Chen Xun spoke eloquently, his eyes sharp and full of Divine Qi.
Moo! Moo!
The Big Black Ox's large, bell-like eyes gleamed, and he nodded repeatedly. "This is good, this is good."
"Why do I smell something burnt?"
Chen Xun sniffed, then suddenly looked towards the kitchen, his eyes wide with alarm. "Our thatched hut!!"
Moo~~ The Black Ox also let out a surprised snort.
"It's on fire!"
"Chen Xun's house is on fire! Go put out the fire!"
...
An hour later, the fire gradually subsided. The entire thatched hut was almost completely burned down. The man and the ox, their eyes dull, knelt outside the hut, having lost all will to live.
Chen Xun was originally an orphan in the village, suffering continuous misfortunes. He was too pitiful. The villagers also comforted him a few times and then dispersed.
"It's over, the home is gone."
Chen Xun said dejectedly. He couldn't build a house. It truly was raining when the roof was leaking. Life was already bleak.
However, Heaven never bars one's way. The Black Ox managed to save the rice by regurgitating it, which was enough for them to last a few more days.
"Old Ox, I saw a few caves below the eastern hillside. Oh, let's live there."
Chen Xun shook his head dejectedly. He really needed to learn some skills in the village. When he came, he only focused on farming, and now he couldn't do anything.
Moo! The Big Black Ox didn't care. Wherever Chen Xun was, that was his home.
Outside the Small Mountain Village, the Black Ox had a lot of hay tied to his back. Chen Xun also picked up some firewood to take to the cave. They would temporarily live there.
In the following year, Chen Xun apprenticed with the village carpenter, and the Black Ox also helped carry things. The villagers all said he was spiritual and told Chen Xun not to kill him for food.
Chen Xun scoffed at this. He, Chen Xun, would rather starve to death, rather jump off the Small Mountain Village, than betray a friend.
"So fragrant."
Chen Xun smiled, eating beef in large bites. At the end of the year, for celebration, the villagers killed several oxen and held a grand feast for everyone in the village.
He naturally wouldn't miss such a good event. Only the Big Black Ox's pupils constricted as he watched, and he couldn't bring himself to eat the few pieces of beef Chen Xun gave him.
After the feast, the food naturally couldn't be wasted. What others didn't eat, he and the Big Black Ox packed up. Living life still required careful budgeting.
Inside the cave, the Big Black Ox ate with relish, and Chen Xun also finished all the beef that it wouldn't eat.