In a desolate valley, Shing Xi had been cornered by a group of bandits after running for a while. "Give up! You have nowhere to run." "Hey missy, I promise to take good care of you." "Get her!" they shouted, slowly closing in on her, their eyes filled with lust.
Shing Xi had given up; she was at her wits' end. She held a small blade in her hand and was willing to end her life rather than be defiled by these lowlifes. She closed her eyes as if praying someone would help her. She was hesitant; she did not want to die—not yet. The bandits laughed as they crept closer and, just as they were about to pounce on her, a meteor-like figure covered in flames came crashing down right in front of them.
Bam! A small, man-sized crater was formed on the rocky surface. As the dust settled, a bloody hand suddenly reached out before a handsome young man crept out of the hole. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties, and his whole body was bloodied from head to toe. He was filled with injuries. "Aargh," he groaned, before setting his gaze upon the bandits. He quickly scanned his surroundings and understood everything. "Leave if you want to live," he said in a firm tone.
"Haha!" The bandits broke out into laughter. "Who do you think you are to order us around? We are the Baiying Brothers, feared in this whole region! What can you do to us?"
He Yue looked at them calmly. He had fallen into the mortal realm after his defeat, and it was obvious that these mortals did not sense his cultivation. He smiled before lunging forward and attacking the man nearest to him. He struck out his fist; the man let out a weak cry as he felt all the air leaving his lungs before an intense pain tore through his chest.
Cough. He coughed a mouthful of blood before tilting his head, only to see a hand in his chest. It had torn through his chest and come out his back. "Impossible..." he asked, a complicated expression on his face. He had a lot of questions, but his vision slowly faded. He was dead.
He Yue pulled his arm out as the man collapsed on the ground, unmoving—not even the slightest twitch. These were mere mortals; he did not even need to use his cultivation. His physical body was enough.
How? The bandits were dazed as they froze. Who was this man? They had obviously not heard of him; if they had, they would have avoided him. The Baiying Brothers gang was known for their slyness; they would bully the weak while they avoided the strong. "You still staying?" He Yue asked, folding his fist. "Aah! Forgive us!" They knelt and kowtowed, banging their heads on the rocks. "Scram!"
When they heard this, they hurriedly scampered away in fear, nearly tripping over each other. Seeing their silhouettes vanish, He Yue looked at the young lady and gave off a warm smile. He felt the world spin, and soon his vision blurred as he collapsed. He was exhausted from the battle in the immortal realm, and it had taken his everything just to escape the clutch of the immortals who were pursuing him.
Shing Xi quickly ran over, holding his head on her lap. "Are you alright?" she asked, but he did not respond. She was shocked; she had never witnessed a man as strong as him. She wanted to go get help but was afraid the bandits were just hiding nearby waiting, so she stayed by his side.
The sun descended over the west, painting the whole sky golden. Shing Xi looked up at the sky as a group of storks flew by before her gaze landed on the man sleeping beside her. He was sleeping soundly like a log, without a care in the world. She drew closer to him, checking him out. She was dazzled; she had not seen a man this handsome in her life. His long silky hair, his sharp nose, and eyes—he looked commanding even when he was resting. His small pink lips made her subconsciously lick hers. Even with the blood and wounds on his face, he still looked like a divine being, and he gave off this warm aura which made her feel attracted to him.
"We should be about the same age," she thought. She was the daughter of a chief and was twenty-five years old. She was praised for her beauty in the region, and she went by the name Fairy Xi. Many suitors had come asking for her hand in marriage, but she had turned them all down.
Darkness was creeping in quickly. She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard a wolf howling in the distance and decided to start a fire to keep herself warm, as she had decided to stay by his side until he woke up. She quickly lit a fire before crouching at a corner near the cliff, wide awake, the small blade in her hand. She kept watch for a few hours before her eyelids started to feel heavy and she dozed off.
The next morning, He Yue woke up, his head feeling heavy. He slowly scanned his surroundings and saw Shing Xi by his side. He remembered her from yesterday. Huh? Why can't I remember past that? he thought, holding his head. He tried to recollect his memories of what had happened, but all he remembered was up to the point he fell from the sky and rescued this girl before him.
Shing Xi had dozed off while on watch and was snoring loudly when she heard someone calling out to her. "Hey, wake up," he said, shaking her.
Shing Xi quickly woke up and her eyes were assaulted by the bright sunlight. She quickly wiped the drool off her face before saying, "I was just taking a quick nap," trying to show she was alert this whole time.
He Yue sneered and asked, "Where am I?" She let out a loud yawn before looking at him with a surprised expression. "Huh? You don't know? But I guess you fell from the sky, so you may not know... but we are in the Hanxiao region." She paused before asking, "Where are you from?" "I don't know. I'm having a hard time remembering anything," he said, trying to squeeze the memories out of his head. "What's your name then?" she asked. "You can't have forgotten that as well, right?" "He Yue," he said. "Great! My name is Shing Xi," she said, stretching her hand. "Nice to meet you, He Yue." "Yeah, nice to meet you too," he said, looking at her.
Shing Xi pondered for a while before saying, "Anyway, let's go to my place. It's not far from here. Maybe you will remember something once you are all rested up." She stood up and dusted herself. "Ok, let's go then," he said, standing up. His body felt heavy and sore; he had not fully recovered. And so, they set off to Shangzhou Village.