The sky was draped in soft, endless clouds, stretching gently across the horizon like layers of delicate silk.

That single drop of blood had drained Jiang Feng so much that he slept for three full hours before he finally woke up. Ever since merging with the Heavenly Heart Seed, his spirits had always been excellent, and he rarely slept so long anymore.

When he awoke, he found himself lying deep inside a cave. The air was fresh, yet the place was sheltered from direct wind. He glanced around in confusion, unable to quite recall where he’d collapsed before fainting. Shaking his head, he went to check on the child beside him.

The boy’s breathing was steady, his cheeks rosy; though still sound asleep, it was clear he was out of danger. Earlier, when the golden blood aura seeped into him, it had forced a mass of black substances from his pores, but now those had completely weathered away, leaving not even a trace of powder.

Jiang Feng felt the boy’s skin, unable to tell where those black impurities had come from, nor could he guess if the golden blood aura would bring about any other changes in him. Examining further, he found the boy’s shoulder wound had healed entirely, with no visible injuries left elsewhere. All that remained was for him to wake normally.

Relieved, Jiang Feng’s stomach immediately rumbled with hunger, louder and more urgent than usual. He rummaged through his pockets and discovered that all the wild boar meat he’d prepared before had been used to lure away the wolves—now not a scrap was left. With no other choice, he went out and foraged for wild fruits, eating every last one.

The boy still hadn’t woken up. Jiang Feng, still not sated, hunted a string of mountain mice nearby and set them roasting over a fire. As soon as the aroma of roasting meat began to waft through the air, the boy’s nostrils twitched, his breathing subtly shifting.

With his eyes still closed, the boy spoke: “The fire’s too strong—lower it by twenty percent.”

Jiang Feng was taken aback at this being his first words upon waking. He glanced at him, but went along, pulling out two sticks from the fire.

The boy continued, “Add five tender leaves of Skyvine herb.”

Jiang Feng looked at him again and replied, “There’s no Skyvine herb.”

The boy frowned. “Then use ground hemp-root powder, sprinkle it evenly.”

Jiang Feng said helplessly, “No hemp-root powder, either.”

The boy frowned even more, reluctantly suggesting, “Then use Stargrass juice.”

“That’s not available, either,” Jiang Feng answered.

The boy’s eyes flew open in anger. “Nothing at all—how can this meat even be eaten!”

Catching sight of the mountain mice over the fire, his face changed dramatically, his voice rising in pitch. “What—what is that?!”

Jiang Feng replied, “Mountain mice. They burrow in the hills, mostly eating grass seeds and tree nuts.”

The boy was horrified. “You—you eat mice?!”

“Of course. The meat is tender and delicious,” Jiang Feng replied, salting the mice as he spoke. In no time, the meat browned and sizzled invitingly, glistening with fat.

The boy pressed his lips together, watching Jiang Feng’s actions in silence. After a while, the enticing aroma drifted over. The boy’s stomach gave a couple of loud grumbles, but he shrank back, clearly resolved not to touch mouse meat.

Jiang Feng didn’t look at him. He quickly finished roasting two skewers, took one for himself, and stretched out the second—offering it to Midnight Snack, the rabbit.

Midnight Snack wasn’t particularly interested in ordinary beast meat, but since Jiang Feng had roasted it and held it up, the rabbit reluctantly took a bite, chewing contentedly.

The boy’s eyes widened. “Why don’t you give one to me—wait, you’re feeding meat to a rabbit?”

Jiang Feng replied, “This is a Nightfall Rabbit, a Bright Beast. Of course it can eat meat.” As he spoke, two more skewers finished roasting, and at last the boy received one. He held it awkwardly for a long time, staring at it before shaking his head. “No, I can’t—” he began, but suddenly his expression changed, as if he’d made a decision. He took a bite.

He ate very slowly, chewing each mouthful for an age. It took him half an hour to finish the small skewer—during which time Jiang Feng had already eaten eight skewers, and Midnight Snack nearly as many.

Jiang Feng observed the boy with curiosity. He could tell that, although the boy had been fussy earlier with his eyes shut, the slow eating now wasn’t due to reluctance. Every bite was savored, each chew slow and careful—not just out of habit, but also to make the taste linger as long as possible.

He was extremely thin, his cheeks hollow. At first glance, Jiang Feng had thought him the child of a poor family, starved into this state. Now that daylight shone into the cave, he could see more clearly.

The boy’s clothes were simple in style but made from the finest materials. Even the tattered outer garment was fashioned from Heavenly Cloud Cotton—light as air, smooth and soft as a newborn’s skin. Even the young lady at home, accustomed to the utmost luxury, did not possess a single garment of Heavenly Cloud Cotton; Jiang Feng only knew of it from books.

Clearly, this was no child of an ordinary family…

When the boy finally finished his skewer, Jiang Feng asked, “What’s your name? And how did you end up here in the middle of the night?”

The boy froze, then as if recalling something, glanced at his shoulder! The cloth there was torn wide, revealing smooth, unblemished skin—no wound at all. He touched it in astonishment. “What happened here?”

Jiang Feng replied patiently, “I asked first. You answer first.”

Somewhat dazed, the boy replied, “My name is Chong Fan. Last night—” He broke off suddenly, lifting his head to stare warily at Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng didn’t notice, continuing, “This is the territory of a level five Bright Beast. You’re clearly not a martial cultivator—how did you end up here?”

Chong Fan hesitated a moment, then said, “I came with my grandfather. We got separated last night, and I came out to search for him…”

Jiang Feng frowned. “Separated? You haven’t merged with a Bright Heart Seed yet, and have no Bright Power in your body—it’s far too dangerous here!”

He quickly finished the remaining meat, then stood. “Come on, I’ll help you find him.”

Chong Fan sat motionless on the ground until Jiang Feng called again; then he reluctantly stood up. He touched his belly, then his shoulder, confusion written all over his face, but he asked nothing more.

Jiang Feng tidied the cave, picked up Midnight Snack and hefted him, muttering, “You’ve put on quite a bit of weight… At this rate, you’ll be fit for a main course soon!”

Midnight Snack promptly nipped Jiang Feng’s finger, making him laugh. Noticing Chong Fan’s gaze, Jiang Feng lowered his head. “What? Want to play with the rabbit? Careful—it’s fierce!”

He placed Midnight Snack easily into Chong Fan’s nervous hands. The boy, flustered, stared at it for a while, unable to resist stroking its soft white fur.

Having eaten its fill, Midnight Snack curled up comfortably in Chong Fan’s arms and fell asleep. Chong Fan cradled it as if it were a precious treasure.

Chong Fan couldn’t quite remember his route from the previous day, so Jiang Feng decided to first return him to the spot where they’d met.

The territory of a level five Bright Beast was dangerous even for Jiang Feng, let alone now that he was escorting the defenseless Chong Fan. Fortunately, he was always cautious, and having already scouted the terrain the day before, their journey back went smoothly.

To keep Chong Fan from fear, Jiang Feng described their surroundings as they walked, sometimes picking fruit from the trees and handing it over after wiping it clean.

Chong Fan walked on in silence, clutching the rabbit. Gradually, as he listened, his face grew more animated; when he bit into a tart fruit, his nose and eyes scrunched up together.

Jiang Feng laughed—only then did the boy seem like a real child. He forgot, for a moment, that he himself was only fifteen, still called “child” by others.

He led Chong Fan back to the riverbank where they had met. “I found you here yesterday. Do you remember where you came from?”

The riverbank was still stained with blood. Chong Fan gave Jiang Feng a long, searching look, then shook his head. “I only remember encountering a Greywind Wolf, probably a level five Bright Beast. The rest is a blank.”

Jiang Feng nodded. “You were probably carried here by it. What’s the last place you do remember?”

Chong Fan described the surroundings as best he could, but Jiang Feng found the description unfamiliar. He’d never been there before, which meant the place was even deeper in Mount Taiwu, far beyond the range of beasts he could handle!

Jiang Feng felt troubled. At that moment, a white tiger ambled down to the river, lazily lapping at the water.

Jiang Feng hurriedly pulled Chong Fan into hiding.

The sight of a level five white tiger made up Jiang Feng’s mind. He said, “Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll take you back, and later we’ll go together to Luming Town, so you can find a way to contact your family. How does that sound?”

Chong Fan seemed to have been waiting for this and agreed without hesitation. “Alright!”

…

Jiang Feng brought Chong Fan back to the nameless little valley. He’d planned to stay out for three days, but ended up returning after just one.

Chong Fan looked around curiously, pointing at the treehouse. “Can I look inside?”

“It’s just a treehouse. Go ahead,” Jiang Feng replied casually.

Chong Fan entered. His eye was immediately drawn to a neatly placed stone slab, upon which rested an iron token and several handwritten books.

A flash of surprise crossed his eyes. He knelt formally and reached for the token.

Before he could touch it, the door curtain was flung aside. Jiang Feng rushed in, calling, “Don’t touch that!”

Chong Fan’s hand froze in midair. Seeing that nothing had been disturbed, Jiang Feng let out a breath of relief.

In full view of Chong Fan, he calmly gathered up all the items and locked them in a wooden box before turning back. “Sorry, those things were left to me by someone very important—I can’t let you see them.”

Chong Fan, rarely treated so curtly, frowned in thought, then said, “If I’m not mistaken, that was a County Magistrate’s token from Tianzhao County.”

Jiang Feng replied lightly, “That’s right. In just over two months, I’ll be sitting for the county examination.”

The county examination was always held on the sixth day of the seventh month each year—two months and twenty days from now. Jiang Feng kept count of every day.

Chong Fan frowned. “But the minimum requirement for the Nine Provinces Martial Cultivators’ Exam is the Dawn Initial Realm. You’ve only opened four apertures—you’re not there yet.”

Jiang Feng regarded him. “For a boy who hasn’t merged a Bright Heart Seed, your eye is remarkable.”

Chong Fan didn’t answer, but said frankly, “The Nine Provinces Martial Exam consists of three categories—Heaven, Earth, and Man. Only by meeting the standard in all three can you pass.”

Jiang Feng was silent for a moment, then said, “For a boy who hasn’t merged a Bright Heart Seed, you certainly know a lot.”

Chong Fan stated plainly, “I have my reasons not to return home. I’d like to stay here with you for a while.”

Jiang Feng fell silent again before finally asking, “How long?”

“Until the sixth day of the seventh month.” Chong Fan knelt straight-backed, fingers together on his knees, and bowed to Jiang Feng. “Please take care of me during this time.”

___________________

How wonderful "Way of Choices" is—how could anyone write a book like this… feeling lost…