The moon hung high up in the sky, and the tension was palpable. Two dozen straw huts of various sizes formed a small hamlet, arranged in a circle and fenced off from the forest beyond. Screams of a woman in pain could be heard in a hut to the side, one that was neither too big nor too small.

  "Chen Niu, looks like your child is about to be born!"

  An old man stood in front of the hut, stroking his beard and smiling at the anxious young man pacing back and forth, breathing hurriedly and holding his fists.

  "Elder, I have to thank the village for freeing Xiao’er from obligatory work. I am indebted to you... She has always been on the weaker side, I hope this goes well…"

  As he came to senses, the young man politely said as he bowed. When he looked up, his well-built frame was evident. He had tanned skin, and so did everyone in the village. This marked them as southerners, bound to labor for the city lord who ruled a nearby city. The old man nodded.

  "How can we let a pregnant woman suffer? Don't think about it..."

  As the old man said that, a loud scream was suddenly heard from the hut, and screams of the woman stopped. A momentary radiant white glow emerged from the hut, followed by cry of a baby. This didn’t escape the old man’s notice.

  “Chen Niu, we are lucky! This seems to be a spirit child!”

  The young man gave a big laugh.

  “To think I, Chen Niu, am to be the father of a to-be cultivator… My great-grandfather didn’t fail me!”

  The elder and the young man hurried into the hut.

  “It is a spirit child, and a boy!”

  The elderly woman gave them the baby. Although tired, she is happy. A spirit child means a possible elder. And if the talent is good enough to join the sect, even the city lord needs to give the sect face and stop soliciting labor.

  Taking the child into his arms, Chen Niu saw his exhausted wife who appeared to have fallen asleep. His eyes turned tender, as he patted her head lightly.

  “Chen Niu! Looks like you are lucky!”

  “What a cute baby! A spirit child indeed!”

  Voices were heard as rest of the villagers noticed the abnormality and came to congratulate him. After some time, he suddenly remembered something. He saw his wife, now awake and playing with her son. He signaled her with his eyes, and gently took the baby into his hands, presenting him to the chief.

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  “Elder, please name our son!”

  The village chief smiled. He observed the smart-looking baby, whose eyes were already darting around as he cried.

  “Chen Muzhi. From now on, he is Chen Muzhi.”

  The couple smiled to each other, and the villagers was happy.

  Several years passed, and it was the same village

  From the hut at the center, a child walked out confidently. He was lean, with little muscle. He wore coarse clothes, just like other villagers. His skin was fair, with his black hair neatly tied behind. His eyes glowed like polished obsidian, carrying a sharpness of wit. It was obvious that he did not toil like the others. He looked to be about twelve years old.

  “Xiao Mu, did the lesson end? Are you hungry?”

  A middle aged women asked him as the child walked out of it.

  “Aunt, the lesson just ended, and there is no need for food. Your cooking tastes so good, and I would end up becoming fat… By the way, where is my mother?”

  “You… alright. Your mother went to pick fruits from the forest with others. She should return by evening.”

  “Hmm… father must be in the fields then.”

  As he said that, an old man came from behind, patting on his head.

  “Muzhi, you should become as strong as possible, the sect entrance is soon. If you do not pass, you will have to become an elder just like me, or work for the city lord like an ox… Do you know that in the time of my grandfather, we did not have to work at all for thirty years? You have talent, but in food, you expect everything to taste good!”

  The woman narrowed her eyes.

  “Of course Xiao Mu should eat. But what do you mean?”

  The elder’s words stuck in his throat.

  “This… uh…”

  Muzhi gave a laugh as he ran away.

  He went inside his meditation hut, and his expression changed. The mouth straightened, and expression became serious. He appeared to be brooding, as he sat on a coarse mat in the middle of the hut. Although this hut was for his ‘cultivation’, although actually it is more like to prepare for the real thing. He only studied basic meditation, some legends and manners.

  In fact, Muzhi remembered his past life when he was three. He remembered sitting in large buildings, riding fantastical vehicles, and talking to many people. Although he didn’t remember any of it being magic, he thought it may be as powerful.

  But what left lasting impression are the final moments of his previous life. He remembered feeling how useless his wealth had been when he encountered such a calamity. Strength is the foundation. But he concealed all this from others, as he was sure he would be called a demon if he didn’t do so.

  Now that he is a spirit child, he has hope to join the sect. Actually, from the knowledge of his past life, there should be many such sects. But mortals here knew only this one. He also heard that cultivators can become immortal. His hope is to become one too, since he doesn’t want to die like before. In fact, he wanted to become most powerful among immortals, but then he chastised himself for being too greedy, and stopped the train of thought.

  As he went into a state of meditation, he saw a glowing green tea pot rotating in his mind. This, he remembered from his past life, the artifact that saved him. It is obvious that it is extremely mysterious, but he is unable to find out any mysteries of it. But he expected it. After all, he is just a mortal.

  His brows then knitted, as he thought about his sister and two parents in this life. This was better than his past life in some ways, but he knew to become immortal is better than these mundane things. Moreover, he has a past life, so he also couldn’t completely accept these young people as his parents.

  “In three months, I will go to the sect’s competition. If I can enter it and solve labor problem for some years, I will consider that repayment of gratitude for this village…”