Sudden clouds arise, the vast ocean is like mist.

  On this vast continent, the sun and moon have changed several times, with many comings and goings, like the changing of the oceans and the mulberry fields. The changes are unbearable. If one is lucky enough to escape the chaos of war and live to be a hundred years old in these tumultuous years, they may have the fortune to witness the rise and fall of three dynasties. And the names of the emperors they have lived through would be too numerous to count on two hands.

  The achievements of conquest have risen several times, and within the country, there are wolf smoke everywhere.

  What a chaotic era!

  Those poor and kind common people are like pigs and dogs in this chaotic world, suffering a fate of being wantonly bullied.

  Whether it is a contemporary Confucian scholar, a wealthy merchant, or even the weak common people, they are ultimately no match for the cold blade and the dense forest of arrows.

  Many people in desperation will even shout at the sky, if heaven has eyes, why let the people of this world suffer such hardships?

  It's just their shouting, but ultimately they won't get any response.

  The heavens may not have eyes, but what they hold in their hearts is ultimately just an illusory and ethereal expectation.

  However, in the hearts of most illiterate common people, what they expected was not the vague and ethereal "heaven", but those immortals who had been in their hearts since childhood, who could ride on clouds and drive away fog, with magical powers that reached heaven and earth.

  No one knows how this world originated, but it seems that since there have been written records, the common people have passed down stories of "immortals" through word of mouth.

  The immortal, in the morning strolls on the Cangwu and at dusk is in the North Sea. He rides on the clouds and ch'i, mounts the sun and moon, and wanders beyond the four seas; life and death are no change to him.

  In these legends, they transcend all laws between heaven and earth, able to manipulate the entire world at their fingertips.

  This is an immortal.

  People born in a chaotic world, everyone is looking forward to having the opportunity to seek immortals and ask for Tao.

  But none of them had ever seen an immortal with their own eyes, and they all died under the iron hooves that were running amok.

  Is there really an immortal in this world?

  Shaoguan, Taoyuan Village.

  This village, like its name, is a rare haven in these turbulent times.

  Here, secluded in the south of the mountains, with the mainland separated by a large mountain range, the climate is warm and spring-like all year round. Due to several changes of dynasties, those in power did not even have time to set up states and counties here, or send officials, but there were many bandits rampaging around.

  But Taoyuan Village is located in the depths of the mountains, with only a small stone path connecting it to the outside world. Every year around April and May, the village would be cut off by the rising creek waters, so for half a year, the villagers would be locked up in the mountains, unable to communicate with the outside world.

  In such a desolate and remote place, even bandits wouldn't bother to come, only those poor people who have narrowly escaped death would have the good fortune to flee here, and then they would settle down in this haven.

  The earliest residents here have almost been untraceable, probably with a history of two or three hundred years, the Central Plains do not know how many emperors and surnames have changed, while here, it has slowly prospered.

  The climate here is warm, and in the mountain valleys, there are large tracts of low-lying land, most suitable for planting, and can even be harvested three times a year. The streams have fish, and the mountains can hunt. It's the most suitable place to survive. The only worry is salt, which can only be obtained by going out of the mountain twice a year, once at the beginning and once at the end, to exchange for goods from the mountain. However, compared to the chaotic world outside where people are almost eating each other, it's already like heaven on earth.

  Over the years, hundreds of families have settled here, forming a large village. The people here are mostly from all over the world, intermarrying with each other without any blood ties. In the village, it is usually the elders of several major surnames who take charge of things. Life seems to be extremely peaceful.

  The village was formed over the course of several hundred years, so the houses were built in a rather scattered manner and are not densely packed. The streams that run through the mountains divide the large village into several sections.

  At the village entrance, there are two giant trees with trunks as thick as several people can encircle, their green branches layered like an umbrella. The children in the village love to play here.

  However, none of them showed up today.

  Two young men, at this time lazily leaning against a big tree, looked like they were only fourteen or fifteen years old, but their bodies were strong and agile, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and between their eyebrows and eyes, there was an air of heroism that could not be hidden. On their shoulders, a red strap was tied. Occasionally, passing girls would steal a glance at them, and then blush and turn their heads away.

  However, these two young men seemed to have no awareness of being admired. They leaned against a big tree, somewhat bored, spitting out the grass roots they had been chewing on. A darker-skinned youth said: "Fourth Brother, in over ten days the water will rise and the mountain pass will be cut off. This time leaving the mountain may be our last chance. But that eldest son of the Lu family insists on pushing us aside. If things go on like this for another two years, our Ren family won't have anyone to listen to us here!"

  Another young man was slightly taller, looking two or three years older than him. His skin was fair and his eyebrows were slightly furrowed, very handsome. However, there seemed to be a hint of distraction in his expression. Upon hearing the words, he said: "Ninth brother, who made me lose that match half a year ago? This is an old rule set by our elders, acknowledging defeat and admitting loss, what's wrong with that?"

  This young man, named Ren Gengxin, is considered a prominent family in Taoyuan Village. His grandfather was one of the village's wise elders. In his youth, he was also a famous warrior, leading the village's young men to clear thorns and brambles, pioneering and founding industries, and legend has it that he even killed a fierce tiger.

  Only Ren Gengxin knew that this was no legend. The white tiger's skin was now spread out on his grandfather's bed, serving as a mattress.

  But all these are things of the past. The hero who fought against the tiger in those days is now nothing but a hunchbacked old man.

  However, the Ren family is considered a large surname in the village, with many descendants, totaling dozens of people, making it an unqualified big clan. In recent years, the villagers have become more and more numerous, inheriting the wishes of their ancestors who settled here, and taking in anyone who has escaped from disaster. With the increasing chaos in the Central Plains over the past few decades, the number of refugees coming to this place has also increased. This small Taoyuan Village is almost unable to bear the burden.

  It is precisely because of this that several big families in the village also want to gain more discourse power through their own efforts, and the "competition" mentioned by Ninth Brother is also a recent thing.

  Let the young men in the village show their bravery and compete with each other, and the winner will become the leader of these young men. And these young people are now, as well as in the future for many years to come, a force guarding Taoyuan Village.

  Whether hunting in the mountains or walking outside, they are responsible for guarding a place. In recent years, those wise elders have also poured more resources into them.

  And the leader of this team is an object that many people want to contend for.

  Ren Gengxin is the most outstanding among these young people in Taoyuan Village. He is only 17 years old this year, but he has a big heart and fine skills, and originally had good martial arts skills, making him a highly competitive candidate. However, half a year ago, in the final match of the martial arts competition, he lost to Lu Peng, the second son of the Lu family, and thus missed the opportunity to lead one side.

  For half a year, Lu Peng didn't even give him the opportunity to come out of the mountain. Those wise elders seemed not to mind this point at all, and only when Lu Peng led the team back to the village this time did they let them come to the village entrance to greet them.

  Jiaren's Ninth Younger Brother, Fan Xin, was a few years younger than him and still had the appearance of being young and vigorous. Upon hearing this, he said with great discontent: "That time it was clearly not a crime of war, if you hadn't suddenly vomited before the martial competition and almost couldn't participate, you wouldn't have been taken advantage of by him. Speaking of that time, it's possible that Lao Erzi was behind the scenes!"

  Ren Gengxin waved his hand: "It's all in the past, what's the point of talking about it. Have you forgotten what Grandpa said? A good hunter always remembers that their prey is right in front of them!"

  Ren Fan's face flushed red with discontent, but he didn't dare argue with his usually respected fourth brother. He turned his head away in a huff, and suddenly his eyes became fixed on something, unable to move for a long time.

  Ren Gengxin turned his head and looked at him with a smile, saying: "You stare at others like this, aren't you afraid of making them angry?"

  At the end of Fan Xing's line of sight, upstream of a small stream, there was a slender girl wearing a light green shirt and white long pants, who was now half squatting in front of the creek.

  She was holding a large wooden basin, with several clothes in it, as if she was about to wash them.

  The girl looked like she was only seventeen or eighteen years old, an age when a woman is at her most radiant. She seemed to have sensed the gaze behind her and stood up, turned around, smiled and said: "The two brothers of the Ren family, aren't you going up the mountain today?"

  Her appearance is not particularly beautiful, but it can be said to be elegant and lovely. Her skin is white and delicate, and when you look closer, it's even more warm and tender, like ivory, emitting a faint glow. Just smiling lightly at the two of them seems to emit a different kind of charm.

  Ren Gengxin felt embarrassed when he was seen through, and he couldn't help but knock on the head of his ninth brother. He stood up with a smile and said: "Miss Mo, are you here to do laundry? Why isn't Auntie Zeng here? Let me come and help you, okay?"

  This girl's surname is Mo, she came here two months ago with a group of refugees from the north.

  It was an era when the previous dynasty had just perished, and the next ruler who could unify the world had not yet appeared. On the Central Plains, countless forces were vying with each other, making it impossible for anyone to find a place of peace. This group of refugees fled from the north to the south, but found no safe haven along the way, and ended up escaping all the way to the coast. The original group of over a thousand people had dwindled to just sixteen by the time they reached Peach Blossom Village, and even then, three more were killed by wild beasts in the mountains. It was only when Ren Gengxin's team discovered them in the mountains that they were rescued and brought to Peach Blossom Village for resettlement.