“Maybe you easily renege on your words, but I, Jiang You, don’t. For a real man of character, a promise made is a promise kept!” The young man adhered stubbornly to his principles.
“Heh, a real man of character you say? So you’re called Jiang You. Is that the name your parents gave you?”
“I don’t care what they named me. I’m Jiang You, Jiang meaning river, and You as in drifter!” replied the youngster frostily.
Moving the mountain had been the sole meaning to his life for a hundred years. The why of it no longer mattered. It was enough to have a purpose to strive forward to.
Of course, he knew it could have been a colossal joke.
But after enduring for a century, why not not endure for another hundred years?
In any event, he didn’t seem to have noticed that, many moons later, his external appearance hadn’t changed one iota. The years had simply washed over him, leaving no traces behind.
Also untouched by the ravages of time, the scholar looked at Jiang You, sighing softly with admiration. “Jiang You, that’s a good name. You must have lost track of the seasons passing you by. Did you not realize there’s no sun or moon in this place? That time itself is frozen?”
Bewilderment crossed Jiang You’s face. “What are you talking about?”
The middle-aged man sighed. “I don’t expect you to understand, but surely you glance at a mirror now and then?”
“I’m too busy for that. There’s a mountain that needs moving!”
“Don’t you ever get tired?”
“I eat wild fruits when I grow weary and lie down when I feel sleepy. I’m fully refreshed when I wake up, so I continue as before,” Jiang You responded matter-of-factly.
“It’s human nature to seek instant gratification. Single-minded dedication like yours is quite unusual. Fine, Jiang You, I’ll grant you a divine art today so you can instantly move the mountain. What say you?”
Jiang You froze. “Y-you’re finally willing to teach me?”
“Heh, that might not be a good thing. Of course, you’ve unwittingly obtained many of my abilities by now after cultivating for this long in my residence. You just don’t realize it yet, so you think you still possess the flesh of a mortal.
“Have you ever heard of a body that never tires? One that never grows old? The fruits you ate mature once in ten thousand years. The spring you drink from is a fountain of youth that one comes across once a hundred thousand years. Tell me, how many of my treasures did you consume while I was asleep?”
Bemused, Jiang You stared at the man. Was he telling the truth or was this all a prank? His tale sounded rather far-fetched.
The scholar counted on his fingers. “Ah well. My cycle of sleeping and waking up is coming to an end. It’s time to meet the young lord and finally complete my mission.”
“Young lord?” Jiang You’s face was a picture of confusion. “Are you some kind of servant?”
“Haha, I am indeed. But who knows how many hundred thousand years it’s been since I’ve left my master. I almost can’t remember how he looks like.” The scholar sighed softly. “Luckily, it seems I’ll be able to carry out the mission he’s entrusted to me.”
The old guy’s lost his marbles!
Several hundred thousand years??
Even a turtle couldn’t live that long! At least, not even those dastardly sectmasters in the Moon God Sect had that kind of lifespan.
He felt a stab of pain in his chest when he recalled the Moon God Sect. For the past century, he’d never let himself dwell on past memories, transporting boulders in silence instead. His one hope had been for the scholar to teach him supreme arts and grant him power so he could return to the sect and take back everything he’d lost.
“Jiang You, do you want to leave?”
Jiang You feel silent. To leave or not to leave, that was the question.
Of course he would want to after gaining strength. But before that, what good would it do?
He stayed silent, his heart torn.
“Looks like your brain’s turned to stone as well. Jiang You, I know your background. You come from the human domain, your mother was a sacred girl of the Moon God Sect. You drifted in the mundane world after the sect kicked you out. Now, you wish to go and take back your mother and sister, as well as the dignity that the sect robbed from you. Am I right?”
His eyes bloodshot, Jiang You growled like a wild beast.
“Well, your current self is strong enough to spank ten Moon God Sects.” The middle-aged man chuckled. “Right now, their strongest cultivator is merely at empyrean realm, while you’ve reached divine realm during my sleep. But, unaware of it, you’ve yet to awaken your divine power. I’ve seen many fools in my life, but you might take the cake. Although, I guess it’s to your good luck. You would’ve led quite a different life if you hadn’t met me.”
The divine realm?
A thunderstruck Jiang You froze in shock.
Cackling, the scholar suddenly pointed at the air and chanted, “Gods and spirits, in the name of the supreme dao, ignite his divine decree and call forth his divine power!”
A shiver suddenly coursed through Jiang You. In the next moment, the air around him vibrated as his body reconstructed itself at an astonishing speed, altering his self down to the very presence about him.
The dormant divine power inside him swelled miraculously in his veins, like torrential waves suddenly surging through a dry riverbed.
“I-I’m a god? I possess divine power?” In the throes of bewilderment, a voice in his head suddenly told him, move the mountain!
His figure flashed, teleporting to the foot of the mountain, and easily lifted it whole with two hands as he circulated his newfound power.
Was this a dream? He wanted to pinch himself. Divine power! Within the past century, he’d unwittingly reached unimaginable heights!
“Jiang You, tell me, what are you going to do now? Do you want to slaughter the Moon God Sect?”
Jiang Chen paused, then nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, you won’t find your mother and your sister there anymore if you go now.”
“W-what’d you say?” Jiang You immediately tensed, his befuddlement replaced by gut-wrenching horror. “What happened to them? Did the sect harm them?”
“Of course not, they wouldn’t dare. Let’s go, I’ll take you somewhere. All your questions will be answered when we arrive, so save your breath for now.”
The scholar unlocked the mountain gates and dragged the youngster away in a flash of divine radiance. The latter lost control over his own body, helpless to resist in spite of his godhood.
“Where are we going?”
“The human domain, Veluriyam Capital, the Ancient Veluriyam Palace. Is that precise enough for you?” The scholar chuckled.
The domain was where Jiang You had come from. There’s no place like home, or so they said, so he looked forward to the journey. Had his mother and sister gone to Veluriyam?
He’d been very young when he’d left, so he didn’t have the faintest clue about what they’d gone through, to say nothing of the changes in the human domain. He could only wait and see.
