This World Is Wrong
Days passed.
As it was nearing the end of the year, every family was celebrating, so Chen Mu's meals became better and better.
As he was going to be one year older, many young ladies in the village could not hold themselves back and sent matchmakers to his house to propose a marriage.
Of course, most of the girls did not hope to succeed, but they still had to give it a try. If it did not work, then they would completely give up on this and find someone else instead, and it would not waste their youth.
Chen Mu naturally rejected all of them.
...
On New Year's Eve, Chen Mu returned home to pack his things after having New Year's Eve dinner at the village chief's house.
He did not know where the Azure Yang Sect was. He only knew that it was not far from the prefecture capital, Flying Bull City.
The journey from Stone Village to Flying Bull City would take about three days.
But to be safe, Chen Mu decided to set off eight days earlier.
If not for the fact that it was almost the end of the year and the bandits outside were all putting in extra effort, he would have set off half a month earlier.
Back at home, Chen Mu opened the cupboard and took out a small bag.
There was a thick stack of banknotes inside.
So many banknotes were enough for a mortal to live comfortably in this world.
This was his master's savings.
Although he might not be able to use them all, he still prepared to bring them all.
It was easy to get things done with money.
If everything went well, when he returned to Stone Village in the future, the benefits he could bring to the village were far beyond money.
Chen Mu placed the banknotes on the bed and took out the Hundred Treasure Bag from under his pillow.
The Hundred Treasure Bag contained almost a hundred hidden weapons, from small flying needles to large throwing knives that weighed half a pound. It had everything one could think of.
With the Hundred Treasure Bag and his martial arts, Chen Mu was confident that he could wipe out a hundred-man bandit group.
After putting away the Hundred Treasure Bag, he bent down and pulled out a small box from under the bed.
When he opened the box, it was filled with various bottles and jars.
Some were used to treat injuries, some to detox, and some to clear the mind…
Of course, there were also different poisons, numbness-inducing serums… It was very convenient to use them directly or apply them on hidden weapons.
After sorting out the bottles and jars, Chen Mu took a short knife and an inner armor from the wall.
That was not enough. In the end, he grabbed some quicklime from the kitchen…
This thing could blind the eyes and could be used against experts.
Chen Mu frowned as he looked at the items he had prepared. He wondered if he had missed anything.
Truthfully, he admitted that he was not a cautious and steady person.
But he had no choice. The outside world was too dangerous, and there were too many sly old foxes. He had to be on guard.
According to his master, it was not like this in the past.
However, it was unknown which old schemer had created the current social norm. There were all kinds of hidden traps and vicious methods. Hence, the others followed suit and the social environment changed.
Everyone made similar preparations. If he did not prepare, would he not be at a disadvantage?
This was just like how schools were in his previous life. He had always been the top student in school.
Initially, this was pretty good. However, the second fellow secretly took tuition and tried to surpass him.
There was no other way. Tuition, was it?
Couldn't he also have tuition himself?
In the eyes of others, this scene became "If the first and second place students are taking extra lessons, what reason do you have to not study hard?"
Hence, the entire school followed suit.
In the end, the first place was still the first place, and the second place was still the second place. Everyone had extra lessons for no reason.
Chen Mu sighed and put on his inner armor.
All in all, he was not the one at fault, the problem was this involuted world.
Not to forget, that hateful person who started the tuition chain!
As he thought about this, he stuffed the messy medicine bottles into his pockets.
...
After midnight, Chen Mu arrived at the village entrance.
The main reason why he chose to leave at this time was because as the village's most handsome man, he was too popular among the villagers.
If he left during the day, it might cause quite a commotion.
Tonight, only the village chief and his second daughter Cui Lian came to send him off.
In the entire village, only the village chief and his family knew that he had left tonight.
...
The night breeze blew. Cui Lian's eyes were slightly red. She wanted to say something but hesitated.
Chen Mu, on the other hand, had a solemn look on his face, as if he had given up on love.
He looked like he was only carrying a bag and a saber, but his robe was filled with many things.
"Chen Mu, bring these rice balls with you. It's convenient to eat on the way." The village chief sighed and handed a package to Chen Mu.
Chen Mu did not reject him.
He felt a little sad to leave at this time.
After coming to this unfamiliar world, Stone Village was the first place that gave him the feeling of home.
"Brother Chen Mu… You must be careful outside. I heard that the people outside are very evil…"
"You're good in every way, but you're too kind. I'm afraid you'll be bullied by those bad people outside…"
As Cui Lian spoke, she was already wiping her tears. She seemed to have already thought of the tragic scene of Chen Mu being bullied.
The village chief felt that he should give a few more instructions. Hence, he added, "Cui Lian is right. Chen Mu, you must remember not to trust the sweet words of strangers!"
As he spoke, he patted Chen Mu's shoulder heavily.
For some reason, Chen Mu's shoulder was especially hard today. It hurt his hand.
Clink…
Before he could figure it out, the arrow in Chen Mu's sleeve was slapped out and fell to the ground.
Chen Mu picked up the arrow with a calm expression.
The concealed sleeve arrow was a type of hidden weapon. It was vicious, sinister, and could be easily triggered. Once it was fired, the opponent would be unable to guard against it.
In order not to ruin his innocent image in the hearts of the village chief and Cui Lian, he calmly explained, "This is a small bow and arrow. It's not very lethal and is specially used to kill rabbits."
"There are quite a number of forests along the way, so I will need to hunt for some food."
The village chief had never seen a sleeve arrow, so he did not doubt it and immediately nodded.
Cui Lian suddenly noticed the sachet hanging on Chen Mu's waist and her face turned red.
It was her gift to Chen Mu.
Many ladies in the village sent him off.
But in the end, Brother Chen Mu only took what she gave him.
This meant that Brother Chen Mu still had her in his heart.
Thinking of this, she felt even more delighted.
Huh?
There seemed to be a trace of white on the sachet…
Due to her obsessive-compulsive disorder, she quickly moved closer, wanting to wipe away the white marks on the sachet.
But the moment she touched the sachet, she realized that something was wrong.
It did not seem to contain spices, but something else…
This was…
Quicklime?
Why did Brother Chen Mu bring this? It did not smell good.
Seeing the confusion on the young girl's innocent face, Chen Mu removed the sachet and explained calmly, "Quicklime can be heated by adding water. Cui Lian, you know that it's not easy to eat something hot outside."
"With this thing around, I can heat up the rice balls and make some soup or something, it is very convenient."
"Compared to starting a fire, using this to heat up the food is less likely to attract wild beasts."
When he said that, a warm smile appeared on Chen Mu's face.
When Cui Lian saw this, she was slightly stunned. Then, she immediately understood something…
Hot rice… soup…
The reason why Brother Chen Mu had used the sachet she had given him to store the quicklime was probably because he wanted her to be involved in the making of the hot soup and rice, right?
Cui Lian's tears fell uncontrollably upon thinking of this.
She was upset that she had cooked too little for Brother Chen Mu in the past six months. She only cooked three meals a day.
She should have made supper and sent it over tonight.
Why did she not think of this earlier?
She might not have another chance in the future.
Chen Mu saw that the father and daughter were feeling increasingly sad and knew that he could not delay any longer. Hence, he quickly cupped his fists and bade them farewell, "Village Chief, Cui Lian, I should leave now."
"If I have the chance to become a cultivator, I will return!"
"Be careful during this period of time. Don't take in any outsiders!"
After saying this, he bowed slightly to the two of them, and then he took another look at the stone tablet at the village entrance, and then turned around to leave.