Beginning Cultivation

The next day, Lei Mingxing and Chang Liuyun left for their work again.

Their breakfast this morning consisted of a bowl of porridge and a persimmon.

The reason for the additional fruit was quite simple, he had noticed that Lei Mingxing favored sweet food and a couple of persimmons were easy to obtain. There were even some for her to take to work.

He hoped that this way, Lei Mingxing wouldn't forget to take care of herself. They still had to depend on each other after all, her not eating for several days definitely couldn't be healthy.

After they arrived at the forge, Jing Jiang greeted them and told Lei Mingxing to gather a few materials from the storage. Lei Mingxing quickly left and Chang Liuyun was also about to depart when Jing Jiang stopped him.

"Hey, wait a moment. You're name was Chang Liuyun, right?"

Chang Liuyun looked at Jing Jian, wondering what the other wanted with him.

"You are working as a mercenary, correct? In that case, you can borrow one of the weapons here, it's not like they will be sold in the near future."

Jing Jiang pointed to a wall covered with all kinds of weapons, from axes to broadswords and spears. There were even a few bows. All of them looked very sturdy and sharp, miles better than the second-hand sword Chang Liuyun currently used.

Chang Liuyun stared at Jing Jiang with widened eyes upon hearing his preposition, not quite believing his ears.

That must be a trap, definitely!

Several alarms rang inside Chang Liuyun's mind as he observed Jing Jiang for any malicious intent the other might hide.

Jing Jiang noticed the suspicion in Chang Liuyun's eyes and leaned over to whisper.

"I know what happened to you, " he whispered.

Hearing these words, Chang Liuyun froze, his blood ran cold. There were thousands of thoughts rushing through his mind.

Had Lei Mingxing revealed something? Or was Jing Jiang related to Huo Dong in some way? Did he already divulge their whereabouts to the other?

"You two are really brave to fight for your forbidden love like this, but you shouldn't be reckless with your life for the sake of money! You are the only one she has, if you die, how heartbroken and lost will she be?! So, take care of yourself, young man!"

Jing Jiang patted Chang Liuyun heavily on the shoulder with a knowing smile on his face.

"..."

Just what is this misunderstanding?

Baffled after hearing about a forbidden love he apparently was a part of, Chang Liuyun didn't bother saying anything more and directly chose the first sword that caught his eye before fleeing the forge.

Jing Jiang nodded in satisfaction, this Chang Liuyun fellow must be too touched to say anything, but at least he was reasonable. Happy about having aided a passionate young love, Jing Jiang returned to the workshop where Lei Mingxing was already waiting for him.

Not dawdling any longer, Jing Jiang lit his furnace and controlled the temperature, officially starting their new work day.

Hours passed, and everything returned to the same rhythm as yesterday.

Lei Mingxing started out by creating a few arrows, which only became sharper with every attempt but still didn't look too durable. After her inner Qi was exhausted, she once again went through the stock in the storage.

She had already memorized most of the materials, along with their strengths and weaknesses, after she told Jing Jiang this, he raised the challenge by asking her to remember their different prices as well in an excited voice.

Soon lunch break came around and Lei Mingxing took out the persimmons she had still left from the morning, quickly devouring them. She was about to continue her work, when Jing Jiang stopped Lei Mingxing and handed her a sweet bun, along with a cup of tea.

"Eat this as well, two measly persimmons won't fill you up."

After Jing Jiang said this, he finished his lunch quickly and left to forge another weapon, not giving Lei Mingxing any time to decline.

This time, Lei Mingxing took the steamed bun and tea, already used to Jing Jiang's odd generosity.

It wasn't like she didn't find it suspicious at all, but she couldn't sense any impure intentions from Jing Jiang, something she had grown quite sensitive to because of her past experiences.

So she simply enjoyed the dessert and refreshing tea, things that had been absent for the longest time in her life, before continuing to diligently complete the tasks Jing Jiang gave her until Chang Liuyun returned.

She received her payment of twenty yuan and left the forge after a brief goodbye.

Chang Liuyun and her still had something else to do after all.

And she was looking forward to it!

They quickly walked down the streets, soon reaching the Eastern Gate of the town and passing through it.

Chang Liuyun led the way to the cave he had found, looking out for any beasts lurking in the shadows as they walked.

Fortunately, they only met a few first-rank demon beasts that Chang Liuyun swiftly dispatched.

After walking around the woods for about twenty minutes, avoiding several groups of mercenaries along the way, they finally reached the cave Chang Liuyun had mentioned.

It was a small cave only able to accommodate two people while sitting or crouching. Its position also wasn't that favorable, embedded in a cliffside about one meter below the cliff's edge, hidden behind a very tall tree with abundant branches.

Chang Liuyun went down first, carefully feeling his way down with his feet until he met the cave's entrance. He let go of the cliff's edge one hand at a time and climbed inside.

Next was Lei Mingxing, she copied Chang Liuyun's actions, not scared of the five-meter fall at all.

Unfortunately, she wasn't as successful in her attempt as Chang Liuyun, her foot slipped just as she let go of the cliff's edge, abruptly causing her to slide down the crumbly cliffside.

Chang Liuyung hurriedly reached out of the cave and grabbed her waist, quickly pulling her inside.

Because of the inertia of this sudden motion, Lei Mingxing fell on top of Chang Liuyun.

The two lay there for a few seconds, their eyes widened while panting from the shock. They could feel each other's racing hearts.

Lei Mingxing was the first to regain her composure, she got up from Chang Liuyun, kneeling down next to him with a worried expression.

"Thank you for saving me, are you alright?"

Only after hearing her words did Chang Liuyun snap out of his daze, his face below the mask instantly turned red. He quickly sat up as well and nodded as calmly as he could.

Lei Mingxing sighed in relief.

"That's good then, let's start cultivating?"

She asked while already closing her eyes and sitting down in a lotus position.

"..."

Chang Liuyun felt speechless.

Didn't she feel embarrassed at all? Their bodies had been so close, wasn't that usually seen as improper? Who was the young miss of some noble family between the two of them?

But seeing her nonchalant attitude toward the matter, he also quickly calmed down again and mimicked her appearance. He sat down in a lotus position as well and closed his eyes, entering a meditative state.

Small theater:

The cliff: Such a cute couple! Let me help you create a hard racing atmosphere.

Lei Mingxing and Chang Liuyun:...