Arriving at the city

"Ok, ok, now don't get mad, I was just joking. Stay here; this place is safe for you. Your bloodline is extraordinarily rare, and if any powerful cultivator catches sight of you, they will definitely enslave you."

Jiang stated the facts, and the tiger knew that it was true. This was also the reason he didn't leave this valley. Although it wasn't the best place, it was still better than many others. So, he admitted to staying here for the time being.

"Grhh..."

"Good, then farewell and take care."

Jiang Hao wasn't an overly emotional person, so he left after saying his goodbyes. As he was about to leave the valley, he heard a deep growl from the pond.

He smiled and increased his speed to reach his village faster. Now that he had reached stage 9 of Qi Refinement, his speed had increased significantly. It didn't take him much of time before he arrived at the place where the cave was.

This was the place where his destiny was completey changed, he would remember this place and senior Hu Tian froever in his heart.

Last time he didn't made a tomb for senior Hu Tian, but this time he will make one inside the cave.

He immediately started to work and bought a suitable rock from nearby and imbedded it into the mound he had created inside the cave and carved the name Hu Tian on it. After bidding his farewell's again he left.

After traveling a little bit more, he arrived at the foot of the mountains, just outside his village.

Right now, it was evening, and two or three villagers were working in the fields. When they saw him, their eyes lit up.

"Hao'er, you are back! Your mother said you caught the eye of an immortal."

One of the chubby uncles, who was always nice to him, asked in an excited tone.

"It's been a while, Uncle Yu."

"What's with the formalities? I hope the immortal is treating you well. Are you guys still living in the mountains?"

Since Jiang Hao came from the mountains, he assumed they were still there.

"It's nothing like that uncle, I am treated quite well. Yes, we are still in the mountains, but we will leave shortly for the city."

"Good, good. Go meet your mother. Although she has recovered, ever since you left, she doesn't talk much with others."

Another old man, Grandpa Han, spoke to him.

"Ok, Grandpa Han."

After saying goodbye to them, he entered the village and made his way home.

His home wasn't in good shape; it had already become quite old. All the homes in this village were made of wood.

When he saw his house, he heaved a sigh of relief. He had left this village fully prepared to die, without anyone knowing of it.

But fate had other plans for him. Not only did he survive, but he also became a cultivator—the kind that mortals revered.

He went inside his house and heard noises from the kitchen. It looked like his mother was cooking food. He made almost no noise as he entered the kitchen. As he thought, his mother was cooking porridge. He smiled and went behind her.

He hugged her from behind.

"Mother, I am back."

"Hao'er..."

His mother's stunned voice reached his ears.

She lifted her hands and caressed his cheeks, which were resting on her shoulders. Tears were already falling from her eyes. Although she was happy that her son would have a better life now that he was with an immortal, she had missed him greatly and always felt worried for him.

Even though only six months had passed, it felt like ages to her.

Jiang Hao enjoyed the warmth of her hands and spoke, "Mother, leave this to me. I will cook."

She didn't stop him and let him do what he wanted. He had always been like that, helping her whenever he got the chance to do so.

Jiang Hao had already caught some stage 1 Qi Refinement beasts while returning. He knew the potency of stage 1 meat wasn't harmful to mortals, so it wouldn't be a problem for his mother to eat. In fact, it was a great tonic for mortals.

He put the porridge away. His mother had a questioning look, but he just smiled and took out a piece of meat from a stage 1 boar. He had already carved some meat pieces beforehand to save himself the hassle.

His mother's face was filled with shock. After all, he took out the piece of meat out of thin air.

He didn't tease her further and came clean.

"Mother, I have already begun walking the path of immortality."

When his mother heard that, there was a hint of surprise, shock, and relief on her face. She was surprised because she never expected her son to become an immortal one day. She was shocked because the news was too big for her, and there was a hint of relief because she knew her son would now have a good life.

Her eyes filled with tears of joy. Hearing that her son had become an immortal put her heart at ease.

This was also the reason Jiang Hao came back and told her the truth. He knew she would keep worrying about him and wouldn't live a happy life.

Initially, he wanted to return after a year but changed his mind after thinking about her.

There was another reason he had to come back quickly: to check if his mother had any spiritual roots.

A person with spiritual roots, even if they hadn't sensed the spirit qi in nature, would attract spirit qi passively. So, it was easy to find out if someone had spiritual roots, though it was difficult to determine the grade or type.

When he checked his mother, she didn't have any spiritual roots. This thought made him sad, but he was prepared for it and accepted it.

He knew that cultivators have long lifespans. The higher their realm, the longer they live. If nothing went wrong, he too would live a long life.

This is why he hoped his mother had spiritual roots so they could live together as long as possible. Since she didn't, he would just have to accept it calmly.

"Mother, it's ready. Let's eat."

He served his mother a big portion and got himself one too.

When his mother ate a piece, she immediately knew the meat wasn't ordinary. A single piece made her feel full of energy.

After eating, he stayed with his mother and had a good talk. He told her he would leave again after some time, and this time, it would be for longer.

His mother wasn't overly disappointed upon hearing this. She knew her son's destiny wasn't in the village.

But this time, she wasn't too worried, as her son had already become an immortal and could take care of himself.

Jiang Hao spent a few days with the villagers. He didn't tell them he was a cultivator, as it would have changed how they saw him, and he didn't want that.

Finally, one day, after saying proper goodbyes to his mother, he left with ease.

He wasn't overly sad, as he planned to come back after reaching the Foundation Establishment realm.

No matter how far he was, he had the ring. If he could use it according to his will, he could easily return anytime.

Once he reached the Foundation Establishment realm, he would bind the ring to himself and learn everything about it.

He left the village silently at night.

The city wasn't too far from his village. When he traveled with the villagers, it took about six hours of walking.

Although he could now reach there in less than half an hour, he decided to walk. The night was quite peaceful and serene.

This rare peace was something he wanted to savor, knowing he wouldn't get to enjoy it again anytime soon. He kept walking at a normal pace, planning to reach the city by morning.

After reaching stage 9 of Qi Refinement, he didn't feel as sleepy as before. He could easily stay awake for two or three days straight if needed.

As the sun was about to rise, he finally saw the city in the distance. Many merchant wagons were leaving the city. Merchants and traders avoided traveling at night, especially in this area of the kingdom.

He made his way to a proper route to enter the city. Since it was morning, the city gates weren't crowded. He approached the gates, where four guards were standing.

The guards were surprised to see a young boy traveling alone. It was impossible for them to see through his cultivation realm unless they had secret methods, but Jiang Hao doubted they possessed such means.

Although the guards couldn't see through his cultivation realm, they knew he was a cultivator. It was the same way one could identify if someone had spiritual roots or not.

Similarly, Jiang Hao could tell that all four guards were cultivators.

The price to enter the city was five bronze coins, which he had.

There were three types of coins in the Zhou kingdom: bronze, silver, and gold.

One gold coin was equal to 100 silver coins, and one silver coin was equal to 10 bronze coins.

He handed the coins to the guards and made his way through the gates.

After receiving the money, the guards began discussing among themselves.

"Which clan is that young man from?"

Although Jiang Hao's clothes were old and not fancy, he was too handsome to be mistaken for an ordinary village boy, not to mention he was also a cultivator.

Jiang Hao wasn't too far away, and with his sharp senses, he could easily hear their conversation.

He didn't mind this little misunderstanding. In fact, it might work in his favor and help him avoid a lot of trouble later.