The deep purple light of the universe-spanning shuttle dissolved, leaving behind a sudden, disorienting stillness. The sky above was a blinding, pristine blue, stretching for billions of miles, dotted with immaculate white clouds that seemed too perfect to be real.
Zhu Hao, still recovering from the cosmic travel sickness that momentarily blurred his Level 4 senses, found himself plummeting through the atmosphere like a fuzzy, golden meteorite. The glorious vision of traversing the heavens had ended with a very un-godly, stomach-churning, high-velocity drop.
Plop!
Before the newly anointed inter-dimensional traveler could activate his emergency thrusters, he slammed directly into a surging, roaring waterfall. The torrent of water hit him like a physical sledgehammer.
The pressure of the cascading flow was immense, nearly crushing the air from his lungs. If not for the dramatic increase in physical fortitude gained from his recent Level 4 breakthrough, he would have been instantly flattened into a golden pancake.
"Eight Wings of Flying Sky!"
Eight golden wings, now visibly sharper and emitting a more focused, shimmering light than before, instantly condensed on his back. They were magnificent, radiating an aura of metallic divinity with the sharpness to cut through the very water itself.
Swish!
The Flying Eight Wings trembled with focused energy, and a streak of golden light burst violently out of the waterfall's base, soaring effortlessly into the crystalline blue sky.
"Phew! What a bracing cold shower!" Zhu Hao landed delicately on the mossy peak of a majestic mountain, shaking himself vigorously and splashing droplets everywhere. He inhaled deeply, savoring the clean, incredibly dense spiritual energy of this new world.
"I won't lie, that was utterly humiliating. Lord Pig loses consciousness and falls into a waterfall. I'll need to erase that from the system logs."
He stood for a moment, letting the sheer scope of the scenery wash over him. The mountains were undulating and continuous, stretching out in layers of peaks and ridges that dissolved into the distant haze. This world felt ancient, powerful, and utterly boundless. High spiritual energy concentration. Plenty of opportunity. Excellent.
"What is this world? No clue yet!"
Zhu Hao finally settled his nerves and began to examine his immediate surroundings.
Woof! Woof!
Woof woof woof!
Suddenly, the unmistakable sound of canine agitation broke the peaceful solitude. Zhu Hao looked down the mountain slope towards the base of the waterfall. There, standing on a slick rock, was a scruffy, slightly fat yellow dog, barking furiously at the rushing water.
Near the dog, on a moss-covered boulder, lay a woman draped in immaculate white robes. Her clothing was utterly soaked, clinging to her elegant figure, and half her body was submerged in the icy water. She was clearly unconscious.
"Dubu, what's the matter now?"
A young man's voice followed the dog's frenzy. A young man appeared, hurrying behind the big yellow dog named Dudou. He carried a woven medicine basket slung across his back and walked with a brisk, slightly clumsy gait.
"Dudou... beauty... herbalist... waterfall... and a specific flavor of intense drama?"
A flash of inspiration—a moment of terrifying, comedic recognition—passed through Zhu Hao's mind. He put two and two together: the era, the setting, the presence of a snake-catching village nearby, and a woman in white near water. It can't be... I've landed in a classic Chinese folk tale? Am I the new third pillar of the Legend of the White Snake?
The young man, upon seeing the unconscious woman, stopped dead. His eyes immediately widened with an equal mix of surprise and the giddy excitement of a hero finding his quest.
The woman was undeniably beautiful: delicate, perfect features, eyebrows arched like distant mountains, and skin as luminous as snow. Her figure, though drenched, was graceful, displaying infinite, alluring charm through the wet fabric. To the humble, rural boy, she must have looked like a genuine fairy.
The young man, filled with mortal chivalry and burgeoning affection, quickly stepped forward, intending to lift the woman and carry her to safety. His name, of course, was Xu Xuan.
"Hey! Let go of that girl!"
Just as Xu Xuan reached out, a loud, high-pitched shout—delivered in an inexplicably cute baby voice—reverberated through the air. A streak of golden light descended from the mountaintop, landing with a soft, authoritative thump.
Zhu Hao, the majestic Pig God, now stood firmly nestled in the crook of the unconscious woman's arm. His deep, brilliant eyes, brimming with indignation, glared at Xu Xuan.
"M-monster!"
Seeing a furry, golden, four-winged piglet demanding respect and protecting a beautiful woman, Xu Xuan shrieked, scrambling back so quickly that he lost his balance and landed unceremoniously on his bottom. He stared at Zhu Hao in sheer, unadulterated horror.
"Monster? Where? Where is the monster?!" Zhu Hao swiveled his head dramatically, searching the majestic mountains. Then, he snapped his gaze back to Xu Xuan, his little fat face contorting with offense. "You said I'm a monster?! I am your Pig Grandpa! You are the monster, and your whole family are monsters! Have you ever seen a creature as handsome, magnificent, and divinely charismatic as Lord Pig? You are criminally ignorant!"
There is definitely something wrong with this demon's brain, a single thought flashed through Xu Xuan's terrified mind.
"Move along! You're crowding the scene!" Zhu Hao was already bored with the human's cowardice. He grasped the woman in white with his two small claws, positioning his head firmly against her chest, preparing to transport her.
"What... what do you think you're going to do?!" Xu Xuan stammered, gritting his teeth as indignation momentarily overpowered his terror.
Woof woof! The big yellow dog, Dudou, whined, quickly hiding behind Xu Xuan, biting the hem of his tunic and pulling him backward—a clear sign to abandon ship before the demon realized there was a tasty dog snack nearby.
"What do you think Lord Pig is going to do?" Zhu Hao responded, his tone loaded with deliberately wicked innuendo. He exerted a small burst of Level 4 strength, easily lifting the woman's body high off the rock. Since his body was so small, the woman appeared to be floating silently in the air, held only by a mysterious force and a pair of tiny, magical golden paws.
Zhu Hao grinned, revealing two sparkling little canine teeth, and winked at the petrified young man.
"You want to eat her?!" Xu Xuan's face turned ashen, and he screamed the only logical conclusion his mortal mind could devise.
"What do you think?" Zhu Hao chuckled, offering no explanation, before flapping the Flying Eight Wings with a soft, powerful hum.
Swish!
He shot into the sky, carrying the ethereal-looking white-robed woman, and vanished in seconds, leaving only the faint scent of ozone and the terrified whimpering of a mortal man and his dog.
"Oh, no!" Xu Xuan sighed, watching the spot where the beautiful shadow had disappeared. "The choicest cabbage was eaten by the pig!"
What a magnificent girl! He could have been a hero! He could have taken her home, nursed her back to health, fallen in love, and had the beautiful life he'd always dreamed of! He didn't even have a wife yet! Now, all those romantic fantasies were snatched away by a preening, golden, flying pig demon.
He realized he was just a helpless mortal, utterly powerless against the demonic creature.
"Woof woof!" Dudou crawled out from behind his master, trembling slightly, licking his paws, relieved to be alive.
Xu Xuan's disappointment turned into a burning, righteous fury, fueled by bruised ego and the tragic loss of his destined love. He clenched his fists, eyes burning with a new, fierce determination.
"Pig demon, just you wait! One day, I, Xu Xuan, will seek out a master, cultivate supreme magical powers, and destroy you! You stole my destiny! I will kill the pig demon!"
A mortal's life was short, but a mortal's motivation—especially when involving a beautiful woman and a narcissistic pig—was eternal. Thus, the humble herb collector found his new life path: to become a mighty cultivator, fueled by vengeance and the desire to retrieve his true destined wife from the clutches of a flying hog.
Meanwhile, on the side of a grand, majestic mountain, the Lord Pig had already put his emergency plan into action. Zhu Hao had utilized his enhanced Earth Escape to swiftly carve out a small, dry cave. He placed the unconscious woman—Xiaobai—on a makeshift stone bed and quickly built a small, well-vented fire.
Xiaobai... a familiar name, he thought, confirming his earlier guess. This is definitely the world where humans and demons coexist, where powerful Taoists and ancient Snake Mothers hold sway. Interesting. Zhu Hao quickly dismissed any specific plot knowledge, knowing his arrival had instantly shattered the original narrative. He was no fool; this world required caution and rapid power accumulation.
He turned his attention back to the woman. She was still dripping.
"These clothes are soaked through. You'll definitely catch a terrible cold if you wear them!"
Zhu Hao stepped forward, his little golden claws trembling slightly. In his past lives (both mortal and Pig God), he was, technically, a pure and chaste man. He had never even held a woman's hand in his mortal life!
"Xiaobai, I must assure you, Grandpa Pig is a righteous pig. I am not trying to take advantage of you. This is purely for your health and welfare. Do not blame me for my necessary heroism!"
He muttered to himself, using a powerful, self-soothing incantation he'd developed over years of inner conflict: "If your heart is as clear as ice, you won't be startled by the sky falling, and you will remain calm in the face of all changes. If your spirit is at peace and your breath is calm, you will forget yourself and your six senses will be at peace..."
After a monumental effort—and fighting a small internal battle worthy of the Gods and Demons War—he finally managed to remove Xiaobai's heavy, soaked outer garments and hung them on a wooden rack near the fire. He quickly covered her with dry, inner lining fabric that he magically produced from his backpack. With the heat of the fire, the clothes would dry quickly, and she would be safe.
After performing his duties, Zhu Hao settled himself near the stone bed.
A short while later, Xiaobai's body began to tremble slightly, and she instinctively curled up on the cold stone, a clear sign of chilling.
"Aha! Lord Pig has no choice! In order to save this innocent life, I must sacrifice myself!"
Seeing her shiver, Zhu Hao, as a good pig with love, responsibility, and an overwhelming sense of justice, naturally felt obligated to devote himself entirely to her arms to warm her with his own thermal body.
Zhu Hao's furry, chubby, gold-infused body was now an efficient, Level 4 thermal core—a perfect portable fireplace. The moment he nestled into her side, Xiaobai felt instant warmth. Her pair of smooth, white jade arms instinctively moved, hugging him tightly to her chest, seeking the powerful, stabilizing heat.
"Woo woo! Lord Pig can't breathe! She's trying to suffocate Master Pig!"
Zhu Hao let out a tiny, high-pitched, satisfied groan. His eyelids fluttered, his head tilted, and he lay utterly immobile in the warm, soft, and secure embrace.
"Lord Pig is suffocating... this is the most comfortable near-death experience of my life..."