Sitting by the counter within a humble clothing shop, a well-dressed young man who possessed a refined, yet slightly delicate visage was observing a piece of cloth with furrowed brows.
Holding a thread and needle, he stitched a complex, hexagonal pattern onto the piece of cloth, pausing only to consult an open book beside him.
"Shopkeeper Tang, are you stitching Arrays on cloth again? You do realize that you need Qi to engrave Arrays, right?" A bald customer, Wu Fa, was staring at Tang Rui speechlessly.
"Shut up, baldy, I'm preparing myself so I'll know what to do when I become a cultivator," Tang Rui replied without looking up, still stitching the Array on the piece of cloth.
"Damn kid, you're twenty five years old now. You're not yet done fooling yourself? There's no way you can become a cultivator without any Spirit Roots."
Tang Rui's eyes twitched in annoyance. He reached down below the counter for a package and threw it over to Wu Fa.
"You're here for this, right? Now go away."
Tang Rui was usually a mild-tempered man. However, Wu Fa was truly insufferable. This baldy would come to their shop almost everyday just to mock him. But there was nothing he could do, after all, he was right. He was the only mortal delusional enough to continue dreaming of becoming a cultivator even without Spirit Roots!
Looking inside the package and confirming that everything was inside, Wu Fa cast another glance at Tang Rui who was back to stitching Arrays and had the urge to tease him again.
"Want me to introduce you to a cultivator? She's pretty talented and definitely a looker. Maybe you can ask her for advice?"
Tang Rui looked at Wu Fa with a skeptical gaze, but his heart stirred with expectation. "You have connections with a cultivator?"
Wu Fa handed over a palm-sized painting. Upon seeing it, Tang Rui's expression turned dark. Indeed, there was a beautiful lady in the portrait and it was painted by a master painter, capturing the lady's grace, power, and seductiveness. One look and it made whoever saw it feel heat down below.
However, his expression darkened because this figure was too familiar to him. His anger reached its peak as he ripped apart the beautiful portrait.
"Damn brat! What did you do?!" Wu Fa was shocked.
"You dare lust over my sister? You perverted baldy!" Tang Rui was incensed, to think that this baldy had the gall to actually show him such a painting.
"So what? Your sister is everyone's fantasy!"
"You damned baldy, just you wait. Once I become a cultivator, you won't have another peaceful day!" Tang Rui hissed.
"If you become a cultivator, I'll kiss your ass every morning to wake you up!" Wu Fa retorted.
"Bah! Who wants that? Your mouth is filled with more sh*t than my ass."
"What's with all this talk about sh*t and ass so early in the morning?! I can't get any sleep in here!"
A loud voice rang from behind them as a haggard-looking middle-aged man walked in. This was Tang Houtu, Tang Rui's father. He was only in his early 40s and yet, he appeared older due to the deep lines of exhaustion which covered his face.
"Sorry about that, Old Tang. Your stupid son here is being delusional again instead of properly doing his job," Wu Fa apologized. Unlike Tang Rui, everyone respected Tang Houtu.
"Sigh… let him be, Old Wu. Today's his last day here." Tang Houtu sighed, his voice tinged with exhaustion.
"Last day? Are you finally kicking him out?" Wu Fa was startled.
"What do you mean? I'm not like you, baldy, getting kicked out of the house by your wife," Tang Rui jeered. "I'm out to find a way to cultivate and become a Divine Armorer."
Wu Fa was dumbfounded. "This again? Haven't you gone on a similar adventure last year? And the year before that? And the year before that, too."
"You guys are just trying to bring me down. But that's fine. The ones who're bound to succeed always have people telling them they can't make it. And that's exactly when they succeed!" Tang Rui's ears burned hot as he retorted.
Wu Fa and Tang Houtu could only facepalm in response. There was no saving this kid.
"This time I can vaguely feel the east wind calling out to me, whispering that a fortuitous encounter awaits." Tang Rui looked out the window with a wise scholar's demeanor.
"Rui'er, you're facing north." Tang Houtu felt a headache coming on as he looked at his goofy son. "Do you think fortuitous encounters grow on trees?"
"Of course they do. Where else would they grow from?" Tang Rui asked with a genuinely puzzled face.
"Dumbass, fortuitous and fruits are two different words." Wu Fa retorted.
"Sigh… I wonder if it's your elder sister's fault for hogging all the brains, not leaving anything for you but scraps." Tang Houtu sighed in distress.
"That hurts my feelings, Dad. I also came out of your balls, you know?" Tang Rui groaned.
"Shopkeeper Tang, if you ask me, I think you should just quietly stay here and manage the shop. Your sister's cultivating in a sect, and your mother… er, anyways, are you really going to leave your Dad alone here?"
Tang Rui felt a pang of guilt. Wu Fa wasn't wrong. However, he also had a reason that he must go.
"And that's why no one's asking you, Wu Fa. Rui'er, if you want to go on an adventure, go ahead, just don't die and make sure to come back once in a while to visit." Tang Houtu shook his head.
"Dad, regardless if I can't find a way to cultivate, I'll definitely bring back a hot woman to keep you warm during the night!" Tang Rui declared.
Tang Houtu looked at his son speechlessly, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
Ever since his wife's betrayal, his son had never failed to care for him. Although he appreciated it very much, the thought of being a burden to his son pained him.
…
A few hours later, the sun cast long shadows against the City of Eternity's dusty streets.
Outside the city gates, the surroundings were bustling as people came and went. Yet, Tang Houtu's expression was as heavy as a mountain. Tang Rui stood with a packed bag over his shoulder, looking at his father with misty eyes.
Tang Houtu sighed heavily as he stared at his son with a resigned look. It was the look one would give to a stupid dog trying to catch its tail for hours.
"Bye, Dad. When I become a Divine Armorer, I'll definitely reveal the truth to the world and make mom regret what she did." Tang Rui patted his father's shoulders.
Tang Houtu looked weary. He understood that what his son wanted to do might be even more difficult than cultivating with no Spirit Roots.
He wanted to discourage his son and tell him to simply focus on his own happiness, but he couldn't understand why the damn words wouldn't come out. Instead, it was a dam of tears which was threatening to fall.
However, before a touching father and son scene occurred, a flash of light that came right from behind blinded both their visions.
"What the? Why's there a second sun?" Tang Rui squinted, shielding his face.
He adjusted his vision and realized it was just a bald head aggressively reflecting the afternoon sun.
"Why is the baldy also here? You're ruining the emotional moment between father and son." Tang Rui grimaced.
"Just ignore me. I'm just enjoying your hopeful face. With this, I'll have something to look back on when you come back in three weeks with your hopes and dreams all crushed. Haha." Wu Fa waved his hand casually.
Tang Rui was just about to retort when Tang Houtu interrupted, "Rui'er, don't mind him and be serious for a moment."
"I know this isn't your first time. But out there, tigers like to pretend being pigs, so whatever you do, avoid provoking anyone and always adapt a humble attitude." Tang Houtu stepped forward to fix Tang Rui's collar.
"Fine, fine, I get it. Who do you think your son is? I know when to speak and when to shut up." Tang Rui clicked his tongue though he let a small smile show.
He turned around and faced the road that led toward the city gates. He then threw his head back and grandly declared.
"Farewell, mortals. The future Divine Armorer is departing, don't miss me too much!"
Tang Rui marched off with an exaggerated swagger, his nose pointed high in the air.
Behind him, Tang Houtu and Wu Fa watched him go.
"He's going the wrong way again, that road's a dead end." Wu Fa noted dryly.
"He'll figure it out eventually," Tang Houtu sighed, turning back into the city. "Eventually."
…
Aside from having to go back the road he came from, Tang Rui had been walking for an hour without much surprises.
"Sigh… the air outside the city feels so much more, the grass looks greener. Even the dried sh*t on the road smells better! What danger? It's only dangerous for those who lack destiny. I, the great Shopkeeper Tang—"
A massive explosion filled the sky in the distance before he could even finish his sentence. Resplendent colors burst into his vision like a fireworks shop had been a victim of arson.
Tang Rui stood frozen. His jaw dropped until it nearly hit the floor as he watched the beautiful yet terrifying scene.
Erm… were these fireworks? Do fireworks usually look this dangerous?
With his mouth still agape, a long black rock shot out of the smoke flying across the sky with a perfectly terrible aim.
Tang Rui's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. The long, black rock flew straight into his gaping mouth and lodged itself right in his throat!
"Urhgk?!"
He fell down to his knees alongside the tears which streamed down his face. He clutched his neck as he gagged and choked.
'What just entered my throat?!'
What dogsh*t luck. Of all the debris in the world, why was it a rock the shape of a… cucumber?! And of all the places it could land on, did it really have to land inside his mouth?!
Even if an expert aimed for his gaping mouth from afar, how much skill did it take to hit the bullseye?
Just as he was questioning the heavens, a middle-aged burly man carrying a little girl burst through the smoke.
The burly man wore a blood-stained Divine Armor that was nearly shredded to pieces.
He stared ahead with a desperate expression and saw Tang Rui kneeling on the ground. Despite his perilous situation, he couldn't help but slow down as the scene was simply too weird.
'What's a mortal doing here? And why does he have a long, black rock in his mouth? Is this a new trend from the youngsters?'
Tang Rui didn't see the disgust in the burly man's face. He only saw a ray of hope!
He pointed frantically at his mouth. 'Help me! Please help me!!'
The burly man furrowed his brow. He looked at Tang Rui's desperate hand gestures. Then, realization dawned on his face.
"You need help?" the burly man asked carefully.
Tang Rui nodded like a madman. Yes! Yes!
The burly man hesitated for a moment. He and his daughter were in a life and death situation right now. He didn't have the luxury to help this weirdo out right now.
But then his eyes shone as if he had just thought of a bright idea.
"Alright."
The burly man gently set the little girl down and walked up to Tang Rui.
Tang Rui opened his mouth wider, ready for relief.
However, what the burly man did next was completely out of his expectations. The burly man placed his palm on the end of the rock and shoved the damn rock even further.
"Mmphph!"
Tang Rui's eyes rolled back in his head. He almost passed out from the pressure. He clawed at the burly man's legs, begging him to stop.
"Hang in there, brother! You can do this!"
The burly man grunted and gave one final, mighty push.
Gulp.
The long, black rock slid down Tang Rui's throat and into his stomach.
The burly man looked satisfied. To him, there was nothing wrong with what he did.
A rock that shape and size couldn't just fly into a mouth by accident. That was impossible. Therefore, for whatever odd reason, this man must have been trying to eat it and just got it stuck.
"Li Yun! If I don't kill you today, I swear I'm not human!" a rage-filled voice echoed out from the direction of the explosion as the ground shook violently.
'Damn it, they're getting close. I wasted too much time here.'
The burly man's eyes hardened with resolve, there was no more time. He had to trust the rock-sucker.
"Rock brother, I helped you finish your meal. Now, it's your turn to help me." He grabbed Tang Rui's shoulder.