Longyang Village.
Surrounded by mountains, there is a large lake right in the center called Longyang Lake.
Carrying a bamboo basket on his back, Lin Xiaolong was making a strenuous climb toward the mountain peak.
The scorching sun blazed in the sky. In weather like this, nobody would venture outside; everyone simply stayed indoors.
Lin Xiaolong was heading up the mountain to gather medicinal herbs to treat his parents.
He had originally been the only college student in the village, majoring in medicine. With his handsome and refined appearance, a bright future lay ahead of him.
However, during the second semester of his freshman year, he caught the eye of a city girl named Huang Jing, who began dating him.
Coming from the countryside, Lin Xiaolong was utterly naive and genuinely believed Huang Jing really liked him.
He never expected that Huang Jing only thought he was handsome and was just toying with him. After two months of amusement, she kicked him ruthlessly to the curb.
Refusing to accept this, Lin Xiaolong went to confront Huang Jing, only to walk in on her rolling around in bed with her new boyfriend.
Huang Jing's new boyfriend, Zhao Meng, was a campus bully whose family ran a construction business. Seeing that Lin Xiaolong actually dared to look for Huang Jing, Zhao Meng immediately rounded up a few thugs and beat Lin Xiaolong within an inch of his life.
Suffering from a severe concussion, Lin Xiaolong was reduced to a simpleton and expelled from school.
Unable to stomach the injustice, Lin Xiaolong's father, Lin Qiusheng, went to demand an explanation from Zhao Meng and had his legs broken by Zhao Meng on the spot.
After kind-hearted strangers carried Lin Qiusheng back home, Lin Xiaolong's mother, Wang Ju, was so overcome with grief and anger that she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. Although she survived, she was left hemiplegic, able to move only in shuffling circles and incapable even of cooking a meal.
The heavy burden of the household suddenly fell entirely onto the shoulders of Lin Xiaolong's younger sister, Lin Xiaoxue.
As a result, Lin Xiaoxue had to drop out of school.
Yet Lin Xiaoxue harbored not a single complaint, working tirelessly day after day to care for the family.
Even though Lin Xiaolong had become a simpleton, he was still able to do some work. Every day, the only thing he knew to do was carry a bamboo basket up the mountain to gather herbs to cure his parents.
Of course, no matter how many herbs he gathered, they had never once worked.
Finally reaching the summit, Lin Xiaolong was panting heavily. A breeze blowing across the mountain brought a refreshing coolness.
Just as Lin Xiaolong was about to stand up and search for herbs, a strange sound suddenly echoed from not far away.
What kind of sound was that?
Curious, Lin Xiaolong walked in that direction.
There were two large boulders there, with a flat stone wedged between them. The sound was coming from that stone in the middle.
After taking only a few steps, Lin Xiaolong heard a man's voice: "Don't worry, Chun'er, nobody will ever come out here. We can do whatever we want."
Even more curious, Lin Xiaolong quickened his pace and walked over, only to witness a sight that made his nose bleed.
Village Chief Liu Dabiao and Accountant Wang Chun were engaged in that kind of activity.
Lin Xiaolong's sudden appearance startled the two of them.
Wang Chun hurriedly scrambled to grab her clothes and cover herself.
Meanwhile, Liu Dabiao flew into a rage out of shame and leaped straight to his feet, rushing over to the dumbfounded Lin Xiaolong.
"Damn it, you big fool, what are you doing here? You ruined my good time."
"I... I'm gathering herbs. Village Chief, don't you have a wife? Accountant Wang has a husband, too." Lin Xiaolong was genuinely simple-minded, or he wouldn't have asked such an idiotic question.
"None of your damn business! Get lost, and if you dare breathe a word of this, I'll finish you off," Liu Dabiao threatened fiercely.
"Oh!" Lin Xiaolong turned and walked away.
"Biao Ge, if he talks, the two of us are finished," Wang Chun reminded him anxiously.
"Damn it, how could anyone show up in a place like this?"
Muttering to himself, Liu Dabiao suddenly felt a wave of malice rise in his heart.
In a few strides, he was behind Lin Xiaolong, grabbed him by the shoulders, and dragged him toward the edge of the nearby cliff.
At the bottom of the cliff lay Longyang Lake.
The cliff was hundreds of meters high; even if the fall didn't kill you, you would definitely drown.
Terrified that his scandalous affair would be exposed, Liu Dabiao decided to make a clean sweep of it and silence him permanently.
Lin Xiaolong was already simple-minded and physically very weak.
Seized by the tall and sturdy Liu Dabiao, he had not the slightest bit of strength to resist.
Whoosh!
Before he even realized what was happening, he had already been hurled over the edge by Liu Dabiao.
The wind whistled loudly in his ears.
Lin Xiaolong plummeted rapidly.
Crying out in terror, he flailed his arms, frantically grabbing at the vines growing along the cliff face.
Liu Dabiao peered over the edge and looked down, feeling a momentary dizziness.
Splash!
A huge splash erupted in the water below.
Humph!
Disturbing my good mood—go feed the turtles down there!
"Biao Ge, did you really throw him down?" Wang Chun asked in shock.
"Don't worry, darling, this fool accidentally slipped and fell into Longyang Lake all by himself. It has nothing to do with us."
With that, Liu Dabiao lunged forward once more: "Let's continue. This place is simply too thrilling."
Although no one disturbed them anymore, Wang Chun remained on tenterhooks because of the incident with Lin Xiaolong, constantly feeling as though he might climb back up, which left Liu Dabiao with very little enthusiasm.
Wrapping things up hastily, the two of them hurried away from the spot.
The afternoon passed quickly.
Night fell.
On Longyang Mountain, darkness shrouded everything, punctuated from time to time by the eerie, spine-chilling cries of night owls.
Hoo-hoo-wa... hoo-hoo-wa...
Halfway down the cliff.
On a protruding blue stone.
Lin Xiaolong's body was wrapped tightly in vines.
What had fallen into the water was actually a stone.
He had passed out from fright during his descent, but the cool night mountain wind finally blew him awake.
Taking in his situation, Lin Xiaolong nearly pissed himself in fright.
A slight movement of his body made him feel as though he was about to plunge further down.
As it turned out, during his fall, he had grabbed a vine on the cliff face, and the vines had wound around his body, saving his life.
Lin Xiaolong looked upward. It was pitch black, and the top was completely out of sight.
Looking down, the dark lake water reflected the moonlight, still appearing to be more than a hundred meters below.
What on earth should he do?
Suspended between heaven and earth with no solid ground in sight, he was going to starve to death right here.
The blue stone was too small; the slightest movement might send him tumbling down.
Involuntarily, Lin Xiaolong leaned further backward.
His backside met empty air, and fully half his body slipped into a recess.
Huh?
There was actually a cave entrance behind him?
Reaching out, Lin Xiaolong pulled away the vines wrapping his body, cleared the weeds and vines from the mouth of the cave, and exposed a dark opening more than tall enough for a person to walk through.
Though a bit frightened, Lin Xiaolong figured it was still better than staying outside where he could plummet at any second.
Plucking up his courage, he entered the cave. The very first thing that met his eyes was a statue emitting a greenish-phosphorescent glow. It looked like an ancient Daoist priest, sitting cross-legged directly facing the entrance.
The statue actually appeared to be carved from jade.
In the greenish glow, Lin Xiaolong looked around. The cave was not large, measuring around forty or fifty square meters.
Nothing else was clearly visible in the surroundings, except for a straw meditation mat placed directly in front of the statue.
Having escaped death by a hair, Lin Xiaolong felt that the statue inside had protected him.
He immediately stepped forward, knelt on the mat, and began kowtowing to the statue.
Thud, thud, thud.
Lin Xiaolong knocked his head against the ground three resounding times: "Thank you, Great Deity, for saving my life."
What he did not know was that he had a wound on his head from a bump sustained during his fall; as he kowtowed, his fresh blood made contact with a stone on the ground and was absorbed directly into it.
Just as Lin Xiaolong started to rise, the jade statue suddenly dissolved into specks of fluorescent light, which darted swiftly toward his head.
In the blink of an eye, the statue had vanished completely without a trace.
Inside Lin Xiaolong's mind, a vast amount of information he had never seen before suddenly appeared.
"Lin Xiaolong, I am the Zhenren of Longyang. You and I share a bond of fate, and I now impart all the knowledge of my lifetime to you. May you punish evil and promote good, bringing blessings to all people."
A thunderous voice echoed in Lin Xiaolong's ears. Once it finished speaking, silence fell completely.
Lin Xiaolong was utterly stunned. His previously muddled mind instantly became incomparably clear.
Chapter 2 Xiangxiu
The Divine Doctor Arts.
The Longyang Formula.
The Yin-Yang Tactics.
The Divine Doctor Arts could cure all kinds of difficult and miscellaneous ailments.
The Longyang Formula allowed one to become a martial expert through cultivation.
The Yin-Yang Tactics allowed one to observe yin and yang and foretell the future.
The Divine Doctor Arts and the Yin-Yang Tactics were already deeply imprinted in Lin Xiaolong's mind and fully mastered.
As for the Longyang Formula, it required him to practice according to its key techniques in order to become an expert.
Now, having become the successor of the Zhenren of Longyang, Lin Xiaolong's mind had cleared in an instant; he was no longer the simpleton he had been before.
Every detail of the past was now clearly recalled.
Lin Xiaolong clenched his fists. Those who harmed me, just wait for the storm to arrive.
The statue before him had completely vanished. Lin Xiaolong bowed three more times: "Thank you, Master."
Then, he began to inspect the interior of the cave.After receiving the true inheritance, his eyesight also became extremely sharp, allowing him to see clearly even inside the pitch-black cave.
After looking around, he found nothing else, but near the cave entrance, he discovered an iron chain hidden against the cliff face. He gave it a tug, and it was very sturdy.
That meant he could use this iron chain to climb up to the top of the mountain.
However, Lin Xiaolong did not climb up.
Although he had obtained the inheritance, he still felt that his body was very weak.
With physical strength like this, he simply wouldn't be able to make it to the top.
Lin Xiaolong decided to cultivate the Longyang Formula in the cave first.
The Longyang Formula had a total of ninety-nine stages.
Lin Xiaolong crossed his legs and began to practice according to the incantations of the Longyang Formula imprinted in his mind.
Wisps of spiritual energy from the surrounding mountains rapidly gathered inside the cave and were absorbed into Lin Xiaolong's body.
With the true teachings of Master Longyang, Lin Xiaolong cultivated very quickly. Two hours later, he had already broken through the first stage of the Longyang Formula.
He leaped to his feet, feeling his entire body brimming with strength.
His bodily perception was also several times stronger than before.
When a flying insect passed in front of him, he felt that the insect was flying very slowly and that he could catch it just by reaching out his hand.
In reality, it wasn't that the insect's speed had slowed down, but rather that his own reaction time had become much faster.
Thinking of his parents and younger sister at home, and realizing that it was so late and he still hadn't returned, they must be very worried. Lin Xiaolong decided to quickly climb to the top of the mountain and head back home.
Once outside, Lin Xiaolong followed the iron chain, climbing upward rapidly like an ape.
The distance from here to the mountaintop was a full two hundred meters, yet he climbed up effortlessly without the slightest feeling of fatigue.
Then, under the cover of night, he hurried down the mountain toward Longyang Village.
Previously, going down the mountain would take at least three hours. This time, even though it was nighttime, thanks to his abundant physical strength and clear vision, he reached the foot of the mountain in less than an hour.
Beside the large walnut tree at the entrance of the village was the home of Xiangxiu, the pretty village widow.
Although Xiangxiu was a widow, she was only twenty-five years old, plump, tender, and as alluring as a ripe peach.She was a bride taken in by the village carpenter, Wang, to bring good luck and ward off bad omens for his ailing son. But before they could even share a bed, Wang's son died. Heartbroken and in despair, the carpenter hanged himself as well, leaving only her, a young widow, in the house.
There was no telling how many men in the village lusted after her day in and day out, occasionally trying to flirt or mess with her, yet she never gave any of them the time of day.
To Lin Xiaolong, however, Xiangxiu was quite good, often bringing him homemade treats to eat.
As Lin Xiaolong passed by Xiangxiu's house, he couldn't help but stop and linger at her front gate for a moment.
Suddenly, footsteps came from inside.
Lin Xiaolong was startled. Had someone broken in, or was Sister Xiangxiu just getting up to use the restroom?
While he was still dazed, the gate suddenly flew open.
Then, with a splash, a basin of water was hurled right at Lin Xiaolong, soaking him from head to toe in an instant.
Standing in the doorway, Xiangxiu, dressed in a thin nightgown, was also taken aback.
Why on earth was someone standing right outside the door?
Could it be one of those stinking men trying to take advantage of her again?
"Sister Xiangxiu, how did you know I was so hot I wanted a bath?" Lin Xiaolong asked with a wry smile.
Sister Xiangxiu was simply enchanting, especially beneath the moonlight.
"Xiaolong, what are you doing here?" Upon seeing that it was Lin Xiaolong, Xiangxiu instantly breathed a sigh of relief, and unexpectedly, a wave of joy rose in her heart.
"I was up the mountain gathering herbs and passed by this place," Lin Xiaolong said, looking at Xiangxiu.
Seeing Lin Xiaolong staring at her, Xiangxiu couldn't help feeling a bit shy.
"Xiaolong, have you lost your mind? Coming back from the mountain this late, aren't you afraid of being eaten by wild wolves? You're all sweaty—don't catch a cold from the water I threw on you," Xiangxiu asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, I'll head off now." Lin Xiaolong wiped the water from his head and made to leave.
"No, come inside the house and dry off first."
Stepping forward, Xiangxiu grabbed Lin Xiaolong's hand and pulled him into the house.
Lin Xiaolong wanted to refuse, but the words died on his lips.
Once inside, Xiangxiu turned around, shut the courtyard gate, and bolted it from the inside.
Then, she pulled Lin Xiaolong into the courtyard.
"Xiaolong, I happen to have some hot water boiled. I just finished bathing, so you can wash up here too. It'll feel nice and refreshing," Xiangxiu said to Lin Xiaolong.
"How could I possibly impose?" Lin Xiaolong said."Xiaolong, you silly boy, still acting shy?" Xiangxiu added water to the large tub without letting him argue, testing the temperature with her hand. "Alright, go ahead and wash. I'm going inside. Call me when you're finished."
Lin Xiaolong, feeling sticky and grimy from sweat, didn't push the matter further. Once he saw Xiangxiu retreat into the house, he stripped off his clothes and began to wash.
Inside the house, Xiangxiu hesitated for a moment. Finally, unable to resist, she stood up and walked to the doorway, peering out.
Under the moonlight, Lin Xiaolong was bathing. His body radiated the vigor of youth, looking incredibly sturdy and well-built. Xiangxiu couldn't help but let out a sigh. Since marrying into this village, she had been a widow for three years, remaining untouched all the while. Yet, she was a woman with needs.
Lin Xiaolong had handsome, delicate features. Even though he was considered a "fool," his heart was remarkably kind. Compared to him, the men in the village who constantly coveted her body were nothing more than beasts. Perhaps, she thought to herself, tonight she would just give herself to him...
Xiangxiu made a secret resolution.
As Lin Xiaolong finished washing and reached for his dirty clothes, Xiangxiu emerged, holding a set of clean ones. "Xiaolong, don't put those dirty things back on. Wear these instead." She handed him the clothes, her gaze burning with an intensity she didn't bother to hide; instead, she watched him quite boldly.
Lin Xiaolong had never experienced anything like this before. He grabbed the clothes and scrambled to put them on in a flurry of confusion. His flustered appearance only made Xiangxiu cover her mouth and giggle.
"Sister, thank you. It's getting late, I should go," Lin Xiaolong said, feeling awkward and eager to leave once he was dressed.
"Don't go." Xiangxiu grabbed his hand. "Xiaolong, come inside. I have something to show you."
"Sister, what are you going to show me?" Lin Xiaolong felt a premonition of what might happen, his throat suddenly dry.
"Come inside and you'll see."
Xiangxiu led him into the house. The light inside was dim. She turned and shut the door, bolting it from the inside.
"Sister Xiangxiu, what exactly do you want me to see?" Lin Xiaolong asked again, looking at her.
"My back is itchy, and I can't reach it. Could you scratch it for me?" Xiangxiu said, her face flushing crimson.
"Huh?" Although he had sensed something, actually facing the situation left him feeling at a loss.
"Don't be a fool, come on." Xiangxiu sat on the bed, her back to him.
"Alright then."
Lin Xiaolong walked behind her and was just about to scratch her back when a heavy "thump" came from outside, as if something had fallen to the ground. Then, footsteps could be heard running toward the door.
Someone was there.
Both of them were startled, jumping to their feet at the same time. Lin Xiaolong pulled his hand back.
"Who is it?" Xiangxiu couldn't help but ask.
"Xiangxiu, my little darling, it's your Brother Erhu. Hurry up and open the door. Let Brother Erhu take good care of you."
From outside the door came the voice of Liu Erhu, the younger brother of the village chief, Liu Dabiao. Both brothers were local bullies, known for preying on the weak and committing all sorts of evil. Liu Erhu had been coveting Xiangxiu for a long time, but she had always guarded against him, preventing him from ever getting his way. She hadn't expected him to be drunk enough tonight to jump over her wall.
"Erhu, you bastard! What are you doing at my house in the middle of the night? Get lost!" Xiangxiu shouted.
"Heh heh, I'm not going anywhere. In fact, I'm going to be rolling around on that bed with you. Open the door, or I'm going to bash it in!" Erhu barked arrogantly.
He was a ruthless man, and almost no one in the village dared to provoke him. Xiangxiu’s house was located on the outskirts of the village, quite far from the others. Even if people heard the commotion, they would stick to the principle of "less trouble is better than more" and stay away. Erhu knew exactly that. Moreover, he figured that since she was a widow—and a woman who valued her reputation—she wouldn't dare to cry out. After all, if she caused a scene, she would never be able to wash the rumors off her. Who would believe she was still innocent?
Erhu’s assumption hit Xiangxiu’s greatest vulnerability.
"Get out! Or I really will scream!" Xiangxiu trembled with fear.
"Go ahead and scream! No one is coming even if you scream until your throat gives out. If you aren't afraid of losing face, then go right ahead!"
*Bang!*
Erhu began slamming his body against the door.