Eternal Tale

The gentle breeze blew, causing the trees on a small hill to sway and rattle.

A young man could be seen lying on the hill, with a stem of green bristlegrass in his mouth, gazing into the distance.

”Eternal life is truly as lonely as snow.” He sighed; however, his sigh didn’t convey a feeling of sadness, but rather an intense sense of secret delight.

”Moo~ Moo~”

Sitting beside him was a black ox with a broken horn. Yes, sitting. It was not standing, but rather sitting on its hind legs, with its back held straight.

The young man’s name was Chen Xun, and he had crossed over a year ago. This world was vast and boundless, with countless immortal cultivators who were able to move mountains and overturn seas. They sat high above the clouds, overlooking the mortal world.

When Chen Xun crossed over, he unexpectedly brought a system with him. He was truly shocked at the time, as the stories of numerous protagonists from novels flashed through his mind.

However, Chen Xun’s system was different from those invincible systems with powerful techniques.

He has achieved immortality…. The laws of heaven and earth can no longer limit his lifespan. And he could only choose one of his five attributes to increase every year. They were Strength, Speed, Defense, Spiritual Energy, and The Essence of all Things.

He understood attributes like Strength, Speed, Defense, and Spiritual Energy. However, he was unable to wrap his head around The Essence of all Things. He eventually gave up thinking about it and went about his life, as that was the most important thing to him.

The system was quite considerate as well; it gave him an immortal spirit beast as a companion on his immortal journey.

Although the spirit beast couldn’t speak, it could understand his words. It also got an attribute point of its own every year, and he didn’t have to spend his points to help it increase its attributes.

”We may be immortal, but we can still be killed. Let’s be careful in the future.” Chen Xun let out another long sigh.

Six months ago, he and the black ox had planted a rice field in a small mountain village and raised a bunch of chickens. Little did he know that on a dark and windy night, Old Wang, from the neighboring village, along with a group of people, would come and steal everything.

When Chen Xun found out, he was filled with anger. Where was the justice? The law? He sharpened his knife fiercely, picked up an axe, and took the black ox to the neighboring village, demanding justice. However, they were outnumbered. Chen Xun was brutally beaten, and one of the black ox’s horns was torn off. They fled in disarray and spent several days recovering from their injuries.

”Moo!”

The black ox let out a heavy snort; its eyes filled with resentment towards those people.

This incident left a deep psychological scar on Chen Xun, with far-reaching effects.

[Ding! The host can now add points.]

Chen Xun smirked; a year had passed. Give me my point!

He quickly added the point to Strength without hesitation. It was because he was too weak that he was beaten and held down.

Holy moly!

Suddenly, Chen Xun’s face turned as red as a pig’s liver, and a surge of strength coursed through his body.

”My fate is determined by me, not by the heavens!”

Veins bulged on his arms as he delivered a punch to the ground, startling the black ox, and causing it to jump.

Bang!

His new power was really effective…. Although it couldn’t crack the ground, it broke his hand…. He spent several days recovering from the injury. He also added his companion’s point to its Strength. Although, there didn’t seem to be much of an effect.

After witnessing Chen Xun’s situation, the black ox casually tested its strength; which turned out to be quite impressive.

In this world, mortals were expected to bow and show respect to immortal cultivators. It was absolutely forbidden to offend them; even the people in this remote mountain village knew that. The laws of this world seemed to be ingrained in its people’s bones.

Both Chen Xun and the black ox lived in a thatched cottage in a small mountain village, away from worldly strife.

”Brother Xun!”

The voice of a boy sounded outside the thatched cottage. It was Xiao Heizi from the village. He was born with dark skin and was given the nickname Xiao Heizi, meaning ’little black one.’

”What’s up, Xiao Heizi?” Chen Xun’s injuries had already healed, and he leisurely opened the door.

”The village chief asked me to bring you some rice.” Xiao Heizi grinned while holding a bag of rice, his eyes innocent and naive.

”Thank the village chief for me.” Chen Xun received the bag of rice, deeply moved.

He and the black ox had been eating vegetables for the past few days. They were close to starving.

It was laughable for an immortal to die of starvation! He would have become the biggest laughingstock of this vast world!

Chen Xun couldn’t help but feel resentment. However, revenge was a dish better served cold. “We will dig up your family’s ancestral grave, sooner or later.”

”Brother Xun, I’ll go home now. My mother is calling me for dinner.”

”Alright, hurry back,” Chen Xun said with a smile.

Looking at the bag of rice in his hands, he couldn’t help but break out in tears. There were still many good people in this world….

”Moo!”

The black ox impatiently let out a roar from inside the thatched cottage. It didn’t like eating grass; it too liked eating rice.

Not too long after, steam filled the cottage and the fragrant smell of rice broke out. Both man and ox sat on the ground and began devouring the food, their eyes filled with hope for the future.

”Old ox, we have to live well and lay low. We can’t act impulsively anymore.” Chen Xun chewed the rice in his mouth and gulped down a mouthful. ”The world is vast. When we make it big, I’ll find you a few old cows!”

”Moo! Moo!”

The ox’s eyes held a hint of disdain, as if to say, ”Wasn’t it you who rushed into the village with an axe?”

”When you are outnumbered and the enemy is more powerful than you, you must use strategy!” Chen Xun said mysteriously.

The black ox’s eyes brightened, and it immediately leaned closer to Chen Xun.

”When they’re old and feeble, we’ll smash their teeth and dig up their ancestral graves! How dare they provoke an immortal cultivator?” Chen Xun spoke confidently, his eyes sharp and full of arrogance.

”Moo! Moo!”

The black ox’s large bell-like eyes sparkled, nodding repeatedly. This was a good plan, a really good plan!

”Hmm? What is that burnt smell?” Chen Xun sniffed and suddenly looked towards the kitchen, his eyes widening in shock. ”Our thatched cottage!”

”Moo!”

The black ox also let out a startled snort.

”It’s on fire!”

”Chen Xun’s house is on fire! Quick, put out the fire!”

After an hour, the flames were gradually put out. The entire thatched cottage was nearly burned down, and both man and ox had lost all hope; kneeling outside the burnt remains, life seemed meaningless.

The villagers offered a few consoling words before dispersing.

”It’s over. we’ve lost our home,” Chen Xun said in a dazed and desolate manner.

Chen Xun was an orphan, and in his life, he had suffered one disaster after another; he was pitiful, to say the least.

It seemed that misfortune always followed him, and life was inherently harsh.

Looking at the burnt cottage, he felt lost. He didn’t even know how to build a house….

However, there is always a way out. The black ox had used rumination to preserve some of the rice, enough for them to sustain themselves for a few more days.

”Old ox, I saw a few caves below the slope on the eastern side. Ah… let’s live there,” Chen Xun said, shaking his head in frustration.

He would have to learn some new skills from the villagers. He only took up farming recently and didn’t know anything else.

”Moo!”

The black ox didn’t mind; wherever Chen Xun went, that was its home.

Outside the small mountain village, the black ox carried a bundle of hay on its back, while Chen Xun gathered some dry firewood and brought it to the cave. They would temporarily stay there.

In the following year, Chen Xun became apprenticed to the village carpenter, and the black ox helped carry things around.

The villagers said that it had spiritual nature and asked Chen Xun not to slaughter it for food. Chen Xun chuckled in response. He wouldn’t betray his friend even if he were starving.

At the end of the year, the villagers slaughtered several cows and held a grand feast for everyone to celebrate the new year.

”Delicious.” Chen Xun laughed as he ate the beef heartily.

And of course, Chen Xun wouldn’t miss out on such a good opportunity to get some good food. He didn’t let the leftovers go to waste, packing them up with the help of the black ox. They still needed to be frugal in their daily lives.

Looking at the beef, the black ox’s eyes constricted; it hesitated to take it.

Inside the cave, the big black ox ate with relish, and Chen Xun finished all the beef that it didn’t eat.