The first encounter

THE NEXT DAY

Morning fog still lingered across the valley when Lin Jie finally decided to leave the mountain.

Although the repaired hut was livable now, he still lacked many necessities.

Food.

Blankets.

Tools.

Most importantly… information.

“This world is way too dangerous to stay ignorant,” he muttered while walking down the narrow forest trail.

The bamboo forest swayed softly around him. Sunlight pierced through the mist in scattered golden beams while distant birds cried through the mountains.

Compared to yesterday’s storm, the atmosphere felt unbelievably peaceful.

Too peaceful, perhaps.

Lin Jie did not notice that countless spirit beasts hidden within the forest were silently watching him leave.

None dared approach.

The pressure surrounding him was terrifyingly calm.

Even the valley itself seemed unwilling to disturb him.

After nearly two hours of walking, the mountain path finally widened.

Then Lin Jie saw smoke rising in the distance.

A village.

Relief immediately appeared on his face.

“Finally.”

Stone Creek Village rested beside a clear river beneath the mountains. Small wooden homes lined muddy roads while farmers carried baskets of vegetables through the streets.

Children played beside the riverbanks.

Old women washed clothes nearby.

The village looked poor but peaceful.

The moment Lin Jie entered the village entrance, however, the atmosphere changed.

Several villagers froze immediately.

One middle-aged man nearly dropped the bucket in his hands.

“…A stranger?”

Outsiders rarely visited Stone Creek Village.

Especially not from Qinghe Valley.

Lin Jie raised a hand awkwardly.

“Hello.”

The villagers stared silently.

An elderly man with gray hair slowly stepped forward holding a wooden cane.

His sharp eyes carefully examined Lin Jie from head to toe.

“You came from the mountain?”

Lin Jie nodded.

“I found an abandoned hut there yesterday.”

The villagers immediately became pale.

A woman gasped softly.

Another man stepped backward instinctively.

The old man narrowed his eyes.

“You stayed there overnight?”

“…Yes?”

The silence became heavier.

Lin Jie suddenly felt uncomfortable.

“Did I say something wrong?”

The elderly man continued staring for several seconds before finally sighing.

“You don’t seem possessed.”

“…Possessed?”

The villagers exchanged nervous looks.

Finally, the old man introduced himself.

“My name is Wu Chen. Most people call me Old Wu.”

Lin Jie quickly bowed politely.

“Lin Jie.”

Old Wu nodded slowly.

“You truly survived Qinghe Valley alone?”

Lin Jie scratched his cheek awkwardly.

“Well… I mostly just hid inside the hut because of the rain.”

The villagers looked even more shocked.

Because according to local rumors, Qinghe Valley was cursed land.

Spiritual storms constantly descended there.

Wild beasts avoided it.

Even cultivators rarely entered safely.

Yet this strange young man not only survived…

He looked completely fine.

Old Wu eventually shook his head.

“Come. Standing outside won’t solve anything.”

Lin Jie followed him into the village.

Along the way, countless villagers secretly observed him through windows and doorways.

Some looked curious.

Others looked frightened.

Lin Jie noticed the reactions but assumed outsiders were simply rare here.

Old Wu eventually brought him to a small wooden workshop near the center of the village.

The smell of fresh wood filled the air.

Tools hung neatly across the walls while unfinished furniture rested beside worktables.

“You’re a carpenter?” Lin Jie asked.

Old Wu chuckled proudly.

“For forty years.”

Lin Jie smiled slightly.

The atmosphere finally relaxed a little.

Old Wu poured rough tea into two cups before speaking again.

“So. What exactly are you doing in Qinghe Valley?”

Lin Jie hesitated briefly.

Should he explain transmigration?

Probably not.

“I… lost my memories after an accident,” he answered carefully. “I woke up in the mountains yesterday.”

Old Wu studied him silently before nodding.

“You don’t look like a criminal.”

“That’s reassuring.”

The old man laughed loudly.

For the first time, the atmosphere became genuinely friendly.

Lin Jie finally asked the question bothering him most.

“Earlier, everyone mentioned Qinghe Valley being dangerous. Why?”

Old Wu’s expression darkened slightly.

“Cultivators.”

Lin Jie blinked.

“…Cultivators?”

Old Wu stared at him strangely.

“You truly don’t know?”

The old carpenter slowly explained.

This world was ruled by cultivation sects.

Powerful immortals could:

- fly through the skies,

- command spirit beasts,

- split mountains,

- and live for hundreds of years.

Ordinary mortals like Stone Creek Village survived carefully beneath them.

Lin Jie listened silently.

At first, it sounded ridiculous.

Then he remembered:

- the glowing flowers,

- the strange pressure in the mountains,

- the oversized birds,

- and the impossible atmosphere surrounding Qinghe Valley.

Slowly, his expression stiffened.

“…You’re serious.”

Old Wu nodded calmly.

Lin Jie lowered his head and stared at the tea in his hands.

A cultivation world.

A real cultivation world.

He has read many novel and manhua about cultivation in his previous world .

he knows the danger of cultivation world.

Thou, deep in his mind Lin Jie thought to himself.

"if I'm an transmigrated , will i also recieved a powerful system and enjoy beautiful harem" he giggle to himself while thinking the possibility.

He suddenly understood why the villagers looked so afraid.

If immortals truly existed here, then ordinary people were probably incredibly vulnerable.

Old Wu noticed his silence and sighed.

“Don’t worry too much. Powerful cultivators rarely care about villages this small.”

“That somehow isn’t comforting.”

The old man laughed again.

Then Lin Jie noticed something strange nearby.

A wooden cart beside the workshop leaned awkwardly to one side.

“The wheel’s alignment is wrong,” Lin Jie said casually.

Old Wu blinked.

“You can tell from there?”

Lin Jie stood and crouched beside the cart.

One support beam had warped slightly, shifting the axle angle.

“It’s not serious,” he explained. “The balance is uneven.”

Old Wu frowned.

“I’ve tried fixing that thing three times already.”

Lin Jie grabbed a wooden wedge from the floor and adjusted the beam carefully.

Then he tightened the support rope.

The cart immediately straightened perfectly.

Old Wu stared in shock.

“…How?”

Lin Jie looked confused.

“Basic leverage?”

Several nearby villagers had gathered outside the workshop during the repair.

Now they stared at Lin Jie with surprise.

One farmer whispered quietly,

“He fixed it instantly…”

Another villager muttered,

“Maybe he really is a wandering scholar.”

Lin Jie awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

“It’s nothing special.”

But Old Wu’s eyes had already changed slightly.

Perhaps this strange young man from Qinghe Valley was not ordinary after all.

Meanwhile, hidden above the village rooftops, a rogue cultivator silently observed everything.

His spiritual senses locked directly onto Lin Jie.

The cultivator frowned.

“No spiritual energy?”

Then he activated a soul inspection technique.

The instant his consciousness touched Lin Jie—

BOOM.

The cultivator’s vision exploded into darkness.

An endless abyss appeared before him.

Silent.

Heavy.

Infinite.

It felt less like observing a human…

And more like staring into sealed heaven itself.

The cultivator coughed blood instantly.

“What… what is that?!”

Terror flooded his face.

He fled immediately without daring to look back.

Below, Lin Jie remained completely unaware.

He simply smiled politely while drinking tea beside Old Wu.

For the first time since arriving in this world…

He finally felt like he might survive here.

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