Chapter 1: Strange Fruits

"No need to pull, the fruits on that little tree are not as delicious as the ones at home. Besides, if you are holding something in your hands, who will carry me?" After saying this, she smiled and leaned her face against his back, leisurely humming a tune.

As she watched more and more blood, Lin Shan's body trembled slightly in fear, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed, "So much blood has been lost, yet you still say it's nothing. It's all my fault; if I hadn't said that the fruit wasn't filling, you wouldn't have gone to pick it, and you wouldn't have cut your hand."

The charming and lovely girl is his betrothed fiancée, a member of the Lin family, named Lin Shan, who is one year younger than him

"Hehe, isn't it that you, Xiao Zhan, are here to protect me?" As she spoke, her adorable little nose sniffed slightly, unable to resist the enticing fragrance of the fruit, and she looked up to ask, "Xiao Zhan, I'm hungry. Can we share it, half for each of us?"

Lin Shan felt a sweet warmth in her heart seeing that he still cared for her at this moment. She obediently responded with a soft "mm" and allowed him to lead her down the mountain towards Shunhe City.

Since childhood, the two of them have been inseparable, studying and learning together, practicing swordsmanship together, and even sharing meals and sleeping together, their innocent bond growing exceptionally deep.

What is truly astonishing is this small tree, which has actually grown out of a peculiar black mineral. It has emerged from a crack in the seemingly solid mineral, miraculously reaching towards the sunlight and resiliently surviving.

... ...

Lin Shan cheered with joy and jumped over to the pit, her fairy-like big eyes suddenly sparkling: "Oh, what beautiful little fruits, how fragrant! Just the smell makes one feel so comfortable!"

As this practitioner at the second level of Qi Refinement hurried at full speed, he finally saw the brightly lit city walls of Shunhe City when the sky was completely dark and the stars had come out

Ah, Xiao Zhan, your hand is bleeding. Lin hurriedly ran to his side, helped him sit down, and took out a handkerchief to help wipe away the blood that was flowing out.

"Hurry up, Xiao Zhan, it's just ahead." The clear and melodious voice broke the silence of the mountains and forests

After walking for a while, Lin Shan suddenly noticed something and exclaimed, "Xiao Zhan'er, since you are carrying me now, what about the stone in your hand and the little tree growing on it?"

Ah, Xiao Zhan, what are you doing? Be careful of the thorns

"Xiao Zhan, I said the meteor should fall here. Look, there is also a reward for the lucky one who finds the meteor," Lin Shan said happily, reaching out to pick the fruit and admiring it repeatedly.

This small tree, which one would not expect, is quite peculiar; on the surface, those tender thorns that seem as if they would break with a mere touch are exceptionally hard and sharp. The moment Qin Zhan grasped the small tree, it immediately cut his palm. "Ouch!" he exclaimed, and bright red blood flowed down, splattering onto the strangely dark mineral.

"It was clearly over here, how could it be missing? I was certain of this location last night," Lin Shan said, her face filled with confusion as she shook her adorable little head. She climbed onto a higher rock, looking around and gesturing.

"Hehe, it's nothing, just a small injury, it will be fine in a few days," Qin Zhan said with a smile to comfort. However, for some reason, the blood from those minor wounds seemed to flow endlessly; although it was little, it kept oozing out without stopping.

Qin Zhan, with a look that suggested he had known it would come to this, raised his head to glance at the descending night sky and shook his head: "You little girl, now you know regret, don't you?" After saying this, he walked in front of her, turned his back slightly, and crouched down a bit: "Alright, come up."

After Lin Shan saw that the bleeding had truly stopped, she ceased her crying. She stared at his hand for a while, and only after confirming that everything was fine did she slightly nod. However, she did not dare to stay in the mountains any longer and quickly said, "Xiao Zhan'er, let's hurry back. We should find Uncle to take a look and apply some medicine so that we can recover sooner."

Qin Zhan smiled lightly, and reached out again towards the thorny little tree.

Half an hour later, Lin Shan, who had been lively and energetic during the day and had consumed a great deal of physical strength, was the first to give in. She looked at Qin Zhan with a pitiful expression and said, "Xiao Zhan, I can't go on any longer"

It really is nothing, look, look, the bleeding has stopped

However, sometimes people behave this way; they may be holding something in their hands and playing with it, but as they continue to play, they casually toss it aside without any awareness, only to realize it much later. This is especially true for children or adolescents who have not yet fully matured.

Alright, Shan'er, we should head back quickly; it's getting late. If we don't return home soon, we might miss dinner. Moreover, have you completed your task? The master mentioned practicing the刺剑 three hundred times, and I remember you haven't finished that yet

The fruit was remarkably exquisite, melting instantly upon entry. Before she could savor its flavor, it transformed into a clear stream that flowed directly into her stomach, leaving no trace. She couldn't help but murmur in complaint: "This fruit is indeed good, but it's just too small; it simply doesn't satisfy my hunger."

Qin Zhan followed her voice and looked towards a relatively open area in the distance. Indeed, he saw a dirt pit with a diameter of about 3 to 4 meters appearing before him. This pit was turned outward from the inside, and it did resemble something that had been caused by an object falling from the sky.

"Hehe, how could there possibly be life on a meteor? Perhaps this place just happens to resemble where a meteor fell." Although Qin Zhan thought this, he was afraid that the little girl hadn't seen the meteor and would want to continue searching. He quickly coaxed her, "Alright, Shan'er, you've seen the meteor now, and you've also received the reward for finding it. Let's hurry back; the sun has already set, and it can be quite dangerous on this mountain at night"

You..." Qin Zhan chuckled and shook his head, quickly setting aside the matter of the ore, and strode towards Shunhe City with her on his back

On the tree-lined path where fallen leaves flutter, a delicate little girl appears, around eleven or twelve years old, dressed in a light blue dress. She swiftly navigates through the woods, occasionally glancing back to greet a young boy behind her. Her snow-white face is adorned with two sweet dimples, making her look particularly adorable

Lin Shan lightly pushed off with her foot and gracefully jumped down from the rock, laughing as she approached him: "It's alright, as long as you don't tell, Master won't know. " Before he could respond, she affectionately took his hand: "Alright, it's settled then. I think I saw a small pit over there, it seems like something fell from the sky and made it, it must be that meteor, let's hurry over there."

Qin Zhan let out a bitter smile of indulgence and said, "Slow down, don't rush!" as she quickly made her way to the so-called place where the meteor had fallen.

After all, it is a minor wound, with just a few scratches and some blood; bleeding a little is already quite exaggerated. If it were to bleed profusely, that would indeed be strange

On the evening of yesterday and the book fair, Lin Shan claimed to have seen a meteor streaking across the sky, landing on Green Shade Mountain. She pulled him along to the mountain, curious to see what those meteors flying in the sky actually looked like. However, Qin Zhan was well aware that while the meteor seemed to have disappeared on Green Shade Mountain, no one could truly ascertain where it had landed. Nevertheless, in order to make her happy, he accompanied her up the mountain.

Lin Shan joyfully rushed in front of him, planted a kiss on his face, and laughed, "I knew Xiao Zhan was the best to me." After saying this, she opened her small mouth and swallowed the fruit in one bite

As they spoke, a boy of about twelve or thirteen years old quickly emerged from beneath the green shade; he was none other than the little Zhan mentioned by the girl—Qin Zhan

Uh, it might have accidentally fallen on the road. It's getting dark soon, so let's hurry back. I will come back into the mountains tomorrow morning to help you look for it

Lush Green Mountain is located more than 8 li south of Shunhe City, entirely surrounded by verdant trees. A gentle breeze wafts through the forest, bringing a refreshing coolness to the early summer weather

Qin Zhan hooked her ankles with his arms and gently called out, "Let's go." He carried her on his back and quickly walked down the mountain.

At this moment, the sky was nearly dark. Listening to the various sounds of insects and beasts occasionally emanating from the forest, Lin Shan began to feel a bit frightened and quickly obediently lay on his back, holding onto him tightly with both hands

Shan'er, could it be that you misread it? We have already traversed nearly half of Green Shade Mountain, yet we have not seen the thing you mentioned.

Here we are, this is the place

As he walked along the mountain path, Qin Zhan admired the scenery, feeling a sense of openness and tranquility in nature that brought him great joy. Even the true energy within him, which had been at a standstill for half a year due to a second-level bottleneck, showed signs of slight movement.

"Shan'er, don't move." Qin Zhan leaped a few times and quickly caught up with her, arriving at the edge of the pit. There, at the center of the impact, on a small tree resembling a thorn bush, grew a fruit the size of a cherry. A faint blue halo emanated from the fruit, releasing a refreshing fragrance.

Indeed, where has the item I was holding gone

Qin Zhan chuckled lightly: "Hehe, if you had said earlier that you wouldn't go back, you would have missed dinner. You insisted on delaying, and now you realize you're hungry, right? Alright, you can eat by yourself; I'm not hungry yet."

Climbing a mountain is easy, but descending is difficult. Although Luyin Mountain is not a particularly high mountain, it spans an area of several dozen square miles. The mountain paths are rugged; while the ascent is filled with enthusiasm, the descent proves to be quite arduous.

Although only twelve years old, as a practitioner at the second level of Qi Refinement, his physical strength is naturally not comparable to that of an ordinary person. Carrying someone on his back is tiring, yet he can still manage it.

Uh, Little Tree? Qin Zhan suddenly felt a bit dazed

If you like to eat it, I will pull this little tree home, and when it bears fruit, we can eat it again naturally. " After saying this, he walked up to the little tree, which was covered with tiny thorns on the surface, hesitated for a moment, and reached out to pull it up

Qin Zhan was originally a member of a prominent family in Shunhe City—he was the son of Qin Yue, the head of the Qin family. From a young age, he received meticulous guidance from his father. By the age of twelve, his cultivation had already reached the second level of Qi Refinement. Among the youth of Shunhe City, no one could surpass him.

"Haha, those branches have thorns. Why don't we just take the whole stone with us?" After saying this, he grabbed the mineral, which was about half the size of a soccer ball, weighed it in his hand, and nodded, saying, "Alright, let's go. I believe it won't be long before you can enjoy this fruit again."