Chapter 8 - Accident?

In a crowded restaurant in a village, a young man in a white robe was serving the diners.

Since the village was near the Mountain of Abyss, it was always filled with an adventure-seeking crowd.

It was even said that a powerful cultivator had left behind a treasure, and that's why no one could return from the depths of the mountains.

Nearly one month has passed since the old man was killed. The death devastated Fang Yan, who has always considered this man as a father,. He struggled quite a bit to recover from the shock.

In the end, he accepted the reality of the situation and took over the restaurant the old man had left behind.

Throughout his childhood, he had brief contact with the surrounding people. Only two people held a special place in his heart.

One was the old man, whom he considered his father, and the other was Xiao Ying, a person who was always close to him when he needed it most. In fact, he considered her to be his future wife.

Her family owned a small herb store, which was harvested from the foot of the mountains.

While he was serving diners, he heard a conversation from a nearby table.

"You know, a group of cultivators from the Eternal Palace sect has reached here," a voice said.

"Eternal Palace Sect?" he mumbled as he got stuck. Even the cultivator who killed the old man was connected to the Eternal Palace Sect.

Even though he wasn't a cultivator, he was familiar with the Eternal Palace Sect. A powerful sect of the Black Dragon Continent, with branches spread throughout every empire.

Members of the sect are regarded as elite cultivators.

"Is it true one cultivator even spoke to that Ying girl from the Xiao family?"

"Yes, I even saw them go deep into the mountain,"

Fang Yan could not comprehend what he had just heard.

Suddenly, the loud sound of breaking plates was heard across the room.

Everyone swiveled their heads to look at Fang Yan, who stood still on the spot while plates were strewn on the floor all around.

Following a moment of silence, he looked toward the men who were just talking to each other about Xiao Ying, and then hurriedly ran out of the restaurant.

"Hah, what a shame. I heard they were childhood sweethearts." Someone said.

Fang Yan ran towards Xiao Ying's House to confirm if it was the same girl they were talking about.

As he hurriedly knocked on the door of a small house, he felt nervous.

As an obese woman opened the door, a frown formed on her face as she glanced at Fang Yan.

"What are you doing here?" she asked indignantly.

"Where is Ying'er?" He hurriedly asked as his heartbeat sped up.

"How could you take her name like that? And do not destroy her life anymore. A cultivator from the Eternal Palace sect has promised us to make her his concubine," she screamed and told Fang Yan.

Her words broke his heart. This was the first time in his life that he felt powerless. Had he been powerful, this would not have happened.

Xiao Ying lived with her mother and brother. Her father passed away several years ago. None of her family members liked Fang Yan. They widely knew that the old man had adopted him as the abandoned child.

Xiao Ying's mother didn't want her to have a relationship with an abandoned child who had no known heritage.

Suddenly, a sense of abandonment filled his heart.

"Where is she?" he asked in a hoarse voice.

"I told you not to go near her from now on!" she yelled. A crowd formed around the house when people heard her scream.

"I wanted to speak with her one last time," Fang Yan remarked as he took a deep breath.

Xiao Ying's mother frowned as she snorted, "She should be in the mountains."

A look of anger could be seen on Yang's face as he left the place.

As he approached the mountain, Fang Yan's head was filled with memories of Xiao Ying. Even though she hadn't told him, he sensed her interest in him all along.

He was mistaken, though; she didn't like him. She was just like everyone else. At most, she sympathized with him.

By the time he reached the foot of the mountains, Xiao Ying was nowhere to be found. As his mind began playing with the images of her making love with the cultivator, his heart sank.

A deep breath cleared his mind as he climbed deep into the mountains.

He spotted many groups of cultivators as he made his way into the mountains. When these people saw a young boy embarking on a journey deep into the mountains. They mocked his bravery but didn't intercept him because no one knew his background.

When it comes to cultivation, background matters more than anything else. Nobody wants to set off a hornet's nest.

As Fang Yan made his way deep into the mountain, he spotted a lone female figure standing at the edge of the cliff. His heart pounded when he saw her.

"What is she doing here?" He mumbled as he approached her.

Upon closer inspection, he found she was lost in thoughts, and her clothes were torn as she gazed down the cliff.

...........

The memories about her being played by that cultivator flooded her mind as Xiao Ying gazed up at the darkness. However, she was abruptly interrupted by footsteps approaching her. Suddenly, a vision of a figure entered her mind, causing her heart to race.

She hurriedly turned around and saw Fang Yan approaching. The tears welled up in her eyes as she leaped into his arms.

"I'm sorry, Brother Yan." she bawled, tears streaming down her face as she was holding him.

Her heart was heavy with regret, regret for not being able to refuse that cultivator.

During the dark times of her life, it was her Brother Yan who was there for her. The feeling of security in his arms made her swear that she would never betray him again.

"Why did you betray me?" A voice suddenly rang in her ear. Her heart sank when she heard him ask that question.

When she looked up to see him, his piercing dark black eyes were directly focused on hers.

The moment she opened her mouth to speak, she felt a hand on her chest, pushing her off the cliff. She felt choked, unable to comprehend what had happened. As she fell down the cliff, her eyes were fixed on the cold-looking Brother Yan, whose gaze was fixed on her.

..................

As he watched Xiao Ying fall into the darkness, Fang Yan mumbled, "You shouldn't have betrayed me."

While his gaze held steady on the spot where Xiao Ying's body disappeared, his mind replayed the images of the time he spent with her.

When he turned around to leave, he stepped on a slippery rock, causing his body to fall into the darkness.

................

One day in a city in the Green Heaven empire, a large carriage surrounded by ten men halted in front of a large building.

With a feather fan in his hand, a good-looking silver-haired young man emerged from the carriage, wearing a luxurious purple robe.

He took a deep breath and stretched while mumbling to himself,

"Let the adventure begin!"