Chapter 2: Be Born With
The cottage now was like a fairyland, as the steam curled upwards with a fragrance striking the nose. Because in the middle of the room, there was a big wooden tub that was above the fire. It was faintly visible that a heap of medicinal herbs and beast bones were floating in the water.
Such a bath was not a usual regular bath. It was a medicated bath.
Beside the wooden tub stood a grey-haired old man. His back was a little hunched. He was squinting at the hot steaming water and holding a stick to stir it.
Looking at this old man’s figure, Jiang Yun felt a warmth in his heart. This old man was his grandfather Jiang WanLi. Jiang Yun grew up happily because of his grandfather’s care and protection.
“Grandpa!” Jiang Yun greeted Jiang WanLi. Then he took the animal fur coat off and walked towards the wooden tub. Without the coat covering his body, it could be seen clearly that there were over hundreds of scars on his athletic body, which looked extremely terrible.
Especially as there were several scars on his back, which arranged like a blurry shape of the word “cloud”.
In the deep Mang Mountains, dangers existed here and there due to countless fierce animals. Therefore, as Jiang Yun stayed in Mang Mountains almost all year round, he always got injured when he fought against those fierce animals. That was why he had so many scars on his body. However, the scars on his back were actually not real scars. These were his birthmark. And Jiang WanLi named him Jiang Yun due to this birthmark’s shape.
Jiang Yun was used to bathing. He had to take such a medicated bath at intervals for as long as he could remember.
It sounded like bathing was an enjoyable and comfortable thing. But the fact was just the opposite one.
A normal person couldn’t bear immersing in boiling water, not to mention the strong property of the medicinal herbs and beast bones which would stimulate one’s body.
Jiang Yun still remembered the first time when he was taking the bath, he was scared and cried, thinking that grandfather was going to cook him and eat him.
But he finally did it and kept bathing. Because he knew that grandfather was in good intentions to help him to build a much stronger body.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThough he couldn’t cultivate together with his playmates, his physical fitness was far better than many of them due to years of bathing.
Jiang Yun closed his eyes and immersed his entire body including his head into the water, feeling the high temperature of the steaming water and the strong property of the herbs and bones which continued stimulating his body.
Several hours later, grandfather’s voice sounded, “Yun, do you want to cultivate Tao?”
Jiang Yun almost jumped out of the water in a flash with a huge sound. Looking at his grandfather, he was so shocked that he couldn’t say a word at once.
Although Jiang Yun has never left Mang Mountains, he knew that there was a bigger world beyond Mang Mountains. There were ten thousands of ethnic groups such as Humankind, Demon Race, Ghost Race in this vast world, and each of them would advocate cultivation.
Even in Jiang village, a small village which was almost isolated from the world, people from the young to the old were cultivating hard.
Cultivation would definitely keep you fit and make you stronger, furthermore give you strength and power to change the world, or even grant you immortality.
“Do I want to cultivate? Of course!
“But I have asked grandpa about this more than once, and grandpa always answered that I’m unable to cultivate due to my different physical conditions. Then why will grandpa ask me this question? He should have known it.
“Maybe grandpa has found my way to cultivate?”
Jiang Yun was thinking.
Looking at Jiang Yun’s shocking face, Jiang WanLi’s eyes squinted much narrower, with only a seam left.
“Of course I do!”
Following Jiang Yun’s answer, Jiang WanLi asked another question, “Then tell me, what do you cultivate for?”
Jiang Yun was in silence.
Because he didn’t know why he had been obsessed with cultivation. For physical fitness? Or for immortality? It seemed not to be his answer.
For as long as he could remember, when he even didn’t know what cultivation meant, he seemed to get an idea to cultivate in his mind.
This idea seemed to be born with him!
Apparently, Jiang WanLi knew what Jiang Yun was thinking. Not waiting for Jiang Yun’s answer, he smiled benevolently and said, “Alright, Yun, if you really want to cultivate, then…”
Suddenly, a distant loud thud interrupted his words.
“People of Feng village come again!”
Jiang WanLi seemed to know what happened outside. He was in a huff, with a face full of seriousness, two lights flitting past his eyes. He left these words then turned around towards outdoors.
Jiang Yun showed a grim face at the same time. He was very angry. Not because grandpa’s words were interrupted, but he knew that Feng people were coming for him.
One Hundred Thousand Mang Mountains covered a pretty large area. In addition to Jiang village, there were a lot of other villages. Though they didn’t live in harmony with each other, they wouldn’t aggress others. There were only small conflicts among them sometimes.
Feng village was the closest village to Jiang village, and its overall strength was a bit more powerful than Jiang village.
There were always small conflicts between them because they had frontiers with each other. However, Since Jiang Yun had come into Jiang village, conflicts between these two villages were sharpened.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmWhen Jiang Yun was young, Feng village always came and made trouble every once in a while, aiming to take Jiang Yun away.
As for why Feng people wanted to catch him, Jiang Yun had no idea. He just felt that Feng people regarded him as a rare treasure. Because every time when met them, Jiang Yun could see greedy expressions in their eyes clearly.
Then after Jiang Yun was ten years old, what Jiang WanLi had done was unknown, but no one in Feng village had come since then. However, they came again today.
Jiang Yun jumped out of the wooden tub in a hurry, put on the coat, and rushed out.
At this moment, all children and women of Jiang village were required to stay at home. Only about thirty men gathered at the entrance to their village. They glared at a group of strong men from Feng village like ravening tigers.
People living in Mang Mountains were very strong. However, Feng people were not only strong but savage.
Through the cracks between Jiang people, Jiang Yun saw the fragmented gate on the ground.
Such a scene hurt him. A village meant a big family. The act to break one’s door was definitely a declaration of war.
Apparently, Feng village came to look for big troubles.
Thinking of this, Jiang Yun clenched his fists and pushed through the crowd.
“Feng Ling!” Jiang WanLi stood in the front of the group of Jiang people, glaring at a man who was over six meters in height, and said with eyes squinted, “Haven’t seen you for six years, you feel emboldened, aren’t you? Are you going to disobey Liu TianRen’s words?”
By hearing that, Jiang Yun among the crowd finally understood why Feng people hadn’t appeared during the period of six years.
Because he knew that Liu village was the most powerful clan among villages in Mang Mountains. Its Village Head Liu TianRen was the most powerful person in Mang Mountains.
Apparently, Jiang WanLi had asked Liu TianRen for help so that Feng people dared not come for six years.
Feng Ling licked his lips, smiled sinisterly and said, “You! Old Jiang! I might be scared of Liu TianRen in the past years. But now I’m not. He’s not as strong as he used to be. Haha, you know what! You’d better hand Jiang Yun in, or I will make the whole Jiang village in a bloodbath!”