"He's probably faking an accident. Why else would it land right on him? Why would he go there, only to end up under our feet? It's definitely a scam."
Little Sister Yu nodded repeatedly.
"Then let's leave quickly, before they try to extort us again."
The肇事者 (zhàoshìzhě - perpetrator) Wan Lei immediately prepared to flee.
"Mission: Assist Li Mei Xian, obtain the Sacred Fire inheritance. Mission complete, obtain Fire of Thunder."
A clear female voice reached the ears of Wan Lei and Fang Xiaoyu.
"Li Mei Xian? Who is that? This old man?"
Fang Xiaoyu pointed at the old man beneath their feet. The wooden cart had been shattered, and the old man lay on the ground, covered in dust and groaning.
The little donkey, however, was fine, mindlessly nibbling on crops nearby. With its owner incapacitated, no one could stop it.
"Him? Don't be ridiculous. He doesn't have the slightest air of an immortal."
"Then let's leave quickly."
"Alright."
"Ouch! Ouch!!"
The old man's groaning suddenly grew louder and more robust.
"How about we ask him if he knows where this Li Mei Xian is, and also get some information about this world? Otherwise, we'll be completely clueless and can't just barge in blindly."
"Fine, we'll ask him."
"Hey, old man, get up, I need to ask you a few questions."
Wan Lei lightly kicked the old man, showing no respect for the elderly or affection for the young.
"Ouch... my back of the head... my tailbone... my kneecap... everywhere hurts..."
The old man lay on his side, clutching his lower back and continuing to groan.
"Fine, he's definitely faking it. Let's beat him up."
"Hey now, you two youngsters, you've knocked this old man down like this, and instead of taking me to a doctor, you want to harm the victim? Are you even human? Have you no conscience? Is this how your parents taught you?"
"Then what do you want us to do?"
Wan Lei pouted, looking speechlessly at the old man.
"I'm not getting up unless you give me two jars of good wine."
"He's definitely faking it."
"If I were faking it, I wouldn't stop until I'd extorted you down to your underwear."
"Just one jar, here you go."
Wan Lei patted his storage pouch and produced a jar of wine, handing it over.
This jar of wine was something he had secretly taken during the birthday celebration of the Old Madam Fang.
Yes, taken. When it's family, how can it be called stealing?
Upon seeing the wine, the old man immediately stopped hurting. He flipped over and sat up, grabbed the wine, and eagerly took a big gulp.
"Ah... indeed, it's good wine. Not bad, not bad. I forgive you two. Leave another two taels of silver as payment for the cart, and you can go."
Wan Lei smiled slightly and crouched down, looking at the old man with a smile.
"Is one jar of wine enough? If not, I have more."
Hearing this, the old man quickly shook his head.
"Not enough, not enough, hurry and give it to me."
"Answer my questions honestly, and I'll give you more wine."
Wan Lei grinned like a wicked uncle luring an innocent maiden.
"Alright, alright, tell me."
"What is this place? Are there any powerful individuals? What is the cultivation system? Who is Li Mei Xian?"
"You people are from another world?"
"Is what I said that obvious?"
"Not very well concealed."
"Then fine, it seems I'll have to silence you later."
"Don't be so blunt. If you say that, how will I provide you with intelligence later?"
"Then I'll rephrase: I won't silence you."
"Fine, then I'll start talking."
The old man took another sip of wine, smacking his lips contentedly. Just as Young Master Lei was growing impatient, the old man finally began to speak.
"The Great Jin Dynasty has ruled the Sacred Fire Continent for over a thousand years..."
"Great Jin? Is that this country? Is Sacred Fire Continent this land?"
"Nonsense, why would I talk about somewhere else if not here? Can you stop interrupting?!"
"My apologies, please continue, venerable sir."
"Great Jin's primary element is fire. This name was chosen by the founding emperor after calculating destiny. Three hundred years ago, there was a great drought, and the people were starving, leading to widespread rebellion. Emperor Dezong was unable to suppress the rebellion and ordered regional lords to raise troops to support the imperial court. The rebellion was suppressed, but this also gave rise to three forces that superseded imperial authority. After Emperor Dezong, the division of Jin into three factions became evident. In the north, beasts and humans coexist. They were originally lords of the Great Jin Dynasty and rose during the suppression of the rebellion. Their tribe is all-encompassing, with tens of thousands of fire beasts. Their leader, the Lava Giant Phoenix, is one of the only four Sacred Fire powerhouses in the world. It resides in the lava of the North Sea year-round, and its sacred fire can be reborn from ashes, making it immortal. Thus, this fire is also called the Fire of Life. In the southwest, the Xi Ren family, who wield the Netherworld Cold Fire. This fire has no heat at all, only endless cold. This fire burns everything. For lower-level cultivators, this fire can burn the flesh and spiritual artifacts of enemies, turning them into fire energy for absorption. For higher-level cultivators, plants, trees, and rocks can all be turned into ash, and their spiritual energy can be extracted. The patriarch of the Xi Ren family, Xi Ren Liu, has cultivated the Netherworld Cold Fire to its peak, allowing him to burn space. However, it is said that he has not yet cultivated this fire to its absolute extreme, because according to legend, this fire can even burn time. In the southeast, the Shiranui family, whose innate true fire is Soul Fire. This fire has no form or substance, using the negative emotions and desires of all living beings as fuel, directly burning the soul. It is impossible to guard against, hence this fire is also called the Fire of Desire. The patriarch of the Shiranui family, Shiranui Fuyun, has cultivated this fire to its peak. It is rumored that an ordinary person, if she looks at them, will have their soul dissipate, turning them into a dried corpse directly under her control. That Shiranui Fuyun is charming and enchanting, her figure, her appearance, tsk tsk tsk..."
Speaking of which, the old man took a sip of wine, his face looking entranced as if reminiscing about the beauty of the Shiranui family patriarch.
"Have you seen her?"
"No."
"Then what are you reminiscing about?"
"You're wrong there. You need imagination. Just imagine Fuyun as the most beautiful woman in the world..."
"Enough, enough with the nonsense. Didn't you say there were four powerhouses? What about the last one?"
Heh, that's what I've been waiting for.
The old man smiled smugly and said leisurely,
"The last of the four Sacred Fire powerhouses is a rogue immortal, known as Li Mei Xian. This Li Mei Xian has an immortal bearing, is handsome, flamboyant, and arrogant... In short, he is very handsome and very strong. His Samadhi True Fire is the most刚烈 (gāngliè - fierce/stubborn/resolute), most yang, most righteous, and most pure fire in the world. Some also say it is the most original fire in the Sacred Fire realm, but that is unknown.
"Are you Li Mei Xian?"
"No."
"Then why are you bragging? You definitely haven't seen him."
"Heh, what a coincidence, not only have I seen Li Mei Xian, but we are also very good friends. My brother and I have drunk together many times."
The old man picked up his wine gourd and took another contented sip.