Chapter 236: What Is Your Age, and Are You Married?
The Eight-clawed Frog stared at Wuming, its presence menacing.
It was nearly half Wuming’s size, if you ignored the things writhing under its skin.
Its overall appearance was slightly better than other demon beasts.
But only slightly.
Wuming seemed to be subtly watching the Eight-clawed Frog’s movements.
When he saw its massive jaws begin to swell, Wuming moved with swift reflexes and snatched a stone from the ground.
In that very instant, a large, disgusting glob of mucus shot from the Eight-clawed Frog’s mouth.
It flew toward Wuming’s position with incredible speed.
But Wuming, having bent down to pick up the stone, seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. His body flashed aside as he simultaneously threw the stone, sending it straight into the Eight-clawed Frog’s wide-open mouth.
"CROOOAK—"
The Eight-clawed Frog let out a harsh, grating cry. The stone lodged in its gullet, causing a sharp pain.
It instantly flew into a rage and leaped toward Wuming.
Wuming raised an eyebrow. ’This body with Spiritual Energy is really different.’
’In reality, my reactions and speed were top-notch, but here, I’m even faster.’
’So this is the difference having a Spirit Root makes.’
’This game is truly amazing.’
These thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. As the Eight-clawed Frog leaped at him, Wuming immediately bolted toward a large, nearby tree.
A cultivator watching the scene from a short distance away raised an eyebrow slightly.
"His reactions are quite fast."
He could tell at a glance that this person had not yet formally begun cultivating, but the Spiritual Energy overflowing from him meant he possessed a Spirit Root.
After climbing the tree, Wuming proved more agile than an ordinary person, leaping left and right among the branches.
The Eight-clawed Frog was also fast, but under these circumstances, it was powerless against him.
Although he looked quite pathetic in the cultivator’s eyes, being able to fight a First-rank Demon Beast with the body of a mortal was already an incredible feat.
Moreover, he had managed to injure the Eight-clawed Frog without a weapon.
The man pondered for a moment before deciding to act. With a casual point of his finger, a wrist-thick vine suddenly shot up from beneath the Eight-clawed Frog, piercing straight through its body.
The Eight-clawed Frog died on the spot.
Seeing the Eight-clawed Frog’s miserable end, Wuming immediately turned toward the cultivator.
This cultivator was a bit chubby and had a friendly, smiling expression when he looked at people, seeming very amiable.
But a keen observer would notice him subtly studying Wuming. "I see you possess a Spirit Root. How is it you haven’t formally embarked on the path of cultivation?"
Moreover, upon seeing Wuming’s face, he was momentarily stunned, even though he was a man.
The main reason was that on the Yunzhou Continent, there were no purely Western faces.
The only Human Clan with exotic features lived in very distant lands.
A face like Wuming’s, with its deep-set brows and wide eyes—so handsome it could be called beautiful—was exceedingly rare.
’Such a handsome face, appearing in the wilderness?’
Wuming carefully sized up the man before him, weighing what kind of excuse to use, and ultimately decided on a half-truth.
"I don’t really remember."
"Hmm?"
This man was Fang Shuiguan of the Luomei Sect. He was somewhat surprised to hear this. "You don’t really remember?"
A trace of confusion appeared in Wuming’s eyes at just the right moment. "I only remember... a lot of people died..."
Fang Shuiguan’s gaze sharpened.
’From the looks of it, his family must have suffered a great disaster.’
’He has a Spirit Root but hasn’t cultivated, and he’s this beautiful... Could it be that his family locked him away and never let him out?’
Fang Shuiguan was wary of such a person.
’Judging by his appearance, his Spiritual Energy is indeed very faint.’
"Then where are you from?"
’That’s an easy one to answer.’
Wuming shook his head. "I don’t remember."
Fang Shuiguan’s brow furrowed slightly.
He asked another question, "Then what’s your name?"
"Wuming."
’Wuming... not even a proper name.’
Fang Shuiguan fell silent for two seconds. In his heart, he didn’t want to get involved.
At this moment, Wuming cupped his fist and bowed slightly to Fang Shuiguan. "Thank you for saving me just now."
Fang Shuiguan was taken aback for a moment.
Then he asked, "Where are you planning to go?"
Wuming shook his head. "I... don’t know."
The system watched and sighed in admiration. ’How come you players are all such great actors after you enter? Now he’s playing the part of the homeless man with nowhere to go.’
But Fang Shuiguan remained on guard. How could such a good-looking person appear within the Sea View Sect’s territory for no reason?
Fang Shuiguan had come to participate in a competition. He did better than the three players from the Longevity Sect, but he was still eliminated before the second day.
So now he was on his way back to the Luomei Sect.
Helping out had been a momentary act of kindness.
Now, Fang Shuiguan didn’t want to bring back someone of unknown origin.
But just as he was about to leave, Wuming didn’t say anything further. He simply thanked him and prepared to walk off in the opposite direction.
Fang Shuiguan watched him walk off alone. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, with demon beasts lurking about—for someone who hadn’t even begun to cultivate, wasn’t that just courting death?
Thinking of the other’s breathtakingly handsome face, Fang Shuiguan couldn’t help but call out again, "Where are you going?"
Wuming shook his head. This time he said directly, "I don’t know. Just walking aimlessly."
Fang Shuiguan: "..."
Fang Shuiguan looked around.
He couldn’t help sizing up Wuming again.
Having grown up in a small sect, Fang Shuiguan wasn’t yet so cynical as to assume the worst.
Besides, this person...
’If I just leave him, and he runs into someone with bad intentions, he’ll definitely be taken away and ruined.’
After a moment of thought, Fang Shuiguan finally said, "Why don’t you come back with me to the Luomei Sect and stay for a while?"
It was impossible to tell what kind of Spirit Root someone had just by looking at them, so Fang Shuiguan simply assumed Wuming was an ordinary person and didn’t give it much thought.
—It was purely because of his face.
Wuming turned his head. Although he had no impression of this sect, his plan had always included an element of going with the flow. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Can I?"
"It’s fine. Let’s go."
Fang Shuiguan raised a hand and summoned a Flying Magical Treasure. It was a plum blossom branch, but large enough for a person to sit on its trunk.
This was quite in keeping with the Luomei Sect’s style.
Fang Shuiguan brought Wuming back to the Luomei Sect.
The Luomei Sect was nestled by mountains and water, and the scenery was very beautiful.
But contrary to its name, there were no plum blossoms within the Sect, only rather conventional buildings.
Along the way, they met a few disciples, who were all pleasantly surprised to see Fang Shuiguan. "Brother Fang is back?"
Fang Shuiguan smiled and greeted each of them in turn.
It seemed his temperament was indeed quite good.
As for Wuming behind him, almost every disciple would freeze for a second upon seeing him.
This continued until they entered the Sect proper. From a magnificent pavilion built against the mountain, a female cultivator in a white dress suddenly flew out, sobbing her heart out.
"Senior Brother, my father says in a year I have to marry Zhang Xiwen of the Fierce Eagle Sect, but I’ve never even met him! The only one in my heart is Eldest Senior Brother—"
Before she could finish her sentence, she saw Wuming following behind Fang Shuiguan.
The female cultivator instantly stopped crying. She wiped her tears and, adopting a gentle and serene expression as if nothing had happened, asked Wuming:
"May I ask, fellow Daoist, what is your age, and are you married?"