Mu Xin gasped for air for a while as he looked carefully at Brother He.
"I'm alright… thank you for saving me."
Brother He looked at Mu Xin, and after making sure he was fine, he instructed casually.
"If you can walk, then leave. This place is too dangerous for you."
"Uuuh, big brother, I'm actually lost. Can you tell me the way out?"
(Gotta act my age, this feels weird)
"Just walk straight to where we came from. It's not that far. There is an official road leading to a city. You're lucky you're still on the outskirts of the forest."
The three of them immediately left, walking deeper into the forest.
Mu Xin, still breathing heavily, asked Shu Hua for an explanation.
"Sister Hua, just now, why was your voice in my head?"
'It's called mind transmission. It uses spirit or soul energy. It's a simple technique.'
"Mind transmission…"
Mu Xin mumbled in awe, he sit there for a good while before he stood up and started walking out of the forest.
"Then those three people, they…"
'They are cultivators.'
"I see." (I knew it)
After a while, he walked out of the forest as the noon sunlight hit his face, causing him to squint his eyes slightly.
After his eyes adjusted, Mu Xin looked around and noticed a clearly well-used dirt road in the distance.
He walked toward it and started following the road.
As he walked, he took in the scenery filled with nature and tried to enjoy the moment after the near-death situation.
Then, recalling the matter about mind transmission, he grew slightly hopeful.
"Uuh, Sister Hua, can I learn it?"
'Hehehe, little Xin, you have to become a cultivator first if you want to learn it.'
"Then how do I become one?"
'Sister can teach you, but let's find a safe place first before we start, okay?'
"Okay… by the way, Sister Hua, how did you end up growing deep in that cavern?"
'Well, my mother tree planted me there intentionally because it was a good place for growth. But after so long being alone, it also became boring.'
"But you seem to know a lot despite being stuck inside that cavern all this time."
'That's because of my memory inheritance. It gives me common knowledge about the world, nothing else.'
"That's… too bad. But at least you're free now, Sister Hua."
Mu Xin walked and talked with Shu Hua as he grew a deeper understanding of her.
Not long after, he saw a towering wall in the distance, with some people lining up in front of its gate.
Mu Xin quickly lined up at the back as he looked at the imposing wall in awe. The short line quickly moved forward until it was his turn.
The young guard looked at Mu Xin with one raised eyebrow and asked coldly.
"What is your purpose for entering the city?"
Mu Xin froze for a moment at the question, but he quickly answered honestly.
"I just want a place to sleep. Can I go in?"
The young guard reached out his hand in demand.
"Where is the entrance fee? Everyone who enters is required to pay five copper coins. Don't tell me you don't know."
Mu Xin panicked as he had absolutely nothing. He started thinking hard for a solution, but nothing came up, so he resorted to the last thing he could do.
"Ple… please let me in, big brother. I have no money. Maybe I can do cleaning for you as the fee?"
"What? You think you're an exception or something? Everyone pays, so naturally that includes you."
Suddenly, an older guard appeared and hit the young guard on the head from behind.
Mu Xin stood stunned as he watched it unfold.
"What are you yelling at a kid for?"
The older guard looked at Mu Xin's ragged clothes and dirty state before turning back to the young guard.
"He's just a ragged brat with nothing. How could he possibly have money for the fee, you idiot?"
He turned to Mu Xin and asked.
"So boy, what happened to you? Where are your parents?"
Mu Xin flinched at the question, which brought back bad memories.
"I… I don't have parents… they're already dead, and I got lost in the forest… I just came out of it…"
The older guard raised one eyebrow, but he didn't ask any further.
"Alright, just go in. But I need you to not cause any trouble inside."
"Thank you, uncle."
Mu Xin bowed in gratitude and walked in immediately.
"Senior, isn't it favoritism like this?"
The young guard asked worriedly.
"If you're worried about the fee, then I'll pay. And what's wrong with making an occasional exception?"
The older guard looked at Mu Xin's back before returning to his duty.
"We're still human, and that brat has gone through enough."
After entering the city, what Mu Xin noticed first was the activity. People walked around the streets busily, with shops and vendors lining the sides.
The buildings were mostly wooden, with one- and two-story structures, and the occasional three-story building.
Mu Xin thought hard about what he needed to do for a while, then walked toward one of the two-story buildings that seemed like a tavern.
As he walked in, the inside was half-packed with people eating and drinking.
Mu Xin carefully walked up to one of the workers and asked hopefully.
"Excuse me, does this place need a worker? I would like to work here."
The worker looked at Mu Xin's state with clear disdain on his face.
"Get lost, brat. With that skinny body of yours, what kind of work could you possibly do?! Get out before I hit you!"
Mu Xin flinched and immediately ran outside in panic.
He ran to a quiet corner, then sat down on the ground in hopelessness.
"This is impossible… no one will hire me like this…"
'It's alright, little Xin. It will get better for you.'
Suddenly, the sky darkened as the first drop of rain fell, which immediately turned into a downpour.
Mu Xin looked at the sky blankly under the rain as the surrounding people ran away to take shelter.
He mumbled weakly and quietly.
"Even the heavens seem to mock me, Sister Hua…"