Chapter 8: The Bottom Line of an Immortal

"Chen Xun, you shouldn't spend too much time on hammering." Sun Kaiyue frowned slightly. "It can be harmful to your body. At this rate, you'll end up like me when you get older."

"Old Sun, don't worry, I was born with great strength! Hahaha. Just like a beast."

Chen Xun didn't heed his warning much attention. After all, he wasn't exerting his full strength at all. He didn't feel tired. He not only had great strength but also remarkable endurance.

Now, he continuously controlled and increased his strength. Before, a single strike might have ruined the piece, but now, due to better control over his power and technique, one hammer blow was equivalent to several in the past, and brought great results.

To outsiders, it seemed like he was just hammering iron, but Chen Xun was constantly honing his skills. Time was something he never lacked, in fact, he had plenty to spare.

"Ai. Alright then." Sun Kaiyue shook his head and smiled.

It seemed like he had been influenced by Chen Xun's optimism over the past year, and felt a few years younger himself.

The day sped by, and soon, night arrived.

Chen Xun and the big black ox returned to the courtyard. He once again added this year's point to his Speed, then they both secretly huddled together.

"Old ox, dig!"

"Moo!"

Chunks of soil flew away, gradually revealing an earthen jar filled with copper coins and a silver piece.

Looking at the result of their hard work over the past year, Chen Xun felt emotional. Having money was a relief.

"Moo! Moo!" The big black ox nudged Chen Xun, its eyes filled with anticipation.

"Don't worry, I remember. After we finish Zhang Ge's order, we'll go buy some wooden carvings."

"Moo~~" The big black ox happily jumped around. Its happiness was so simple.

Chen Xun grabbed the jar, moved to a different place, and buried the earthen jar again. He couldn't let his guard down in a foreign place.

The month passed, and it was soon time for Zhang Jiang to fetch his order. However, he was no where to be seen. Chen Xun wondered what happened. Zhang Ge had never missed an appointment before.

"Perhaps something came up." Chen Xun didn't think much of it and continued hammering. He still had a long way to go when it came to fully mastering his control over his strength.

However, the following month, someone finally came to to collect the knives. And it wasn't Zhang Jiang.

"Hey, miss, where's Zhang Ge? He said he'd collect the knives last month," Chen Xun asked casually while the big black ox carried the long knives behind him.

"Senior Brother Zhang... died during a fight with the Bai Xuan Sect," the woman said softly, her emotions visible.

"What?!" Chen Xun was shocked. But he quickly changed the topic,"Me and my blabbering mouth, sorry, miss. Let me fetch the knives for you."

"Okay." the woman nodded.

After a while, the woman and the disciples paid and took all hundred long knives.

"Zhang Ge is dead." Sighing sofltly, Chen Xun sat down and said to the big black ox.

"Moo?" The animal was puzzled and nudged Chen Xun. Zhang Ge was still so young.

"I heard he died in a fight. In the martial world, killing and being killed are common incidents."

Chen Xun shook his head and sighed. "Even cultivators can die in battles."

The big black ox nodded heavily, relieved that they were staying out of danger.

"We should avoid causing trouble and getting involved in fights. We will only help our friends as long as it is within our capabilities. As long as we do that, our path to immortality is already set in stone," Chen Xun calmly said, his eyes deep, "In this world, nothing can stir up waves in our hearts. Stay calm."

"Moo!"

The big black ox couldn't express its thoughts verbally, but it looked at Chen Xun with a "wise" expression.

"Chen Xun, the iron ore merchants we deal with has raised their prices. They heard how good we were doing." Sun Kaiyue hurriedly walked in. He was responsible for purchasing the iron.

"What?! What a bunch of bullies!" Chen Xun exploded in anger. They had just started earning some money, and now these hungry wolves already wanted a piece of the pie!

"Old ox, get your horns ready. Let's go teach them a lesson!"

Chen Xun instantly pulled out two Mountain-Opening axes from his waist, revealing his ten-pack abs, chiseled on his bare upper body. "Let's go reason with them!"

"Moo! Moo!!"

The big black ox was furious, and with a thrust of its horns, it wore the equipment tailored for it—a ferocious bandit outfit.

The place selling iron ore was a few streets away. Sprinting, Chen Xun created a strong gust of wind beneath his feet. When the shop was in sight, he and the black ox came to a stop.

Startled, the shop boss exclaimed, "What do you want to do, tough guy?"

"Nothing much, just to chat. Why did you increase the ore prices after we bought them?" Chen Xun held his two axes and shouted, "This is unfair, you know?"

"Moo! Moo!"

The big black ox followed and bellowed twice, exuding power.

"Dammit!" The boss broke out in a sweat. 'This guy has this fierce look on his face, he's shirtless with his ten-packs out, and a big black ox following him with blades all over its body. And he's telling me he came for a chat?!.' The man thought to himself.

"Hey, hey, fine sir, calm down. We can talk it out. Are you from the Sun Kaiyue family?"

"That's right, boss. You should give us an explanation. In fact, you should also give Zhang Ge an explanation, after all, the smithery is under his protection too,"(E/N: give an explanation to his grave) Chen Xun said each word slowly. If they didn't show some strength, they would be bullied. This was a fact in any world.

"Alright, wait a moment. Please be seated," the boss said, arching his hand and smiling.

"Okay, we are reasonable people. We are not here to cause trouble." Chen Xun's tone softened, and he sat down, placing his axes on the table.

Not long after, the boss stepped out of the door, wearing a smile, and said, "It's this man and ox. They are causing trouble under the lawful eyes of the government."

"Capture them!"

A group of soldiers rushed in and instantly arrested Chen Xun, the black ox too.

"We came here just to talk! This is a misunderstanding!" Chen Xun shouted, struggling slightly. "I truly came to reason!"

"Cut the crap! You are causing trouble here, and disrupting the peace of Panning City. Who are you trying to scare?" The soldiers coldly scolded and took away both of them, all while Chen Xun kept yelling that it was a misunderstanding.

Five days later, Chen Xun and the big black ox were released from jail and saw daylight again. However, their axes and blades were confiscated, and they had to go back and make new ones.

Back at the smithery, Sun Kaiyue whipped out the barbecue, causing both to jump around, laughing and acting like nothing had happened.

Nevertheless, after Chen Xun's disturbance, the iron ore boss didn't dare to raise the prices, which could be considered a small achievement.

...

Time blurred, and soon, five years passed by.

Chen Xun had continued increasing his speed stat over the past five years, and he did the same for the ox too.

Their current point allocation was as such: Strength: 20, Speed: 8, Defense: 0, Spiritual Energy: 0, Essense of all Things: 0

The smithery was thriving, taking away the customers of the neighboring smithery. When the old boss who had refused to take Chen Xun in years ago saw him, he felt regretful, loudly bemoaning his failure to recognize a hero.

He invited Chen Xun to a restaurant for a meal to dissipate their past grudges. However, the old boss was astonished by the Chen Xun's appetite. He didn't even spare the leftovers, packing them up for later. All in all, the smithery owner suffered a financial loss.

Now the two of them called each other brother, and Chen Xun had gained experience in managing social relationships.

Today, however, Chen Xun rushed through the streets with great speed, producing a gust of wind as he whizzed by. He was holding several bags of herbs, and his eyes were filled with anxiety.

Sun Kaiyue's health has been deteriorating over the past year. He has relied on herbs to sustain his life and had already used up all their savings. But that didn't matter to Chen Xun. In his eyes, wealth was of no particular importance. The people around him, however, were. He lived life to the fullest, cherishing every moment of the present.

He had already reached the ultimate goal of all cultivators—immortality. He didn't need to sever his emotions, or keep his desires in check in order to pursue some supreme path. Humans, unlike plants, ought to have emotions. That was his conviction, as well as his bottom line as an immortal.

Chen Xun always clung to one principle: helping friends to the best of his ability and never imposing himself on others.