In the evening at Shanfu Village, the sunset painted a beautiful evening glow on the horizon and the crickets and frogs in the fields orchestrated symphony.
"Tie Sen, come with me!" At the entrance of the village under a banyan tree, an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl, her fair skin contrasting with her simple clothes was anxiously and eagerly looking at the boy beside her.
"Xiaoli, I really can't go with you." Dressed in a white tank top, blue trousers, and a pair of broken slippers, the boy was playing with a cricket in his hand, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
"Tie Sen, don't you understand? The old man is dead. There's no reason for you to stay. Do you think this poor mountain village has any prospects for you?" The girl clutchly questioned, holding the boy's arm.
"Xiaoli, I promised the old man to protect the piece of land in our backyard." The boy looked at the girl he loved, hating himself for not being able to give her a satisfactory answer.
"Tie Sen, if you come with me today, I'll become yours." It seems that the girl has made a big decision. Embarrassed, she lowered her head and fondled the corner of her dress.
"Xiaoli, I won't leave here." The boy held the girl's hand, there was a trace of sadness and helplessness in his tone.
"Zhang Tie Sen, you'll remain a nobody if you stay in this poor mountain village!" The girl seemed not to recognize the boy in front of her anymore.
Her lips trembled slightly, her eyes were teary. With a hard heart, she turned around and ran away.
"Xiaoli, I'm sorry, I can't go against the old man's last wish…" The boy wanted to hold the girl back as he watched her recede. However, his steps remained fixed in place.
The boy's name was Zhang Tie Sen. He was an orphan. Nineteen years ago, on a lonely night, he was cruelly abandoned by his parents at the doorstep of an old man's house.
The old man, who had picked up scraps and plowed fields to painstakingly raise him, was recently claimed by his old illness.
However, on his deathbed, the old man repeatedly instructed Zhang Tie Sen to protect the piece of land at the backyard. He also claimed there was treasure inside.
To this, Zhang Tie Sen was skeptical. His decision to stay here was solely motivated by his desire to fulfill the old man's last wish.
Upon returning home, Zhang Tiesen grabbed a hoe and ventured to the backyard, examining the somewhat yellowing winter melon. His mood hit rock bottom.
His already impoverished family had been further burdened by the medical costs and funeral arrangements for his elderly father.
Not only had they drained all their savings, but they were now also in debt.
Despite the harsh reality, life still had to go on, and their ability to eat depended entirely on whether these winter melons yielded a good harvest.
"Phoof…"
He spat into his palm, hoisted the hoe and started working.
"Clang……"
As soon as Zhang Tiesen swung down the hoe, it broke into two. A glowing golden light emanated from the ground.
"Wow, the old man was right, there really is treasure buried here! Looks like I'm going to strike it rich!" Overjoyed, he quickly dug into the soil.
Suddenly, the sky filled with electrical sparks and thunder. A strong current surged through his entire body. He then passed out.
"Where am I? Am I dead?"
Zhang Tiesen felt as if he was floating in mid-air, shrouded in complete darkness, with no visible surroundings.
"Is this the road to reincarnation?" Zhang Tiesen thought in confusion, "Grandpa, looks like I'm going to meet you earlier than I thought."
"Boy, you're not dead yet…" A vague voice echoed through the darkness.
"Who's there? Who's talking? Are you a ghost or a human?" Zhang Tiesen looked around anxiously.
In his mind, he wondered if this was 'Niu Tou Ma Mian' or 'Hei Bai Wu Chang'; were they here to usher him to the King of Hell?
"I am neither a man nor a ghost!" The voice echoed again from the darkness, sounding like an old man speaking with a tone that was powerful and solemn.
"So you're an immortal?" As he spoke, Zhang Tiesen spotted an elderly man with white hair.
Stroking his half-foot long beard, the man walked towards him with a warm smile.
"Haha, you can think of it that way," The old man stroked his beard, scrutinizing the youth before him.
Then he said earnestly, "Boy, you've just experienced some small setbacks, but you really don't have to be so dejected!"
"Old Immortal, you don't know the full story. I've been orphaned since I was a kid, relying on my grandfather for survival. But he kicked the bucket not long ago, leaving me all alone in this world. Today, even my childhood sweetheart ran away, and the winter melons in the backyard have all withered. In the future, even getting a full meal is going to be a problem. How come my life is so bitter?" Zhang Tiesen went on, illustrating his story with great detail.
He wasn't sure why he felt so close to this old immortal and poured out the grievances he'd been harboring for days.
"Haha, I didn't expect you to be so naive. Can't you see this big treasure standing right in front of you?" The old immortal puffed out his chest, looking at Zhang Tiesen with a hint of self-satisfaction.
"He is the treasure?" Zhang Tiesen, with his hand on his chin, circled around the old man, examining him with slight confusion.
Suddenly, a thrilling thought flashed across his mind. He immediately hugged the old immortal's leg and pleaded, "Old Immortal, transform a few gold bricks for me! I can go home and raise some piglets, which would be better than growing winter melons. Ah, wait! No, you should transform a small villa for me. No, no...just turn me into the richest man directly!" Zhang Tiesen was babbling on, drawing a blueprint of his future life in his mind.
"Bang!"
The old Immortal smacked Zhang Tiesen on the forehead, criticizing him scornfully, "Boy, be careful that greed doesn't turn into poverty. It's good to have dreams, but they must be realized by genuine efforts."
"If you can't do it, just say so! Why do you have to hit people? And if I were to achieve it, why would I be wasting my time talking here with you?" Zhang Tiesen muttered under his breath, rubbing his sore forehead.
"Boy, don't you trust my abilities?" The old immortal looked at the quirky young man in front of him, feeling rather perplexed.
"No, no, that's not what I mean," Zhang Tiesen vehemently denied.
Seeing the puzzled look on the old immortal's face, he shrugged and laughed, "Old Immortal, I know you have profound powers, if you have any treasures, just give them to me straight up!"
The old immortal shook his head. Still, he regarded Zhang Tiesen with pity and said meaningfully, "Let's do this—I will teach you some skills. If you put them to good use, they will be of great help to you in the future."
Before Zhang Tiesen could react, the old immortal slapped the crown of his head with his palm.
Zhang Tiesen felt a surge of power being poured into his body. Waves of heat rolled inside him; he twisted his face, seemingly in pain, but thrilled...
