Chapter Three: Sob Stories and Refreshments 

In the original novel the protagonist Yun Jianyi was an orphan from a small backwater village. He would either beg for scraps or eat thrown away leftovers.

Time and time again he was tormented. Dogs owned by noblemen chased him while the other children sometimes threw rocks at him for fun.

With unknown heritage for most of his life he was nothing more than a nobody. Yun Jianyi, a simple mortal with a simple life, was thrust into a world he knew nothing about due to desperation and wanting to live. 

His destiny was changed forever when he made a split second decision. Which involved stealing a few golden ingots from the local greedy merchant. 

Instead of being caught Yun Jianyi managed to escape with the stolen currency.  

However, his luck ran out when the merchant noticed the missing money. So the old man hired thugs to apprehend the main character.

Hence Yun Jianyi was run out of town and forced to become a rogue cultivator if he wanted to get revenge on the villagers. 

Yet the one thing that preoccupied his mind was survival rather than the settling of a score. 

Food was hard to come by. So any opportunity he got was spent finding ways to stave off the hunger and emptiness.

Eventually misfortune would catch up once Yun Jianyi was framed for a crime that caught the attention of the Orthodox Immortal Association.     

A trial that heavily altered fate was set to commence. While he was not found guilty his other small petty crimes came to light.  

Finally the mysterious heritage of the main character was revealed. Yun Jianyi was actually the lost son of the fallen Demonic Emperor. 

As a cold mercy but also a punishment he was banished to the deepest parts of the ominous Dark Chasm in the Demon Realm.  

Every cultivator present thought Yun Jianyi would die. However, attempts to hinder any protagonist and it is more or less a power up for them. 

One-thousand years later a new Demonic Emperor was crowned. Yun Jianyi would make his glorious return.

He would destroy a prosperous kingdom that was once the backwater village. Then declare war on the heavens and get even with old tormentors.

All that was left was for him to feast on the Five Realms countless jade beauties and legendary treasure.  

That being said, the story ended with Yun Jianyi’s tyrannical rule being overthrown.  

Soon enough Chen Mingyun was snapped out of her thoughts. The future pictured in the novel were events yet to happen and not absolute.   

“How much longer will this take?” Yun Jianyi wearily asked as if he were about to be betrayed.

Chen Mingyun commented. “There's not much walking left. In no time we’ll reach the medical ward.”   

Her eyes were suddenly drawn to the meek facade of the protagonist. He had an innocent demeanor but beneath the surface was a hidden ravenous beast.

When Yun Jianyi caught the cultivator staring he let out a childish huff. Slowly but surely he began to let down his guard.

“We’ve arrived.” She quickly concluded. “This way, follow me. Patching you up shouldn’t take very long.”          

For a few seconds he was in awe at the spectacular sight. Down below the tallest peak was a massive body of water and Yutian Harbor.   

Due to the fact that the Weeping Blossom Sect was founded atop a mountain, the Medical Hut was a place with one of the best views.   

The area for patients was currently under renovation so Chen Mingyun was forced to use her personal room. “Take a seat, so the checkup can begin.”

So Yun Jianyi did just that, he plopped down on the comfiest looking surface without a second thought.

“This isn’t a brothel so anywhere but my bed.” She clarified.

At first he fumbled due to her words but then Yun Jianyi’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Of course I’ll listen to what the healer says.”     

Instead the next best place to sit was a wooden sofa with a few pillows. Sure the craftsmanship made it look nice. Yet it was rigid and annoyingly stiff. 

From a drawer over in the corner Chen Mingyun took out a roll of standard bandages. 

Whereas from her Qiankun bag a bottle of osmanthus wine with healing properties used for disinfection was also retrieved.

She was nothing more than clinically professional in her tone of voice. “Lend me your hand please.”  

However, because of a lonely childhood and being touch starved Yun Jianyi shuttered at the gentle contact.

Although once the blistering cuts were doused with antiseptic he gritted his teeth. Meanwhile his eyes also began to water due to the pain.  

Prior to the protagonist’s downward spiral character arc into a murder hobo he was more on the naive and whimpy side.

“Relax, at least your injuries aren’t that bad. No Qi Deviations, nor a shattered Golden Core, just simple skin abrasions.” Chen Mingyun assured. 

By listening to her bleak commentary Yun Jianyi had something else to focus on rather than the stinging sensation in his arm.

The wounds were still mildly irritated and inflamed. Nonetheless it was nowhere near as bad as it had been earlier.        

She instructed. "Don't go anywhere until I return with some steamed pork buns." 

Yun Jianyi nodded and his face flushed a bit as he asked. "Is there any chance I could have some water as well?"

“Alright.” Chen Mingyun replied. “I’ll be back in a moment.”

“Thanks I guess.” Yun Jianyi quietly uttered as he continued to wait and stare out into space.

When she returned with the promised refreshments to her surprise the protagonist was still there. She assumed he would have taken the chance to up and bolt.  

This assumption was based on the info that a fledgling Yun Jianyi was known to flee when faced with a much more powerful cultivator.  

Instead he was sitting patiently like some obedient dog. His legs crossed and arms folded in a contemplative position. 

“The promised snacks and drink, but before that you’ve got to uphold your end of the bargain.” Chen Mingyun reminded him. 

He fidgeted with his hands while he looked down at the ground. "What do you want to know exactly?"

"Tell me how you got into the sect undetected without setting the wards off."

"Umm... There's a damaged talismen array on the windward side of the mountain." Yun Jianyi replied after a brief pause. "I just walked through it."

"See? That wasn't so hard." Satisfied with the information, she handed over the plate of pork buns and a gourd that had water.

What a chowhound or even comparable to a bottomless blackhole. Within a few minutes everything was completely gone. 

Whereas the atmosphere and tension melded into an awkward silence.