Outside the borders of the Yul forest exists many mortal villages, both big and small. In one of the large towns, you can hear cheerful sounds of people chatting, the loud voices of stall owners trying to sell their goods,the laughter and cries of kids as they play around under the watch of adults.

In a corner of the town, there was an open field where martial artists practised and fought each other.the smell of sweat and sound of curses overwhelmed the senses under the bright sun.

" Haha old Yan, you are getting older,you won't be able to outrun the spirit beasts like you used to, Sigh… don't worry I'll look after your widow and daughter so they won't feel lonely " after saying this he nimbly dodged the incoming spear.

" Bastard Yuan, you think that being fast will ensure your survival? Truly, ignorance is a bless "

"Tsk tsk, these two are still so childish at their age, they embarrassing our marital

hall "

" Just let them vent a little. training all day,  patrolling the town and guarding against possible attacks is a stressful job.relaxing a little will help them perform better " 

"Captain is indeed wise, no wonder you were chosen to lead, Us, brothers" someone flattered by the side.

The captain only smiled.as he was about to head back to his room, the corner of his eyes caught the sight of a little child sitting by himself watching the guard's training.he couldn't help but smile.

The kid was wearing a blue shirt  white shorts, and a martial belt around his waist.

" Little An is here again,this kid is really interested in martial arts. I remember being like him when I was his age" the captain sighed as remembered his childhood.

 Deng An noticed him looking over and smiled adorably, Captain Liu Chang also smiled and left while thinking that this brat is really cute.

Little An stood up and politely said goodbyes as he left the martial arts field to return to his house,

As he made his way through the gaps of these walking pillars with a lowered head,the innocent look on the childish face was replaced by a calm gaze that not even adults should have, but it was soon returned to its innocent state.

He was Cui Ling, the people of this town call him Deng An.which has something to do with the first days of his birth, as he was a calm baby who didn't cry and only laid peacefully on his cradle.

Cui Ling reincarnated to this world 5 years ago.he has two loving parents and a little sister who was borned a year ago.

This was, to him, his third family.

He already adjusted to his new life, but as a former demonic cultivator with a dream that he wasn't willing to give up on for just a short life of simple happiness;he felt trapped

That's why lately, he started to go and watch the guards' training so that he can chat and get familiar with them. His goal is to get more information about the outside world.and his efforts proved to be fruitful.

°°°°°

In the depth of Yul forest.

There's one feeling you'll get when you see this place,desolation. 

The dense fresh air, no roads carved by the feet of men, creatures crouching by the bouches cautiously looking around. Besides the lurking insects buzzing around,the world was silent , as though a war was going to happen at any moment.

Walking a bit deeper, you will notice an emerging layer of fog, making the quiet atmosphere even more eerie.

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But today, the peaceful life of the inhabitants in this part of the forest was interrupted by the sound of footsteps, with it;the sound of rustling resonated in the surroundings. The whole scene was like a resurrection of a corpse that was dead for ages.

A human shadow soon appeared in the fog.not long later, the vague shadow reached the side of a mountain.

He stopped in front of a crack that is barely enough to let a grown adult in and gave a respectful bow.

He said " master, I'm here to remind you that the cultivation cave is opening in five year as you requested " 

He waited for a while, seeing there was no response he bowed again and left the way he came.

After some distance, he sped up and disappeared from the fog covered area.

He looked like he was in his early thirties;with a dark green robe that perfectly fitted his well builded body and long stature.he continued moving until he reached a waterfall where he entered a hidden cave.

The cave was narrow and dark.he made a lot of turns before reaching a large underground area.

It was quite a bright place thanks to the white  crystals found in the ceiling and the walls. What made the place more lively was the 10 people who were sitting in different places, some were talking together while others kept silent in a lotus position, vigilance could be seen in their faces.

The moment he entered, the 10 people already stood up. Three of them walked towards him and greeted "senior brother, you are back"

Chang Xing smiled and said in a slightly raised voice "I know what you want to ask and no, I wasn't able to see master.when he told us back then that he might miss the cave's opening,I didn't think much of it but to think he really did it "

Although their expressions remained the same, with his experience he could see the waves of doubt rising inside of them.

With a straight back,a slightly raised nose he looked at others who were listening and said with a tone that contained both arrogance and questioning "I see you guys staying here more often lately "

In  response,some only coldly glanced at him.others snorted and looked to the side

Only a youthful looking woman who was the only female here, stepped forward with an elegant demeanour and she smiled " fellow daoist Chang, we haven't met in a while.how have you been? Please don't mind us,we are just using this hideout to meet and discuss the mysteries of cultivation. It is shameful to say but we are not talented as fellow daoist Chang, we can only do this to seek improvement"

Chang Xing casually replied "no need to be so polite. This place belongs to the underground alliance and not my master"

Although he said that,he still had the' your are annoying like bugs ' look on his face

Xu Yan smiled gently and left after she gave a random excuse. The rest soon did the same.

The three junior brothers smiled happily thinking to themselves ' senior brother is still the most domineering '

Chang Xing looked at them saying with concern "you should be more careful around other outlaw cultivators.the world is ruthless; to survive we need to be smarter and always cautious.remember that the human heart is fickle.what makes us outlaw cultivator is that we are alive in the borders of death"

After a few thanks for his advice they dispersed to do their own things. Leaving him alone in this hollow space.with hands behind his back he walked to the exit while thinking to himself 'these three are an embarrassment to be called outlaws. I picked them for their superior aptitude but they didn't get baptism of blood from all the protection they got when I was absent"

Looking up to the sky, his eyes contained the wisdom of a sly old fox ' It's getting more and more dangerous. I should finish my preparation as fast as possible and continue the original plan '

With those thoughts in mind he disappeared into the dark woods.

°°°°°

"Father,mother, I'm home"

"An Er, you are back early today.tell me, you didn't bother the uncles training again, did you?"

Before Cui Ling could even open his mouth, a voice mixed with gentle warmth and slight authority sounded "Stop trying to find faults with your son every time comes home, he has manners even better than adults. All my friends in the neighbourhood are telling how jealous they're"

Soon, a woman walked out 

" So what if he's a bit smarter than other kids, he's still a child who might do something rude to his elders"  Deng Wuyan hugged his hands in front of his chest and stood with a stern look on his face.

Pan Ruolan sighed helplessly and didn't start a meaningless conversation "An' Er, go and look after your sister while I prepare the food "

Cui Ling nodded and carefully went past his father.after two steps he suddenly threw himself to the ground avoiding a light hit that was about to reach him. He naturally stood up, dusted off his clothes with a proud smile.

Deng Wuyan was about to say  ' don't get arrogant and never let your guard down ' but he  felt a cold gaze drilling into him. He coughed a bit and went back to his shop. In his mind he complained about how she can change her face too fast.

Pan Ruolan sighed helplessly "what kind of things is he teaching his 5 years old child"

Cui Ling sat by the cradle and looked at the little baby giggling and trying to reach out to him.

Smiling back, he started to play with Xue'er. As he played he couldn't help but sigh in his heart ' I still can't remove the last deed of weakness even after all of this time. Master, if you knew, would you kill me yourself to end this embarrassment to the heritage you are most proud of? " with that thought in mind, he grinned slightly.

After a delicious meal. Cui Ling laid back on his bed. Closing his eyes, adjusting the breathing rhythm. Thoughts started to race in his head

' After mingling with the guards for a while.

I finally managed to get information about cultivators in this world.  there are many uncertainties but for now this is the best I can get.if I don't take action, only luck will put me in the path I desire '

Gossips, rumours, myths,stories and stories started to run through his head as they linked together to form map of all what he knows and started to improve his future plans

After some time he got up and saw the blue sky through the window. a foreign language escaped his mouth

" The future is uncertain, but my heart is. My goal is clear, but the road  is not. as long as I walk, there's a path "

" I shall escape the chains of light and enter the solitude of darkness. using my dao as a guide, only I can stop myself "

A resolute light burst out of his gaze 

"Let's see if the waves of samsara can wash my heart "