CHASING THE STARS

Sitting on the edge of a one-thousand-year-old forest near the Qinling mountain range, Randengsi Village was in a region of jagged peaks, bubbling streams, and lush vegetation. This beautiful scenery, combined with its simple people, made this village a paradise. It was famous throughout the province of Shanxi. The Randeng Temple, with its history of being built during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, was especially famous.

It was now midsummer, and the sun was about to set over Randengsi Village.

A slender teenager with thick eyebrows and big eyes was chewing a straw stem. He was singing while walking out of the only livestock slaughterhouse in the village. There was a slight smell of blood on him after he had slaughtered pigs. In his hand was a basket with a fresh piece of pork liver.

This teenager was named Li Mu. He was 14 years old.

Li Mu had just graduated from junior high school. He was ranked first in the senior high school entrance exam.

Li Mu was an orphan and had no parents. He was adopted by the only abbot of the ancient Randeng Temple when he was young. However, this abbot was not a monk but an old swindler from the countryside.

The old man and Li Mu lived with each other in the ancient broken-down temple.

When Li Mu was not at school, he would sit in the temple where he would watch the ancient Buddhas and drink from a mountain spring. He was loved among the villagers because he had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and he looked dignified and strong as he smiled.

The old swindler was so respected in Randengsi Village, that they always ate and drank with his neighbors. Because of this, Li Mu grew up knowing many families in the village.

When he was 10 years old, Li Mu was forced by the swindler grandpa to slaughter pigs as a part-time job.

The old swindler told Li Mu that it was a useful job for him to cultivate a murderous spirit.

As Li Mu thought about this, he felt a little annoyed:

"I'm just a junior student, why do I need this spirit? And if it is useful to cultivate the murderous spirit, then the pig-killer uncle Qin must be a peerless killing god... Well, I think the swindler must be crazy."

Li Mu had slaughtered hundreds of pigs in four years. He felt that it was wicked to have his hands drenched with so much blood.

"Woof, woof...woof."

A black and white Siberian Husky with eyes of different colors was following him. It was big and beautiful.

Li Mu called it General.

The general of the dogs.

Li Mu had found this dog at the gate of the school three years ago. At that time, it was a baby dog. It was abandoned and so thin that it had almost starved to death.

Li Mu took it to the Randeng Temple and raised it.

After three years, this husky had grown as tall as a cow and as strong as an ox. Now it acted like an alpha among the many dogs in Randengsi Village. It always took its dog pack across the village and howled in the mountains and forests, scaring the chickens and ducks fly into flapping their feathers all over the village.

The only reason this husky had not been killed and made into a dog hot pot by the villagers, was because Li Mu and his grandpa were so loved in the village.

"Woof." General stared at the fresh pork liver tied with straw rope in Li Mu's hand and drooled. It was following Li Mu, ingratiating itself with him.

It was about a 20 minute walk from the slaughterhouse to the ancient temple.

The scenery along the road was beautiful and the setting sun looked like a gold coin.

As Li Mu met the villagers who were returning from farm work, he greeted them with great enthusiasm.

These uncles and aunts had been good to Li Mu since he was young and treated him like their own son.

When these villagers saw him, they replied with smiles.

As Li Mu and General disappeared into the distance, some people shook their heads and sighed:

"Well, that's a pity. Li Mu is the best student in our village and ranked No.1 in the high school entrance examination. I don't know why Master Li doesn't want him to continue to study."

"I know. I heard that the headmaster from the best high school in the city came to Randeng Temple by himself. He wanted this boy to study in his school for free and even wanted him to be in the Yulin class with monthly living expenses paid for... However, Master Li refused all of this."

"I guess Master Li wants Li Mu to inherit his skills."

"I don't think Master Li's skills like geomancy, health keeping, demon elimination, and ghost catching are useful in modern society. And I don't think it's a good idea for the boy to learn about these. Master Li is really skillful at these, but some people say that he has a mental illness and it will be terrible when he's attacked by this disease. Well, Li Mu will be pitiful since he has to take care of him then."

The villagers kept talking.

...

...

"Hello, old man, I'm back."

But there wasn’t the usual response from the old swindler.

Li Mu walked to the kitchen.

Li Mu hid the pork liver in the jar after entering the kitchen, so General wouldn’t eat it. After that, he took a gulp of well water.

Then he began to practice in the open space of the temple.

It was Zhenwu Boxing.

And the martial art Xiantian Skill.

And it was the old swindler who taught Li Mu these two kinds of skills.

When Li Mu began to walk, he was forced to practice these skills by the old swindler. Zhenwu Boxing was a series of skills and tricks in martial arts while Xiantian Skill was a breathing method. He had been practicing them for 11 years now. He would practice for one hour in the morning and in the afternoon.

According to the old swindler, Zhenwu Boxing was from the immortals. One could crush a mountain and break stones after achieving mastery through a comprehensive study of the eighteen styles of Zhenwu Boxing. One could easily smash an armored car even after just learning a little. However, the twelve-stage Xiantian Skill was more powerful since it could cause qualitative changes to people by cleaning their marrows and renewing their muscles. When anyone reached the Innate Stage, he could fly swiftly through the air as if he were an immortal.

But Li Mu couldn't even smash a piece of wood with Zhenwu Boxing even though he had been practicing it for 11 years. It only enhanced his vital capacity. He could find no other power from it.

And the old swindler had his own explanations for this.

According to what the old swindler said, the earth was currently at the Power-ending Age. As a result, the energy of heaven and earth was exhausted, as was the Spiritual Qi in the air. This was no condition for practice. And that was why he could not master the two Cultivation Methods he imparted to him.

How could he makeup an excuse like this?

What a liar!

Li Mu didn't even bother to call out the old swindler.

He was even angrier about the fact that the old swindler still forced him to practice even though, according to the old swindler himself, there was no way to practice successfully on earth.

Li Mu had always tried to resist practicing when he was five or six years old. However, he had to continue in tears after the old swindler beat him with a stick. When he grew up, the old swindler had to take the soft way since he could not defeat Li Mu.

Therefore, he would pretend to be attacked by mental illness, talking nonsense and running naked if Li Mu didn't take his advice. As a result, Li Mu was forced to continue to practice.

Now, Li Mu had grown used to this.

He regarded them as a useful way to build up a good physique and improve his health.

After practice in the evening, he went to the door of the meditation room at the back yard, stripped to the waist.

"So, old man, what do you want to eat for supper? I've finished practicing now. I've got the fresh port liver from the slaughterhouse, so, what about your favorite wax gourd and pork liver soup noodles..." Li Mu had been forced to cook by this bad old swindler since he was six.

"It's a big day today. Don't hurry to cook, let me tell you something very important."

An unusual and serious voice came from behind the curtain of the meditation room.

"What is the big day?" Li Mu thought for a while and scratched his head. It was July 14 of 2017 today: it was not a public holiday, or the traditional lunar holiday, or the international day of commemoration... so why it so big?

"Sit at the door of the meditation room and listen to me." It was rare when the old swindler became serious instead of his usual obscenities. "Now listen carefully, don't interrupt me before I finish."

"Oh? Ok." Li Mu had his doubts, but he still sat down at the door of the meditation room with crossed legs.