In a remote area of Blue Bamboo Province, a youth could be seen in the forest. It was a girl of around 13 to 14 years old. She had a basket with her filled to the brim with herbs and other medicinal plants. But her eyes continued to scour the area, looking for more.
"Ming Yue! It's time to go!"
She turned around and saw her father, Rou Meng, He was a kind-looking man in his 40s, walking with a basket on his back and a simple walking stick in his hand.
Ming Yue moved towards him, showing the full basket.
"Look! I got so many plants for the village, I want to stay for a bit longer and get more!"
There was a proud look on her face as he gave her a warm smile.
"Silly girl, We've gathered enough, let's go back home. Besides, don't you feel tired at all? I'm barely able to keep myself standing."
"Aww, fine, but we can come back tomorrow right?"
"Haahh, what will I do with you? Alright, we will come back tomorrow, ok?"
Having said this, the young girl beamed with joy as she followed after him.
"Yay! Let's get home!"
They slowly walked through the forest until a small village came into sight. This was Green Orchid Village, a simple home surrounded by nature. Everywhere, all manner of plants and wildlife could be seen, it was a sight to behold! A beautiful place of peace.
Ming Yue lived here with her father, who worked as the village doctor.
As the two entered the village, some boys saw them and their eyes soon shifted to Ming Yue.
"Look! It's Rou Ming Yue, she's back from foraging with Mr.Rou."
Of course, they all liked her.
She was slim and her skin was clear and white like the moon. Her face was without flaws but the biggest part of it was her bearing.
She was a kind girl who cared for all those around her. There have even been several occasions where she would bring back an injured animal and nurse them to health. Although she would eventually release them back into the forest, they would often come back to play with her.
All of these things had made up a beautiful maiden, incomparable to a field of white peonies.
Ming Yue saw them and waved away while the boys waved back. One of them was Chen Xiao, a robust youth who wanted to take her as his bride. He was easily the strongest out of the bunch as well as the best-looking. He fantasized along with the others until a fist smacked them all on the head.
"What are you guys looking at? Get back to training!"
The voice came from Da Fan, a stern-looking man, who was a former soldier that had retired several years back. Now he lives here, teaching students and going by the title of, Teacher Fan.
"Ughhh."
"Awww."
They were unhappy but followed him to a field where they soon began sparring with each other.
As they left, Ming Yue had gone back home and set the basket full of plants down.
"Alright then, help me separate the herbs and have them dry, Ming Yue. Don't forget, one pile is for external injuries and the other is for internal injuries", her father instructed.
Ming Yue nodded, working quickly.
After an hour, her basket was empty as she tied them into bundles and hung them outside.
"I'm finished! Can I go and watch Teacher Fan's class? Chen Xiao and the others should be done sparring now!"
Rou Meng went silent for a moment before nodding.
"Alright then, but when they're done, come back, okay?"
"Mm!"
Just like that, his daughter swiftly left the house, making her way towards the fields.
"Ah, none of them better approach her... I'm not going to let some boy take my daughter away, not on my watch. If she's going to choose one of them, they better come to me first!", he thought to himself.
This was the mindset of a father, the solemn promise to protect his daughter from anything at any cost. Unfortunately, such thoughts were a waste.
As she arrived at where the class was, everyone was seated on the ground, listening to Teacher Fan.
"Remember children, cultivation is a long and arduous path. You are all at the first stage of the Human Realm, there are still three more realms: Earth, Sky, and Heaven. Of these realms, the Human Realm has 9 levels each numbered from first to ninth. The Earth realm has 7, Sky has 5, and lastly Heaven, which has 3."
Holding a sword in his hand, he drew on the dirt, creating the divisions while writing the names of these realms.
"While Earth, Sky, and Heaven's levels have names, you are still too weak to know yet. However, just because there are fewer stages doesn't that mean it is easier. In fact, in the entire Province, the number of cultivators at the Earth Realm number in the tens compared to the hundreds of thousands living here. Even in the entire Red Lotus Country, the number of people at the Sky Realm can be counted on one hand."
One of the students raised his hands and asked, "What level are you, Teacher Fan?"
Everyone looked at him curiously, especially Ming Yue.
He replied, "Heh, I am at the fifth level of the Human Realm, a couple more steps and I will be at Earth."
Then, Chen Xiao suddenly raised his hand and yelled out.
"I'm already at the second level! I bet I'm going to reach the third level in a couple of months."
All of them had a look of surprise as they heard him.
"What? No way?!"
"How? I'm still stuck at the first level!"
"Yeah, prove it to us!"
He looked at them all with a coy smile, standing up and walking to a nearby tree.
"Here's your proof!"
He took a stance and punched forward, leaving an imprint of his fist on the tree trunk. Teacher Fan looked in surprise as did the others, none of them had expected him to achieve this.
"Congratulations, Chen Xiao!" their teacher said, "For you to reach the second level so young is a good sign! You might even become someone great in the future!"
Chen Xiao looked on proudly, glancing at Ming Yue, only to find her lost in her own thoughts. He felt a little dismayed at this.
"Is she not impressed?" he thought.
Then, Ming Yue looked at Teacher Fan and asked, "Is there a level beyond Heaven?"
She was curious about it and this question soon sparked more looks of curiosity. He rubbed his chin a few times before answering.
"Hmmm, Although it is only a legend, there is a realm beyond Heaven, but no one has ever reached it. I believe that it is called the Immortal Stage, where you can go beyond this world and throughout the stars. If that were possible, who knows what we will find."
Teacher Fan paused, looking at his students while they were all lost in the thought of traveling through the stars, and said, "Alright, the day is ending, go home and rest. But I expect you back here tomorrow in the morning!"
Everyone had dispersed and went back.
Ming Yue was no different but as she was walking back home, she thought about the Immortal Stage.
"I wonder what it would be like? To be an immortal? It would be very pretty to see the stars more closely."
She arrived and saw her father collecting all of the dried plants outside of the home. These plants would be stored and ground tomorrow morning into medicinal powder. She walked towards him and helped out while talking about what Teacher Fan said.
"Don't you think about how fun it would be to be among the stars?" She asked
He replied, "Heh, what do you think your name means? Rou is our family name and it symbolized kindness. When your mother gave birth to you she wanted to call you Ming Yue, a bright moon, because she believed that you will reach the moon and with the stars."
At this point, Ming Yue's father stopped working, his face had a slight sadness to it.
"If only we were not attacked by beasts, she would not have died."
"It is not your fault, I know you tried your best to save her," said Ming Yue as she tried to comfort her father.
Then Rou Meng's face went to a smile and said, "Let's go back inside and have dinner shall we?"
"Let's go back inside, It's my turn to cook this time!"
"My daughter's cooking is always delicious, hehe, I'm in luck."
Yet on this very night, hidden within the forest were a group of men, staring at the village with malicious eyes.
Then one of them, the leader no doubt, spoke.
"This village is ripe for the taking, plunder it and raze it to the ground!"