"Brother Cheng, do you know her?" the girl in the group asked the boy in the middle.
"Shu Qianqian, how could my older brother know her? We clearly never saw her before." The boy at the corner snapped at the girl.
"I didn't ask you, I asked Brother Cheng!"
The young girl who spoke was named Shu Qianqian. She was a delicate looking girl wearing an extravagant dress sewn with intricate patterns and laced with golden thread. She clearly appeared to be of noble station. With furrowed brows, Shu Qianqian anxiously grabbed the middle boy's sleeve. A trace of accusation could be detected in her tone.
The boy in the middle, Brother Cheng, glanced at Shu Qianqian in bewilderment. He silently shook his head and turned back to stare at Li Meirong.
What the group saw was a slight girl standing behind them in line. She seemed to be only a little bit older than them and she met their gazes with a pair of large watery eyes filled with uncertainty. Her long black hair cascaded loosely down her shoulders, and the luxurious shimmering of her silk dress captured the waning sunlight. Wearing such an exquisite dress and having such pale skin could have made the girl pass for a budding beauty, if not for the large burn marks on her face ruining her otherwise refined appearance.
To bear such hideous scars, one really wondered what sort of misfortunes had befallen this young lady.
Li Meirong quickly caught their assessing stares and covered her cheeks with both hands. She still hadn't had a chance to see herself, yet she knew something wasn't quite right about her face based on the way everyone commented and stared at it.
After staying quiet for so long, Brother Cheng addressed Li Meirong directly. "Hello, my name is Mo Cheng. This is my little brother Mo Jing, and my close friend Shu Qianqian. And you are…?"
His voice was clean, clear, and still retained a childish tone. He bowed slightly as a show of respect, while his brother and friend at his side copied this gesture.
Li Meirong hastily bowed back in greeting. "I'm sorry for interrupting you. My name is Li Meirong and I stumbled across this place accidentally. I couldn't help but overhear your conversation and was wondering if you could explain what's going on?" Her voice was calm and serene. There was a slight tilt to her lips that was very charming.
Mo Cheng's sibling scoffed loudly at Li Meirong's inquiry. "Accidentally? How can you pass by here 'accidentally' when the only way to reach this place is through the Hundred Beasts Forest. Ordinary folk can't even dream of getting through!" the younger sibling, Mo Jing, blurted out condescendingly and eyed Li Meirong with much suspicion.
Mo Jing's response made Mo Cheng and Shu Qianqian stare questioningly at Li Meirong.
Clearly, they both thought she was lying. Even simple folk daring enough to come here had to hire experts at a high price just to help them get through the woods. Most of those who managed to attend the Forgotten Waters sect's disciples' acceptance ceremony were from prominent families. All had had assistance since birth in improving their cultivation in order to support their journey to reach this very mountain.
Li Meirong's eyes widened. The forest region she woke up in seemed friendly enough. But the further she ventured, the more frightening it became. However, except for those pesky bugs biting her, she came out on the other side completely unharmed. Detecting their suspicions, she chose not to share the origins of her story at the brothel. Using her accumulated knowledge of the previous body's life experience, she quickly came up with a small lie. "I was serving at the royal court as a maid, but I ended up being expelled and was deserted in the forest as punishment. It was really a coincidence, and a stroke of luck, that I managed to get here," she explained hastily while bowing, her tone tinged with fear. Li Meirong bowed a little lower to avoid their gaze.
Both Mo Cheng and Mo Jing looked refined and handsome, their features were almost identical. They both had sharp straight eyebrows, bronze skin, and thin lips. They were young, but their physiques were already defined, showing signs of regular muscle build. Their personalities were what differed the most between them. Mo Jing was more quick to anger and brooding while Mo Cheng seemed cheerful and friendly.
To Mo Cheng, Li Meirong seemed interesting, but also a little strange. She didn't give off a hostile vibe, so he decided to take her on her word. Actually, when he thought about it, such occurrences as these were common for servants. It was considered light punishment around these parts to let fate decide what would happen to a servant that had acted wrongly instead of the masters inflicting the punishment themselves. However, Li Meirong certainly did not dress as a servant and her features, although marred, were very striking. The group was still a bit suspicious of her, but left Mo Cheng to decide on the credibility of her words, since he was the best at reading other people. Being the more approachable one of the three, Li Meirong seemed like a pleasant person as far as he could tell.
"Don't worry! Since you made it here, perhaps this is all a play of fate." Mo Cheng's smile was wide and inviting, and he showed that he accepted her by reaching out his hand to indicate for Li Meirong to straighten up from her low bow.
Shu Qianqian huffed while watching the interaction between the two. Why was her precious senior brother becoming so friendly with this stranger?!
Meanwhile, Mo Jing stayed silent, but his eyes remained narrowed as he kept studying Li Meirong. Since Mo Cheng accepted her, Mo Jing and Shu Qianqian did not dispute his judgment.
Li Meirong smiled gratefully and kept quiet, hoping to subtly integrate into the group.
They walked together in a row as the line gradually moved forward.
"Since you came by accident, I will explain as briefly as possible," Mo Cheng said with avid enthusiasm. "In front of us lies the entrance to one of the most world-renowned sects, the Forgotten Waters Sect. It was built around two thousand years ago and is known as one of the oldest sects in the continent, maintaining its prestige over the centuries. To become a disciple here, one needs not only a strong internal foundation but also a lot of luck! The sect only accepts disciples once every fifty years, and the testing location is completely random. Many prominent families build connections just so they can find the acceptance point for the sect as soon as it's revealed. If you do manage to reach the acceptance point, you must pass a series of tests before you are deemed worthy enough to be accepted. The first test is treading through the dangerous part of the Hundred Beasts Forest. The second is testing your spiritual aptitude. If you have no aptitude, you are immediately disqualified. The stronger your spiritual root, the better the odds are for you to have a higher status in the sect and possibly be accepted as a direct disciple under a master. Unfortunately, the tests don't end there. After the spiritual root test, one must descend down this mountain and survive for three days in the Wild Lands. It's a randomly chosen region filled with spiritual beasts, poisonous plants, and other foul creatures roaming freely.
"That part would be the hardest, you see…" he continued, his tone light and clear despite the harsh content of his explanation, "most potential disciples lose their lives on the first day. Despite all this, I can't imagine a person who wouldn't want to join. The moment you are accepted, your life starts anew. They say the path to immortality is fraught with danger, but the rewards are treasures beyond your wildest dreams."
Li Meirong listened attentively to every word but felt her back sweating near the end of Mo Cheng's speech. 'Why is everything so dangerous here?!' she screamed in her head.
She just wanted a peaceful life! Li Meirong was starting to lose her nerve. She wanted to be strong so she could take care of herself in this new land. Her survival depended on it. In all honesty, she had arrived there completely by accident. She knew nothing about cultivation or internal strength. The little self-defense moves she did know couldn't even count as basic martial arts here.
Li Meirong was out of her element and needed to think of a plan, and quick.