The bright light found its way to Han Jun's tent, waking him up from his sweet dream. He dressed up and made his way out. As soon as he was outside, a sweet aroma drifted into his nose.
"I made you this." Ling Wei walked up to him, holding well-cooked meat wrapped inside a big leaf. "You didn't eat last night," she smiled.
Han Jun looked at the beautiful woman in front of him and smiled back. He picked up the meat and took a bite.
"How is it?" Ling Wei asked, her eyes sparkling.
What should I say? You are tastier than this meat. "Han Jun replied with a teasing smile on his lips."
"Hun Jun!" Ling Wei lowered her head in embarrassment.
"Let's go." Han Jun took another bite of the meat and moved forward.
Ling Wei walked beside Han Jun as they ventured deeper into the forest.
Soon, they came across a group of people who were chatting and laughing. They chose to ignore them, but some people were born to always find trouble for themselves.
"Hey, bro! Mind leaving your maid to us?" a black-haired man blocked Han Jun's way, his perverted gaze landing on the beautiful Ling Wei.
Ling Wei shot the black-haired man a deadly glare, saying nothing.
"Rui Yang, don't look for trouble!" someone among the men shouted from behind, sensing that both Han Jun and Ling wei aren't as normal as they look.
"Stop this, Brother Yong Li! Looking at the beautiful lady here, I predict she is enduring suffering from this unevenly matched cultivator." The young man named Rui Yang smirked at Han Jun when he couldn't predict his level of cultivation. He consider him useless for not cultivating.
Han Jun's blood-red eyes were fixed on Rui Yang, his expression turning cold.
The young man who had called Rui Yang earlier noticed the tension in Han Jun's eyes. "Come back here, Rui Yang!" he called out.
"Brother Yong Li, don't bother. I'm already at High Transparent Cultivator Level Five. Even if he has some hidden power, I can easily defeat him," Rui Yang bragged arrogantly.
"You seem tired of living," Han Jun's cold voice sounded.
Rui Yang's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at Han Jun in terror. Alarmed, a black hole appeared right behind Han Jun—no doubt, he cultivated in the space element. "Don't try to act recklessly; I can send you to another dimension with my level of cultivation," he warned.
"Let's see who will send whom to another dimension." Han Jun's cold voice echoed again, and in just a blink, he appeared behind Rui Yang, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him off the ground.
The portal that Rui Yang had created vanished due to his loss of control. Fear was visibly etched on Rui Yang's face.
"Young handsome! Young handsome!" Yong Li quickly rushed to Han Jun, pleading, "Please have mercy! Rui Yang isn't a man like that; he... that's just his way of interacting with people."
Han Jun didn't feel like killing anyone and released Rui Yang right after Yong Li's explanation. "Don't think I'm merciful. If you ever dare to steal a single glance at her, consider your eyes gone," he warned.
Right after his words, Rui Yang suddenly screamed in terror as blood oozed from his left eye, shocking everyone around them.
Even Han Jun raised his brows in surprise. "What's going on?" he wondered.
While everyone was in shock, Ling Wei remained expressionless, as if she had predicted what was happening already. She watched the blind Rui Yang with an impassive gaze.
Han Jun noticed Ling Wei's unsurprised expression and confirmed that Rui Yang's blindness was somehow connected to himself. "What on earth is with this familiar yet unfamiliar power?" he pondered.
Yong Li dared not speak and could only watch as Rui Yang dealt with his predicament. Though he couldn't describe the type of power the man in front of him held, he knew better than to act rashly. Someone who could blind another with just words could certainly do much more without speaking. He dared not provoke him. "I thank you, elder brother, for showing mercy," he said, bowing in respect.
Han Jun cast another glance at the blind Rui Yang before looking back at Yong Li. He nodded and prepared to leave.
Seeing that Han Jun was about to depart, Yong Li quickly stopped him. "Sorry to bother you, elder brother, but can I know your destination? Perhaps our paths might cross; we can walk together." He said and then thought to himself, 'Our journey will be easier if we stick together.'
Ling Wei saw through Yong Li's intention and shot him a belittling glance.
Han Jun also saw through the ploy but chose not to expose him. He himself had no destination; he had no home, no family, nor friends. Well, he had family now; he just lacked a home.
"No need to beat around the bush. Tell me where you are going," he said.
"Ah." Yong Li scratched the back of his head, knowing that his intention had been seen through by Han Jun. "We are heading to Wonderland," he replied.
"Wonderland?" Han Jun frowned, finding the name familiar. "Am I going crazy? I just arrived in this world, but everything seems familiar. Is that how things work?" he thought to himself.
"Wonderland..." Ling Wei murmured softly, her hand clenching tightly. "Han Jun..." she called, but Han Jun seemed to be lost in his own thoughts and didn't respond. She bit her lower lip, feeling heartbroken. "Still, despite all my efforts, I can't have you for myself. The worse, you will still see her again", she thought to herself.
"Tell me more details about the Wonderland," Han Jun said, failing to recall anything he might have known.
Hearing Han Jun's request, Yong Li was excited. "Sure! Wonderland is a land of snow and ice. It's filled with undefined treasures. Any ice-element cultivator who successfully enters Wonderland receives great benefits for their cultivation. For example, a Beginner Cultivator at Level One of Stage One can break through directly to High Beginner Cultivator at Level Three immediately. It's even rumored that there is a palace of the Ice God there, along with his statue. Anyone who finds it would become incredibly wealthy. Unfortunately, the few who made it out of Wonderland didn't find the palace, let alone the statue. We're going there not for the statue since we know we can't find it, but to try our luck and maybe discover some treasure," Yong Li explained.
Upon hearing the explanation, Han Jun frowned even more. He turned to the pale-faced Ling Wei and asked, "Do you know anything about Wonderland?"
Ling Wei looked away. "It's good you don't recall anything." Her statement made it clear: 'I know the place, but I won't tell you'.
Han Jun was dumbfounded. "You won't tell me?" he asked softly, curiosity evident in his tone.
Ling Wei continued to look away. "You're going there anyway; I will tell you nothing," she replied, anger lining her voice as she walked away.
Han Jun blinked several times in confusion. "What was with that expression?" he murmured to himself.
"Erm... erm, Elder Brother Han, what did you say?" Yong Li coughed lightly, already registering Han Jun's name after Ling Wei had called him earlier.
Han Jun's voice turned cold again. "Count us in," he said curtly as he left.
Right after Han Jun departed, Yong Li smiled in satisfaction. "Prepare yourselves, brothers; our chance of survival is high now!" he shouted happily.
"Yes!" everyone replied enthusiastically.
Long Li glanced at Rui Yang, who was covering his left eye with his hand and remained silent. He sighed and bent down before him. A blue cloth appeared in his palm, and he used it to wipe away Rui Yang's blood-stained face. He placed his hand on Rui Yang's blind left eye and sent some energy inside, relieving the pain.
"I'm sorry, but I can't heal your eyes," he commented after pulling his hand away, wrapping a white cloth around Rui Yang's eyes.
Rui Yang sighed in regret. "If I had known he was hiding his power, I wouldn't have messed with him," he murmured. "Brother Yong Li, you should proceed on your journey; I will find my way home," he said in a choked voice.
"Don't worry; I will surely bring you your share," Yong Li promised.
"Thank you, brother," a sorrowful smile appeared on Rui Yang's face.
"Take care," Yong Li said to Rui Yang, then called for the others as they all left.
...
*Desert Born.*
In the desert, the air was thick, and even the faintest sounds could be heard. Twelve people walked tirelessly through the harsh conditions, even as the strong wind whipped their clothes behind them.
"Elder Brother Han, before we reach Wonderland, we will cross three Born. One of them is this Desert Born; it's rumored that out of the three, the Desert Born is the simplest trial. The other two are Fire and Jiron. I have no information about those two, but with you here, I can guarantee our safety," Yong Li explained.
Han Jun looked at him and smiled coldly. "You are too confident," he warned, his tone filled with caution.
"Elder Brother Han..." Yong Li wanted to say more, but Han Jun turned his focus back to Ling Wei. With a sigh, Yong Li fell silent, continuing on the journey.
"You really won't tell me about Wonderland?" Han Jun asked Ling Wei, a teasing smile on his lips.
Ling Wei shot Han Jun a deadly glare. "You aren't curious about my origin, but you are curious about Wonderland? What do you think I should think or feel?" she asked, gritting her teeth together.
Han Jun raised his brows in mock surprise. "Wow! Wow! Wow! Are you jealous? Is there something waiting for me there?" he asked, still wearing that teasing smile.
Ling Wei's frown deepened as she looked at Han Jun, and then, in an instant, she disappeared, not willing to hear more tease from Hun Jun.
Han Jun laughed and continued moving forward.