One might wonder why he had not yet begun to cultivate, especially considering how ridiculously easy his Talents would make it to progress. Well, there was primarily one reason for it. A cultivator absorbed what the Heavenly Dao referred to as simply 'Energy'. Many other terms for it could be found in worlds which had yet to develop sufficiently to learn more about the Heavenly Court: Spiritual Energy, 'the Energy of Heaven and Earth', Qi, etc. Considering that all of these terms always acknowledged that it was, indeed, a kind of energy, it was no wonder that the Heavenly Dao chose the generic term Energy as its official title.
It very decidedly did not fall in line with the scientific definition of energy from John's old world, but rather with the esoteric understanding of it. It was akin to an omnipresent sort of 'substance' that was far too small for the naked eye to perceive, but which could be actively absorbed by the body to further evolve and strengthen it.
This energy could be found absolutely everywhere, even in the True Void beyond the Heavenly Dao. Yet, the concentration of it could differ from place to place. And Shanxi Village was utterly barren, to the point that while Theodore could still cultivate here, it would simply be a waste of time to bother doing so. He had already obtained enough information to conclude that the Imperial Han Family likely made use of Energy Gathering Arrays to siphon off the Energy from less important areas to ones which they usually frequented or resided at.
This was a common practice, so he would have been surprised if he didn't encounter it. Although all worlds designated as the event venue for the Heavenly Succession's first round were on the level of 'Inferior World Fragments', those still contained a relatively acceptable average concentration of Energy. But if it was not artificially increased further, cultivation progress would stall quite early on, which was why almost all civilizations made use of various methods to gather more of it in selected places.
With that in mind, his next steps were simple: He would settle down in a prosperous area, where he could cultivate and hunt for Imperial Han Family members while he was at it, killing two birds with one stone.
"... Mei'er, it's time to get up. We'll leave this place tomorrow, alright?"
In response to his words, the girl stirred and looked at him with a mixture of excitement, love and grief flickering in her eyes. Obviously, she had only momentarily been distracted from the loss of her parents, and leaving her home would just put yet another mental burden on her. Yet, thinking that she wouldn't be alone, she found a little bit of strength and nodded her head.
"... okay! Is there anything we'll need to take with us or take care of before then?"
Sitting up and placing her down next to him, Theodore stretched relaxedly and laid out his arrangements.
"Other than a few sets of clothing and some food for the road, we should sell your property. A little bit more money can never hurt. Also, to stay as inconspicuous as possible, we should claim that we've decided to get married, and you'll be moving in with me at my home in a distant village. This would explain all of our actions. And to be honest, that was what everyone here expected to happen anyway."
Even though she knew that it was merely a cover story, Xie Mei shyly grasped the hem of her clothes, the blush which had barely begun to recede growing more intensely red yet again.
"Alright... h-husband."
Aware of her thoughts, yet too lazy to bother with her, Theodore patted her head as he stood up and inspected the garden, carefully picking ripe vegetables which they would bring along with them.
Relieved that she hadn't been refuted, Xie Mei settled completely into the role of a newly-wed wife which she would be playing in public from now on and got started with packing everything that they would require.
On this day, the elders of Shanxi Village were informed of two significant events at once.
Firstly, Theo and Mei'er had got married in private, confirming the rumours about them which had abounded everywhere. Originally, they had planned to wait for the return of her parents, but alas...
Marriage was not a grandiosely celebrated occasion in these parts, primarily because nobody could afford to make a huge fuss about it. If two people loved each other and their families didn't disagree with them being together, then they could proclaim themselves married in front of the public–it was as simple as that.
As for the second matter, Mei'er was selling her house alongside the extensive vegetable garden post-haste, so that she could follow Theo back to his home far away. She eventually exchanged it for a relatively decent price with the village chief, who–out of consideration for her parents and future livelihood–had offered 20 gold pieces. Using a few silver, the newly-wed couple invited those who they were familiar with to a farewell dinner, wishing each other happy and safe lives from here on out.
The next day, before the sun had started to creep over the horizon, Theodore and Xie Mei had already disappeared from Shanxi Village, leaving only a vague memory for its residents to occasionally reminisce about.
Because of the girl's vastly improved physical prowess, the two's pace was far faster than that of regular people, and they could rather easily transport bigger burdens with them as well. Still, they chose to travel relatively lightly, each only carrying an improvised backpack with them.
"Shouldn't we disguise ourselves a little? I mean, I don't want to brag, but both of us stick out of any crowd like a sore thumb..."
A bit concerned, Xie Mei couldn't help but furrow her brows, thinking about all of the various issues that they might run into if they were to attract too much attention.
"If the two of us only had to contend with the indigenous people of this world or the Imperial Han Family, that would not be a bad idea. It would still be unnecessary, as they're not qualified to make us care about them excessively, but a prudent, cautious approach like this would have been a wise one. But..."
He paused and looked ahead in the distance, an amused smirk playing across his lips. A second or two later, he continued.
"There is an unknown number of fellow Heaven's Chosen in this world. And to all of us, unless we do have a Unique- or Supreme-grade Talent related to concealment, it's not even worth bothering to hide our tracks too much. Most of us can easily see through regular disguises with a glance. Instead, we should aim to hide in plain sight! To portray a portion of our might openly to the outside world, while keeping many trump cards stashed away in our sleeves. This will also allow us to attract the less experienced and capable amongst the others to attack us, which will benefit me. The cover story we're going with now merely exists so the Imperial Han Family treats us as natives, not outside invaders. If they immediately attacked with full force, that would have the potential to become slightly annoying."
Deeply thinking about what he had said, hatred flickered in her eyes whenever the family responsible for her parents' death was brought up. Yet, it was another statement of his that distracted her from this and attracted her attention.
"How do the attacks from competitors help you? Is it because of the Heaven's Chosen Level that they'll gift you? Or is there something more?"
'Impressive. I didn't think she'd pick up on that.'
Raising an eyebrow, then showing an appreciative smile, Theodore chose to reveal to her a very generalized, neutered version of his 'secret'. It was impossible to hide his capabilities entirely for long anyway, so he just needed to keep the exact details and extent of it all to himself. As for Xie Mei, she would easily be able to find out about it after following him for a while, therefore dragging it out and keeping her guessing was purely a waste of time.
"To put it very simply, with every kill, I grow stronger. And the more powerful the slain being, the more I benefit. But never speak a word about this to anyone, alright?"
Seeing the stern warning in his eyes, she hastily nodded, then suddenly thought of something. Hesitating for a bit, she eventually stared at him unblinkingly, and made what she felt to be a brazen request.
"Then... can you help me... get my revenge against the Imperial Han Family? You'll grow stronger by eliminating them, too, so it should be fine, r-right?"
A bit speechless, Theodore looked at her for a while, making her increasingly worry about whether or not she had overstepped her bounds. Right as she felt the need to apologize for her plea, his words resounded in her ears.
"I guess I should have been more frank with you in this regard. Let me make it clear: I will eradicate the entire Imperial Han Family, every single one of their lackeys, any sort of evildoer, as well as anyone who ever so slightly dares to stand against me in any way, shape or form. I don't particularly rejoice in killing, but it does significantly help me. Everyone is either on my side, irrelevant, or my prey. There is no in-between."
Walking closer to her, he gently stroked her cheek, his expression and words radiating affection, yet the actual content of his speech enough to cause a shiver to run down anyone's spine–except for hers.
"Your enemy is my enemy. I will kill everyone who dares to slight you. All you need to do is to grow stronger at my side and follow me well. I will never let you be hurt in any way again if I can help it."
Tears began to well up in Xie Mei's eyes upon hearing this declaration, its terrifying content making her feel shockingly warm and protected. She could already guess that he probably wanted the two of them to stick out to 'fish' for fools, and that if it were not for his ability to grow stronger from slaying others, he would likely not act as excessively protectively towards her. Yet, she didn't care about that at all!
"T-Theo! You're the best!!"
Hugging him tightly, she planted a loving kiss on his lips, entangling with him for a considerable while. When their embrace eventually ended, she hesitated for a bit, then she mustered her courage once more.
For the rest of the way to Fenglin Town–and on too many occasions to count from here on out–the two walked hand in hand.