Meng Xiang's eyelids trembled, her eyes slowly opened, and a profound and refreshing glow flashed deep within.
Her dream that felt like it had lasted for an eternity finally came to an end, and when it did, the dream only felt as though it ended only in the blink of an eye.
Meng Xiang yawned, stretching her limbs out, but something felt wrong.
Her eyes widened with bafflement when she realized that she was on a bed, instantly waking her up.
Where is this?
How did she get here?
She sat up and looked around nervously.
The surroundings were filled with white clouds, the background was gold with shining stars, as though she was on top of the clouds in a golden sky— an oddly familiar-looking place.
"T-This is…"
Although she has never been to this place before, it felt oddly nostalgic.
Her eyes widened further upon realizing why it was so familiar— it was a similar-looking to the place she was just in— her dreams!
No wonder why it looked so familiar! She had just been there, after all!
"Big Brother?! His Highness?!" she jumped off the bed and cried out loud, her voice seemingly filled with panic. "Where are you?!"
There was no answer— had she been abandoned? Or was this just a nightmare right after a sweet dream?
Meng Xiang walked around the empty room, this room that cannot be considered a room— it was borderless, like an open field— a grassland with no end.
"Big Brother! Where are you?! His Highness?! Where are you?!" Her eyes were wet as she continued to cry out loud, but alas, there was no ordinary-looking young man to comfort her, nor a blurred face individual.
"Waaaahh!!!"
Her legs gave up on her as she kneeled on the floor, bawling like a baby who had just lost her parents.
"Big Brother!!!" she cried out loud. "Why did you abandon Meng Xiang? Did Meng Xiang do something wrong?"
Her sorrowful voice echoed in the borderless room, the clouds below her seemingly affected by her cries darkened.
"I am sorry!!! Waaaahhh—"
"What's wrong?"
A gentle voice suddenly echoed in the air, halting the cry in the air.
Meng Xiang instantly stood up, her head turning left and right nervously.
"B-Big Brother?!" she cried out loud, hoping that her ears did not just play a cruel trick on her.
"I'm sorry, but I was in deep thoughts for a moment. Here, let me bring you out…"
Just as his sentence ended, Meng Xiang's scenery changed from the golden horizon to a scenery with trees everywhere and a road in-between.
She turned to look at the ordinary-looking young man beside her with wet eyes.
"B-Big Brother!" she wrapped her arms around him, afraid that he was only an imagination made by her mind to comfort her.
"You did not abandon me?" She asked in a mosquito-like voice.
Tian Yi smiled apologetically. "Why would I do that? Afraid it would disturb your sleep, I transported you to a space inside my Dantian because of a commotion during the night. I'm sorry for scaring you like that…" He said as he patted her head to comfort her.
Meng Xiang nodded, feeling relieved that he did not abandon her.
After Meng Xiang calmed down, the two continued their journey.
"Big Brother, how do you become a Cultivator?" she suddenly asked him. "I want to become one, too."
Tian Yi looked at her with a lifted brow. "You want to cultivate?" he asked for confirmation to which she nodded.
"I want to be like Big Brother and Big Sister!" she said with a bright smile.
Despite knowing little to nothing about cultivation, she did not want to feel left out.
If Tian Yi traveled the world, then she will follow him across all Nine Heavens— if he cultivated, she shall also cultivate alongside him.
There was no 'if' in her mind when it came to following Tian Yi.
He was her new light in life, one that leads her out of a dark room with no exits, and she will follow that light wherever it went no matter the difficulty or unknown she may have to face— she was the definition of a true follower.
"The path of cultivation is long and endless, one filled with boredom— if that is okay with you," said Tian Yi, his voice bitter-sounding.
When he was at home, his father, Tian Qiang, was extremely strict when it came to cultivation. So much so that 50% of his time went to cultivation with the other 50% focused on other things that would benefit his cultivation even further.
"I never enjoyed cultivating, but that is mainly because it was forced upon me by my father. However, if I had the chance to chose whether or not I wanted to cultivate, then my words today might be different." Tian Yi told her how he truly felt about cultivation.
At a young age, even before he could walk or talk, Tian Qiang had already started teaching him cultivation. If he wasn't the son of the Celestial Emperor, the strongest existence in the entire Universe, then that effort would have been pointless and fruitless.
If he grew up without being forced to cultivate against his will, grew up wanting to cultivate, grew up with ambition, then his feelings towards cultivation might have been different, but alas, that path had been blocked off long ago, before he could even walk.
Meng Xiang turned silent pondering about his words.
She didn't know what cultivating was like or what it really meant to be a Cultivator, but one thing she knew was that regardless of how boring or how mindless cultivation might be— if it allows her to follow him even a little bit longer, she will endure it.
"It's okay, Big Brother. Meng Xiang can handle it!" she smiled brightly at him, showing her two rows of white teeth.
Tian Yi nodded. "Very well, then I shall teach you cultivation!"