The Emperor Who Scrapes By

"Longevity is truly as lonely as snow." A young man lay propped up on a small grassy slope, a stem of foxtail grass dangling from his mouth. He gazed into the distance as a gentle breeze swept through, causing the dense woods to bow low. Judging by his tone, however, this was no poetic lament—it was pure, unadulterated gloating. Moo~ Moo~ Beside him sat a black bull with a broken horn. That’s right—it wasn't standing, but sitting upright on two legs, its black spine straight as a board. The young man was named Chen Xun. He had transmigrated here a year ago into a vast, limitless world where countless immortal cultivators moved mountains, parted seas, and looked down upon the mortal realm from high above the clouds. Fortunately, he had transmigrated with a cheat system. Chen Xun had been deeply grateful, endless tropes of legendary w*******l protagonists flashing through his mind at the time. Except... his system wasn't some overpowered cheat that granted invulnerable physiques or god-tier cultivation techniques. It simply made him immortal. The laws of heaven and earth could no longer limit his lifespan, but he could only gain one attribute point per year to allocate into: Strength, Speed, Defense, Mana, or Essence of All Things. Strength, Speed, Defense, and Mana were self-explanatory, but Chen Xun couldn't wrap his head around "Essence of All Things." Unable to figure it out, he promptly tossed it to the back of his mind. Staying alive was all that mattered. The system was surprisingly thoughtful, too. Knowing the road to immortality was long and lonely, it gifted him a long-lived spiritual beast as a companion. Though the bull couldn't speak, it understood human language, and Chen Xun could allocate points to it every year without consuming his own pool. "Look, buddy," Chen Xun sighed heavily. "We might be immortal, but we can still be killed. We need to keep a low profile from now on." Half a year ago, he and the black bull had planted a paddy field and raised a flock of chicks in their little village. But on one pitch-black, windy night, Old Man Wang from the neighboring village brought a gang and stole every last one of them. When Chen Xun found out, he was furious. Was there no law and order in this world?! Sharpening his tools, he grabbed an axe and took the big black bull to demand an explanation. But the thieves vastly outnumbered them. Chen Xun was beaten to a pulp, the bull got one of its horns snapped off, and the two fled in disgrace, spending days nursing their wounds. Moo! The black bull snorted heavily, its eyes burning with resentment. Those bastards were truly despicable. The incident had left a deep, lasting psychological scar on Chen Xun. 【Ding! Host can now allocate points.】 Chen Xun’s lips curled into a smirk. A full year had passed—time to upgrade! He dumped the point straight into Strength without hesitation. During that beatdown, he had lacked the raw power to push away the thugs pinning him down. "Holy sh*t..." Chen Xun’s face turned the color of pig liver. A surge of raw power flooded his body, veins bulging along his arms. He slammed a fist into the ground—scaring the bull so badly it leaped up on two feet. "My fate is shaped by me, not heaven!" BOOM— For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Chen Xun broke his hand and spent the next few days recovering alongside the big black bull. He also gave the bull a point in Strength. Though its appearance didn't change, the bull carefully tested its new physical power after witnessing Chen Xun’s tragic fate, finding the results quite impressive. They lived in a thatched hut in a small mountain village, far removed from the world. Yet the laws of this realm were etched into everyone's bones: mortals must bow to, respect, and never offend immortal cultivators. Even the villagers in this backwater corner knew that much. "Brother Xun." A young boy's voice called out from outside the hut. It was Little Blackie, named for the dark skin he was born with. "What's up, Little Blackie?" Chen Xun, now fully recovered, unhurriedly opened the door. "The village chief asked me to bring you some rice," Little Blackie chuckled innocently, holding a bag of rice. "Thank the chief for me." Taking the bag, Chen Xun was moved to tears. He and the bull had been so broke they'd been eating wild herbs for days. An immortal nearly starving to death—what a cosmic joke! Resentment flared in Chen Xun's heart. A gentleman's revenge is a dish best served cold, even if it takes a hundred years. Just you wait, Old Wang—we're digging up your ancestral graves. "I'll be going then, Brother Xun! Mom's calling me for dinner." "Alright, run along." Chen Xun smiled gently, but as he looked at the rice, tears of gratitude drooled from the corner of his mouth. There were still good people in this world. Moo! The big black bull grunted impatiently inside the hut. It hated grass; it liked rice too. Soon, smoke curled into the air as a pot of fragrant, steaming white rice finished cooking. Man and bull sat on the floor, devouring the food while daydreaming about the future. "Old Bull, we have to survive and stop acting on impulse," Chen Xun chewed, swallowing hard. "It's a big world out there. Once we make it big, I'll find you a few fine cows." Moo! Gu-gu. The bull threw him a look of utter disdain, as if saying: Weren't you the one who charged into the next village holding an axe? "They had us outnumbered. You have to use strategy against people like that," Chen Xun said slyly. The bull’s eyes lit up, and it immediately leaned closer to listen. "When they're old and decrepit, we'll knock their teeth out and dig up their ancestral graves! Dammit, who told them to mess with immortals?" Chen Xun spoke with absolute conviction, his eyes gleaming with righteous arrogance. Moo! Moo! The bull’s massive eyes sparkled. It nodded enthusiastically—yes, this is the way. "Wait, why does it smell like something's burning?" Chen Xun sniffed the air and glanced toward the kitchen, his eyes widening in horror. "Our thatched hut!!" Moo~~ The bull snorted in sheer panic. "Fire!" "Chen Xun's house is on fire! Hurry, put it out!" ... An hour later, the flames died down, leaving the hut burnt to a crisp. Man and bull knelt outside, eyes lifeless, having lost all desire to live. Chen Xun was an orphan in the village, and after suffering one disaster after another, the villagers took pity on him, offered a few words of comfort, and dispersed. "It's over. Our home is gone," Chen Xun said, completely soul-crushed. He didn't know the first thing about building a house. Misfortunes truly never came singly. Yet, when God closes a door, he opens a window—the bull had managed to save some rice through regurgitation, enough to keep them fed for a few days. "Old Bull, I saw a few caves under the eastern slope. Sigh, let's just move there." Chen Xun shook his head dejectedly. He really needed to learn a trade in the village. He had spent all his time farming and knew nothing else. Moo! The bull didn't care. Wherever Chen Xun went was home. Outside the village, the bull carried bundles of dry straw on its back while Chen Xun gathered firewood. They settled into the cave for the time being. Over the next year, Chen Xun worked as an apprentice to the village carpenter, and the black bull helped haul materials. The villagers praised the bull for its intelligence and advised Chen Xun never to s*******r it for meat. Chen Xun snorted in disdain. He, Chen Xun, would rather starve to death or jump off a cliff than betray a friend. "Man, this tastes amazing!" Chen Xun grinned, taking a huge bite of beef. To celebrate the year-end, the village had slaughtered a few cattle and hosted a grand feast for everyone. Naturally, he wouldn't miss a free meal. The big black bull, however, stared with wide, traumatized eyes, unable to bring itself to touch the pieces of beef Chen Xun offered. After the feast, not wanting to waste food, Chen Xun and the bull packed up everything others had left behind. Living on a budget required careful planning. Back in the cave, the black bull munched happily on the non-beef leftovers, while Chen Xun happily devoured all the beef it refused to eat.