Accidentally Reincarnated in Cultivation World-Chapter 383: Jade Emperor and Stolen Peach

Yu Xuan hesitated for a heartbeat, then carefully tried to stick the detached prop or rather, the suspiciously fake beard back onto the old man’s chin.

To his surprise...

It stuck.

Perfectly.

"...Haha," Yu Xuan laughed dryly, taking a step back.

"What a... stretchable beard."

Internally, he was sweating.

He wasn’t afraid of dying – after all, the loop existed, but provoking random ancient monsters was a completely different matter.

Dying was one thing. Being remembered was another.

The old man gave him a long, peculiar look.

Then he shook his head.

"Well, whatever," the old man said cheerfully.

"Hohoho! Just a word of advice, hide that peach well. It’s quite valuable afterall."

Yu Xuan’s ears twitched.

"And though I won’t be dropping you off at your destination," the old man continued, mounting his cloud.

"But perhaps fate has... other plans for you."

With that cryptic statement, he waved.

"Farewell!"

And just like that, he flew off into the distance atop his cloud, laughing all the while.

Yu Xuan stared for a moment, then quietly stored the peach inside his spatial ring.

"...Tch."

He clicked his tongue.

"I thought meeting a random old man here would leave me with some grand fortune. Turns out it’s just... a slightly special peach." he muttered.

Yu Xuan paused, frowning.

"...Have I become unlucky again?"

Shaking his head, Yu Xuan resumed walking east.

But not long after.

Another figure appeared before him.

This old man was different.

Majestic.

Dignified.

He had a thin mustache, a long, well-kept goatee, and an air of authority that pressed down invisibly on the surroundings.

He wasn’t riding a cloud, he was simply floating, as if the heavens themselves refused to let him touch the ground.

Though there were similarities to the previous old man, Yu Xuan immediately felt the difference.

This one felt original.

While the first one felt... fake.

"Chosen child," the dignified old man spoke calmly, his voice carrying weight.

"Did you happen to see a monkey pass through here? I can still smell... the scent of my peaches."

Yu Xuan’s eyelid twitched.

’My peaches?’ he thought.

’So that’s how it was.’

"I saw you earlier, senior," Yu Xuan replied respectfully.

"But I didn’t see any monkey."

Which was technically true.

He hadn’t seen a monkey.

Just a suspicious old man with a detachable beard.

The dignified old man narrowed his eyes slightly, then nodded.

"I see."

Yu Xuan remained calm.

After all.

If someone claims the peaches are theirs after you already have one, and that peach was given by another old man...

Then you’re not a thief, right?

...Right?

He was still reassuring himself internally when the dignified old man spoke again, his gaze sharp yet oddly kind.

"You look troubled," the old man said.

"And your expression isn’t looking... very good. Are you facing some difficulty?"

"I’m trying to find the residence the Leader mentioned to me." Yu Xuan answered honestly.

The old man studied him for a moment, then nodded as if something had clicked.

"Hm. You have a mission ahead of you. That alone brings many worries I understand." He waved his sleeve gently.

"Come. I’ll take you there."

Yu Xuan was momentarily surprised, then quickly cupped his hands.

"Thank you, senior. May I ask how I should address you?"

The old man slowed his steps, his expression turning contemplative.

"I have many names," he said at last.

"But the one most are familiar with is... the Jade Emperor."

He paused, then waved his hand dismissively.

"No, just call me Old Man. That will do."

Yu Xuan’s heart skipped a beat. He felt that he had certainly heard than name somewhere.

The Jade Emperor.

Also known as the Supreme Celestial Emperor.

One of the most terrifying and respected existences across Heaven and Earth.

And here he was, walking beside Yu Xuan as if escorting a lost junior disciple.

The Jade Emperor, for his part, glanced at Yu Xuan with faint curiosity.

Ever since laying eyes on him, he had sensed something unusual, an immense potential quietly budding within that seemingly ordinary mortal body.

As for the matter of the stolen peach?

Yes, he had been furious.

Extremely furious.

But that fury had nothing to do with this child.

After all, a being capable of being selected to do this virtue and having such potential, would never intentionally commit something as crude as theft. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Come," the Jade Emperor said calmly.

"Your residence lies to the east right?"

And so, the two of them began walking together in that direction.

As for why the Jade Emperor failed to sense the peach hidden in Yu Xuan’s spatial ring...

Well.

That had everything to do with a certain monkey and absolutely nothing to do with Yu Xuan’s innocence.

"All right," the Jade Emperor said, stopping mid-step.

"Here we are."

Yu Xuan followed his gaze.

In front of him stood a massive tree, its trunk broad and ancient, branches stretching outward like natural corridors.

Faint light pulsed within it, giving the entire tree the feeling of a living residence rather than a normal tree.

Yu Xuan blinked.

’...Is this the start of my elf life?’ he wondered silently.

He had never imagined that his residence would be a tree.

Somewhere deep down, he felt the genre of his surroundings were quietly shifting.

Along the way, they had chatted casually.

Nothing profound, nothing heavy.

And yet Yu Xuan couldn’t help but feel that the Jade Emperor carried the same air as a kind, slightly eccentric grandfather, one who just happened to be OP.

"Thank you, senior," Yu Xuan said sincerely, bowing politely.

The Jade Emperor nodded, clearly pleased.

"Mm. Then I’ll be going."

And just like that, he vanished, already off in pursuit of a certain troublesome monkey.

Now that they were trapped within this place, he only had a limited number of peaches left.

Even though the Peaches of Immortality had lost much of their original effect due to the restrictive rules here, they were still valuable.

And more importantly.

They were still delicious.

The Jade Emperor’s expression darkened slightly as he flew off.

’That damn monkey...’ he thought.

’Once I catch him this time, I’m definitely imprisoning him.’

Back beneath the tree, Yu Xuan stared at his new residence.

"...Well," he muttered, stepping forward, "at least it’s spacious."

And with that, he entered his tree, unaware that even this quiet moment was merely the calm before the next absurd storm.