Under One Person: Please Call Me Golden Flash

Chapter 1 Zhao Zhen
June, summer, 1923.

As the morning mist dissipates, the mountain streams are draped in flowing silk.

The stream, winding down from the snow-capped peaks, leaps and dances among the colorful stones like shattered jade falling onto a plate. It polishes the granite, which has been deposited for thousands of years, into a smooth and warm texture. The colorful stones at the bottom of the stream, moistened by rainwater, gleam with the luster of agate. The red, vermilion, cinnabar, and yellow hues complement the blue water, creating a picturesque scene, as if the colorful stones that Nuwa used to mend the sky had fallen to earth.

On the mountain path, a boy carrying a wooden basket on his back is facing the rising sun, taking steps towards the mountaintop.

He was very fast, climbing dozens of steps in just a few breaths.

Soon, when he stepped on the last step, the boy finally reached the top of the mountain.

At the summit, an elderly man with a hunched back and gray hair had been sitting there for a long time. When he sensed the young man behind him approaching, a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

"That's right, your speed is getting faster and faster these days."

The old man took one last look at the rising sun in the distance, then turned to the boy behind him and gave him a smile.

boom!
The boy put down the wooden frame he was carrying on his back. The moment it hit the ground, dust flew up and created a shallow crater.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the wooden basket contained dozens of bluestone bricks, each weighing over ten kilograms.

"Old man, I don't quite understand. You taught me all about drawing talismans, so why do you make me carry such heavy stone bricks up the mountain every day to practice my leg strength?"

Does this mean I'm going to become a violent mage, the kind who just charges in with a staff and blows people's heads off?
"You brat, drawing talismans is the foundation of our secret technique, and it's of utmost importance."

"But precisely because the creation of this talisman is so complicated, this secret technique I'm teaching you shouldn't be used lightly. It can only be used as a means of self-defense. So, if you want to protect yourself on ordinary days, you'll have to rely on your two legs, won't you?"

"If you don't understand, just ask. I haven't done anything to anyone, so why am I always thinking about saving my life?"

"Ahem, you don't need to worry about that. In short, I, the old man, would never harm you."

"Fine……"

After hearing this, the boy withdrew his gaze with some skepticism.

The boy's name was Zhao Zhen. An orphan, he was adopted by the old man in front of him when he was young. From then on, the old man took him all over the country, teaching and passing on his knowledge.

Although the old man would sometimes leave him in one place and then suddenly disappear for a while, Zhao Zhen never asked where the old man had gone.

Everyone has their own secrets, and Zhao Zhen is no exception.

His biggest secret is that he is a time traveler.

Ever since waking up to find himself in the body of a child who had nearly starved to death, Zhao Zhen has been able to accept even the most absurd things without batting an eye.

The good news was that just when he was about to starve to death, the old man appeared in front of him, gave him a bite to eat, and took him in from then on.

Zhao Zhen still doesn't know the old man's name, and the old man has never told him, only telling him to always call him "old man".

And so, the old man and the young man depended on each other for survival, traveled together, and in eight years they traversed almost all the famous mountains and rivers.

Even Zhao Zhen, who was a time traveler, never expected that one day he would start with only two feet and travel entirely by running.

Over the past eight years, Zhao Zhen and the old man have traveled to many places and have roughly figured out the background of this world.

The world was still the same familiar world; the only thing that had changed was time. In other words, Zhao Zhen slept straight back to nearly a hundred years ago.

However, none of that mattered to Zhao Zhen anymore, because by following the old man, he had come to know a completely new world that he had never seen before!
"You brat, I must admit, your talent is the most extraordinary of all the kids I've seen in all these years."

He easily gained Qi with each breath. Even though he had traveled all over the country and seen a lot in his life, he had never heard of such a shocking thing.

"It's useless. What good is my talent if you won't teach me anything real?"

Zhao Zhen pursed his lips. Ever since the old man taught him a strange breathing method eight years ago, he had never taught him any other skills.

Over the years, although he had been working hard to cultivate that breathing method, he could only feel that a certain energy within his body was becoming stronger and stronger, and his physical condition was getting better and better.

It has no other effects besides that.

As for the abilities he occasionally saw others use, such as breathing fire and water, or shooting lightning, he could forget about them altogether.

"Hmph! You brat, you're blaming me now!"

The old man snorted, and with a flick of his finger, he delivered a sharp rap on Zhao Zhen's forehead from a distance.

"The reason I haven't taught you any other skills all these years, but only honed your most basic life-sustaining abilities, is to pass on my signature technique—Golden Escape Flowing Light!" "Golden Escape Flowing Light?"

Upon hearing this, a hint of doubt flashed in Zhao Zhen's eyes.

This name sounds familiar...
Something might be wrong. Let me double-check.

“That’s right. My method is much more powerful than those clowns you’ve seen before who spew fire and water and perform acrobatics.”

As he spoke, a hint of pride gradually appeared on the old man's face, but soon, the pride in his eyes turned into something complicated.

"You brat, although my Golden Escape Flowing Light technique is extremely difficult to cultivate, with your talent, you could have started cultivating it long ago."

The reason I've hesitated to teach you this method is because I'm also hesitant; I'm worried that if I do teach it to you, it might ultimately harm you.

"Old man, what do you mean by this?"

"Alright, some things can't be hidden forever. Kid, I'll just tell you straight up. My real name is Duan Chuan. My friends in the underworld give me some face and respectfully call me Master Jin Guang."

Golden Light Master, Golden Escape Flowing Light...

It's probably pretty close to the truth. So, does that mean I really have transmigrated into the world of Under One Person?

Zhao Zhenqiang suppressed his surprise and then asked, "Old man, are you very famous outside? Then why have I never seen you have any friends all these years?"

"I am famous, but it's all bad fame. There's nothing I can do about it; what can I do when I joined the Quanxing Sect?" Duan Chuan sighed.

"You may not know what Quanxing means yet, but I still have to remind you, kid, if you ever encounter someone who claims to be from Quanxing, you'd better stay far away from them and absolutely do not have any contact with these guys!"

Although I've been secretly driving these people away over the years, I can't be with you forever. From now on, you'll have to walk your own path.

Hearing this, Zhao Zhen finally understood why he had been in Under One Person for so long without realizing it.

Firstly, in the world of Under One Person, extraordinary people are rare, so during these eight years, he and the old man traveled around and mostly came into contact with ordinary people.

Secondly, there's the old man's identity as a member of the Quanxing sect. As an elder of Quanxing, he couldn't possibly take me to meet those righteous people who weren't Quanxing, nor would he want me to come into contact with those bastards within Quanxing.

As a result, Zhao Zhen naturally had very few opportunities to come into contact with other extraordinary individuals.

Looking at the old man's serious expression, Zhao Zhen felt a warm current flow through her heart.

Regardless of what evil things this old man had done in the past within the Quanxing sect, at least he had genuinely cared for me.

"There's not a single good person in the Quanxing Sect... so old man, are you including yourself in this insult?"

"Screw you!"

Seeing that Zhao Zhen still had a playful and smiling look, Duan Chuan felt helpless, and the serious atmosphere between the two was immediately eased a bit.

"You brat, I've traveled all over the country my whole life, and now that I'm old, all I want is to find a disciple who can pass on my Golden Escape Flowing Light technique so that it won't be lost in my hands."

If you don't want to be associated with Quanxing, then never use this Golden Escape Flowing Light in this lifetime. You can find another opportunity later to continue passing down our lineage...

As he spoke, Duan Chuan's voice grew softer and softer, until his eyes almost pleaded.

Zhao Zhen understood the old man's concerns. He was worried that the old man's identity as a member of the Quanxing sect would cause him trouble after he practiced the Golden Escape Technique.

After all, as far as Zhao Zhen knew, Duan Chuan was the only one in the entire world of supernatural beings who was proficient in this Golden Escape Flowing Light technique.

Once Zhao Zhen uses it in front of outsiders, anyone with a brain would know who Zhao Zhen's teacher is.

Given the current attitude of various sects towards the Quanxing Sect, Zhao Zhen could easily become the second Li Muxuan if he's not careful.

However, the old man's concerns were nothing to Zhao Zhen. Others might not know, but as a transmigrator, he understood them all too well.

What kind of world is it now? What kind of world will it be in a few years?
Are you afraid of dying now, afraid of getting into trouble with Quanxing, so you don't learn this bug-level life-saving skill, Golden Escape Flowing Light? Do you want to wait until the world gets chaotic in a few years and be slapped to death by someone on the street?
Even if the old man forbids him from contacting Quanxing, what difference would it make if he were to actually join Quanxing?

The way of the sage is inherently sufficient within my own nature.

He has his own feet. As long as he has a clear conscience and does not do anything against his conscience, what right do outsiders have to criticize him?
Thinking of this, Zhao Zhen looked up at the old man and smiled slightly, showing his big white teeth.

"Old man, what are you babbling about? Are you going to teach me or not? You've only taught me this one skill in eight years, so please just be a little more straightforward, okay?"

(End of this chapter)