It Starts With A Bet

Xaoi Bào bǐ's new parents liked to fuck. He was very certain of that. It took a while to get used to it, but the pair went at it like rabbits. Bào bǐ was surprised that he didn't already have a little brother or sister considering the situation. Perhaps, if his parents just played hanky panky under the covers once in a while, it'd be fine. However, they weren't discrete in the slightest. His mother was a screamer, and they made noises that even made a pornstar feel a bit sheepish.

Bào bǐ supposed it was no surprise that he'd end up reincarnating with such parents, given the occupation of his previous life. Don't they have a word for that? He thought the word was karma. Well, it did disrupt a lot of his sleep, but it wasn't like he was completely unaccustomed to those sounds and noises. For the most part, he could ignore them, and with the brain of a pornstar, there wasn't even very much ick factor. However, they seemed to take every opportunity to go at it again and again.

Since he had an adult brain, he didn't cry like other babies. That gave his parents the impression he was sleeping and they could enjoy some more fucking. As to how they expected a baby to sleep when mom screamed so loudly, Bào bǐ didn't know. At the very least, Bào bǐ was smart enough to know it'd be a bad idea to start talking or lecturing his parents at three months old. Thus, he needed to come up with other ways to occupy his time. Of course, even with enhanced constitution, he needed to sleep a lot. However, when we was awake, he worked on his own personal exercise routine.

His body seemed unusually strong and limber. He didn't know how old he was when he recovered his memories, but it couldn't have been more than a few months. Despite that, he could stand and walk already, and his body was extremely flexible as a baby. Thus, he took advantage of things, and while his parents banged away, he did crunches or pushups in his crib. Had his parents noticed him doing this, they likely would have been complete flummoxed. After all, a baby shouldn't be doing chin ups on the mobile.

As a former porn star, staying in shape was absolutely essential. Thus, he already had a lengthy muscle building workout routine in his mind and the habit of doing it religiously every day. With the sounds of his parent banging in the background, it almost felt like home. Of course, one of the keys to maintaining a proper and healthy workout was good nutrition, and Bào bǐ had the best nutrition money could buy. That was to say he drank milk straight from the tit.

It was a little weird subsiding on breast milk. The first time he was brought up to his mom's boob, well, it's not like he hadn't sucked many breasts before, but lactation porn was one of only a few he hadn't experienced, and besides, he'd needed that milk to survive! With his heavy workout routine, he needed to eat a lot, so he made sure to suck hard. This was about survival here! Bào bǐ didn't want to joke around when it came to eating.

"Ahhhhnn…." Mom let out weird noises while Bào bǐ sucked away.

"Is it alright, honey?" his father asked.

"Y-yes… he's just really rough, he makes my boobs really sore."

My father shot me a look, but he smiled and patted my bald head. "Good kid, but in a few years, I'll be taking those back."

"Oh, you…" The two started kissing again, and Bào bǐ ended up smashed between two sweaty bodies.

Well, that wasn't a first for Bào bǐ either, but he was still relieved when he was put back in his crib before they started going at it again. Time passed, and Bào bǐ's work-out routine was starting to have strange and unexpected results. He didn't know this, but the constitution pill was doing its job, and all the working out was refining his body like it would an adult.

His baby fat completely melted off, and while his muscles weren't big, they were much more specialized and condensed than regular muscles, giving him an extremely lean, yet solid appearance. In short, he looked less like a baby, and more like a small man. His parents could only stare awkwardly as each day their baby looked less and less like a toddler, and more and more like a ten-year-old shrunken to the size of a two-year-old.

Of course, boredom and inattentiveness eventually won out, and Bào bǐ steadily revealed more and more of his true nature. His parents began to find their child odder and odder. The house they lived in wasn't too small. These were cultivators, after all, and even though they were lowest of the low, they still stood above all mortals. The reason Bào bǐ was in the same room as the pair was because he was their first child, and his mother was worried Bào bǐ would get hurt during the night and she wouldn't be able to hear him cry.

It was about a month after Bào bǐ had reincarnated when the pair caught him watching them have sex. It was nothing perverted, Bào bǐ was just bored and a little curious. However, his strange physique mixed with the almost contemplative way he watched his dad pork his mom had left both parent's mildly uncomfortable. The mother conceded and his crib got moved into his own room. After that, Bào bǐ started getting out of his crib and collecting things around the house, buiilding up his own workout center. He found a nice log outside which he could bench and started growing fired up over working out.

Of course, his parents, he now knew them to be Xaoi Yun and Xaoi Lan, both knew about his peculiar workout habits. However, they were both new to parenting. After being chased out of the Xaoi clan, Xaoi Yun did not have much contact with his father and grandfather, so he had no one to speak to about such things as a cultivator baby. As a result, like the Liao famly, he just convinced himself that all of this was normal. Some kids were just very physically fit and energetic.

As Xaoi grew, he learned more and more about the world around him from his parents. He learned that his father was something called a cultivator. When Bào bǐ asked what he did for a job, Xaoi responded that he cultivated. Bào bǐ didn't really understand what that meant, but as he delved further, he found out his dad made money through various side jobs, such as body guard and hunting dangerous animals. At least he understood those things. It was kind of cool to have a father that seemed to be looked up to by a lot of the people in the nearby city of Demishire.

Bào bǐ's father was an attractive man, with a soft spot when it came to his family. He was a bit of a lech, but had charisma to him, like the protagonist of a fantasy novel. He was a strong man, with black hair and a dark complexion. It seemed like Bào bǐ's father had a rocky history with his family. He called them the Xaoi clan, which honestly sounded more like a cult to Bào bǐ's ears. The end result was that the couple were just about on their own, and it was all thanks to dad's strength and power than he was able to build this house and raise a family.

Mother too was a beauty well loved by the people. She was a cultivator as well, but she started out as a mortal, whatever that meant. She sat as one of the few success stories of a normal mortal making it to the realm of cultivation in Demishire. From what Bào bǐ had determined, she started out as a magistrate's daughter. Bào bǐ's parents might have been joking when they spoke of it, but it seemed like Mother's sexual appetite was well-known before they got married. She had a reputation as the town slut. It took someone like dad, a cultivator with above normal stamina, to keep up with mom's sexual desires. Once he had managed a seven day sex marathon with her, she knew she had found her mate, and married him immediately.

Well, that was what Bào bǐ was able to pull out of tidbits of their conversations, as none of it was directly spoken to him at the age of one. Given the circumstances, he honestly could believe it. Perhaps there were some inaccuracies in the story, as some of this came from their banter during foreplay.

"Hehe… ooo Lan'er, you're wet already? No wonder you had a reputation as a town slut!"

"Hah… hah…" Lan'er gasped as her husband pinned her down with his hand up her skirt, "You're the one that made me a slut."

"I seem to remember you being so horny that your father had no clue what to do. Isn't that why you married a cultivator? I'm the only one who can keep up!"

"I-impossible!"

Well, you can excuse Bào bǐ for getting some facts wrong, considering most of his understanding of this world was delivered in this way. He might have read to learn about the world, but he couldn't find a single book in the entire house. He found a bunch of scrolls on a certain bookstand and thought they might be what text is written on in this world, but upon opening them, he couldn't see any text. His father had found him pondering over the racks of blank scrolls and picked him up laughing.

"No, No, Bào'er, you're a little too young for cultivating just yet. No worries though, you'll definitely be strong!"

It was nearly a year later when Bào bǐ, realized his parents were not the top of the foodchain. He was starting to integrate single word commands into his vocabulary with his parents. Sure, he was exceptionally clear when he spoke and knew exactly what he wanted, even stating words that no child should know, but his parents had long sense come to terms with their abnormal son, and only tried to make the best of it. Mother called him 'my little man', and in truth, he didn't look that odd walking beside his parent. He looked like a runty 8 year old. It was only when you took a very close look that you realized he was way too muscular, and it was only when you learned he was not quite three yet when disbelief set in.

Mother had taken him to market, and he was getting to see city life for the first time. He realized that the world he was in looked like an olden-day Earth. It had many elements of an old-word China feel, which was weird because most of the people would be classified as white. There were no dark-skinned people at all, and only a few with the typical Asian double lids. The diversity of this city was certainly low in Bào bǐ's mind.

Two pale, wealthy-looking guys were walking down the street. All around them, people moved to the side, giving them a wide birth. Some of the looks even looked reverent. Bào bǐ was naturally curious about these men. They wore robes that were of a very high grade material. Their skin was white a perfect. One of them appeared to be an older man, perhaps the age of his mother who was in her twenties. The other looked younger, perhaps twelve. Both might be considered very handsome and regal in appearance. The only thing that Bào bǐ didn't like about them was their expressions. They wore looks of disdain, their noses so high in the air that it almost looked comical. The younger one seemed to be imitating the older as if the mentor was talking his disciple out to show him how to be a snob.

Bào bǐ's mother's eyes landed on the men, and immediately she grabbed his arm and started heading in the other direction. Bào bǐ wasn't prepared to be pulled, and he was a lot sturdier than he looked, so her attempt to pull him failed and she ended up stumbling instead. As Bào bǐ let out a noise of surprise and went to help his mother up, the two men locked eyes on them. Vicious grins formed on the older man's face and he led the younger child towards my mother. When she righted herself and noticed them coming, she immediately put herself in front of me, squaring her shoulders as if she was ready for a battle.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Xaoi Lan. How is little Yun'er doing? Still stuck in the lower first realm?" The older man said.

Bào bǐ's eyes widened. He could hear the scorn in their voices. This was the first time anyone in the city had ever spoken to his parents with disrespect in front of him. Perhaps more surprising, people who had previously smiled and bowed when Xaoi Yun spoke were now hiding with their heads lowered, refusing to speak up at all.

"Young Xaoi Wang, Li Jie…" Xaoi Lan acknowledged them both through gritted teeth. "My husband is doing fine. Thank you very much."

"I see he's been helping you cultivate, but naturally a failure like him couldn't truly help." The one name Xaoi Wang spoke in a high pitch voice of a kid, even while trying to act like a man. "You should compete in the next Xaoi disciple tryout. I could make sure you get selected to join the Xaoi sect."

He looked at Bào bǐ's mother with clearly superior eyes, like he was offering to feed a stray cat. Li Jie's eyes were more unnerving, as he had some perversion in them. She had only cultivated a little under her husband's guidance. This had actually been done to help her facilitate the birth of Xaoi Bào bǐ himself. Mortal women still died at an alarming rate from pregnancy in this world. Only cultivators had the fortitude to sidestep that fate. There was also hope that the genes of another cultivator would allow Bào bǐ to get rid of the family curse.

Although she was only at the first level or mortal purification, the difference between a mortal and a cultivator was always profound, and her beauty that might have gone unnoticed as a mortal was brought to the surface to these greedy cultivators. Xaoi sect cultivators rarely visited the mortal city, let alone the markets, so this was an issue that hadn't come up until this moment.

"In fact," Lie Jie spoke up while eyeing mom lecherously, "Just ditch that husband. Play with us a little, and I'll definitely help you cultivate."

"No, thank you…" She spoke stiffly, "If you'll excuse me."

She tried to side step the pair, but they moved to stop her, not letting her walk away.

"Wait just a minute." Li Jie raised a hand. "What's the rush? You know, I'm at level five of mortal purification, way higher than your husband. I really can give you a tip. How about it? Just the tip?"

Xaoi Lan was growing more frightened by the moment. She might have just run, but with Bào bǐ present, she really couldn't flee. Before she could take action, she was suddenly pulled back by her skirt, and her little man moved around her and stood in front of her protectively. She was little proud of his bravery, but must mostly afraid of what these cultivators could do to him.

"Hey, guys, the girl says she's not interested. Scram!" He said.

Xaoi Lan blinked. This was the first time she had ever heard him use a full sentence, and it was a complex one besides. Xaoi Wang and Li Jie looked down to see the little kid standing there in front of them with his mom.

"Who is this? Your son?" Xaoi Wang grinned at Bào bǐ. "You should learn to respect your elders. Another useless Xaoi, how sad."

"Hey, kid, why don't you head back to your house on your own? I'm going to take care of your mom real nice. Hehehe…" Li Jie leaned near Bào bǐ and whispered loudly enough everyone could hear.

"Yeah… I get it, you want to bang my Mom. Can you not stand so close? I can smell your ball sweat from here."

Li Jie blinked. Xaoi Wang tilted his head, not completely understanding the lecherous ways his companion was looking at Bào bǐ's mother. He was still perhaps too young to catch some of the more subtle points of the conversation, so what Bào bǐ said to him seemed like nonsense. The silence continued for a few seconds as everyone processed what was just said.

"This kid can't see Mount Tai right in front of him!" Li Jie chuckled.

"Hey, kid, I'll tell you what…" Xaoi Wang spoke up, pointing to himself with his thumb. "Let's make a bet. I'll give you one hit. Although I've only been a disciple for one year, I'm almost to the second level of mortal purification. You look like you work out, so if you can make me yield with a punch, I'll pay you one spirit stone."

Bào bǐ considered his words for a moment. He still didn't know anything about levels, mortal purification, or spirit stones all that much, so all he knew is that the guy wanted him to punch him. Bào bǐ's hesitation edged Xaoi Wang on.

"I won't defend in the slightest. You get a spirit stone, and we'll leave."

"A spirit stone?" Li Jie shouted. "Do you know how much that is for a mortal?"

Even mom gasped, putting her hand up to her mouth. A spirit stone was a type of currency for immortals. If mortals worked in copper, silver, and gold, with 10 copper being about the cost of a day of work, silver being 100 copper, gold being 100 silver, a single spirit stone would cost one thousand gold pieces. Spirit stones were basically useless to mortals, but they were valued by immortals, which is why they were valuable to any mortal. A couple of spirit stones could buy you into certain schools, or have an immortal owe you a favor. A few spirit stones could change a mortal's life… and more importantly, the only way to obtain one was through an immortal.

"It's my money!" Xaoi Wang said stubburnly, "I can do what I want with it!"

Li Jie gave the younger kid a sharp look, but crossed his arms and didn't say another word. At this point, he was the elder overseeing a dispute between two children, and he wouldn't necessarily interfere. Furthermore, he wasn't of the Xaoi family line. Those with the surname Xaoi were all related and often had powerful familial ties in the Xaoi sect. Wang was no exception, which was the exact reason Li Jie had offered to take him out to the mortal city in the first place.

Of course, if either of them had known that Bào bǐ was not quite three yet, this would have been a deeply embarrassing bet. Due to his strange development caused by the constitution pill and his workout routine, being confused for a small child of eight or nine could be forgiven. Especially since the words he had just spoken sounded like the words of an adult. Even still, for a cultivator of eleven to challenge a mortal of the same age could be considered just as unreasonable. The gap was simply too great.

Xaoi Lan had heard enough. She held out her hand, ready to stop this feud before it could begin. However, she was stopped by a sudden look from her child. She didn't know when he had grown so smart, but she knew now that treating her kid like a three year old would be a mistake. There were a lot of mysteries in this world, so Xaoi felt she had no choice but to accept this one.

"What if I lose?" Bào bǐ demanded.

The other kid smiled, knowing he had suckered Bào bǐ into a bet that he was confident he would win. "Simple, you must kow tow to me three times and swear your loyalty!"

"Ahem…" Li Jie coughed.

"And, your… um… mother… will entertain Li Jie, tonight."

"Outrag-" Mother started in fury.

"Mother!" Bào bǐ looked back, giving his mom a reassuring look.

Xaoi Wang looked confused again. Naturally, he was just repeating after Li Jie. If Li Jie got to hang out with Bào bǐ's mother for a bit, there was no harm done. It was clear he didn't really know what he was asking, nor what was on the line.

In the end, Bào bǐ was confident he could deliver a punch that would floor this Wang. After all, had he not been working out for the last two years? Not to mention the extreme constitution he seemed to have that made him feel as solid as a rock. He nodded his head.

"Good!" Xaoi Wang laughed, putting his hands on his hips. "Then give it a try. Realize your place in this world!"

Bào bǐ knew how to throw a punch. An ex-girlfriend had once dragged him into a self-defense class. Since he was the only guy in a group full of estrogen-rich women, that damned instructor kept using him as the assailant, and he got tossed around all day by women. That girl dumped him and quit the class half way through. It wasn't all bad though. After beating him all day, many of the women started to feel sorry for him, and he ended up banging most of the girl's in the group, including the instructor. Well, he learned how to punch at least.

Straightening his core, he got into a position to deliver a straight punch. Li Jie's eyes widened slightly, seeing that his foot position was actually quite good. If Bào bǐ was anyone but a child of that cursed family line, he might have even made a good disciple for the Xaoi sect. Bào bǐ took in a breath and then moved his fist. When he concentrated, his body moved like lightning. He knew no true cultivation techniques or skills, but his body's constitution couldn't be understated, and his spirit was exceptionally toxin free for this world.

Boom!

Bào bǐ's fist collided with Xaoi Wang's stomach with a thud. It actually sounded closer to the noises cultivator's made when fighting. However, the end result was determined instantly. Bào bǐ's fist stopped at Xaoi Wang's stomach, and Xaoi Wang didn't move an inch. Li Jie had expected the outcome, but seeing it still left him with some relief after hearing that fightful sound like iron striking iron. He would get to enjoy Xaoi Lan's body greatly tonight, and the best part, if her husband tried to complain, he could pin it all on the children!

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee…' A long gasping squeal came out of Xaoi Wang's mouth.

Li Jie frowned and turned to the younger ward. A moment later, Xaoi Wang fell to his knees, and then the floor. He was completely out, moaning as he held his stomach. A mortal downing a cultivator, even an eleven-year-old at the first level, was a complete slap in the face to the Xaoi clan. This couldn't be true! Maybe Xaoi Wang spontaneously got a stomach ache?

Li Jie spun on Bào bǐ, "You have some nerve downing someone of the Xaoi sect! You're courting death!"

"Eh?" Bào bǐ scratched his head in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about, old man? He made the bet and I won it fair and square."

"You Xaoi reject!" Li Jie's face turned ugly and Xaoi Lan stepped forward protectively. "Clearly, you cheated! A mortal does not win!"

"Then why make the bet?" Bào bǐ shot back, his forehead general scrunched up in confusion. "What kind of logic is that?"

Bào bǐ genuinely confused look mixed with just the right question stunned Li Jie to silence. This was a world where the strong ruled the weak. Everyone knew that. Mortals were the lowest of the low, and it only went up from there. What did things like logic have to with cultivation? Lie Jie was just about to roll up his sleves and teach both these outcasts a lesson when a voice stopped him.

"He won!" Xaoi Wang said bitterly, coughing while he stood up. "He won fair and square. There's nothing to it."

He pulled out a stone and tossed it. Bào bǐ lifted his hand and caught it smoothly. The stone was small and had little symbols on it. This little thing must be the spirit stone they spoke about. Risking his mother's sanctity for something like this… Bào bǐ immediately felt guilty. He had been a little cocksure and spoke without thinking. He promised himself he'd be better in the future.

Xaoi Wang grabbed Lie Jie and tugged him off, clearly embarrassed and wanting to do what any eleven-years-old would do when they lost, run away and pout. Things like revenge weren't even on his mind at that age. The same was not true for the adult, who let a young family member of the Xaoi clan get embaressed by a mortal and lost his own quarry in the process. Thankfully, even Li Jie wasn't so shameless as to push the matter with so many witnesses.

"This isn't over!' Li Jie growled but allowed the young master to pull him away.

Mother let out a breath of relief when they turned the corner, and the pair of them immediately left the marketplace and headed straight home, even forgoing half the groceries they had needed to get. Mother didn't speak about what happened to Bào bǐ, but she also didn't ask for the spirit stone. That night, while lying in the crib he was starting to outgrow, he had the spirit stone in his hand, bouncing it back and forth between his fingers.

"Spirit stone, huh? So, does that mean it's full of spirit?"

He thought about pulling something out of the stone and bringing it into himself. Isn't that how cultivation works? He had read novels before, he at least knew about Buddha and becoming one with oneself and all of that garbage. He had seen his father meditating outside in front of the house enough to recognize that this held a bit of eastern philosophy to it.

As he continued to play with the stone, suddenly, it exploded in light. The light ended up melting into his fingertips. Bào bǐ gasped as he felt some kind of strange, yet wonderful energy enter into his body. The sensation was brief, but the feeling before and after was like night and day. He was suddenly aware of energy all around him. It's like walking with your head down, only to suddenly realize you're surrounded by fog. In this case, he realized spiritual energy, like what was in that stone, seemed to be everywhere, a thin fog that carpeted the world. The stone held a concentrated amount of it, but that was already gone, and it was just a plan stone now. Even the symbols had disappeared.

This was the first time he created a disturbance of spiritual energy. This was the first time he successfully cultivated.