The continuous spring rain fell around him, slowly melting the ice.
Pu Shi Wu began walking away from the carnage, leaving the rank five cultivator's corpse behind.
The King of Roaches walked on.
However, after but a few steps, killing intent erupted from seemingly nowhere.
A White-Eyes Wolf lunged from his blind spot, fangs bared.
Pu Shi Wu's second brain registered the threat half a second too late—his rejuvenated body was still unfamiliar, his reactions slightly off.
The wolf's jaws clamped onto his side, fangs punching through flesh and muscle. Blood erupted from the wound.
Pu Shi Wu coughed violently, spraying blood from his mouth.
His right hand moved instinctively. Two fingers drove toward the wolf's eyes—stiffened spear-hand strikes that punctured both orbs simultaneously.
The White-Eyes Wolf released its grip, howling.
Pu Shi Wu's left hand reached to his compression sleeve, extracting a concealed Gu from within. A rank three parasite-type Gu he'd kept hidden for emergencies.
He activated it.
The Gu burrowed into the wolf's skull through the destroyed eye sockets, reaching the brain in seconds. The creature convulsed once, then collapsed.
Dead.
Pu Shi Wu stood there, hand pressed against his bleeding side. His first brain worked desperately to seal the wound, but his Gu were already pushed past their limits—Nine Leaf Vitality Grass Gu flickered weakly, nearly depleted. Heavenly Essence Treasure Lotus was exhausted from the previous fight.
He couldn't heal.
His legs gave out. He collapsed to the ground, vision shaking violently.
'Is this just bad luck?' he thought bitterly. 'Or was that man an enslavement path Gu master as well? Did he command this wolf to attack after his death?'
A bloody chuckle escaped his lips.
'Gu world... this Gu world truly is crazy. Unpredictable. One moment you win, the next you lose because of one small detail you missed. One variable you didn't account for. Truly... truly this world is terrifying.'
His thoughts spiraled as blood pooled beneath him.
'Why did I ever think I could survive? Why did I think I could find my path before dying? Am I just a fool clinging to fantasies and ideals? Do I secretly think of myself as a protagonist? Is that my sin—the wishful thought that being a reincarnator means something special?'
He lay on grass that felt as cold as ice, pondering while waiting for death. His strength was gone. In his eyes, there was nothing left to continue with. His vision continued distorting, fading in and out.
Then—a scent.
Blood. Not his own. From another source.
Faint footsteps approached, calm and unhurried.
'Another person to kill me...' He tilted his head up weakly to see the source.
What could only be called a fairy stood before him.
She was draped head to toe in scarlet red robes that couldn't conceal her beauty. But what stood out most were her eyes—steady and firm, nearly abyssal black yet not quite. A hint of innocence could still be seen within them.
A smirk slowly crossed Pu Shi Wu's lips. 'Yep, I'm definitely going to be killed, given my luck with women. But at least I get killed by a jade beauty.'
He joked in his head to ignore the pain coursing through his body.
The woman stopped and knelt down, looking into his eyes.
Her cherry-red lips parted. "You are Pu Shi Wu, aren't you?"
He wasn't surprised she knew him. He nodded faintly, his head still on the ground.
Her lips opened again. "Did you see a man claiming to be rank six around here? He stole something from me that I need back."
Pu Shi Wu let out a soft chuckle, blood flowing from his mouth. "Well, sorry, but I killed him. His corpse is just a few steps down behind me—"
He couldn't speak further. Blood erupted from his mouth. His consciousness faded.
He passed out.
The fairy in red merely sighed before picking up his body with one arm. Blood flowed more freely from his wounds, but she didn't seem to mind, carrying him like a sack of potatoes.
The wind slowly caressed her flowing black hair as she walked toward where Pu Shi Wu had pointed.
The walk wasn't long, but it wasn't short either. Soon, the body of a decrepit old man appeared—head dangling limp, neck twisted at a bizarre angle.
The fairy cast a meaningful glance at Pu Shi Wu's unconscious form before dropping his body unceremoniously on the ground.
She knelt beside the corpse, thrusting her arm into the dead man's chest cavity. Her hand emerged holding a Gu—an immortal inheritance Gu that the demonic cultivator had stolen from her. She smirked briefly before quickly hiding her emotions, becoming alert.
She pondered for a moment, then resolutely put the Gu away and picked Pu Shi Wu back up.
Two weeks later.
The fragrance of medicinal herbs filled the air.
Pu Shi Wu's consciousness stirred slowly, like sediment settling in disturbed water. His thoughts formed gradually, disconnected at first, then coalescing into coherent awareness.
'I'm... alive?'
His eyes opened—both of them intact.
Soft light filtered through rice paper windows. He lay on a simple bed with clean white sheets that smelled faintly of spiritual herbs. The room was small but elegant—wooden beams overhead, a single table beside the bed holding medicinal bottles, walls painted pale green like spring growth.
'Not the frozen wasteland. Not lying in blood. Where...?'
He tried to move. His body responded sluggishly but without the catastrophic pain he'd expected. His side—where the White-Eyes Wolf had bitten—was bandaged with cloth that smelled of healing salves.
Both his brains automatically assessed his condition and processed environmental details simultaneously.
'Wounds treated professionally. Primeval essence recovered—maybe sixty percent. Body still rejuvenated at age twenty-two. Both brains fully healed and functional again. Someone kept me alive for... how long?'
He sat up slowly. The motion sent dull aches through his torso but nothing unbearable.
The room held few furnishings—just the bed, table, a wooden chair, and a small cabinet. Through the window, he could see other buildings in similar architectural style. Traditional Central Continent construction, elegant but not extravagant.
'This isn't some random healing house. The quality of treatment, the environment... this is an organization with resources.'
The door slid open without warning.
The fairy in red entered—the same woman who'd found him dying on frozen ground two weeks prior. Her scarlet robes seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. Those abyssal black eyes studied him with clinical interest.
"You're awake." Her voice held no particular emotion. Not warm, not cold. Stating fact.
Pu Shi Wu met her gaze. "I am."
She closed the door behind her, moving with fluid grace that suggested high cultivation level. "You've been unconscious for fourteen days. Your injuries were extensive—punctured organs, blood loss, primeval essence depletion. Most rank three cultivators would have died within hours."
"But I didn't." Pu Shi Wu's voice was hoarse from disuse.
"No. You didn't." She sat in the wooden chair, studying him. "Your constitution is unusual. Your body healed itself even while unconscious, though slowly. Maintained vital functions without any intervention beyond basic medical treatment."
'She doesn't know about the dual-brain setup. Good. She just thinks I'm built different. Let her think that.'
"Where am I?" he asked directly.
"Spirit Affinity House." She stated this as if it explained everything. "One of the ten great ancient sects of Central Continent. I brought you here after retrieving what that demonic cultivator stole from me—an immortal inheritance that belongs to my sect."
Pu Shi Wu's mind raced. Spirit Affinity House—he'd read about it extensively in Reverend Insanity. One of the ten ancient sects, created three hundred thousand years ago during Medieval Antiquity Era by Shui Ni. They had a high proportion of female Gu Immortals and close relations with Heavenly Court.
'Righteous path. Central Continent power. This could be... actually good? If I play this correctly.'
"Why bring me here?" He kept his tone neutral.
The woman's lips curved slightly. "You killed the demonic cultivator who stole from me. That earns consideration. Also, you're Pu Shi Wu. The rank three everyone talks about."
She paused. "Other rank threes and fours speak of you like some kind of unkillable monster. I wanted to see for myself."
Pu Shi Wu said nothing. He'd survived a long time. That built a reputation.
"And what do you want from me?"
"I'm taking you as my servant and bodyguard." She stated this simply. "You gain protection and resources from Spirit Affinity House. I gain someone capable."
'Servant and bodyguard. Safety, resources, time to recover. Good enough.'
He didn't mention the dao marks being harder to accumulate.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Gu Yue Xin Yuan." She stated this simply. "Rank three Gu Master of Spirit Affinity House."
'Rank three. Same as me. From the Gu Yue clan name, but here in Central Continent at Spirit Affinity House. Interesting.'
"I'm Pu Shi Wu, but you already knew that."
"I did." Gu Yue Xin Yuan stood, moving toward the door. "You'll stay in the servant quarters of my residence. Recover your strength over the next few weeks. Once you're back to full capability, your duties will begin. For now, rest."
She paused at the door. "Someone will bring you food shortly. Eat. Rest. Familiarize yourself with the sect layout through the window, but don't leave this building yet. I'll send for you when it's time."
She left, sliding the door closed behind her.
Pu Shi Wu sat in silence, processing everything.
'Spirit Affinity House. Servant to another rank three. Protected by one of the ten great sects. Given time to recover.'
He looked down at his hands—young, rejuvenated by Hope Gu, at the cost of half his remaining lifespan. Twenty-five years left.
'I chose to live. Now I have time to figure out what to do with it.'
He lay back down, letting both brains work on healing.
Outside his window, Spirit Affinity House stretched into the distance.
The continuous spring rain fell on white jade rooftops.
For the first time in thirty years, Pu Shi Wu felt safe.
He closed his eyes and slept.