As he leaned back against a rock, memories surfaced more clearly.
Before joining the White Spirit Sect, the body he had possessed belonged to a member of a cultivation family. The family was not a powerful one with cultivators, but it was not weak or small either. It was weaker than the white spirit sect, but not by much.
Then Lian arrived.
And promptly slept with one of the family's aunts.
He winced.
"Okay, that one might've been on me."
He was also caught in it and was immediately led to his expulsion. There were no arguments. The Fourth Uncle was dead set on almost killing him. Only through the intervention of other family members and the ancestor did he survive, but he could no longer live in the family.
With nowhere else to go, he had joined the White Spirit Sect.
And six months later, the same thing repeated, and here he was in this situation.
Lian stared at the dim sky above him, his expression strangely calm.
"This world," he murmured, "is really dangerous." If it had been on Earth, he would still be alive and well even after getting caught. But not in this world.
Cultivators here could split mountains and shatter the earth. Compared to them, he was nothing more than dust. Without strength, he couldn't even enjoy a peaceful sex.
Yet despite everything, a crooked smile tugged at his lips.
"But… I'm still alive."
And as long as he was alive, there was always a chance.
...….
...…..
The next few days passed in a blur of pain. The hunger was getting worse, and he didn't even bring any food grain pills in haste while he was running. How could he have had time to think of other things? The moment he was caught, he barely had time to wear his shorts before he ran off. So there was nothing of value on him.
But he had the will to survive and didn't want to die yet; moreover, he survived that fall, so how could he die now? That would be pathetic. But even though it was healing, the pain was still severe, and in this pain, he couldn't even keep track of time.
The sun rose, the sun fell, and he continued to stay in the same place, hiding from the open area. His body was slowly recovering, but he wasn't in a condition to start walking yet.
The bottom of the cliff was nothing like the upper forest. Jagged stone formations cut through the land like broken teeth, with narrow paths winding between them. Mist clung low to the ground, thick enough that Lian could only see a few meters ahead at any time. It made everything feel closer than it was—and farther at the same time.
He learned quickly that moving recklessly was a bad idea.
On the first attempt, he tried to stand too fast and nearly blacked out from the pain in his ribs. On the second, he attempted to climb over a large stone ridge and reopened a half-healed wound along his side. By the third, he had learned that even though he was getting healed faster, he was not a high-level cultivator who could heal wounds in a short time, so he didn't try anything foolish and gave himself the rest he needed. But the problem of survival was still lingering.
Food was the biggest problem.
His stomach twisted constantly; his energy was running low due to hunger, and he felt sleepy all the time. He couldn't even feel like lifting his finger. But he obviously couldn't die; he had to live and get out of this hellhole. There were many lonely women waiting for him, those who were not receiving any affection or attention from their husbands, fiances and boyfriends. So he had to return alive. Yeah, even if not for himself, for those women he had to return and fill them with love and warmth. Yes, for this great cause, he had to live.
But how could he live? He had to eat, yet there was nothing, so he had to kill the animals and beasts in the forest. However, he was in no condition to fight, nor did he have the required strength to face the beasts of this inner region; his meager cultivation wouldn't suffice against any beast here. But he needed that meat to gain the much-needed energy so he could return to spread his warmth and love.
On the second night, he thought through his situation and what he knew about the beasts. He decided to set a trap. Spirit beasts weren't very smart, so he might be able to handle them.
Using his remaining energy, he dug a hole in the ground. He wasn't in fighting shape, but his cultivation was strong enough to manage it, even though it used a lot of his energy. Then he found some big stones nearby and brought them close.
He planned to lure the beast to the trap, making it fall into the hole, which he covered with dead leaves and grass to hide it. Once the beast was trapped, he would drop the large stones on it until it was dead. Since the beasts he was targeting were low-level and not fully grown, he could manage them this way.
He moved slowly, keeping his tired body low, scanning the area. After some careful watching, he spotted a small, young spirit beast wandering alone. His body ached with exhaustion, but this was his only chance. He decided to use himself as bait.
He stepped into the open, heart hammering, and ran. He didn't dare look back, he couldn't know if the beast had seen him. The creature's soft steps echoed behind him, growing closer. Panic mixed with adrenaline as he pushed himself harder, running until he finally saw the trap he had dug. Relief surged for a moment; at least he knew where safety or at least his plan was.
He lured the beast closer and, gathering every ounce of strength, side-stepped over the hole he had prepared. When he landed, pain shot through his body, and he groaned, collapsing briefly. But then he heard it—the sharp thud of something crashing. His chest rose and fell with wild relief. The beast had fallen into the trap.
There was no time to rest. Ignoring the burning pain, he pushed himself to the large stones he had placed nearby. One by one, he picked them up, hurling them into the hole with everything he had. Stone after stone pounded down, until finally he stopped, panting, and leaned over the trap.
The beast lay dead beneath the rocks. Its body was strong and resistant, but the stones, imbued with his qi, had crushed it. It hadn't fought back—he realized how lucky he was. If it had been an adult, he might not have even survived the first attack.
Carefully, he reached into the hole and dragged the body out. Using a sharp stone, he began to cut it into pieces. Six months ago, he had been a normal person with no survival skills, and the task felt messy and crude. Still, he managed to separate the meat, cutting it into manageable pieces.
He didn't bother making fire. The smoke could attract something far worse.
So he ate it raw.
The metallic taste of blood coated his tongue. Warm flesh slid down his throat, making his stomach churn. More than once, he gagged and nearly vomited everything back up.
"For fuck sake, This is worst." He muttered hoarsely, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Still, it kept him alive.
And every time he rested, like really rested, that warmth returned and his body continued to heal.
It seeped through his body like a slow tide, spreading from deep inside his chest to his limbs. Bruised muscles loosened. Cracked ribs stopped screaming. Torn flesh itched as it knit itself back together.
By the fourth day, he could walk without limping.
By the fifth, the deep ache had faded into a dull background presence, no longer dominating his thoughts.
By the sixth, he stood still and realized something strange.
"I'm… fine?"
Not fully healed, and he didn't have much strength.
But he was fine.
Fine enough to move around the area.
Fine enough to explore the forest more.
Lian stood near the spot where he had first woken up and looked up.
The cliff loomed above him, steep and cruel, its upper half swallowed by rolling mist. Even now, he couldn't see the edge he had fallen from. It looked unreal—like a wall separating two worlds.
He scratched his head.
"…That was insane, right?"
He stared for a long moment, then laughed quietly.
"I fell from that. And how did I survive? Maybe this world really needs me to fill the void inside women so can't let me die yet without fulfilling my duty. Hmm yes that should be the case. Hahahah"
After a brief moment of joking to himself about surviving these past days, he finally grew serious and began inspecting his body.
"But, really, how am I even okay?"
His fingers pressed against his chest, then his arm, then his side. The wounds were still there, faint and tender, but nothing compared to what they should have been.
"How am I healing like this?" he muttered. "Is there something wrong with this body?"
He closed his eyes and searched his memories.