vncnus Chapter 1 June 5
Chapter 1 June 5
Have you ever been protected by animals?
The kind of person who would risk their life.
As a resident of a big city who never keeps cats or dogs at home, Cai Fei had never been so horrified or moved in her previous life.
As dusk settled, the mountain wind swept across the cliffs, carrying the sound of pine trees.
Cai Fei opened his eyes amidst excruciating pain.
The swaddling clothes made his whole body stiff, and he felt pain all over his body, especially in his lower abdomen, which was so painful that it twitched.
The air was thick with the earthy scent of withered grass and mountain mud, and beneath him lay cold, hard rock—everything seemed to be telling him—
This is not a dream; he has transmigrated into the body of a newborn baby who was thrown off a cliff.
Before Cai Fei could even get a clear look at his surroundings, a brief memory had already flooded into his mind.
It was blurry because the original owner of this body didn't understand anything, but now that it flashed through Cai Fei's mind, it immediately explained everything—
"Why aren't you crying?" someone asked.
"Is he stupid?" Someone came over and pinched his foot hard, then patted his face, and concluded, "He's definitely stupid! I knew it. His mother took such a hard kick from Lao Jiu, it's a miracle this child was even born. He's definitely not normal!"
"Even if it were normal, we can't keep him. Have you forgotten what day it is today?" an old voice said. "To make matters worse, he was born on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month—this child cannot be kept!"
Silence.
A few breaths later, someone calmly instructed, "Ninth Brother, you've done what you did wrong—throw him into the mountains, fly him far away."
"The Chu family is coming soon, they won't agree, will they..." someone replied timidly.
"Go throw it away! Feed it to that cockroach in the west mountain!" the person giving the order said sternly.
Then someone lifted me up and placed me on a bamboo kite-like object, and we flew a long way.
Finally, there was a "bang" sound—
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He was casually tossed by his own father and thrown onto a boulder below the cliff.
This is the last memory left in the infant's brain...
So, he was kicked by his own father while he was still in his mother's womb, and then abandoned by his family because he was born at the wrong time?
Just then, a strange insect flew down from the sky and landed dozens of meters away. The thing resembled a cockroach, but was terrifyingly large—
With a wingspan of over a meter, its six legs are covered in thorns, and its pair of sickle-shaped forelimbs gleam coldly even in the twilight. When it lands, it makes a "crackling" sound as its carapace rubs together, and its whiskers frantically sweep through the air.
This is what they call cockroaches.
He felt he should cry for help, hoping it might give him a chance to survive.
Just as I was about to speak, a voice suddenly popped into my head: "Don't make a sound!"
"System?"
"A personal old man?"
"May I ask your name?"
"Hello?"
……
He tried to communicate with the voice, but no matter how he greeted it, the other party just emphasized again, "Don't make a sound."
There was no further reaction.
Ok!
He was helpless, watching the cockroach approach.
However, he quickly understood why he couldn't make a sound—the cockroach jumped up and down to a distance of more than ten feet from him, then suddenly stopped and looked up at the high place.
Just as the cockroach was about to take flight, a paper kite made of spirit bamboo flew out from the cliff.
It turned out that his own father had been guarding the cliff all along, and only left after witnessing the monster arrive.
"Can I call now?" he asked.
"There's no one around, calling out won't help. Just watch the show." The voice in my head answered calmly, explaining why he was so taciturn. "I helped you escape from the underworld and brought you back to life, but my spiritual power is exhausted. I can't save you now."
Watching a play?
Just as he was wondering what was going on, he saw the cockroach pounce on him, but its target was not him, but the bottom of the giant rock beneath him.
"Awooo—Awooo—" Two angry roars rang out from under the rock, and two black panthers the size of calves, their muscles like cast iron, lunged straight at the cockroach.
One leopard pounced on the insect's head, while the other bit at its leg. The beast, in pain, kicked off with its front legs and swept its scythe-like foot across, instantly splattering blood and saliva, cutting both leopards.
Seeing that the two leopards were no match for the others, after a few roars, three more dark figures rushed out from the bottom of the rock – two female leopards and a half-grown cub.
Two female leopards bit the cockroach's legs, while the cubs climbed onto the insect's back. The two retreating male leopards roared and pounced on the cockroach's head.
The cockroach went berserk, charging and crashing about wildly, its scythe-like legs flailing wildly.
The two male leopards were soon covered in wounds, their fur soaked in blood; one female leopard had her foreleg severed at the root, the white bone piercing through her flesh, and her abdomen was pierced, blood everywhere; the cub was thrown away and crashed into the rock wall, struggling for a few moments before getting up, its mouth full of blood foam.
But all five leopards fought to the death, ramming their heads, biting with their mouths, kicking with their feet, roaring ferociously, as if they were insane.
The cockroaches, finally terrified, had no choice but to retreat, flapping their wings and flying far away.
Five ordinary beasts fought to the death against a demon beast, and were almost wiped out. Was it worth it for a little bit of meat?
"Five dying leopards, now you can save me, right?"
Five leopards slowly climbed up the giant rock. He thought they were coming to devour their spoils and was calling for help from the person in his mind when he was suddenly overwhelmed by a stench. A leopard's head was already right in front of him, and then something wet and warm touched his face—he was actually licked!
Then a few others came up and licked him, and then quietly lay down around him, using their bodies to shield him from the mountain wind and cold.
Aren't you going to eat me?
After waiting for a long time, Cai Fei's stiff body slowly relaxed.
Could the ability to travel through time mean that I do indeed possess some kind of miracle?
In my memory, there seem to be several heroes who were abandoned in the wilderness after birth and then found shelter from wild beasts. Hou Ji is one of them. As for the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, it is indeed a famously unlucky day. Many famous people were born on this day, and Lord Mengchang is one of them. According to legend, he was also abandoned after birth!
Could I have transmigrated into the body of Lord Mengchang?
By the way, what was I doing before I time-traveled?
Is Cai Fei dead or alive in that other world?
After a moment of confusion, he began to try hard to recall, and then discovered with dismay that his memories of his past life seemed to be disappearing rapidly, like sand being poured out of an hourglass...
"Forgetting is normal. There are two souls in this body, and they are currently in the initial fusion period. The more they fuse, the more you will forget about your past life. But don't be nervous. Fusion is a great thing, and as your cultivation improves, all your memories will slowly recover." The voice in his head suddenly comforted him.
Is that so...?
Cai Fei was temporarily relieved.
After the immense tension, he was exhausted and sleepy, and finally fell into a deep sleep surrounded by five leopards.
The long night has passed.
As dawn breaks and all things slowly awaken in the light, the five leopards have quietly disappeared.
Two spirit bamboo paper kites flew in from a distance. After circling around for a while, they spotted the infant on the giant rock. Soon, they landed, and an old man who looked like a farmer and a female cultivator in her thirties came out.
The baby was still fast asleep, pale-faced, with furrowed brows, but breathing smoothly; it was clear at a glance that the baby was alive.
The female cultivator knelt down beside him, placed her hands on his chest and lower abdomen to examine them, and casually cast a healing spell. She said with relief, "Fortunately, although the injuries are severe, there's nothing seriously wrong with his internal organs; it's all external injuries!"
The old man also squatted down to feel the child's pulse, probed his dantian with his divine sense, and nodded, saying, "At least he's the child of two cultivators, with the potential to enter the Dao. Does your Chu family really not want him?"
"Yesterday was the fifth day of the fifth lunar month. Who else in Aolai would dare to accept a child born at this time, besides you?" the female cultivator said frankly. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have gone to Wujialing specifically to find you to come with me."
"I, Xu Ping'an, do not believe in this," the old man said calmly, then hesitated, "but... I am the only cultivator in Wujia Ridge. With over a hundred people in such a large mountain range, it's inevitable that I can't take care of everyone. In recent years, quite a few people in the ridge have been devoured by beasts."
"In Aolai, even growing up depends on fate!" The female cultivator flicked Cai Fei's face, waking him up. "To be honest, if you don't accept it, I'll have no choice but to leave him here today..."
Cai Fei had just opened his eyes. He had just woken up from his sleep and didn't understand what had happened. He just looked at the two of them in confusion.
Xu Pingan and the baby exchanged a glance, then said helplessly, "In that case, I'll take it."
"Then could you give it a name?" The female cultivator was overjoyed and picked up the baby, placing it in the old man's arms. "I'll have someone send money and rice over later, so I can name it."
"Even if you survive a great calamity after being reborn into Aolai, there's no guarantee of good fortune. Would giving you a humble name make you easier to raise?"
Xu Pingan looked at the baby's wrinkled face, thought for a moment, and said, "A good-for-nothing is the easiest to survive, so how about we name him Cai Fei (Cai the Useless)?"
What?! She could understand if she had a different surname, but this name is just awful!
The female cultivator glanced at the old man but remained silent.
"hehe."
Xu Ping'an smiled awkwardly. The old man had lived a difficult life and was somewhat superstitious about names. His own name was Ping'an (Peace), but he never found peace in his life. Therefore, he liked to give children lowly or evil names, hoping that the evil name would suppress them and ward off all evil.
So Xu Pingan chuckled for a while, looked into the female cultivator's eyes, and insisted on the name, "How about Cai Fei, very Fei?"
"Cai Fei? Well, it's not a bad name."
This child was born at the wrong time and was not welcomed by his relatives. The word "wrong" is indeed fitting.
The female cultivator finally nodded.
Lying in his arms, Cai Fei was greatly surprised and wondered in his mind, "Is it really such a coincidence? My name is Cai Fei, and he named himself 'Cai Fei'?"
"It's me." The voice in his mind admitted, "The name precedes the form. Your memories are fading. With this name, there is a foundation for recovering your memories. So I intervened slightly in his mind and made him take the same name."
Okay, you're awesome!
It would be best if the name could remain unchanged, Cai Fei thought to himself, giving this person a thumbs up.
At this moment, the female cultivator took out one hundred spirit stones from her Qiankun bag and handed them over as a token of her care.
In Aolai, this was already considered quite generous. In the eyes of cultivators, mortal items are worthless. Raising a mortal doesn't cost much in spirit stones. The fact that the female cultivator gave so much was naturally because of her status as the "son of two cultivators".
Xu Ping'an didn't stand on ceremony. He took the spirit stones and put them into his own Qiankun bag. Then he took out a mark, first poked it on his own wrist, and then gently covered it on the baby's wrist.
After a soft "sizzle," a clear leaf pattern was left on the baby's wrist, which gradually faded away after a second.
Infant theft is common in Aolai, and each mountain stronghold has its own methods to deal with human traffickers. The mark that Xu Ping'an placed has the ability to sense each other. Within ten miles, the two marks can sense each other, and the effect lasts for three years. It is one of the best ways to deal with infant theft. However, this technique requires the consumption of one's own essence and blood, so cultivators generally do not use it lightly.
For decades, Wujialing has been sustained by only one cultivator, Xu Ping'an. Xiao Cai is not the child of two cultivators, and according to the statistics of this world, he has a one-third chance of entering the Dao and becoming an immortal.
If he can enter the Dao, then Wujialing will have someone to carry on the lineage. That's why Xu Ping'an attaches such importance to it. Chu Huiyun is also very pleased to see him use this technique.
When the mark was poked, the baby's hand twitched violently, and his already wrinkled little face shrank into a ball. However, he did not cry. His eyes rolled and he stared blankly at Xu Ping'an.
"Hmm? Why isn't there any crying?" the female cultivator asked in surprise.
The mark feels like a needle prick when it's applied. Although the baby's pain level is low, he will usually scream a few times. Could it be that his father really kicked him so hard that he's become stupid?
"Shall I try again?" Xu Pingan flicked the soles of the baby's feet a few times. The baby's soles arched noticeably, but the baby still didn't cry.
The old man frowned and suddenly slapped the baby's bottom!
The baby looked at the old man with a puzzled expression, then seemed to remember something and finally started to wail loudly.
Fortunately, it's still somewhat normal!
Xu Pingan stroked his beard, finally feeling relieved.
On May 5th, 5818 of the Taiyi Calendar, Cai Fei, unwanted by his father, unloved by his mother, and rejected by both his paternal and maternal clans, was said to be "a piece of trash that is easy to raise," and thus miraculously came into this world.