GUH—
I woke up to agonizing pain in my stomach. I instinctively clutched it.
At first, I thought it was because of the bamboo pole the doctor had been trying to remove. But then, a strange voice made me fully awake.
"You are but a toad dreaming of swan meat! To lust after your Senior Brother's woman is to betray the sect and court eternal damnation!"
I looked up. The guy who had kicked me had an imposing aura that made me choke just by being near him.
As I slowly regained consciousness, I heard multiple voices around me, as if I were part of some public spectacle.
A man suddenly spoke with disdain.
"Look at that fool! A toad truly dares to lust after swan meat? Has he lost his mind?!"
"He has eyes, yet cannot see Mt. Tai! To think he would covet Senior Brother Feng Hei's woman right to his face!"
"Impudent! This junior is truly tired of living; he is openly courting death!"
All piercing eyes fell on me. It was uncomfortable.
"What the hell? 'Toad meat?' 'Swan meat?' Is this a cooking show or a mugging?" I muttered through gritted teeth. I wanted to ask where the hell I was, but in this atmosphere?
I started glancing around this unfamiliar place. Nothing here was normal, and the way people spoke felt too formal. They kept talking in metaphors that made my head spin.
The first thing I noticed was a man sitting cross-legged. Even with chaos erupting around him and someone getting beaten up, he sat there like he was in his own world.
"What's with the guy sitting in the dirt over there?"
My eyes bulged. The man sitting cross-legged suddenly glowed. A golden lotus mark flickered onto his forehead. It looked like some low-budget fantasy drama effect. Blue light began rotating around him, blowing dust everywhere.
"What the hell? Am I… am I hallucinating? Is he glowing?" A frown formed on my face.
I had already forgotten what was happening and what the guy in front of me had been yelling about.
A group of female disciples nearby gasped in unison, clutching their silk sleeves.
"Look! Look! The Heavens have opened their eyes! Senior Brother Zhu Ma has broken through his shackles and advanced to the Core Refining Stage!"
"A peerless genius! At his age, to condense a Spirit Lotus… he is truly a dragon hidden in the abyss! Unlike that trash over there, Senior Brother Zhu Ma is destined to soar above the clouds!"
"Core Refining Stage?" My voice was barely audible. I had no idea what they were talking about.
In an instant, the spiritual pressure grew heavy as their gazes converged on me like freezing daggers once again.
"Hmph! A tiger does not father a dog, yet this boy is but a worthless speck compared to his brother. He is a true blight upon our sect's prestigious name!"
"He is nothing more than a parasite, feeding off the glorious reputation of his own kin to hide his lack of talent."
"How utterly shameless! Were it not for the benevolence of Senior Brother Zhu Ma, this trash would have been cast into the mundane world long ago!"
Their voices were laced with the chill of a thousand winters.
A conflicted look crossed my face. "What the heck are these crazy people talking about? Brother my ass!"
Then, a thundering voice filled with sarcastic amusement spoke up.
"Heh! Already twenty-five years of age, yet he still crawls at the Qi Refining Stage! It seems the heavens bestowed every drop of providence upon his brother, leaving this one with nothing but worthless dust."
The man called Feng Hei spoke with a tone thick with revulsion and disdain.
"Let us depart, Xin'er! To breathe the same air as this waste is a stain upon our own cultivation!"
He grabbed the girl named Xing Xin'er and began walking away.
The crowd slowly dispersed, leaving me clutching my stomach, lying on the ground with a confused look on my face.
"Wait… Am I really schizophrenic? What the hell is this? Didn't I just die?"
Unknowingly, my gaze fell into the clear water beside me. My reflection made my body shudder.
The face staring back at me wasn't mine.
Different jawline. Different eyes.
Younger… yet worn.
My fingers trembled as I touched my cheek. The reflection did the same.
This wasn't a dream.
But… if this was madness, then it was the most vivid one yet.
"First, I need to figure out where I am."
Then, a familiar-looking man looked down at my prone figure. His form cast a shadow over my face like shade from the sun.
He sighed — a sound filled with disappointment. Like someone who had already given up on you.
I frowned. "What is this bastard sighing for?"
"Ha… Little Dongli… why do you not simply focus on your Dao Heart and cease bringing such burdens upon this elder brother of yours?" He helped me up.
"What are you talking about?" My brows furrowed as I reached for his hand. "Dongli? What a shitty name," I thought.
"I witnessed your transgression. You dared to lay hands upon Xin'er's… lower charms."
His eyes narrowed, the warmth in them replaced by a flicker of disappointment.
"To lack talent is a misfortune, but to lack honor is a choice. You have stained the reputation I have built with your lecherous ways." He sighed again.
"What?!" I exclaimed, my voice nearly rising to a shout.
Lay hands?
On who?
My mind went blank. I didn't even know who this Xin'er was.
And yet the way they looked at me — as if I were filth — made my skin crawl.
What kind of body did I wake up in?
Zhu Ma fixed his gaze on me, his expression unreadable.
"Do you intend to feign ignorance once more?" he asked, his right eyebrow arching in haughty suspicion.
"But—"
Before I could explain, he cut me off.
"Enough. I've heard enough of your nonsense. This is the final time I'm cleaning up your mess. Next time, you're on your own. You can deal with the consequences yourself."
With those words, he turned and walked away, his back resembling an unreachable mountain.
Leaving me confused and stunned.
"What the fuck just happened? If this is some kind of joke, it's a sick one."