Another cicada chirped, waking the modern slacker from his blissful dream. The heat wave, negligible during sleep, swept over him again, bringing with it pain throughout his body and the wound in his abdomen.
Dao Chengyi felt as bewildered as if he had just traveled back in time. He felt that he shouldn't be on this thatched bed filled with itchy insects, nor in this home described as having bare walls, nor in this era where the weak cannot be protected by law.
He was beaten like this because he was protecting a woman. He was beaten like this by the village bully and his henchmen. The group of people wanted to kill him, but a sharp stone pierced his abdomen, and his blood saved him.
Dao Chengyi is an ironic name, ironic because the first person he met after discovering he had transmigrated gave him his name, as he fantasized that he could become an unparalleled legend traversing other worlds, just like in novels.
Because he had a cheat code, because he had a conceptual ability, he was very confident and had high expectations at that time.
But here's the result: three months have passed since I transmigrated here, and forget about traveling the world with a sword, even basic sustenance has become an unattainable fantasy.
"If this continues, I'll be dead sooner or later... no, I'll definitely die the next time I see Zhao Er."
Dao Chengyi struggled to sit up, leaning against the trembling wall. As someone from out of town, unfamiliar with the place and unable to even speak fluently, if he died here, no one would bother to investigate.
After all, this is ancient times. Don't expect the government to have many kind-hearted and responsible people. Even if they did, it wouldn't make a difference. People are dead, so what justice can they expect? Those are the living!
He didn't want to die, he really didn't want to die. Dao Chengyi's already pale lips trembled. He remembered the thief he saw when he first entered the village, who was beaten to death. He was an outsider who was so hungry that he stole something. He stole from Zhao Er's house, got caught, and was dragged by the hair and hit with stones.
The thief was young, curled up and groaning. He had been punched and kicked, his scalp was torn off and he was covered in bloody welts from rolling stones. He was too weak to continue and was killed by the burly Zhao Er who picked up a stone and smashed it down.
At that time, he lacked the kindness and morality of modern people. He covered his ears and closed his eyes. He was afraid—afraid of the blood, afraid of the crying, afraid of death. His heart was also afraid because he had some conscience, but he was even more afraid of death.
Looking back now, it seems like the dead thief was him. He was the one who was bullied at will by others during those three months, even children could ride on his back and act arrogantly. He was the one who suffered misery in the village, where even if he tried to help with chores, he would be stingy and nitpicked, and even his meals were leftovers.
It was a mocking and venomous sound; his dead soul came back to life from his memories, grabbing Dao Chengyi by the neck and grinning maliciously, saying that he was next.
He was terrified, so terrified. His teeth were chattering, his legs were trembling, his heart was pounding, he had a buzzing sound in his ears, and his mind was filled with all sorts of hallucinations, as if he were about to die. He was so hungry, so weak, and his wounds hurt so much!
"Silk"
Another cicada's song awakened Dao Chengyi, who had been trapped in a death hallucination. The hazy cicada's song was like a straw that pulled him back from drowning.
He was covered in cold sweat and ignored the pain in his wounds. He gasped for breath in the scorching air and quickly looked at his arm. There was nothing unusual on it, and Dao Chengyi was somewhat disappointed.
But then he shook his head, preparing to get up. Sitting on the bed was just waiting to die; he had to do something to save his life, whether it was poisoning or assassination, anything was fine!
But he absolutely did not want to die. If he had nothing left, then death was death. But he had hope, and he had had enough of the grievances he had suffered for the past three months!
As his eyes gradually filled with bloodshot veins, revealing his deep resentment, a knock came at the useless door of the leaky, rickety house.
In a moment of panic, Dao Cheng grabbed the sharpened stone knife with a simple rope attached from the very bottom of the thatched roof. So fast? Should he run? But how far could he run? The house was surrounded by open space; in broad daylight, everything was exposed, and he couldn't possibly run away…
Completely bewildered, Dao Chengyi watched the increasingly urgent knocking on the door. Trembling, he reluctantly went to the door, but with a soft "ah," Dao Chengyi's heart slowly calmed down.
It wasn't Zhao Er who came; it was the village keeper, one of only two people in the village who were looked down upon but held a higher status than Dao Chengyi, and who was also the one who took care of Dao Chengyi.
Upon opening the door, one is greeted by a dark-skinned man with a kind face, covered in patches and ill-fitting, haphazardly styled clothes, carrying a bag of medicinal herbs.
The other party was clearly happy to see Dao Cheng arrive, gesturing with the medicine packet in his hand and pointing to the wounds all over Dao Cheng's body.
Although it wasn't very obvious, Dao Chengyi still knew that he had been brought back by the other party, and that the medicine was bought for him. Thinking of this, his originally bitter heart felt a little warmer.
With the threat temporarily eliminated, Dao Chengyi lay back down on the thatched bed, watching the village guards bustling about. The village guards were not just a name; rather, they could be described as a group.
It refers to a group of people in the village who are mentally challenged, protect the village from disasters, and help others without asking for anything in return. In legends and rumors, the village guardians are also people who were extremely wicked in their previous lives and were atoning for their sins.
When he first arrived, Dao Chengyi looked down on the village guard, Gou'er, and felt embarrassed and uncomfortable when he was helped.
But now...
Dao Chengyi, whose rough edges had been smoothed out, became friends with Gou'er. After all, although he understood the local official language, he did not understand the local dialect, which made it particularly difficult for him to understand. In addition, his introverted personality meant that he did not have any other close friends.
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