Yun Wao had finally found peace.
And by peace, we mean a half-eaten bun tossed near a well and the comforting sound of people not screaming or exploding.
He sat like a pile of forgotten laundry under some dusty tree in a mortal village he didn't even know the name of. Honestly, the whole continent was new. Probably had weird soup too. He didn't care. He was broke. Emotionally bankrupt. Financially fried. Spiritually? Yeah, don't ask.
His hair was crusty, his robe smelled like regret, and a fly had declared war on his left eyebrow.
Life was perfect.
(If you ignore the crippling trauma, total confusion, and whatever happened back there.)
Then—out of nowhere—she appeared.
A girl.
Not glowing. Not flying. Not talking in riddles.
Just walking casually with a small bag of food like she wasn't living on a planet where monsters farted lightning and old men exploded during tea ceremonies.
She stopped in front of Yun Wao, tilted her head like a confused duck, then pulled out something from her bag.
Bread. Probably. Could've been a rock. He didn't care.
She handed it to him.
> "Even if the world forgets you," she said, smiling, "you shouldn't forget yourself."
Then she just walked off. No backstory. No dramatic music. Not even a weird wink.
Yun Wao stared at the bread.
Then at the sky.
Then at the bread again.
> "…huh."
He took a bite.
AND THAT'S WHEN EVERYTHING WENT WRONG.
BOOM! A bunch of cultivators burst onto the scene like angry chickens in matching robes.
There were eight of them. No wait—nine. One of them was probably just short.
They looked tough, like they were trying really hard to flex without pulling a spiritual muscle.
Their robes said "Crimson Moon Sect," but their faces said "We didn't sign up for this."
> "We were supposed to recruit mortals, man!" shouted one dude with a man bun that looked like a chicken's nest.
"Servants! Maybe a few disciples if someone looked cool! Not fight some demon freak!"
Their leader, a Foundation Establishment peak stage cultivator about to be a golden core with eyebrows sharper than his sword, held up a glowing communication stone like it was about to bite him.
> "We got a death message from Lei. Just one line... and a spiritual scan."
He tapped the stone, and it played a dying voice:
> "It's... Golden Core... Qi... but... it's not human—"
[End message. User has stopped existing. Please rate your death experience.]
Then a faint recording of twisted, heavy demonic Qi burst out. It gave off serious "I'm-hungry-and-I'll-eat-your-soul" vibes.
> "Golden Core demonic presence!" shouted Chicken Man Bun again. "We're so dead!"
"SHUT UP!" yelled another one. "It might still be nearby!"
"Why did I skip sword formation class!?"
Yun Wao took another bite.
He chewed.
He blinked.
He looked at them like they were annoying background music.
…then turned away.
They left.
Just like that.
Yun Wao?
Still munching.
> "Bro," he muttered, "I just wanted a nap."
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[End of Chapter 4]
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