"What... what happened?"
Wang Fang's eyelids fluttered open, his vision swimming in a hazy blur. A sharp, throbbing ache pulsed behind his temples. Groaning softly, he pressed his right hand against his forehead, trying to steady his rolling stomach.
As the fog in his mind slowly cleared, he looked around. Instead of the jagged, blood-stained mountain track where he had collapsed, his fingers brushed against soft, vibrant blades of grass. Wildflowers of impossible brilliance swayed gently around him, stretching across a rolling meadow that looked less like the mortal plane and more like a mythical fairyland.
Suddenly, a residual flash of his near-death experience struck his mind like lightning. The terrifying memory of that titanic, world-sized head and the oppressive, golden eyes of the cosmic being caused him to spin around defensively.
What if that entity comes back? Wang Fang thought, his breath hitching.
Steeling his mature soul, he refused to let fear dictate his actions. He grabbed a thick fallen branch from the grass, leveling it like a sword at the empty air.
"I'm not scared of you!" he shouted into the void, though a quiet voice in his head quickly added, Well, it would be a lot better if you actually weren't.
"I know you're out there somewhere! Show yourself!" he called out. Even as the words left his mouth, Wang Fang knew how absurd he was being; he couldn't exactly defeat a cosmic deity with a fallen branch that he had clumsily shaped like a sword.
"Haha, what a strange little creature."
A smooth, melodic voice echoed from the side. Wang Fang whipped around to see a figure walking lazily through the meadow. The entity possessed a distinctly human shape, yet it lacked true flesh; its entire body glowed with the blinding, condensed radiance of a master's golden core.
The golden figure stopped a few paces away, tilting its head curiously. "Well, it looks like you are finally healed enough to stand."
Healed? Wang Fang whispered to himself.
"What do you mean, 'healed enough'?" Wang Fang demanded, keeping his stick raised. At the same time, his mind raced. How did this thing know I was almost squeezed into the shape of a crescent moon on that mountain?
"What? Have you already forgotten the state of your physical body, or did the trauma damage your memories as well?" The figure shook its head, seemingly amused by the boy's defiance.
But Wang Fang didn't care about the entity's cryptic musings. His adult instincts demanded real information. "Who are you?!" he barked.
The glowing figure wasn't even paying attention. He looked up toward the sky as if contemplating the vastness of the universe, then clapped his hands together as something clicked. "Ah! Now I remember," he responded casually. "Yes, I suppose I can tell you."
"Oh, how generous," Wang Fang replied dryly, assuming the entity was actually going to answer his question. Curious, he added, "You're just going to give me your name that easily?"
"Name? What name?" The figure let out a soft chuckle.
Wang Fang's face went pale with frustration. This guy is completely playing with me, he thought, squeezing his hands into tight fists until his knuckles turned stark white.
"I wasn't going to tell you my name," the figure continued, completely unfazed. "I merely wanted to inform you that... I no longer have access to your mind space. It actually made me quite curious. What is that colossal thing resting inside your consciousness? Because whatever it is, it has locked the gates permanently."
Wang Fang's heart skipped a beat. How does he know there's something inside my consciousness? He analyzed the entity's casual demeanor. I'm certain this figure is completely different from the giant being that shattered that world. This one feels... contained. Weak, even. If he tries to suppress me, I can definitely find a way to crush him.
Suddenly, the sky darkened. A massive wave of Qi-infused birds—numbering in the millions, their mouths lined with long, razor-sharp fangs—swarmed directly toward the mountain area.
"What?!" Wang Fang gasped, his eyes widening. "There are too many of them!"
With a casual wave of his hand, the golden figure didn't even look up as the entire swarm of monstrous birds instantly burned into ashes.
"Hahaha!" the golden figure laughed.
Watching the ashes drift away, Wang Fang immediately reversed his previous track of thought. Never mind. Correct that. If anyone is getting crushed here, it's definitely me.
"Ah, it looks like our time is up," the golden figure said abruptly, glancing down at his own fading, translucent hands. He looked back at Wang Fang with a faint smile. "Time's up, little one. I still have a lot of questions to ask you, but we will chat again if fate lets our paths cross."
"Wait!" Wang Fang shouted, pointing his right hand forward. "You think I'll let you leave that easily?!"
Wang Fang lunged forward, throwing his small weight into a desperate charge to close the five-meter gap between them. But the moment he drew close, the entire fairyland began to dissolve. It didn't shatter or explode; it simply erased from reality, clean and absolute, like a damp cloth wiping charcoal from a slate.
Back In Reality.
Wang Fang gasped violently, his eyes snapping open as a rush of cool air flooded his lungs. His heart hammered against his ribs before slowly settling into a calm, steady rhythm.
He was back.
He was lying flat on his back inside his personal chamber, the familiar wooden beams of the ceiling framing his vision. He didn't panic. Instead, he marveled at the absolute lack of pain. The burning in his veins, the agonizing tears in his thigh muscles, the sickening fractures in his shins—all of it was entirely gone.
He swung his legs out of bed, but as his feet touched the cold floor, he felt a strange, restrictive tightness around his limbs. Looking down, he sighed. Ah, so I really did almost get squeezed into a moon shape.
His lower body was wrapped tightly in thick, medicinal linen robes that smelled heavily of crushed roots and cooling salves.
The collapse on the mountain... Fang thought, a cold sweat breaking out on his neck as the memory resurfaced. Thank the ancestors I didn't die. That was incredibly reckless of me, he whispered silently to himself.
Heavy footsteps suddenly echoed from the corridor outside. Who could that be? Fang wondered. Standing up and adjusting his medical wraps, he approached the heavy wooden door and pulled it open.
"What's going on, Xiao Lan—"
The words died in his throat. It wasn't his maidservant standing on the porch, but the frail, white-haired form of Doctor Li.
"Oh, you are finally awake, haha," the old doctor chuckled softly, though his bloodshot eyes carried a deep, lingering exhaustion.
"Doctor Li? What brings you to my courtyard?" Fang asked.
"Your absolute foolishness, Young Master," Doctor Li said, his smile fading into a grave, heavy expression. A somber silence fell over the threshold. "You acted with total recklessness," Doctor Li continued. "If I had not arrived at the mountain track precisely when I did—or rather, if the hidden Qi rune the Patriarch planted within your chest hadn't triggered to stabilize your internal organs and bone structure—you would have been a flattened, circle-shaped corpse right now."
In an instant, Wang Fang bowed his head, his adult mind feeling a genuine prickle of shame. "I am sorry, Doctor Li. I should have been more careful."
"No, it is my fault as well," the doctor said, his voice softening as he sighed and waved his hand dismissively. "I should have guarded you through your first attempt. But there is no use for regret now. What's done is done. Next time, Young Master, you must read the text with absolute care. You should read at least a single, complete sheet of the page before flinging yourself into a meat grinder."
Wang Fang blinked, scratching the back of his neck in confusion. "But... I did read the first page before I started training."
"And what about the back of that exact same page?" Doctor Li countered, raising an eyebrow.
Wang Fang froze. The back? He had opened the tome, read the terrifying warning and the breakdown of Stage One, and immediately rushed out the next day to train. He hadn't even thought to turn the leaf over.
"Ah... I didn't read it," Fang admitted sheepishly. "Just the front."
Doctor Li let out a long, weary sigh, but he couldn't help the small, affectionate smile that tugged at his lips. "Ah... Young Master, please always do things with patience."
"Okay," Wang Fang replied.
Doctor Li then reached deep into his wide sleeve and produced a steaming clay cup. "Drink this. All of it."
"What is it?" Fang asked, taking the warm vessel.
"A mortal medicine," Doctor Li replied proudly. "A precise decoction of wild garlic, crushed ginger, and dried moringa leaves. In the cultivation world, the arrogant elites look down on such things, but for a broken mortal vessel, it is unmatched. It will purify your stagnant vitality and violently accelerate your blood flow to clear out the residual shock."
Wang Fang was genuinely surprised. "Are you saying this mixture is practically worth an Earth-grade pill?"
"Yes," Doctor Li replied confidently.
Wang Fang nodded, looking inside the cup before drinking the brew in large, steady gulps. It tasted incredibly bitter and spicy, sending a sudden, intense wave of heat straight down into his stomach.
"Young Master!"
A frantic cry interrupted them as Xiao Lan rushed down the courtyard path. The moment she saw Wang Fang standing by the door, she leaped forward, her hands hovering anxiously over his shoulders.
"Young Master, why did you hurt yourself like this?! Do you know what you looked like when I found you? I honestly thought you were going to be squeezed into a round mushroom!"
Wang Fang's face went pale. This girl, seriously... a mushroom?
"Please, Young Master," Xiao Lan continued, completely frantic, "you must relax! You shouldn't be out of bed!"
As Wang Fang opened his mouth to reassure her, she cut him off with fierce, protective determination. "No, Young Master, do not say another word! Or else I will inform the Madam!"
"Huh? So Mother hasn't heard about it yet?" Wang Fang asked quickly.
"Yes," Xiao Lan replied, crossing her arms. "But if you don't go back and relax right now, I am going to find the Madam immediately and inform her of exactly what happened on that mountain!"
Wang Fang offered her a wry, helpless smile. Ah, Xiao Lan, please don't do that. If Mother finds out, the entire estate will be turned upside down.
"Xiao Lan, there is really no need to worry Mother," Fang said aloud, his voice deliberately soft, calm, and reassuring. "Look at me, I am perfectly fine. I will go back inside and rest for the remainder of the day, I promise."
Seeing her hesitate, he gave her a firm, uncharacteristic nod that belonged entirely to his grounded, adult persona. Xiao Lan slowly lowered her hands, murmuring under her breath about him being incredibly stubborn.
Wang Fang quietly stepped back into his room and closed the heavy door. He didn't want his parents seeing him in a state of near-death collapse; they already carried far too many burdens within the clan hierarchy. He would pretend to rest until the sun went down.
Later That Day.
when darkness finally enveloped the Crimson Clan estate, the three magnificent moons rose into the velvet sky, casting their cold, silver brilliance through the wooden window grids.
Wang Fang snapped his eyes open. He immediately jumped from the bed, dropped to his knees, and reached beneath the wooden frame to pull the ancient tome back into the light.
He carefully flipped to the very first page. This book can be incredibly tricky, he thought to himself. I need to be thorough and read it properly this time.
Sliding his fingers beneath the heavy, aged parchment, he finally turned the leaf over to reveal the hidden text on the reverse side. Under the silver moonlight, the black ink practically glowed, revealing the true foundational laws of the scripture