"Huh?"
"What?"
"What the hell!"
Inside a small one-room building, a young man sat on a bed, his hands covering his face, wearing an expression of disbelief. His dark pupils trembled beneath the clear surface of his eyes.
"I transmigrated?"
Luo Qing murmured, trying to calm his emotions, but he couldn't. Not because of the shock of suddenly transmigrating, but because of his current condition.
The body's previous owner had sold himself to a female sect that practiced an unorthodox method of Dual Cultivation. It was reversed, where only the women benefited, and mortals gained nothing but the pleasure of the flesh.
The predecessor, who possessed only a single five elements spiritual root , had resorted to that method just to earn a few spirit stones.
Luo Qing, who had merged with those memories, still had a flushed face filled with embarrassment.
"Damn it, I just have to wait one year, then leave this weird sect and live a quiet life."
He decided to live the life of a human cauldron, a choice that could not be undone because of a blood contract. For a year, he had to provide Yang Qi to the female disciples in exchange for ten spirit stones per session.
It wasn't exactly a bad deal, but not for someone who only wanted to live peacefully.
Lowering the arm that covered his face, Luo Qing placed his feet on the floor, slipped on his sandals, and stood up from the bed. But before he could fully rise, his eyes widened in shock.
In front of him, silver-blue letters appeared out of thin air. After forming, they painted the empty space and began to move, swirling and dancing in the air, creating a beautiful show before his eyes. When the performance ended, they formed a glowing phrase above, and below it, white characters appeared, forming a kind of screen.
[Turn Misfortune Into Good Luck]
A young man, seeking quick money, chose to sell himself. At first, it was pleasurable. Later, it became hellish. His handsome face grew old, his healthy body reduced to bones. When the contract ended, after leaving the Joyous Union Sect, the young man died.
Would you like to turn your misfortune into good fortune by giving up one year of your lifespan?
[Y/N]
"System? Wait, am I going to die?"
Luo Qing's heart pounded as he swallowed hard. Cold sweat ran down his back as he thought about what lay ahead. No wonder the reward was ten spirit stones.
For others, it might be a good cultivation session, but for him, a mortal with five-element roots, the stones were useless, offering no way to recover.
"Stupid predecessor. What were you thinking, selling yourself like that? Wouldn't it have been better to live in some remote village? Why go through all this for scraps?"
He couldn't understand the previous owner, especially his faith in a female Dual Cultivation sect. If it had been the real kind, where both partners benefited, he could understand. But this one was not like that.
Shaking his head in disgust, Luo Qing pressed Yes on the floating screen.
He didn't know if it was real or not. He chose Yes simply because it was cheap. Losing a single year of life meant nothing to him at the moment.
After the choice was made, the white letters turned golden, shining like tiny flames floating in the air.
Luo Qing admired them for a moment before reading.
[The misfortune of a dying man, who perished after a year of serving as a cauldron, has been reversed and turned into the cauldron's good fortune.]
[Returning to the year he sold himself, the young man did not rush to the plaza to be selected, but instead remained within the sect, wandering among the green and beautiful landscapes.
Reaching a waterfall by the Eastern River, his eyes admired the falling waters. He wondered if something existed beyond them. Curiosity drove him to enter, and he discovered a cave.
The chance for survival during the next year lies within.]
After finishing the message, Luo Qing blinked, repeating each word in his mind.
"Good fortune of the cauldron?" He frowned. "So I'll still be a cauldron, but this time a premium one?"
Confusion filled Luo Qing's thoughts as he rubbed his chin.
While he stood there motionless, time passed. Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes into half an hour, the time it took him to reach a decision.
"I'll explore that waterfall."
That was Luo Qing's final choice, one he didn't have many alternatives to make. Either he followed that path, or he would be drained to death.
A miserable fate he refused to accept.
Without wasting time, Luo Qing left his simple dwelling and was met with a stunning view. Tall trees stretched high into the sky, their emerald-green leaves decorating the world with beauty. Among them stood several buildings made from blue mineral stone.
Looking up, he saw a clear sky, free of pollution, illuminated by golden sunlight that also bathed the earth in warm tones.
"True nature is so beautiful."
Luo Qing closed his eyes and breathed deeply, exhaling slowly, savoring the freshness of the air.
After enjoying the moment, he walked toward the Eastern River, which lay at the edge of the sect's land.
Moving slowly, without any hurry, Luo Qing admired every sight around him. Above, unknown birds flew swiftly across the sky. Below, clusters of violet flowers bloomed.
The closer he got to the river, the more of those purple flowers appeared. Crouching down, Luo Qing picked one and brought it to his nose. As soon as he inhaled its scent, his mind filled with the urge to sleep, and his vision darkened.
Throwing the flower away, Luo Qing quickly recovered.
"Sleep Flower?" he muttered. "That's quite unique."
A small smile curved his lips as he kept walking. The birds sang among the green canopies, but their songs faded as he reached the river.
Hearing the sound of rushing water, Luo Qing quickened his steps, cutting through the distance between himself and the source.
Pushing past the last tree, he stopped before a vast stretch of crystal-clear water, so pure it reflected the golden sunlight above.
Standing on the riverbank, Luo Qing felt a small desire to build a canoe and float along the surface, fishing or sleeping to the rhythm of the waves.
"If it weren't for this contract, I'd live like this. But too bad, as long as I'm here, I have to follow the rules." Luo Qing sighed.
Stopping his complaints, he began searching for the waterfall, walking along the edge of the Eastern River.
Time moved forward as always, never stopping.
The clear sky slowly lost its light as the sun began to sink below the horizon.
Breathing heavily, Luo Qing finally found the waterfall at sunset...