Chapter One: A Lifetime as a Youth Again

was fine. She walked over by herself and picked up the iron staff, tapped it with her hand, and handed it back to Qin Sang, saying: "Thank you, Young Master Qin, for knocking away that poisoned needle...'Bang!'

The screech of brakes ripped through the night.

Qin Sang was still hesitating. He wasn't without the courage to fight to the death, but he still had family, his parents and siblings...

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A searing pain shot through his body, pulling him back to reality. There was only pain, his limbs unresponsive. His body felt warped, squeezed into a cramped corner, the iron bars like menacing fangs.

The car swerved violently, its headlights illuminating the neon signs lining the road. A kaleidoscope of colors flashed before his eyes. Ahead of him, a red line stretched out, and at the end of it, a dull yellow jade Buddha hung suspended, tracing a short arc before smashing into his nose.

In the interplay of light and shadow, fountain-like blood engulfed the jade Buddha. It must have been a ruptured artery in his neck.

"Car accident!"

Qin Sang regretted it deeply. The other party had attacked first, he shouldn't have hesitated!

Death, everything loses its meaning. All that was strived for and cared for becomes as illusory as a mirage.

The only thing I can think of is what kind of place I'm going to...

It must be hell.

I want to live.

Qin Sang's eyes widened.

The inertia from the impact was still unfinished, it was still turning, and the jade Buddha before him swayed gently, as if it had been dipped into his soul.

The dark vortex consumed him.

'Boom!'

The sun is scorching hot.

The stone mountains were steep and craggy, with little greenery. Sparse bird calls echoed from afar, adding to the stifling heat.

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On the rugged mountain road, a convoy of prison carts was moving slowly. Several ferocious and burly men rode horses on both sides of the convoy, whipping their steeds and shouting insults.

These mounted men were not dressed like commoners, and their words and actions resembled more those of bandits or outlaws.

The cage in the car was also crudely made, clearly newly constructed. The wood still showed fresh white shavings.

Every cage was packed with prisoners.

Qin Sang's hands and feet were bound, curled up in the corner of the cage, his eyes regained some clarity.

Since regaining consciousness, he'd been in a daze, with only brief moments of lucidity. It wasn't until today that he fully digested the memories of this body.

This body also bears the surname Qin, hailing from a village called Wangjiacun. His parents were farmers in the village, and he had two older brothers. As the third child in the family, he was known as "Sanwa" by the villagers. Before reaching adulthood, he didn't have a given name.

The Qin family were hardworking and had a lot of manpower at home, so their lives were quite comfortable. But how much gold and silver could they really get from the fields

Then Qin's father and mother had other plans. Not only did they send Qin Sanwa to study, but when he was fifteen years old, they also took him to ask Wang, the storekeeper, for a job.

Mr. Wang, the shopkeeper, was an old friend of Qin's father and also a native of Wangjiazhuang. When he was young, he worked hard in a small town nearby and earned himself a shop, far wealthier than the farmers in the village. He was a respectable man.

Wang Zhanggui saw that Qin Sanwa was honest and willing to take him in as an apprentice. Qin's parents were naturally very grateful and readily agreed.

This was still Qin Sanwa's first time leaving home, and he was apprehensive. He carefully followed his parents' teachings, worked diligently with his hands and feet, and even won the favor of Wang Zhuangui. Wang Zhuangui was even willing to take him along when purchasing goods outside.

But unfortunately, the world was in turmoil. When the shopkeeper and the young waiter set out, they were soon encountered by a band of bandits on the mountain path. The shopkeeper Wang was hacked to death, while Qin Sanwa was kidnapped and put into a prisoner cart, barely escaping with his life.

>

Poor Qin Sanwa had never encountered such a mishap and soon died in terror, leaving all the benefits to Qin Sang.

A bird taking the magpie's nest, the unfamiliar body gave Qin Sang a clear sense of alienation and strangeness. The signs in his memory indicated that this was a world vastly different from his past life, but Qin Sang had no mood to care about these things.

The sun was scorching, his body ached, and the wounds throbbed with pain. Qin Sang rallied his spirits, blinking away the stinging tears in his eyes. Suddenly, his gaze landed on the last carriage of the convoy. He remembered vividly what he had seen three days ago when he was briefly conscious. At high noon, a shiver still ran down his spine.

Looking back and forth, there are few prisoners left in the car.

There's no time left, I have to find a way to escape!

The convoy traveled north for over ten days. Now they were far from Wangjiazhuang, and Qin Sanwa's memory couldn't provide any help. Qin Sang also didn't know where they had arrived.

At first, they traveled on the main road. This band of bandits was extremely wicked and had kidnapped many people.

Once they had gathered enough people, they would deliberately go to deserted mountains and forests, avoiding populated areas.

In the desolate wilderness, there is nowhere to seek help.

To survive, I have to rely on myself!

Five people were crammed into the narrow prison cart. Qin Sang was squeezed so tightly that his bones ached, and he arched his back.

All those locked up in the prison carriages were young men, just like Qin Sanwa, innocent people who had been unjustly captured.

Qin Sang exerted force and pushed several times, but there were no curses. He only heard a few weak moans, and he couldn't help but feel a surge of despair.

Including himself, all the prisoners were unbearably hungry and weak. Those bandits were all strong and powerful, with horses under their crotch. How could they possibly escape

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Just then, a light breeze blew by, bringing with it a rare coolness. Ahead, a jade ribbon appeared, and behind the mountain lay a river, not too big nor small. Its surface was wide and calm, sparkling with ripples, and it flowed gently.

Along the riverbank, there are some ancient trees. Yellow grass reaching waist-high covers the entire riverbed. With a gust of wind, it rustles and sways, making it an ideal place for burial.

"Alas!"

The leader of the bandits was a burly man with a long beard. Leading his men to the riverbank, the leader turned back on horseback and rode toward the last carriage.

Unlike other prisoner transport vehicles, this one was covered with a black cloth, obscuring the occupants inside. No one had ever seen who was inside or come out of it.

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Before the carriage drew near, the leader dismounted and turned away from his scowling expression. He walked lightly to the side of the carriage, knelt down on both knees, and said respectfully: "Greetings, Immortal Master. This is Chenshui River. It connects with Wuling River. This place is already within the territory of the Sui Empire."

The carriage was deathly silent, with no reply. The leader lay prostrate on the ground, too afraid to rise.

After a while, a hoarse and unpleasant voice came out, "Build rafts to cross the river and continue north."

The burly man quickly agreed, and was about to get up when a violent cough suddenly came from the carriage. "Quickly...quickly bring two blood meals in...cough, cough..."

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Qin Sang was taken aback, and then all the prisoners began to stir.

Whenever that wizard demanded blood, two prisoners would be sent into a black carriage. An hour later, two corpses would come out.

Three days ago, Qin Sang accidentally saw the corpse. A living person went in, and what came out was a dry corpse, with all the blood and flesh sucked away, leaving only a skin attached to the skeleton.

Those shrunken eye sockets were still vivid in his memory, as if they were whispering to him about boundless fear, shattering Qin Sang's worldview.

If his senses weren't so acute, Qin Sang would have thought he was in the eighteenth hell, but couldn't remember which level of torment involved draining flesh and blood.

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"Come out!"

The leader ordered his men to cut down trees and make rafts. He personally pulled two people down from the nearby car.

Qin Sang secretly let out a breath, but the despair in his heart did not diminish. If he couldn't escape, he would only live a few more days than these two people at most. What was there to celebrate

Qin Sang's eyes were fixed on the bandits who were building a raft. These bandits were incredibly efficient, and in the blink of an eye, a raft was almost finished. Qin Sang could only pray that they had cut corners and that the raft would capsize and disintegrate in the river.

Rather than being drained of his life force, he would prefer to drown in the river, so that this life could be ended with a final dream.

The leader strode toward the carriage, dragging the two hapless men who were crying out with their last ounce of strength. The bandits by the river laughed incessantly.

The sounds of water, wind, clashing swords, footsteps, screams, groans, and ferocious laughter...

All sorts of sounds flooded into his ears, and the whole world suddenly became noisy. Qin Sang was extremely agitated, feeling a dizziness that made him want to pass out. Suddenly, he heard a deafening roar.

"Demon! This time, I see where you're running to!"

Qin Sang suddenly raised his head, and a dazzling white light flashed on the mountain peak, coming towards him through the air, more brilliant than the sun.

White light surges, like a blade!pressed his hand against the bronze cauldron.As he touched the forbidden inscription, the bronze cauldron flared with light and emitted a low, humming sound.Immediately after, the bottom of the hole s...