Senior Brother, Oh Senior Brother · Chat

When Li Changshou opened his eyes, his first thought was: *Why is this roof leaking?* His second thought was: *Wait, why can I see the roof?* A second ago, he was still in a hospital bed, his nose filled with the smell of disinfectant, the cold beep-beep-beep of the ECG monitor ringing in his ears. The kind of exhaustion that seeped out from the cracks of his bones felt like someone had drained all his strength. But now—he looked down at his hands, fair and clean, with distinct knuckles, and not a single needle mark to be found. He touched his face; it was smooth, completely beardless. "I really transmigrated," he muttered to himself, his tone seventy percent bewildered and thirty percent relieved. A strange, indescribable smell drifted in the air, like burnt herbal medicine mixed with a hint of damp moss. The mattress underneath him was pitifully thin, digging into his back and making it faintly numb. Light from outside the window shone on the pitted stone floor, where a few unknown little bugs were slowly crawling along the base of the wall. He propped himself up on his arms, his mind a jumbled mess. Fragments of residual memories popped up here and there—Duxian Sect, Little Qiong Peak, Master Qi Yuan. It seemed the original owner of this body had stayed on this shabby mountain peak for quite a few years, possessing mediocre aptitude and an existence close to zero. His greatest skill was hiding himself so well that no one could find him. Li Changshou mulled over this information and nodded in satisfaction. Very good. Low-key, inconspicuous—exactly what he wanted. Having been tortured by a terminal illness for so long in his previous life, he knew better than anyone how precious life was. Since God had given him a second chance, his goal in this life could be summed up in one word: *Gou* (play it safe). Don't court death, don't stick your neck out, and absolutely stay away from things you shouldn't get involved in. Just peacefully cultivate for immortality; no one could drag him into playing some hot-blooded protagonist. Just as he was thinking, a sudden clamor came from outside. Several young disciples ran past the courtyard, shouting something about a "new junior sister," "over by the main hall," and "Master wants everyone to go." The sound of their footsteps pattered on the stone path and gradually faded away. *New junior sister?* Li Changshou pricked up his ears and listened for two seconds, then decisively lay back down. None of his business. It was just a junior sister; no matter how lively it got, how lively could it really be? He closed his eyes and began to seriously calculate another, more important matter—whether he could plant a few more herbs in this shabby courtyard. Once he refined the Inedia Pill, he would never have to line up at the dining hall again, saving him from running into those fellow disciples who always wanted to spar and compare notes at the drop of a hat. Thinking of the benefits, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly. He rolled over and pulled his blanket up tight. The wind squeezed in through the cracks in the wall, bringing a chilly draft. Li Changshou wrapped the blanket a little tighter around himself, feeling that this kind of life—where no one thought about him and no one bothered him—was simply wonderful!