"Mother, we're almost out of food."
A clear yet weary voice stirred Chen Nuo's thoughts.
His thoughts drifted far away. He remembered escaping from those ghoulish things in the forest and then buying a mountain of food to gorge on.
Crispy pork knuckle, spicy diced chicken, mapo tofu, copper hot pot, sliced mutton...
'Wait, that's not right. This is Chen Manor in An County. Father is gone, and my Medical Skill isn't any good. On top of that, it's a year of famine, so our grain has been dwindling day by day. With no other choice, I went to the river to fish, only to be knocked unconscious by a strange fish...'
GROWL.
A sharp, twisting pain in his stomach woke him. Outside the window, a hazy white light dazzled his eyes.
"Hungry..."
"Ah! Brother Nuo is awake!"
"Son?!"
A flurry of panicked voices arose.
Chen Nuo forced his eyes open, only to see two women looking at him with worried expressions.
Chen Nuo managed a weak smile. "Mother, Sister La, don't worry. I'm fine."
After speaking, he couldn't help but gasp for breath.
The wrinkles on the older woman's forehead deepened. She hurriedly brought over a bowl of black, pasty substance from the side.
"Here, my son, drink it slowly. Slowly."
The younger-looking Sister La supported Chen Nuo while his old mother held the bowl and fed him.
Chen Nuo opened his mouth and swallowed the paste.
'This was a bowl of congee made from some unknown ingredients mixed with rotten grain. It was disgusting. And now that I've awakened my past life's memories and have all sorts of delicacies to compare it to, it tastes even worse.'
'The coarse grains scraped my throat, and the bitter taste tormented my tongue. Can this really be called food?'
But even so, Chen Nuo forced himself to swallow it.
'Because I'm just so damn hungry!'
'My stomach feels like a cat is clawing at it, then like it's on fire. I wish I could just poke a hole through my gut to stop it.'
'Compared to this pain, what's a little bad taste?'
After finishing the bowl of thin congee, Chen Nuo's stomach finally felt a little better, and he had the strength to speak.
At that moment, his mother and Sister La went outside to talk about something.
Chen Nuo leaned against the wall on the kang bed and sized up his home.
The house was completely bare. The window was letting in a draft, and the icy wind made him shiver uncontrollably.
'This is a bad situation.'
This was Chen Manor in An County, Liu Shui Commandery, Yue Kingdom.
It was a village primarily composed of people with the Chen surname, with a population of about five hundred. Nestled against a mountain and near a river, life as farmers was decent enough.
Unfortunately, for some reason, the harvests had been poor for years, and the Tax Collectors from the county seat kept raising the taxes higher and higher.
As a result, the villagers were now living in extreme hardship. Everyone was starving and cutting back on food and clothing. A few were already digging for wild vegetables and drinking cold water to fill their stomachs, just short of eating dirt.
As for how Chen Nuo ended up in this state, one could only say he was unlucky.
His family had been considered upper-middle class in Chen Manor, owning over ten mu of land. His father was even a Physician—well, a barefoot doctor for the village. It was said he had studied in a pharmacy in the city when he was young, though who knows if that's true. Still, he was the only talent of his kind in Chen Manor. Villagers would come to him for any headache or fever, so while their life wasn't luxurious, they at least had enough to eat.
But then, some time ago, his father was bitten by a poisonous snake while gathering herbs in the mountains. He was carried back down by clansmen, and after saying a few last words, he breathed his last.
This was why Chen Nuo, a fifteen-year-old boy, had gone fishing.
There was no other choice.
'The pillar of the family was gone. He had to support them!'
But his skills were lacking and his luck was bad. In the Xiaochenxi stream, he was knocked unconscious by a strange fish's tail and nearly drowned.
After being rescued, he had been unconscious until now.
Now, there was no food, his body was weak, this was still a feudal era, and the wolfish Tax Collectors would be back next month.
Beset by troubles from within and without, the mere thought of the future felt bleak and dark.
Just then, the door opened.
Sister La and his mother walked in.
Sister La's full name was Wang Lazi. She was a child bride his father had traded a sack of wheat for. She had been raised in the family for ten years and was now eighteen. She had pleasant features and an absolutely stunning, curvaceous figure. Her eyes were lively, but unfortunately, her skin was sallow. She also acted feisty and had a sharp tongue; otherwise, she could be considered a semi-beauty.
His mother wasn't actually old, only thirty-three, but her hair was already half gray, making her look like a fifty-year-old.
"Brother Nuo, Mother and I discussed it. We're both going out to dig for wild vegetables. You just stay home and rest. We'll be back before dark," Sister La said.
Chen Nuo opened his mouth, wanting to say he would go, but feeling how weak his body was, he immediately stopped himself from trying to act tough.
In the end, he just nodded silently.
Then, Sister La stuffed some dry grass into her clothes and smeared yellow mud on her face, instantly making herself look bloated and disheveled.
"My son, rest well. Don't you worry too much, it's bad for your health."
Chen Nuo watched as Sister La and his mother left.
Turning to look at his desolate home and feeling the hunger in his stomach, a sense of bleakness washed over him.
'No matter what, I need to fill my stomach first and think about everything else later.'
Just as he was wondering how to get something to eat...
...he suddenly noticed a small dot in the corner of his vision.
He subconsciously focused on it.
A panel suddenly appeared.
And some information surfaced in his mind.
[Name: Chen Nuo]
[Identity: Ordinary Clansman]
[Life Points: 4]
[Divine Techniques: Immortality, Communication with the Spirit, (Pending Extraction)]
[Realm: None]
[Skills: Basic Medicine (7/10)]
?
Chen Nuo's pupils trembled, his mind in turmoil.
'Is this... my golden finger?'
It was the only possible explanation.
Excitement suddenly bloomed in Chen Nuo's heart. From now on, maybe he wouldn't have to rely on his mother and wife to support him.
He focused his attention on the panel.
An understanding of it arose naturally in his mind.
It turned out this was an ability related to his Clan and bloodline. As long as he became the Clan Leader, the patriarch of the entire clan, he could obtain Life Points. One point per person, and the more potential or strength they had, the more Life Points they would provide.
Of course, perhaps due to the closer bond of a shared destiny, his immediate family actually provided the most points—double the amount.
For example, his current four Life Points were contributed by Sister La and his mother. Although he wasn't the Clan Leader yet, with his father gone, he was now the head of his small household. This connection of fate allowed him to receive their Life Points. One point per person, doubled, resulted in four. And that was only because they had little potential and were ordinary women. Otherwise, the doubled amount would have been even greater.
Life Points could be used to upgrade Skills. Once a skill was at a basic level, it could be rapidly improved, saving countless hours of hard work.
Furthermore, the Life Points contributed by each person were not a one-time deal; they would refresh every year.
That was everything about Life Points.
Next, the Divine Techniques.
The first Divine Technique, [Immortality]: Infinite lifespan, eternal youth, will not die of natural causes.
Immortality.
That's right.
Actual Immortality.
The ultimate dream of Cultivators, the final wish of countless emperors.
Chen Nuo looked again and again. After confirming it was real, he finally couldn't suppress the smile creeping onto his face.
Longevity!
Longevity!
'This is the greatest benefit of all!'
No.
'I can't get cocky.'
SLAP!
Chen Nuo suddenly gave himself a light slap.
'The happier I get, the calmer I need to be.'
Immortality.
It's not eternal life without death.
Dying from illness, being hacked to death, drowning, burning to death...
Besides dying of old age, the ways to die were many and varied.
Especially in what appeared to be a feudal era. As someone at the bottom of society, he had even less security. Without some real strength, he couldn't guarantee he'd be able to live a long life.
If he thought this Divine Technique meant he could just hide away and live forever, he was being far too naive.
Chen Nuo steadied his mind.
He discovered that the Divine Techniques seemed to have a special awakening mechanism.
Every ten years, he would obtain an Earth Evil Divine Technique. Every hundred years, he would obtain a Celestial Spirit Divine Technique.
'Perhaps this is why the Immortality Divine Technique was the first to appear?'
'As long as I keep living, maybe I can really become invincible?'
This strengthened Chen Nuo's resolve to become strong, stay out of trouble, and live a peaceful, stable life.
Live on, and invincibility will follow.
His gaze moved down.
[Communication with the Spirit]: Can see Yin and Yang, can communicate with the Netherworld.
'This was the Yin Yang Eye I had in my past life. I can't believe I brought it with me, and it even turned into the Communication with the Spirit Power Divine Techniques. Maybe it's because of my Reincarnation?'
Chen Nuo had no way of knowing, but it was undoubtedly a good thing.
'Still, since the Yin Yang Eye has become the Communication with the Spirit Power Divine Techniques, something might have changed. I'll have to test it out later.'
Finally, there was the Divine Technique waiting to be acquired.
This was the opportunity given to him for having lived more than ten years in this life.
With a thought, Chen Nuo activated it.
When he looked again...
...another technique had appeared in the list of Divine Techniques.
[Divine Technique: Spray Transformation]
[Spray Transformation]: By blowing air from your mouth, you can cause an item to undergo an unknown change. By borrowing a person's spiritual essence, you can bestow change upon an object.
'This Divine Technique left Chen Nuo a bit confused. A change? What kind of change? Good or bad?'
Just as Chen Nuo was about to find something to test it on...
BANG BANG BANG!
A series of violent knocks rattled the door.
"Is Brother Nuo in?"