"Oh man, that was close. Almost forgot."
Liu Sheng stepped hard into the grass, stopping his forward momentum, the shoe print leaving a deep engraving into the dirt. He then spun on his heel and ran back in the opposite direction.
He just remembered everything he went camping with left behind. With the mess that happened afterwards, it's a blessing that he remembered before he reached town.
Wastefulness is something he's learned to get rid of while living in this world.
When he reached his small camp, Liu Sheng breathed a sigh of relief at the stagnant sight. It was exactly the same as he left it, unaffected by the wind of the world or aggressive beasts running through.
Though the youth used his experience to build it away from where a majority of carnivorous beasts tend to cut a path through the forest, it was impossible for him to know and accommodate for the changing paths of beasts who move from region to region in the forest.
He could only pray that his arrangements went fine.
And they did nicely.
Liu Sheng retrieved his supplies and ran out of the forest.
Maybe the world is paying him back for all the bad luck it heaped onto him in this life. He was an abandoned child who was picked up by an abusive man who decided to take out all of his issues on him, and he was born lacking the ability to gain strength like everyone else in this world could. Not only that, but he's too unwilling to settle with being weak and he wanted to do something seemingly impossible because of a wish and desperation. It was nothing more than the height of conceit one would possess if seized by their own egoism.
Fortune's counterbalance to bad luck begins here. It started with gaining this System and it's continuing with the avoidance of the Profound Beasts of Cyan Forest.
One day, Liu Sheng will break even with luck.
But that day is not today.
If one brings on bad luck onto themselves through poor preparation, ignorance, forgetfulness, or bouts of foolishness, then they will sink deeper into the mire of misfortune.
Liu Sheng forgot his initial plan.
From having his eyes gouged out, dying from his own desperation, and coming back with a System, he forgot his prior caution, planning, and thoughts.
He went to the forest with the intention of staying away from his caretaker for at least a few days. Just enough time for the man to calm down and reach an internal equilibrium that won't see him seeking out the youth as a punching bag for stress relief.
Liu Sheng is a gloomy youth who avoids confrontations, one bows his crooked neck and his slumped back to end conflicts as the losing side to avoid losing more. His premature surrenders were his own method of survival.
And it's something he forgot.
Even if it was a mere moment's forgetfulness through the river of time, it led to another conflict that he wasn't prepared for.
"Back already?"
A grumpy man stood at the front of door, greeting Liu Sheng right as he was opening it.
Han.
"Y-yeah." Liu Sheng rubbed the back of his head, grazing the bandages tightly wrapped around, matting his already messy with dried blood and making it even messier. The dull pain was a thing of the past, but the memory remained raw.
"Did you get the herbs this time?"
Liu Sheng's caretaker looked at the youths eyes. They turned blank even more than usual, the sign of forgetfulness and surprise intermixed within the muddy brown irises. Han clicked his tongue.
"Just move out of the way, you dumb brat. You're getting in the way."
Without waiting, the taller, more burly warrior shoulder checked Liu Sheng, bumping him out of the way. The moving pillar crafted out of marble was a slow hammer pushing the younger man.
A soft, careless blow that would've left a bruise on the past Liu Sheng's shoulder.
While there was some slight pain, it didn't match his memory. The boy looked to the side, absentmindedly holding his shoulder. After a moment of contemplation, he walked inside his open home and closed the door, the satisfying sound of a click accompanying the latch being slid to the right.
Liu Sheng sat down on an old, wooden chair. He ran a finger along the edge.
"Dusty again already? If I start cleaning early, then I'll be able to avoid another beating."
Halfway through picking up a piece of cloth, the boy's movements stopped, as if a puppet had its strings tangled.
"...What am I even doing?"
Didn't he claim that he'd fight? Why is he returning to this monotonous life of mediocrity, remaining subservient to a person that treats him like garbage?
There's no point in remaining here. He has no friends and no family that cares for him. He's all alone. Not just alone in this town, but alone in this world.
"Screw this."
Liu Sheng dropped the cloth on the floor and sat back on the chair, cupping his chin in thought.
'I have a System now, but I don't know how to get stronger. The only thing given to me is the awkward ability to resurrect and I don't know how limited it is if it's limited at all.'
It all comes back to power.
This world is governed by the law of the jungle.
The stronger dominates the weaker. Strength decides the worth of a life.
Following that simple chain of logic, Liu Sheng is currently worth as much as a piece of shit with a nugget of gold stuck in the center.
"Dammit." He leaned back on the creaking wood and let his arms dangle at his sides. He looked up at the wooden ceiling. It's much closer than the clouds in the sky, but it still feels equally out of reach. This shitty house in this backwater town is all he knows.
This is his home.
"Home?" he muttered, chuckling bitterly at the thought. He fiercely shook his head, a powerful glint shining in his eyes.
"This isn't home, so I have no reason to stay here. It's time to blow this joint."
With his course of action settled, Liu Sheng stood up and began scouring the house for anything that'd help him on his aimless journey.
Because that's what it really was: aimless.
His destination is his older home, but he can't even chart a course there. Exploring this world is the next best thing.
"I'll just think of it as a long-winded detour then!" A slight smile rose to his face, a small amount of joy lighting up his heart from the thought of leaving this place.
"Might as well take Han's valuables. He's my adopted dad, so he's just showing me his filial piety by leaving me his valuables."
Ignoring the fact that filial piety is actually the other way around, Liu Sheng allows this momentary exuberance to take hold of him as he embraces the life of a thief, stealing anything that held value to Han.
He's lived with him for many years, so he knows all the nooks and crannies, all the hiding spaces and treasures.
And there's one hiding spot listed on the map Liu Sheng took. It wasn't marked with an X like a conventional treasure map, but there were wrinkles and stains pointing to a special spot.
Liu Sheng stuffed many things in his bag: jarred containers of pills, herbs, crystals, powders, and more. With a smile resembling that of a fox spotting an innocent, young rabbit, the youth went around the house, opening cabinets and drawers, peeling up the floorboards, and searching under Han's bed.
Specifically under the bed was a clean blade with a reflective surface so pristine, the light peaking in outside burned the eyes. It had a width of three fingers and a length of one-and-a-half-meters. It was maintained carefully, proving just how much this weapon was valued in Han's eyes.
He didn't care for the details. Liu Sheng snatched it up, put it back in its sheath, and dropped it in the bag.
'This can sell for a good amount of money.'
If Han knew what kind of beast of resentment he unleashed from years of abuse, he would've spat blood and killed Liu Sheng on the spot for his transgressions. Only Han knows just how valuable that weapon is to him—something that his own father left for him to care for. Not even he used it for battle.
It was a True Profound Weapon!
After an incense stick's length of time, Liu Sheng stopped in front of the exit, turning around to survey his work.
"At the very least, he should thank me for cleaning the house. See you later, Han. It wasn't nice at all knowing you."