Long hours passed, measured by Wei Shen in the damp, cold darkness that enveloped the cave's interior. There was nothing to mark the passage of time save the heavy rhythm of water drops falling from the rock crevice, and the painful emptiness that gnawed at the walls of his vacant stomach with increasing ferocity. "Wei Shen's" body had gained a meager respite after the shock of the chase and survival, but every nerve remained taut, every cell screaming for energy and sustenance.
"Hunger..." whispered that cold voice in the depths of Wei Shen's consciousness. "It is a variable that must be dealt with decisively. Neglect means deterioration of physical and mental capabilities, a luxury I cannot afford."
Faint gray threads, barely discernible, began to creep into the distant cave opening, announcing the arrival of what seemed like a false dawn in the world outside. It wasn't true light, merely a slight ebbing in the density of the absolute darkness, enough for Wei Shen to distinguish the broad outlines of the nearby rock walls as deeper shadows in a sea of gloom.
He used this slight improvement to reassess his immediate surroundings. His eyes, having adapted to the darkness for hours, now picked up details he hadn't noticed before: the rough texture of the rock, the glint of moisture on the walls, some thin roots clinging to crevices like desperate fingers.
His attention returned to that little mystery he'd discovered the day before: "the Warm Stone." He extended his thin hand and felt it again. In this faint light, its color indeed appeared dark gray, with that slight reddish hue resembling dried blood, and its surface was smooth as if it were a piece of polished obsidian. The warmth emanating from it was still present, faint but constant.
Could this stone be a key to something?
Wei Shen recalled, through the remnants of the original body's memories, how the disciples in the "Fallen Leaf Sect" spoke with a kind of awe about "Spiritual Stones," and how they contained pure "Qi" that could be absorbed to accelerate cultivation. But the appearance of this stone did not resemble the descriptions he had heard. Moreover, its reaction to his attempts to channel Qi was far too weak for it to be a genuine source of energy.
"Another experiment is necessary," the masterminding intellect within him decided.
Wei Shen tried once more to apply the "Initial Qi Guiding Art" , that simple technique "Wei Shen" Prime had always failed at due to the "Damaged Five Elements Root" he was born with. He sat cross-legged with difficulty, leaned his back against the cold wall, and placed his hand on the "Warm Pulse Stone." He took slow, deep breaths, trying to calm his body, which trembled from hunger and cold.
He didn't expect much. But now he wasn't driven by despair or blind hope as "Wei Shen" Prime had been, but by cold, analytical logic. He was testing a variable.
He began to circulate the meager "Qi" he could barely feel in his body, following the pathways he had memorized from countless failed repetitions. It was like trying to light a fire with a bundle of damp wood using a single, weak spark. But he persevered, focusing all his mental strength—that strength honed by years of making fateful decisions for an entire empire—on this small, seemingly trivial task.
When the channeled "Qi" touched the warm stone, he felt that slight tingle again. But this time, in the faint gray light, he saw the dull, blood-red flash he had previously doubted. It was real, though it lasted less than the blink of an eye.
More importantly, he felt something different. Not a surge of energy, not sudden strength, but… a very slight sensation that the "Qi" within his body, however minuscule, had become less stagnant, as if the stone had dissolved a tiny fraction of the resistance in his blocked meridians. It was an almost indescribable feeling, but it was there.
"A catalytic effect," Wei Shen concluded. "This stone doesn't grant energy, but it might… facilitate the absorption or circulation of ambient Qi, even if very slightly. Or perhaps it emits a special kind of radiation or energy that uniquely interacts with Qi in a body with a damaged root."
This was a significant discovery. Not a magical solution, but a thin thread to hold onto. His body, however, could take no more. This short attempt had drained what little energy he had left. He felt intensely dizzy, and a cold sweat broke out on him.
"Food," his mind returned to the utmost priority. "No more experiments can be conducted without energy."
Staying in the cave meant starving to death. And that stone, whatever its potential, would not fill his stomach. The decision to venture out into the forest again, despite the risks, was inevitable.
Wei Shen spent the next few minutes gathering his strength, sipping the last drops of water from the rock crevice. He had no weapons other than a sharpened piece of stone that "Wei Shen" Prime sometimes used to cut tough weeds—a pathetic tool, but better than nothing.
He reviewed in his mind "Wei Shen's" memories of edible plants around the sect. Most were bitter or of little nutritional value, but hunger was a desperate master. He also recalled the elders' warnings about certain beasts inhabiting the forest edges, the weakest of which could be fatal to an unarmed and weak outer disciple like himself.
"A simple plan," he thought. "A very short reconnaissance loop near the cave entrance. Gather anything edible. Return immediately at the first sign of danger. The goal is to survive the day, nothing more."
With slow, trembling steps, he began to crawl back towards the cave entrance. Every movement drew a protest from his exhausted muscles. When he finally reached the narrow opening, he paused for a moment, listening and sniffing the air.
The forest outside looked slightly different in this pale gray light. The giant trees cast long, eerie shadows, and the sounds were more distinct—the chirping of strange birds, a constant rustling of leaves, and occasionally, a distant roar whose source he couldn't identify.
With utmost caution, Wei Shen emerged from the cave, sticking as close to the rock wall as possible. His eyes moved constantly, scanning every bush and every shadow. The fresh air, despite its coldness, was refreshing after hours confined in the damp cave.
He began to search for anything resembling the plants he remembered from "Wei Shen's" memories. The ground was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, making the search difficult. After several minutes of painstaking searching, he found a few dark green, thick leaves, similar to those the outer disciples sometimes chewed when hunger became severe. He picked them carefully and examined them. They tasted bitter and contained barely any juice, but they were something.
Then, under the root of an old tree, he glimpsed a faint movement. He approached with extreme caution, his heart pounding. It was a fat, pale brown grub, digging into the moist soil.
For a moment, Arthur, who had dined on the finest foods served on golden plates, felt a wave of nausea. But Wei Shen, the boy for whom hunger was a constant companion, did not hesitate. With his primitive stone knife, he carefully extracted the grub and placed it in a ragged piece of cloth he had brought with him. "Protein," the cold voice in his mind stated. "Essential for tissue regeneration."
He continued his search, following the short loop he had planned. He found a few more roots resembling small turnips, and some fungi growing on a rotten tree trunk—he hoped they weren't poisonous. It was a meager and pitiful harvest, but it was better than nothing.
He was about to return to the cave when he heard a sudden, very close rustle in the bushes to his left. Wei Shen froze in place, all his senses on high alert. It wasn't the wind.
From among the leaves, something small and swift as an arrow shot out, earth-brown in color, with a long, slender body and sharp, protruding fangs. It was no bigger than a house cat, but the look in its small, red eyes was filled with savagery and hunger.
"Thornwood Gnawer!" A small, aggressive beast. Wei Shen's mind screamed, recalling the name and image from the terror-filled memories of the original body. This small creature, despite its size, was known for its aggression and painful bite that could cause severe inflammation.
There was no time for thought or planning. Wei Shen relied on an instinctive reaction, backed by Arthur's rapid calculations. He leaped backward, miraculously dodging the Thornwood Gnawer's first attack. His back slammed against a tree trunk, wrenching a pained grunt from him.
The Thornwood Gnawer turned with astonishing speed and lunged at him again, emitting a sharp hissing sound.
Wei Shen had no chance in a direct fight. His body was weaker and slower. His only option was to flee.
He turned and ran as fast as his trembling legs would allow towards the cave entrance, which, fortunately, was still close. He heard the sound of the gnawer pursuing him, its fangs snapping right behind him.
In a moment of desperation, just as he was about to reach the cave opening, Wei Shen tripped on a protruding stone he hadn't seen. He fell hard on his face, feeling a searing pain in his knee and shoulder. The bundle containing his meager food flew from his hand.
The Gnawer was almost upon him.