Lui Ming walked toward the city gates, breath heavy, sweat clinging to his face and neck. It had taken him half the day just to get here. If it hadn't been for a kind passerby pointing out that he was walking in circles, he might've wandered the same corner street until nightfall.
Disappointing.
After all that talk about surviving on his own, here he was still inside the city walls by midday.
He sighed as he finally crossed through the gate.
Two guards sat nearby, playing cards with such intensity you'd think they were guarding the emperor's treasure instead of a crumbling old road. Lui Ming deliberately scraped his shoes against the stone, coughed once, even lingered for a few seconds longer than necessary.
Nothing. Not even a glance.
"…Security in this place really is hopeless," he muttered.
Well, he hadn't exactly bonded with anyone here. Lang Yu—or Ping An, whichever name he preferred—was an immortal. Whatever disaster was coming for this city, Lui Ming figured they could handle it. And if not? He didn't plan on writing letters.
Past the gate, the world opened up into quiet fields and stretches of golden grass waving gently in the breeze. The sun cast long shadows across the path, the sky just beginning to pale with the onset of dusk.
It was peaceful, for a while.
Then came the forest.
Dense, tall trees lined the winding road, their thick branches blocking out what little light remained. The path was still there, but barely—just a worn trail of dirt and stones snaking between roots and underbrush.
Lui Ming walked until his legs ached and still saw no end to the road. The darkness thickened around him, and soon he could barely see a few paces ahead.
He glanced upward, searching for a place to rest, and spotted a tall tree with wide, sturdy branches. It looked stable enough.
Without much thought, he climbed up and perched on one of the thicker limbs. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it beat sleeping on the ground where wild beasts or worse might show up.
He slung his bag over a nearby branch and lay back, facing the canopy. The stars were hard to see through the leaves, just little flickers between the branches.
Still, it was quiet.
He let his thoughts drift.
That time he'd had a panic attack and struck Mammy Fang... back then, something had shifted. His chest had felt tight, hot. Not just discomfort, but actual anger. Pride, too, though he wouldn't admit it aloud.
And the weird feeling when Mu Lingfeng looked at him, that tight heartbeat, the slight unease... That definitely hadn't been nothing.
Back in his old life, he'd never felt much of anything. Just copied reactions. Imitated warmth. Faked concern. Real emotions never landed...well...except pain, which he still genuinely disliked.
It seemed as though his Alexithymia didnt join him in this life
But aside from that something had changed.
It occurred to him now that sitting on this dusty tree branch should've made his skin crawl. It was dirty. Rough. Uneven. Yet, he didn't feel even a hint of that old crawling discomfort.
Maybe, he thought wryly, he'd just been overthinking it in the first place.
Or maybe the only time he'd truly panic is when things got really filthy.
Still staring at the dim, leafy sky, Lui Ming let those thoughts wash over him. Humming fatigue in his bones.
His eyes drifted shut before he even noticed.
And in that crooked old tree, halfway down a road to nowhere, Lui Ming finally fell asleep.
I'M SORRY BUT THIS NOVEL WON'T CONTINUING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.... I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IN THE COMMENTS ABOUT IF THE BOOK IS ACTUALLY GOOD.... MY CONTRACT APPLICATION FAILED AND I'M CURRENTLY REALLY TIGHT ON MONEY ....SO I'M GONNA HAVE TO GET BUSY SORRY