"Fu*k, that hurts!"
Ye Chen woke up feeling as if a steamroller had flattened every inch of his body. His head throbbed with a dull ache, and as his eyes flickered open, he was met with an unfamiliar ceiling. A cloying, heavy scent of incense invaded his nostrils.
Wait a second... where am I?
Memories hit him like a tsunami. A truck, blinding headlights, the screech of brakes, and then... darkness. Ah, right. I died. I've been transmigrated.
"Okay, transmigration. Pretty standard." He tried to sit up, only to find his limbs tightly bound to the bed with strange, crimson ropes. "But what the hell is this? Why am I tied up?"
Scanning the room, he saw it was decorated in a garish, vibrant crimson. Incense candles burned low, and the walls were covered in paintings... showing people in rather "peculiar" positions.
"Wait... this is..." Cold sweat poured down Ye Chen's face as the memories of this new body merged with his mind.
Ye Chen—a "trash" outer disciple of the Azure Cloud Sect. Possessing a Five-Element Trash Spiritual Root, nineteen years old, and after three years of cultivation, he had only reached the second level of Qi Condensation.
Yesterday, he had been drugged by Lin Hao—a fifth-level Qi Condensation disciple—and sold to a wealthy old hag on the black market for three hundred spirit stones.
And that old hag was a Golden Core cultivator looking for a "human cauldron" to drain spiritual energy and boost her own power.
"A cauldron?!" Ye Chen's jaw dropped. "That bastard Lin Hao sold me to be a cauldron?! Previous owner, what kind of life were you living to get yourself sold like this?!"
The door creaked open. An old woman stepped in, clad in a deep red robe. Her hair was bone-white, yet her skin was stretched unnaturally tight over her face. Clutching a silk fan, she wore a wide, unsettling grin.
"Oh, my sweet little boy is finally awake?" Her voice was sickly sweet, sending shivers down his spine.
Ye Chen swallowed hard. In his memories, this was Granny Hong, a third-level Golden Core cultivator notorious on the black market for collecting young men as cauldrons. Fifteen others had come before him; all had been drained dry and their corpses discarded like trash.
" S-Senior... greetings, Senior..." Ye Chen's voice trembled as his mind raced for an escape. "There must be a mistake. I... I'm just a trash disciple with a Trash Spiritual Root. My spiritual energy is pathetic, not worth your time..."
"Trash?" Granny Hong cackled. "That's exactly why you were so cheap! Three hundred spirit stones for a cauldron is a bargain. Even if you're weak, you're young. I can still squeeze a few years of longevity out of you."
The old woman leaned in, her hand stroking Ye Chen's cheek. Her breath, foul and stagnant, made his stomach churn.
"Now, I shall begin the absorption rite. Don't be afraid, it'll only hurt for a moment... then it will feel... wonderful." she whispered with a dark glint in her eyes.
"Wait!" Ye Chen screamed, his brain working at a thousand miles an hour. What do I do? What do I do?!
Right then, a mechanical voice rang out in his head.
[Ding! The Heavenly Dao Cunning System has been activated! Danger to Host's life detected!]
[Emergency Mission: Escape the current situation within 10 minutes. Reward: Level 2 Golden Core Realm (Hidden). Failure: Death.]
System?! Ye Chen screamed internally. You sure picked the right time! But how the hell am I supposed to escape?!
Ignoring his panic, Granny Hong began to tug at his robes. Seeing the urgency, Ye Chen decided to gamble everything.
"Senior, wait! I... I can help you cultivate much faster!"
Granny Hong paused, her eyebrows knitting together. "Help me cultivate faster? A piece of trash like you?"
"Yes! I may be weak, but I know a secret!" Ye Chen said, his voice shaky but forced into a serious tone. "I know the location of an ancient treasure cache. Inside, there are Beauty Face Pills—pills that can restore your youth and skyrocket your cultivation!"
"Beauty Face Pills?!" Granny Hong's eyes lit up. No matter how powerful she was, she was still a woman, and she feared old age above all else. "Where?!"
"In... in the Mystic Yin Cave, behind the Azure Cloud Sect! The entrance is hidden; only I know how to find it!" Ye Chen lied through his teeth. The Mystic Yin Cave was a real place in his memories, but God only knew if there was actually treasure there. "If you let me go, I'll lead you straight to it!"
Granny Hong stared intensely into his eyes, weighing his words. After a long silence, she smirked.
"Fine. But if you dare to deceive me, I will torture you until you beg for death." She flicked her wrist, and the ropes snapped open.
Ye Chen sat up, rubbing his wrists, a wave of relief washing over him. But he wasn't safe yet.
"Senior, shall we head out now?" he asked.
"Now? In the middle of the night?" Granny Hong frowned. "The Mystic Yin Cave is treacherous at night. We leave at dawn."
"But... if we wait, someone else might find it..." Ye Chen pressed.
"Silence!" Granny Hong snapped. "I have decided! We go tomorrow. For now, stay here. Don't even think about running. I've placed a restriction around this room; you can't escape."
The old woman marched out, slamming the door. Ye Chen slumped on the bed, cold sweat soaking his back.
"Okay, I've got one night. I have to find a way out." He scanned the room for an exit.
[Ding! Mission paused. Time remaining: 8 hours. Host, please escape quickly!]
"I know, I know!" Ye Chen muttered. He walked to the window and looked out. This was the second floor of a building in the Azure Cloud Town black market. Outside, the streets were pitch black.
Jump? With this weak second-level Qi Condensation body, he'd probably just break his legs.
As he was calculating his odds, the door opened. A young girl walked in carrying a tray of food. She wore a maid's outfit, her face was pretty, but her eyes were vacant, as if she were a puppet.
"Master ordered me to bring you food," the girl said, her voice flat and robotic.
Ye Chen looked at her, an idea forming.
"Thanks... Hey, were you captured by that old woman too?" he asked.
"I am Master's servant," the girl replied without emotion.
"Right, brainwashed," Ye Chen sighed. "In that case..."
He suddenly lunged forward, shoving the girl aside, and bolted for the door.
"Sorry!" he yelled, flying down the stairs.
But the moment his foot touched the ground floor, an invisible wall slammed into him, throwing him backward.
Bam! Ye Chen hit the floor face-first.
"A restriction..." he groaned. "Forgot about that."
Footsteps echoed. Granny Hong appeared, her face twisted in rage.
"You dare try to run?!"
"No, no! I was just... looking for the bathroom!" Ye Chen blurted out.
"The bathroom?" Granny Hong smiled coldly. "Is that so? Well then, let me help you with that!"
She raised her hand, a surge of spiritual energy gathering. Ye Chen closed his eyes, bracing for the blow.
But suddenly, a lazy, nonchalant voice rang out:
"Now, now, old lady. Is it really that fun to bully a child?"