Chapter 30: HH - Second Attempt
-------------------------------
My friend Jaed21 who wrote this one based on my Nexus idea.
-------------------------------
Chapter 1. Transmigration
Spring rain fell silently on Qing Mao Mountain.
Near the top of the mountain was a village full of bamboo buildings with lights coming out of them, shining in the night.
The scenery was beautifully picturesque, it really looked like a scene that came straight out of a painting, it expressed the magnificence of a beautiful landscape, which could somehow make the most indifferent person's heart moved by such beauty.
In a large two-story house, a small window was open, inviting the spring wind and gentle rain, while a young man leaned on the sill and watched the magical scene before him with a surprised expression.
"Hahaha. It worked, it really worked! I finally managed to escape that hellish place," the young man's face changed from surprise to pure ecstasy and joy as he used the newly acquired 'mouth' that he was not yet fully accustomed to.
He looked at his body and waved his hands. He had legs, he had arms, he had eyes and a mouth!
Although he was incredibly thin, he had a body again!
'Nexus. Are you there?' The young man then reflexively called out to the friend in his mind, the one who had accompanied him for almost his entire life.
[I'm here, master. It looks like the trip was a success and everything went well.]
As soon as his friend's emotionless voice sounded in his head, the young man sighed in relief that he had managed to go with him safely. — It's good to have you around, Nexus. I couldn't feel you for a while, so I started to worry.'
[Eu I was in the same situation, master, but it looks like we managed to get out together. I'm glad you're safe. Congratulations on acquiring a body again.]
"Thank you, Nexus. But you know, although it was incredibly difficult to escape, I wouldn't have survived without your support,' the young man expressed in his mind, his heart full of gratitude. If not for meeting the artificial soul called Nexus, he would certainly have gone crazy in that empty place.
Although in truth, Nexus also needed him as an anchor to continue its existence. They needed each other and their escape was the result of combined efforts.
Aware that there was no reason to express his thoughts, the young man turned to look with a melancholy expression at the slightly cloudy sky that was sending rain.
'What a beautiful place…' He sighed emotionally. After a while, he decided to focus and asked, 'Now we need to know what world we are in. Nexus, do you have any idea where we are?'
[Not entirely, Master. It seems that we have reached the closest world that was attracting us and I managed to gather very little to no important information during our crossing]
'Oh? So what do you know?' The young man raised his eyebrow, hoping it was some information good enough to help them in this new world.
[A The best information I acquired was that the body you have now is the one that perfectly accommodates your soul. It seems that this body is highly valued in this world. He receives favor and protection from the world itself and various mysterious entities. As it is, I couldn't think of a more suitable word to describe him other than 'Protagonist' or 'Main Character', master]
'The favor and protection of the world? The protagonist? It looks really good.' the boy laughed, remembering the time when he read novels on Earth.
After laughing a little, the boy focused on the beautiful scenery outside and asked, 'But how did you manage to put me in this body if it was protected by the world? I believe you mentioned that you only had enough power to escape and not much else.'
[The current situation is a bit peculiar, master. The moment we came into this world, this body sucked your soul as if it already belonged to you or as if the world wanted you to inhabit this body. Since it was a valuable and powerful body, and I didn't have much power, I simply allowed it to happen]
[In this world the soul stores a person's memories. I devoured the soul of this body's previous host and am currently rearranging its memories. I need another minute to fully absorb all the information]
In fact, by this time Nexus was already receiving general and disorganized knowledge about the life and name of this body, but decided not to share it for now in consideration of its host's mental state, allowing it to get used to its new situation first. .
'I see…' The young man thought.
Taking advantage of the next minute of waiting, the boy once again decided to focus on his new body. He looked down and even lifted his shirt.
'I really am thin, even malnourished,' he thought in his heart.
As Nexus did his work, the young man began moving around the room while taking in as much of his surroundings as possible.
The room he was in appeared to be a simple and small room, with a simple bed in the corner, a window that was open with a view of the village, next to the bed was what appeared to be a small gray wooden chest with some clothes. over.
A small table was on the side next to the window with some papers and brushes organized, on the opposite side of the bed was a simple mirror.
The young man took a few steps and soon reached the mirror and began to observe and evaluate his new appearance.
Pressing his hand to his soft cheek, the young man assessed himself.
'Uh, is this me? I look like a patient on the verge of death. How the hell is this a highly valued body in this world? It feels like I'm a terminal patient."
'My face is also incredibly common and simple. I look like a secondary character, not the main character. The body is also incredibly thin, with almost no muscle, enough to tell that the former user was a sedentary person or someone who was abused.
'However, although I look young, I still look quite tall for this age. The facial appearance is common, but has some potential. My current hairstyle is an ordinary short black hair, but my hair is soft and silky, and jet black; It looks like it would be amazing if it were longer. As for the eyes, how can someone have such dark eyes?'
He finished his thoughts: 'The current simple appearance is a little below average, but it has some potential. I'll need to gain some muscle and fix this body's sleep schedule. As long as I grow up, it might not be so bad. I just hope it's a world of magic or cultivation. Regarding the world as it is, the scenery outside and the appearance of this body are giving me a very peculiar vibe…
[Master, I have finished rearranging the previous host's memories], Nexus sounded at this time.
[According to your memories, Master, the world we are in now closely resembles the one described in the novel you read previously called: "Reverend Insanity"]
The boy raised his eyebrows upon hearing Nexus' explanation. 'The world of Reverend Insanity?'
[Correct. It's a world where people cultivate and raise creatures called 'Gu Worms']
'So I'm really in Reverend Insanity's world now...' The boy ruminated, his assumption proving to be correct.
In the past, he shared all of his memories with Nexus, just so they could talk. This naturally also included all the books he read, so it was natural that Nexus would know the contents of Reverend Insanity and quickly make a connection.
<Reverend Insanity> was a novel that left a very deep impression on the boy, so even after a hundred years he didn't forget it, even if he forgot the details. When he was trapped alone in the void, suffering from endless loneliness, he often thought of the legends of the Immortal Venerable of Great Love, taking him as an example to follow to continue persevering despite his desperate and surreal situation.
[Master, earlier I said that this body seemed to belong to the 'Protagonist'. However, it seems I was mistaken]
The young man raised his eyebrows again.
[A This body's true identity is a young man named Gu Yue Fang Zheng. Gu Yue Fang Zheng of the Gu Yue clan, twin brother of Gu Yue Fang Yuan.]
'I am Gu Yue Fang Zheng?' His eyebrows rose even higher.
He knew that Gu Yue Fang Zheng was not the "Protagonist". If it was truly the Gu World, then the main character would be Gu Yue Fang Yuan, a reborn demon, pawn of Heaven and Venerables, and Fang Zheng's older twin brother.
[I apologize, master.]
Fang Zheng sighed. 'It's not your fault, Nexus. I understand why you assumed the owner of this body was the "Protagonist".'
Even though Fang Yuan was receiving all the good things and was the protagonist of the book, Gu Yue Fang Zheng, in fact, could be receiving the world's protection and favor. It was understandable that Nexus had mistaken him for "the Chosen One".
'The most important thing is that we managed to get out. Actually, me taking over Fang Zheng's body isn't that bad either, heh.' Fang Zheng expressed in his mind and laughed lightly.
He then remained silent for a few minutes as he closed his eyes and remained in his own imaginary world, relaxing his mind and putting his thoughts in place.
When he finally opened his eyes, a fire-like determination began to burn in his heart like a burning flame. For an originally hopeless person, just a small spark of hope could be enough to ignite the fire of passion, but Fang Zheng's situation was even better than he imagined.
Fang Zheng didn't know what fate had in store for him, but living in such a world could be really interesting!
'I am now in the world of Reverend Insanity and I also have Nexus with me. This is wonderful!' The young man's eyes shone with a flame of vivacity as a representation of a new future.
If it was before Fang Zheng entered "that" place, then he might have been nervous or even afraid of the place he found himself in, but now he only felt excited, happy and focused on living in the present with the ambition of a better future .
[Indeed, Master, right now we may be in some danger.]
'Danger? What danger?' Fang Zheng was brought out of his musings.
[Do you remember what I said before, Master? The moment we came to this world, this body sucked your soul as if it already belonged to you or as if the world wanted you to inhabit this body.]
[Only I can assume it has something to do with the Heavenly Dao or Heaven's Will of this world. My deduction is that once we appeared within the limits of this world, the world sucked your soul and then placed it in "Fang Zheng" to make you a pawn of the Heavens.]
[After Once you took over this body, Master, a strange entity that I presume to be Heaven's Will tried to invade your mind, but I blocked it and devoured it. Right now I'm using the last bits of my power that I've saved and what I understandof this: "Heaven's Will", after consuming a part of it to keep its existence hidden from these mysterious entities.]
[It seems that the "Heavenly Dao" wanted you to inhabit this body, but the "Heaven's Will" attitude and reaction to your and my presence is unknown. This is my deduction. As it is, I can keep it hidden for 5 days without a source to replenish my energy.]
After a long explanation, Nexus fell silent, while Fang Zheng began to digest the information.
After a while, Fang Zheng turned away from the mirror and began to walk around the room, saying, 'I understand. So we have five days. Nexus, what do you suggest I do next?
Nexus was hundreds of times smarter than him, so Fang Zheng had no qualms about asking his opinion first.
[I have already considered our situation and have a suggestion, Master. First you must remember that I possess the ability to perceive souls. I can devour the souls of the sick and scan the souls of the living, and thus I can extract and collect their memories and knowledge. If the target is a living person, they will need to be unconscious or in a deep sleep. I have some other powerful abilities, but they are not relevant to my suggestion at this time, and I would also like to collect more data about this world before mentioning them. Now I will move on to my suggestion.]
[My suggestion is: at this moment Protagonist Gu Yue Fang Yuan should be euphoric after his successful regression, with his guard down. Leaving aside the fact that he is now a mortal who doesn't even possess an aperture or any Gu worm, once he falls asleep would be the best time for you to attack him.] Nexus gave his suggestion in a completely emotionless voice, suggesting for Fang Zheng to attack Fang Yuan soon after his regression.
[If his soul's current power is comparable to Fang Yuan's, then I can easily use some of my remaining strength to dominate his soul and make him remain unconscious. There would be no danger to your life by following this plan, Master.]
[O The objective of this plan is to scan the Protagonist's soul. If it was the second timeline, once Fang Yuan had already been reborn, then I could acquire his 500 years of memories and knowledge, as well as scan the Heaven's Will condensed within the Spring Autumn Cicada Immortal Gu. After devouring Fang Yuan's memories and the Heaven's Will condensed into the Spring Autumn Cicada, I will be able to have a lot of data to make further deductions. In an ideal scenario, I could destroy Fang Yuan's soul, killing him, and then trick Heaven's Will into believing that you are his precious pawn, Gu Yue Fang Yuan.]
[No However, what comes first is data collection. This is my suggestion, Master.]
Fang Zheng continued pacing around the room for a while, thinking, before finally saying, 'I see. Nexus, even if Fang Yuan's soul was many times stronger than mine, could you still knock him out? How far out are we going?'
[If the layout of Fang Yuan's room is the same as here, then I can observe his soul from behind the door before taking action. I can also attack you from behind the door. There is little danger in this plane, Master.]
After all, the room Fang Zheng was staying in was not that big.
Nexus continued: [We were supposed to attack two hours before dawn, when even the reborn Fang Yuan went to bed in the novel. Since we attacked when Fang Yuan's guard was down and he was asleep, he wouldn't even discover anything was wrong.]
'I see, that's good.' Fang Zheng nodded. He liked the plan. If Nexus could acquire Fang Yuan's 500 years of knowledge so easily, that would be incredible. 'How about staying hidden from Heaven's Will? How can we replenish your energy and do you believe that I really need to stay hidden from Heaven's Will?'
[As far as replenishing my energy goes, I'm afraid that the amount of souls I need to keep you hidden is not something you can acquire as a Level 1 Gu Apprentice, master. What comes first is data collection. As for remaining hidden from Heaven's Will, it is possible that Heaven's Will recognizes your existence, but it may not recognize mine. Again, what comes first is data collection.]
'Okay, I get it. So, first we have to scan Fang Yuan's soul," concluded Fang Zheng.
[Correct. This will give us the tools to decide on the next step.]
Fang Zheng assentiu.
Feeling like a character in a game, he was excited and focused on progress and asked, 'Nexus, please tell me about your other skills.'
Nexus then told Fang Zheng what he believed his abilities could do when adapted to the Gu World.
Although without enough data, Nexus was speculating about many things, what Fang Zheng heard surprised him positively. The Nexus skill was basically what every Path of R Gu Masterefinamentocould dream of having!
'I understand. If your guesses are correct, that's amazing!'
Fang Zheng laughed out loud when he thought of Nexus' potential. Although the abilities of his "system" were not ridiculous or overpowered, in this world they had incredible potential and utility.
In this world one could rarely cheat and life was difficult, so there was no need to complain that Nexus was not omniscientor omnipotent. What Fang Zheng heard already seemed like incredible help.
[This is why I believe the Teacher must place great focus on studying the Path of Refinement. However, I can only speak about my abilities with confidence after examining and reorganizing Fang Yuan's memories.]
'That's in case this is the second timeline,' Fang Zheng added.
[Correct. However, given the timing of our arrival, this possibility is high.]
Chapter 2. Scanning Fang Yuan's soul. The next step.
[If we are in the second iteration of this world, then there would be far fewer variables to deal with, thrown at us by various powerful entities of this world, while our starting point and progress would be much better thanks to Fang Yuan's memories. It would be much safer. And I could even have you directly replace Fang Yuan as the chosen pawn, Master.]
[However, Master, don't worry. With my abilities, I am confident that I will be able to influence Heaven's Will given enough time. Even though it is the first timeline, the Heaven's Will in the atmosphere is quite faint, but I should also be able to analyze it enough to learn how it works and affect it after these days to keep you safe.]
Fang Zheng sighed. 'I see, that's good to hear.'
He was aware that Nexus would not speak lightly or lie to him, and that he was quite capable, so he felt somewhat at ease.
Nexus would only need a small piece of Heaven's Will to begin examining it and learning how it works; that was what his skills were about – devouring, analyzing, simulating and learning.
Fang Zheng felt that even if the regressed Fang Yuan could grow freely, he could still dominate him and this world thanks to skillful use of Nexus's abilities, should they be exactly as Nexus supposed them to be.
'Nexus, I want you to take advantage of the free time we have now to reorganize all my memories related to the Reverend Insanity novel and the Gu World, and compile them into a separate file while devising suitable potential plans with all this information,' Fang commanded. Zheng.
After being stuck in the hopeless void for so long, Fang Zheng couldn't help but become extremely focused and determined when he could finally "accomplish" something. Without any hesitation and just enthusiasm, he had already accepted the circumstances and was prepared for whatever came next.
[I already organized all your memories some time ago, Master. However, I am currently reorganizing the knowledge about the Gu World in a way that is easy for you to read and navigate.]
[As for making simulations of possible futures, I advise that we conserve my energy andlet us accomplish more focused tasks, Master. Your request is very broad. Firstly, I advise thatlet's scan a alma de Fang Yuan]
'You are right. Then let's examine Fang Yuan's soul first.'
Fang Zheng laughed after a while. Nexus was already working before Fang Zheng even had the idea!
"Oh! Enjoy doing this and scan my new body too." Fang Zheng wanted to know the most exact conditions of his body's state, both observable and unobservable, and Nexus was perfect for that.
Nexus was created from Fang Zheng himself as he experimented with the uses of the energy of 'that' place. So Nexus was shaped to be completely loyal, selfless, and helpful to Fang Zheng. It was created by accident by Fang Zheng when trying to enhance himself with the endless energy from the other dimension. By mistake or luck, Nexus ended up being born from a part of Fang Zheng's being.
Nexus was not a soul or some kind of artifact, in fact it could barely be considered an existence of its own, it existed in a metaphysical immaterial information state in Fang Zheng's consciousness. That's why he found it so easy to carry out such extensive and complicated tasks, and scanning Fang Zheng's body was no big deal to him.
[Understood. Please wait, Mestre.]
[...]
[Full body check completed!]
[Vital Status = Sick {Anemia, malnutrition and rickets}]
[Physique = Dangerously Below Average!{Low muscle mass and low bone density. Poor posture and low flexibility. Low reserves of vitamins and microelements. Hormone deficiency and various hormonal imbalances; the most important: low testosterone, high cortisol.}]
[Mind => Originally minor mental problems {Mild depression, hallucinations, slow and distracted thoughts, brain fog}. - Note: any mental problems remaining after taking over the former host's body can be alleviated by restoring hormonal balance.]
[Organizing Status in Numbers...]
[Displaying status in numbers!]
[Nome = Gu Yue Fang Zheng]
[Race = Human]
[Height = 174 cm]
…
[Strength = 0.3]
[Resistance = 0.4]
[Agility = 0.2]
[Score of an average adult human = 1.0]
'Oh my God, that sounds terrible!' Fang Zheng couldn't help but think.
Fang Zheng remained stunned for a long time. The current state of his body was simply unacceptable.
After finally composing himself, over the next few hours, Fang Zheng focusedly flipped through a Reverend Insanity summary of the first volume that Nexus had prepared for him, enriched with Fang Zheng's original memories, while thinking about the potential future.
Since Fang Zheng spent so much time in "that" place, his memoriesdisappeared Over time, but thanks to Nexus, he was able to back up all of his memories in even more perfect detail as they were directly taken from his soul and deconstructed.
It's not that Fang Zheng lost all memories of his past life, but due to the long time he was trapped completely uselessly in that 'place', he ended up forgetting many unimportant details and only superficially remembered the difficult progression of the book Reverend Insanity.
Now all he needed to do was refresh his old memories and learn some new things as well from the memories of his new body.
Eventually the time was about two hours before dawn.
Fang Zheng opened the door to his room and carefully tiptoed along the corridor.
Following the suggestions of Nexus, who had devoured Fang Zheng's memories, Fang Zheng soon arrived at the door of Fang Yuan's room.
Nexus then spoke: [I can feel that Fang Yuan is sleeping, while his soul is four times weaker than yours, Master. There is no danger to the plan. Should I proceed to attack Fang Yuan's soul to keep him unconscious?]
'Four times weaker?' Fang Zheng raised his eyebrows. Does this mean that Fang Yuan has not been reborn?
After thinking for a few moments, Fang Zheng ordered, 'Do it. We have to scan it anyway.'
[Understood, Master.]
[...]
[Done. Fang Yuan will be kept unconscious, you can enter slowly, Master.]
Fang Zheng nodded to no one in particular and opened the door carefully and slowly so as not to alarm any other inhabitants of the bamboo building. He then tiptoed into the room and slowly closed the door.
After entering, Fang Zheng walked towards the bed not far from the door, standing next to the bed.
Fang Zheng's eyes were already prepared for the darkness and with the help of the moonlight he could clearly see Fang Yuan's face as he slept on the bed, covered by a thin silk blanket.
Fang Yuan was a lot like him, except he looked much healthier.
'This is Fang Yuan. He really looks like a very simple and ordinary teenager. As he sleeps now, he looks very innocent, almost cute.'
Fang Zheng then almost snorted at the absurdity of his thoughts.
[Master, place your hand on Fang Yuan's forehead andI will examine your soul and body], said Nexus emotionlessly.
'Okay.' Fang Zheng reached out and placed his hand on Fang Yuan's forehead, completely trusting Nexus.
[Soul scanning has begun.]
[Master, please keep in touch with Fang Yuan's head. I need about a minute to complete the scan without causing any danger to the target.]
'Just a minute?'
[Reorganizing memories usually takes much longer, Master.]
Fang Zheng squinted his eyes, as he remained silent.
About a minute later, Nexus said: [Scan completed. From Fang Yuan's disorganized memories, I can clearly tell that we are dealing with the second timeline, Master. Fang Yuan has regressed.]
Fang Zheng's heart suddenly thumped.
Fang Yuan regressed. It was good and bad.
As if guessing Fang Zheng's concern, Nexus continued: [Master, please don't worry about the future. I also analyzed the Spring Autumn Cicada. My assumptions proved correct. I'm really capable ofrearrange freely the Dao Marks into Gu worms. After absorbing enough Dao Marks,I have to be able to replicate any scanned Gu Worm with 100% success rate, including Immortal Gu like Spring Autumn Cicada.]
'Really? This is amazing! What about Heaven's Will then?' Fang Zheng asked.
[I have good news and bad news. First you must return to your room, Master.]
Fang Zheng frowned but did not argue. He slowly left the room and closed the door. Behind the door, he asked Nexus, 'So you're not going to kill Fang Yuan?'
[I'm afraid we can't do that. Not now and not in the near future, Master.] Nexus said indifferently.
'Not in the near future? I don't like the sound of that.'
After being assured by Nexus that the situation was under control, Fang Zheng soon returned to his room.
On the one hand, the mission was a great success, but Fang Zheng also had his worries. He asked, 'Nexus, explain what you discovered.'
[Master, I need time to analyze the acquired data. Please give me a moment…]
…
After spending a lot of time analyzing andrearranging Gaining information and making deductions, Nexus finally presented his findings.
Nexus explained: [As I theorized previously, keeping you hidden from Heaven's Will is less desirable and more difficult than affecting Heaven's Will, because even if your existence is hidden, your actions and how you affect the world around you would prove clearly andwould point to its existence as an anomaly. Instead, it would be much easier and more beneficial to deceive Heaven's Will into believing that 'everything is fine and there is no problem with you'.]
[After analyzing the dense Heaven's Will within the Spring Autumn Cicada, I have an understanding of Heaven's Will's motivations and method of action. I can deceive Heaven's Will and allow you to assume Fang Zheng's identity, but the same It's not possible with Fang Yuan. Fang Yuan needs to follow a predetermined path and is watched over by many powerful entities. Not recommended.]
[As for Fang Zheng, I am quite clear that his role is to act as a counter to Fang Yuan. Because of this, it will be very easy to trick Heaven's Will and the various other entities into believing that you should exist. It would be much safer for you to play the role of Fang Zheng and you would have much more freedom. As long as you simply keep getting stronger, along with my influence on Heaven's Will, you will fulfill your role and the various entities will probably simply accept you.]
[This is why I recommend that you assume the identity of Fang Zheng, Master.]
Having received Nexus' explanation, Fang Zheng could only nod his head as he understood the matter.
Having more freedom was certainly very beneficial. Leaving aside the fact that Venerables, Heaven's Will and Heavenly Dao might be furious with him if he became Fang Yuan and started acting on his own, if he became Fang Yuan but was actually forced to follow a path laid out, then that would just be terrible.
'I understand. Then I should become Fang Zheng and allow Fang Yuan to stop Spectral Soul, is that it?' Fang Zheng asked, having some doubts.
Nexus continued: [The alternative is that you grow strong enough by the time around the Battle of Yi Tian Mountain so that you are able to resist Heaven's Will and anything else in this world, reaching a level of Maximum Pseudo-Venerable strength within these few years. Then you could create a clone and take control of the Sovereign Fetus Body safely, taking Fang Yuan's place at that point to free Fate Gu yourself.]
[Although it seems very difficult and dangerous, I believe it is possible with our combined efforts.]
Nexus talked about reaching the Pseudo-Venerable level within a few years, but still spoke completely indifferently, as if it was nothing special.
Fang Zheng smiled as he sighed. 'First let's focus on the present. Tomorrow is the Awakening Ceremony.'
Chapter 3.
After making some more deductions, Nexus used a part of her power and officially connected to the Heaven's Will in the atmosphere and influenced her, making her believe that everything with Fang Zheng is as it should be.
Unfortunately, his control and knowledge of heaven's will is very superficial, all he can do is send a false signal to heaven's will indicating that everything is fine. Nexus still cannot delve into the secrets of the sky like Purple or Star Constellation.
But over time, his control over his would not be inferior to these Gu world potentials.
Over the next hour, after leaving Fang Yuan's room, Nexus and Fang Zheng talked a lot about their plans for the near future, preparing Fang Zheng for what was to come.
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
A knocking sound sounded from the door.
"Fang Zheng, open up," said a woman rudely behind the door, from the looks of it, at a rather old age.
Bang, bang, bang.
The woman knocked on the door again, only louder, and said, "Fang Zheng, wake up, you need to prepare for the Awakening Ceremony."
Fang Zheng walked over and opened the door.
When the door opened, a fat old woman appeared in the doorway. She looked at Fang Zheng for a second and then, ignoring him, bent down to pick up a small basin that she had previously placed on the floor.
The woman carried the basin into the room, lifted it and placed it on a small cabinet, breathing with relief after the physical effort.
"Quickly, wash up," the woman hurried, looking at Fang Zheng.
Fang Zheng smiled slightly. He approached the basin and dipped his hands in the water.
Hiss!
The water was freezing!
With that, Fang Zheng already had an idea of what was going on. 'That's the difference in treatment between the two brothers we're talking about, huh?'
Despite the cold water, after a moment Fang Zheng quickly grabbed the cold water with his palms and splashed it vigorously on his face.
Although unpleasant, the cold temperature of the water woke him up completely.
Because of the excitement and adrenaline coursing through his veins, Fang Zheng may have felt a slight headache and his eyes were slightly sunken, but he didn't feel tired, but after a few splashes he became incredibly sensible.
Then he washed his mouth, drinking from a cup that the servant prepared for him, and then spat into another bowl that was empty. Then he picked up something from the table that looked like a willow branch and started brushing his teeth, following Nexus' suggestion.
Seeing that the servant didn't react strangely, Fang Zheng continued brushing his teeth with the willow branch.
As Fang Zheng mindlessly "brushed" his teeth, Nexus analyzed the situation for him: [As you can imagine, Master, this old woman is a wet nurse assigned to Fang Zheng as his personal servant. She should address youas 'young master', but she doesn't treat him with any respect. The water is also extremely cold. All of this must have been arranged by his uncle and aunt to create unhappiness in his heart and make him jealous of his older brother.]
Fang Zheng nodded inwardly. That's what he already imagined.
Fang Zheng's expression suddenly changed. 'Right, my older brother…'
Seeing a complicated expression on Fang Zheng's face, the old woman asked, "Is something wrong, Fang Zheng?"
"No, nothing," replied Fang Zheng, shaking his head indifferently as he thought about Fang Yuan.
He had already talked to Nexus before about what his attitude towards Fang Yuan should be.
As it is, Fang Yuan would inevitably notice that this Fang Zheng is completely different from the one in his memories. It was inevitable and Fang Zheng certainly wouldn't want to slow down his growth to try and hide this fact uselessly.
Thus, they decided that Fang Zheng should not even try to act like the original Fang Zheng, but would be his natural self from the beginning, because trying to hide would only make things more suspicious in Fang Yuan's eyes.
The crux was that Fang Yuan might not even care about Fang Zheng as long as Fang Zheng didn't get in his way, while capturing Fang Zheng for interrogation on clear suspicion was simply too troublesome and too high a risk.
While in Gu Yue Village it was certainly very reckless for Fang Yuan to attempt to make any sort of move inFang Zheng of A grade, while Heaven's Will could even protect Fang Zheng and Fang Zheng should also be growing quickly and strong enough to go far. ahead of Fang Yuan anyway and be able to protect himself.
Fang Yuan is also someone from modern Earth, someone who is very suspicious, so after seeing that Fang Zheng after his rebirth was different from the beginning, he might even think of an alternative world theory or that his act of rebirth changed the world .
In the end, Fang Zheng decided to act freely, not pretending to be a loser and greatly slowing down his growth without logical reason, being a new and better Fang Zheng!
At this time, Fang Zheng rinsed his mouth once again and put on clean clothes prepared by the servant.
In the end, he wore a light gray robe that was a little too big for his thin body. It was very simple but clean and tidy.
Fang Zheng actually didn't care about simplicity at all. In this attire he felt a little more like he belonged in this world of cultivation.
"Come on, Fang Zheng, don't make your big brother wait," the servant girl urged Fang Zheng again, waving her fat hand.
Fang Zheng came out of his room.
…
A while ago, in the adjacent room.
TOC Knock knock
"Young master Fang Yuan, are you awake?"
TOC Knock knock
"Youngteacher Fang Yuan, it's about dawn. I can enter?"
Shen Cui continued shouting behind the door, before finally causing Fang Yuan to open his dry eyelids with difficulty. His head hurt when he woke up.
He rubbed his eyes, thinking, 'Dawn seems to be approaching. I only slept for about two hours and suddenly I have to wake up and I feel incredibly tired. Is this what it's like to have a mortal body?'
After carefully getting up from the bed, Fang Yuan had no choice but to think that perhaps his rebirth and the merging of his 500 years of memories might have also overwhelmed his mind, causing pain in his head and perhaps even his soul.
He didn't pay much attention, forcefully pushed away the drowsiness and headache, and began to prepare for the Awakening Ceremony with Shen Cui's help.
Just as Shen Cui was smoothing out the creases in the clothes on Fang Yuan's chest, through the half-open door, Fang Yuan noticed a similar-looking teenager appear in the hallway.
The boy looked into the room and smiled slightly, saying: "Good morning, brother."
The young man was thin, a little shorter than Fang Yuan. His face was very reminiscent of Fang Yuan's features. When Fang Yuan looked at this young man, a complicated expression flashed across his face.
'It's him, huh, my younger twin brother.' Fang Yuan raised his eyebrows, his expression returning to one of cold indifference.
Receiving a cold look from Fang Yuan, Fang Zheng only smiled slightly and then looked at Shen Cui for a moment. 'She must be Shen Cui. Although she was mentioned as having an average appearance in the novel, she is very cute…'
Fang Zheng naturally did not fall in love with Shen Cui at first sight nor did he have serious thoughts about her, but after spending so much time alone in an empty space, the sight of the first pretty girl he met inevitably produced a reaction and he felt self-sufficient . conscious and anxious, his head shook slightly as he tried to maintain an indifferent attitude.
Shen Cui looked at Fang Zheng after speaking and noticed his gaze. She squinted her eyes and her face showed an expression as if she had seen something unpleasant.
Shen Cui's expression naturally did not escape Fang Zheng's eyes. Perhaps the original Fang Zheng didn't notice, but he did. Although Shen Cui's reaction was related to the actions of the original owner of this body, qinIt is antIt iss da CIt isrimUmbrellania dO DIt isspIt isrtar It isra a dIt isfiniWhatãO dIt is inm loser, It is he could hardly care deeply about it in his heart, but he He still felt hurt at being looked at so deeply in such a way.
Fang Yuan weakly looked at Fang Zheng for a moment. In his previous life he was unclear about his younger brother's thoughts, but in this life how could he not understand? Naturally, Fang Zheng always thought of Shen Cui, also being very insecure.
Fang Yuan then impatiently pushed away Shen Cui's small soft hands. "It's okay, there's no need to tidy up. You can go out."
He didn't even look at Shen Cui as he straightened his sleeve cuffs and started walking towards the door.
"Are you ready?" Fang Yuan asked Fang Zheng.
Fang Zheng was standing at the door, leaning his back against the doorframe. He adopted an indifferent stance, but it was clear to Fang Yuan that he still looked very anxious and strange.
However, after spending so many years away from people, it was natural for Fang Zheng to feel strange when he suddenly re-entered society. Although he tried to act "normal," it was difficult.
"Sim", respondeu Fang Zheng.
Fang Yuan nodded. From his experience he saw that Fang Zheng was very nervous before the Awakening Ceremony, but in this life it didn't make sense to him. He said lightly: "Then let's go."
Then the two brothers left the house. On the way they met many young people of the same age, all in groups of two or three, clearly heading towards the same destination.
"Look guys, these are the Fang brothers." His ears could pick up the cautious small talk. "The one walking in front is Fang Yuan, he is the Fang Yuan who created the poems," some of them emphasized.
"So it's him. His face is expressionless, as if he has no regard for others, just like the rumors say." Someone said in a sour tone filled with jealousy and envy.
"Hmph, if you were like him, you could act like that too!" Someone responded coldly against the person, hiding a kind of dissatisfaction.
'Hmph, this lecture is a good example of the saying, 'those who have exceptional talent easily make others jealous,' thought Fang Yuan with a sneer as he listened to the surrounding gossip.
"Brother, you look as popular as ever," joked Fang Zheng as he walked forward slightly and glanced at Fang Yuan from the side with a faint smile.
Fang Yuan raised his eyebrows in surprise as he looked at Fang Zheng. Fang Zheng's playful attitude was not what he expected. Although his younger brother seemed nervous, he didn't seem to be jealous of him, nor did he hold a grudge against him.
"It seems so," Fang Yuan replied with an indifferent expression as he looked deeply into Fang Zheng's eyes.
Fang Zheng smiled and began to walk beside Fang Yuan. He sighed, "Sigh, good luck, brother. I just hope I have a strong aptitude too."
Fang Yuan squinted his eyes, watching Fang Zheng walk while placing his hands behind his back and with a small genuine smile on his lips. 'Strange, why isn't Fang Zheng jealous of me or detesting me? With our uncles' conspiracy, there should be a rift between us as brothers.'
The two Fang brothers no longer talked on the way and finally arrived at the village square filled with teenagers the same age as them.
Even in the village square, teenagers couldn't stop gossiping about Fang Yuan, pointing fingers at him.
At one point, an elder finally came out and led everyone to the clan pavilion. Following a constructed stone staircase, they entered an underground cave.
The underground cave was beautiful, with stalactites shining with rainbow colors. This light shone on the young people's faces, the neon tones were beautiful.
The group of young people made noises of surprise and astonishment.
Fang Zheng shouted in his mind, 'Nexus, remember to scan all types of Gu materials and Dao Marks as you can. If you can, also absorb a small fraction of the surrounding Dao Marks, but so little that it won't produce a visible effect.'
[Understood, Master. I will scan everything I can within my 5 meter range and also create micro holes in the Gu materials we find along the way, absorbing a portion of their Dao marks.]
Fang Zheng nodded inwardly. He walked with the other youths for several hundred steps while Nexus continued scanning the Gu materials and collecting Dao Marks along the way.
Unfortunately, according to Nexus, the Dao Marks in the atmosphere were so wild and rigid that it was not a reliable way to collect them, at least not with Nexus' current power. The Dao Marks stolen from the various special rocks were an added bonus, slightly increasing efficiency.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone