Starving to Death, Bandits Arrive Again

(Dear adoptive fathers, please temporarily store your brains!)

~~~~Not for minors. Adults may watch at their discretion. University students, feel free!

Alright, I invite all adoptive fathers to get on board... Some sections of the road are quite fast, so please hold onto others... or yourselves... Keep your hands and heads inside the vehicle at all times.

Ning Family Village, Bleak and dilapidated, with broken walls and ruins everywhere.

Not even crows are willing to nest here!

An old tree at the village entrance, and a thatched hut beneath it.

Inside the hut, on a tattered bed with a straw mat full of a hundred and eighty holes, lay a pale-faced youth!

"Caw... caw... caw..."

The harsh cawing of crows woke the youth in the hut.

"I'm starving!"

"So hungry!"

Ning Chuan woke up in extreme hunger, feeling his chest pressed against his back, waves of dizziness assaulting his brain.

He wanted to shout, but his mouth felt like two pieces of dry firewood, his throat about to smoke.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make a sound, only retching dryly.

"Why am I so hungry? I remember eating a big bowl of luosifen last night!"

In his mind, waves of familiar yet strange memories surged like a tide, throwing his heart into disarray.

Who am I?

"Ning Chuan? A Huaxia person, unemployed, dumped by my wife, delivering food, a car accident?

Could it be... I'm in the hospital?"

"Ning Chuan? Ning Family Village, no parents, raised on the food of a hundred families?"

The Great Ming Dynasty? Bandits, officials, martial arts, did I transmigrate...

Strange, why do I have no memory of my parents in this world!

Could it be that Ning Chuan in this world just appeared out of thin air?

Ning Chuan's consciousness gradually cleared, and he slowly opened his eyes.

There were several holes in the roof, and the light refracting through them was somewhat blinding.

Cobwebs filled with bags of dust hung from the roof beams, swaying in the wind as if they would fall at any moment.

"Find something to eat! If I don't eat soon, I'll starve to death!"

He tried to get up, but his brain issued commands several times, yet his limbs refused to obey.

Another wave of memories flooded his mind.

This year was a great famine. The bandits of Three Tiger Mountain had looted Ning Family Village's last provisions.

The bark and roots of nearby trees had been eaten. Villagers had either fled or gone to live with relatives.

Ning Chuan was frail and sickly, with no relatives or friends outside. After eating the last handful of coarse bran, he had lain on his bed, despairing and waiting to die.

Within three days, he would have breathed his last.

The Ning Chuan of this world had just starved to death when the Ning Chuan from Earth took over his body.

"Wait, am I this unlucky!"

"This body hasn't had a drop of water or a grain of rice in three days, and it just starved to death once?"

"If I transmigrate into this body now, won't I kick the bucket immediately?"

Ning Chuan's heart pounded, cold sweat breaking out on his back. He quickly searched for information about food.

Grain? Bark? Roots? Water?

None to be found in Ning Family Village!

Rats, insects, earthworms, fish, shrimp?

Extinct in Ning Family Village too!

"Since I transmigrated, shouldn't I have a cheat?

Cheat, where are you? Come out quickly, I'm dying!"

Ning Chuan's silent plea was answered by the howling northwest wind outside.

Rumble...

"What's that sound?"

"Is that the sound of horses' hooves? And people talking?"

"Huh, and some of those voices sound familiar!"

"It's bandits from Three Tiger Mountain, why are these sons of bitches here again?"

Could it be?

Ning Chuan remembered his uncle always saying that bandits, when short on food, would also capture people to eat!

"Eating people!"

Ning Chuan was horrified. He heard the sound of horses' hooves approaching and stopping outside the house.

"Third Boss, this is the last household in Ning Family Village."

A voice, old and sinister, sounded from outside the door.

Hearing this voice, an image of a sinister-looking old man immediately appeared in Ning Chuan's mind.

"Village Chief, Ning the Flayer!"

"Why is he mixed up with bandits? Is he in cahoots with them?"

As expected, the subsequent conversation completely confirmed Ning Chuan's suspicions.

"Haha... Village Chief Ning, a pleasure working with you. Congratulations on your promotion to Deputy Captain of the Town Defense Battalion. We'll have to stay close in the future, won't we?"

This was the voice of the Third Boss of Three Tiger Mountain. The last time, this son of a bitch led the team that plundered Ning Family Village clean.

Could it be that the Defense Battalion is also colluding with bandits? What kind of world is this!

"Haha, it's nothing, it's nothing. Please take care of me, Third Boss!"

After exchanging pleasantries, Ning the Flayer took his leave.

"Tear down all the houses, search thoroughly, and take everything valuable. Don't miss a single cent!"

The Third Boss's low voice was like the whisper of a demon.

Ning Chuan heard this.

His legs, which he had struggled with for a long time without any reaction, now trembled shamelessly on their own!

"Damn it, I just transmigrated and I'm about to die!

Where's the system? Where's my golden finger? Come out!"

"Yes!"

The bandits answered in unison, taking out ropes with iron hooks and throwing them at the mud hut where Ning Chuan lived. Some hooked the roof beams, others hooked the eaves.

"Heave!"

The bandits shouted together.

With a loud rumbling sound, the mud hut collapsed.

Ning Chuan was greatly alarmed. His paralysis, an old ailment, was instantly cured. He mustered his last bit of strength and struggled to shrink into his bedding.

"Patriarch Sanqing, Amitabha, please protect me!"

He was terrified and helpless!

The sound of rustling continued, and sand and gravel mixed with thatch fell from the roof, pressing down on Ning Chuan's straw mat, making it difficult for him to breathe.

Fortunately, it was a thatched house, and the beams were just a few rotten logs. They had long since decayed and crumbled into dust when they fell, so they didn't injure Ning Chuan.

As soon as the house collapsed, the bandits retracted their ropes and rushed into the ruins to search everywhere.

"Third Boss, there's a corpse here. Huh? It seems to be alive!"

A bald bandit discovered Ning Chuan and thrust his large saber towards the bed.

Ning Chuan's eyes rolled back in pain, but his throat was dry. He managed to let out a few weak groans, nearly passing out.

Fortunately, the straw mat, though worn, was quite thick. Otherwise, his body would have been pierced with several holes.

Faintly, a "ding" sound seemed to echo in his mind.

"Ding, due to your past and present lives being too miserable, you meet the conditions for a comeback. Awakening system in progress!"

"Ding, scanning the universe where the host is located, matching the strongest system for the host!"

"Ding, you have awakened the Supreme Body Cultivation System!

The universe may perish, heaven and earth may decay, but only body cultivation is invincible, eternal, and immortal!

Listening to the ding-ding-ding sounds, Ning Chuan was numb.

This damn system, claiming to be invincible, what a load of crap!

I'm about to die, what's the use of all this!

I don't know if it's too late!

Whatever, even if I die, I'll try to kick my legs a few more times!"

In a flash, Ning Chuan was dragged in front of the Third Boss by the bald bandit.

The bald bandit raised his large saber and was about to stab Ning Chuan again.

Ning Chuan's heart pounded, his mouth agape, unable to utter a sound. He quickly shifted his body to dodge, his eyes glaring at the bandits.

If looks could kill, the bald bandit would have been riddled with holes!

"Stop, don't stab him to death!"

At the critical moment, the Third Boss frowned and stopped him.

Hearing the Third Boss's words, Ning Chuan's heart instantly relaxed, his back already drenched in cold sweat.

"Phew, thank goodness, I almost died!" Ning Chuan thought, relieved.

The Third Boss walked over, pinched Ning Chuan a few times, and said, "Not bad, not bad, still a tender young calf. It wouldn't be fresh if stabbed to death. Feed him some water first to keep him alive.

When we get back to the stronghold, I'll invite the First Boss over for a fresh-cut hot pot!"

The Third Boss looked at Ning Chuan as if he were a delicious meal, a gentle smile on his face.

Eating live monkey brains, live sashimi!

Ning Chuan's mind trembled, and a series of unpleasant images flashed through his mind.

Damn it!

This son of a bitch is even more ruthless!

He actually wants to eat me, and make fresh hot pot!

"Yes!"

The bald bandit helped Ning Chuan up, gave him some water, and stuffed a few bites of dry rations into his mouth.

The bandits beside them also crowded around. One of them reached out and felt Ning Chuan's arm and squeezed his thigh.

"These little arms and legs are tender, alright, but there's not much meat on them. We should raise him to be fatter before eating!"

"It's been months since I've had meat, my mouth is so bland it's about to fall out!"

"Oh, stir-fried lean meat, bone soup, braised limbs, and cold-dressed skin..."

They were actually discussing how to eat Ning Chuan, which made Ning Chuan's scalp tingle.

"Gulp... gulp..."

The bandits looked at Ning Chuan, their eyes glowing green, swallowing saliva.

Ning Chuan drank a little water and ate some dry rations, slowly regaining his strength.

He wouldn't die for now. Next, he needed to study the system and find a way to survive.

Host: Ning Chuan
Realm: Weakling (An adult could slap you to death!)
Age: 16/16 (Warning, host's lifespan is insufficient, about to kick the bucket!)
Physique: 0.3/1 (Warning, host is extremely weak, about to kick the bucket!)
Cultivation Method: None
Attribute Points: 0
Remaining Sign-in Times: 1

"What the hell, 'Current location cannot sign in!'"

As he opened the system, a series of red warnings made Ning Chuan's heart pound again.

A clear understanding also arose in his mind. The system panel was very clear and easy to understand.

"'Age 16/16' means he is 16 years old this year, and his lifespan is also only 16 years, so he could die at any moment!"

"'Physique 0.3/1' means 0.3 is his current physique, and 1 represents the physique of a normal adult!"

Remaining Sign-in Times: 1.

He could sign in once daily.

His chance of survival was here!

If he could find a place to sign in, perhaps he could turn the tables!

Ning Chuan's heart gradually calmed down, and his eyes began to gleam.

Just as Ning Chuan was studying the system, the bandits returned with their reports.

"Reporting to the Third Boss, we dug three feet deep but found nothing valuable!"

The Third Boss's face darkened. "This poor Ning Family Village is truly unlucky. Let's go back to the stronghold!" With that, he mounted his horse first.

"Giddy up!" Dozens of bandits on horseback kicked up a cloud of dust.

One of them grabbed Ning Chuan and laid him across the horse's back.