Another Life as a Youth

'Bang!'

A piercing screech of brakes tore through the night.

Qin Sang hesitated. It wasn't that he lacked the courage for a desperate fight, but he had a family – parents, siblings…

The searing pain from his body snapped him back to reality. There was only pain, his limbs unresponsive. His body felt contorted, squeezed into a cramped corner, the fang-like metal frame looking monstrous.

The car spun violently, streetlights blurring into a kaleidoscope. A red line appeared before him, and the dim yellow Jade Buddha hanging at its end traced a short arc before smashing into his nose.

Light and shadow danced as fountain-like blood gushed, engulfing the Jade Buddha. It must have been a severed artery in his neck.

"Car crash!"

Qin Sang was filled with regret. The other party had made the first move; he shouldn't have hesitated!

Death. Everything – his efforts, his affections – had lost its meaning, shattering like Kyōka Suigetsu.

The only thing he could think of was where he was going…

Definitely hell.

"I want to live."

Qin Sang's eyes widened.

The inertia from the crash hadn't finished its work; the car was still spinning. The Jade Buddha before him swayed, as if swaying into his very soul.

A dark vortex swallowed him.

'Boom!'

The scorching sun blazed like fire.

The stone mountains were steep and rugged, sparsely dotted with greenery. Distant, sporadic bird calls only amplified the oppressive heat.

A convoy of prison carts moved slowly along a winding mountain path. Flanking the convoy, several fierce-looking Burly Men rode horses, cracking whips to urge the animals forward and shouting curses.

These horsemen didn't dress like lawmen; their demeanor was more akin to bandits or mountain bandits.

The cages on the carts were crude, clearly newly made, with fresh white wood showing.

Each cage was packed with prisoners.

Qin Sang, his limbs bound, was curled up in the corner of a prison cage, his gaze regaining some clarity.

Since regaining consciousness, he had been in a daze, with only brief moments of lucidity. It was only today that he had fully processed the memories of this body.

This body also belonged to a Qin, from a village called Wang Family Village. His parents were farmers. He had two elder brothers, making him the third child. In the village, they called him Sanwa. He hadn't reached adulthood yet and didn't have a formal name.

The Qin family was diligent, and with many hands to help, their life was reasonably comfortable. But how much wealth could be dug from the earth?

Qin Sang's parents harbored other ambitions. Not only did they send Qin Sanwa to study, but when he just turned fifteen, they took him to seek out Shopkeeper Wang, hoping to secure a livelihood.

Shopkeeper Wang was an old acquaintance of Qin Sang's father and also from Wang Family Village. In his youth, he had established a shop in a nearby small town, making him far more prosperous than the village farmers – a respectable figure.

Seeing Qin Sanwa's honest nature, Shopkeeper Wang was willing to take him on as an apprentice. Qin Sang's parents were naturally grateful and readily agreed.

This was the first time Qin Sanwa had left home since his birth. Amidst his fear, he adhered to his parents' teachings, working diligently with his hands and feet, earning Shopkeeper Wang's favor. The shopkeeper was even willing to take him along when procuring goods.

Unexpectedly, the times were chaotic. Not long after the shopkeeper and the young apprentice set out, they encountered a band of mountain bandits on the mountain road. Shopkeeper Wang was beheaded with a single blow, while Qin Sanwa was bound and thrown into a prison cart, his life temporarily spared.

Pitiably, Qin Sanwa had never experienced such a turn of events. Soon after, he died of fright, leaving this body to Qin Sang.

A cuckoo in a magpie's nest, the unfamiliar body gave Qin Sang a distinct sense of detachment and strangeness. The signs in the memories indicated a world vastly different from his previous life, but Qin Sang had no inclination to dwell on such matters.

The sun grew more intense, his body exhausted, his wounds throbbing painfully. Qin Sang gathered his strength, blinking his sore eyes. His gaze suddenly swept over the last carriage in the convoy, and he abruptly recalled a scene from three days prior when he had first regained consciousness. It was midday, yet his back felt ice-cold.

Looking around again, only a few prison carts remained.

There was no time left; he had to find a way to escape!

The convoy traveled north for over ten days. They were now far from Wang Family Village, and Qin Sanwa's memories offered no assistance. Qin Sang had no idea which territory they had reached.

At first, they had stuck to the main roads. These mountain bandits were notorious for their wickedness, having captured many people.

Once they had enough captives, they deliberately veered into the wilderness and forests, avoiding contact with others.

In the desolate wilderness, there was no one to call for help.

If he wanted to live, he had to rely on himself!

Five people were crammed into the narrow prison cart. Qin Sang's bones ached from the crowding, and he shuffled backward.

The prisoners in the cart were all strong young men, like Qin Sanwa, all innocent victims captured.

Qin Sang pushed back a few times, but no curses came, only weak groans. Despair washed over him.

Including himself, the prisoners were suffering from extreme hunger and weakness. The bandits were all powerful, mounted on horses – how could he possibly escape?

Just then, a gentle breeze blew, bringing a rare coolness. Ahead, a jade ribbon appeared – a river, neither large nor small, flowed behind the mountain. The river surface was wide and calm, shimmering in the sunlight, not rapid.

Ancient trees lined the riverbank, and waist-high yellow grass covered the entire riverbed. The wind rustled through it, creating a perfect spot for burying bodies.

"Whoa!"

The leader of this band of mountain bandits was a burly man with a braided beard. As the convoy reached the riverbank, the leader reined in his horse and headed towards the last carriage.

Unlike the other prisoner carts, this one was covered with a black cloth. No one could see who was inside, and no one from inside had ever come out.

Before reaching the carriage, the leader dismounted, his hostile expression vanishing. He walked nimbly to the side of the carriage, knelt on both knees, and said respectfully, "Reporting to the immortal master, this is the Chenshui River. The Chenshui River connects to the Wuling River, and this area is already within the Great Sui Kingdom."

Silence emanated from the carriage, with no response. The leader remained prostrate on the ground, not daring to rise.

After a moment, a hoarse, unpleasant voice emerged, "Build a raft to cross the river and continue north."

The burly man with the braided beard quickly acknowledged the order. Just as he was about to get up, a violent coughing fit erupted from within the carriage. "Quick... quickly send two Blood Food in... cough cough..."

Qin Sang was startled, and then all the prisoners became agitated.

Whenever the immortal master demanded Blood Food, two prisoners would be sent into the black-cloth carriage. An hour later, two corpses would be brought out.

Three days prior, Qin Sang had accidentally seen the condition of the corpses. A living person went in, and what came out was a desiccated corpse, their flesh and blood completely drained, leaving only skin clinging to the skeleton.

The sight of those sunken, empty eye sockets was still vivid, as if they were recounting endless terror to him, shattering Qin Sang's worldview.

If his senses weren't so sharp, Qin Sang would have believed he had arrived in the eighteenth level of hell, though he couldn't recall any punishment there that involved draining one's flesh and blood.

"Come out!"

The leader ordered his subordinates to chop down trees and build a raft. He personally pulled two people from a nearby cart.

Qin Sang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but the despair in his heart didn't diminish at all. If he couldn't escape, he would only live a few days longer than these two. What was there to be thankful for?

Qin Sang's eyes were fixed on the mountain bandits building the raft. These bandits were incredibly efficient; in the blink of an eye, a wooden raft was almost completed. Qin Sang could only pray they cut corners and the raft would capsize and break apart in the river.

Compared to being drained dry, he would rather drown in the river. In this life, he would consider it as having had a dream before dying.

The leader strode quickly towards the carriage, the two unfortunate souls being dragged by him. They cried out with their last bit of strength, while the mountain bandits by the river laughed incessantly.

The sound of water, wind, swords, footsteps, screams, groans, sinister laughter...

All sorts of sounds flooded his ears, and the entire world suddenly became chaotic. Qin Sang felt an unbearable irritation, a dizzying sensation as if the world was spinning, and he was about to faint. Suddenly, a thunderous shout reached him.

"Demon Lord! Let's see where you run this time!"

Qin Sang's head snapped up. He saw a dazzling white light flash on the mountaintop, piercing through the air, more brilliant than the sun.

The white light pulsed, as if it were a sword!