Blood Moon

Qian Yun stumbled, nearly losing his footing. The sudden influx of information brought a massive amount of data, causing his brain to crash on the spot.

After a long while, he hurried to catch up with the village chief and his group, who were already walking away. As he ran, he pondered, This is Douluo Continent?! Then that thing from earlier must have been a Spirit Beast. No wonder it looked like nothing I've ever seen before.

"Wait..." Qian Yun braced his hands against his knees, gasping for air, before a sudden realization hit him. His eyes locked onto the back of the village chief, who was chatting with A-Qiang. If that thing was a Spirit Beast, then the only ones capable of hunting it would be...

"Spirit Masters." Qian Yun softly breathed out the word, which represented a noble status on Douluo Continent.

In the blink of an eye, the group finally arrived at their destination: the village chief's house.

Should one say it was worthy of a village chief? Unlike the houses of ordinary villagers, which were built of thatch and stone, the building before him was clearly a wooden courtyard style. In the center of the yard grew a fruit tree, with a pretty swing hanging from its branches, seemingly crafted for a young girl. While the courtyard couldn't be called grand, it could certainly be described as exquisite.

"We're here. Xiao Yun, this is our home. You'll stay here for the time being. A-Qiang, take him to the guest room." The village chief waved his hand, arranging the first stop of Qian Yun's life in this different world.

"Yes, Master."

A-Qiang said this as he led Qian Yun into the courtyard, brought him to a room, and handed him a key: "Keep this key safe; this is the room you'll be staying in. Xiao Na's room is right next door. You're both children, so you should have a common language. I live across from you. Take a look around first. If you need anything, just call me."

"Thank you." Qian Yun gripped the key, feeling a bit touched.

A-Qiang laughed heartily: "Haha, what are you thanking me for? The village chief said that those who come from afar are guests."

At this point, he suddenly crouched down to look Qian Yun in the eye: "Although the village chief told me to look for your parents, in truth, he and I both understand that you'll likely be staying here. Right?"

"Uh, I didn't intend to keep imposing here," Qian Yun explained.

"Eh!" A-Qiang glared at him, "That's not what I meant. You can stay as long as you like. Today is a good day of harvest, and you happened to appear before us; I have to say, this is fate, just like with Xiao Na."

Qian Yun immediately grasped the key point. Did "just like with Xiao Na" mean she was a foundling just like him?

"And..." A-Qiang looked left and right, then lowered his voice: "I think Xiao Na quite likes you. If possible, I hope you two can get along well and be friends. Don't let her feisty personality fool you; she really hopes to have a friend."

Without waiting for Qian Yun to respond, he patted his shoulder, stood up, and walked away as if nothing had happened, not forgetting to add, "Don't forget to come out for dinner later."

Watching the back of this sturdy young man and recalling his earnest words, a smile tugged at the corner of Qian Yun's mouth.

He opened the door; the room was simple but clean and tidy. Stepping on the few animal skins on the floor, Qian Yun nodded—he was very satisfied with this room.

After familiarizing himself with the layout, he pulled over an animal-skin chair. Now, Qian Yun finally had time to quietly consider his future plans.

He never expected to encounter a transmigration. Just when he thought he might have crossed into some parallel world, the heavens gave him another surprise.

Qian Yun naturally knew of Douluo Continent; he was a die-hard fan of the novel. The cool spirits, flashy spirit skills, and the friendship of the Shrek Seven Devils had left a deep impression on him during his childhood.

Of course, that was in the past.

As he grew up and revisited the book, he found some of its flaws increasingly unpalatable. But there was no denying that he still loved the original work.

Although he was full of questions about his own transmigration, since it had already happened, there was no point in dwelling on it now.

Qian Yun began to search his long-sealed memories. Douluo Continent revered Spirit Masters; among the continent's inhabitants, there was no one who didn't want to become a noble Spirit Master.

This highly worshipped group possessed power beyond the imagination of ordinary people and almost monopolized all the resources on the continent. And those powerful beings among them were often elusive.

However, a newcomer like Qian Yun had just encountered one—no, he should say two!

"Hu Liena..." The face of that pretty little girl appeared in Qian Yun's mind.

Although she was currently just an ordinary, pretty little girl in the village, Qian Yun knew clearly that she harbored a powerful spirit within her! She would definitely become a Spirit Master in the future, a standout of the Martial Soul Hall Golden Generation, with the potential to reach the pinnacle of the world.

And what about him?

Thinking of this, Qian Yun pulled up his pant leg and looked at the three moles on his skin, his heart feeling complicated.

Through this mark, Qian Yun could almost be certain that this body was his original one, just shrunk down. This made him breathe a sigh of relief; after all, no one wanted to play someone else.

But a new uncertainty arose: since the body was his own, there was a high probability that there wouldn't be some powerful spirit waiting for him to inherit.

Although he had become one of the many transmigrators, Qian Yun didn't believe he was necessarily the Child of Destiny.

Furthermore, it wasn't even certain if he had a spirit at all. One had to know that on Douluo Continent, the strength of one's spirit almost entirely capped a person's potential.

The idea that hard work leads to success, or that there are no trash spirits, only trash Spirit Masters—that kind of toxic chicken soup from Yu Xiaogang could only be swallowed by Tang San, who was born with twin spirits, possessed the Blue Silver Emperor, and had a cheat-level cultivation technique!

Even so, Tang San still needed all sorts of delivered encounters to achieve immortality! So, whoever wants to drink that bowl of toxic soup can have it; Qian Yun wouldn't even look at it.

However, if he didn't become a Spirit Master, living well on this continent would be harder than climbing to the heavens. Although he used to mock the Douluo plane for being as fragile as paper in his past life, if you put Qian Yun in a pile of Spirit Beasts right now, he would undoubtedly die a miserable death.

And he didn't have Tang San's Mysterious Heaven Skill to make up for his innate deficiencies. He didn't have a system, didn't even have a piece of jewelry on him, let alone a ring that might hide an old man inside.

Troublesome!

Just as Qian Yun felt his prospects were bleak, the voice of Xiao Na calling him for dinner came from outside the door.

After answering, Qian Yun locked his door and headed straight for the kitchen.

It had to be said that the capable feeling Hu Liena had given Qian Yun earlier wasn't an illusion; she had managed to prepare a sumptuous lunch while standing on a stool at the stove.

On the long table were three wooden plates, and in the center sat a large iron platter containing the star of the day: meat from a Ghost Moth Spirit Beast. The skin was roasted to a crispy golden brown, drizzled with a sweet and savory sauce, looking incredibly appetizing.

The meal was rich, with meat, vegetables, and fruit.

As someone from another world, Qian Yun was quite looking forward to tasting the meat of a Spirit Beast for the first time.

Before the meal, the village chief sat at the head of the table. Seeing everyone had arrived, he signaled for them to sit, then took the lead in closing his eyes to pray.

Watching them, Qian Yun was completely confused, but he followed suit and closed his eyes.

Although he didn't know which god they worshipped here, since the village chief was a Spirit Master, he was almost certainly connected to the Martial Soul Hall, so they were likely praying to the Angel God.

Not long after, the prayer concluded, and it was time to begin serving the meal.

However, strangely enough, it was not the village chief or A-Qiang doing the serving, but the youngest among them, Hu Liena.

She acted as if it were only natural, skillfully using a knife and fork to carve slices of roasted meat and distribute them to everyone. It seemed the village chief truly doted on her.

Judging by the quality, although those burly men had been instructed by the village chief to give the best meat to the elderly, weak, and pregnant, they still knew better than to ignore the village chief, setting aside the prime cuts for him.

"Thank you."

"Qian Yun, hurry up and taste Xiao Na's handiwork. Let me tell you, the meat of this Spirit Beast is nothing like ordinary poultry. I guarantee it makes women look beautiful and men feel top-notch!" A-Qiang said with a laugh that every man understood.

"Tch, have some shame!" Hu Liena rolled her eyes.

"Hehe."

Qian Yun picked up his knife and fork and took a bite. His eyes lit up instantly. Whether it was because Spirit Beast meat was inherently superior to ordinary meat or because of Hu Liena's superb culinary skills, the roasted meat practically melted in his mouth. The savory flavor rushed straight to his senses, leaving a lingering fragrance on his lips and teeth that made him crave more.

"Delicious." Qian Yun gave his honest assessment.

Hu Liena smiled, looking a bit shy.

After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, A-Qiang and the village chief had consumed quite a bit of alcohol and were feeling tipsy, so they simply leaned back in their chairs and began to doze off.

Cleaning up the aftermath could only fall to Hu Liena. Seeing her movements, Qian Yun stood up of his own accord. "Let me help you."

"You?" Hu Liena was slightly stunned, her small hands pausing in place.

Qian Yun began to tidy up nonchalantly. Seeing his nimble movements, Hu Liena couldn't help but take another look at him.

While cleaning, Qian Yun caught a glimpse of the moonlight spilling into the room through the window and was momentarily dazed.

"Is today some kind of special day? Why is the moonlight so crimson?" Qian Yun stared at the moonlight and asked the question weighing on his mind.

Hu Liena, who was clearing the plates, glanced at the moonlight and froze as well. However, she immediately replied, "There's nothing special about today; the Harvest Festival is still three months away. Once you've finished cleaning up, just take the plates to the kitchen."

With that, she turned and walked out of the room.

Qian Yun shook his head and followed her out. Seeing the entire courtyard bathed in crimson moonlight, he frowned, an inexplicable tremor running through his heart. Tonight's moonlight was terrifyingly red, and he couldn't help but feel it looked a bit like... blood?