Southern Heavenly Origin Region.
Chen Kingdom, under the rule of the Corpse Sha Sect, Sishui Town.
Dark clouds churned, and goose-feather snow drifted down.
The Pei Estate blazed with light. Indulgent music rang out without pause, while the aroma of wine and meat drew crowds of beggars outside.
"This wretched world won't let anyone live!"
Fang Huai shivered from the cold. Frost crusted his dry, brittle hair, yet his chest burned as if on fire, making it hard to breathe.
Snowflakes shook from his cracked hands and ragged clothes. He bit the tip of his tongue, forcing himself to stay conscious.
He couldn't pass out. If he did, he would never wake up.
This world wouldn't let him live, but he was determined to survive!
"Creak—"
The Pei Estate's gate opened a crack. A servant dumped steaming slop onto the snow, and the beggars threw themselves at it, fighting desperately for the scraps.
"Just look at this pack of vermin!"
The servant doubled over with laughter. "How are they any different from pigs in a pen? Give them a bit of slop and they go mad!"
The stench of liquor mixed with the rank odor of mutton and some unknown medicinal tonic, making it almost unbearable. To the beggars, however, it was a feast fit for kings.
Fang Huai's left leg was lame, yet he moved even faster than the other able-bodied beggars. But just as he neared the food, someone tripped him.
By the time he managed to get back up, everything edible had been snatched away. The beggars had even licked the paving stones until they shone with grease.
It was a year of famine. The crops had yielded nothing, and the poor had been driven to selling their children to eat. As for the beggars on the streets, their lot was even worse.
The twelfth lunar month was not even halfway over, yet dozens had already starved to death.
But the Pei family was different. As the true power in Sishui Town, even the slop they poured out was better than the meals of ordinary folk.
"Get lost, all of you! You filthy beggars—who gave you the nerve to touch the Pei family's things?"
Fang Huai looked up and saw a richly dressed young man emerge from the estate, surrounded by Pei family servants. It was the Pei family's second young master, Pei Hu.
At his shout, the beggars fled in a panic. Fang Huai hurried to get out of the way too.
Memories surged into his mind. Pei Hu was cruel by nature and took pleasure in tormenting people. More than a dozen of his concubines had died at his hands, not to mention the beggars he had tortured to death.
The original owner of this body had also had his leg broken by Pei Hu, then frozen to death in the bitter night.
Fang Huai was weak now. He couldn't afford to provoke this walking plague.
But the more you feared something, the more likely it was to happen. When the Pei family servants saw that the other beggars were quick on their feet, they set their sights on the cripple. They hauled him before Pei Hu.
Pei Hu looked down at him, his voice dripping with mockery. "Call me Master Pei, kowtow three times, and I'll reward you with a full meal. Otherwise, I'll break your other leg!"
In this freezing weather, if both his legs were broken, he would have no chance of survival.
He would endure this humiliation for now. One day, he would make Pei Hu pay a hundredfold!
Fang Huai held back his fury, but before he could speak, Pei Hu's wooden club swung toward his face.
"You filthy beggar, you actually believed me? Let me spell it out for you, Master Pei's going to beat you, you fool, to death today!"
You son of a—
Fang Huai's head rang, his vision blurred, and a white screen of light appeared before his eyes:
[ FANG HUAI ]
[ Mortal Body ]
[ Ravenous Hunger (Gray) ][ Imminent Death ]
[ Remaining Points: 1 ]
[ Points can be used to exchange or refresh tags. 1 point is added each day. ]
Was this an illusion?
Or could it be...
He focused his mind on the tags, and annotations appeared alongside them:
[ Ravenous Hunger: Hunger and cold in the physiological sense ]
[ Imminent Death: Today, tomorrow, or the day after... you will certainly die ]
He looked at Pei Hu. The ferocious man bore tags of his own:
[ Stuffed to the Gills (Gray) ][ Physically Flabby (Gray) ]
[ Stuffed to the Gills: Being full and warm in the physiological sense ]
[ Physically Flabby: A common affliction of rich young masters ]
A flash of inspiration struck. Fang Huai focused his thoughts on his [Ravenous Hunger] and Pei Hu's [Stuffed to the Gills].
Could he really exchange tags with Pei Hu?
As the thought turned over in his mind, the light screen blurred for a moment, then sharpened again. Fang Huai's tag changed from [Ravenous Hunger] to [Stuffed to the Gills].
Pei Hu's tag changed from [Stuffed to the Gills] to [Ravenous Hunger].
[ Tag duration remaining: six hours ]
A long-missed feeling of fullness spread through Fang Huai's belly, and warmth enveloped his body.
Fang Huai was overjoyed. He had actually exchanged the tags! And he could clearly sense that if he focused his mind again, he could return the tag he had taken.
Pei Hu suddenly shuddered. His stomach growled, and he snapped irritably, "What rotten luck. Why did it suddenly get so cold? And why am I so hungry?"
He had lost all interest in having fun, so he stopped paying Fang Huai any attention and hurried back into the estate with his servants.
Fang Huai stood rooted to the spot. He was still wearing rags, and there wasn't a grain of rice in his stomach, yet the feeling of fullness and warmth was real. His body also felt somewhat better.
He limped back to the dilapidated temple where the beggars gathered. As soon as he stepped inside, jeers rang out around him.
"Huai, why'd you get back so late? Did someone break your leg again?"
"Hey, don't tease him. If you want to get food, you've got to look miserable. Fang Huai's in such a sorry state, it's like Heaven's serving him a meal!"
"Hahahaha, if you want to look that wretched, I can help you!"
"..."
Fang Huai couldn't be bothered to answer. He lay down comfortably on a straw mat and covered himself with a thick layer of straw.
"Buuurp!"
A thunderous belch rang out, and the surroundings fell silent. The beggars all turned to stare at him.
"Did you actually manage to get your hands on something good?" The old beggar who had mocked Fang Huai crawled on top of him and pried his mouth open, leaning in close.
"You didn't even get a rat hair or a chicken feather, so why pretend? You won't die from hunger!"
The mockery surged around him. The beggars were relieved; if Fang Huai had really eaten his fill, they would be too miserable to sleep.
The old beggar's mouth was full of black teeth. His sour breath nearly made Fang Huai choke.
Fang Huai hurriedly pushed him away. "Brother, I've still got a while before I starve to death. But if you don't get up, your stinking teeth are going to kill me first!"
Before he could finish, the old beggar forced something into his mouth and whispered in his ear, "Don't say a word. I've got a little saved up. It's gone a bit sour, but it'll keep you alive."
Then he deliberately burst out laughing. "My breath stinks because I eat so much. Don't be jealous, hahaha!"
Fang Huai chewed. It was half a moldy steamed bun.
It was delicious...
He checked the old beggar's information. His tag read [Not Enough to Eat (Gray)].
"Thank you!"
Fang Huai meant it. He hadn't expected even this cold world to have moments that warmed the heart.
The Pei Estate.
Pei Hu reclined on a cushioned couch, with four pretty women, naked as the day they were born, pressed close beside him.
They huddled against his body, trying their hardest to warm him, but not only did they fail to warm Pei Hu, they began to shiver with cold themselves.
"Get me another batch! These women are as cold as corpses!"
With the [Ravenous Hunger] tag, Pei Hu shivered all over. His stomach was full of food, yet still cramped with hunger.
He had been pampered and spoiled since childhood. He had never suffered like this.
"Get out! All of you, get out!"
Pei Hu's eyes were bloodshot. The new women were just as cold as blocks of ice!
He got out of bed and rushed naked toward the table piled with food. Since he couldn't fix the cold, he would deal with the hunger first.
He crammed the table's delicacies into his mouth. He didn't care whether the food suited his taste; he just kept shoveling it down.
"Young Master, you can't eat any more..." The steward tried to stop Pei Hu, but met a savage glare like that of an evil spirit.
The steward was certain that if he said another word, Pei Hu would tear him apart and swallow him whole.
Pei Hu had long since eaten his fill, but he still showed no sign of slowing down.
Hungry! So hungry!
He had been eating for ages, but it felt like he had only eaten half a steamed bun. The hunger wouldn't ease at all!
Why couldn't he fill his stomach?
Suddenly, he clutched his swollen, balloon-like belly and fell to the floor, howling. "It hurts! Help... somebody, help me!"
Food mixed with blood surged up his throat. Pei Hu writhed across the floor in agony, then soon fell silent.
The steward approached, trembling, then collapsed to the ground. "Young Master?"
Blood poured from all seven orifices. Pei Hu had literally stuffed himself to death.
Meanwhile, Fang Huai wasn't faring much better in the dilapidated temple. He had been sleeping comfortably, but the feeling of fullness and scorching heat suddenly jolted him awake.
Though he hadn't done anything, the [Stuffed to the Gills] tag he had exchanged had turned into [Stuffed to the Gills].
"What the hell is Pei Hu doing? Even if the food's good, he doesn't have to eat himself to death, does he?"
He was so stuffed it hurt, but he couldn't bear to exchange the tag back. All he could do was pace around, hoping to walk it off.
Suddenly, he shuddered all over. Hunger and cold returned. He looked at the tag on his body:
[ Ravenous Hunger ]?
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