"Hiss!"
It hurts—oh, it hurts so much.
Lin Feng was jolted awake by a searing pain.
"What's going on?" he wondered.
Could it be that he had fallen ill from working overtime all night yesterday?
No—it felt as though he'd been beaten up.
Opening his eyes and scanning his surroundings, Lin Feng was dumbfounded. Overhead, several thick, round wooden beams supported hand-width planks that formed a crude roof. Beside him, dilapidated, mottled adobe walls loomed. A wooden door in the wall was secured with iron chains, and on the two windows, several wooden bars as thick as arms were fixed in place—each covering an area of half a meter square. Cold moonlight streamed in through one window, illuminating swirling dust in its beam.
How could this possibly be an ancient woodshed?
Could I have transmigrated?
At that moment, a torrent of memories flooded his mind, and he swiftly grasped his current predicament. It turned out that he had indeed transmigrated—into the body of Lin Feng, a hunter from Xiahe Village, Qinghe County, Longyuan Prefecture. In truth, Lin Feng had not simply transmigrated; he had been reborn into an already established life. This world resembled an ancient martial arts realm, one dominated by powerful sects, where chaos reigned, bandits were rampant, and the lives of ordinary people like the original owner were fraught with hardship.
The original owner—also named Lin Feng—was a few years younger and just as handsome. However, his character was indescribable. Not only had he failed to inherit his father's hunting skills, but he also spent his days eating, drinking, and idling away time. His parents had sold a few acres of land and borrowed silver to arrange his marriage to a beautiful, capable wife, who miraculously bore him five quintuplets—four boys and one girl. As a result, the original owner blamed his wife and children for lowering his living standards. He frequently beat and scolded them, and they despised him so much that they refused to call him "Dad," instead referring to him as a stinky drunkard.
...
Lin Feng's head throbbed. In his previous life, he had worked overtime incessantly, earning barely enough to support himself—so much so that he had resolved never to marry or have children. He did have a girlfriend, and he had even pictured her in a wedding dress. It was a bitter irony that he couldn't afford a house or even a modest bride price. Now, after transmigrating, he found himself saddled with five five-year-old dolls.
Since he was here, he might as well make the best of it. First, he needed to assess his situation. This morning, the original owner's alcoholism had flared up; he had intended to pawn the ancestral hunting bow in the county town for silver to buy wine and meat to satiate his cravings. His mother had opposed his plan and argued with him over the hunting bow. In a fit of rage, the scumbag original owner dragged his mother to the ground—resulting in her head injury—and without even glancing at his injured, fallen mother, he rushed off toward the county town. Just as he was about to enter, three robbers suddenly emerged from the roadside and, without a word, beat him with sticks. They then abducted him and imprisoned him in this woodshed. Unable to withstand the beating, the original owner soon died—ironically, while working overtime—and I had transmigrated to take his place.
What had happened was strange. If he had been robbed, the culprits should have taken his belongings and fled; there was no need for such a brutal beating or for imprisoning him. Could it be that kidney harvesting also existed in this world? I recalled the practice, but since the original owner had no memory of it, it likely wasn't the case. Who on earth would want to harm me?
Not dwelling on the details, I knew I had to plan my escape. I turned over, feeling utterly incapable of standing. With my hands as my only support, I began to crawl toward the woodshed's door. Every movement tugged painfully at my wounds, yet I gritted my teeth and endured in silence. By the time I reached the door, my forehead was slick with cold sweat. After a brief rest, I grasped the two round wooden bars—thick as arms—on the door and pulled them forcefully apart. Despite my efforts, the bars did not budge, and I, exhausted and drenched in sweat, realized that my body was too weak and my injuries too severe; any further struggle might cost me my life.
God had finally granted me a chance to transmigrate and be reborn—I could not afford to wait for someone to show mercy and release me. I couldn't rely on luck; I had to act.
While I was mulling over my predicament, a semi-transparent attribute panel materialized before me—visible only to me:
Name: Lin Feng
Life: 4
Martial Skill:
Hunting Bow Six Shots (Unranked) (Not Started)
Hunting Beast Fist (Unranked) (Not Started)
Breakthrough Point: 1
With its appearance, the system provided further details. I would receive one breakthrough point every day, which I could use either to advance in martial arts or to bolster my Qi and blood. Each breakthrough point could increase my life by one point. Advancing in a martial arts realm required one or several breakthrough points—the exact number depending on the art's level. Martial arts in this world were classified as unranked, lower class, middle class, upper class, unique skills, and so on. Both my Hunting Bow Six Shots and Hunting Beast Fist were unranked—a farming style honed over generations by the Lin family's hunters. Although my father had once taught me, I had never practiced diligently. With this system that allowed direct breakthroughs, I could accumulate in moments the strength that others might labor for years. It was nearly impossible not to stand out.
Staring at the attribute panel, I was torn. Where should I allocate this single breakthrough point? Allocating it to life would only raise my life to 5—even though an adult male's life typically ranged between 8 and 10. One extra point in life would do little more than alleviate my injuries. In my perilous state, I had to use the breakthrough point judiciously. After some thought, I decided to invest it in the Hunting Beast Fist—hoping that enhanced martial power would enable me to resist, and that further breakthroughs might even increase my life. My decision made, the breakthrough point vanished.
A burst of dizziness overwhelmed me, and memories of practicing the Hunting Beast Fist flooded my mind. I recalled training relentlessly through cold winters and scorching summers—punching sandbags, breaking through iron-like resistance with my palms, kicking wooden stakes, and even venturing into the mountains to observe wild animals. Day after day, from dawn till dusk, I had trained without respite. After three years of arduous effort, I finally mastered the entry level of the Hunting Beast Fist.
Once unlocked, the Hunting Beast Fist transformed my body. Eight pack abs emerged on my formerly flat lower abdomen, and muscles bulged across my chest, back, arms, and legs. The dizziness lasted only a few breaths, replaced swiftly by an overwhelming hunger—a hunger that penetrated deep into my bones, far surpassing ordinary hypoglycemia. I felt certain that if I didn't eat soon, I would be consumed by it.
Under the moonlight, I surveyed the woodshed and noticed many weeds growing at the wall's base. Crawling over, I uprooted a handful of weeds and hastily stuffed them into my mouth. Still hungry, I scavenged around the firewood pile for edible straw. After a while, the hunger subsided to a tolerable level, and I managed to check the attribute panel again:
Name: Lin Feng
Life: 6
Martial Skill:
Hunting Bow Six Shots (Unranked) (Not Started)
Hunting Beast Fist (Unranked) (Entry)
Breakthrough Point: 0
Sure enough, unlocking the Hunting Beast Fist had increased my life by two points—a bonus compensating for my previous malnourishment and physical deficiencies. Had I been in perfect condition, my life might have reached eight—or even ten if I were injury-free. Fortunately, investing the breakthrough point in martial arts had proven advantageous. My life improved, my body grew stronger, and my injuries became far less severe.
Struggling to stand and move, I noted that the injured areas still throbbed, though they no longer hindered my actions. Peering through the window into the adjacent, lighted room, I made out three figures seated and conversing quietly. With the newfound power of the Hunting Beast Fist and my improved vitality, my senses had sharpened considerably. Leaning closer, I listened intently as faint voices reached my ears.
"Brother, why did you bring this kid back? Why didn't you kill him directly according to the employer's instructions?"
Hearing these words, my heart tightened.