Chapter 2

After looking at all these memories, what came next was a feeling of nausea from his stomach, and then, here he was, emptying his whole stomach.

Looking at himself—now Xiao Yao—in the river water, he opened his mouth to complain more but finally closed it and sighed.

"Hahh...., let it be. At least I got a second life to live," he murmured.

Next, with a gurgling sound, Xiao Yao felt his stomach protesting. Rubbing it, he calmed down a little.

"Well, now the important thing is to find some food for myself."

With that said, he looked around, and what came into his view were tall trees with dark green leaves and a little sunlight pouring in between them.

He went toward one of the shorter trees and jumped up a little, using his weight to break off a pointy-looking branch.

Removing the leaves, what was left was a somewhat strong yet pointy branch.

"Hmm, hmm, now—"

He muttered as he took out a small dagger from under his clothes.

Yes, a dagger was what the original body had brought along with some money for protecting himself.

Using the knife, he made the pointed side even sharper.

Phew

Xiao Yao wiped some sweat off his forehead with his hand.

Putting the spear-like branch on his shoulder, he then went toward the river, which was somewhat up to his waist level.

Rolling up his cuffs and inner trousers, he bravely stepped in to catch some food.

In his previous life, he had watched many wildlife shows where people caught fish using sharp-pointed branches.

Although he had never done it himself, it couldn't be that he wouldn't be able to catch a single fish, right?

Seeing many fish swimming in the river, he set his sights on one and, with extraordinary accuracy, thrust the sharpened tip of his branch toward it, intending to impale it.

Swish

With a splash, water rippled as the pointed branch seemed to have impaled something.

Excited, he looked at his masterful catch—only to find that the branch had pierced into loose sand, some distance away from the fish, which was rolling its eyes as if disgusted.

With a few veins twitching on his forehead, he once again raised the branch and tried to impale the fish, only for it to effortlessly swim aside. Its dead fish eyes seemed to hold even more contempt.

After several more attempts, Xiao Yao was left huffing, his empty stomach making the exertion even worse.

"Tch, I'll be magnanimous today and let you live on the occasion of me getting a second life. Go away," he waved his hand as if granting amnesty.

The fish, even more confused by this human's nonsense, didn't bother reacting. Instead, it exhaled some bubbles and, with a casual slap of its tail, sent a huge wave crashing as it swam away.

Seeing the massive splash, which nearly knocked him over, Xiao Yao's jaw dropped.

'F*ck, was that some kind of monster?'

Just as he was contemplating, his gaze fell on another fat-looking fish lazily drifting along with the river, its fins and tail completely still.

As if spotting a golden opportunity, Xiao Yao's eyes gleamed as he locked onto his new target.

Xiao Yao seemed to have completely forgotten about the monster fish he had just encountered.

"Is this thing considered disabled among fishes?" he muttered, poking the fat fish with his branch as it drifted along with the water.

Different from Xiao Yao's easygoing attitude, the fat fish's mind was in utter turmoil.

It was a well-known water monster in the surrounding villages. Although only at the Qi Refining 3rd stage, it was still a terrifying existence for the mortals living nearby.

For the past two years, it had built a fearsome reputation, having devoured more than a hundred people.

Just earlier, while wandering its territory, it had been drawn in by a refreshing scent from the water. Following the source, it discovered a small plant glowing with a dreamy blue light, a single fruit hanging from it.

However, the moment it arrived, it realized it wasn't the only one attracted by the fruit. Other monsters—some familiar, some not—had already gathered.

A fierce battle broke out. Against all odds, it managed to defeat the others and claim the extraordinary fruit.

Exhausted and injured, it found a small hiding spot and swallowed the fruit, hoping to absorb its power.

But what it hadn't expected was that—whether due to its injuries or the fruit itself—its body suddenly shrunk to the size of an ordinary fish. Worse, it couldn't move.

Even so, as warmth spread through its body, it could feel the fruit working. If it fully digested it, it might just break through to an even higher realm.

Yet before that could happen, a sudden wave had swept it away, sending it tumbling onto the river's surface.

Now, as it helplessly floated along, the sight that greeted it was the most absurd of all—a human, one of its usual snacks, standing over it, casually poking its body with a stick and muttering nonsense.

Realizing it was like a pig in a butcher shop, the fish decided to act cute—hoping to make the human's heart soften. After all, it had seen many children do the same with adults before it devoured them.

It rolled its eyes in what it thought was an adorable way, convinced that this display would melt the human's heart.

As for shame? That didn't matter. The moment it fully digested the fruit, the first thing it would do was swallow this human whole—enjoying his wails and desperate begging as a side dish.

Thinking about it, a cruel glint flashed in its fish eyes.

However, when it looked up at the human, expecting hesitation or sympathy, what it saw instead was... veins throbbing on his forehead.

Xiao Yao's face was as stiff as a rock, his expression eerily dark.

Then, with a creepy smile, he muttered, "So even a disabled fish like you dares to look down on me, huh?"

The fat fish was stunned, completely baffled by the human's words. Just as confusion clouded its mind, a spear-like branch shot toward it—impaling its body with a sickening force.

Pain.

A sharp, searing pain coursed through its body, almost making it collapse. Ever since it became a monster, its senses had sharpened far beyond that of an ordinary fish. But now, this pain... this agony... was unbearable.

Its gaze snapped toward the human, all previous thoughts vanishing.

Only one thing remained in its mind.

Kill. Kill him. Swallow him. Crush him. Mince him.

It desperately tried to activate the Qi inside its body, hoping to unleash even a single attack. Just one strike—one chance—to obliterate the human standing before it.

But the moment it did, its body convulsed.

Instead of surging with power, its Qi clashed violently with the mysterious fruit inside it. The fruit, sensing its grievous injuries, had been silently working to mend its wounds—slowly restoring its strength and stabilizing its body. However, the sudden activation of Qi disrupted this delicate process, throwing its energies into chaotic turmoil. The healing force of the fruit violently collided with the fish's own unstable Qi, sending a devastating backlash through its body.

Its cultivation plummeted.

From a Qi Refining Stage 3 monster... to a mere mortal fish.

'I-I... I am... not... w-willing...'

That was its final thought as the human hauled its struggling body out of the water.