I stare at him in a daze.
Then remembered that his unconscious. I crouched beside him, heart pounding, and hesitated—he was still breathing. His chest rose and fell in slow, steady waves. I slipped a fingertip just beneath his nostrils and felt the hot pulse of each exhale.
I scrambled back.
What do I do?
"Should I bring him to my house?" I ask myself, then shake my head.
"It's impossible, bringing him home will probably cause a ruckus," I mumble, "And I can't let anyone see him. Not yet."
Silence.
Another silence.
"Fuck," I hissed.
I slid behind his head, tucked my arms under his shoulders, and locked my hands across his chest. Then I braced my legs and heaved.
I thought I had strengthened my muscles a bit through cultivation.
But how can he be this heavy?
He weighed more than I'd expected, every inch of that unconscious body felt like a boulder. My teeth ground together as my back screamed. I dragged him ten feet before setting him down to catch my breath, sweat stinging my eyes.
My back feels like there's a lightning bolt across my spine.
I drag him one more time before stopping for a break. I carefully set him down, then stretch my sore arms and legs. My limbs ached and my back feels like there's a boulder sitting on it.
I huff and pant, struggling to catch my breath.
The sun is already at its peak.
It's getting hotter, and with this dead weight I'll be bringing along, it'll be a tough climb.
I drank a little from the gourd I brought along with me to quench my thirst then resume my journey of carrying him to my cultivation spot.
Well—more like dragging him.
After what feels like an eternity, I finally reached my cultivation spot.
I drag him inside the cave and carefully placed him on the smooth rock, where straw had been laid out— to cushion my butt whenever I cultivate.
I wiped the sweat off my forehead, my arms trembling slightly as I took a step back to look at him.
Looking at his face... it's the first time I've seen him like this. Peaceful. So different from the cold, aloof, and sharp-eyed professor who made my life hell in my previous one.
Shen Moxuan.
He was still unconscious. His chest rising and falling steadily. His face looked peaceful.
My chest tightened. This was the same man whose icy glare I'd dreaded more than the final exam. Now he looked like a stranger.
And yet…
Could he have transmigrated too?
I remembered how I woke up in Duan Yanyan's body, sick and disoriented, only to learn I'd died in my old life. Maybe fate had other plans for him, too. But if that was the case, why did he still look like Shen Moxuan?
My head throbbed with questions. I leaned my back against the cool rock and closed my eyes to rest for a moment, but before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.
...
A sudden flutter under my elbow jolted me awake. My eyes flew open to him stirring beside me, and I freeze in my spot.
Thankfully he isn't awake yet.
I rose to my feet slowly and wiped the dust and dirt in my dress tunic. (It's guzhuang from the previous chapter.).
He'll probably feel hungry when he wakes up. I should go back to the village and bring him some food to eat.
I left the cave and notice the darkening sky. I hurry down so I can still come back before darkness falls. I know it's dangerous to stay in the wilderness after dark, specially with my previous encounter in Wuhen Forest.
But leaving him here by himself while his injured is cruel.
I run quickly, slowing down at times to keep myself from falling on the slopes.
After reaching the village gate, I went straight to my house and fetch a pitcher filling my gourd full and then tied it to my waist. Pulling out the hidden box underneath our bed and opened it. There's only a little bit of copper coins left. I grabbed them all without hesitation.
I'll just have to go to the outer ring of Wuhen Forest tomorrow.
Walking out the door, the wind whoosh past me, and I shivered from the cold. Thinking that it might be cold tonight I went back inside and grab the only blanket I own.
I went to a fruit stall and bought a small basket of fruits. Leaving me with only 2 copper coins. Which also left my palm after buying a covered lamp.
Ouch. It really hurts to be poor.
I walk back to the mountain cave where I left Mr. Shen or is it Mr. Shen.
Thinking back to my time on Earth, whenever Mr. Shen—Shen Moxuan—our professor walked into the auditorium, everyone would hold their breath and fall silent. That's how he is. He carried an air of command without saying a word, like the quiet before a storm or the stillness of deep water. His presence didn't ask for attention—it demanded it.
And although I was afraid of him, because he's extremely strict, especially when it comes to me. I don't know if he has any grudge against me. Almost everyone at the University knows that he's especially intolerant of mistakes that I make. But he's also an excellent teacher despite he's age. And I appreciate him for that.
I focused on the path as the sky turns dark. I watched my step as I nearly tripped, and my heart nearly jumped out my throat.
I stop at the cave entrance, eyeing the opening thoughtfully. It might be wise to add a cover, something natural, like a curtain of vines or a few well-placed branches to conceal it from plain sight. Just in case. You never know who or what might be watching at night.
I looked at my surrounding, stretching my hand with the lamp as I look for possible cover. I spotted a dense cluster of shrubs a few steps to the right—thick enough to serve as a decent cover.
I pulled them over the entrance, arranging them carefully, adding a number of leaf branches I found nearby and made the cave entrance all but invisible.
I slid through the entrance, careful to keep the branches in place behind me.
I approached the slab of stone where I had set him earlier when I suddenly saw movement.
My breath caught.
He shifted. Just slightly. His fingers curling, as if grasping something in a dream.
I froze, heart pounding. Was he waking up?
I set down what I brought with me and stared at him closely.
He blinks once, then twice, as if awakening from a dream. His shoulders twitch, and a soft groan leaves his lips. My heart hammers against my ribs, did I misjudge his state? Is he injured somewhere I can't see?
He shifts, rolling onto one side, and I scramble forward, crouching beside him. "You're awake," I whisper, relief and apprehension twisting in my throat.
His lashes flutter, revealing cool gray eyes that focus on me with cloudy bewilderment. For a moment, he doesn't speak, just blinks.
"Where… am I?" His voice is hoarse, each word a rasp against the silent cave walls.
My heart stopped for a moment. Even his voice is the same. Is it really him?
"You're safe," I say, pressing a hand to his arm. My fingers linger on the rough linen of his tunic. "You collapsed here. I—" I hesitate, remembering my own shock. "I brought you to my cultivation spot."
Recognition flickers behind his eyes, but he doesn't elaborate. Instead, he lets out a slow breath and sits up carefully, as though testing his strength.
He pauses, gaze drifting upward to the cave's ceiling, where shafts of light spill in through cracks. "Cave…" he murmurs. "How long?"
"Not long," I answer quickly. "A few hours, maybe." My voice sounds thin in my own ears. I'm afraid he'll ask questions I can't—or won't—answer.
I think I'll just keep it to myself that I am not the real Duan Yanyan, and that I just took over her body and my real name is Chen Kangle.
It's not like I can just say it to him right?
I'm still deliberating. I'm also hesitant to ask if he's really Shen Moxuan.
He closes his eyes, flexing his fingers. "Thank you," he says, quietly. "For… helping me."
"It's only right that I help someone in need." I say, just as quietly.
I opened my mouth slowly as I resolved to ask him directly.
"What's your name?" I hold my breath as I waited for his response. My chest hammers through my ribcage.
He stared straight into my eyes. And I feel like he's staring straight into my soul.
Without breaking eye contact, he opened his mouth as he said slowly.
"Shen Moxuan."