On the first day of spring, people in Northeast China traditionally eat spring pancakes. Zhang Shuguang had been craving his mom’s spring pancakes stuffed with shredded potatoes for days.

“I’m almost home—can I eat first before buying your seeds?” Waiting at a red light, Zhang Shuguang spoke into his Bluetooth headset, his voice dripping with resignation. “Fine, fine, I’ll go. I’ll go right now. I won’t delay your hobby at all.”

While other moms retired to help with childcare, play mahjong, or dance, or at the very least keep a pet to walk, his mom somehow got hooked on gardening. She’d been at it for four or five years, insisting her homegrown produce—free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides—was the safest to eat.

And the result?

Seeds buried in the ground, crop after crop. Sadly, not a single one ever reached maturity. All he ever saw was green. Even so, nothing could dampen the little old lady’s enthusiasm. If something didn’t take root, she’d dig it up and replant. After all, her villa had ample space in the front and back gardens—plenty to experiment to her heart’s content.

After hanging up, the traffic light turned green. Zhang Shuguang turned the wheel and headed straight for the seed wholesaler at the farmers’ market—a place he frequented every few days.

As soon as he entered the shop, the uncle behind the counter, who had been playing with his phone, looked up and spotted him. He let out a cheerful “Oh!” and smiled.

“Xiao Zhang, here to buy seeds for your mom again? What’ll it be this time?” “ The shopkeeper beamed, his eyes fixed on Zhang Shuguang as if he were the God of Wealth.

Zhang Shuguang’s mouth twitched, and he chuckled. ”You know my mom—she plants anything and everything, even if it dies. She just called me to remind me to get her seeds. Whatever you have that can be planted, I’ll take some of everything.”

The shopkeeper laughed heartily, nodded, and headed straight to the back room. About ten minutes later, he emerged carrying a large cardboard box, set it down on the counter, and gestured toward several big boxes on the floor. Here you go. I packed a bit of every seed and seedling we have in stock. Maybe one will take root by chance. I also grabbed some granular fertilizer. Have your mom follow the instructions on the bag—don’t just water it randomly.”

Zhang Shuguang replied, “Thank you, thank you.”

The shopkeeper beamed with pride. “I figured it was about time you came back to restock. You’re my biggest walk-in customer, so of course I had to prepare early. We’re business people, after all.”

Zhang Shuguang flipped through the bag and noticed a small bottle filled with oval beans sprouting green shoots. He frowned in confusion. “What’s this?”

“Lotus seeds. My daughter ordered a whole bunch online. Just toss these in a water tank—they’re super easy to grow. I’m giving you some for free. Let your mom take them home to plant for fun. At least she’ll get to see some red.” Without looking up, the shopkeeper tapped away at his calculator, then showed Zhang Shuguang the result. “I’ll round it down. Eight thousand will do.”

Zhang Shuguang scanned the WeChat QR code to pay, then hoisted the large cardboard box. “This is heavy!”

“Melon and fruit seedlings are heavy. Didn’t you see we also have a few fruit tree saplings? Just stick them in the ground when you get home.” The shopkeeper helped steady the box.

Zhang Shuguang sighed. “I’ll move the rest later. You always say that. My mom planted them the same way, but I’ve never seen any fruit.” Just then, his phone rang again. ”Get my phone for me. It’s definitely Mom nagging again.”

The owner pulled the phone from Zhang Shuguang’s pants pocket and answered it for him.

Zhang Shuguang tilted his head, gesturing for the owner to place the phone near his ear. He shrugged his shoulders to hold the phone in place, then carried the large cardboard box out with both hands.

The boss opened the door for him and asked, “Where’s the car parked?”

“Across the street,” Zhang Shuguang gestured. On the other end, his mother asked, “Are you back yet? The buns are almost done steaming! Your brother and sister-in-law are here with the kids, waiting just for you!”

He glanced left and right, seeing no oncoming traffic, and stepped onto the road. “Right away, right away! Just finished shopping, I…”

“Watch out!”

Thud! Clang!

━━━━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━━━━

His body ached like the morning after overexertion. Not only were his arms and legs sore and weak, but even breathing felt laborious.

His mouth was parched. He swallowed hard twice, but it offered no relief.

Beneath him was a hard, unyielding surface—like sleeping on a stone slab, unbearably uncomfortable.

Zhang Shuguang struggled to sit up, but before his eyes could fully open, he collapsed back down.

“Ugh!” This time, he must have hit a sore spot on his arm, the pain making him wince.

That jolt of pain cleared some of the fog from his mind, and his eyes snapped wide open.

Pitch darkness surrounded him, broken only by the faint moonlight painting the inky blue sky. Dimly, he could make out scattered points of starlight.

He froze, ignoring the numbing pain in his body as he frantically pushed himself up to sit.

What the hell!? Where the hell was he?

“Ah!” In an instant, dizziness and sharp pain washed over him, jumbled images flooding his mind.

Zhang Shuguang’s eyes rolled back. Overwhelmed by the sudden assault, he collapsed unconscious once more.

When consciousness returned, he could sense light filtering through his eyelids. Zhang Shuguang kept his eyes closed, deliberately slowing his breathing. After listening intently for a long while and hearing no movement around him, he cautiously opened a small slit.

His eyes darted left and right, using the light to make out his surroundings.

A cave. No wonder his nose had caught the earthy, musty scent—and that damp, stifling heat.

Sitting up, he looked down at his own body. Bruises and welts marked his skin, thin and bony, barely covered in flesh. Crucially, he was completely naked. Not far away, a pile of various furs lay stacked.

Zhang Shuguang swallowed hard and let out a deep breath.

When he first woke up, his mind was a hazy jumble. The flood of memories surging into his brain had nearly overwhelmed him. Now, he carried the memories of two lifetimes.

But these extra memories made his expression shift constantly.

Not long ago, a female colleague at work had enthusiastically recommended a beastman novel to him, raving about how cute and pampered the characters were, with all sorts of furry creatures. For overworked office drones like them who had no time to raise furry pets, it was supposedly worth a read.

Zhang Shuguang didn’t refuse. He skimmed the first two chapters, found it decent, and bookmarked it. He planned to use it as bedtime reading after finishing his current project. But then, before he could read much, he closed his eyes and opened them again—only to find himself transported into the book itself, becoming a minor cannon fodder character barely mentioned in passing!

Could it really be… the heavens are conspiring against me?!!!

Zhang Shuguang felt a throbbing headache and an itchy scalp. He ran his fingers through his greasy, tangled hair, the texture disgusting him.

If he remembered correctly, that minor character in the book fell off a cliff and died the moment he appeared. He was probably… reincarnated!

Crackle! Crackle!

Zhang Shuguang whipped his head toward the sound, all thoughts vanishing. His body tensed, eyes darting warily. Even with those memories, this strange world remained unfamiliar. The slightest rustle made him jump like a startled bird.

From the cave entrance came faint rustling sounds, as if someone was dragging something from afar.

Zhang Shuguang unconsciously tightened his grip on the long-haired animal skin covering him, then froze.

He lowered his head, peeled back a corner of the skin, and stared in disbelief.

A cell phone!

His Huawei P80, the one he’d planned to replace because it couldn’t hold a charge, had somehow crossed over with him!

The rustling sounds grew louder. Without pausing to wonder how the phone had ended up here, Zhang Shuguang reflexively shoved it deeper under the fur, half-tucking himself in and sitting on it.

A figure appeared at the cave entrance. The distance and backlighting made it impossible for Zhang Shuguang to make out the person’s features, even as he strained his eyes. Only the tall, sturdy silhouette was discernible.

A dull thud echoed as the figure tossed whatever they were holding onto the ground.

Zhang Shuguang blinked dumbly.

Before he could gather his thoughts on how to greet this potential savior, the figure picked up a stone slab from the platform over there.

Zhang Shuguang froze.

Up close, the man was exceptionally tall. Sitting there, Zhang Shuguang craned his neck upward, feeling a twinge of stiffness.

The man had a hint of mixed heritage—deep-set eyes, a straight nose bridge, and brown hair tied back with a vine cord into a small topknot. His bronze skin gave him a subtle, almost sensual appeal. Beyond a short leather skirt wrapped around his lower body, he wore nothing else.

Zhang Shuguang glanced at the stone in his hand and noticed a hollowed-out depression at its center, holding a shallow pool of clear water.

Realizing the other was offering him water, he quickly took the oddly shaped stone bowl, muttered a thanks, and gulped it down.

The man watched him. Seeing Zhang still frowning after drinking, he paused briefly, then reached out to take the stone bowl back. He filled it again and handed it over.

Zhang Shuguang nearly wept with gratitude. Though this man radiated a fierce, rugged aura and was tall and burly, his nature seemed genuinely kind. Even without uttering a word, he was clearly a good soul!

After drinking five more stone bowls of water, Zhang Shuguang waved his hand, signaling he’d had enough.

Wiping his mouth, he cautiously asked, “You… can you understand what I’m saying?”

The man gave a faint nod, uttering a low, “Mhm.”

Zhang Shuguang felt inexplicably that the man’s voice carried a hint of languor, as if he hadn’t fully woken up yet.

He didn’t dwell on it. Seeing the man understood, he quickly asked, “Did you save me? Thank you. My name is… uh… Shuguang. What’s yours? Where is this place?”

The man glanced at his awkward sitting posture, said nothing more, and simply nodded. “ Cliffside Tribe. Mang Jiu. I found you washed up on the shore.”

Found…

Why did that sound so awkward?

Did that mean whoever found you owned you?

Before Zhang Shuguang could finish his thoughts, Mang Jiu added, “I found you.”

“Ah…” And then?

Mang Jiu said nothing more, turning toward the cave entrance.

Zhang Shuguang shifted his hips, crossed his legs, and pulled the fur blanket up to cover himself completely.

He had no idea how badly this body was injured. Everything ached, probably from a fall from a great height.

The shore… Could it be a riverbank or seashore?

Lost in thought, he watched Mang Jiu return clutching a large, bloody chunk of flesh. He shoved it in front of Zhang Shuguang’s face. “Eat.”

Zhang Shuguang: “…”

I suspect you want me to just die. I have evidence!