C1 His Life Shouldn't End like This!

A cool droplet of water landed on Chu Lin's lips. Groggy, he opened his eyes to a vast expanse of azure sky. It dawned on him that he was lying at the base of a towering cliff.

"I'm still alive."

His voice was raspy, his throat parched. He lay in silence for a moment, gasping, eyes brimming with sorrow.

"Damn it! Why didn't I just die? What did I do in my past life to deserve this? Why must I endure this agony, lying here, waiting for death?"

Resentment laced Chu Lin's voice, tinged with a deep sense of injustice.

Chu Lin tried to rise, but searing pain wracked his body, contorting his youthful face. It was the third day since he'd been cast off the cliff. His bones were shattered, his meridians screamed in torment. He was immobile, resigned to a grim fate.

A scion of the third generation of Mu Mansion, Chu Lin hailed from a renowned family in the Great Barbarian City. To the common eye, he was the fortunate offspring of a distinguished lineage, yet only he knew the scorn he faced within his clan. At times, his plight was even worse than that of a servant, for his surname was Chu, not Mu.

Not the rightful heir to Mu Mansion, Chu Lin was the son of Chu Tian, a man of humble origins, and his mother had left home years before. Thus, Chu Lin and his father were the least favored within the Mu Mansion. At ten, Chu Lin had joined his peers on the path of cultivation, only to be deemed an Innate Dried-up Waste Body when he failed, his Spirit Sea barren, unable to cultivate.

That same year, Chu Tian passed away, his memorial tablet relegated to the lowest rung in the ancestral hall, a status beneath even that of a servant. This injustice was a wound that never healed in Chu Lin's heart.

From a young age, he endured mockery from his cousins and indifference from his elders. But three days prior, Mu Rui, one of his cousins, publicly insulted Chu Lin's father, crossing a line that Chu Lin could no longer bear. In a fit of rage, he confronted Mu Rui.

Yet, without the ability to cultivate, Chu Lin was no match for Mu Rui, a prodigy at the Body Tempering Level One. The fight was lopsided, and Chu Lin found himself plummeting off the cliff.

"Mu Rui, I swear I'll make you pay for what you've done to me!" Chu Lin's hatred boiled over as he roared into the emptiness.

But there he was, broken at the cliff's base, his life hanging by a thread.

Chu Lin scoffed at himself, feeling nothing but pity for his crippled state.

Then, another droplet of water kissed his lips, bringing an unexpected coolness. He wondered if it was a trick of his mind, but the pain seemed to lessen. Overcome by exhaustion, he let his eyes close and drifted into sleep.

Above, three youths peered over the cliff's edge, their faces a mix of curiosity and fear.

"The kid's been silent for three days, Mr. Rui. He's probably dead," said the scrawny one on the left, seeking approval from the burly youth in the center.

"Mr. Rui, if the clan finds out, we'll be locked up for sure. What do we do?" The chubby one on the right shivered with apprehension.

Mu Rui's face darkened as he considered their words. He glanced at the cliff, inhaled deeply, and then his features twisted into a cruel sneer. "The hell with it. He was useless anyway. His death means nothing. Chu Lin and his father got more than they deserved from Mu Mansion."

"You're right, Mr. Rui. Without the Mu Mansion, Chu Lin would've died long ago," the skinny youth with the sharp features added spitefully.

"Chu Lin's death is none of my concern," Mu Rui mused, devoid of remorse. He pulled a wad of gold notes from his pocket and said, "I've heard the Red Fragrance House has some new beauties. Mu Kai, Mu Nan, let's go enjoy ourselves."

The mention of the Red Fragrance House sent a thrill through the other two, who, despite their young age, were no strangers to the city's brothels. The allure of the Red Fragrance House's women was irresistible to them.

A month whisked by.

Occasionally, the Mu Mansion youths would return to the cliff.

Beneath, the ground was carpeted with a thick layer of dead leaves.

Suddenly, Chu Lin sat up, a look of astonishment on his face. He flexed his legs and waved his hands, making sure he wasn't dreaming.

Against all odds, Chu Lin had survived a month with no sustenance and broken bones. To his amazement, his injuries had healed, and his body felt stronger than before. A faint current of Spiritual Energy now pulsed through his meridians, a sensation he had never felt.

He was filled with a mix of surprise and exhilaration. He had made it; he was alive, and that meant he had the opportunity to seek vengeance against Mu Rui!

"But how can this be?" Chu Lin wondered aloud, his brow furrowed in deep thought. The situation defied all logic.

Just then, Chu Lin's attention was caught by a swiftly falling water droplet. A realization dawned on him, and he thought, "It's all because of this droplet!"

He recalled lying at the base of the cliff, where the droplets could easily fall into his mouth. It dawned on him that these droplets were likely the only sustenance he had consumed over the past month.

"No wonder each time I swallowed a droplet, the pain in my body seemed to ease up a bit. It wasn't my imagination after all! Could these droplets actually possess the miraculous power to revive someone on the brink of death?" Chu Lin murmured to himself, then hastened to his feet.

Looking up, he saw that from the cliff towering six meters above, a droplet of spring water would occasionally fall. At the very spot where the spring emerged, a piece of Broken Copper the size of a coin was firmly lodged!