Who knows how much time had passed—maybe a day, maybe a month, or perhaps even a year?
Li Lin only felt that his entire body was in agony. Not only was he hurting badly all over, but one of his arms was also dislocated.
He was dizzy and lightheaded, unable to hear any sound, and too weak even to open his eyes.
He thought to himself silently, "Am I already dead? Do people really enter the netherworld when they die? Do people actually get reincarnated?"
Li Lin could not help but wonder again, "I haven't yet repaid my parents for raising me, haven't yet let them live a good life, and haven't bought my younger sister new clothes yet."
"I haven't even taken a wife yet! There are still so many, many things waiting for me to do. I cannot die, I absolutely cannot die, and I don't want to be reincarnated."
"Ah."
A long, sharp, and piercing scream pierced the clouds, startling some birds into flapping their wings in a flurry.
Li Lin opened his eyes. A few rays of sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves and shone on his face, dispelling a trace of the chill and bringing him a hint of warmth.
The surrounding view was filled with towering ancient trees, each thick enough that it would take several people joining hands to embrace them. Lush and green, they pierced straight into the sky, easily standing at least a hundred feet tall judging by a rough estimate.
Li Lin gradually gathered his wits and recalled what had happened, remembering the thrilling moment when he fell off the cliff.
Back then, just as his hand touched that fruit, he saw a gigantic beast charging at him—a massive creature that looked somewhat like a monkey and somewhat like an ape.
With a single swipe of its paw, the beast snapped the rope.
As for Li Lin, he had scooped up that nameless fruit with one hand, pulling it out completely by the roots, and plummeted down the cliff together with the beast.
Thinking of this, Li Lin hurriedly sat up.
Looking at what he was gripping tightly in his hand, wasn't it precisely that item which had almost cost him his life?
Li Lin also discovered that he was currently lying on the beast's fur-covered belly. When he stomped his foot on it, it felt soft and remarkably resilient.
He couldn't help feeling a secret surge of relief. Thank goodness for this giant beast acting as a cushion, otherwise the one who was smashed to death would have been him.
Carefully, Li Lin put away the fruit, tucking it securely into the pocket of his inner garment.
He slowly climbed down from the beast and onto the ground, where he carefully examined the creature.
It was about twenty feet in height. Even lying there, the giant beast stood much taller than Li Lin, resembling a massive gorilla.
Beneath its head, a pool of blood had flowed out. Looking closer, it turned out that a broken sword had pierced right through its skull, which must have been its true cause of death.
After all, a behemoth with such thick hide and tough skin wouldn't have died so easily from a mere fall.
Li Lin wandered around the vicinity, attempting to find a way out.
To his disappointment, he found no useful clues or any method to leave this place, which made him feel increasingly anxious.
The sky gradually grew dark.
Night fell.
The temperature dropped lower and lower. Spending the night in the wilderness was fatal, especially in such a desolate backcountry, and remembering the elders' warnings, there might even be venomous snakes and fierce beasts around here.
Li Lin gathered some withered grass and dry vines he had picked up while wandering earlier, piling them all together.
Then, leaning his back against the furry giant beast, he covered the front of his body with the withered grass and vines, a satisfied smile blooming on his face.
These withered weeds and vines brought him a trace of warmth and made him feel much more secure.
"Gurgle, gurgle..."
His stomach also staged a strong protest. The last thing Li Lin had eaten was a bowl of sweet potato porridge when he went out in the morning, and by now his stomach was completely empty, letting out loud rumbling sounds.
Li Lin rubbed his belly, but there was nothing he could do. There was no food here, and since it was already dark, he didn't dare go looking for any.
He could only endure the hunger, curling his body up tightly. Before long, a wave of exhaustion washed over him, and Li Lin drifted into a deep sleep.
When Li Lin woke up the next day, the sky was already bright. Fortunately, he had gathered some withered grass and dry vines to cover himself with last night, otherwise he might have frozen to death. He stood up and stretched his limbs.
"Gurgle..."
"Gurgle, gurgle..."
Li Lin couldn't help but reveal a wry smile. Picking up a dry tree branch from the ground and gripping it in his hand, he began to explore all around to see if he could find anything to eat.
Since he had lost all sense of direction here anyway, Li Lin randomly chose a path and set off immediately.
After more than two hours, Li Lin finally reached the edge. Ahead were still lush, towering ancient trees, but this place was now a precipitous cliff. Below were jagged rocks and dense, tangled brushwood, offering absolutely no way through.
Li Lin had no choice but to follow the edge of the cliff and grope his way toward the other side. As his stomach rumbled continuously, he searched with rapt attention.
After another two hours of searching, just as Li Lin felt he was about to collapse—exhausted, starving, and parched with thirst—he finally spotted what looked like a few fruit trees ahead, bearing some kind of fruit.
This instantly energized Li Lin. He broke into a quick run forward, filled with joy and surprise.
Upon getting closer, he saw several trees resembling peach trees, laden with plenty of fruits, a few of which were completely ripe and looked extremely sweet.
Another tree, slightly taller and of an unidentifiable species, bore only a scattering of golden, unknown fruits.
"Gurgle..."
His stomach was protesting fiercely now, so Li Lin threw caution to the wind, not caring whether the fruit was poisonous or not.
He plucked a few of the fully ripe peaches and brought one straight to his mouth. It was crisp, refreshing, and melted on the tongue, sweet and juicy. His parched throat was immediately soothed, making his mouth water instantly.
Furthermore, his lower abdomen felt warm, and strength returned to his limbs, instantly sweeping away all fatigue.
He picked two more of the golden, unknown fruits. A few others were hanging too high for him to reach, so he had to let them be.
Without being picky, Li Lin bit into one of the fruits. The moment he put it in his mouth, a cool sensation washed over him, tasting slightly tart—whether because it wasn't fully ripe or because it naturally tasted that way, he couldn't tell.
Li Lin didn't care; as long as it filled his stomach, nothing else mattered. Strangely enough, after swallowing just those two fruits, Li Lin felt his hunger vanish, replaced by a surge of boundless energy.
Li Lin couldn't help muttering to himself, "Could these be some kind of immortal spiritual fruits? To think they are actually this magical!"
He packed the remaining fruits into his clothes pocket to eat later when he got hungry, as he still had no idea when he would find a way out and needed to ration them.
Li Lin surveyed his surroundings and noticed another tree not far away that looked extremely strange. It stood at least thirty to forty feet tall, with a mostly straight trunk devoid of a single leaf.
Only near the top did the branches split off to either side.
The left side was pitch-black, as if scorched by fire, completely devoid of any sign of life.
The right side, however, was lush and vibrant, brimming with vitality, and bore three greenish fruits. Unless one looked closely, they were hard to spot, hidden among the dense leaves and swaying gently in the breeze, looking utterly carefree.
Looking further into the distance, the scenery was a completely different world—that side was an expanse of utter blackness, pitch-dark in every direction, with trees, flowers, and grass all reduced to charred cinders.
Filled with curiosity, Li Lin walked over slowly. The entire way was dead silent, devoid of the sounds of snakes, insects, birds, or beasts. It was extremely bizarre that such a vast mountain forest could be this quiet.
He didn't even catch sight of a single ant. A sense of unease inevitably rose in his chest, making him step even more cautiously.
In his heart, he prayed silently, hoping the heavens would bless him and help him find a way home.