It was late at night, and all was silent.
The Rukongai, West 3rd District, Koifuseyama.
The night sky cast a soft, silvery glow, the dim light outlining the surrounding low-slung wooden houses. The air was filled with a nostalgic scent —an intermingling of earth, wood, and a faint, almost imperceptible mustiness accumulated over the years.
Bathed in the moonlight, a youth of about seventeen or eighteen, clad in rough cloth, lay quietly on a bed of straw. The surroundings were so still that the only sounds were his breathing, the rustle of wind through the leaves, and the gentle murmur of the nearby stream.
The youth had long black hair casually tied back. Even in the darkness, which obscured the details, it was hard to hide his handsome features and slender build.
In the darkness, his chest rose and fell gently with his breath. Extremely faint, almost imperceptible specks of light seemed to slowly merge into his body, vanishing in an instant.
The wind continued to blow, and the leaves continued to rustle. Time passed unnoticed.
"I..."
"You..."
Faint whispers came from the hazy dream. Yu Si, deep in sleep, vaguely heard someone calling him; the voice was indistinct, as if separated by a layer of mist, coming from a distant place. His eyelids twitched slightly, but he did not wake up, merely turning over on the straw.
"Grumble..."
Immediately, a long rumble from his stomach broke the silence of the night. Under the influence of intense hunger, Yu Si felt a ball of fire burning in his stomach. Worse, it felt as if a large hand had reached inside and was violently twisting his insides!
The waves of physical pain instantly jolted Yu Si awake. Just then, the first ray of sunlight outside the window streamed into the room, bringing a sliver of light to the dark interior.
His vision was hazy at first, then gradually cleared. The now-awake Yu Si braced himself, slowly rising from the straw. He lifted his head, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings little by little. Everything he saw was utterly unfamiliar.
The house before him was desolate and dilapidated —a crumbling wooden shack that didn't even have a proper door. The roof tiles were sparse, allowing faint light to filter through the gaps. The four mud-plastered walls were mottled, and cobwebs hung in the corners. Aside from the heap of dry straw beneath him, which barely qualified as a bed, the place was truly bare to the bone.
Turning his attention to himself, Yu Si saw that he was wearing rough cloth clothing, similar to what might be seen in a historical drama, though he couldn't tell which era it belonged to.
"Where the hell did I end up..."
Yu Si muttered internally, and immediately a guess surfaced in his mind.
"Don't tell me I transmigrated!"
As someone who grew up reading web novels, he had always held some fantasies about transmigration, but he never expected it to actually happen to him.
He tried to recall whether anything had happened to him yesterday, like being hit by a stroke of great luck, but his memories of the past few days were hazy. However, memories from slightly further back were still perfectly clear.
However, his body didn't give Yu Si time to ponder the matter.
Hungry!
So hungry!
His stomach was so damn hungry!
If the hunger pangs weren't so intense, he would surely think he was dreaming. The rumbling of his empty stomach and the cramping pain reminded him that this moment was absolutely real.
Yu Si struggled to his feet. He had already looked around; aside from the straw beneath him, the entire room was empty. There wasn't even a broken clay pot, meaning there was absolutely nothing to eat.
"No good, I have to find something to eat. Otherwise, before I even figure out what happened, I'll starve to death in this wretched place."
The instinct for survival overruled Yu Si's thoughts about the unfamiliar environment. He took a deep breath, stood up, and slowly shuffled toward the doorway, leaning on the wall for support.
Stepping outside, his feet met soft earth. Weeds by the roadside covered his ankles, and the morning dew dampened Yu Si's bare feet. The slight chill made him subconsciously tighten the rough cloth clothing he wore.
Raising his eyes to look around, he saw a few equally dilapidated houses not too far away. There were clear signs of human tracks between the dwellings, but the sky had only just brightened, and no one was stirring yet.
The signs of life nearby slightly eased Yu Si's mind; at least he hadn't been dumped in a desolate, uninhabited place.
However, his transmigrator's instinct also reminded him that the saying "harsh mountains breed fierce people" wasn't false. He wouldn't be foolish enough to blindly ask others for food when he was in such a poor state.
Taking a breath, Yu Si walked toward the nearby stream. Although his steps were unsteady due to hunger, his gaze was firm.
*Splash, splash—*
He reached the stream, the sound of water filling his ears. The stream was crystal clear, sparkling under the morning sun. Yu Si squatted down, cupped the cold stream water in his hands, and drank a few mouthfuls. This temporarily suppressed the burning sensation in his stomach, but the hollow ache of hunger remained.
He washed his face, the icy water invigorating him. Looking at the reflection of the familiar yet strange black-haired youth in the water, the reality of his transmigration became even stronger.
"The most pressing matter is finding something to eat."
Standing up and shaking the water from his hands, Yu Si began scanning his surroundings.
Vegetation near streams is usually quite dense, and luckily, the ambient temperature suggested it was early summer, a time of vigorous plant growth. He quickly spotted several clusters of bright red false strawberries in a thicket.
He swiftly stripped all the berries from the branches, picked off the remaining leaves, and without washing them, shoved them all into his mouth at once.
As he chewed quickly, the abundant juice instantly filled his mouth. The sourness, mixed with a hint of sweetness, immediately nourished Yu Si's weakened body.
"Refreshing!"
After continuously eating several handfuls of the berries, while they weren't enough to satisfy his hunger, the intense, maddening hunger he felt upon waking was finally suppressed somewhat. His body regained a little strength, and his mind cleared significantly.
After finishing the berries, Yu Si walked upstream along the brook. This time, he wasn't just looking for food; he also wanted to find something for self-defense.
The stream babbled, the air was fresh, and birds chirped clearly in the woods. The sunlight gradually warmed, making everything seem peaceful amidst the tranquility.
Arriving next to a tree by the bank, where sunlight filtered through the leaves, Yu Si quickly identified the species before him as a willow.
Recognizing the willow, Yu Si's eyes lit up.
The presence of a familiar tree species indicated he was likely still on Earth, and since willows are mostly found in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, the difficulty of his future survival had instantly decreased significantly.
Plucking several emerald-green willow branches, Yu Si bit off the buds and catkins, chewing them slowly. Although what was in his mouth was not suitable for raw consumption, he had no better option without other food sources.
Bitterness spread in his mouth. As Yu Si ate, his gaze scanned the willow's branches.
His goal was clear: to fashion a weapon that could be used for self-defense and aid in hunting. Humans couldn't survive just by eating grass; only cattle and horses could.