Shen Li looked down at the earth where the corpse now rested, freshly buried.
"So buying a house is a dead investment," he muttered bitterly, brushing dirt from his hands. "Better to stay mobile."
Just like the simulation said, the body was there—decayed, little more than bones wrapped in rags. It seemed the merchant had died fleeing something, torn apart by the forest or by fear.
Shen Li retrieved the contents from the corpse's shredded pouch:
—24 silver coins—59 copper coins—1 yellow token etched with the image of a horse
The token shimmered faintly in the sunlight—a symbol of some organization or identity, perhaps. Shen Li studied it, then slipped it into his pocket before bowing slightly toward the grave.
"You died in misery. I won't forget what you gave me."
Then he turned and walked back toward the logging site.
This was still his only job.
From the simulation, Shen Li had learned a hard truth: most craftsmen wouldn't teach a stranger, especially not one without a background or bribe money. In this world, trades passed down through families, and loyalty mattered more than talent.
"Only jobs that require brute strength are available to people like me."
Mining, heavy lifting, stone hauling—those were options. But miners choked on black smoke and poisonous dust. Some died coughing in their twenties.Woodcutting was no paradise, but compared to that, at least mosquitoes were his biggest enemy.
And he had already adjusted to the rhythm of axe and bark.
Still, this life couldn't continue. One meal a day. Weak pay. No future.
"I need to change. I need more money."
That evening, as the sun set and the forest grew quiet, Shen Li returned to his usual clearing and built a small bonfire.
The snake he had killed earlier sizzled on a makeshift spit.His stomach growled just from the smell.
While waiting for it to roast, he opened the panel again.
[Simulation Interface – Primordial Mirror]Name: Shen LiRace: HumanLifespan: 16 / 58**
To simulate, enter how many years of lifespan you wish to sacrifice.[Awaiting Input…]
He stared at it, eyes thoughtful.
"This time... I'll try trade."
He remembered the last simulation. The house had brought security—but no growth. The wine idea had promise, but he hadn't followed through.
"This time, I won't waste the money on shelter. I'll invest it all in a business. Even if it fails, I'll learn."
He smiled, just slightly, as the fire crackled beside him.
"I'll become a winemaker."
The snake was nearly done. He tore into it quickly, feeding his body and calming his thoughts.
Once his belly was full, and his mind settled—
He placed two fingers gently on the interface.
[2 years of lifespan entered][Simulation Beginning…]
[Simulation Beginning… Continued]
[You left your woodcutting job and set your sights on trade.][Using the silver recovered from the merchant's corpse, you began a wine-making business.]
[You purchased the following essential tools and materials:]
— 1 Large Clay/Wooden Barrel (Fermentation vessel) — 65 copper— Strainer, Cloth, Basic Bottling Tools — 15 copper— Fermentation Seal (cloth + clay) — 7 copper— 20 kg Grapes (average quality) — 1 silver 50 copper— Wild Yeast (collected from skins and air) — 0 copper— 15 Clay or Glass Bottles/Jars — 40 copper— Old Outskirt Rented House (storage + shelter) — 2 silver 23 copper
[Total cost: 5 silver]
[You used every coin wisely—down to the last copper.]
[You tried to sell your wine to merchants. Most didn't even taste it. Dismissed, ignored, forgotten.]
[You then approached local inns and taverns. It was slow—but eventually, with persistence, luck, and good negotiating skills, you secured your first deal.]
[You earned 1 copper coin in profit daily.]
[Though humble, you had a plan: scale slowly, build reputation, and eventually supply all the city's taverns.]
[By July, your efforts bore fruit.][You now had deals with 4 inns. Daily profit reached 10 copper coins—a fortune compared to woodcutting.]
[However, the business became physically demanding. Moving heavy barrels alone was backbreaking.]
[To focus on growth, you hired a laborer for 3 copper a day.]
[He handled the hauling. You focused on branding, taste, and strategy.]
[At age 17, you developed a new formula: "Dog Killer Wine."][It was potent, bold, and unforgettable.]
[Your fame grew. Taverns competed to stock it. Even merchants took notice.][Your daily profit reached 1 silver.]
[You accumulated 249 silver coins and began planning to move into the city and open a formal winery.]
[But one night, it all ended.]
[Men in cloaks stormed your home. You resisted—but they were many, and they were strong.]
[You were beaten, bound, and dragged away.]
[You awoke before a silk-robed merchant with a fat belly and a massive mustache. On his head sat a green hat.]
[Name: Gao Lupeng]
[He questioned you about the Dog Killer Wine recipe.]
[You refused.]
[He smiled. The torture began.]
[Your body was broken. Beaten with rods. Teeth pulled. Fingers cut off one by one.]
[You learned his name in the screams between torture.]
[Gao Lupeng.]
[You hated him. More than you had ever hated anyone.]
[Eventually, delirious and shattered, you gave up the recipe.]
[After verifying the recipe, Gao Lupeng no longer needed you.]
[He sentenced you to die—slowly.]
[They coated you in honey, stuffed you in a sealed barrel, and left you in the wild.]
[Insects feasted on your body. Snakes bit your flesh. You screamed, defecated, vomited, rotted—alive.]
[You endured seven days of agony.]
[Then, you died. In rage. In filth. In hatred.]
[Death Event: Soul Detached][You have died.][Your soul drifts from your body.]
[But this death was not peaceful.]
[Due to extreme pain and resentment, your soul began to emit black smoke.][Your hatred warped your essence—your soul began to transform into a wraith.]
[However, your soul was born under the sun.]
[At dawn, the light of day scattered your vengeance.]
[Your soul was extinguished.]
[Simulation Ended]
[Choose Your Reward:]
[Body and cultivation at age 17 (broken, mutilated, pain-afflicted)][Knowledge & Skills: advanced wine-making, trade scaling, risk awareness, pain tolerance][249 silver coins you had accumulated before your death]
Shen Li stared at the simulator's fading glow, his expression unreadable.
"Anyone who keeps gold in their house and doesn't prepare for thieves… isn't innocent," he muttered darkly. "Next time, I'm hiring guards."
His eyes drifted to the reward options.He didn't even glance at the body or recipe.
Dog Killer Wine…
He already knew the formula. It was one of the most infamous brews in history—not for its quality, but for its brutality. A single glass could knock out a grown man.It was a drink of the poor, yes—but in a world where wine-making was primitive, that recipe had shifted the entire industry.
I must've spent half the simulation just figuring out tools and materials… That's why it took so long to sell it.
No need to claim it now. He had all that knowledge burned into him.
Instead, his gaze fixed on one name.
Gao Lupeng.
"Anyone who can torture like that… he's no man," Shen Li muttered. "He's the kind of creature with corpses stacked behind his smile."
If he ever encountered that man in reality, Shen Li decided he would avoid him at all costs. Not confront. Not question. Avoid.There were some monsters best left alone.
Without hesitation, he selected the reward:
[249 Silver Coins – the full amount you had saved before your capture.]
A moment later, his bag bulged with weight.He opened it—cold, brilliant silver greeted his eyes.
"I seriously don't need to work anymore."
The next day, he formally resigned from the woodcutters' camp.The overseer didn't even look surprised.
Shen Li walked straight to the same outskirt house he had rented during the simulation.This time, he bought it outright—45 silver coins.
It was more expensive than most. Normally, outer homes sold for 15–25 silver. But this one was large, with multiple rooms, a small storage shed, and even a fenced yard.
Perfect for brewing.
Perfect for business.
I'll build my wine empire here—again. But this time, smarter.
The next day, Shen Li passed through the village market and bought four chickens for 2 silver total. The average adult chicken went for 50 copper, so it was standard price.
He briefly considered whether poultry farming might be profitable.But he shook his head.
"Not my field. I don't know how to raise them. No point walking blind into someone else's problem."
He had a different reason for the chickens.
For the next four days, Shen Li killed one chicken each day.
Through this experiment, Shen Li finally confirmed it.
The system's logic was simple:
"When I kill a creature, I gain the exact number of years it has already lived."
A chicken, reaching adulthood in 4–6 months, would only grant half a year at most.
So if I kill a 100-year-old man… I'll gain 100 years?
The math was terrifying—and full of potential.
Farm animals were inefficient. To make real gains, he would need older targets.But for now, the 2 years were enough to push his lifespan back to 59.
He exhaled slowly.
He had money. A base of operations. A system that devoured lifespan.
And now, a second chance to rise—without the same fatal mistakes.
[1 year of lifespan entered][Simulation Beginning…]
[Age 17][You had learned the hard way—wealth without protection is bait for wolves.]
[This time, you used your profits to upgrade your home immediately. Hidden compartments were added. Trap mechanisms installed—especially around your bedroom and treasury room.]
[You studied defensive layouts and hired a carpenter to help disguise entrances.]
[After preparing your base, you spent three intense months sourcing materials, tools, and fermentation vessels for producing Dog Killer Wine.]
[You spent more generously this time, even on unnecessary luxuries. Your diet shifted to meat-based—daily meals of chicken, pork, and fish.]
[With confidence and a well-equipped house, you began negotiating with taverns.]
[Business steadily grew. Your profit margin rose.]
[Eventually, you hired two bodyguards, both identified as Grade-3 Martial Artists. Their monthly wage: 25 silver each.]
[Through observation, you learned that martial artists were divided into three tiers:]
Grade-3: The most common. Comparable to elite athletes from your previous world. Strong, fast, disciplined—but not superhuman.
Grade-2: Rare. Trained by sects, clans, or military forces. Not easily hired.
Grade-1: Legendary. Most never meet one in their lifetime.
[You tried hiring a Grade-2. But they rarely accepted employment. Those who did, demanded wages upward of 100 silver per month.]
[Your total monthly profit had reached around 100 silver, but that amount was still too tight to sustain a Grade-2.]
[Still, from your own observations, you judged Grade-3s to be enough for now. Their strength exceeded common thugs. Their reaction time and combat instincts gave them clear superiority.]
"If I earn more later, I'll hire more of them. Numbers turn into power."
[Your business expanded rapidly.]
[Your wine became known throughout the region. Distribution channels opened. Reputation climbed.]
[But your guards brought back a warning—they had seen unfamiliar faces scouting the property.]
[You understood what that meant.]
"It's coming again. Another hit."
[This time, you would be ready.]
[You spent every coin in your accumulation.]
— Hired 5 additional Grade-3 Martial Artists— Recruited 20 common fighters, trained to guard the premises— Stockpiled emergency rations and defensive oil traps
"Let them come. This time, I'll clean my doorstep with their corpses."
Shen Li held his breath as the panel flickered.
"I've done everything I can. If this isn't enough… then I truly don't deserve to live."
[Simulation Beginning – Continued]
[You hid the new recruits inside your estate, keeping them out of sight to avoid alerting your enemies.]
[Just as you predicted, three days later, the attack came.]
[More than ten masked figures in black uniforms approached silently under the cover of night.]
[Then it began.]
[A brutal clash erupted outside your wine estate.]
[10 martial artists—each wearing black—faced off against your 27 defenders.]
[As the battle raged, you watched from your high window. It didn't take long to notice: every single one of them was trained. Not common thugs.]
[Your heart sank.]
[One figure, in particular, stood out—faster, stronger, and more refined than the rest. His strikes sent even Grade-3 martial artists flying backward, even when blocked.]
[Despite fierce resistance, the black-clad attackers won.]
[Six of your Grade-3 guards died.Twelve common fighters were cut down.The remaining guards began to retreat in panic.]
[Only four of your men remained from their group.]
[You fled back into the house.]
[The masked killers followed.]
[But you were ready.]
[As the first attacker kicked in the door, a trap was triggered—a pot of boiling oil rained from above.]
[The man screamed as the oil drenched him. There was nowhere to run—every exit was blocked.He died in agony.]
[The splash burned two others, but the worst of it had hit the lead man.]
[They advanced anyway.]
[You escaped into a hidden compartment.]
[But they found you.]
[This time, there was no tranquilizer. No kindness. No delay.]
[They severed your legs and dragged your bloodied body away.]
Gao Lupeng waited.
His eyes were flames. His voice—a snarl.
"Because of you… I lost a Grade-2 martial artist!"
[He didn't ask for the recipe.]
[He simply began the torment.]
[For three days, the torture continued. Blades. Fire. Hunger. Screams.]
[Only when Gao Lupeng had exhausted his rage did he speak again.]
"Give me the recipe."
[But you had learned. You knew your fate if you answered.]
[You stayed silent.]
[He resumed the torment.]
[Three months passed.]
[By the end, your arms, legs, and eyes were all gone.]
[You were crippled. Useless. Nothing more than a groaning heap of broken meat.]
[Simulation Terminated – One-Year Timeline Expired]
[Choose Your Reward:]
[Body and Cultivation at Age 17 – Tormented, Crippled, Blinded][Knowledge: Advanced trap engineering, siege delay tactics, combat evaluation, enemy movement prediction]
[Serpent's Kiss – Boiling Oil Trap, The scorched, dented iron cauldron that killed one of Gao Lupeng's most trusted warriors. Retrieved from the ashes of your ruined estate, its weight is more than metal—it's proof that even titans bleed.]