After walking for a while, Lin Fang's eyes caught sight of a small cave nestled between some rocks. Its entrance was narrow, so tight that he had to question whether he'd even fit through it.
"Well, this looks cosy," he muttered with a raised eyebrow, approaching it cautiously.
He glanced around, scanning the area for any signs of danger. He wasn't sure if the cave was some random monster's nest.
Satisfied that nothing was lurking nearby, he crouched low and slipped through the tight opening.
Inside, the space expanded dramatically, surprising him. What looked like a cramped hole from the outside turned out to be a decently-sized cavern. The walls curved smoothly, and the ceiling arched high enough that he could stand upright without feeling claustrophobic.
"It's quite wide here," Lin Fang muttered, his voice echoing faintly.
He walked further in, his footsteps making a crunching sound against the rocky floor. The air was cold, with some dampness, but it was far better than being exposed outside.
As he was about to take a seat and relax, a thought struck him. The sun was setting quickly, and it wouldn't be long before the cave plunged into complete darkness. The idea of sitting in pitch blackness, with only the sound of his own breathing for the company in a random cave, sent a small shiver down his spine.
"Not happening," Lin Fang muttered, shaking his head.
Lin Fang glanced around the cavern again, his mind quickly running through possible solutions. If he could light a small fire inside, it would provide enough light to keep things manageable without drawing unnecessary attention.
"I'll need wood," he said to himself, nodding as he stood.
Lin Fang reasoned that if he kept the fire deeper inside the cave, the light wouldn't escape through the entrance and attract unwanted attention.
"Alright, it's decided," Lin Fang said with a faint grin, already heading back toward the cave's entrance.
Once outside, he moved quickly, scanning the ground for dry branches and fallen sticks. Every so often, he'd find a thicker piece of wood or some brittle leaves and tuck them under his arm.
As he worked, Lin Fang's thoughts wandered around.
"Isn't this supposed to be a cultivator's world?" he mused, picking up a particularly sturdy branch. "Where's the fancy technique for instant campfires?"
He chuckled softly, imagining himself summoning a roaring flame with a casual snap of his fingers.
"One day," he said, stuffing another handful of twigs into his growing pile. "For now, I'll have to do with the old-fashioned way."
By the time Lin Fang returned to the cave, the sun had dipped below the horizon, and the first hints of twilight were creeping in. The darkness engulfed most of the forest.
Slipping back through the narrow entrance, Lin Fang carried his bundle of wood deeper inside the cave. He worked quickly, arranging the sticks and branches into a little pile.
"Now, let's hope this works," he muttered, focusing his qi on a single point at his fingertip. A faint glow appeared, and with a quick touch to the dry leaves at the base of the pile, a very faint flame sparked to life.
The flame slowly spread, and before long it consumed the bottom of the pile. The fire crackled softly, giving a comforting ambience in the darkness of the cave.
Lin Fang sat down cross-legged near the fire, letting out a deep breath.
"Not bad for a first night in the wild," he said to himself, his tone light. "Warmth, light, and no creepy monsters staring at me from the dark."
"Tomorrow," he muttered, his voice low and thoughtful. "I'll figure out where to go next."
For a while, Lin Fang sat quietly, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames. The light danced across his face, but his expression was distant, his thoughts elsewhere.
He let out a sigh, long and heavy, carrying with it a mix of emotions he couldn't quite untangle.
"Sigh," he muttered aloud, his voice carrying a faint tremor of regret.
"I really didn't expect my first encounter with the natives to go that badly," he said, his tone reflective. "This was a terrible start. I haven't even been here a month, and I've already killed someone."
He leaned back against the rough wall of the cave, his fingers idly tracing patterns in the dirt.
"Someone's son," he murmured softly. "Someone's brother."
He had come to this world with the simple goal of gaining immortality and exploring the unknown.
But this? Killing someone? Even if it was self-defence. Justified, necessary, inevitable—it still didn't sit right, at least not yet.
"An ethical dilemma," he said with a bitter chuckle. "Never thought I'd be having one of those."
Back on the Green Planet, Lin Fang was in a stable society. The area he lived in didn't have many crimes, and rarely did people resort to violence. So the first interaction he had with the natives, really shocked him.
"I had to do it," Lin Fang said as if trying to convince himself. "For my safety. For hers. There wasn't another choice."
Yet a small trace of guilt gnawed at him, persistent and irritating, like a thorn buried deep in his skin.
"Forget it," he said firmly, his voice cutting through the quiet. "He deserved it."
"This is the world I'm in now," he thought, his tone in his mind more decisive. "I can't afford to get bogged down in feelings every time I have to defend myself. If I do, I won't last long."
"Today, I claimed a soul, Tomorrow, fate may call for my own. Ah, the path to immortality is a weary climb."
Shaking his head with a soft smile on his face, Lin Fang got into a cultivating position, crossing his legs and closing his eyes.
He let out a slow, measured breath, focusing inward as he began to draw in the faint traces of qi from the air around him.
"Continue to practice," he murmured, his voice calm now.