Pain.
A dull, throbbing pain in his skull. A damp chill clinging to his skin. The scent of soil and old wood filling his nostrils.
Jiang Chen groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. Where… am I?
The sky above him was not the shimmering expanse of the celestial realm, but the dim, clouded blue of a mortal world. He lay sprawled on a wooden bed in a small, dusty hut, the ceiling made of rough-hewn planks.
His body felt foreign. Weak. Mortal.
He sat up, wincing as memories flickered through his mind—fragments of golden halls, celestial scrolls, and voices condemning him. But when he tried to recall more, it was like grasping at water.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door creaking open.
An old man stepped inside, his back slightly hunched, his face lined with the wrinkles of a hard life. He wore simple robes, his white beard neatly combed.
"Ah, you're finally awake," the old man said, setting down a clay bowl of warm broth. "I found you unconscious near the forest. You must have been caught in that storm last night."
Jiang Chen blinked. A storm? No, that wasn't right. He had fallen from the heavens. Yet… his memories were tangled.
"I see. Thank you for your kindness," he said, instinctively falling into the practiced politeness of his celestial past.
The old man chuckled. "You speak like a scholar. Not often I see someone with your bearing around these parts. What's your name, young man?"
Jiang Chen hesitated. My name…?
For a brief moment, he considered using an alias. But something in him rejected the idea.
"Jiang Chen."
The name rolled off his tongue naturally. It felt right.
The old man nodded. "A good name. I am Elder Shu. Welcome to Falling Lotus Village."
Jiang Chen glanced around the small room again. Falling Lotus Village… a place that did not exist in celestial records. A truly remote corner of the world.
"Tell me, Jiang Chen," Elder Shu continued, stroking his beard. "Do you have anywhere to go?"
Jiang Chen's gaze lowered. No. He had no sect, no home, no celestial realm to return to. He was truly… mortal.
"No," he admitted.
Elder Shu smiled. "Then stay here for a while. Our village is peaceful, but we could use someone of your wisdom. You may find yourself at home here."
Home? Jiang Chen wasn't sure what that meant anymore.
But for now, he had nowhere else to be.