Chapter 2

Wu Pifu... he had never liked this name.

Whether it was the "mayfly" from "mayflies shaking a tree" or the homophonic "commoner," he didn't like it.

At first, he thought his parents were uneducated, but as he grew up, he realized they were both high achievers who had even started their own successful business. Such people couldn't be uneducated.

"Actually, whether it's mayflies shaking a tree or the rage of a commoner, these are the meanings behind the name I gave you. You might not understand now, but you will when you grow up."

That summer vacation, when Wu Pifu was in high school, he asked about his name, and his father answered like a riddle-maker.

Unfortunately, he wouldn't grow up...

In his junior year of college, he was diagnosed with ALS, a disease that remained incurable in the 21st century. Moreover, the onset was extremely rapid; in less than a year, he had to rely on a ventilator to breathe.

He felt he was going to die.

His parents tried everything, finding every expert they could and going to every research institution they could, but the answer was always "impossible."

In 2026, when he was 23, he was placed into cryogenic protective fluid.

"We hope you survive, even if it's in the distant future, without family, without acquaintances, without your home. We hope you survive, son, because only by living is there hope..."

When he opened his eyes again, it was 2877, after the Fourth World War...

The war between the Human Reform League and the Earth United Government had pushed the moon toward Earth and Jupiter toward the sun. The entire solar system was no longer suitable for human habitation and development. With no other choice, humanity used the strength of the entire race to build the human mothership, Gaia.

The destination: Kepler-186f.

About 500 light-years from Earth, humanity planned to reach the star system in 8,000 years. It was then that Wu Pifu was revived by the human government from a pile of discarded junk...

Wu Pifu opened his eyes abruptly. His dream had just recalled the time after he was revived, when he had to sign a contract for a maintenance worker position, which was essentially selling himself, due to the astronomical medical fees. He needed to perform maintenance work for 2,000 years in his assigned Z-117-6123 zone among Gaia’s twenty-six major zones. Only then would he be qualified to enter the United Dream World as a citizen of the human government to hibernate until 8,000 years later, when he would begin his new life on Kepler-186f.

What met his eyes was a dim, dilapidated wooden beam. The surrounding walls were gray-black and also made of wood. The room had very poor ventilation, a damp, musty smell, and almost no natural light, save for a half-covered window and an open door.

Wu Pifu moved his body slowly and found himself lying on a tattered straw mat. The mat was covered in water droplets, and his back was cold and wet.

But...

He had survived after all.

Realizing this, Wu Pifu let out a long breath.

At this moment, he was in pain everywhere, especially his broken left arm, which was in excruciating pain. Just the act of moving his body nearly made him faint from the pain.

He lay on the tattered mat for over ten seconds, slowly circulating a small amount of qi and blood, before he could barely sit up. Once he sat up, he was startled. A dark figure was standing at the door. Because the figure was backlit, he couldn't see who it was at all. His muscles tensed immediately, and blood began to seep out from his body.

The dark figure hurried toward him. Wu Pifu then saw clearly that it was a thin, small woman with earth-gray skin. From her movements and expression, she was not a Nightmare, which made him relax.

The woman was wearing a gray hemp garment with patches and holding a chipped coarse pottery bowl. She hurried to Wu Pifu’s side, crouched down, and began to examine the bloodstains on his body and the wound on his left arm.

Wu Pifu said in a hoarse voice, "Did you save me? Thank you..."

The woman didn't speak. Her complexion was gray, and Wu Pifu couldn't see clearly; he only saw her hand the bowl to him.

Wu Pifu paused for a moment, then used his right arm to lift it with effort and took the coarse pottery bowl. Looking inside, he saw half a bowl of thin porridge.

Wu Pifu was silent for a moment, then drank the thin porridge in large gulps from the big bowl. It tasted slightly sweet. His throat was already parched, and his stomach was aching with hunger. This mouthful of porridge felt like nectar. Although there was some sand and stone in the porridge, he still drank the whole bowl dry.

Only then did Wu Pifu put down the bowl and say solemnly to the woman, "I cannot repay the great kindness of saving my life. I will remember it!"

The woman pulled at the corners of her mouth as if to smile, but it was very stiff, and the smile looked somewhat rigid and awkward.

Wu Pifu then saw clearly that there was a bruise at the corner of the woman's mouth. He didn't say anything, just said to her, "I may need to stay here for a day or two. Is that convenient?"

Upon hearing this, the woman nodded first, then shook her head, but she didn't say anything.

Wu Pifu knew the woman could understand his words. Any language he spoke would be converted by the main brain into words the other party could understand. Even after the main brain’s recent permission upgrade, he could even talk to Level 1 Nightmares. So, he guessed this woman had a problem with her voice, like being a mute...

Wu Pifu stood up and walked slowly toward the door. The woman seemed to want to stop him, but she was too timid to reach out. Wu Pifu ignored her and walked to the door to look outside. Outside was a fairly spacious but somewhat dilapidated square with mud and broken stone slabs on the ground. Judging from the overall architectural structure, this seemed to be a temple. Combined with the woman's clothing, this might be a place like a nunnery.

(Is this ancient times? Baseline Reality 0.7...)

Wu Pifu was no longer a newcomer, and he had long known what Baseline Reality 0.7 meant.

Baseline Reality was the judgment standard for the dream world set by the main brain.

Baseline Reality 1.0 meant the dream world was no different from the real world, with no supernatural abilities, no historical deviations, and the geography, planets, and physical laws were exactly the same as the material world. It could even be specific to a certain person's action in a certain year. This was Baseline Reality 1.0.

Starting from 0.9, the dream world would deviate from the real world.

For example, in the early Three Kingdoms period, it wasn't Dong Zhuo entering the capital, but Ding Yuan, or Zhu Yuanzhang’s name was Niu Yuanzhang.

At the same time, special supernatural powers would begin to appear. For example, Wu Pifu’s Tiger Demon Art was obtained in a Baseline Reality 0.9 world, where it was called "National Art."

However, at Baseline Reality 0.9, there were generally no huge deviations, and the power system was not very exaggerated.

At 0.8, things like corpse-drivers and Miao poison would appear.

And Baseline Reality 0.7...

According to what he heard from his seniors, when they had the most people, they had indeed entered a Baseline Reality 0.7 world. Inside, there were things like drawing talismans, summoning ghosts, spirit possession, or Western-style holy arts, druids, and magic. At the same time, in terms of world history, the general dynasties would not change, but the specific emperors and the lifespan of the dynasties would deviate. For example, Emperor Taizu of Song did not die suddenly, or Emperor Xuanzong of Tang killed An Lushan first.

Similarly, the Nightmares in a Baseline Reality 0.7 world, even a Level 1 Nightmare, were terrifying enough to make one tremble. Their level of terror was estimated to be comparable to a Level 2 Nightmare in Baseline Reality 0.9!!

And this was an ancient dream world with Baseline Reality 0.7...

(That Level 2 Nightmare must have followed me. The time I took to enter the random dream world was less than ten seconds. That Level 2 Nightmare won't let me go. But this is Baseline Reality 0.7, so it will be greatly suppressed and weakened. It will probably become something like a fox spirit or a wandering ghost, and its eerie power will be greatly reduced.)

Wu Pifu had some calculations and ideas in his heart. He turned to the woman and said, "Don't worry, I know Buddhism has its precepts, and I will definitely not offend them. I am just hiding here for a day or two. I... have enemies chasing me. Please, Master, save me."

Upon hearing this, the woman immediately waved her hands, looking very anxious, but she couldn't say a word.

Wu Pifu could see that she didn't want to drive him away, so he nodded slightly without asking further. He squatted down at the door and took a deep breath.

Standing on a stake!

The Tiger Demon Art naturally had a mature training method.

The Tiger Demon Art Wu Pifu obtained was a complete set, not something with half passed down and half kept. It included training methods, nourishing methods, and fighting methods, all complete. At this moment, he was using the "Quiet Tiger Squatting Stake" from the nourishing methods to mobilize qi and blood to repair the injuries in his body.

In the national art system, there is a saying: "If you practice martial arts without practicing the internal arts, you will end up with nothing in your old age." This "internal art" is actually the nourishing method.

Wu Pifu’s national art was obtained from the reward options for his first Level 1 sanctuary. It was a complete set of techniques, so naturally, there were no drawbacks like "secret techniques passed to sons but not daughters."

Let alone the ancients, even modern people in the 21st century, and even new-era humans in 2877, would not pass on all their learning or insights to outsiders. Public learning is one thing, and family learning is another. Therefore, many people who learn national arts cannot learn the most critical nourishing methods.

National art is a technique for killing, and it is actually quite different from martial arts. It emphasizes being able to "defeat a nation when the enemy is within reach," and "killing as soon as you move." The saying "killing like mowing grass" describes national arts.

This is a fighting technique that mobilizes the body’s explosive power and potential. It emphasizes explosive damage, so it causes great damage to the human body itself. It’s not noticeable when you are young and vigorous, and you only feel strong, but once the body’s functions begin to age, these hidden injuries will erupt. If you are not careful, you might even die suddenly in your prime.

Without nourishing methods, those who practice national arts often age and die early.

As Wu Pifu stood in the Quiet Tiger Squatting Stake, it was difficult at first, and mobilizing qi and blood was also extremely difficult. But as he gradually got into the practice, qi and blood were mobilized from the dantian. Moreover, he had just drunk half a bowl of thin porridge; although the food was scarce, it could be converted into energy for his body.

Gradually, his breathing began to steady, and his complexion improved from pale. However, after standing for only a moment, his stomach began to growl.

National arts require nourishment most of all. Half a bowl of thin porridge was simply not enough to support his body’s recovery.

The mute nun had been watching him squatting and standing. When she heard his stomach growl, she was stunned for a moment, then showed an awkward expression. However, after the awkwardness, she walked lightly toward a building in the distance of the square.

Wu Pifu was filled with distracting thoughts. The Tiger Demon Art does not require meditation; the more distracting thoughts in his mind, the better. So he didn't notice the mute nun walking away.

After an unknown amount of time, he finally came back to his senses from the Quiet Tiger Squatting Stake. By now, the sky was dim, and the mute nun was nowhere to be seen. Only a steamed bun sat on the windowsill behind him.

Wu Pifu was silent for a moment, then picked up the steamed bun and began to eat it in large bites.

Wu Pifu didn't plan to continue practicing. Too much is as bad as too little, especially since he lacked high-calorie and high-nutrient food. He prepared to go to sleep. Tomorrow morning, he would go to investigate this world, confirm which dynasty it was, what the location was, whether there had been any turmoil in recent history, and see if he could get some gold and silver money. Whether he needed to buy medicine and food or repay the kindness of saving his life, money was essential.

Just as Wu Pifu lay down on the tattered straw mat with his clothes on, he suddenly heard noise and commotion in the square in the distance.

He didn't get up, but mobilized his qi and blood to his ears. The noisy sounds in the distance gradually became clear.

It was actually the sound of men. A nunnery, and the sound of men at night?

Teasing, flattery, scolding, panting...

Wu Pifu suddenly understood what this place was.

A "Covert Nunnery."

(End of chapter)