Chapter 95

The sky was overcast with dark clouds, blocking the sun and casting a dim, yellowish light. In the distance, an endless expanse of farmland stretched out, with a few houses, their lights on, scattered sparsely across the vast fields.

A two-story house stood alone on a small hill. The front door was half-open, and a stark blood trail extended from the doorway, drawing a long, red line that stained the soil, rocks, and grass as it stretched into the distance.

Inside the house was a large living room of about thirty square meters. All the furniture, including chairs and tables, was piled against the walls, leaving the center of the room empty.

On the smooth floor, a massive alchemical array was drawn, filled with strange symbols. However, these symbols, which were usually full of mysterious beauty, were now covered by a large pool of blood.

A grotesque, unrecognizable creature lay motionless at the center of the alchemical array. It had arms, legs, and a head, but all were twisted and broken, like a doll crudely stitched together.

Outside the house, the wind howled. Inside, the room was deathly silent, with the strange corpse lying in the center, creating an eerie and terrifying atmosphere.

Suddenly, the alchemical array, which should have been inactive, emitted a red glow. A gap opened at the center of the array, and a translucent, crystalline sphere flew out, plunging into the broken corpse in the room.

Sizzle!

The red light intensified, enveloping the entire corpse. The corpse began to twitch strangely, and a bizarre black hole seemed to form at the head. The body began to shrink towards the head from all directions.

An adult quickly shrank to the size of a seven- or eight-year-old child. As the body shrank, the twisted limbs and broken skin began to heal and align. When the transformation was complete, the broken corpse had disappeared, and a seven- or eight-year-old boy lay at the center of the alchemical array, his golden hair still shining brightly even in the dimly lit hall.

At the moment his body shattered, Su Zhong was overwhelmed by intense pain and fell into a semi-comatose state. He could only be dragged along by the Boundary Pearl. He saw a sky filled with purple lightning, sensing the malevolent intent within. Su Zhong guessed that this was the anger of the entire ninja world, a manifestation of the world's fundamental rules.

He knew the source of this anger. The Boundary Pearl had absorbed the Ten-Tails, the very essence of the ninja world, a clear embodiment of the world's fundamental rules. After being forcibly taken by the Boundary Pearl, the world was almost destroyed. It would take an unknown amount of time to evolve back to this level.

The final act of the Boundary Pearl was not theft but outright plunder. How could it not anger the world?

Fortunately, he had the Boundary Pearl to protect him; otherwise, his soul would have been torn apart by the lightning. After that, he drifted in the void, remaining in a dazed, half-awake state.

Su Zhong felt that this was due to the weakness of his soul. The last time he crossed worlds, he had no consciousness at all, but this time, although he was dazed, he had made some progress.

After an unknown amount of time, he felt a long-lost warmth, and Su Zhong knew he had finally found a new body.

The body is indeed the dwelling place of the soul!

However, before he could react, intense pain overwhelmed him, and Su Zhong, already on the edge of unconsciousness, finally passed out.

Just before he lost consciousness, he heard a gasp.

He felt a slight comfort: "At least someone noticed. It's better than being unconscious in the wilderness with no one to care."

...

Half a month later, Su Zhong opened his eyes. The sunlight in the room made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

He raised his hand to shield his eyes, and after a while, the light no longer felt刺目. Seeing the thin, small arm in front of him, Su Zhong felt a bit helpless. Was he a child again?

He sat up, and intense pain shot through his body. Even this small movement caused him great suffering.

Su Zhong frowned. "This body is too weak."

In the Fire Shadow world, he had practiced hard qi gong, making his body incredibly strong. A stone hitting his head would turn to powder, leaving no damage to his forehead. Now, even a slight movement caused him unbearable pain.

The room was quite simple. A large bed was in the center, a wardrobe on the left, and a desk and chair by the window on the right. There was nothing else.

Struggling to sit up, Su Zhong walked to the window and looked out. A green pasture stretched before him, with few buildings and a wide, open view.

Su Zhong's depressed mood eased. This environment was completely different from the ninja world. The natural environment in the Fire Shadow world was good, but it always felt cramped and crowded.

Although the pasture was monotonous, the vast sky and open fields made his heart feel broad and his mood cheerful.

The door creaked open, and a seven- or eight-year-old girl stood at the entrance, holding a tray with a bowl of medicine. She looked at Su Zhong with surprise.

"You... you're awake." The girl asked timidly.

Su Zhong smiled gently and nodded without speaking.

"You... wait, I'll go call grandma!" She ran out, the tray in her hands, and soon her clear voice could be heard outside.

Su Zhong's smile faded. He felt something was wrong.

"She seems to be afraid of me?"

Soon, a series of quick footsteps sounded, and a short, old lady entered the room, holding a wrench. Her face was full of wrinkles, and her eyes were filled with tension and caution.

"What are you?" she demanded.

Su Zhong frowned. "Thing? That's not a good name."

The old lady's tension increased as she saw Su Zhong frown. She held the wrench tightly, and the girl behind her shrank back even further.

"Ma'am, there must be some misunderstanding. There's no need to be nervous. I'm so injured; what can I do?" Su Zhong said as gently as possible.

The old lady was unmoved. "Speak quickly, who are you!"

"Grandma Pinako, he probably doesn't know who he is," a weak voice said from the doorway. Su Zhong saw a large armored figure and a boy in a wheelchair.

A strange sense of familiarity rose in Su Zhong's mind.

"Are these the Elric brothers, the Steel Alchemists?"

...

After the explanation, Su Zhong understood their tension. Compared to being reborn in another world or possessing a corpse, his identity in this world was even more bizarre. He had become a failed alchemical experiment by the Elric brothers.

They had intended to resurrect their mother, but instead, they created him.

Su Zhong's face showed a thoughtful expression. "So, I am a person you created. Does that mean I am a homunculus?"

Edward's face was still full of complexity. Although he was only eight years old, he was precocious and mature beyond his years.

"Probably. Pinako has had you examined. The doctor said that apart from being weak, there's nothing wrong with your body. In other words, your body is basically the same as a human's. I just don't know where your soul comes from."

Su Zhong looked at Edward and said, "In my memory, I have many names, and I don't know which one is me."

Edward pondered. "That means your soul isn't from one person but is likely a composite of many souls or a soul created by accident?"

He didn't understand what was happening. Looking at Su Zhong, who bore a slight resemblance to him, Edward's expression kept changing.

Su Zhong naturally wouldn't tell him his origin. He had several names, but they were all his. It was better not to clarify this.

"Why do you look so much like Edward?" the girl, Wendy, asked curiously.

After the initial fear, she quickly became lively again.

Su Zhong touched his face and looked at the armored Edward, who had lost an arm and a leg.

"It's probably because of our blood. The initial information and the structure of his body came from our blood, so we look similar."

"Does that mean he's your brother?" Wendy asked, her face full of surprise.

Edward lowered his head and said nothing. His brother had lost his body, and he himself was a cripple. They had failed to resurrect their mother but gained a brother.

He resented Su Zhong but also felt a sense of familiarity, making his heart chaotic.

Pinako tapped her pipe on the table. "Alright, since you're awake, you can stay here. I've already registered you as a foster child. Officially, you're Wendy's brother, and your name is Kolen. Let's eat now."

"Why am I your brother? Shouldn't I be Edward's brother?" the girl muttered.

The clinking of cutlery sounded as everyone began to eat.

The Elric brothers had enough trouble supporting themselves, let alone a "foster child" like Su Zhong. The only way was to register Su Zhong as Pinako's adopted grandson.

Lying in bed at night, Su Zhong quickly accepted his new identity. Feeling the faint pain from his body, he frowned.

"This body is too weak. It will be a burden no matter what I do. I need to strengthen my body first, and we'll see about the rest later."

In this world, personal strength had a significant upper limit, and he had no idea how to improve it. After thinking for a long time, Su Zhong decided to put it aside for now.

...

The next morning, as the sun rose, Su Zhong instinctively opened his eyes.

He slowly got dressed, got out of bed, and after washing up, he went to the open field.

It was still early, and the surroundings were quiet. Su Zhong faced the sun and began to slowly move his body.

He tried to practice an improved version of hard qi gong but found that the flow of qi and blood was very difficult. The air seemed to lack the vibrant natural energy, and controlling the blood to nourish the body was not very effective.

However, it had some effect.

Su Zhong didn't dare to do too intense exercises and only practiced the simplest form of Tai Chi.

Using his vast mental energy to control the blood flow throughout his body, he was drenched in sweat after just half an hour.

He took a deep breath and stopped, frowning even more.

"I don't know when I can fully recover. This world... it's complicated."

...