In the spring of March, with the grass growing and the birds chirping, in a coastal city in the Eastern Continent, the weather was already heating up. Handsome men and beautiful women had already changed into the latest summer outfits.

"Ding ding ding..."

The alarm clock rang incessantly. "Chen Xuan, you're going to be late. You need to get up," urged his roommate repeatedly.

"Annoying," muttered Chen Xuan.

Yesterday was Chen Xuan's birthday. A group of friends celebrated with him, insisting on getting him drunk until he couldn't find his way home. Chen Xuan had no idea how he made it back to his rented room.

Hastily dressing, he rushed to work.

Chen Xuan, a junior employee, was very dedicated. In today's society, dedication was also a virtue.

After graduating from college, Chen Xuan entered society with big dreams. However, society wasn't what he imagined. It was selfish, competitive, and full of intrigue, turning the once innocent youth into a mature adult.

"I'm so tired. After a busy day at work, I'm finally off. I'm already twenty-five and still haven't found a partner. The one I finally met complained about my lack of money and power. Why are women so materialistic nowadays?"

Seeing couples walking hand in hand on the street, he couldn't help but sigh.

After the sigh, a thought suddenly occurred to Chen Xuan.

"Since it's the weekend today and there's still time, why not go to the flea market? Maybe I can find something good. I heard someone found Song Dynasty ceramics in the flea market recently. I wonder if it's true."

Taking the bus to the flea market, he found it crowded with people, especially on weekends, when many small traders set up stalls.

Chen Xuan squeezed into the crowd, looking left and right, searching for something he liked.

He enjoyed collecting things. Sometimes, even if he knew they were fake, if he liked them, he would buy them anyway.

He walked slowly to a small stall in the corner and looked at the items on display. Several paintings were obviously fake, including the Qingming Riverside painting. There were also a few fake jade carvings scattered on the ground.

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

Chen Xuan was drawn to a fist-sized stone among them, and he asked the shopkeeper, "Boss, what's this? Why are you selling a stone?"

"This is something I bought back from a remote village. The family was in urgent need of money, so they sold this stone. They claimed it was their family heirloom. At first, I thought they were trying to cheat me, but when I held it, it felt different. There's a cool sensation seeping into my hand," the shopkeeper explained mysteriously.

He casually picked up the stone and tried it. Indeed, there was a cool sensation flowing into his body. Chen Xuan was immediately curious.

"How much for this stone?" he asked.

"I bought this stone for three hundred yuan. It's been two years, and I still haven't sold it. If you want it, you can take it for three hundred and fifty yuan. It's useless for me to keep it anyway!" the shopkeeper said straightforwardly.

After some bargaining, Chen Xuan finally bought it for three hundred and twenty yuan. When he returned to his rented room, his roommates hadn't come back yet. After eating a simple meal, he picked up the stone he had bought today and played with it in his hand.

"What's wrong today? I've never felt so eager to buy something like I did today, as if I was afraid someone else would buy it," he shook his head. "Forget it, I've bought it anyway."

Standing under the desk lamp, he picked up the stone and examined it, trying to find some clues.

"Wait! Why does it feel like the stone is moving by itself?"

Then, the stone emitted a glaring light and flew towards Chen Xuan.

"No!" Chen Xuan shouted, but the stone still smashed hard on his head.

A wave of intense pain hit him, and Chen Xuan immediately passed out, losing consciousness!

※※※

In a delicate courtyard, a heart-wrenching scream of a woman echoed.

"Doctor, please, you must save my son!" The lady begged, sitting on the ground.

Beside her stood a man in his fifties, sighing helplessly.

"Madam, it's not that I don't want to save him, but the young master's injuries are too severe. He has seven broken ribs, his internal organs have shifted, and there's accumulated blood in his body. Unless he wakes up on his own, even a great immortal couldn't save him!"

The beautiful lady glanced towards the direction of the big bed, her voice choked with sobs, "Xuan'er, who hurt you?"

Lying on the big bed was a young boy of about thirteen or fourteen, with a pale face and closed eyes, breathing heavily, seemingly on the brink of death.

Standing beside the bed was a middle-aged man in his forties, his brows furrowed, his face gloomy. He was the heir of the Chen family, one of the three major families in Hongling Town. His son, Chen Yumu, was inexplicably attacked and seriously injured. By the time he arrived, his son was almost on the verge of death. Who could have done such a thing?

"Ling'er, go to the accounting room and get ten taels of silver for the doctor!" The lady wiped away her tears and instructed a maid.

"Master, Madam, please accept my condolences." The old man consoled them and both he and the maid left the room, leaving the lady crying softly.

Two days passed, but the young boy still had a faint breath, as if telling everyone that he was still alive. Even the old man who treated the boy found it miraculous. What kind of willpower allowed the boy to hold on until now?

"Ugh..."

The young boy lying on the big bed groaned.

"He's finally awake. Why does my body hurt so much? I can't even open my eyes. Am I blind? I remember the stone I bought flew towards me and hit me. Then I lost consciousness. Did I die? Is this the underworld? But I vaguely hear a woman's voice crying!"

"What on earth is that stone? Where am I now?"

Countless questions filled Chen Xuan's mind.

Chen Xuan kept asking himself, but he still couldn't open his eyes, and his body had no sensation.

Five days passed, and Chen Xuan finally emerged from this dark period. As soon as he opened his eyes, his head throbbed, and he passed out again. However, a thin stream of green energy, full of vitality, flowed from Chen Xuan's eyebrows and into his body, repairing his injuries.

Opening his eyes again, Chen Xuan looked bewildered, staring at the ancient and quaint buildings around him, then at himself, and thought to himself, "How did I get here, and why have I turned into a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy?"

As he looked around, he began to sort out the information in his mind. Many memories that didn't belong to him appeared in his mind. "Did I die? Did my soul transfer to someone else's body and then reborn?"