Chapter 00001: The Leopard of Karma
# The Leopard of Karma
Chapter 1
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 1: The Leopard of Karma
The mountain path was rugged, and he decisively abandoned his horse, following the trail of blood on the ground.
His prey was a limping mountain goat, which had briefly appeared halfway up the mountain before disappearing into the dense forest.
The sunlight couldn't penetrate the thick woods, leaving heavy shadows everywhere.
Even at noon, the dew from the previous night still clung to the myrtle berries.
The ground was covered with various leaves, and the tangled roots beneath made it easy to trip.
Tracking in such an environment was difficult, but he still managed to spot a few drops of blood on the leaves and a small tuft of fur caught on a tree trunk.
Yes, this was the right direction.
Mountain goats indeed had the habit of climbing higher when threatened.
He quickly ascended, unaware that in the shadows of the forest three zhang ahead, a pair of eyes was fixed on him with intense fury and hatred.
As he climbed over a large boulder on the ridge, he saw the mountain goat again, licking its wounded leg.
Just as he was about to draw his bow, a shadow darted toward him with the speed of light.
What was that?
Before he could even finish the thought, the creature pounced on him.
It was a massive leopard, as large as a tiger, with paws bigger than his head.
Its fur, bleached to the color of sand, looked as if it had been washed out.
The leopard opened its mouth, and a foul stench hit him.
Instinctively, he raised his arm to protect his vitals.
With a sickening crunch, the leopard's teeth pierced through his armored forearm, and he wasn't sure if it was broken.
The force of the impact sent him tumbling down the ridge.
The leopard and he rolled together, the beast tearing at him wildly.
He screamed in pain but managed to draw a dagger from his waist with his other hand, stabbing the leopard over a dozen times!
The weapon was sharp enough to cut through iron, and not only did it severely injure the leopard's internal organs, but the two stabs to its chest caused blood to spurt out, splattering all over his face.
Any creature would instinctively flee when gravely injured, but this leopard refused to give up!
It dragged him desperately, leaving a trail of blood behind.
Looking into the leopard's blood-red eyes, he realized it had gone mad.
Sand leopards shouldn't be here! Where the hell did this thing come from? It even roared at him in human speech:
"The divine bone will never be yours!"
"Let go, let go!" He was terrified, stabbing the leopard's neck three times, using all his strength to break free.
There was no way out below!
But no matter how severe its injuries, the leopard wouldn't stop.
The next moment, both of them were in freefall.
Man and leopard, entangled, plummeted into a hundred-zhang-deep abyss.
Even in its dying moments, the leopard bit down on his neck.
With a soft crack, the protective pendant hanging around his neck emitted a red light and shattered.
The last image frozen in his vision was the sight of four blood-stained fangs!
￥￥￥￥￥
"Ah—!"
He Lingchuan woke up with a start, startling everyone around him.
The maid closest to him stumbled back three steps in shock, while an unremarkable-looking man suddenly appeared from somewhere and stood by his side, scanning the surroundings: "Young Master?"
He was in an elegant hall, with two intricately painted screens depicting mountains and rivers.
In the center was a stage, where actors in elaborate costumes performed.
Below, over two hundred spectators were cracking melon seeds, sipping tea, and chatting.
All of them now looked up at him.
Yes, he was in a private box on the second floor.
The corner of the room was filled with the sweet scent of pear incense, and a silver plate nearby held grapes and honeydew melons, still glistening with water droplets.
This was a theater called "Zhai Xian Tai," not the edge of a hundred-zhang cliff.
He Lingchuan came to his senses and instinctively touched his neck: "I'm fine."
There had been four deep bite marks there, just half an inch from his carotid artery, but they had already healed, leaving fresh pink scars.
Similar scars covered his body, at least a dozen in total.
Around his neck hung a necklace.
He clearly remembered that the round protective jade pendant had shattered into eight pieces under the leopard's immense strength.
Yet, somehow, it now hung intact around his neck again.
He didn't know when he had developed the habit of absentmindedly touching it, as if there was some inexplicable connection between him and the pendant.
In the box was another young nobleman named Liu Baobao, who snapped his fingers at a servant nearby.
The servant immediately moved to the railing and called down: "The young master is awake, continue!"
The popular operas in Yuan Country were short and fast-paced, focusing on novelty and direct storytelling, without lengthy arias.
This made them appealing to the younger crowd, who treated them like stories.
Today, Zhai Xian Tai had prepared two new plays, featuring renowned actors.
However, shortly after the performance began, He Lingchuan had fallen asleep.
The next act was an intense martial arts scene, and Liu Baobao, fearing it would disturb He Lingchuan's sleep, had called for a pause.
The wait had lasted over an hour, and the audience below had begun to grumble.
Fortunately, the young master had finally woken up.
The music below resumed, and a clear male voice sang: "Now, the invincible divine ox, the guardian beast of the Western Luo Kingdom—"
He Lingchuan frowned.
This again?
He had fallen asleep listening to this play earlier, and now it was back?
Liu Baobao noticed his expression and immediately asked with a smile: "Brother He, don't you like it?"
He Lingchuan replied slowly: "It's too bland."
In truth, this was a special performance arranged by Liu Baobao, who had spent a fortune to bring this troupe from the mainland to the remote Blackwater City.
But the real VIP here was the drowsy He Lingchuan, who added: "Next time, let's go to a different theater. And don't call it 'Zhai Xian Tai.' Are immortals peaches that you can just pluck?"
Liu Baobao chuckled: "This place was originally called 'Zhai Xing Tai,' but the owner thought 'Xian' (immortal) would attract more business. You know, people want what they lack."
He Lingchuan squinted: "Oh, so Blackwater City lacks immortals?"
"No, no, Blackwater City has Lord He, and that's enough!" Liu Baobao quickly replied.
"Immortals? They're just mythical creatures from storybooks. Who needs them?"
He swiftly changed the subject: "How about we switch to Lord He's 'Ding Dao Shan'?"
"Fine."
Since his father's name had been brought up, He Lingchuan couldn't refuse.
He leaned back on the soft couch, half-closing his eyes.
The middle-aged man dismissed the surrounding servants and asked in a low voice: "Another nightmare?"
"Tch."
He Lingchuan scoffed in denial.
"No way!"
"Impossible!" He Lingchuan emphasized, leaving no room for argument.
"Uncle Hao, let's just watch the play."
Unnecessary, but fitting for his character.
Uncle Hao didn't argue and stood silently by his side.
The renowned actor's performance was impressive, and the audience below cheered.
He Lingchuan watched for a while, but his gaze soon drifted to the curling smoke from the incense burner, and he lost himself in thought.
In truth, he wasn't He Lingchuan.
The real He Lingchuan was probably gone.
He was just a nobody from another world, a replacement who had inexplicably taken over.
His daily life had been mundane—working an ordinary job at an ordinary company, earning an ordinary salary.
As a young man full of vigor, he often felt dissatisfied, but no matter how passionately he ranted in private, he always had to maintain a calm and harmonious facade in public.
Society's harsh realities had a way of molding people into the screws it needed.
With the economy in decline, his company had delayed salaries for three months, but he couldn't just quit in a blaze of glory, saying, "Screw this, I'm out!" and walk away.
How had he ended up here?
It was hard to say.
He remembered pacing back and forth in front of a restaurant that day, eventually deciding to support a street vendor in the corner.
After all, business was tough in the cold winter.
"Boss, one pancake, extra scallions, extra sauce... no eggs or meat... right, none."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a car speeding toward a little girl on the roadside.
The panicked driver only accelerated.
The tragedy was about to unfold, and without thinking, he did the bravest thing he had ever done:
He dashed forward and scooped up the girl...
Did he get hit by the car? No, not at all.
He was unharmed, returning the child to her frantic parents.
He even scolded the girl, telling her to "be more careful next time," and then turned around.
After taking just two steps, a flowerpot fell from the sky, landing squarely on his head.
And just like that, he was sent here.
When he opened his eyes again, he was in pain, lying in a bed in a room filled with antique decor.
The people around him looked relieved, and a handsome middle-aged man with tears in his eyes exclaimed excitedly: "Lingchuan, you're finally awake!"
He touched his head and realized he had become He Lingchuan, the eldest son of He Chunhua, the governor of Qiansong County in Jinzhou, Yuan Country.
(End of Chapter)