Tang San’s eyes snapped open to a canopy of coarse linen above a narrow cot. The faint reek of cheap lamp oil and unwashed bodies clung to the air. He lay still, letting the fragmented memories of the original occupant wash over him like warm, murky water. A weak-willed youth, bullied and beaten, with only a vague dream of becoming a soul master. But beneath that surface, Tang San found something far more interesting.
The boy’s memories were laced with glimpses—furtive, stolen sights of the women around him. A servant girl bending over a washbasin, the curve of her neck exposed. A noblewoman’s hips swaying through the marketplace, her silks clinging to every contour. The original Tang San had been too timid to act, but his eyes had been hungry. And now, with the soul of a man who had lived once before, that hunger had a sharper edge.
He sat up slowly, rolling his shoulders. His new body was small, but the foundation of spirit power already hummed within him. The Blue Silver Grass—pathetic in the eyes of others—was already a tool in his mind. Every plant had its uses. Every person had their weaknesses. And in this world, from what he could piece together, the carnal appetites of the powerful were no secret.
The original’s memories had shown him visions: a noble’s soirée where drinks flowed and hands wandered freely; a wandering soul master who boasted of the beauties he’d tasted in every city. This Douluo Continent was a place of raw strength and raw desire. The strong took what they wanted, and the weak were merely playthings waiting to be claimed.
Tang San’s lips curled. He liked this world already.
---
Morning light filtered through the grimy windows of Notting Junior Soul Master Academy. Tang San moved through the courtyard with the careful, unobtrusive steps of a predator learning its territory. Students milled about—some practicing soul skills, others idling in clusters. His gaze swept over them, cataloging, evaluating.
Then he saw her.
A girl with a long, silken ponytail sat on a low stone bench beneath a withered tree. Her legs were crossed, one foot swinging idly, and she was laughing at something a classmate had said. The sound was light, musical, like wind chimes in a gentle breeze. Her features were delicate, her skin fair, her expression open and innocent as a morning sky.
Xiao Wu.
The name surfaced in his borrowed memories. A transfer student like him, but she’d arrived earlier and already charmed the teachers with her gentle nature and exceptional talent. Soft-spoken, helpful, always smiling. The perfect image of a virtuous young lady.
Tang San watched her from the shadows of a pillar. His heart beat a slow, steady rhythm. There was something about the way she tilted her head, the slight arch of her back as she stretched—every movement seemed designed to draw the eye, to tease. And yet, her eyes held a guileless shimmer that made him wonder.
Innocent? Or a mask worn so well even she believed it?
Either way, the sight of her stirred something deep in his gut. A familiar heat, honed over a past lifetime of calculated pleasures and hidden perversions. He wanted to taste that innocence, to peel it back layer by layer and see what whispered beneath.
“Xiao Wu,” he murmured, testing the name on his tongue.
She glanced up, as if sensing his gaze, and their eyes met for the briefest moment. She smiled, a polite, friendly curve of her lips, then turned back to her friend. But Tang San noticed the faintest flicker in her eyes—a spark of awareness, perhaps even recognition. A rabbit sensing a fox.
His smile widened, thin and knowing.
---
That night, alone in his dormitory, Tang San sat cross-legged on his cot with a flickering candle beside him. The room was silent, the other boys asleep. He closed his eyes and let his spirit power circulate, feeling the flow of soul energy through his meridians.
In his past life, he had been a man of many talents. Martial arts, medicine, alchemy—but also a student of the human body in ways that went beyond combat. He knew where the nerves clustered, where pressure could bring pain or pleasure. Now, with soul power as an additional factor, the possibilities expanded exponentially.
He placed a fingertip on his own wrist, focusing a thread of Blue Silver Grass energy into the point. A mild tingle spread up his arm. He adjusted the intensity, the angle, the rotation of the soul power. The tingle sharpened, then softened into a warm, diffuse pleasure. Interesting.
He spent the next hours mapping his own body, noting every sensitive point, every reaction. The base of the skull, the inner elbow, the dip of the lower back, the crease of the thigh. Some points responded to light, brushing flows of soul power; others needed a firmer, concentrated pulse.
By the time the candle guttered out, his mind was racing with experiments yet to be performed. He thought of Xiao Wu’s slender waist, her long, supple legs. He imagined trailing a finger along that spine, teasing a stream of soul power into those hidden points, watching her gasp, her composure shattering.
But he would be patient. A hunter does not rush the trap. He would first observe, learn, and then, when the time was right, he would test his theories. Not just on Xiao Wu, but on every woman who crossed his path.
This world was ripe for the taking. And Tang San intended to taste every fruit it had to offer.
He lay back on his cot, the darkness a canvas for his fantasies. His desire, awakened and ravenous, filled the silence with a promise—a promise of pleasure, of conquest, of absolute, shameless indulgence.