Mo Dao Zu Shi | The Untamed - Male! Reader

☁️AI: CHPT FIVE☁️

<[Unedited]>

The night came quicker than expected, but that didn't bother you too much. Even when a sudden heavy rainfall began to pour, you still weren't bothered in the slightest.

During your walk, you happened to spot an old wooden building. With closer inspection it seemed like a shrine, you couldn't identify who or what it was for and the state of it gave you the assumption that no one has used it in years.
The wood on the outside of the building seemed to be rotting slightly and a sniff inside of the building confirmed this. The interior was in a complete mess, a door laid directly flat where it was supposed to be standing with large cracks, in an obvious state of forced entry.

Many items were broken, the tables, chairs, pots, and vases. Large pieces of broken wood scattered around the building, along with blank and marked talismans. One of the tables looks to be that of an offering altar, a cracked bowl with rotting fruits and a small box deprived of anything inside, it was without a doubt ransacked.

The rotting fruits could also be a cause for the unpleasant stench within.

It was obvious that you weren't likely to find anything useful, but that didn't matter too much. A roof over your head is exactly what you needed, you didn't feel hungry or thirsty so it didn't take top priority.
You began to pick up the broken pieces of pottery and wood, making sure to collect all the small pieces to avoid having them lodged in your feet, which were already dirtied and injured. You quickly disposed of it around the side of the shrine.

As the hours passed the shrine began to look better and better, you managed to find some very old-looking items, one of those items was a broom. Instead of the modern version you were used to, this one was a large stick with straw, bound together with a thin yet sturdy rope. It felt so relieving as you no longer needed to risk using your hands.
The wooden tables had their legs fixed with some rope, the rotten fruits were removed and thrown away. It was beginning to look like a proper shrine, although you never found anything that could help you identify who it was for.

An idea passed through your mind.

Since no one else is using the shrine and you plan to use it as a home, you should have the choice of who the shrine is for.. right?

You shook your head, not now. You still have so much to clean and fix up before you can even think about dedicating this building to someone.
A glance around the home gave a small feeling of pride, it was in a much happier state than how you found it. However, there was one thing that annoyed you.

You stare down at the wooden floor. Two pieces of wood were extremely lighter than the rest, they previously had been buried under all the junk but now as the place was somewhat tidied, it stuck out.
It honestly killed you a bit inside, crouching down to the boards you examined them, perhaps they were used to separate something. Or maybe the wood was painted, though it seemed very unlikely.

You could feel your inner child begging to pull it up, just to see if there was something underneath. The inner child won, you place both hands on the board and lightly push down. It wobbled.
Your eyes widened and a small trace of excitement filled your body. Eagerly wanting to pull it up you use your nails and fingertips to try and wedge it open.

Slipping your fingertips between the crack of the floor you slowly pull up, unfortunately it slipped back down. So you tried again, then again, and again.
The failed attempts meant nothing to you, instead this time when you slipped your fingers in, you angled them upwards while pulling up.

Success!

With the odd coloured wood in your hands, you place it just to the side of you. You prepared yourself to find nothing but dirt, but you could feel an internal squeal when that wasn't the case.
A large wooden box is placed on its side, just below the open floor. You grabbed the dirtied box and pulled it up, the floor you had finished tidying up now had a pile of rich brown soil.

Of course, you wanted to open the box but something about it felt weird. You almost felt like it was meant for you to find it, but that wouldn't be the case. It shouldn't be the case. You weren't meant to be here, this isn't your home nor your world to be in.

Why is this sinking in now?

"Agh" You groaned as your thoughts began to torment you. You sat staring at the box while you think, 'If I wasn't meant to be here... Then why am I?'

'Why am I about to go chasing down someone who won't even understand my situation?' You look down at the hole in the floor, 'Why should I-'

"Because I can!" The sudden shout shocked even you, a small part of you that had been tucked away since the journey here, finally spoke out.
While most of you were in shambles on 'how's, 'why's, and 'what's, a part of you already knew the answer.

Because you can. This is what you want to do and who the actual hell can stop you? Only yourself.
It felt like a wave of relief washed over you like the blade that was holding you, hostage, was finally removed. A new spark emerged and your excitement had begun.

You smile and look over at the box, "Fuck you!". With a harsh kick, the box cracked open, taking a look inside there were various items.

You pulled out several beautiful robes, shoes, and hairpieces. There were books of all different sizes and styles, some about demons, monsters, and whatever a Yao was, others about cultivating, swords, farming, and clans. They were going to be useful.

A few more things remained in the box, a beautiful sheathed sword, a large embroidered quilt, and a small pale blue pouch.
You take a peek inside the pouch which contains a singular note, pull it out, and unfold it. The writing was very neat, it was really beautiful to look at.

Dear finder,

I will keep this short and sweet, this bag is a gift from the gods. Passed down from each generation of my family, it is now in my possession.
This bag can give you anything you need at any time but be warned it hates greed.

My family line has become far too greedy for such a gift, including me. I shall be hiding it away and I can only hope the new owner can restore balance to this world by using the gift as it is intended.

- Tīan Kuò

You felt remorseful, it was unbelievably hard to find honesty in the world. The amount of times people lied to your face, deceit was always for something they wanted. But never needed.

You never lied to get what you wanted, but you will admit you were a bit greedy.

With a soft sigh, you kept the note in the bag and placed it in your robe by your chest. You appreciated the honesty and only had complete respect for this man.
You could only hope he wasn't here when this break-in happened.

———

You stared at the ceiling while the rain harshly tapped against the roof, it was your second night and you couldn't sleep.
After a day of walking, cleaning, and exploring through the belongings, you expected to be exhausted. So, why weren't you?

It was too dark to do anything, you don't remember seeing anything that could act like a match and frankly, you didn't want to burn this place down, especially as it's all you have.

You sat up and leaned your back against the wall, despite all better judgment you felt like meditating. You remain silent for a moment, before shuffling into position and preparing to enter the beautiful starry void.