What the devil? Xie Ling looked around desperately for an answer. He wanted something, anything, to make sense of this strange reality that he was experiencing. Nothing about this was normal. People generally did not tend to find themselves in a strange new world when seconds ago, they were getting ready to take a peaceful nap. Who was playing this silly game on him?
He was now in a bedroom as ancient as ancient could be. The room's furnishings were obviously from some time during the Qing dynasty. The walls were made o reddish-brown wood scraped and polished to perfection. The majority of the walls' surfaces were covered by silk curtains with a pinkish hue that was closer to coral than anything else. On parts of the walls that the curtains did not cover, there were inscriptions, mostly of short admonitions or affirmations.
Xie Ling wished he'd paid attention to the page right before Chapter One where the writer had written the time period in italics. He'd skimmed it and now he could no longer remember.
He was seated on the rectangular bed, surrounded by curtains that were similar in style and color to the ones surrounding the walls. The bedding was soft and comfortable, made of silk, and he couldn't help but sink into it. Whoever made these sheets really had it made. As he felt his muscles relax and release all the knots tightening up all over him, Xie Ling wondered if perhaps this could all be easy.
[Hello there. It is the system again.]
What now? Am I not allowed to rest? And who are you anyway? How come I can hear you but I cannot see you?
[I believe I have informed you multiple times that I am the system ensuring the consistency of the laws of this universe. You cannot see me because I am the omniscient and omnipresent soul of this universe. You need not see me to feel me. And as for your desire to rest, no, you are not allowed to rest.]
Xie Ling leaped up from the bed.
Okay, okay, that is going to be a bit of a problem for us. I CANNOT do without my rest. I am literally the master of laziness. I need adequate rest or I will not be able to function.
[I am afraid Master of Laziness is a title you will have to leave to your old self if you want to survive this. The old Xie Ling is the one who had nothing to do. The New Xie Ling has missions and you will not achieve them by resting. Remember, to keep your life force, you must work for your heart crystals.]
In his old life, Xie Ling had created a reputation for himself. For as long as he had been old enough to understand human interactions at its most primal level, Xie Ling had understood the concept of reputation and how it was almost always up to other people to create the concept of what someone else was like. Who you were was what other people saw you as. Because of this, he had watched so many people around him pretend to be someone they were not just so they could have the approval of other people. Perhaps the biggest manifestation of this dynamic to Xie Ling was in the workplace. He had noticed for a long time how people would often pretend to be okay with doing more work just so they would be perceived as hardworking, meanwhile, all that extra effort drove them madder than a wicked king. He had made his mind up to be as lazy as he wished, doing only the bare minimum that was expected of him. This way of life had been perfect for him and he had suffered absolutely no hiccups living like this, until now.
But Xie Ling knew he could not keep living like this. Although all of this still felt very surreal, he knew that his survival was dependent on his ability to go with the flow and see how things would unfold. He was in a completely different world, with new rules and new dangers. The old Xie Ling would never have been able to handle this situation, but the new Xie Ling had to step up to the challenge.
Fine. What do I need to do?
[Very well. I believe that you remember the first few chapters. Zhang Wei's training in the courtyard and your disdainful critique of their instant connection as 'rushed and juvenile'. It is now your responsibility that this meeting is pristine but there is one catch. You are not allowed to talk to Zhang Wei directly. If you do, you will lose 20 points.]
What? How is that even possible?
[Good luck and enjoy yourself.]
Xie Ling wanted to say something to this annoying robotic voice, something biting and profane, but if it was as omniscient as it claimed it was, then it already knew the things Xie Ling was thinking so no need to waste the energy he did not have.
With all the strength that he could muster, Xie Ling got up from the bed and walked toward the window. Outside the wooden window was a direct view of the courtyard and all of its inhabitants. Xie Ling could see them - so many of the characters and beings brought to life through nothing more than words painting perfect pictures. He could see Jiang Yan, beautiful and graceful as an omega female Celestial Phoenix could be. He recognized her from the thick plaits of her coal dark hair, her small round face, and the fact that she was filling the cup of the fierce-looking man who, Xie Ling was sure, was none other than Jiang Ming, the Celestial Phoenix Sect leader and a powerful alpha male.
While reading the first few pages, Xie Ling had found it frustrating how the writer had been so minimal about the details of the looks of characters other than Zhang Wei but now that they were in front of him, he had the chance to appreciate them for himself.
Jiang Ming was perhaps the most powerful-looking man Xie Ling had ever seen. His set jaw and narrowed eyes, adorned with dark eyeshadows that made him look like a warrior, looked like they belonged to a sculptor. The expression on his face with his foreheads wrinkled and his eyebrows creased, was one of utmost concentration, but the slight I turn of his lips told Xie Ling that whatever he was looking at stirred a bit of admiration in him.
Without giving him much thought, Xie Ling's eyes followed the direction of Jiang Ming's gaze and landed right on Zhang Wei who was in the middle of the courtyard making light work of some other cultivator. They were surrounded by many others, jeering at Zhang Wei's opponent and laughing as Zhang Wei fought with the minimal effort of one who was warding off a chicken. Even in the midst of a crowd, Zhang Wei and his dark hair and dangerous demeanor stuck out like a sore thumb.
As he made his way toward the door, Xie Ling passed by a tall shiny mirror and it was then that he saw his new body in this new state for the first time. Xie Ling liked his eyes; big, blue, and beautiful, they reminded him of the ocean and were a sharp contrast to the brown of his previous body. His hair was white as snow and styled over his oval head and fluffy white ears like that of a fox.
Huh? Weird. Xie Ling didn't remember looking this sexy.
"I'm too sexy for my shirt—too sexy for my shirt too sexy it hurts," Xie Ling laughed, touching his body. "Damn, this is certainly an upgrade."
His new body was lean and toned, with a defined frame that showed he was no stranger to physical activity. He was wearing a light pink robe fastened at the waist with a fuchsia pink belt. Xie Ling did not want to seem conceited but he actually admired his new form.
As he made his way outside, Xie Ling couldn't help but feel a sense of nervousness in the pit of his stomach. He still could not believe or fully understand how it came to be that he was here in this body and in this new world. He had to be careful of his every move and word, for they could have consequences beyond his imagination.
Like death by ten thousand cuts.
Or even worse forced to rewatch Keeping Up with the Kardashians on repeat!
Xie Ling shuddered at that. No matter what he'd need to be smart. Cunning. He'd need to think ten steps ahead and be ready for anything. But he didn't know anything about this world or why he was in it. And he had no clue how to get out of it. Xie Ling groaned aloud, wishing the ground would swallow him whole.
Judging by the context, he'd be lucky to make it out of this dumpster-fire alive.