Chapter Text
Shen Yuan felt as if he were floating in water, his mind felt numb and his heart heavy. Where was he?? He tried to open his eyes only for them to flutter weakly and then stop entirely. His body felt as if he were encased in honey, slow and fatigued. Shen Yuan tried again to move, hoping he would at least be able to move a finger or two.
Distantly, he heard a chime; it almost sounded like a… notification???
With great strength and struggle Shen Yuan was finally able to open his eyes, what he saw was something that can only be described as a glowing floating screen.. Huh?? This makes no sense at ALL!! Where was he!? Is he dead!? All Shen Yuan remembers is reading the last chapter of PIDW ( which was awful!!! Who ends a story like that!?!) Shen Yuan felt enraged when the story left off on a wannabe happy ending which completely missed the mark! The story ended with Luo Binghe doing exactly what he was already doing! Finding and bedding young and beautiful maidens, while searching for precious treasures and living for eternity with all 3000+ harem members ( Which excludes all of his children, the numbers would be too great) not only that but the very last sentence of the novel was some crap like “ Although Luo Binghe has seen all the great wonders of this world, the true treasures were the companions he made along the way.”
HUHH???? What “companions”?! The ending was straight-up lazy writing!!! Who ends a stallion novel with some kindergarten shit like that!?? Who gave the author confidence to write?! Shen Yuan in his angry rambling, wasn’t entirely focused on chewing properly and unfortunately ended up choking on a meat bun, the last thing he remembered was cursing the author even in his last breath.
Now that he remembered, Shen Yuan couldn’t help but cry in his heart. Once he regained his strength he looked to the weird floating screen.
[ Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations! Good things must be said three times!]
??? WTH! What’s with this Google Translate ass voice??!
[ Hello host! Congratulations on successfully transmigrating into Proud Immortal Demon Way! ]
[ This system will help guide you in creating a more compelling and fulfilling story!]
“ HUH!? What do you mean I transmigrated into PIDW?! System?! Did I really die!?”
[ Yes, host is correct! You have passed away while choking on a piece of a bun! You were chosen for this grand opportunity because of the activation phrase “ Dumb fuck author, dumb fuck novel” ]
Sob so Shen Yuan really did die! What about his family? He hopes that they won’t grieve too much over him.. looking back at the system Shen Yuan asked “ So… what’s gonna happen now..?”
The system stayed quiet for a bit then started to speak
[ Is the host consenting to transmigration? Yes | No]
Shen Yuan stared at the yes button in deep thought, it’s not like he can go back home, so why not transmigrate into PIDW? As long as he minds his own business and doesn’t go after the harem members Shen Yuan should be fine. Nodding to himself Shen Yuan agreed “ System, I would-“
Before he could even finish his sentence Shen Yuan felt himself being violently pulled by something.
!!!
——
Shen Yuan woke up to a pounding headache, as his eyes fluttered open he was pleasantly surprised to see a bustling village, he was apparently lying on a bed of grass in a spot that was far enough to overlook a small village. Hm? This wasn’t too bad actually, Shen Yuan got up and examined himself, his arms and fingers are small, so are his legs. Is he a child!? No way!
“ Hey System! Why am I in a child’s body!? You couldn’t you at least put me in a cultivator's body instead!? “
[ …]
“ Ugh! Are you ignoring me?? Answer!” Shen yuan feeling wronged by this decided to puff his
cheeks up and stomp to the forest. As soon as he was done, Shen Yuan came to his senses, what the hell is he doing? Why is he actually behaving like a kid?
[ Host reboot failed!]
Startled by this Shen Yuan became nervous, “huh? What do you mean by " reboot failed? Did something go wrong with the transmigration?”
[ System apologies! The original goods which host ‘Shen yuan’ was supposed to transmigrate into is still alive and well! It seems that the host is too early for the original plot to commence!]
“ What! So who am I?? And how early are we into the story?! “ great now Shen Yuan was starting to panic!
[ Host had no body to transfer into so this system created one for him! The host's current body is 8 years old, the original story will start in 4 years.]
[ Host will also have mannerisms and emotional intelligence of a child until you reach a certain level. This is enforced so the host can get along with other children his age!]
Shen Yuan wanted to cry, he was some no-named NPC and he’s pretty sure he’s an orphaned child! Not only that but 4 years so so long and he’s practically a child again mentally! His heart really won’t be able to take it!
“ So what do I do now? Do I at least have a mission or something?”
[ First mission: Survive]
Sob, Sob Shen Yuan really is crying now! How is he going to survive?? He doesn’t even know where he is! As he walked deeper into the forest he finally came across a river, a clean kid is a good kid, I guess..Shen Yuan gave himself a good washing, ensuring that every part of him was clean and ( somewhat) presentable. Now it’s time to see what he looks like, he actually felt somewhat excited! Shen Yuan inched closer to the river wanting to get a good look at himself now that he’s nice and clean. He was actually pretty surprised to see his reflection, his eyes are a soft green color, long inky black hair, and pale skin, now that he’s got a good look at himself Shen Yuan realized something, the facial structure and shape are almost entirely the same as his old body! That scamming system is so lazy! His new body better he at least powerful when he’s older!
Once he was done admiring himself, Shen Yuan got redressed in those old ratty robes and took a walk towards the village, maybe someone would take pity on him and adopt him?
The village was actually quite nice, the sounds of early morning vendors trying to sell goods and the sweet smells of food made Shen Yuan feel at ease, although the more he walked the hungrier he got, looking over he seen a older woman selling steamed buns, the prices were actually pretty low! He began to walk over only to suddenly realize something, he doesn’t have any money.
How is he going to survive??? He’s hungry and has no food at all! In an instant Shen Yuan finally came to the realization that he genuinely has to learn how to survive on his own, he no longer has any parents to come and look after him nor does he have a safe place to spend the night. He really had it good back home huh…
With a sigh, Shen Yuan turned back around and ignored his grumbling stomach.
Nightfall had come far sooner than he would’ve liked, Shen Yuan was able to suppress his hunger by finding a moldy bun in the trash, thankfully it wasn’t too moldy and he was able to eat most of it. Unfortunately, now he has to figure out how he’s going to survive the night, Shen Yuan watched as various vendors started to pack their stuff, the lights were soon going to go out and he really did not want to stay when nightlife started. Finding a corner to sleep in proved to be much more difficult than he imagined, every alley he went to was already occupied by either other street rats like him or by drunks, whom he dared not go in. So he turned back around and practically begged to be with the other children but they coldly told him to fuck off.
Sob Why are kids so mean??
He did eventually find a place to stay it was on the outskirts of town although many of the homes seemed to be almost vacant, with not a single lamp or candle illuminating them.
Shen Yuan couldn’t help but think about how strange it was, the more he walked the more eerie it became. Not even the sounds of the wind could be heard, this part of town was deathly quiet.
Trying to ignore the nagging feeling of dread Shen Yuan turned the corner and found a man in a pool of blood.
!!!!
What the hell! Is he alive?! This is way too scary! Shen Yuan is still a young child he shouldn’t be seeing such scary things, ok!? He silently lit a candle in his heart and crept closer to inspect the man, after looking at him Shen yuan can tell that he was in fact alive, not only that but he suspected that the man was a cultivator! He has a beautifully white sword that was lying not too far from him, the man himself was striking too, he has long black hair and some expensive-looking green robes.
Just as Shen Yuan was going to try and slap the man awake a sound of bone-deep teeth chattering was heard, which was also followed by the strong stench of rot and decay. Smelling such a rancid scent made Shen Yuan's eyes water, what on earth is that??
He slowly got up from the cultivator’s side and tried to find the source of the smell, in his muddled mind Shen Yuan firmly believed that some street dogs may have found a dying animal somewhere and brought it back. As he walked closer to the source of the smell Shen Yuan froze, he was in PIDW… demons and ghosts were definitely a thing here, whatever this smell is.. the chance of it being something terrible is highly likely! With this newfound knowledge, the now 8-year-old slowly tried to go back to the sleeping cultivator, unfortunately he had already made too much noise. Just over a tall wooden fence the sound of teeth chattering completely stopped, at that moment all sound ceased to exist not even the wind dared to make noise. Instantly Shen Yuan felt an overwhelming sense of dread, not because of the lack of noise, but because of the sound of labored breath coming from directly above him.
Shen Yuan turned his head and craned his neck to see if someone really is there. He was met with a frightening sight, just above him was a woman’s unnaturally formed neck peaking out from behind the fence, it was twisting and turning in ways that no human can ever do. What was attached to it was a malformed head, its jaw was slacked and forced wide which caused the skin to become unnaturally sagged and tight in different places, teeth were sharp and its eyes were disfigured and wide, the more horrifying part of it was the fact that its eyes were staring directly at him.
He felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach, with a kick of adrenaline Shen Yuan instantly ran as fast as his stubby legs would take him, the distant sound of screeches and gurgling made him cry in fear. Once he made it back to the cultivator Shen Yuan found that he was still sleeping, a major decision had to be made, if Shen Yuan left right now that man would die, but if he tried to save him there was a chance both of them might die! As the screeches became louder Shen Yuan made a decision, he was going to try to save the man. Not because he wanted to be heroic or anything, but he feared that if the man were to die Shen Yuan’s conscience wouldn’t let him live. Instantly he grabbed onto the cultivator's robes and sword then began dragging him to the nearest ally. Even with adrenaline Shen Yuan was still weak, the man was too heavy! Crying out frustrated tears Shen Yuan used every ounce of strength to get them to a hiding place, with a huff Shen Yuan slumped down.
The sounds were getting louder, that.. thing was looking for them, it seems to have some intelligence since it’s looking through homes and other small places. With each passing minute, the sounds got closer, it’s sniffing them out and it will eventually find them. Shen Yuan was getting increasingly paranoid, when the hell is this man going to wake up? He had already looked at the man’s wounds and found a large bite mark on his sides, it was bleeding pretty badly when Shen Yuan first found him, but now it’s healed somewhat and the wound is already starting to close, though very slowly. Shen Yuan even tore a piece of his clothing and used it as a bandage so the man’s wound wouldn’t reopen easily. Please Mr cultivator, wake up soon!
———-
Shen Qingqiu had a less-than-ideal day, that spineless sect leader dared to call him by that name again, he’s always calling him with that disgustingly pathetic look in his eyes. How dare he, how dare he look at Shen Qingqiu with such pity, he talks to him as if he were a wild animal. Dancing around his words and not saying what Shen Qingqiu wants to hear the most, why? Why, did he not come back? He waited years for someone whom he thought was dead! In Shen Jiu’s heart, his Qi ge was already gone. So why, why was it that what felt like an eternity later did he see him again? Not as the nice gege he once knew, but someone entirely different. With nice expensive robes, a clean face, no longer the starving child that would try to stop Shen Jiu from fighting dogs for just a scrap of food. His smiling Qi ge… yes that was the person he remembered, not- whatever this person is. Not the sect leader who can’t give him a simple explanation on why, not that spineless and pitiful man who only gives him guilty looks.
Shen Jiu hates him, with every fiber in his being. If only that man were able to give him just a simple explanation- Shen Jiu would be a bit more satisfied, he would be willing to listen, but things aren’t that easy, not for that dim-witted man.
So now here he is, Shen Qingqiu is in some no-name village trying to vent out his frustrations on a ghoul he managed to track down. It was going quite well for the first half but things started to get messy the longer the night went, Shen Qingqiu was blinded by his rage, the feelings he been suppressing for the past month finally boiled over. Those looks, those comments, even his own disciples! They dare to look down on him, every single last one of those pathetic fools can roll over and kill themselves for all he cares. With anger disgustingly coiled in his core Shen Qingqiu made a grave mistake, one he would never make if he were in a different mental state. While being blinded by his rage the peak lord had failed to notice that the ghoul he was hunting was merely a distraction for the true ghoul to come out of hiding. When Shen Qingqiu finally noticed it was already too late, sharp teeth sank into delicate flesh, tearing into his side and savagely devouring a chunk of meat that it managed to rip out.
Instantly, Shen Qingqiu felt hot teeth clenching pain, blood squirting out like a waterfall dirtying his robes and thickly dropping down on the dirt floor. This isn’t good, if he gets bitten for a second time, the ghoul will kill him. Swallowing down his anger and agony the peak lord had no other choice but to run, he made sure to hit the ghoul with a couple of sword glares for safe measure and made his escape. Although he didn’t manage to get far, he lost too much blood in too little time- his head was spinning, and the world felt as if it tilted sideways, his eyesight turned black and before he knew it he passed out.
Distantly somewhere he felt light touches, soft hands held him, and a distinct feeling of his robes being pulled on ( to his displeasure). He felt as if he were floating, he knew what this feeling was, he knew it all too well from his childhood. Sooner or later he had to wake up, it could cost his survival but for some reason… Shen Jiu thought only for a moment- what if he just stayed here? It’s not like he had anything going on for him anyway, that beast was just around the corner it would soon consume him, it’s futile to try and stop it now anyway. He couldn’t even lift his sword properly even if he wanted to.
Just as Shen Qingqiu started to embrace the thought of death- he heard a voice. A sweet but distressed childlike one.
“ -cultivator!”
Hmm? Why should he care for some random kid? He has a peak full of those ungrateful brats, why should he get up from a nice daydream for him?
Sob
“Master cultivator! - get up!”
Honestly, this kid is so annoying. If he wants to live then all he has to do is leave him, it’s not that hard to abandon people.
Sob, sob
“ Master cultivator! Please get up! We’re going to die!”
…..
Like a candle being ignited, Shen qingqius eyes snapped open. With a simple swipe of his blade, the ghoul's head was lopped off in one fell swoop. It’s blood rained on them like endless tears, but this time Shen Qingqiu felt no disgust or hate. He felt somewhat calm or was it perhaps apathy? He didn’t know, turning to his side he saw a small child. A small thing no older than 10, the peak lord couldn’t help but think about how ironic it was. This child is the spitting image of him, right down to the boot, if him from a couple hours ago saw this he would’ve surely laughed and cursed the heavens for mocking him. But he didn’t, the peak lord just stared at him a while longer then turned to walk away.
The child confused and frightened didn’t know what to do, “ um-“
Shen Qingqiu turned back around and said in a strikingly calm voice “What are you just standing there for? Come.”