"Okay…. don't freak out… don't freak out. This is only a Chinese Isekai world after all, and… it's not like I haven't heard from my xianxia reading neighbors about how brutal these kinds of places are." Ren mumbles to himself while freaking the f*** out.
Ren paces about the storeroom while his mind races to recall everything he knows about Chinese Isekai stories despite not being a fan, seeing as how he isn't actually Chinese. It's a quick race, but none of the news he recalls is pleasing. Though they might use flowery language from what he remembers, most Chinese Isekai worlds tend to take the notion of "The Bigger Fist is King" to an extreme that most normal Isekai mangaka artists wouldn't normally go anywhere near.
"Wait…. that loli Confucius did say she gave me some type of cheat…. then maybe…" Ren pondered, "Status window, open!!!"
If a sound could be heard at this moment, then it would be a cricket awkwardly rubbing its legs .
"I should have known that wasn't going to work…. but…. even when I do figure out how to use my cheat, I shouldn't stupidly assume I'll luck into a series of convenient power-ups and a harem of beautiful women….. this is real life after all."
Ren buries his face in the palms of his hands to help cope with his current situation, even if only by a little, however, simultaneously he quickly realizes something isn't right in Denmark.
"Oh shit, I'm a child!"
Ren moves his hands away from his face only to indeed confirm they're smaller than he remembers. Now that he thinks about it, he also noticed how all the random objects seemed gigantic to him, but he dismissed it over the Chinese cultural elements.
"Okay…. okay…. time to see what I look like." Ren thought as he took a deep breath.
Unfortunately, there weren't any mirrors or reflective surfaces in this particular storeroom so Ren couldn't verify what he looked like, however, he could tell he had black hair and was wearing some heavily worn robes. They looked like they were fancy when they were first fashioned, but Ren was never an expert in clothes, so he couldn't tell exactly how fancy.
"Okay…. no fancy patterns, soooo I'm guessing….. servant of a poor family. Oh, please please pleeeeease let this be a close-knit family after suffering from hardship." Ren mumbled as he desperately prayed to whatever gods exist in this world.
It was at that moment Ren realized he didn't know anything about this body's previous owner. What would he do if he goes outside and someone recognizes him? The best case is he gets locked up in the closest equivalent to the loony bin this world has, and the worst case he gets executed for being some type of demon if not a spy.
"Okay... it happens a few times in normal manga too, but if I'm remembering what I know of Chinese Isekai novels correctly... a flood of information should rush into my head by thinking about this body's iden-"
The door to the storeroom was slammed open before Ren could finish his train of thought.
"As expected, you didn't have the guts to escape you damn worthless, insignificant servant."
The person standing in the doorway was who Ren would later learn was Madam Ye. She only had above average looks, but dressed and wore makeup like someone clearly trying too hard to look seductive without dressing seductively.
"Oh than-"
"I don't recall giving a servant the right to speak!" Madam Ye yelled as she slapped Ren across the face.
"Wha-"
Madam Ye then proceeds to pick Ren up of the floor and summarily beat him.
"Ow…ow…. but I didn't… ow…. do anything wrong!" Ren exclaimed as he started to cry.
Why wouldn't he cry in this situation? Ren is just an ordinary teen who grew up in peaceful Japan, and not some lone-wolf assassin who extorted money out of his master for toilet paper after feeding him laxatives.
"F***, you have the gall to say you've done nothing wrong?" Madam Ye yells, "A lowly slave not only dares to run away but also humiliates the crown prince by knocking him into a mud puddle while doing so!!!"
Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao shall appear. Ren was worried about the violation of human rights that occur in Chinese Isekai stories, and now he finds himself in the middle of one such scenario
"F***, exactly how stupid could this body's previous owner be?!!" Ren pondered.
In some novels, as well as history in reality merely touching a prince's clothes without permission is enough of a reason to be executed, of which is a fact Ren is well aware of.
"Wang Bing Long, you dare not to answer me?!"
Madam Ye continues to beat up Ren; however, she chooses not to hit his face beyond the initial slap and concentrates on performing body shots. Furthermore, it may simply be to avoid damaging her hands, but… nor does Madam Ye put anywhere near her full strength behind each blow.
"Ahem."
A 3rd person…. a man to be specific reveals his presence outside and outside the storeroom and out of sight by coughing. This did get Madam Ye to stop beating on Ren, whom was then dropped to the floor.
"I hope you'll enjoy what is any sleep you're able to get tonight."
As Madam Ye left the storeroom and closed the door behind her, Ren laid collapsed on the floor with his vision starting to slowly blur and darken.
"Has the situation been arranged as requested?"
"Of course…. guard patrols for the graveyard shift within the Jade Wind courtyard have been altered ever so slightly to make things easier for you."
Excellent…. anyone who dares humiliate the crown prince deserves death. This will remain true whether the guilty party is a prince or a pauper."
"But…. why not kill him now? It would be easy for someone at your cultivation level, and I'm certainly not going to stop you."
"Fool, even if you are willing to keep a secret, and I was willing to do the deed now… do you really think the guards won't mention seeing us talk here under the threat of torture?" the unknown man said in an admonishing tone.
"Ah forgive my stupidity…. I come from a family of generals, not assassins."
"No matter…. but I can't be away from the crown prince for long, so I'll be leaving now."
Ren could hear everything they just said thanks to Madam Ye, and this unknown person had completely forgotten about his existence. He may not comprehend every word due to the shock of his beating, but Ren will remember every word.
"F*** that's some convenient exposition, but….. I'll remember this you, b***. What was it that those Chinese Isekai protagonists would say? Usually... something like…. 'Repay enmity…. with 10 times the wrath given to you.'" Ren thought as he finally faded into unconsciousness.
But little did Ren know that he had jumped from the frying pan that was reality into the fire that is his subconscious.
"Am I…. am I dead already?" Ren mumbled as he opened his eyes.
Only Ren doesn't open his eyes to find the brightly lit fog-filled room where he met the loli cul…. where he met Confucius, however, he instead witnesses a frigid and empty black void with him floating in place.
"Did I seriously just get spawn kille-"
"Kheeeeeeeaaarrrr!!!!"
The loud, high-pitched sound of a bird's screech drives Ren to cover his ears from the pain, and his eyes are momentarily rendered blind by a bright flash of white light with a blue hue.
"Arrrrrrrghhhh.... what the he-"
This time Ren was rendered speechless by what he saw instead of being interrupted by an outside party."
"Oh… my… god."
What he saw was a majestic…. no… a divine bird nearly 4 stories tall at the least, perfect icy blue feathers with a white hue, dark blue eyes like water frozen from the ocean's depths, and elegant feminine-like curves to the shape of its body, though whether this divine bird is female remains to be seen. Ren would likely bow down in worship were he standing on a solid surface instead of floating through a dark void simply due to this divine bird's force of presence.
"What the…" Ren mumbled as he brought his hand to his face, "Tears? I'm actually crying?"
A thought pops into Ren's head…. one that allows him to momentarily forget about his sudden tears as well as the divine bird's presence.
"Wait…. are you the cheat that loli cultist gave me?"
"Fool, you're only unconscious."
The divine bird moves its beak only to speak the one sentence, but at least the tone of voice confirms it's a female. She doesn't even give Ren a chance to offer a reply of his own before causing a snowstorm to spew out from her majestically flapping wings.
"So…. cold."
Ren shivers as though he was dropped at the top of Mt. Tai's snow-covered peak. Even so, the temperature in this dark void drops so rapidly that he blacks out before another thought could pass through his head.
"So chilly…. I have to move."
That thought occupied Ren's mind the moment he regained consciousness, and in response to that presumed notion he immediately leaped up off the floor on his own two feet.
"What the…. I'm not cold, and... it's still dark outside?"
Indeed, Ren no longer felt like that he was being turned into a popsicle, and he could also see he was back in the storeroom instead of being trapped in the dark void.
"It's still dark out, but... from the light coming from the storeroom; I'm guessing I've only been a few hours at most."
The cool breeze of the night still permeated the air, but that could be called a warm summer blaze when compared to the tundra Ren experienced.
*whistle*
All of a sudden, Ren could hear the sound of metal slicing through the wind only to turn around to discover a figure dressed completely dressed in black holding an iron sword, the blade itself was partially embedded in the storeroom floor, and for some strange reason there appeared to be patches of frost randomly scattered across its sharp edges.
"Oh? It looks like you've finally run out of strength."
"Wha wha…. who…. who are you? And…. and why do you want to kill me?" Ren asked as the fear of death courses through him.
"Hrmph…. even though I can't use my full power right now, it's impressive that you were able to detect my killing intent and deflect my attacks as well as you did." The masked figure pointed out as he pulled out his sword.
"Wha… what are you talking about?!"
"Foolishly playing ignorant, I imagine…. well no matter. Such talent will become a threat to the crown prince if you're allowed to grow up, so die for me now!"
The cloaked figure dashed across the room with his sword already in the perfect position to reap Ren's life in a single stroke.
Wait…. wait…. I said, please wait!!!"
Time begins to move in slow motion for Ren as he witnesses the masked figure's blade be thrust towards his heart.