The moonlight silently illuminated the interior of a small shack like house, it was stunningly bright, almost as if it was daytime. In the silence, there were the soft sounds of crickets chirping and in the air permeated with the smell of fresh grass.
This was not right. There is something horribly wrong here. The boy was startled awake, as he came to this realization. He opened his eyes, only to find that his vision is clouded by something. After a few seconds, he groaned and inwardly sighed to himself, "What has mother done now? She can't be cruel enough to sell me right?"
Silence surrounded him. "She probably moved me to somewhere else, to think she would even touch me is quite commendable." ChengMing praised to himself. However, that did not last long, "The question is why she would move me to such a place." This place had the sound of crickets chirping and the fowl smell of freshly cut grass. The last time he checked, they had no garden, his mother was not even bothered to plant at least one plant on their patio, but then again he has not been out of the basement since seven years ago, so who knows. Now that he was reminded, he couldn't help but laugh to himself, "To think a woman full of potential, with a good job and beautiful looks only after one failed marriage would turn into someone, who can't even afford a small garden. It's quite pathetic." ChengMing stayed silent, "But who am I to say anything, I can't even escape this cage called bed, it has been seven years. I seem to be even more pathetic."
As if sensing his inner monologue ending, his vision cleared up only leaving a hazy border. The first thing he saw was a roof made of straw, turning his gaze a bit to the side he was able to see a small window which looked like bars often seen on wooden cages. ChengMing found it quite fitting and snickered at himself out loud, only to suddenly stop midway.
"Am I hallucinating?" wondered ChengMing. ChengMing was a teenager, who had just turned 18 recently, he has already went through puberty. Yet the voice he just heard coming out of his mouth, was a child's tender voice, "I'm probably going insane or my mother might have sold my organs." However ChengMing was sure that's not how it works. He could not comprehend what was going on, his cold eyes sweeped over the shack he was staying in. It was quite run-down, everything was made from wood which was clearly rotting, of course except the roof which was made of straw. It reminded ChengMing of those illustrations in middle school chinese education books, on the pages with Tang dynasty poems. It's just that this is an even cruder version of it, as in those illustrations the houses at least had wooden roofs.
ChengMing thought, "However, those are usually depictions of houses that are in the mountains or when the author had been banished and had to live there as a punishment." Which made the whole situation seem even crueller and isolating. Amidst the confusion that ChengMing felt, he also felt a sudden burst of loneliness and frustration. It's like this place had magnified all his pains once more from the multiple years he had experienced alone, without a means to end this meaningless life.
ChengMing's limbs that he had not been able to feel before we're slowly regaining strength. The weirdest part however is that he can feel his legs. He has lied in bed for the past seven years, his mother has never bothered to exercise his legs for him, which caused his legs to become dismantled and unusable. To combat the pain, his body had automatically cut off his nerves in his legs, at least that's what he hopes, as he doesn't want to come to terms with the fact that his legs are permanently damaged.
He tried to move his arms, he has realized that there is definitely something that is blocking his sight and so he is trying his best to use his arms to touch his face. It is not easy at all because he had just regained strength to move his arms. It took him **an incense of time** just to get used to moving his wrists and another for him to get used to moving his arms. He was now sure, this is not his body.
He reached slowly for his face, when he touched It he couldn't feel anything, only the solid surface, this only confirmed that this was not his body. He felt numb, misfortune just keeps befalling him, he cannot get any rest at all, he felt no shock, he instead felt a bit amused. After a few seconds, he felt the thing that was on his face, he squeezed it and realized that it was a heap of bandages, only then did he realize his hands we're covered in bandages as well only leaving the tips of his fingers uncovered, seemingly to make it more comfortable to hold items.
He is fifty percent sure this is not his body and so he decided to try his luck, by betting that he'll be able to stand up. He spared no time and took his first step by trying to sit up, it could be said that ChengMing felt like he lost half of his already shortened life spam. He does not know how long it took but after sitting up, he was able to clearly see his surroundings. There were wooden shelfs and stone stoves and counters, he could tell it was a kitchen, he himself was sitting on a pile of hay, "No wonder I smelt a fowl smell, it was not the smell of freshly cut grass, but the disgusting smell of hay mixed with rotting grass." His eyes sweeped across the room once again, deciding not to pay attention to it any longer, just like he had no care to understand why he was in someone else's body. Instead he focused on trying to stand up.
Before ChengMing could get in a position to get up, he already felt like digging a grave for himself or perhaps going back into his grave depending on the situation. After half a **shicheng** had passed, he was finally able to support himself up by the stone counter. However, to his misfortune, he collapsed once more to the ground, as a piercing pain ran through his brain. It made him want to pull out his hair along with his hair follicles, not only was it from the pain, it's also the effect of his overwhelming annoyance toward life. Through the pain, he couldn't help but roll his eyes, now he has to try and get up again.
ChengMing is used to the feeling of pain, however for some reason he just could not bear with this piercing pain. It ran through his brain like a thousand needles, poking at every part of his brain. Through this pain he started feeling foreign emotions, he felt too sensitive for his own comfort. An unknown amount had passed and all ChengMing could feel is,"???" Right now he just gained a new memory, it seems to be the body's original owner's memories, it's very hazy and there doesn't seem to be much. However, the more confusing part, is that he also just gained another set of new memories which he knows doesn't belong to him nor this body.
This set of memories is even hazier than the other one, it's from the perspective of a young boy. The boy seemed to be quite normal and happy, as there were only happy memories, but it's all in pieces. There is one when the boy was six and another one when he was thirteen. However, ChengMing could tell the clearest part of this set of memories was apparently some random light novel this kid read. Actually It wasn't just the novel It was almost everything about this title, the novel, the manhua adaptation and even its audio drama and it's official weibo account. But just like the rest of his memories, it was in chunks.
ChengMing was a bit baffled, he was familiar with these memories, as all his clearest dreams he had were of this "alternative life". ChengMing was not oblivious, he could basically guess what was happening, but no one in their right mind would resort to this type of conclusion. However, quite frankly ChengMing was already not in his right mind for a long time now. Right now his dilemma was the fact that he has to try and get up again and also how annoying the heavens are, "Who the hell would be glad to live three times without a break, at least erase my useless memories properly, before transmigrating me."
ChengMing stumbled toward the door, he doesn't know how long it took him to get there, but the sun was already rising. He opened the door, soft wind blew into his face, he saw a beautiful lake surrounded by a bamboo forest the light of the lowering moonlight reflected on it's surface. A sparkle flashed in ChengMing's eyes, he couldn't help feeling a bit shocked at the scenery, he couldn't describe his feelings properly. However, that flash disappeared as fast as it came, his black eyes once again dimmed down. He walked toward the lake slowly and then decided to drop to the ground and look at himself. His reflection on the surface of the lake confirmed his predictions. His face was covered in bandages wrapped messily, his black long hair was now even longer, smoother and pulled back into a ponytail with a ribbon. He was wearing dirty white robes with a black belt. He touched his face with his fingers, he was now sure that he has transmigrated into a xianxia novel. ChengMing would probably think he has gone crazy, but then again when was he not, apparently he even had another life before this.
The novel ChengMing has transmigrated into was conveniently the one that the boy who he remembers is called TangMing had read. Those memories are quite vivid too, but he can only remember the earlier chapters of it. It seems like as the time progresses he will like a game character unlock new memories, as he also remembers earlier chapters of the manhua which TangMing or perhaps he himself has read considerably later than the whole novel.
ChengMing yanked the bandages off his face, but under it was something he didn't expect at all. The character he had transmigrated onto was the protagonist of the story LanMing. Due to his tragic backstory he gained a large burnt mark on the left side of his face and hands. This "ruined" his beautiful and handsome face, well not necessarily LanMing was just not skilled at wrapping bandages and would often wrap his whole face and so not many people actually know how he looks like. It seems that the sect he belongs to, called Shan Jing Lan sect, is very particular about beauty standards, which is why LanMing was bullied and treated badly not only by his peers but also the elders. This detail which was the main reason for LanMing's great misery, was not there. The scar was not there.